The conflict between the flesh and the spirit. Or the last part of The…The conflict betvveene the flesh and the spirit. Or the last part of The…

¹Sixthly, the flesh oftentimes deceiveth us, by drawing and enticing us by degrees to the committing of those sins which are most great and heinous, as first to look and cast wanton glances, then to lust, then to consent to the committing of the fact, then to plot and devise of the means, how it may be effected, then to the act it self, and lastly to the often reiterating of the same sin. Thus first it defileth the heart with covetousness, then causeth it to be discontented with our state and portion, then to covet other mens goods, and finally to devise and put in practise the means whereby they may be gotten from them, as fraud, deceit, extortion, oppression and such like unlawful courses. And thus it draweth us into all kinds of wickedness, by alluring us to keep company with those that love and live in it, then for carnal and by-respects to wink at and tolerate their sins whose persons we affect; then to think them light and venial; then for company sake to commit them, least we should be thought more precise and scrupulous then the rest of our consorts; and finally to defend our wickedness, yea to boast and brag of it, as though it were some virtuous action and much for our credit ⟨p. 145⟩to live in it. And thus it bringeth us to the highest step of the ladder of wickedness, unto which it could never have mounted us, unless it had carried us by these degrees; and maketh us embrace the most heinous sins, as it were our choicest friends, which before we took for our greatest enemies, and therefore hated and avoided them, by bringing us first acquainted with all the allies, friends and attendants which wait upon them. For the preventing of which deceit our best course is to keep a narrow watch over our selves that we be not thus overtaken; specially over our own hearts, that we may withstand the first motions unto sin and even crush it in the shell that it may never come to hatched.

¹Sixtly, the flesh oftentimes deceiueth vs, by drawing and intycing vs by degrees to the committing of those sins which are most great and haynous, as first to looke and cast wanton glaunces, then to lust, then to consent to the committing of the fact, then to plot and deuise of the meanes, how it may be effected, then to the acte it selfe, and lastly to the often reiterating of the same sinne. Thus first it defileth the heart with couetousnesse, then causeth it to bee discontented with our state and portion, then to couet other mens goods, and finally to deuise and put in practise the meanes whereby they may bee gotten from them, as fraude, deceipt, extorsion, oppression and such like vnlawfull courses. And thus it draweth vs into all kindes of wickednesse, by alluring vs to keepe company with those that loue and liue in it, then for carnal and by-respects to wincke at and tollerate their sinnes whose persons we affect; then to thinke them light and veniall; then for company sake to commit them, least wee should be thought more precise and scrupulous then the rest of our consorts; and finally to defend our wickednesse, yea to boast and bragge of it, as though it were some vertuous action and much for our credit