Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

Let the Devil promise Balaam honour and preferment, ⟨p. 104⟩on which his ambitious heart was set, and he will rise early, run and ride, and change natures with his Ass, and be more senseless of Gods fury then the dumb creature, that he may curse Gods own people: let the Devil promise thirty pieces of silver to Judas, whose heart ran upon covetousness, and there is no more scruple, the bargain of treason is presently concluded: Let the Devil tempt Micah's Levite with a little better reward then the beggarly stipend which he had before, Theft and Idolatry are swallowed down both together, and the man is easily won to be a snare and seminary of spiritual uncleanness to a whole tribe. On the other side, Let Satan threaten Jeroboam with the loss of his kingdom, if he go up to Jerusalem, and serve God in the way of his own worship, and that is argument enough to draw him and all his successors to notorious and Egyptian idolatry; and the reason was because their hearts were more set upon their own Counsels, then upon the worship or truth of God. Let the Devil by the edicts and ministers of Jeroboam lay snares in Mizpah, ¹and spread nets upon Tabor, that is, use laws, menaces, subtleties to keep the people from the City of God, and to confine them to regal and state-Idolatry,² presently the people tremble at the injunction of the king, and walk willingly after the Commandment. Let […] erect his prodigious •dole and upon³ on pain of a […] ▪ furnace require All to worship, it and all people, nations, and languages are presently upon their faces. Let the Devil threaten Demas with persecution, and presently he forsakes the fellowship of the Apostles, and embraceth this present world. And as it was heretofore so is it still.

Let the Divell promise Balaam honour and preferment, ⟨p. 104⟩on which his ambitious heart was set, and he will rise early, runne and ride, and change natures with his Asse, and be more senslesse of Gods fury then the dumbe creature, that he may curse Gods owne people: let the Divell promise thirty pieces of silver to Iudas, whose heart ranne upon covetousnesse, and there is no more scruple, the bargaine of treason is presently concluded: Let the Divell tempt Michaes Levite with a little better reward then the beggerly stipend which he had before, Theft and Idolatry are swallow'd downe both together, and the man is easily wonne to be a suare and seminary of spirituall uncleannesse to a whole tribe. On the other side, Let Sathan threaten Ieroboam with the losse of his kingdome, if hee goe up to Ierusalem, and serve God in the way of his owne worship, and that is argument enough to draw him and all his successors to notorious and Egyptian idolatry; and the reason was because their hearts were more set upon their owne Counsels, then upon the worship or truth of God. Let the Divell by the edicts and ministers of Ieroboam lay snares in Mizpah,