The works of the reverend and faithful servant of Jesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…The workes of the reuerend and faithfull seruant af Iesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…

CHAP. XII. Daemonis appellations, or the divers names given to the Devil in scripture.

CHAP. XII. Daemonis appellationes, or the diuers names giuen to the Diuell in scripture.

THE Devil is called Daimôn of his great knowledge, and great experience, Diábolos of his slandering, and false accusing: peir ázan of sifting, boring, and broaching the faithful to see what is in them: skoloposarkòs of making us subject to the rebellion of the flesh, the Devil of doing evil, or à divellendo, or else as in the old english monuments, the devils fetched from the Greek Diábolos, for his authority the Prince of this world, that is, of the corrupt estate of the world; for his form and ugly shape, the Prince of darkness; for his untruth, a lying spirit; for his filthiness, an unclean spirit: for his hurting, a serpent: for his experience in hurting, an old serpent: for his strength, a Lion: for his greediness, a ramping, or roaring Lion: for his poison, a Dragon: for his alluring, a tempter: for his constraining, an armed man, having store of darts: sometimes he ramps and roars in one sharp, with horns and claws full of terror in a Lions skin, which is especially in the evil day at the hour of death. Sometimes he transforms himself into an Angels shape, in bright apparel, full of compassion in the mantle of Samuel; in a religious habit, full of scripture, every other word is scriptum est, setting an ambush of Devils to invade us; holding the cross, and this is his craft: If he be able to change himself into an Angel of light, much more is he into a shadow of the night, for he setteth his nets, and diggeth his pits in every thing to take us in our flesh by ease, or pleasure, or pride of the eyes, suis mimis, by death, and the fear of it. In our soul he hath his forge, and bellows, evil motions, lusts, suggestions to kindle the fire of concupiscence, in our affections bending our fear, and our love, and such like to that which they should not be employed unto, in our reason by casting doubts, and planting the root of bitterness in us, which is infidelity: in the creatures by abusing of them, or by unthankful receiving of them: in the world by having his nets in riches, preferments, evil examples, customs, and evil company: in melancholy humours, persuading despair to be true sorrow; in choleric bodies, persuading wrath to be good zeal; in civill wisdom, by mingling policy with Christianity; in our best motions, by mingling with repentance distrust in Gods mercies, with faith security;