Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

23 Of profperitie. 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 to Rand vpon his guard,both in the time of profperitie and aduerfitie,that he be not either allured with the one,or op- necprofpera prefFed with the other, either indeed with worldly baits to itda fall into the nets ofdcIruô 'lion,ordifcouragedin his courfe: ser¡a deuitsda, ofGhriRianitie,with troubles and affluions. fed verague 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, baits of worldly vanities, to inticevs forward in.the broad in P151.74. 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 whippeth vs forward with .r goodie it own the (harp and many flriaged whip ofcroífes and afiélions. nature. Now let vs more fpeciallydefcend to fpcake of the worlds tentations, and of the meanes to arme our felues again/ them,beginning with the tentations ofprofperitie,and then afterwards dcfcending to the tentations ofaduerfitie. And left wee fhould vndefcreetly caul away the found with the rotten,and declaime againul Gods bleflìngs, becaufe ofthe worlds abufe; let vs confider what this profperitie is, and how we are to euleeme of it in it owne nature, andhow it becommeth the worlds aflihant, through his abufe and our corruption, to worke our ouerthrow. Profperitie therefore is nothing elfe but a confluence or concurrenceofal earthly and temporali benefits; as the fauour and friend(hip ofinen, health,wealth,pcace,libertie,honour, pleafure,and the like. Now if we would know how to efleeme ofit, we mull con- ader what it is in it owne nature, and what in our vfe. In it ownenatureit is good, becaufe it is the gift andbleulingof God,which hee befloweth vpon his ovine feruants,as a re- ward of their loue and obedience. So the Pfahniflfaith;that x Pfal.tt9.t6r. a they *he lose God, law /hall haue great prolperirie,and they b Dcur.2.9.9. /ballhaue no hurt. And the Lord exhorteth the people ofIf and-6.'3. rael t' to hype the words of his couenant, thae they might proMer a Kittg,n. ;, in all that they ß,ould doe: to the fame purpofe are diuers other