That ;t behoo- fwordoftheSpirit,and skilfullyvfe the fame in the fight; for 6z Ofthe f nerdofthe Spirit. trerhvs to bee it is notfufficient thatwe haue this fword lying byvs nor to t!¿ilfucl in Y $ Y handling th. a beable to flew the goodnes thereof in difcourfe, if in the; fwordoJthe 3neane timewe neuer draw it out to fight the fpirituall coin- Jjürit. bat,but let itrufl in the fcabberd;but we muff alwaies haue it readie for thecombat, and (as it were) naked inour hands, that we may ffrike home, and cut offal! the temptations of Satan, and the lufls ofour owne flefhwhen they doe a f tuft vs. And to this endwemuff beskilful! in the vfe thereof: for thoughaman haue an excellent weapon, yet ifhe know not how tovfe it,it wil littlehelpe him either to defendhimfelfe or offend his enemie : fo ifaman haue this twoedged fword ofGods word,andhaue no skill to rule it, he will f}rike flat- long andnotcut, and fometime wound himfelfe in Bead of hurting his enemie ; yea fo politike awarriour is Satan a- -gainfl whomwefight,that ifwe benot skilful! in the vfe of this fword, he will turne the edge and point thereof againa our felues, and fo in Read ofdefendingvs, it will, like the fwordofGoliah,be readie for the enemie to cut off ourowne head. And therefore it behooueth vs to come into Gods fchoole continually,that therewe may learne how to vfeand handle this fwordofGodsword fo cunningly,that wee may refit+Satan inall his affaults,and giue him no aduantage in the fight.Otherwife hewill vfe it toour owne ouerthrow; for ifhee durfi fight againfl our Sauiour Chril+ with his owne weapon the wordofGod, whofeknowledge was exquifite and without meat {ire, faying,It is written ; howmuch more bufie will hebe in vfing it againfi vs, whohauenot attained vnto the leaf}part ofhis skill? rbt foUy of Wherebyappeareth,firfl thecarnali retchlefneffe ofmanie thofe mho nei- men,who, as though there were no enemie to alfault them, lea this (piri- haue not this weapon in theirhoufes at all, or if they haue, txall weapon, they beflow more time inprophane exercifes, than in fludi.e how tovfe the fword oftheSpirit for their owne de- fence ;or atleafl trufling to their owne skill asfu#ñcientin it felfe, they feldome come to the Lords fchoole, where they might learne to viè the weapon ofGodsword,for their belt aduantage. Secondly,
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