a x That the worldit amofi daugerou,r enemle, vs tooffendGod,and all thole alluring baites:wherewith he inticeth vs vnto finne: neither could Satan hurt vswith his fharpe hookcs ofhellifh tentations,vnlcf 'e they were coue. red with the fweete bakes ofworldlyvanities; hecould not get vs floope, and intangle our felues in his nets and lime- twigs offinneand wickednef'c, vnleffehevied Hales in our owne likenes, and betraied vs by the example and perfwa. fions ofmen like vnto our felues. Thus he incitedEue with a faire apple,the fonsofGodwith the beautieof the daugh- ters ofinen,Lot with thepleafurcs ofSodom, e/3chan with the wedge ofgold, the chicle of the Iewes with theglorie of the world yea in thofe haires of worldly vanities his flrength fomainly lieth,that when he was tovfeall hispoli- cie,and imploy all hisforces,to get the viClorie ofthe forme ofGod himfelfe,heemaketh choiceofthefe worldlywea. pons, and inticeth him to finne by offering vnto him the 1Er12:4.22. bastes of worldly neceffaries, honours and preferments; withwhich whenbee could not ouercome,hee Berth from him as defpafringofviaorie. So that wee may here learne, that Satans chicle flrength confilleth in the worlds aides, and that in theconfli& oftentations heewill flee,when the world cannot ouercome,asdefpairing oftheconquefi when his chiefe forces faile him. Neither doth Satan withhis ownefoulehands offer vnto vs thefe baits andbribes to allurevs vnto finne,but her chu- feth as his mefrengers and deputies thofe who are in our ewtre likenefre,and.coueredwith the fame flefh.He inticeth chaff lofeph to commit vxcleannes, by the per- fwafions or hiswanton Ivv) ilitifTh ; the Ifraelites to filthineffe,bythewic- kedMoabites; the people ofGod to Idolatrie, by the ex- ample ofthecurled nations, andSalomon byhis outlandifl2 wines, Whereby it commeth to paffe that his counfailes hauemore free audience, his perfwafions greater authori-, tie,andhis gifts wherewith heailurethvs to commit finne, are leffe fu(peéled andmiftru(led. Byall which it plainlyap- peared: that theworlds forcesarenot weak, feeing in them confifleth Satans cbiefe flrength, and that his power and polzclgs are not fccureiy tobe.contemued,fceing our arch- encune
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