Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n
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A51845
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A practical exposition of the Lord's-Prayer by ... Thomas Manton.
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Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing M532; ESTC R30512
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305,803
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534
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most cases a detestation or peremptory denial is enough When the Devil tempts Christ to worship him Mat. 4. 10. Get thee behind me Satan In other Cases there must be serious Disputes and Repulses When Eve speaks faintly and coldly the Devil renews his Assaults with more violence Gen. 3. 1 2 3. Hath God said ye shall not eat of every Tree of the Garden And the Woman said unto the Serpent We may eat of the Fruit of the Trees of the Garden But of the Fruit of the Tree which is in the midst of the Garden God hath said ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye dye She speaks there warmly and with too impatient a Resentment of the Restraint and too cold in the Commination and Threatning Therefore the Devil works upon her when he saw she amplisieth the Restraint for she saith more indeed We must neither eat nor touch it A faint Denial is a kind of Grant and therefore your repulse to Satan must be vehement and strong In many Cases slight Satan answer with Indignation as tho a Dog barks yet the Traveller goes by Satan cannot endure Contempt At other times argue for God strongly Now the great Argument that quickens you to this lively and vehement Resistance is to consider thy Soul is in Danger and all thy Eternal Concernments So some expound that Eph. 6. 12. We fight not against Flesh and Blood but against Spiritual Wickedness in high places in Heavenly places it is in the Original No Worldly Concernments must go so near as that which concerns the eternal Good and Salvation of your Souls What would the Devil have from thee but thy Soul and thy precious Enjoyments thy Peace of Conscience Communion with God thy hopes of Eternal Life And when Satan comes and bids nothing but Worldly Vanities we should repel them with Indignation A Merchant that hath a precious Commodity and a Chapman bids him a base price he puts up his Wares with Indignation and will not so much as regard him or hear him So when the Devil comes and would cheat you of your precious Enjoyments you should repel him with Indignation when there 's such base and unworthy Trifles to come in competition with your great Hopes As Christ Mat. 16. 26. What is a Man profited if he shall gain the whole World and lose his Soul or what shall a Man give in exchange for his Soul What shall I lose my Soul my Hopes and Happiness and all for such paltry things for a little Temporal Advantage 2. It must be a thorow and total Resistance When you yield the Devil incroacheth upon you We are bid in the Canticles to take the little Foxes to dash Babylon's Brats in pieces we should not yield to Satan a little The Devil at first cannot hope to prevail for greater things therefore he seems more modest in his Temptations Ay but lesser Sticks set the greater on Fire when ye entertain lesser Temptations this kindles in your Souls and it is easily blown up into a great Flame in your Conscience At first when the Devil came to our first Parents Hath God said And then You shall not surely dye Hath God said you shall not eat of the Fruit of the Garden The first Temptation was more modest The Approaches of Satan to the Soul are gradual he asks but a little Ay but it 's a great matter if we grant it Consider the Evil of Temptation is better kept out than got out The Stone on the top of the Hill when it begins to roul downward it is a hard thing to stay it we cannot say how far it will go Saith the deceived Heart I will yield but little and never yield again the Devil will carry thee further and further until he hath left no tenderness in thy Conscience As many that thought to venture but a Shilling or two yet by the secret witchery of Gaming they play away their Estate Clothes and all So many that think they will sin but little at first at last sin away all Principles of Conscience and Profession of Godliness 3. It must not be temporary for a while but perpetual It concerns us not only to stand out against the first Assault of Satan but a long Siege Satan what he cannot gain by Argument seeks to procure by Importunity But resist him saith the Apostle stedfastly in the Faith 1 Pet. 5. 9. As his Instrument spake to Ioseph from day to day she ceased not Gen. 39. 10. Deformed Objects when accustomed to them seem not so odious so the Devil hopes to prevail at last at least Temptation will not seem so odious But you must keep your Zeal to the last as we rate away an importunate Beggar that will not be answered To yield at last is to loose the Glory of the Conflict Grace must not only have its work but its perfect work Iam. 1. 4. So let all our Graces Temperance Godlinesâ— and Brotherly-Kindness have their perfect work 4. There is required Watchfulness 1 Pet 5. 8. Be sober be vigilant You that are not ignorant of Satan's Devices should watch that you give not him an advantage 2 Cor. 2. 11. nor an occasion 2 Cor. 11. 12. lest Satan tempt you nor a pretence Gal. 5. 13. to the Flesh. Certainly he that would not be foiled needs a great deal of holy Moderation and constant Jealousy over his Heart he had need to guard his Senses Psal. 119. 37. Turn away mine Eyes from beholding Vanity and to look to his Company Psal. 119. 115. Depart from me ye evil Doers for I will keep the Commandments of my God And to avoid all Occasions of Sin not rush into them but keep out of the way Prov. 4. 14. Enter not into the Path of the Wicked and go not in the way of evil Men for this is to ride into the Devil's Quarters to run into the Mouth of Danger Heretofore these were wholsome Instructions and why should they not be so now The Devil is not less subtile or Sin less odious and dangerous only we are more Fool-hardy therefore stand not at such a distance as we should from Occasions It is easier to avoid the Occasion than the Sin when Occasion is offered as it is easier for a Bird to fly from the Snare than when intangled to avoid Danger Therefore when you run into harm's-way you tempt Satan to tempt and when you look not to your selves it is just with God to let you fall into the Snare Secondly There are special times of Temptation when Christians should look to themselves There 's an Evil-day Eph. 6. 13. That ye may be able to stand in the Evil-day And there 's an Hour of Temptation upon the World Rev. 3. 10. I will keep thee from the Hour of Temptation whiâ—h shall come upon all the World There are certain times when God is proving what Men will do and when the Devil is likely to make a great advantage of our Discontents and