23 Ofprofperitie. theefe by the high way fide, hee will cruelly affault vs, and endeuour to robbe vs by force and violence, So that it be- houeth the Chriflian man alwaies carefully to watch and toRand vpon his guard,both in the timeof profperitie and aduerfitie,that he benot either allured with the one,or op- necprofpera prefFed with the other, eitherindeed with worldly baits to itda fall into the nets ofdcIruô 'lion,ordifcouragedinhis courfe: ser¡a deuitsda, ofGhriRianitie,with troublesand affluions. fedverague ca- And thus haue I (hewed how the world on euery fide af- senda eft Oka faulted) vs; on the right hand with profperitie,on the left ne hand with aduerfitie; before vs he fetteth the bewitching iflane .enar, baitsof worldly vanities, to inticevs forward in.the broad inP151.74. way of dcflruóìion; behinde, hee purfueth vs with terrors 4.Secî.3. and feares,that fo we may not dare to looke backe; and if That profperitie we feeme but to make a uland,he whippethvs forward with .r goodie it own the (harpand many flriaged whip ofcroífesand afiélions. nature. Nowlet vs more fpeciallydefcend to fpcake ofthe worlds tentations, and of the meanes to arme our felues again/ them,beginning with thetentations ofprofperitie,and then afterwards dcfcending to the tentations ofaduerfitie. And left wee fhould vndefcreetly caul away the found with the rotten,anddeclaime againul Gods bleflìngs, becaufe ofthe worlds abufe; let vs confider what this profperitie is, and howwe are to euleeme ofit in it owne nature, andhow it becommeth the worlds aflihant, throughhis abufe and our corruption, to worke our ouerthrow. Profperitie therefore is nothing elfe buta confluence or concurrenceofal earthly and temporali benefits; as the fauour andfriend(hipofinen, health,wealth,pcace,libertie,honour, pleafure,and the like. Now ifwe would knowhow toefleemeofit, we mull con- aderwhat it is in it owne nature, and what in our vfe. In it ownenatureit is good, becaufe it isthe gift andbleulingof God,which hee beflowethvpon his ovine feruants,asa re- wardoftheir loueandobedience. So the Pfahniflfaith;that x Pfal.tt9.t6r. a they*he lose God, law /hall hauegreat prolperirie,and they b Dcur.2.9.9. /ballhaueno hurt. And the Lord exhorteth the peopleofIf and-6.'3. rael t' tohype the words ofhis couenant, thae theymightproMer a Kittg,n.;, in all that theyß,ould doe: to the fame purpofe are diuers other
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