Fonseca - Houston-Packer Collection. BX1756.F66 D5713 1629

why Combat. der. Vpon the firft Sunday went this Combat. word, when he comes tomakeanendof this large defcriptionwhichhe makes of the Deuill,heconcludes that chapter with this Epiphonema, ton efl poteftaa quacomparetur ei, Thepower of the worldrd not able to compare with him. Saint Gre- gonie vpon the fourth Chapterof lob noteth, That the Scripturegiues theDeuil three kindofnames or attributes; Behemoth, or Elephant; Leuiathan , which fome will haue tobee the Whale;and Axis Raping, a BirdofRapine,that hues onely vponprey 5 Nunquidilludes ei, quafi aui ? In which three names hee did comprehend the power of all theBeaus of the field , ofall the Fillies of the fea, andof all theBirds ofthe aire. The powerofthefe three fortsofcreatures extends it felfe to thefe threeelements, the Water,theEarth,and the Aire : and they beeingall depofìted in the Deuill,whofehabitation isthe Fire? hee comes to hauedominion ouer all theelements. In other placesof the Scripture hee is calleda Dragon, aLeopard, a Beare,a Lyon : but thefe comparifons come fhort of the other. And therefore fomeDodours expounding this word Behemoth, fay, That it liignifies c ureltitudinem Befiiarum, amultitudeofBeafts ; becaufe it includeth in it the force and poyfon ofall otherforts ofBeaufs whatfoeuer. Saint Paul calls hima Princeof power, the Ruler and Gouernor ofthis world: Foras theRate andpowerof aPrince is farre beyond that ofhis Subieas and Vaffals ; fo is theDeuil in al other things AduerfuaPrincipes er Poteffates,er Mun- di rettores, Againfl the PrincesandPowers andGouernors ofthe earth. The Greeke word is Cofmocratoraa, aword of that fulneffe, that diuers Fathers haue diuerfly interpretedit : Tertullian, Thepoi/ians of the world ; Hilarie and Saint Hierome, The Mightieofthe world, The Lordsof theworld. Efaycalls hima Barreor a Bolt, becaufe the ftrengthof a Prifonconlifts ingood Barres and Bolts, and thong Lockes : Yifitauit Dominusjaperferpentem veelem, TheLordwill vifit thatcreeping Barre. Theodacion trauflates it RabeItum, TheflrongBarre: Simmachua,Yellem OM. cludentem, f ueclaudentem, Theenclofing Barre, or theBarre thatfhuttethvp ; Forhe Both Phut vp many inhis prifon, and keepes them in miferable feruitude. Saint John in his Apocalyps bewaileth the Earthand the Sea, becaufe the Deuili comes forth enraged fiercelyagainftthem ; {hewinggreat forrow, that God had giuen them fuch fmallmeanes tobe reuengedof him, beeinga Beaft fo powerfull, fo cruell, fo tyrannous, and fo bent againftthem, that man was turned coward, and become fearefull.But lineour SauiorChrift ouercamehim,& hath boundhim fait in fetters andchairesof yron, hebids vs be ofgood courage, and that we Mould (handno more in feareofhim ; Fearenot (faith our Sauiour) i haue osier. camethe World. Many ofGods Peoplewhen theyentred first intothe fea(hewed themfelues fearefull & cowardly ; but after that thepowerfull handof God had ouerwhel- med the Egyptians,&hadthrown them vpdead on the other fide of the feathe weakeft womenamong them, and thofe men thatwere mol} faint hearted, with fongs ofjoy, andwithTimbrels, did fee forth the glorie ofthis viEtorie, and didmake a mockeof the powerof Pharaoh; They praifedthe handofthe Vanqui- fher,whoopened thementhes of thedumbe,andmadethe tongues ofInfantseloquent. So likewifedid the worldliuecow'd before, by the powerof Saran ; butafter that thepowerfull handof Chrift our Sauiour,left in the Wildernefle the print of that woundwhich he had giuen himon the head, themeaneft andmolt coward- lyChriftianmay nowmakea jeft both ofhim and Hell. One of the Sages of Greece laid,That betterwasanArmieof Sheepethat had aLyon to their cap- mine than anArmieof Lyons that had a Sheepe to their Commander . And thereforealbeit wee arebutweake and fihikSheepe yet hauewe a Lyon toour Captaine,

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