Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

And then the third thing is, The variety of Temptations that do attend upon a full condition: O abundance of temptations there are in a full estate, more than there are in a mean estate. I confess extreme poverty hath many temptations with it, very sore and grievous temptations that do attend extremity of poverty; but yet not so many as do attend upon a full estate. As the flies come in abundance to sweet things, honey (and the like) so ⟨p. 24⟩Beelzebub, that signifies the God of Flies; O the Devils that have that name, they come in abundance, where they see sweetness, where they see is much prosperity. Rats and Mice come to full Barns, not to empty ones; and so the Vermin of temptations, as I may call them, do attend upon full estates. A Tree that hath nothing on it, the Traveller that comes by will not fling at it; but a Tree that is full of fruit, a Traveller flings at that: so those that are in a mean and low condition, the Devil passes by them, but he especially labours at those that he sees hath much of the world, and he hath more hopes of gaining of them: As it's a very observable place concerning Joseph, do but consider the Scripture that speaks of the condition of Joseph and his Blessing; we may compare two Scriptures together for it, the one is in the Book of Genesis, where you have Jacob blessing of Joseph; and the other is in the Book of Deuteronomy, where Moses's Blessing was, chap. 33. 13. and of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven; for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath: And for the precious fruits brought forth by the Sun, and for the precious things put forth by the Moon, and for the chief things of the ancient Mountains; and for the precious things of the lasting hills; and for the precious things of the earth, and fullness thereof, &c. Here's for all his outward blessings, what a many precious things are here, that Joseph had, and the fullness thereof. But mark, of all the Tribes, what is said concerning Joseph, Gen. 49. 22. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a Well; whose branches run over the wall. But now mark in the 23. verse, The Archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him, and hated him. There's none of the Tribes, where it is said, that the Archers did so shoot at, as at Joseph;

And then the third thing is, The variety of Temptations that do attend upon a full condition: O abundance of temptations there are in a full estate, more than there are in a mean estate. I confess extream poverty hath many temptations with it, very sore and grievous temptations that do attend extremity of poverty; but yet not so many as do attend upon a full estate. As the flies come in abundance to sweet things, honey (and the like) so