Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37. v1

Chap. /. An Expofition upon the Bookof 'O B. Verf. Yg.. 153 ,Sabeam., and by prong temptations provoked them to do this fer- vice. But how could he prevail upon the Babeart:, that they fhould ! come and do his bulnefsnowat this time ? The Apollle telleth us, that wicked men are ledcaptive by Satan z Tim, z. ì6. at his will.Satan doth lead men captiveat his will, while they are as they conceiveconquerours,riding in triumph, doing their own will. ThereSabeans come to execute their own defigns, but Sa- tanhad a defign upon them, he brought them thus to fpoyl the eftate ofJob. But what could Satan do?How could Satan prevail with there? Can he force men to be his inflruments,to execute his defigns up- on thepeople of God?Or hath he Sabeans andChaldeans,Natións and people at his beck,or under his command? No, Satan cannot force or compel them againfi their wills;.but as that'Scripture faíth,he leads them captiveat hit will;and as ano- ther Scripture,he is a Prince of the power ofthe aire, and heworks in the children ofdifobedience;yea; he works like aPrincemightily áE phet z. andj powerfully in the children ofdifobedience ; Though he cnnot coonflrain:them,yethe canwork mightily in them to effeâ what he hathino. Butliow doth he bring them about thus readily and fuddenly to ata'what he projects ? Thus ;Iirfl,He finds out the temperand difpofition ofthe per- Ions ; That Satan cando ; he is a great Naturalist, and bath a, great deal'of help to his skill, long; experience, by both he can goevery far in difcovering the difpofitionsof men, which way their fpirits tend ; and he found out that thefe Sabeans were a people given to robbery and fpoyl, and fo fit minifters for him to work by in hisdefignof fpoyling the ellate of Job. Secondly, When he bath found out thenatural temper ;or itáte ofa mans he can lay a bait oftemptation futable to that inclination and'defire finding out a people given to fpoyl, he prefently Pets before them rich fpoyls, there are a takingobje(. See, yonder is a brave prize for you, yonder is a rich man, his eflate will be gRod, plunder, yonderare Oxen and Aires flore,, there's good bootÿ tp be j1ä4. Thus findingout their difpo iition, heprefents tter holds up ánobjeta tothem which hits, fully, Thirdly.Satan deals withman todraw him to hispurpófe a degree further, fc. byr;iujectingand calling into the mind the motion todo this t X He

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