98 e.514editations. stid wasWit effeminate, he had not a womanifh heart to criewithout çaufe,befelt thefinart of it, and thereforecricrh fo earneftlyagait:ft them,he law no good example, lice law no occafion of goodnefle, hewasmuch hindered in hisobedience, he had manypill -backers and othergreatdifprofites. By this then we fee, how needfulla precept Salomonduthherá giucvs;but the neceffitie ofthis (hallmore plainely appeare,if weconfider either the wic- . kedneflèof theirwicked praEtifes, orthe-hart which the godly hauereceded by them, for thewill ofthewicked is wholy bent tocuill, they be euer willing and readie to hurt good people,when any occafion is offered, theirskill is great, and their wifedome is ankverable to theirwill. And therefore our Sauioin faith, The childrenofthis worldarewifer in theirge- neration, then thechildrenof light, This wifedomewesnayperceiuein them, whetherthey fhewthemfelnes deadly and o- penenemies, orfriendly and cotmterfeited friends : for if they profeffe themfelues to be our enemies,it is tnaruailous to fee their prahtifes. Firft they will vfe all extreinitie and li hard d arean they offer violence and o reen. if it be otiible with wron Theprat4fes gr Y will PP lfha ( P ) full g of the wicked iniuriess and what istheirpurpofeinallthis, but topronokehim that is good torequicee- egaisfft;e uill forcudl, and fo fall fromhiGod, or at the ]east wife to flayand hinder him in the godly. wide of hisgodlineffe, that Godmay bedifpleafeel with him ? If this tInng will not pre- z uayle, theywill worke another way, andlabourby dander and falfere orts, in lochwife todtfcredtehim,thathe may bevtterlydifcouraged, and called toforfake his profeffion. 3 And yet theywill findeanother way ifthiswill not worke: theywill deuife craftiefetches, and praLife fubtiltie againit him, theywill Muent peftiferous policies , and finde craftie counfelstoouertiirowhim. Thieleand many otherwayes haue theyto fpit theirfpite, and fpue Out their venemouspoyfonagainftthe people of God. If thusalfq they cannot bane that fucctffe they looke for, if by thismeanesthey cannotobtayne theirpurpofe, theywil take acontrary courttopreuaile that way if it bepoffible : theywill faine friendfhipand become our friends, theywill flatter vs with fake words,and allurevs with theirbenefits, to communicate with them in theirwickedneffe,and tobecompanionswith them intheir !inns : butthen theydeale molt dangeroully, whenthey markeandobferue ourdifpofi- tions,and..becotheappliable to ournatüre(for this tucanes willtheyall'o vie:) fomalici- ous arethey indeed towardsvs. .1f. webe religious ,theywill fhapefomePhewofreligion; ifwe prayfe any,theywill praife him ; ifwe millike ordifpraifeany, theywill (hewtheir millike of him. Thus inall things they willmarke ourmindes and our difpofition, and will fo applie themfeluesontovs, thatexcept Godgive vs grace they will overthrowvs. Seeingtherefore theyhaue a readie willtohurtvs : feeingalto they haue great skillto do- uifemoltforcibleandpolitikcmcanesagainstvs, whatworthieaccountthudwemakeof this precept, WhereinSalomon teacheth vs how we maykeepe our felues'from receiuing a- ny hmderance bythem'? Againe, if we thinke vponthe hurt thatthe godlyhaue hadby them, or if-we confider how they haue been infedìedthrough theircorruption, wee shall confefre indeedthat it is moltdangerous todeale with them,andit is the belt waytokeepe vs farre from them. Iofephwas agood man,and induedwith great graces,hehadreceiaed great increafes and ftrength pffaith,and had ftreng temptations:yetbeingdaylyconuer- . PYYbatesili faut amongtheEgyptians, lice learned to fívcareuy thelifeof Pharaoh..Danidwas man examples do. according toGods owne heart, he fuffred much,and.learnedgreatobediencebyhisfuffe - rings:yet abidingbut awhile among the vncircumcifedPhililtims , lielearned tolieaedto diffemble..What fball I fay ofLot andhis familie? whit danger washe in? what lodedid lie futtaine? what hurthad lie inhisgoods, inhis fouleand body ? heewas caned away with thewicked Sodomites captiue, his goods and catteli were-taken.from him : andthwigh throughGods goodneffe he wasrefcued., yet he honedSodome (fill, and wouldliueimt, . yea, though fire and brimftonrwerereadieto bepowred vponit hesnuftbe dragged-and drawne outof thetowne, or elkhewould not eafily!lane left that place, albeit hisIonic was dayly vexed with thefilthincffeof theirbehausour; his wifelooked backe when fhee wasdeliuered, and thereforethe was turned intoapillaroffalt;his daughters were.focor- rupted, that they were not afhamed to lie with their father, andLot h(mfelfe learned to drinkewine very liberally, whereby flee wasbrought into afilthie Gnne. Ifa manwere allured
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