tion, but only that
kind which, though the sufferer would be loth to fall in, yet will
he rather abide it and suffer than, by flying from it, fall into
the displeasure of God or leave God's pleasure unprocured.
Howbeit, if we well consider these two things, temptation and
persecution, we may find that either of them is incident into the
other. For both by temptation the devil persecuteth us, and by
persecution the devil also tempteth us. And as persecution is
tribulation to every man, so is temptation tribulation to a good
man. Now, though the devil, our spiritual enemy, fight against man
in both, yet this difference hath the common temptation from the
persecution: Temptation is, as it were, the fiend's snare, and
persecution his plain open fight. And therefore will I now call
all this kind of tribulation here by the name of temptation, and
that shall I divide into two parts. The first shall I call the
devil's snares, the other his open fight.

IX

To speak of every kind of temptation particularly, by itself,
would be, you know, in a manner an infinite thing. For under that,
as I told you, fall persecutions and all. And the devil hath a
thousand subtle ways of his snares, and of his open fight as many
sundry poisoned darts. He tempteth us by the world, he tempteth us
by our own flesh; he tempteth us by pleasure, he tempteth us by
pain; he tempteth us by our foes, he tempteth us by our own
friends--and, under colour of kindred, he maketh many times our
nearest friends our most foes. For, as our Saviour said, _"Inimici
hominis domestici eius."_

But in all manner of so diverse temptations, one marvellous
comfort is that, the more we be tempted, the gladder have we cause
to be. For, as St. James saith, "Esteem and take it, my brethren,
for a thing of all joy when you fall into diverse and sundry
manner of temptations." And no marvel, for there is in this world
set up (as it were) a game of wrestling, in which the people of
God come in on the one side, and on the other side come mighty
strong wrestlers and wily--that is, the devils, the cursed proud
damned spirits. For it is not our flesh alone that we must wrestle
with, but with the devil too. "Our wrestling is not here," saith
St. Paul, "against flesh and blood, but against the princes and
potentates of these dark regions, against the spiritual wicked
ghosts of the air."

But as God hath prepared a crown for those who on his side give
his adversary the fall, so