Temptations, Title page – Dedication
TENTATIONS. Their
Nature,
Danger,
Cure,
By RICHARD CAPEL. Sometimes Fellow of Magdalen Colledge in Oxford.
To which is added a Briefe Diſpute, as touching Reſtitution in the Caſe of Ʋſury.
1 COR. 10. 13.
There hath no Tentation taken you, but ſuch as is common to man: But God is faithfull, who will not ſuffer you to be tempted above that you are able: but will with the Tentation, alſo make away to eſcape, that yee may be able to beare it.
LONDON, Printed by R. B. 1633.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR WILLIAM GUISE Knight; Grace and Peace from IESUS. CHRIST.
SIR,
THoſe thata1 Sam. 2. 30. honour God, God will honor, and ſo will godly men: God will; for he uſeth not to be behind with any, neither will hee with you: You have done God much honour in ſetting up ſuch Lights in our Countrey; Miniſters who both bMat. 5. 19. Prius actionem poſuit mox Doctrinam. Chryſost. Hem. 72. ad Pop. Antioch.Doe and Teach: They (as Chriſt hath it) ſhall be called great in the Kingdome of heaven; and ſo ſhall you. And ſo will godly men honour you, both Miniſters and Others: Miniſters, becauſe you have built us of our coat ſome Synagogues: Others (who had it not beene for you, might have ſate in the cLuke 1. 79.Shadow of Darkneſſe and Death) for that they now ſee beſt by their preſent merciemercy, what was their former, and what would have beene their future Miſery. To ſave one ſoule fom death is noted in thed1 Tim. 31. Iam. 5. 20. Word to be an honourable piece of ſervice: How great is your Honour and comfort then? to whom God hath given an Heart and meanes to ſet up ſundrie eMat. 5. 14.Lights of it for the Saving of many ſoules, in many Pariſhes. Now as God and GODS People will honour you for providing that which isfIſa. 55. 2. Bread gIohn 6. 55.indeed: So you muſt conceive that Satan will nothLuke 10. 18▪ fall downe from Heaven like lightning thus without ſome ſtirre; You doe plucke downe his Kingdom, and he will pluck at you, and you muſt, and (I hope) doe provide for his aſſaults. As for your Safety, youriLuke 10▪ 20. Name being written in Heaven (out of Satans kIob 1. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 8.walke) you ſtandl2 Tim. 2. 19. ſure; ThemIob. 10. 29. Father holds, and the nverſ. 28.Sonne holds, and none ſhall plucke you out of their hands: But as touching your inward Quiet, by GODS oLuke. 22. 31.Leave, Satan will take his time to winnow you (not as Chaffe) but as Wheat: Expect it, he will doe what he can (and he can doe ſomething) to interrupt your Peace: He hath*Iam. 2. 19. no Peace himſelfe, and ſo he cannot abide (as farre as he can doe withall) that any ſhould have any: He durſt and did ſet upon, and vex the Lord himſelfe with the ſmoake of anpMatth. 4. 9. heavie Tentation: And will he not, Dare he not, let drive at us? Verily, when we come to have thoſe*Luke 16. 11. true Riches about us, and to be in ſome ſpirituall ſtrength, (which uſually is in our later and moreqHeb. 5. 14. experienced age) it is uſuall that GOD ſhould, and he often doth ſuffer Satan; What? to beat us? No! But yet tor2 Cor. 12. 7. buffet us, as he did Saint Paul. Wherefore, after ſome great things done to GODS honour, and Satans undoing, we are then chiefeſt of all, to looke for the houre of Tentation, and to take the beſt care we can, both for our Safetie and Peace: This is to fight, not ſo much ſEpheſ. 6. 12.with men, nor witht1 Cor▪ 15▪ 32. beaſts, after the manner of men, as withuEpheſ. 6. 12. Principalities and Powers: His Arrowes are *Epheſ. …. 10.firy, and have ſorrow enough in them, to make the Heart of a Chriſtian man to xProv. 1…. 25.ſtoupe: We are therefore, all of us, by all meanes to furniſh our ſelves with ſuch y2 Cor. 10. 5.Armes as may fit us in our ſeveral occaſions. And now to helpe the weaker ſort of Chriſtians, I have here done ſomewhat that way, which (what ever it be) I doe here make bold to publiſh it under your Name and Countenance: To whom I wiſh, as Saint Iohn did to Gaius (thezRom. 16. 23. Hoſte of the Church in his Time:)a3 Ioh. 2. That above all things you may proſper, and be in health, even as your ſoule proſpereth,
Yours in our Lord Chriſt Ieſus. RICHARD CAPEL.