one iote of this Let therefore Haec omnia giue place to Scriptum est marry Omnia illa which both we now enjoy and which are layd up for vs here after are come to by Scriptum est So that Omnia haec is not all we must care for there be things to come besides these things which wee lay hands on farre more precious Though here be all the Kingdomes of the earth yet they are said to be shewed in the twinkling of an eye so cannot the other Kingdome of exceeding glory All the power of all the Princes on the earth haue not power ouer one silly soule to destroy it Math 10 28. All the glory of them is called but a great big fannes or pompe Acts 25 23. Salomon was the most glorious Prince that euer was yet he was not cloathed like a Lilly Mat. 6 29. Nor all the Lillies in the field nor Starres in heauen nor the Sunne and Moone it selfe are comparable to one soule The Scripture whereby Christ answereth the deuill is in Deut. 16 13. Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and serue him If any fantasticall spirit oppose it selfe against Moses let it be accursed There is in this answer two things set downe worship and Seruice both which are due to God onely Couetousnesse endeth in Idolatry and fitly is so termed if Christ had beene couetously minded then hee must needs haue fallen downe and worshipped the Deuill for Couetousnesse and Idolatry being ioyned together wee would not haue parted from so great a benefit Christ hath heere changed a word which the Septuaginta Translator hath which signifieth a seruice with an open testimony So that wiil ye know if a man do bâ—leeue Hee beleeueth vnto righteousnesse with the heart that with the mouth confesseth to saluation Rom. 10 10. Such as glorifie God as well in their members as in their spirit 1 Cor. 6 20. As S. Iames faith of Faith Shew mee thy faith by thy workes so may in be said of feare You say you haue feare can you shew me your feare If it be not a dead feare it is to be seene as Dan. 3 5. it must be shewed by falling downe and worshipping The seruant that feared fell downe and besought his master Math. 18 26. Do you feare then where is the outward reuerence The inward affection must appeare by the outward action Religion is outward as well as inward I Kings 19 18. There be two wayes whereby we may haue traffique with the deuill either of both will serue his turne first homage secondly seruice of the body and both these doth God require euen when we are in the darke or in our chamber Ezech. 8 12. Indeede might the deuill say this Mountaine is very open but how say ye will ye be content closly in a corner to worship me If ye will not weare my cognisance on your fore-head yet yee may take my marke in your hand then shutting your hand no body can perceiue it If ye will not take the marke yet take the number of the Beasts name that is six hundred threescore and six Apoc. 13 17 18. Will ye do none of these What then Will ye serue me Rom. 16 18. Thus ye see what glorious termes hee vseth but if one should seeme to do one of these on curtesie hee will not be content till he do it of duty NOw let vs see first what it is to Worship It is that which Cornelius did to Peter he met him fell downe at his feet and worshipped him Acts 10 25. And that which Iohn did to the Angell that is he fell downe before his feet to worship him Apoc. 19 10. It is when one on the knees doth a bodily worship I will shew it you in Dauids words for I cannot tell it ye better When Michol scoffed at Dauid for being bare-headed before the Arke he saith I will be more vile than thus and will be low in mine owne sight 2 Sam. 6 22. A man can neuer be too reuerent to God we thinke it a great disgrace and debasing of our selues if we vse any bodily worship to God It may be said to them as it was to him that feared to do too much reuerence to Caesar Hic homo times timere Caesarem Our religion and Cultus must be vncouered and a bare-faced religion were would not vse to come before a meane Prince as we do before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords euen the God of heauen and earth The foure and twenty Elders fell downe before him that sate on the Throne and worshipped him that liueth for euer and cast their crownes before his Throne The wandring eye mustlearne to bee fastened on him Luke 4 20. and the worke of iustice and peace Esay 32 17. the worship of the Knees to how Ephes. 3 14. and kneele before the Lord their Maker Psal. 95 6. Our feet are to come before his face For the Lord is a great God and a great King aboue all Gods Psal. 95 2 3. Iacob though hee were not able to stand or kneele yet because hee would vse some corporall seruice leaned vpon his staffe worshipped God as appeareth Gen. 49 33. and Heb. 11 21. This must be done as duty due vnto God and in regard of those that be strangers SEcondly what it is to Serue This is to bow the soule as the other is to bow the body For the King to serue and speake kindly to the people that they may serue him for euer after 1 King 12 7. is not the seruice he meaneth nor to do all that the King commands 2 Sam. 15 15. For God must be aboue all and of whomsoeuer a man is ouercome to him he is in bondage 2 Pet 2 19. Wee must serue God with our sacrifices but not with our sinnes nor weary him with our iniquities Esay 43 23. We may not make a dung cart of him to load him with our sinne and filth Amos 2 13. and when he comes againe to haue as much more for him Onely The Deuill himselfe would grant that God is to bee serued his meaning was that a man might serue God and him too but Christ saith God onely But it may be said this word Onely is not in the Scripture whence Christ citeth this sentence and so Christ hath added to the word of God Indeed in Deut. 6 13. Alone is not but in the next verse it is said Do not follow after other gods which is in effect God onely The Papists aske where we finde Onely in siustification by faith Indeed we do not finde it but wee do finde that by faith and nothing else we are iustified Rom. 3 28. and so we may well collect it by faith onely By grace we are saued through faith and that not of our selues it is the gift of God Ephes. 2 7. And on this warrant haue many of the Ancient Fathers been bold to adde the word Onely as Origen vpon Rom. 3 28. Hilarie vpon Math. 8. and diuers
to me seest thou not that I haue power to crucifie thee or to let thee go Iohn 19 10. that his fauour might raise a man so high as Haman was exalted aboue all the Princes Hest. 3 1. and his disfauour or the least word of his mouth quite ouerthrow him as Haman was verse 7 8. by picking some small quarrell against him But this is not all neither for the same garish apparell wherein many do delight is contayned vnder this Haec omnia Not onely embroydered with gold but euen gold it selfe and smels of the finest scent Psal. 45. 8. and 9. And as for the delights of the flesh if he can see any that delight him better than other it is no more than with Dauid 2. Sam. 11 4. to send for her and haue her she was straight at his command Neither must any say it was vnlawfull no not Iohn Baptist if he loue his head Mark 6 17. He may command what he list if any gainesay it he may dispatch him out of the way for hee may kill and wound whom he list Dan. 5 19. Hee may command all mens tongues 2 Sam. 14 10. that they dare not once open their mouth to speake against him Nay he shall haue all mens tongues and pens ready to extoll all that he doth and say The King is like an Angell of God 2 Sam. 19. or that it is the voyce of God and not of man Act. 12 22. Why then to haue all mens hands feet bodies faces tongues and pens this may bee well said All to haue not onely one kingdome but all to haue all the power and glory of those kingdomes here is euen all the kingdome the power and the glory He comes not after a pelting manner he shewes himselfe a franke chapman he saith not that Godlinesse is great gaine and a minde content with his lot 1 Tim. 6 6. and wils him to be content with food and raiment ver 8. He comes not with Illae which we shall not once behold till another world come and whether there be any such or no many doubt He shewes him a mount that may bee touched Heb. 12 18. he comes with haec that is with ready money in his hand he not onely offers but stakes downe And whereas God faith that in the Sweat of our fore-head we shall eate our bread Gen. 3. 19. the Diuell requires no such thing This is a donatiue Haec omnia dabo What say ye now Shal Christ take it or no The Heathen man saith If a man be to violate his faith for any thing it is for a kingdome Christ hath here offered him all kingdomes a very enticing bayt but is there neuer a hooke hidden vnder it The woman was fine and braue and had a cup of gold in her hand but it was full of abhomination Apoc 17 14. So here for all these faire shewes if you will gaine any thing by the deuill you must worship him that is the condition annexed to the grant it is no absolute gift the deuill is not so kinde as to part from all that for nothing It is such a gift as the Lawyers call Excambium that is Exchange I will giue you this if you will giue me that But yet one would thinke it a very large offer to giue so great a lieu for so small a seruice it is but a little externall reuerence the bowing of the knee you may notwithstanding in heart thinke what ye list Well we may thinke there was some what in it that the deuill offered so much for so little and yet Christ refused it Indeed Christ had great reason to refuse it for hee should haue beene a looser by the bargaine I will stand to it he had beene better to haue yeelded to either of the two former temptations than to this hee should full deerely haue bought all his kingdomes hee had beene better to haue cast himselfe downe from the Pinacle For that which the deuill here demaundeth in lieu is as much worth as both the glory of God and the redemption of man Of his glory God saith That he will not giue it to another Esay 42 8. If to no other then not to the deuill of all other And therefore the Angel would not haue a burnt offering offered to him but to God Iudg. 13 16. The Angell would not let Iohn fall downe and worship him but bad him worship God Reuel 19 10. For hee knew that God was very iealous of his honour stood precisely vpon that point If he would not impart this honour with the Angels much lesse would hee with the deuill for there are degrees in idolatry Rom. 1 23. It is not so ill to turne the glory of God into the image of a man as into birds and beasts Secondly if we looke into the desire that he had to satisfie his ancient enuy by the destruction of mankinde wee must needs commend the deuils wit in making such a bargaine It had been the best penyworth that euer was bought For if we marke how Christ rateth one onely soule we may see how he that to gaine all the kingdomes of the world shall loose his owne soule Math. 16 26. makes but a foolish bargaine Then what rate shall be made of all mens soules if one bee worth kingdomes all which had beene lost if Christ had consented to that which the deuill here requireth for then hee could not haue said I restored that which I tooke not Psal. 69 4. By his death he paied the price for the sinnes of the whole World he should then haue had a score of his owne to haue payd and his death could haue beene sufficient but for himselfe onely If he had fallen downe and worshipped him he could no haue sayd That the Prince of this world had nothing to say against him Iohn 14 3. Now let vs apply this to our selues BVt wee will peraduenture say the deuill neuer made vs any such offer and therefore what needs any dmonishment in this behalfe But I answer though the deuill come not in person to vs as he did to Christ yet hee comes by his instruments When Balaac sent to Balaam to come and curse the Israelites and promised him great rewards Numb 22 17. it was not Balaacks messengers that spake but the deuill vsed them as instruments to speake So when Simon Magus would haue bought the holy Ghost with money the Diuell there in tempted the Apostles with Symonie Simon was but the trunke through which the deuill spake Acts 8. Againe there be some that will say they were neuer tempted with Kingdomes it may well be for it needs not when lesse will serue It was Christ onely that was thus tempted in him lay a heroicall mind that could not bee allured with small matters But with vs it is nothing so we esteeme farre more basely of our selues wee set our wares at a very easie price he may buy vs euen dagger cheape as we say he neede neuer carry
murthered to hide her shame and satisfie his lust So did he draw on Peter first he made him follow aloofe off secondly flatly to deny Christ thirdly to forsweare him and fourthly to curse himselfe if he knew him The Hebrew Writers note that the Deuils name Belzebub signifieth a great flesh Flie or a master Flie flap him away neuer so often he will still flye thether againe So the deuill will neuer cease molesting vs till the smoaking flaxe bee quite quenched and the brused reed cleanâ— broken Esay 42 3. First he twists certaine small threds together and so makes a little cord of vanity to draw vs vnto him afterward with a cart-rope or cable of iniquity he seekes to binde vs fast vnto him for starting either by the vâ—ce of lust or of enuy or at least couetousnesse But if all should faile pride is sure to hold Oh Lord I thanke thee I am not like such and such nor like this Publicane a degree further nor like this Pharisie Luke 18 11. This may be a good caueat vnto vs that we stand alway vpon our guard and that we be sure that wee make strong resistance in the beginning and breake it if we can while it is but a whip-cord And to vse the like policie in a good matter that the King of Egipt did in a bad who tooke order that euery male childe should be killed to keepe the Israelites downe betimes and against the succession of temptation to entertaine the succession of prayer Now to the matter The Deuill deales as with a Citie In the first he tels him he must be famished except he can turne stones into bread Secondly he comes to make a traine of Scripture to intrap him Now he comes to the ordinary meanes of dealing that is when men striue about any thing and both parties are loaâ—h ro yeeld there will be some parley of composition and sharing betweene them So here the deuill seeing that hee cannot ouer-throw his faith offereth him to compound and on his part he is content to giue Christ all the Kingdomes of the world if our Sauiour for his part will but fall downe and worship him The deuill before came disguised in the shape of a male-content as that Christ should be in such hunger Next he came in the habit of a Diuine and that very demurely with his Psalter in his hand Now he comes in all his Royalty like the Prince of this world as he is so called Iohn 4 30. He doth not stand pedling with Christ but goes roundly and frankely to worke hee offers all that he hath and that is no small matter to bring Christ but to one sinne that so he might ouer-throw all mankinde He comes no more now with Si filius Dei es for that we see is here left he would not haue him thinke on it he would haue him now filius seculi This is called by S. Paul the bewitching temptation whereby men become so foolish as that after they haue begun in the spirit they will end in the flesh Gal. 3 3. Where the deuill cannot preuayle either by our owne concupiscence or by his enticings he will see what he can do with his Dragons taile and by that meanes say the Fathers he did more hurt than by the other Secondly his tayle is said to draw downe the third part of the starres of heauen and to cast them to the earth Apoc. 12 4. We are here to consider First the preparation that the deuill makes by taking him vp to an high hill to make the offer vers 8. Secondly the Temptation it selfe vers 9. Thirdly our Sauiours answer and the shield he opposeth to it vers 10. Fourthly the issue of the conflict the victorie vers 11. In the first we are to consider first the deuils method secondly the place and ground thirdly his policie in not onely telling what he would giue but in shewing thereof fourthly the things themselues which he offers which are two the kingdome of the earth and the glory thereof I. FIrst of his method Ephes 4 14. we are warned not to be wauering and carried about with euery winde of doctrine by the deceit and craftinesse of men whereby they lye in waite to deceiue Craftinesse and deceit then be the instruments which the deuill vseth hee brings Christ from the Wildernesse to the Temple and from the Temple to the Mountaine to destroy the Temple which Mountaine is prosperity So in aduersitie wee vow to God that we will serue him but after helpe we breake it II. SEcondly the lysts where this temptation was vsed was the Mountaine The reason why hee chose this place rather than any other is the fitnesse of it in regard of the prospect The wildernesse we know was a melancholy place and in no wise fit for this temptation so neither was the Pinacle for besides that it might haue hindred the working of this temptation being the Pinacle of the Temple the prospect was not good enough For though it were high yet there were diuers hils about Ierusalem which would haue hindred the sight of many things And though Sion were a Mountaine yet in respect of Mount Hermon and Lybanus it is said to be a little one Psal. 42 6. And Psal. 68 16. Basan is said to be the great Hill Therefore as good chuse a conuenient hill both for height and neerenesse where he might behold the whole Land of Canaan Deut. 32 49. So here the deuill chose an exceeding high Mountaine where a high minde might best take view and contemplate such where his horizon might be as spacious as was possible and where his sight might not be hindered by any meane object III. THirdly be sets before his eyes all the kingdomes of the earth There is nothing so soone entised and led away as the eye it is the Broker betweene the heart and all wicked lusts that bee in the world And therefore it was great folly in Hezeehias to shew his robes and treasure Esay 39 2. as hee was told by the Prophet it stirred vp such coales of desire in them that saw them as could not bee quenched till they had fetcht away all that he had and all that his Ancestors had laid vp euen till that day It is the wisedome that is vsed now adayes when men would haue one thing for another to shew the thing they would so exchange as the buyer sheweth his money and the seller his wares in the best manner that he can each to entice the other by the eye to the define of the heart It is the deuils ancient sleight hee would not go about to perswade the matter in words till hee might withall present the thing to the eye So he dealt with Eue Gen. 3 6. First he shewed her how pleasant the fruite was and the woman saw it So the cause of the deluge was Gen. 6 2. that the sonnes of God saw the beautie of the daughters of men Achabs seeing of Naboths vineyard 1 King
vs so high as the Mount the Pinacle is high enough yea the lowest steeple in all the Towne would serue the turne Or let him but carry vs to the Leads or gutters of our owne houses nay vs but stand in our window or in our doores if he will giue vs but so much as we can there see hee will tempt vs throughly we will accept it and thanke him too He shall not neede to come to vs with kingdomes one kingdome is too much what say ye to halfe a one Marke 6 23. No will the diuell say I will giue ye halfe of one If hee would come to vs but with thirtie pence Math 26 15. I am afraid many of vs would play Iudas Nay lesse than so would buy a great sort euen handfuls of barley and peeccs of bread Ezec. 13 19. and Prou. 28 21. Yea some will not sticke to buy and sell the poore for a payre of shooes as Amos speaketh Chap. 8 6. When he commeth then to tempt vs he may abate a great deale of this that he offers Christ hee may strike out Omnia and Haec too in stead thereof put in Hoc and say Holde ye shall haue this to worship me I will giue ye no more I feare me wee will make short worke and take it Hoc aliquid a matter of halfe a crowne or ten groates a paire of shooes or some such trifle will bring vs on our knees to the deuill Is there a pretie commodity to be hâ—d It makes no matter for breaking faith and promise This is that that makes the deuill so good a husband and thriftie and to go neere hand what neede he giue more when so little will serue Whereas if we will stand hucking with him wee might get a great deale more In this temptation as in the former there is both fire to consume our faith and a dart to wound our consciences The fire is the motion of discontent that God is either a poore God not able sufficiently to reward those that serue him or else an vnkinde God that will not reward the duties that are performed by those that serue him By this we come to say Who is the Almighty that we should serue him Iob 21 15. The wicked are they that prosper and encrease in riches I haue cleansed my heart in vaine for daily haue I been punished Psal. 73 12. Then this dart makes vs weary of well doing and then followes that we will serue the deuill Being discontent with Gods seruice we vndertake the seruice of his enemie he requireth nothing but a little falling downe and then if Simon shall come and require any vnlawfull thing at our hands we are ready with Iudas to meete with him and say What will ye give me and I will do it Math. 26 15. though it be to the betraying of Christ. The Deuill here opens his meaning in this Temptation plainly that he would haue him fall downe and worship him with a bare and bold face before hee came disguised and spake in Parables His meaning is not when he saith Dabo to giue them but to barter or exchange one thing for another It is no gift but a flat bargaine men vse not to account it a gift except it be without rendring backe either money or seruice I he render here seruice backe he may well thinke I haue sold my soule for Hoc aliquid Math. 16 76. He may thinke as Esau sold his birth-right for a messe of pottage Heb. 12 16. so hath hee sold his soule his birth-right and freedome for we were all bought with a price 1 Cor. 7 23. the same great high Priest redeemed vs all with his blood No sinnes are so carefully to bee taken heede of as these that haue annexed to adoration donation hee hath Malum with a ioynter If he should haue cast himselfe downe from the Pinacle here is all he should haue had they would haue talkt of it haue wondred a while at it Well we must be thus perswaded that God is as well able and willing to reward vs for any seruice as the Deuill and better too It is hee indeede that reigneth ouer the kingdomes of men Dan. 5 21. and placeth in them wâ—om pleaseth him but when hee giueth or disposeth he giueth indeed freely exacting nothing backe againe vnlesse it be such things as hee were to haue without any such gift such things as are due of meere right with out any stipulation or hyre Iam. 1 5. The Diuels Dabo is as Offices Parsonages are giuen amongst vs that is as vsually sold as horses in Smithfield But if wee could be content to giue indeed let that heroicall minde that was in Abraham be in vs Gen. 14 23. that as hee would not take any thing of Melchisedech so we will not be a shoo-lachet the richer by the deuill If he offer to make vs wealthy let vs answere him Pecunia tua tecum pereat The end of the sixt Sermon THE SEVENTH SERMON Math. Chap. 4. verses 10 11. Then Iesus saith vnto him Get the hence behinde me Sathan for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Then the deuill leaueth him and behold the Angels came and ministred unto him THe answering of this Temptation if some had had the answering of it would hauc beene facto by the doing of the thing that the deuill required and not in words standing vpon termes in disputation Insomuch as they would neuer hauc cared for a cushion to kneele on but haue fallen downe straight on their very faces and haue thanked him too If Balaak should say vnto one of them I will promote thee to great honour Numb 22 17. an Angel standing in the way should not hinder them from going The manner of flesh and blood is in cases of preferment to respect nothing that may bring them out of their conceiued hope or desire thereof and therefore whatsoeuer it is that stands in their way be it neuer so holy downe it shall for hast to make the way neerest In regard of this one brother respects not another When Ioseph had had a dreame of his brethren and told it them all brotherly affection was laid aside Gen. 37 5. The sonne and subject Absolon forgetteth his duty as to his father and allegeance as to his Prince seeking his life 2 Sam. 16 11. The mother of Ahaziah Athalia when shee saw her sonne dead makes no more adoe but destroyes al the Kings seed 2 King 11 1. Iehu makes no bones nor is abashed at the sight of heapes of dead mens heads of Kings sonnes that hee had caused to bee slaine but addes more murthers to them 2 King 10 8. What 's a basket full of heads to a Kingdome And Herod stacke not to kill all the male-borne children in Bethlehom Math. 2 16. So that Gregory might well say Ambitio est vita cui etiam innocentes nocent such is the vehement desire of a kingdome So
that a great many would haue made no scruple at the matter neither would they haue counted it a temptatin but good counsell Neither would so haue cut vp Peter as Christ did to bid him go behinde him and turne their backes on him but they would rather haue turnd their backes to God and their faces after Sathan Ier. 2 27. 1 Tim. 5 15. And indeede it must needs be that either our Sauiour was vnwise in refusing so good an offer or else the World in these daies is in a wrong byas Our Sauiour we see doth not onely refuse the thing but also giues him hard words for making the offer and motion For hee doth not onely confute him here by saying Scriptum est but he addes words of bitter reprehension saying Auoyd Sathan Hee might haue giuen faire words as he did before but here he seemeth to haue left his patience The reason why he was more hot in this than in the former lis for that this toucheth the glory of God and the redemption of mankinde the former Temptations touched but himselfe in particular as the turning of stones into bread but for miracle and the casting himselfe downe was but to try God what care hee had of him But this so much toucheth the glory of God as he can hold no longer Also his longing to redeeme man caused the same Neither did he onely answer the deuill so but when his blessed Apostle who meant friendly to him moued him to the like matter he rebuked him sharply Two causes there are wherein Christ is very earnest one in counsell ministred to him tending to the impairing of Gods glory the other in practises tending to the impairing of Gods Church Iohn 2 15. there he was not only vehement in words but made a whippe to scourge them out And so in the old Testament it is said of Moses Numb 12 3. That he was a meeke man aboue all the men of the earth yet when he came to a case of Idolatrie Exod. 32 19. it is said He threw the Tables out of his hands and brake them And so farre did he loose his naturall affection to his people and Country men that he caused a great number of them to be slaine And so in a case of the Church when Corah rebelled Numb 16 15. then Moses waxed very angry for Glory be to God on high and peace on earth is the Angels song and ioy and the deuils griefe as on the other side the dishonour of God and dissention of the Church is the deuils ioy and griefe of the Angels Now besides that he doth in words rebuke him sharply hee doth no lesse in gesture also as by turning his backe vpon him as it is most like he did in saying Anoyd Sathan which is such a despightful disgrace as if that one should offer vs the like we would take it in very great disdaine Which is to vs an instruction that as there is a time when we are to keep the decill before vs and to haue our eye still vpon him and his weapon or temptation for feare least vnawares he might do vs some hurt so is there a place a time and a sinne that we are to turne our backes on and not once to looke at his temptation In affliction patience is to be tried there resist the Deuill stand to him and he will flie from ye Iam. 4 7. Here we are to set the Deuill before vs. But in a case of lust or filthy desire then do ye fly from him 1 Cor. 6 18. So in 2 Tim 2 22. we are exhorted to flye from the lusts of youth and to follow iustice there is no standing to gaze backe on the deuill and his temptations Now to the answer Scriptum est THe disputing or deciding of the Deuils Title that is whether the Kingdomes of the earth were his to giue or no Christ stands not vpon nor vpon this whether the deuill were a man of his word or no. Indeed it might well haue beene doubted whether the deuill be as good as his word his promises are not Yea and Amen as the promises of God are We may take example by Eue to whom he promised that if they did eate of the forbidden fruite that they should be like Gods but were they so indeede after they had eaten No but like the beasts that perish And as true it is that the Kingdomes are his If the Kingdome of Israel had beerie at his disposition we may be sure Dauid should neuer haue beene King as well appeareth by the troubles hee raised against him No nor Hezechi as neither of all other he would neuer choose such We may see his good will in Iob Chap. 2 7. hee could not onely be content to spoyle him of all that he had but also hee must afflict his body and so vpon the Gergashites hogges Math. 8 30. The Kingdomes are none of his but they are committed to him in some sort to dispose as himselfe faith Luke 4 6. He hath as it were an Aduowson of them to present vnto them but yet not as he there saith to giue to whom he list but to whom he is permitted God must first put all that Iob hath in his hands or else he can do nothing Abimelech Iudg. 9. and Herod Mat. 2. came to their Kingdomes by the deuils Patent they be the deuils Officers So we see daily in our daies that he bestowes Offices and presents to Churches So that as Brentius saith Many haue Panem quotidianum that cannot come by Danobis they come not to it by Gods gift yet all the interest that the deuill hath is but to present Pro haec vita tantuns As therefore it may be true that in some fort they may be giuen him so yet not to dispose as he will It is God onely that can say so for his onely they are absolutely The earth is the Lords and all the fulnesse thereof the round world and all that dwell therein Psal. 24 1. It is he the most high God that diuided to the Nations their inheritance Deut. 32 8. By him Kings reigne and Princes haue dominion Prou. 8 15. He brought Nebuchaednezzer to know That the most high God bare rule ouer the Kingdomes of men Dan. 5 21. He indeede may well say Cui voluero doea and to whomsoeuer God giueth he giueth liberally and reproacheth no man Iam. 1 5. The deuill we see exacteth more than the thing is worth and straineth the benefit of his grant with vniust couenants But Christ goes not about to answer the deuill that way but by flying ro the Scriptures as to his surest hold Therefore Dauid prayers that his minde may bee enclined to Gods Law and not to Couetousnesse Psal. 119 36. For there is a medicine for euery disease and power as well against this Temptation of Couetousnesse as against the former the Law of God can as well keepe a man from Couetousnesse as from Desperation Heauen and earth shall passe but no