iniquitie and in sinne my mother conceiued me What should I speake of the tyme betwéene his conception and byrth which is full of sorrowe and sicknesse the mother being encombred with weaknesse of stomack headache swymming of the head and many other infirmities yea ofteÌ„tymes if she eyther snéese or smell the snuffe of a Candle shee trauayleth before her tyme. If besydes these you marke the time of delyueraunce you shal hardly iudge whether Nature be a more louing mother or an heauier stepdame to man For Man is caste forth bare and naked vpon the earth senceles and is compelled to kiuer him selfe and hyde his priuie partes by the reliefe of others so that if we wyl signifie any notable miserie wee neede no more but note the Byrth of man into this worlde WhervpoÌ„ the Thratians were wont to wéepe in their chyldebedde and the Parentes with mourning to receyue their Chyldren new borne into the worlde but at their death to bury them with marueilous reioysing gladnesse as though that he which is newe borne were rather to be lamented then he that deceaseth and departeth the myserie of the worlde Other Beastes entering into light are cladde and couered and by the verie motion of nature doo séeke after foode The Lambe as soone as he is yeaned is able to followe the damme the Chicken as soone as it is out of the shell wyll doo the like and euerie one in their kindes haue couerings and defences to reskew them selues from daunger The Elephante his snowte the Bucke his hornes the Boore his tuske the Woolfe his téeth the Birdes theyr bylles and Tallants and to euerie creature accordingly But naked man is cast into naked nature crying wayling and straight waye is wrapped in swadlyng cloathes as it were in manacles and fetters cast vpon his handes and feete beginning his lyfe with a kinde of imprisonment so that we may right well saye with Plinie O meere madnesse to thinke that vve are borne to pride vpon such simple beginnings how long is it before a man can speake how long before he can go Nowe when man is brought vp many thousand lets many dauÌ„gers many kindes of intrapmentes declare howe harde it is for him to passe the race of his lyfe and to come to his fatall ende Surely he is subiecte to all kinde of perylles and daungers in his minde body and goodes In daunger of water of fyre of ruyne of houses of the sworde and of diuerse kinde of maladies wherby he is cut of most commonly by death before he come to olde age Which things moued a certaine Wise man to saye That Citties and Tounes were nothing else but places of humane sorrowes and miseries wherein mourning lamentation and troublesome labours of mortall men are inclosed and contayned Whereof Plinie also wryteth after this manner The gyft of Nature is fyckle vncertaine yea it is euyll and short to those that loÌ„gest enjoy it VVhat should I speake of one halfe of mans age passing away in sleepe and spent in darknes For we may not accoumpt the time of infaÌ„cy any part of lyfe which almost wanteth senceâ— neither yet olde age which is ful of so many sorrowes cares thoughtes and feares insomuch that olde men pâ—ay for nothing so often as for death aâ— though nature could geue nothing so good vnto man as a short lyfe For in olde age the limmes waxe stiffe the sight dimme the hearing deaffe and the teeth fall away Againe no lyuing creature is in daunger of moo disseases none standeth in more haâ—arde of priuie Amboushmentes then he doth and that by man Lyons for all theyr wyldnesse yet doc not one encounter another the SerpeÌ„t stingeth no Serpent but Man is a Woolfe to Man at whose hand he daily receaueth much harme Furthermore none is couetous but hee none ambitious none vncontentable in desyre of thinges but he onely he is in continuall paine wearyed with calamyties of which euylles although thou arte perswaded that thou hast discomfetted one or two and so thinkest thy selfe in safetie Yet thou must abyde a sore conflict with Nature her selfe séeing thou arte enforced to feare euen the lyghtning of the Element the stenche of the earth the Scorpions stroke so many kindes of poyson and venime which although they neuer chaunce vnto thée yet fleshly flées crablyce and many other lyke vermins shall annoy thée and declare that man is in daunger of many thousande myseries But also the necessitie of death is not to be so much counted vpon séeing it is common to all lyuing creatures for whatsoeuer is horne must dye and returne to duste whence it had his begynning were it not that another kind of death had fallen to man which came through sinne whereby we haue also founde another begynning of a myserable lyse For there is no other lyuing thing but it decayeth vniuersallye and totally man alone excepted whose onlye body perisheth the soule which is seuered from it coÌ„tinuing euerlastinglie so that the good be receaued into a blessed life whereas the baddâ— be thrust downe into euerlasting tormentes of hell hauing in this poynt death lyke to brute Beastes because they neyther thinke the soule immortall neyther beléeue that there is any resurrection or any hell that thereby the death of an â—xe and a Man séemeth lyke Heape hyther so many meanes whereby wée eyther hasten our owne death or vpon very tryfling occasions léese our lyfe séeing moe dye by surseyt wine then by the sworde Many whyies that contrarye to their nature they labour by helpe of cunning and arte to lengthen their yeares and onely séeke meanes to lyue cast them selues away by vsing too much Phisicke Here I néede not to touche diuerse kindes of soddaine deaths wherby very many haue miscaried and decayde So dyed Anacrien the Poet chooked with a reysyn kyrnell So dyed Fabius the Senatour of an heayre which he did drink in mylke Cornelius Gallus which somtime had bene Praetor and Quintus Heterius a knight of Rome dyed whyles they were in the very acte of generatioÌ„ Sophocles and Dyonisius the tyraunt of Cycille both deceassed for ioye when they heard tydings of the vpperhand of a Tragedy Of which sort of examples I could rehearse a number wherby we be put in minde of our mortality that ere we weene we dye soddainly Sure we are to dye but by what kinde of death in what momeÌ„t we know not We must watch therefore whyles we lyue in this ciuile lyfe among men lest the soddaine necessitie of death finde vs vnprouided not awake for we shal be so much the lesse be able to geue an accomâ—pt of our former life the more we yéelde to wickednesse and dispise the obedience of Gods commaundement Finally the dauÌ„gers of that soule neglected or slightly passed ouer by carnall men are principally to be considered such are the errors and ignoraunces of the minde prophane opinions of God
watching gréedely young chickens and when he espyeth any peaking farre from their dame he straight way falleth downe ceasoneth vpon the praye and caryeth it awaye euen so the Infernall Gleade flyeth byther and thyther in the ayre where he is a Prince as the Apostle sayeth and is lyke an Arrow flying in the noone day as the Psalmist noteth and with his bryght eyes beholdeth men walking vpon the earth and if he espye any of them wander and erre from the foundament of fayth and from the society of Christs Churche hée falleth sodenly vppon them and all to renteth them The dyuills practises are terrible and fearful when he openly assaulteth mankinde sheweth himself plainely in his coolers euen as he is that is to saye a cruell Théefe and murderer but his practyses are more daungerous when hée dealeth couertly and as the Apostle writeth transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light And example of this his practise is extant in the historie of the Origen of the world When hée tooke vppon him the shape of the Serpente being the wysest of all the beastes of the earth and comming to Eue tooke occasion to talke of God and faigned himselfe to lament his vncurtuous harde dealing with Adam and Eue in enuying them perfite felicitie And therewithall promised them equalitie with God if they woulde obeye and followe his counsayle And so he deceiued them being ouer credulous and drewe them violently with all their posteritie into those miseries out of the which they coulde be deliuered by no meanes but onelie with the price of Christes moste precious blood So he deceyued Achab when he became a lying spyrite in the mouth of his Prophetes and in the name of the Lord promised him victorie against the Syrians And after the same manner he seduced all the Paynims vnder the color of wisedome and trueth whereby they faygned infinit Gods serued Idolles poluted them selues with al filthy lust Moreouer in tempting of Christe he pretended him self carefull for his glorie and health and couered the malice with sentences of scripture And perswading Gregorie the first to offer prayers and sacrifices for the deadde he shewed him selfe in reuelations and apparitions in the forme of those that were sometime his familiar friendes Wée our selues attending warely shall finde his lyke practises with vs he kéepeth styll his olde woonte For if at any time he solicite vs to forsake God to renege our faith to geue our selues to superstitions and curious artes to folow filthy vnlawful pleasures to coÌ„mpt all kinde of mischiefe he doeth not shew himselfe openly and in his very colors for then his hornes and nayles as they saye woulde make vs lathe and deteste him But he counterfeyteth the forme of a friende faigneth him selfe carefull for our wealth shadoweth false doctrine with a color of trueth excuseth our denyall of God through necessity and fynally extenuateth yea and sometime commendeth abhomynation and witkednesse with the cloke of profitte and common example of worldinges We haue good cause therfore to record these thinges oftentimes to watch and pray that we fall not into temptation Antigonus the king was wont to praye that God woulde defend him from fayned friendes for he thought himselfe able with moane pollicy to with stande his open enemyes howe muche more ought Chrystians to praye agaynst the temptations of the deuyll who often commeth with subtyll suggestions vnto man hauing according to the prouerbe hony in his mouth but â—aull and poyson in his harte which he desireth to conuey and powre into vs. Fiftlie and finallie this enemie of mankinde is resembled to a roaring Lyon which image and picture is most terrible For the strength of Lyens and gréedinesse in pursuing their praye is well knowne Euen so the deuyll inflamed with mallice against the sonne of God and his scruaunts grinteth his teeth against vs egerlie coueting to swallowe vppe and destroye both our bodies and soules Peraduenture he desisteth from open assaultes for a tyme and season but this pollicie he vseth that the Castell may be kept more nerlygentlic The lyke practise is vsed of prudent Captaines in their temporall warres who when they see their aduersarie vnprouided they then set vpon him and easily spoyle him as we our selues knowe by Callys which taken by y English hardly after the besiedge of thirteene monethes being vnfurnished of â—â—en was easily woÌ„ne by the French almost within thirtene howres such an especiall commeditie it is to vse occauÌ„on and opportunity Euen so fareth our ghostly enemie with vs in suirituall temptations and assaultes for then doeth hee with his doubble 〈◊〉 and great engyns of warre batter our Forte and Castell when it is weake vnprouided At the howre of death carnall man is weake in body and faint in minde for besides the paines of the disease and the face of death which of all terrible thinges is most terrible the weeping and wayling of wife and chyldren the care of our wyll and Testament and the setting of our goodes in order doeth exceedingly withdraw our mindes front the contemplation of heauenly heauenly thinges at what tyme the deuyll goeueth most terrible and sharpe assaultes For he then especially setteth before our eyes calleth to our remembraunce our works our wordes our thoughtes euen from our tender yeares And whereas before tyme he couered sinne perswaded vs to accounâ—â— it but a tryfle he nowe appéereth and vnfoldeth the same yea and amplyfieth the heynousnesse of the offence and vseth all meanes to weaken and cutte of our fayth and hope of forgeuenesse And to the â—nde he might carrie vs into the gulfe of dispayre hee putteth vs in minde of the iudgemente seate of God of the endlesse tormentes in hell of Gods seueritie of examples of his wrath and indignation Whereof aryseth to seelye man in that afflycted case an astonied minde an vnquiet conscience an vncertaine hope and finally without Gods especiall grace and protection a shipwracke of faith and a sinking into the bottomlesse pyt of hell There are many other pictures and Images of the deuyll in the holy scripture As Math. 12. Luk. 22. Iob. 11. et 3. Ephe 6. All which tende to this ende that we laying asyde all other cogitations shoulde wholly bende our selues to resyste so mightie and malyeious an enimie And for that we being both carefull and vigelaunt are weake inough of our selues to encounter him much more vnable shal we be if we entrappe our mindes in vnnecessary most vaine cogitations of the world Hereunto we may ought to adde that this our aduersary seeketh not our goodes bodies only but he greedely gapeth as it were in one morsell to swallowe vp both body and soule The strife therefore betweene him and vs is about a matter of great importauÌ„ce euen for life death saluation dampnation wherefore as the Apostle sayth it standeth us vppon to take vnto vs the whole armour of
for this condition of man vvherein â—he is borne and liueth And in another place That was the meaning of the Apostle vvhen he sayde that he vvas by Nature the childe of wrath as other men meaning as it is corrupt with sinne not as it was right in the beginning And againe That vvhiche vvas a punishment to the first man is turned into our nature As the Apostle sayth VVe vvere by nature the children of vvrath Séeing then we sée the worde Nature vsed not onely of the best expositors of the holye Scriptures but in the worde of God it selfe for the corrupt and sinful estate of mortall man why shoulde any man reprehende Theophraste iustly lamenting our wofull and mysarable condicion Saluste going about to confute Theophraste ioyneth not yssue in any peynt but digresseth into the commandation of Mannes nature and exhorteth vs to the due consideration thereof which is verie plausible to the children of Adam who more willingly record such things as sound to their prayse and glory then that reueale their myserable beggerie and ignominie Surely Saint Augustin accoumpteth this high commendation and excelling of nature to bee ioyned with great perryl daunger and affyrmeth such men to haue a zeale but not according to knowledge VVho being ignoraunt of the iustice of God and desirous to place their owue are not subiect to the iustice of God. And a lytle after he wryteth most excellentlie after this manner The first nature of man was created without any sinne But this nature vvherein vve descende from Adam hath nowe ne de of a Phisition For albeit vve are nowe in Christ a new creature yet vve vvere the childrâ—â— of vvrath euen as others But God vvho is ritch in mercy for that great loue vvherewith he hath loued vs vvhen vve vvere dead in our sinnes he hath quickned vs in Christ by vvhose grace vve are saued The Ethnickes doth most commonly propose to man his ende that he might thereby vnderstande hir excellent dignitie But to what ende serue those Pompeus words That vve shoulde delyberate and enterprise thinges laudable and honest and that vve shoulde contend after vertues Séeing that by corruption of Nature we haue neither perfite vnderstanding nor Power to followe vertue so that such spéeches of the excellencie of Mannes nature as it is nowe do puffe him vp with a vaine conceyte of him selfe and as it were in a maze caryeth him headlong into destruction We ought not I confesse to forget that first Nobilitie which God gaue vnto our father Adam and the remembraunce of the same must néedes bréede in vs an ardent desire of Immortalitie but we can not once thinke of that Dignitie but there wyl on the other syde appeare a heauie spectacle of our shame and miserable ruine whereof we our selues by Propagation and Imitation are guiltye Wherby we shall haue better cause to lyke of Theophrastes complaint then vainly to extoll this our most ruinous and corrupt Nature Seneca whome Lactantius accoumpteth the most wittie and subtyle Philosopher of all the Stoikes cyting Theophrastes sentence doth not find any fault with it but rather taketh iust occasion thereby to exhorte men to spende that lyttle tyme which is geuen them in lyuing well and honestly Whose words because they are full of excellent and diuine lessons and ther withall appertain to my purpose I thought good to put downe as I finde them in the Aucthour him selfe which are after this mannes Most part of mortall men friende Paulyne do complaine of the crueltie of nature because she hath geuen vs so short a race and course Truely our time is not so short of it self but we make it shortâ—r Our lyfe is long inough if we spende it west But vvhen vvee passe it ouer in ryotte and neclygence it is bestowed in no good thing so that in the ende of our lyfe that tyme vvhich vve thought not to go is euen runne away Insomuch that vve haue not receyued a short lyfe but vve cutte it shorter neither is that so vvating vnto vs as vve are prodigal of it Euen as ample princely ryches vvhen they come to a prodigal master are vvasted in a moment But if a meane stocke be committed to a thriftye and frugall man by vvise vsing it increaseth VVhy continew vvee then our plaint against nature seeing for her parte she hath shewed her selfe benigne and lyberall vnto vs our lyfe is long enough if we coulde vse it For example sake One is possessed with greedie couetousnes another geueth him selfe to vaine conclusions This man delighteth in wine that man passeth tyme in sleepie slouthfulnes Heere is an ambicious man that gapeth after popular fame there is one that runneth ouer all Seas and Landes after Marchaundize and finally a man shall see such as exercise them selues in no trade but rubbe out the tyme so that we may well saye with the Poet. That parte wherein we lyue is verie lytle All our race is not a lyfe but tyme onelie VVe bestowe and employ our lyfe exceeding coumbersomely and diuerslye but vvhen vve come to the losse of time vve are too prodigall and therein is sparing couetousnes onely commendable VVherby it vvould come to passe that albeit our lyfe shoulde come to a thousand yeares yet vve our selues abbridge it and consuming tyme doth eate it cut and a lytle after inclining as it were to Theophrastes opinion hée writeth thus If vve consider the estate and condition of all mortall men 〈◊〉 vve maye see great and manifolde occasions of mourning and lamentation yea vve shall rather want teares then matter of mourning As for all these vvorldly goodes vvhich delyght vs vvich deceytfull pleasures as money dignitie power maÌ„ny other such vvherwithall the blind desire of man is more taken and amazed they are possessed with labor sene with enuy and oppresse now and then rather then profit their masters and owners they are vncertain and slippery and a great part of quietnes is lost in carefull keeping of them Verely if you wyll credit me and weigh more deeply with me the mater as it is all mans life is meere vexation affliction VVe being cast out then into this deepe and vnquiet Sea flowing and ebbing somtime hoyst vp somtime pluÌ„ged downe neuer continue in stabilitie For vve are tossed too and froo vve depend in the vvaues vvind and vveather sometime runne and bruse one another and sometyme make shypwracke of all So that in this tempestuous and stormie Sea there is no sure harborovve nor quiet part but death alone Hytherto Seneca complayning also of mannes myserable and rufull case But I let Theophraste his opinion passe at this tyme and returning to my matter wyl consider what the spirite of God hath vttered and pronounced of Mans estate and condition The worde of God therefore being the Lanterne and perfite Lodesman leading vs to euerlasting lyfe is most plentifull in the
discription of Mannes myserable and corrupt nature For to omytte many places wherein he is expressed in his nature and kinde As all flesh had corrupted his way vpon earth and I am but duste and ashes I come to that Dialouge and communication betwéene the vertuous Patriarche Iacob and good Phorao King of Egipt that fastorer and fauorer of Gods people Iacob demaunded by the Prince of his yeares and age aunswereth thus The whole tyme of my Pylgrimage is an hundred and thirty yeares fewe and euyl haue the dayes of my life bene and I haue not attained vnto the yeares of the lyfe of my Fathers in the dayes of their Pylgrimages Out of this aunswer issue thuse two notable lamentatioÌ„s of mans fragility vttred by the two chiefe Prophets Moises and Dauid Most worthie to bee considered and learned without booke of all Christians But to returne to Jacobs aunswere First I thinke it worthy the consideration that hee calleth Mannes lyfe a Pylgrimage Most true it is that we haue not any certain or continewall habitation here vppon earth for we were created of God in the beginning and againe restored by Christe to immortalitie and eternall blessednesse in heauen We are then Pylgrimes here vppon earth neyther haue we any abyding Cittie but looke for another and our conuersation or common wealth is in Heauen and our desyre is to be straungers from the bodye and to be present with the Lorde Let vs then earnestly recorde with our selues alwayes that our lyfe on earth is a perpetuall exyle and Pylgrimage to the true and heauenly Countrey and the laste Harborowe or Inne in this viage is Death from whence we shall passe immediatly into eternall lyfe Nowe as Trauellers Pylgrimes doo not delyte to tary long at any bayte or lodging nor staye not at euery Orcharde or Gardin all theyr minde being set vppon their Natiue Countrey and proper family euen so we running the race of this lyfe ought not to haue our mindes fixed vpon rytches pleasure and honour but dayly to haue our eyes fyred vpon the Gole or marke of eternall lyfe whether wee ought to runne and contend with all our might Moreouer as those that trauell by Sea or by Lande who eyther by the goodnesse of their Horses or commodiousnesse of the winde coming home to their countrey doo thinke their fortune better theÌ„ those that wanted lyke oportunitie Euen so ought we to reioyce of the departure of our friends in their florishing tyme arriuing happily into the hauen of rest The other Epitheton is that mans dayes are euyll for the yéeres of our Infancie are spent in déepe ignoraunce Youthfull dayes vanishe awaye moore quickly then the Maie flower old age seapeth on our backes vnwares which we are admonished to feare For that she neuer commeth alone Whervnto the Wise man consenteth saying All mans daies are sorowes and his trauailes griefe his hart also taketh not rest in the night vvhich also is vanitie Experience verily teacheth vs that no kind of life is without great care pensiuenesse and studie The Craftesman is busie vnquiet and alwayes toyling in the exercise of his Arte The Wise man is commonly seuere and sadde and a straunger to all pleasure The bookes of Ethnickes are full of complaintes concerning the cares and labours which the gouernours of the common wealths sustaine in their Regiment and there is some controuersie amongst them whether the wisedome of Themistocles Demostenes Cicero Cato and such lyke haue more hurte or holpen their Natiue couÌ„trey But certaine it is that in many of them it hath bene an occasion of ruine to themselues for Solon that wyse Lawier dyed in banishment so dyd those famous Captaines Themistocles amongste the Athenians and Scipio amongste the Romaines Achitophell who in the tyme of Dauid was accoumpted a verie Wyse man when he perceyued his counsell to bée contempned hee tooke it so déepelye to harte that he hanged himselfe Some pleasaunt companion wyll happelye choppe in and say Let vs then contemne vvisdome and follow folly Not so let vs rather highly estéeme vvisdome as a singular good gifte of God But let vs not repose any trust and confidence in it for whatsoeuer appertayneth to perfite quietnesse and true felycitie is to bee had at Gods hande onelye as the Prophete teacheth Let not the vvise man sayeth he glorie in his vvisedome c. Therefore if any man wyll vse Wisedome well he must ioyne it vnto God and then it shal be wholsome and take good successe But to returne to myserable man againe The holye scripture stayeth not with such discriptions as not hauing there withall fully comprysed his calamytie but vnto his fraylenesse addeth his daylye daungers by meanes of his dreadfull aduersaries aswell bodily as ghostlie Be sober and vvatche sayeth Saint Peter For your aduersarye the deuyll as a roaring Lion vvalketh about seeking whome he may deuoure whome resist stedfast in the faith And that tryed and approued olde souldior Iob. Is not mannes lyfe a vvarrefare vppon the earth or as the Septuaginta translate it a schoole of temptations Saint Paule also trayning vp his young souldiours the Ephesians in this warrefare paynteth out most liuely the assaulting enemie and the surest waye of defence after this manner Brethren be strong through the Lorde and in the power of his mighte Put on the vvhole armour of God that ye maye be able to stande against the assaultes of the deuill For vve vvrestle not against flesh and against blood but against principallities against powers and against the vvorldly gouernours the prince of the darknes of thir vvorlde against spirituall vvickednes vvhich are in the high places For this cause take vnto you the vvhole armour of God that ye may be able to resist on the euyl daye and hauing finished all things stande fast c. These holy men in such symilytudes endued to expresse Mannes miserie heere vpon earth The feare and terror of a battaile is set out by the Prophete Nahum in this sorte O blooddie Cittie the noyse of a whippe and the noyse of the mouing of the wheeles and the beating of the Horses and the leaping of the Charrettes The horsemen lyfteth vp both the brighte sworde and the glyttering Speare and a multytude is slaine and the deadde boddies are many there is no ende of theâ—r Corpses c. As in warrefare al things are sorrowfull and terrible so is Mannes life subiect to a thousand peryls by meanes of his mighty malitious enemy Satan who being Generall chiefe Captaine hath a huge hoast and many Pety captaines of such puissaunce that euen one of them is able to vanquishe and put to flight all mortall menne But there is yet some difference betwéene the Spyrituall and that corporall warrefare For in those worldly conflictes and battaylles albeit there be many fearefull aduentures and present death be verie often before mennes eyes yet the souldior is