24 FIRST SERMON before tney can bring honour to the author, or comfort to the enjoyer of them. When Christ overcometh Satan, " he taketh from him all his armour, and divideth the spoils," Luke xi. 22. How doth he divide the spoils ? surely he maketh use of that wit, wealth, power, learning, wisdom, interests, which Satan used against Christ's kingdom, as instruments and ornaments unto the gospel. As when a magazine in war is taken, the general makes use of those arms which were provided against him for his own service. And as sin doth thus corrupt blessings, so on the other side repentance doth sweeten judgments, and can turn afflictions into matter of comfort. Repentance, though it should not remove a judgment, yet can feed upon it ; and fetch meat out of the eater, and out of the strong sweetness. There are two evils in afflictions their thorns in the flesh, as they are matter of pain, and their snare to . the conscience, as they are matter of temptation ; as there are two things in a chain or fetter the heaviness whereby it loads, and the hardness whereby it galls. Now a prisoner, though he cannot make his chain lighter than it is, yet by lining it with wool or other soft things, he can prevent the galling ; so repentance, though it take not away the pain of affliction from the flesh, yet by meekening and humbling the soul, with silence and quietness to bear the indignation of the Lord, and accept of the punishment of sin, it removeth the temptation and malignity of it from the conscience. And thus as Protagoras by his natural dexterity ordered the burden which he was to bear with more ease and advantage, so piety by spiritual prudence makes judgments more easy to be borne ; and the light yoke of Christ, as floats in a deep water, bears up the spirits of men from sinking, and lighteneth every
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