Downame - BV209_D69_G6_1640_v1

402 of the temptations of the devil, fes, he fetteth upon the weak and inconflant. Some- times by aggravating the prefent troubles, either in refpeé of the greatneffe, or the length, or fome- thing extraordinary in them , or by comparifons with others, to move them to impatience, or to bring them to defpair. II. The tentations of the devil ferve either to o= verthrow mens faith or obedience:Their faith;part- ly by infeling their judgements with errours,partly by calling doubts into their mind ; or contrariwife Tentations caufina them to prefume. Firfl, That he may infeI of errours and herefies; men with errours, he is many times a lying fpirit in the mouthes of thofe that take upon them to be Of doubt- teachers of others.Secondly, he ufeth to call doubts mg; into mens minds concerning Gods love towards them, concerning their eletion, juflification, and falvation. And his efpeciall motives hereunto are . the calamities of this life; 2. the confcience of finne. As touching the former, It is the ufuall pranice of the devil to perfwade men being in affli6tion that they are not in Gods favour, either in ref peel oftheir continuance, or greatneffe, or by compari- fon oftheir diflreffed eflate with the profperity of others. This was the main argument that the devil ufed to affail the faith of Job with by his wife and friends, That becaufe he was fo greivoufly affiiéed he was not the friend of God but an hypocrite: and this affault made him fometimes to flogger, 13. 24. Why hìdeft thou thy face from me, and of eemeft me as thine enemie? So David,Pfal. 2 2. i . My God, my God, i'hy haft thou forfäken me,: But this tentation is the molt