clot suer topertTradevi toháfienor renentasice. 391- Secondly,while wee hue in our finnes wee continue in Sa- 4,Se .3. tans,thraldome,andhehath full poffef ioi ofvs ; which pof- . Beam! sa feflìon the longerhe holdeth the more badlywill he be cafl tan will more oat ; for as thofe who haue along timequietly inioyed their hardly be caß houfes & lands, though their title be but weak,yet are more Cut cf hás poi hardlie difpoflyd, then if at their first entrance their right h ets l e had been called into queflion.bothbecaufe long cu11otn hath hel,:°71 rt, initthenature ofa law, and the parties themfelues will bec more earnefl invfing all meanes toretaine -their poffeflìons which they haue longhekl,tirnehauing worne out al doubt- ingoftheir right : foSatan istuore hardlie thruft out of his pofhefïìon when hebath long kept it, becaufe his long'hol- ding ofvs in his thraldom makethhim imagine that he bath right to holdvs Rill, and hee is moil earnefl in vfing all his flrength and policie ; to hold that which hee bath alreadi.e gottenand long keptinhis poffeflion. We know that when -afouldier in fight hath taken another captiue, at fitfhe vfeth all meanes to breake fromhim,as hauingbetter opportunity when they are fhl in the field,thenhecanhope for after when he is carriedaway andclaptvp inprifon : and as he bath lefhe meanes,fo alfohe hath lefl'e defire to efcape;after that bycon- tinuance oftime, his captiuitie ismade more familiar vnto him : and we commonly feethat a birdas foone as Thee is ta- ken, fluttereth and ftriuieth toget away ; butafter fhee bath been a while in the cage,fhee is content to flay there (till, though the doore be open ; and fo-it is inour fpirituall thral- dome, at thefirf weehavebell meanes to efcape and moil defire alfo, for after wee are inured to Satans captiuitie we are content toremaine his bondflaues 11111. And if weede- fire toefeape. hewould more difdaine that we fhould flriue and oppofe our felues againfl rim, after bec hath long time had vs at commaund, and ruledvs at hisbecke,then whenat the firíi we fellinto thiscruell flauery. Thirdly, the longer that finne bath dominion oucr vs the:§5'ea 4 more it increafeth in flrength,and themore hardly it is fub- irru- dued: for it is the.natureof finne,as foone as it is entertained aisci. tomake way & roorne for more,and thofeworfe then it.fclfe, gime incr{a°' cth. as :wee may fee in theexample ofDauid, for when hee was - C c .4 :o.uercoane
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=