. THE DEVIL A L I 0 N . Book IV. <hidden, he fcems to court her as a cordial Friend, as one that wifhed her the greatel1: Happinefs imaginable; but alas ! his Delign was to catch her in the Net of Rebellion againl1: God's Law, to ddl:roy and undo her for ever; In vaill is the Net JPread in the Sigbt·of.any Bird, .Prov. i. •7· 1V. A Fowler !hives to counterfeit the real Call of Birds, thereby to .entice them into the Snares and Nets he bath fpread for t.hem ·: So Satan endeavors to transform .himfelf into an Angel of Light, and alfo teaches his Miniflers to counterfeit the Garb, Behavior, and Call of Chrilt's tn1e Minil1:ers, thereby to deceive and draw Souls into Perdition and DeftruEtion, 1 Cor. xi. 14, <5· who more ready to prefs Holinefs and Self-denial, &c. than feme of •the grand Deceivers of ihis Age., '.l'hey come .to you i" Sbeeps cloaPhing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves, Matt. vii. 15. V. A Fowler fometimes in the Night dazzles the Eyes of the poor Birds with a great Light, and thereby mofl eafily fpreads his Net over them: So Satan by falfe Lighrs .preys upon the Souls of Men, who cries out, Light, Life and Power, &c. and this hath fo dazzled the Eyes of People, that many have been taken, and little think wher.e ·they are, nor the Danger t.hey are iD; alas! the cunning Fow!er has .got .his Net over them. D E V I L A L I 0 N. Be fober, be vigilant, becaup your .Adverfary the Devil, as a roaring Lion, walketh .about, feeking whom he may devour, z Pet. v. 8. CHRIST is compared to a Lion, faith the learned Glajjius, becaufe ·noble, heroic, · and unconquerable. 2. Wicked \VIen and Tyrants are fo called, becaufe fierce, <>utrageous, and cruel. And, 3· The Devil is <called a Lion, becaufe roaring, ra– pacious and devouring, I:.<' c. Scilile of the common Epithets of .a Lion, as we have under another Head noted. ate thefe, viz. bold, ftony-hearted, preying, ravening, ftubborn, cruel, bloody, terfible, fwelling, &c. which fets forth his natural Evil, and worft Properties, upon which ac– count the Devil, as all the Learned obferve, is compared to him. P A R A L L E L a I. THE Voice of the Lion is called Rugitus, that is, roaring, or bellowing, which is very .terrible to other Beafts, who when they hear him roar, tremble; he Toars when he is hungry and wants Prey: So the Devil is faid to walk about like a roaring hungry Lion, who is not fatisfied with the Prey he hath already got, but feeks <ro devour more Souls; for as the Lion is a very greedy and unfatisfied Beafr, fo is the Devil; he would, did not God refirain him, ddlroy the whole World, not a Soul fhould efcape. •I I. A Lion -is a very frrong Be•fl, What is .Pronger tha.; a Lion ? So the Devil is a ftrong Enemy; and one reafon, doubtlefs, why he is compared to a Lion, is to fignify his Strength, as his being compared to a Serpent, doth his SuC,tilty. Hence God bath laid help for us upon one Mighty to fave, viz. the Lore! J efus, who was able to encour.ter .with this frrong and furious Adverfary, For to this End was the Sou of God .manifejl, that he mi~ht dej/roy tbe Works of the Devil, I ]oh11 ii. 14. And dej/roy him who had the Power of Death, which is the Devil, Heb. ii. 8. II [. A Lion is a very bloody and tyrannical BeaO:, he wil1 fer upon and deO:roy whole Flocks and Herds of Cattle, he is a great Enemy to Sheep and Lambs, and other innocent Creatures:* So the Devil is very bloody,and cruel, as appears in Job's .Cafe, he took away his Cattle, and then all his Children, and after that fmote his Body •vith Boils; he feeks to de!lroy the Bodies and Souls of Men too, the Godly ftand in fear of him; for Chrift's Sheep and Lambs, have not a more .cruel and bloody Foe ·in the World. • 'J",pjdl, p. 361.
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