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.
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