Confotations forfilch as É;ezraite their wants inprayer. S o; Fourthly, whereas others compla,ine that their minds are 4.Sea%4.. carriedawaywith worldly diftra&ions and wandring inia- ooJecitar ginationswhen they are making their prayers vino God ; betrailetheir as are to know, that this befalleth alto men the deare[1 drflratlions childrenofGod, partly through their owne corruption, and andwandriug partly through the malice of Satan,who laboureth mcfl to thoughts iK interrupt vs in thofe holy exercifes which hee-knoweth inoft Prayer. profitable and effeétuall for our faluation. Whereof it corn- meth topaffe, that though diuers houres together wee can talkeofworldly affaires,andheare the fpeech ofotherswith- out any difira&ion ofmind, or thinking of any thingbut of the fubieóofour prefent fpeech, yet when weebeamGod fp` cakeveto vs in the preaching of the word, orwhen wee fpeakevntoGod inprayer and fupplication,our inindes wan- der hither and thither, though wee $riue neuer fo much to containe them, becaufe through our naturali corruption we are foonewearie of thefe holy exercifes, and Satan is í1i11 at hand tò fuggefi intoour mindswandring thoughts, inwhich we takemoll delight: but this fhould notdifcourage vsfrom taking in hand thefeholy a6tions, but rather the confidera- tionhereoffhould firongly mooueand prouoke vs to more earneffneffe, careand diligence, fo as Satan may not preuaile againf}vs : and ifnotwithfanding fometimes,nayoften,wee receiue afoile, let it be an occafion tomooue vs to take the morepaines, and to makea double requef} vnto God, not onely that hewill grant vntovs thofe things which we de- fire, but allo that for Chrifls fakehe wil pardonour fins & in- firmities in that we haue begged th'e' focoldly&negligëtly. §.Sea. g. Laffly, whereas our fpirituall enemy taketh occafion al- Tbar our nd together todifcourage vs from vndertaking thefe fpirituall inf "'ants rmiaies itt exercifes, becaufe therein wee bevrray notable corruptions, Pray: fhould and cannot,though wef}riue neuer fo much, performe them 310, makevs as we ought ; let vs inno cafe yeeld vnto this tentation, but negleöt this firongly arme our felues againfc it : and to this end let vs holy eaercife, confider, that ifSatan can perfwade vs to defifl from per- forming thofe duties altogether, which wee cannot per- forme aswe ought, but with. great weakeneffe, corruption, and imperfec hon,vve fhall doe nothing at all which God re- k quireth '
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