22 ( The deceitfulnefe of mans heart. to ar}fwer, and yet not willing to lofe his credit with his blinde worfhippers, either by filence or plaine fpeech he fhaped his anfwers in fuch an am- biguous hovering manner , that which way foever the event fhould fall out,it could not fallout amiffe to his anfwer ; becaufe being upheld with this prop of equivocation, it would Band true even in contrary events. Thus when in his Prophets he was demanded by Ahab concerning his going to warre againft Ramoth Gilead, and the facce lie thereof; he anfwered, Goe, the Lord mill deliver it into the hands of the king: Yea,but of what King, thou lying equi- vocating fpirit ? whether into the hands of the ad- verfary.King to be fubdu ed,or of it oivne King to be refcued and delivered ? This he determines not, but fpeaketh fufpen fly and uncertainly, to gull Ahab, and make him run head -long upon his owne deftru&ion. And yet here once againe, marke how the devils equivocating is not all out fo bad as the Jefuites : for he confeffeth his equivocating to be plaine lying; I trill goe,faith he, and be a lying firit in the mouths of the Prophets. He was onely an equivocating fpiritin their mouths : for the words in fome fenfe, and as the devill might interpret them, might be true, and yet he grants that his words, though never fo qualified with equivoca- ting quirks, were no better than lyes. But the Je- fuites,not having fo much as the devils ingenuity in them, (tick not to juftifie their equivocation as juft and lawful]. The wicked deceitfulneffe whereof, the devils practife, even of it felfe alone, without his confeflion, is fufficient to difcover : for (betides the z Kings 2.2.6. epened.. The Divell confeffeth E. quivocation to be lying, which is more than Iefuites will doe.
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