SO great an enmity hath Satan evidenced, ever since his own Apostasy, against Mankind, that he must be conceded to have bin very sedulous and vigilant in all Ages to destroy Souls, one while alluring them to sin against God, by his [Greek or Hebrew] of worldly or sensual propositions, or else deterring them from adhering to God, vi & armis, by his assaults and persecutions; the verity of which hath been continuedly evidenced in the successive Ages of God's Church, wherein the first member dying, dyed a Martyr on the account of his Religion, and the several Prophets and Children of God before Christ have been so persecuted, sawn asunder, cast into Dungeons, fiery Furnaces, Lyons dens, &c. That if to these we add the consideration of St. Paul's Martyrology in Heb. 11. we may propose our Saviour's ⟨image 3⟩Enquiry; Which of the Prophets have they not slain? Nor did the fury of Satan and his Instruments terminate there; but when Christ the Son of God was incarnated and became Man for our Salvation, Satan the Arch-enemy of Man, assails him as Tempter; but being put to flight so, he becomes Accuser, and by his Instruments persecuted our dearest Saviour, not desisting till they had crucified the Lord of Life: Which being effected, this Serpentine Seed continued its enmity against Christ in his Members; so that few of Christ's Apostles or Followers have escaped tribulation; as the Writings of the Sacred Writ aver, and the succeeding pages will much evidence, which seem in respect of their matter to be serviceable to the Church of God many ways:
SO great an enmity hath Satan evidenced, ever since his own Apostasie, against Mankind, that he must be conceded to have bin very sedulous and vigilant in all Ages to destroy Souls, one while alluring them to sin against God, by his 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 of worldly or sensual propositions, or else deterring them from adhering to God, vi & armis, by his assaults and persecutions; the verity of which hath been continuedly evidenced in the successive Ages of God's Church, wherein the first member dying, dyed a Martyr on the account of his Religion, and the several Prophets and Children of God before Christ have been so persecuted, sawn asunder, cast into Dungeons, fiery Furnaces, Lyons dens, &c. That if to these we add the consideration of St. Paul's Martyrology in Heb. 11. we may propose our Saviour's ⟨image 3⟩Enquiry; Which of the Prophets have they not slain? Nor did the fury of Satan and his Instruments terminate there; but when Christ the Son of God was incarnated and became Man for our Salvation, Satan the Arch-enemy of Man, assails him as Tempter; but being put to flight so, he becomes Accuser, and by his Instruments persecuted our dearest Saviour, not desisting till they had crucified the Lord of Life: Which being effected, this Serpentine Seed continued its enmity againg Christ in his Members; so that few of Christ's Apostles or Followers have escaped tribulation; as the Writings of the Sacred Writ aver, and the succeeding pages will much evidence, which seem in respect of their matter to be serviceable to the Church of God many wayes:
