Gurnall - BV4500 .G87 1655

Not ,witb fiefb and blood. rate temptation (as in the margin) fitted for fo fraile a creature. Whenever the Chriftian begins to faint under the weightof it, God makes as much hafte tohis fuccour, as a tender mother would to her fwooningchilde; therefore he is Paid to benigh, to revive fuch, left their fpirits fhould faile. J79 SECT. I I I. The fecond thing follows : The conjunctureof the Saints e- nemies; We have not todo with naked man, but with man led on by Satan ; not with flefh and blood, but Principalities and Powers ad lug in them. There are two forts of men the Chriftian wreftles with, good men and bad. Satan ftrikes in with both. Fiat, the Chriftian wreftles with good men. Many a fharp conflift there bath beenbetwixt Saint and Saint, fcuffling in the dark through mif-underftanding of the truth, and each other Abraham andLot at f}rife. Aaron and Miriam jultled with Mo- les for the wall, till God intapofed and ended the quarrel by his immediate ftroak on Miriam. The Apoftles even in the pre- fence oftheir Matter, were at high words, contentingwho fhould be greateft. Now in thefe Civil wars among Saints, Satan is the great kindle-coale, though little feen, becaufe, like Ahab, he fights in a difguife, playing firft on one fide, and then on the o- ther, aggravating every petty injury, and thereupon provoking towrath and revenge : therefore the Apoftle dehorting from anger, ufeth this argument, Give no place to the devil; as if he had faid,Fall not out amongyour felves, except.you long for the devils company, who is the true fouldier of fortune (as the com- mon phrafe is) living byhis fword, and therefore haftes thither where there is any hopeofwar. Gregory compares the Saints in their fad differences to twococks, which Satan theMailer of the pit fets on fighting, in hope, when to fup with them at night. Solomon faith, Prov. i 8.6. The mouth of the contenti- ons man calls for firoaket. Indeed we by our mutual strifes give the devil a ftaffe to beat us with; he cannot well workwithout fire, and therefore blows up thefe coales ofcontention, whic h he ufeth as his forge, toheat our fpirits intowrath, and then we A a 2, are

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