Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

a x That the world it a mofi daugerou,r enemle, vs to offend God,and all thole alluring baites:wherewith he inticeth vs vnto finne: neither could Satan hurt vs with his fharpe hookcs ofhellifh tentations,vnlcf 'e they were coue. red with the fweete bakes ofworldly vanities; he could not get vs floope, and intangle our felues in his nets and lime- twigs offinne and wickednef'c, vnleffe he vied Hales in our owne likenes, and betraied vs by the example and perfwa. fions of men like vnto our felues. Thus he incited Eue with a faire apple,the fons ofGod with the beautie of the daugh- ters ofinen, Lot with the pleafurcs of Sodom, e/3chan with the wedge ofgold, the chicle of the Iewes with the glorie of the world yea in thofe haires of worldly vanities his flrength fo mainly lieth,that when he was to vfe all hispoli- cie,and imploy all hisforces,to get the viClorie of the forme ofGod himfelfe,hee maketh choice ofthefe worldly wea. pons, and inticeth him to finne by offering vnto him the 1Er12:4.22. bastes of worldly neceffaries, honours and preferments; with which when bee 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 the confli& oftentations hee will flee,when the world cannot ouercome,asdefpairing ofthe conquefi when his chiefe forces faile him. Neither doth Satan with his ownefoule hands offer vnto vs thefe baits and bribes to allure vs vnto finne,but her chu- feth as his mefrengers and deputies thofe who are in our ewtre likenefre,and.couered with the fame flefh.He inticeth chaff lofeph to commit vxcleannes, by the per- fwafions or his wanton Ivv) ilitifTh ; the Ifraelites to filthineffe,by the wic- ked Moabites; the people ofGod to Idolatrie, by the ex- ample ofthe curled nations, and Salomon by his outlandifl2 wines, Whereby it commeth to paffe that his counfailes haue more free audience, his perfwafions greater authori -, tie,and his gifts wherewith he ailureth vs to commit finne, are leffe fu(peéled and miftru(led. Byall which it plainly ap- peared: that the worlds forcesare not weak, feeing in them confifleth Satans cbiefe flrength, and that his power and polzclgs are not fccureiy tobe.contemued,fceing our arch- encune