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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	cast_v	devil_n	fast_v	3,166	5	10.2336	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01739	Tvvo sermons vpon 1. Peter 5. vers .8. and 9 Wherein is shewed that the diuell is to be resisted only by a stedfast faith, how soeuer he commeth either against soule or body: and that whosoeuer hath once attained the true and liuelie faith, it can neuer be vtterly lost, but he is sure to get the victorie. By M. George Giffard, Preacher of the worde of God at Mauldon in Essex.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1597 (1597)	STC 11871; ESTC S112185	45,095	88

doe them by witches and sorcerers Is there now no meanes to resist him but by faith To answere to this question first it is to bee graunted that the diuels doe indeed delight to torment and to hurt man any way And withal we see it plainlie taught in the scriptures that he hath had powwer and leaue sometimes graunted vnto him so for to hurt As it was granted vnto him to destroy Iobs goods some by fire and some taken away by robbers to kill his children and then to plague him in his body with most grieuous sores Wee read of many in the Gospell whose bodies were possessed with diuelles and whome hee did torment in verie grieuous maner And we must know withall that when he doth hurt in the bodie or in the goods his chiefe drift and practise is thereby to destroy both body and soule and so he may make it a meane to win the soule hee will cease for to hurt the body seeming as if he were expelled We read in the Gospell of two possessed with diuels and Iesus casting forth the Diuels they besought him to giue them leaue to enter into an hearde of swine hee gaue them leaue they entered and caried the whole learde of swine headlong from a steepe place into the sea and drowned them Math. 8. What was the purpose of those Diuelles what was their desire Was it no more then for to destroy the poore dumbe beastes Yes verely they had a further reach a deeper practise This it was they sought to bring Christ into hatred with the men of that region among whom hee was nowe come and why but euen that they might not heare him bringing the word of life They knewe that those men were worldly minded and that the losse of their hogges woulde grieue them sore and that they had rather be without Christ then that hee should bring them such losse And so it came to passe for the men of that citie came forth and entreated him to depart out of their coastes Here was a craftie conueyance and so Satan whensoeuer he obtayneth power to hurt the body of man his cattell or goods it is not without some great subtiltie of a further and a greater mischiefe which he seeketh to worke Then further we may bee sure that it is all one whether he come of himselfe or be sent by a witch For I take it none will be so simple as to imagine that if hee haue power to hurt that he will lie still and not hurt vnlesse hee be sent by some man or woman And if hee haue not leaue granted him from God no mortal creature can giue him power to touch the body or cattell of a man Howsoeuer he commeth wee must knowe it is the Lorde GOD of heauen that hath sent him euen as hee gaue him leaue to deale with Iob. Then it must needs follow that there is no power for to resist him withall but the power of God and there is no way to be armed with that power but onelie by faith If there bee no way to withstand Satan but by the power of God as it is most wicked to denie and through faith onelie man is armed with that power what other way or meanes can there bee to resist him There was a child possessed with a Diuell the father brought him to the Disciples of Christ that they might cast him out but they could not Iesus cast him out Then the Disciples did aske him why they coulde not cast him out Hee said vnto them because of your vnbeleefe This kind saith he goeth not out but by prayer fasting Math. 17. Where wee see that the diuel tormēting the body is to be cast out by faith yea by a strong faith which is to bee assisted with fasting and prayer But what if the diuell say some afflicting the bodie or destroying the goods cannot be remooued by faith or withstood shall not men then seeke to remooue him or to withstande him some other wayes As wee are taught by experience that the diuell possessing the bodie of some man woman or child and tormenting the same prayer hath been vsed and that very often and yet no remedie hath beene found but by other meanes he hath been expelled Yea some haue been of that minde that God hauing giuen Satan power to touch their bodies their children or their goods they would seeke no further but to God saying that as hee had giuen him power so when it should please him hee woulde restraine him and thereupon they would rest but in the ende they haue beene glad to vse other meanes God hath appointed meanes and they tempt God that refuse them If a man be fallen into a ditch and lie still praying God helpe mee Lord help me and doth not stir to clime out hee may he long enough If there be meanes by which the diuell is driuen out why should not men vse them seeing we may suppose that God hath appointed those meanes To answere vnto these thinges we may first consider that the Lord God for the triall of their faith and patience doth giue leaue to Satan to afflict his children This is for their good What should I vse any proofe for this but the exemple of Iob He was throughlie tried Now seeing it was the will of God that he should so be tried both for his owne good and for the instruction of many others though his faith were a right strong faith yet in this thing it did not repell Satan but he had power giuen him to touch his goods children and body And so we may hold it vndoubtedly that if God will giue power or leaue vnto Satan to touch the bodie the children or the goods of any faithfull man for such a purpose as this was in Iob faith doth not remooue him from so afflicting but faith in those so for a time afflicted doth resist him so that hee doth not nor cannot preuaile against the soule That is enough for vs. Such a man is to submit himselfe to the chastisement of God for his trial If Satan cannot be remooued from hurting him in those outward thinges which are of lesse value let him hold fast that he resist him by faith so that hee win not his soule and he is well the Lord God will in his good time deliuer him from that other calamitie Let him knowe it is for his good that he is so chastised The woman of Canaan Math. 15. was a woman of a wonderfull faith for Christ saith I haue not found so great faith in Israell and yet the Diuell did torment her daughter She did not seeke any other meanes but sought out Christ and obtained of him to haue the Diuell cast out which did so grieuously torment her child This was for her triall and she did for the time endure it resisting the diuell so mightilie by faith that he could not preuaile against her soule Moreouer the diuell hath power giuen vnto him to afflict some and to plague

Moreouer he is to take heed that wil be stedfast in the faith to resist the diuel that he bee rich in good workes and that hee abstaine from committing those vices which nature doth lead vnto For in the time of triall in the hower of temptation or when Satan doth assault it will greatly shake the mind if a man when he doth looke for the arguments of a true faith and findeth that hee hath beene fruitlesse but if his conscience doe accuse him not only of a slacknesse in good workes but also of foule sinnes commited then will he crie out that all his former profession of the faith was but in shew or in hypocrisie This Apostle in the first chapter of his seconde Epistle teacheth that if we ioyne vertue with our faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherlie kindnes and with brotherlie kindnesse loue we shal make our calling and election sure we shall if we doe these thinges as he saith neuer fall 2. Pet. 1. vers 5.6.10 We shall perceiue assuredly if these things be in vs that God hath called vs effectually and that hee hath chosen vs. And therein doth consist the stedfastnes of faith euen when we are sure that God hath chosen vs in his sonne vnto life eternall If this assurance of Gods loue and fauour towards vs were not to be attayned vnto how could he say Whom resist stedfast in the faith Can there be any stedfast faith without that I beseech yee let vs thinke well of these things let vs vse all care and diligence yea all the holy meanes that God hath appointed to increase our faith that being armed therby we may resist and ouercome our enemie the diuell But here it may be demaunded whether the diuell be to be resisted only by faith or some other things to be vsed I answere that Saint Peter doth set downe the only way by which we are to resist the diuell we haue nothing whereby to withstand him but faith and that is sufficient alone to withstand him whatsoeuer way hee sekeeth to hurt vs. I suppose that the reason heerof is euident vnto all men The power of God alone is sufficient euery man will confesse to shielde vs from the Diuell and no power indeed but the power of God Faith onely armeth vs with that power of God and maketh it as it were ours He that standeth and liueth as the the Scripture speaketh by faith standeth and liueth not in himselfe but in the power of God If we thinke it lawfull to seeke help to resist him and to put him to flight any where but in God then may we vse some other way to resist him besides faith We are to resist him by praier will some say That is true for prayer is a speciall fruite of faith the liuely faith doth bring foorth true prayer And if the prayer bee not of faith it cannot help to deliuer vs from the tyranny of Satan Faith sendeth vp praier yea with fasting strong praier which draweth downe the power of God vpon vs which shieldeth and defendeth vs from the rage of the fiende All other meanes that haue beene deuised to put diuels to flight are vaine and friuolous yea meere illusions of Satans owne deuising which wickedlie deface the power of God For when men cannot resist by faith then doe they flie vnto those other meanes as more sure Wofull is the state of the world in this thing that when men wil not learne of God to resist the diuell they learne at the diuell himselfe But that this thing may be more euident we are to see how many wayes the diuell seeketh to deuour vs. I doe not meane that we should in particulars see those wayes by which the Diuell deuoureth the soules of men for who is able so to expresse them surely not any mortall man For he hath manifold sleightes subtilties and craftes yea euen ten thousand deuises of all sorts to snare and to entrap the soules withall Hee hath also his forces and fierie dartes of terrour to wounde withall It is no dealing in particulars but to bee armed stronglie to resist him howsoeuer he commeth My purpose therefore is but to touch certaine generall heads which containe the rest So that this cruell aduersarie this roaring Lyon the Diuell may catch the praie deuour it he careth not which way it bee for that is the ende of all if hee may carie soules to hell And therefore according to the seuerall states and conditions that men bee in hee frameth himselfe to set vpon them There is no man I suppose which will make any doubt that the diuel coueteth to plunge al men as deep as he can into all euill but according as men are apt and incliued he is faine to deale as he may with some one way with some another Such as be ignorant in darknesse with them he dealeth that he may keep the pure cleere and heauenlie light of the Gospell out of their harts so holde them still vnder the power and in the kingdome of darknesse Touching these Saint Paule saith If our Gospell be hid it is hid to those that perish in whom the God of this world hath blinded the mindes euen of the infidels least the light of the Gospell of the glorie of Christ shoulde shine vnto them which is the image of God 2. Cor. 4. vers 3.4 To bring this to passe this enemie vseth speciall meanes by which he may diffame the Gospel and the profession of it as a doctrine not to bee suffered breeding and drawing with it so manie enils As namelie he soweth errours heresies and wicked opinions He is the father of al such things He raiseth vp the heretickes and Schismatickes and then suggesteth to the heartes of men which be his chiefe seruants that the Gospell hath bred them and they proclaime it with open mouth Behold and see say they what a doctrine is this yea this new learning that hath brought foorth so many foule heresies and diuisions The diuell say they the diuell goeth with it How can it be of God how can it bee good doctrine which bringeth foorth such fruit Satan did practise this while the holie Apostles were aliue vpon the earth as we read how the false Apostles did seeke almost euerie where to pul down that which S Paule had built S. Iohn in the Reuelation mentioneth the Nicholaitanes and a woman which said she was a Prophetesse that taught seduced the seruāts of the Lord that they might commit fornication and eat of things offred vnto Idols And the same Apostle saith that in his time there were many Antichrists for so he calleth the heretikes which then were 1. Ioh. 2. S. Paule said to the Elders of Ephesus I knowe this that after my departure there shall enter in among you grieuous Wolues not sparing the flocke and there shall rise vp of your selues that shal speak peruerse