and cartfor, his People under Temptation. 107 therefore God is pleafed to let us have filch hard dealing, and fuffering-work from the hand of temptation, that we may be the moreprovoked againa him. God fuffered the Ifraelites to be vexed by the Egyptians, 4. That fo they might long for Canaan the land of refl. And why doth God fuffer his people to fuffer thus by.xheir temptati- ons, but that they might cry out for help, and for the land of reit ? as David, Oh ! that I had wings like a dove for then would Ifly away and be at refl. Ifthe children of Ifrael had notfuffered thus from the bands of the Egyptians; in all likelihoodthey would have returned to Egypt much more than they did. They made them a Captain to re- turn again, notwithilanding all, the hardnefi that theynn- derwent in Egypt : but had the children of Ifrael had good ufage in Egypt, how would they have returned a- gain thither ; Beloved ! we areapt to return again to fol- ly, you that are the fervants ofGod, too apt to return to folly ; notwithilanding all the hard ufage that you have from the hand ofyour temptation, how apt and ready are you to rectum to folly ; nowGod loves you, and would not have you to return again , and therefore that you might not return to your garlike, onyons, and flefhpots a- gain, he fuffers this Spiritual Pharoah thus to follow you, and lie hardupon you in thefe temptations. And thus you fee what a glorious .deign of love Gcd bath, even in the fuffering part of hischildrens temptations : Gods own children do fuffer thus by the hand ofa Temptation. Eut you will fay, In the Third place (to anfwer theLb- Mica. jEtion) IfGods ownpeople, his dearefi children before& tempted, yea, Infer under the hand of a temptation : how is that true, whichyouhave in the tEpifileof fohn, the 5. chapter and the 18. verfe : Whofoever is born ofGodfins not : he that is begotten of God, keeps himfelf, and that wicked one toucheth him not; the Devil toucheth himnot : and ifthe Devil does not fo much a touchhim, how can thisbe tme, that befuffers thus by the hand ofhis temptation. For anfwer hereunto, ye mull know, that this word i Anfw. r 2 Touching,
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