their cloysters of recreation were places of burials for their meditation if they found themselues giuen to immoderate ioy their delight was abated with the sight smell of dead bones Thus liuing they were dead their mind was among the dead they conuersed with the dead and thus the meditation of death did prescribe vnto them answerable to a vale of miserie befitting a sinfull state a course of life in mortification and sorrow O death which doest astonish man with thy sight how fearefull is thy blow when wee shall goe and neuer returne or recouer our owne strength Soles occidere redire possunt at nobis nox perpetua dormienda est O death which in this last age of the world wherin sinne and iniquitie doe abound and religion seemes to haue taken vp wings and euery where to bee put to flight and indeede to haue gone vp to heauen from whence she descended yet death stands like a stoute champion to fight in defence of religion death stands at the backe of religion assuring vs that there must bee an end of this sinful state and of these worldly vanities and death is this end assuring vs that there must be a time for the manifestation of Gods iustice and death seemes to summon vs to appeare at his iudgement seat assuring vs that there is another world to succeede and death is the passage to that other world for otherwise in vaine should wee preach the mercie of God together with his promises in vaine should we teach the law of nature the instinct of nature the moral precepts the mysteries of grace the maiestie of God in vaine should wee preach humilitie to sustaine iniuries with patience to forgiue all offences to make restitution for wrongs in vaine should wee perswade men to spend whole nights in watchings fastings and prayers to repent in sackcloth and ashes alas alas these are all vnprofitable lessons to the worldlings let vs therefore leauing the force of Church discipline Ecclesiasticall censures Excommunications c. let vs implore brachium seculare the helpe of the temporall power to restraine sinne Remember thine owne death remember thine owne death if thou wilt not forsake the world the world shall at length forsake thee here is our last refuge to serue at a dead lift for the conuersion of a sinner here is no faith of things inuisible here are no strict rules of mortification here are no precepts which seeme to oppose the practise of mans naturall inclination but consider the state of thine owne body and the degrees of thine age how thou doest daily decline and learne to dye by the daily precedent experience and example of others Filimi memorare nouissima in aeternum non peribis My sonne remember thy last end and thou shalt neuer perish euerlastingly As it serues for a meanes of our conuersion so is it no lesse cause of great ioy and comfort to a well resolued Christian Cupio dissolui esse cum Christo Life is the only hinderance of our coupling with Christ this old house must first bee taken downe before the new building can be erected now death serues as a bridge or a passage to a better life it is a holie relique which first seazed vpon Christs bodie and at length shall befall vs we must dye with him that wee may raigne with him where the head hath already entred the whole bodie must follow But here is our comfort hee that stood in the forefront hath now abated the strength of our aduersarie he that sanctified all other creatures the earth with his blood the ayre purified with his breath the water washt with his washing the fire purged with his spirit in fierie tongues he hath likewise sanctified death it selfe by his owne death Death is now made a safe harbour vnto vs which before was the terrour of nature for as it was truly prophecied of Christ so is it verified in the members of Christ He shall not leaue his soule in hell nor suffer his holy one to see corruption Thus is death now become the sole sacrifice of a Christian man a free oblation at Gods altar wherein whole man is bequeathed vnto God wee commit our soules to his safe custodie and keeping wee leaue our bodies to be the dust of his Temple all our goods we dispose as he shall direct vs some by the course of nature which hee himselfe hath appointed some to pious and religious vses which hee himselfe hath commanded some to almes-deedes and charitable beneuolence according to that natural compassionate instinct which God hath imprinted in our hearts and as the present necessitie of these times seemes to require and what is so left wee leaue it not behind vs but it followes vs and ouertakes vs at heauen gates And thus is man become a whole burnt offering vnto God and that by the meanes of his death and therefore we may now securely triumph ouer death O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne the strength of sinne is the law but thankes be vnto God who hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. Death is the sole comfort in all my worldly miseries for it seemes to be the vpshot and period of my woe which if I shal once attaine as needs I must attaine then shall I be like the sea faring man who being arriued in the Hauen hath safely escaped the troublesome waues of this turbulent world the assurance and expectation whereof doth inable me with patience and fortiâ—ude For what can befall me Suppose losse of senses losse of limbes losse of substance losse of honour yet one thing remaines I shall dye I shall dye here is my comfort for here is the end of my woe What if the bloodie Tyrant shall sport himselfe in the shedding of my innocent blood what if the great states-man shall pick out some flawes and finde out some nice errors in my estate and thereby vnder the faire shew of concealements shall make me a bootie Sentiat hoc moriar mors vltima linea rerum My life is a pilgrimage the quicker my expedition is I shall sustaine the lesse sorrow Now this contempt of death giues the true Christian man such an excellent spirit such a braue courage and resolution as that indeede he proues the only good souldier thou maiest repose confidence in him for he will neuer reuolt or forsake a iust cause in his attempts thou shalt finde him valiant aboue measure for this resolution of death is his armour of proofe for conquer hee will and conquer he must though with his owne passion fearefull and terrible hee is to his enemies for hee that regards not his owne life is Lord of another mans life Whereas the worldling who hath placed all his happinesse here in the course of this life is indeed a base coward fearefull vnfaithfull performing his seruice onely to the outward shew carrying a heart full of
carries no sensible quantitie in respect of the heauens all the mists that proceede from the earth cannot any way indarken the Sunne but are suddenly dissolued it lies not in mans power to obscure Gods glorie which either will drop downe in mercie or breake foorth in iustice and therfore the greatest sinne in respect of Gods losse may well bee ranckt with the least and the least with the greatest though otherwise not in respect of Gods commaund his anger his punishment But I pray' what sinne could Adam haue committed at that time greater then was the tasting of the forbidden fruite Couetousnesse or oppression could not assault him as hauing the whole world in possession there was no place for enuie or wrath as wanting a competitor there were no publike assemblies to be blowne vp with gun-powder no Princes to bee murthered no factions to bee massacred no Churches to bee made a prey for sacriledge no virgins to bee defloured no places of iustice which might be defiled with briberie no legall proceedings wherein periurie and false information might be admitted no widow or fatherlesse to be subiect of wrong and oppression mans owne knowledge the many blessings receiued together with the fresh memorie and experience of the â—reâ—tion could not admit of idolatrie and yet according to the condition of those times man was not wanting to his own sinne as farre foorth as hee could he tempted and prouoked God there being but one precept in the breach of that one precept if more had lien in his power more he had attempted in a higher degree but here was the mercie of God only to permit the least for God deales with man as parents doe with young children first to trie with the least that so the first sinne might not at first sight be vnpardonable We must here conceiue that according to the condition of man who consists of body and soule so there was both inward outward corruption In the mindes of our parents there was a great disobedience in the breach of Gods law this disobedience proceeded from a great natural pride in so much that as by the inticing so according to the example of the bad Angels they sinned against God in a very high point of his prerogatiue namely his wisedome â—ritis sâ—â—ut dij sciemes â—â—num malum as the Angels desired in generall to possesse the Throne of God so man in this one particular point of his wisedome did aspire to be equall with God and therein to vsurpe his prerogatiue and heere the necessitie did seeme first to bee imposed vpon the wisedome of God that the same wisedome should satisfie for the offence committed against it selfe and therefore Iesus Christ the righteous who was verbum in intellectu sapientia patris hee must interpose himselfe as a Mediatour betweene God and man and bee the propitiatorie sacrifice for this sinne hee must come downe in our flesh and be like vnto vs whereas we attempted to be like vnto him He must breake the veile of the Temple and Ceremonies lay open the secrecies and mysteries of his kingdome and yet bee accounted an vnwise man that so by the foolishnesse of preaching he might correct or conâ—ound the wisdome and subtiltie of a Serpentine generation Now marke the conformitie of our mindes with our forefathers as the similitude of nature so the similitude of corruption The first sinnes of the minde seeme to be disobedience and pride when we too highly esteem of our selues neglecting and contemning all others whereunto if you please to adde the naturall curiositie of our mindes here is the first step and degree to a second fall a fall into all damnable errors and heresies And for our bodie gluttonie seemes to bee the well-spring of all our carnall and bodily sinnes as a surfeit is for the most part the beginning of all our diseases the most dangerous of all our diseases and whereunto man is most subiect and prone it doth vndoubtedly argue that the first sinne was the sinne of a surfeite and gluttonie the tasting of forbidden fruite Marueile not though our Diuines bee strict in preaching their fasts mortifications for they desire to preuent sin in the roote open warre will not easily preuaile against a State vnlesse it bee diuided in it selfe with parts-taking and factions if the flesh be pliable and obedient to the spirit wee neede not feare any outward assaults and tentations If still the offence seeme little then you may well coniecture Gods wrath and indignation for sin which breakes into vengeance for so small an offence if the punishment seeme ouer large in respect of the crime thou canst not truly iudge of the foulenesse of sinne which is not to be valued according to mans own estimation but as it is an high presumption and contempt of the basest worme against the infinite maiestie of the diuine power yet in truth the punishment seemes not to be so dreadfull and horrid as the case now stands betweene God and man Thankes be to the mediator of this couenant betweene God and man that God and man Christ Iesus for now it serues rather as an occasion of a further blisse and happinesse then as a punishment for sinne Felix culpa quae talem habuit redemptorem The miseries of this life they are such that if they be sanctified with Gods grace seasoned with the hope of a better life to succeede receiued with patience acknowledged with true humblenes of minde I doubt not but in them wee shall finde sufficient comfort and consolation in so much that wee may now safely triumph ouer death it selfe O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but thankes be vnto God who hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. So much for the sinne as it was radically inherent in Adam now how the posteritie of Adam should be liable to the guilt of this sinne together with the manner of propagating this sinne I will speake briefly and so conclude It may bee questioned whether it might stand with Gods iustice to condemne all all the whole kinde all the whole succession the vnborne childe for the sinnes of one And for answere of this question I will extend my speech further that if God for no offence committed should reprobate and torment all his creatures yet could it not be any iniustice in God for how shall the vessell say vnto the potter why madest thou me thus This I speake hauing relation to Gods infinite and vnlimited power but as the câ—se now stands assuredly God neuer wrought in his creatures according to the rigour and extent of his iustice for the creation was a worke of mercie heere all things tooke their beginning from mercie being thus created Gods mercie doth ouerflow all his workes Hence it is that mercie sometimes appeares without any taste of iustice as in the free distribution
must of necessity borrow their information from others now here is an excellent point of wisdome when vnder colour of aduise and good counsell wherein they shall haue thankes for their labour and rewards for their good seruice their seruants shall so cunningly ouer-rule an action as that they may worke their owne ends No maruell if Princes be very tender in the point of their prerogatiue which indeed is so necessary and so essentiall to gouernment as that without it gouernment cannot subsist and therefore it were high presumption to examine this prerogatiue for as it is in the gouernment of nature so should it be in mans gouernment God indeed hath prescribed certaine bounds to the creatures datur maximuÌ„ minimum in vnoquoque genere but what these bounds should bee for the iust measure and limitation we are wholy ignorant there are giants there are dwarffs the Ocean sometimes incroacheth vpon the land and sometimes the land wins ground of the Ocean And thus it is in mans gouernment there are arcana imperij certaine hidden secrets of state which ought not to bee discussed or expostulated to prescribe a limitation of power would argue a kinde of subiection in a free Monarch If euer question be made of their power I will fall downe on my knees and desire God to preuent the first occasion that Princes in their gouernment may intend Gods glory the good of his Church the comfort of his people and that subiects knowing whose power and authority they haue may worship God in the Magistrate with all humility and obedience For if the parts should oppose themselues to the head if the hand or the foote should contend with the eye what a miserable distraction should you finde in the whole man Gouernment should rather tend to vnity then be an occasion of strife and disagreement let all parts rather striue to gaine each other and to preuent each other with mutuall kinde offices of loue then contending with needlesse questions to disquiet themselues before any iust cause be offered I say not to examine the prerogatiue of Princes or to what lawes they are subiect for I will easily yeeld that where they are not expresly mentioned and doe binde themselues by their owne royall assent there they are to be excluded according to the president and plotforme of nature semper excipiendum est primum in vnoquoque genere Yet sure I am that they are not exempted from the miseries and sorrowes of our nature which seeme to be incident and common to flesh and bloud for nature in making her lawes requires no royal assent and this shall appeare by this one instance I haue obserued this in my reading that most of the Princes and especially the greatest if they escaped the cursed attempts of cruell murtherers and traytors I say in most of them you shall finde that their death hath bin seasoned or rather hastened with a griefe of minde a deepe melancholy and a great discontentment That God might make it appeare that there is no true ioy in nature that God might let them vnderstand their owne pride who being flattered by their seruants and slaues did expect that the winde and the sea should obay them Hauing neuer learned true christian patience and humility though they conquered their enemies yet the least griefe did vanquish them though they subdued great nations and ruled great kingdomes yet could they not rule their owne passions It is impossible that a mortall man should be freed from all causeâ— of griefe though hee were an absolute Monarch of the whole world Princes must learne patience for amongst all their prerogatiues they shall finde none whereby they are exempted and excluded from sorrow which indeed is incident to the whole nature of man Thus heere I haue briefly runne thorough all the happy states of men that so I might say with the Apostle omnia factus sum omnibus vt aliquos lucrarer and truly I do finde that God hath inclosed all men in one common depth of misery For if ioy and true ioy could bee competent to this our corrupted nature then certainly God would neuer haue expelled man paradise for heere was the wisdome of God that whereas blessings and happinesse could not containe man within the bounds of obedience therefore man being thrust into a vaile of misery his owne sorrow might inforce him to crie for succour and releife That so the iustice of God might appeare in the iust punishment of sinne that so it might serue as a more forcible meanes for mans repentance and conuersion for in this sinfull state man is more moued with feare and sorrow then with thankfulnesse or hope Though I cannot peirce the clouds and open the heauens to shew the maiesty and glory of God for no man could euer see God and liue though I cannot allure and entice man with a true relation and discouerie of those heauenly ioyes though I cannot oblige and binde man vnto God in the chaines and linkes of true loue and thankfulneâ— by a serious and weighty meditation of all the blessings receiued from God which might concerne either body or soule this life or a better life his creation preseruation redemption sanctification c. Yet am I able in some sort to anatomize the state of man to lay open his miseries and griefe that being once out of the arke and seeing these turbulent waues hee might finde no resting place but againe returne to the arke taking a dislike and a distaste in nature he might be thinke himselfe of his flight and so finde safe refuge and shelter in Gods onely protection and comfort himselfe in the hope and expectation of a better world to succeed as all those run-agates which were discontented with the gouernment of Saul were very apt and easily inclined to flie vnto Dauids campe From the seuerall states of men let vs come to the seuerall dispositions of man in himselfe obserue the changes and reuolutions of our mindes for if you please we will trace them by degrees from the time of our inâ—ancy how they alter with the course of our age First wee begin to delight in crackers and toyes some little bable hung about the necke some corall with siluer bels or a little Christall but these seeme to be the proper implements belonging to the cradle they are indeed the Nurses ornaments and together with the cradle they must be left for succession We are no sooner hatched but presently wee must haue a feather in the cap a dagger at the backe then in stead of a true paradise we are brought into a fooles paradise wee are made to beleeue that all is ours the land is ours the house is ours the goods possessions all are ours seeme to take away any thing and the whole house shall not bee able to containe vs exclude but any one fruite it shal grieue vs more then the enioying of all the fruites of the garden can asswage vs. Now at length
ordained to bee an eye and that women should proue teachers in the Church they begin to enquire of predestination reprobation prelection free-will the state of innocency the time of the generall iudgement c. Here are excellent wits indeed that cannot admit any bounds of their knowledge if there were a tree of knowledge in the middest of Paradise for the triall of their obedience you should easily discouer in them the same disposition And hence follow such monsters of opinions such mishapen conceits together with such neglect contempt and such a base respect of their ordinary Pastor as that you would not imagine such disobedience were it not that the same corruption and curiositie of knowledge did first appeare in the roote which now buds foorth in the branches How credulous and easie of beliefe are the young children as if they were fit subiects to be againe seduced by the serpent how do they rather incline vnto hate then vnto loue out of the malignitie and corruption of their owne nature as it were laying the foundation of that Machiauelian policie that Friendship is vncertaine but hate is irreconcileable see their obstinacy and wilfulnesse if you forbid them any thing the more you forbid it the sooner they will attempt it â—itimur in vetitum see how we follow the footsteps of our forefathers we neede not be taught this lesson aspis à vipera disobedience is now become naturall vnto vs see how these little children will alwayes attempt the most dangerous actions as clyming vp of ladders sliding vpon the ice running ouer bridges playing with edged tooles skipping ouer benches to shewe that the same nature still continues in those little impes which vnder colour of bouldnes and courage proues indeed to bee rashe and desperat suppose them to be weake and faint not able to vndertake such great exployts see then of all other places how they make choice of the basest the sinke the chanell the chymnie wallowing in the mire all daubde on with durt that were it not to signifie the vncleannesse of mans conception and birth I should much maruaile at natures intent herein See see these little children how apt they are to learne all lewdnesse and naughtinesse if there be but a nicke-name or a leud song or some libellous rime you shall finde them so inquisitiue so desiâ—ous to learne so retentiue of memory as that you would thinke it wonderfull whereas in all good learning there is such a dulnesse such a backwardnesse such forgetfulnes as that you would not suppose them to be the same wits Now the first offence for which our parents correct vs it is for the most part the eating of rawe and vntimely fruits see how these children do naturally symbolize with their parents and as of nature so there is a conformitie of wils as soone as our strength serues vs then wee begin to rob orchards to rifle aple-lofts ceasing vpon forbidden fruits as if we could not leaue our ould â—aunt or that we did claime a bad custome by prescription but I pray' marke the euent this eating of fruits ingendreth wormes in their mawe their stomackes and bowels their tender yong bodies become quicke sepulchers a wombe for the wormes to feed vpon their liuing carkases see here the eating of this fruit giues them the first token and assurance of their mortalitie morte morieris But I forget my selfe vnles I should here stay I feare I should againe and againe run through the whole course of his life neither indeed dare I far proceed in this subiect for I know what some will say that bachelors children are euer well taught giue me therefore leaue retiring far backe to make the longer leape from the cradle to the coffin being fast bound vp with swadling cloutes I will exchange them for my winding sheet and so in the last place I come to the last punishment of the first sinne morte morieris thou shalt die the death Gen. 3. v. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eate bread till thou returne to the earth for out of it wast thou taken because thou art dust and to dust shalt thou returne I confesse indeed I shal incurre a disorderly method if you consider the course and order of nature for nature passeth by degrees natura non facit saltum she takes no leape but when I consider the necessity of death together with the casualtie and vncertainty of all other accidents which may befall man statutum est hominibus mori there is a statute past that al men must die but peraduenture I shall be rich I shall be poore peraduenture I shall grow ould I shall be blind peraduenture I shall be lame I shall be a criple but without all peraduenture I shall die thus there being a necessity of death together with a great vncertaintie of the time I do appeale to the strictnesse and rigour of lawe that if a debt must be discharged and no due time be appointed then we must prepare for a present payment so that it cannot seeme much against method though I speake of death immediatlie vpon our first receiuing of breath If all other creatures were subiect to death yet me thinks obseruing the course and prouidence of nature man should be exempted from death consider the high prerogatiue of man in all restringent and penall lawes the Prince is excluded to shew his high estate aboue the ranke and condition of subiects now man is the king of the creatures let other creatures bee lyable to â—laughter for they were ordained and directed to man let other creatures die of themselues for in them there is nothing but nature nature which hath a certaine course and period a time of rising and a time of setting but the first fountaine of life in man is the inuisible and immortall soule free from corruption free from all change and alteration as in her owne substance so in her actions she cannot bee inforced or determinated but is beyond the Precincts of nature and therefore no way tyed to follow the ordinary course of nature Yet some beasts do far exceed man in life and continuance of being which is the foundation and ground worke of nature to support all other blessings and therfore seems to be the highest prerogatiue of nature wherein notwithstanding man is defectiue other creatures indeed seeme to attaine their perfection in their ends or their death the hearbes serue for the food of beasts and in their bodies and carkases they haue a more excellent being then they had in their greene blades the flesh of beasts becomes the nourishment of man and being made part oâ— mans own flesh heere is the height of all their preferment now in man you shall obserue it far otherwise who of the mirror and miracle of nature by his own death is suffered to putrifie and to be deuoured of the basest wormes as if his body were ordained to be the compost of the earth and did only serue
comfort the merits of Christ the ransome and price of my redemption is infinit and doe as farre exceede the number and weight of my sinnes as the goodnesse and power of God exceeds my weaknesse and frailtie the mercie of God is infinite able to couer the whole multitude of my sinnes the hate of God vnto sinne is infinite and therefore he will leaue nothing vnattempted which may serue to cut downe the body of sinne the desire which God hath of my saluation farre exceeds mine owne desire of saluation seeing his glorie and the manifestation of his mercie which was the scope and end of my creation is a farre greater good then my particular soules health The greater my sins are the greater occasion may God take to manifest his mercie for God himselfe hath appointed my saluation not to consist in not sinning or to be free and innocent from all sinnes but in the repentance for sinne and in the satisfaction of his deare Sonne and therefore to assure mee of this mercie it is one of the Articles of my Creed which not to beleeue were not to be saued that I should bouldlie and confidently beleeue the remission and forgiuenesse of sins Yet conceiue me aright for some there are who laying hould to soone on Gods mercy as it were snatching at his mercy do indeed loose the fruits of his mercy when laying the whole burthen of their sins vpon Christ as it were making long and deepe furrowes in his backe themselues continuing in their owne sinnes in the impenitency and hardnesse of their owne hearts do indeed dreame of saluation My sinnes are innumerable yet before I was borne before they could be committed God did foresee them notwithstanding his foresight when hee might haue preuented my sinnes and left me to my first nothing yet in his gratious goodnes and mercie hee made and created me he hath giuen me my life my strength my health my senses my wit and al my temporall blessings together with the knowledge of himselfe the plentifull and powerful meanes of my saluation notwithstanding my sinnes be they neuer so great yet these are the tokens of his fauour the pledges of his loue the assurances of his promises and the earnest of my future happines Why should I then despaire of Gods mercy though I haue lost that sanctitie and holinesse wherewith I might be saued yet God hath not lost that vertue and powe â— wherewith he might saue a penitent sinner and behold the fruit of this power if I do but speake or name God it is God that speakes in my heart ipse praesens facit se quaeri I had thought I had lost him but behold he is present and inuites me to a banquet where he himselfe is the feast conuiâ—a conuinium Lord I am not worthy with the dogs to licke vp the crummes vnder thy table yet giue me O Lord that property of dogs that licking mine owne woundes I might heale mine owne sores that my tongue may serue to cleanse my vncleannes confessing my sinnes I may disgorge and cast out my sins where they shall lie as a heauie burthen vpon thy sonne for he hath taken vp my sinnes and borne mine iniquities my sinnes are no longer mine Mea sunt per perpetrationem Christâ— sunt quoad obligationeÌ„ satisfactionis indeed I committed them and so they are mine but Christ alone hath entred into bands for the discharge of them he hath canceld the hand writing of the lawe he hath satisfied the rigour of thy iustice by the shedding of his bloud by his death and passion and therefore O Lord thou wilt not demand a second payment of vs he hath imputed his righteousnesse to vs and thus euery true penitent stands rectus in curia acquitted in thy consistâ—ry Giue me leaue to compare my selfe that am the meanest of all men to Alexander the great and this my present treatise wherein I labour to shew the fall and corruption of man to the conquest of nature me thinks I haue subdued the little world and brought man as a captiue or slâ—ue through much misery and sorrow at length to the place of his execution and hauing now possest my selfe of the fairest fortresse or tower in nature man that is a little world I cannot here content my selfe but I begin to enquire whether there are as yet more worlds to be conquered and behold in the second place I will fall vpon the great world and I will attempt with Archimedes to shake her foundations to threaten her ruine in this generall corruption and dissolution of man for this punishment morte morieris though it principally concernes man yet the whole world cannot be exempted from it being directed and ordained onely for mans vse containing in it selfe the very same seedes and causes of death and destruction and as it is most fit and agreeable to our present condition that being corruptible in our selues we should likewise dwell in houses of corruption For proofe and demonstration wherof I must ascend from the indiuiduals and singulars to the species and kindes of the creatures and among all other kindes assuredly man is the most noble and therfore best deserues to be the subiect of our knowledge wee should be best acquainted with our selues which makes for the certainty of our knowledge and speaking of things which so neerely concernes our selues we should much desire to bee better informed in our owne state and condition now if the whole kinde and species of man seemes daily to decline and decay which shall appeare by the comparison of times past with times present of our selues with our ancestors then assuredly the whole world cannot be excused from corruption but as it dies daily in the singulars so at length it shall faile in the vniuersals and in the kindes of the creatures This truth seemes to relie vpon these three foundations 1. Man as all other creatures being immediatlie created by God as he comes nearer and nearer the first mould so is he more and more perfect and according to the degrees of his distance so he incurres the more imperfection and weakenesse as the streames of a fountaine the further they runne through vncleane passages the more they contract the corruption 2. It would implie a contradiction in nature if the parts and the whole were not of like condition but how wonderfull is the difference if you will suppose a corruption of the singulars and an eternitie of the kinde for whereas the recompence shuld be made by succession or equiualencie we must consider that succession may well prolong the corruption adding more degrees proceeding more leasurely but cannot wholie exclude the corruption 3. The generall intent and scope of nature wholie â—ends to corruption for I would gladly aske why should not nature either renew mans age or preserue him in a state of consistencie the answere is because the iuyce and sap which we receiue from our food or our nourishment is not
men suppose our naturall corruption The scope of 〈◊〉 third part The Serpent The punishment of the Serpent The Serpent creepes on the earth Herâ—eâ—dâ—ng on the earth How the dumbe creatures are punished The enmitie betweene Man and the Serpent A generall opposition betweene reason and sense Ominous creatures The Serpent assaulting Man Mins incounter with the Serpent The brazon Serpent The earth brings forth bryars and thornes Bryars seeme to be wholy vnprofitable Their production Nature seemes to be more carefull of thornes then of the best fruits The weeds of the earth argue the weeds of mans mind Of poysons How poysons should be generated or produced All countries do not bring forth poysons All poysons do not immediatly worke but after a certaine time The reason why poysons should so long conceale their conspiracie The punishment of nakednesse Mans clothing should proceed from his food as well as his nourishment Why some pars should be couered and not all Nature is heerin more beneficiall to other creatures then vnto man The inward and outward nakednesse The outward nakednesse of man The abuse of apparell The wantonnes and pride in apparell Euery man is a labourer Mans continuall labours both for the maintenance of his body and for the instructing of his mind Why should not the earth bring forth corne is well as other fruits No such difficulty in the production The progresse and degrees of mans labour Man is a druge to the dumbe creatures His pouerty notwithstanding his drudgery Mens continuall labours in husbandry and tillage Gods mercy and prouidence appeares in our labours All honest callings appointed by God Men must liue by their labours and not by their wits The great hurt and the shamefull abuse of inclosures A prophesie against our inclosures The disagreeing betweene man and wife The large extent of this punishment The branches cannot couple if the root be diuided Man is sometimes subiect to the tyrannie oppression of others Princes haue their authority from God The degrees of gouernment How strange it is that there should be enmity in marriage The motiues to preserue loue How vnnaturall is this enmity in marriage The allurement of beauty should assvvage man The wife is informed in her duty In the house there are seuerall duties belonging to the husband to the wife The fond iealousie of the husband The abuse of marriage may breed an ill disposition A bitter inuectiue against marriage after diuorse Man is accursed of God The limitation of this curse The causes of reprobation The guiâ—tines of crying sins Mans curse appeares in his reason and in his religion The strange different iudgements of men The different sects of Philosophers Petrus Ramus censured Second causes do not detract from the first agent There is a great difference between the birth of things their continuance Gods power doth wonderfully appeare in the continuance of the world Mans greatest curse in the point of his religion Mans greatest curse in the point of his religion The persecution of true Religion The cloakes and pretenses of Religion The Author makes a small digression The controuersies of Religion There are seeming controuersies which may be reconciled Gods prouidence and goodnesse appeares in these controuersies of religion Saint Peters calling and reprehension Persecutions of the Church Pretenses of religion how they should instruct vs. The generall deluge Losses sustained by the deluge The naturall meanes were not sufficient to cause a deluge The wonder was greater in the ceasing of the floud The wonders of God in euery element Proofes of the deluge from the resting of the Arke Reliques of the deluge in nature Trees Buildings Rocks Barrennesse The different mould The veines of the earth Marle-pits Cole-pits Mountaines are shelues vallies are the channels Proofes amongst the Iewes Testimonies of the Gentiles concerning the deluge Of the Rainebow The burning of Sodom and Gomorrha is an earnest of the last generall combustion Thunder and lightning tokens of the last combustion The author recalles himselfe The confusion of tongues How agreeable the punishmeÌ„t was to the offence The punishment is agreeable to mans condition The extent of this punishment The strangenes of this iudgement The strangenes appeaâ—es by way of comparison Meanes to retaine the same language The Monarchies and conquests The necessity of trading and commerce The vniformity of lawes and of religion The punishment appeares not only in the variety of tongues but likewise in the distraction A difficulty for a man to expresse his own thoughts A wise man can hardly be a good speaker The difficulty in learning tongues Defects in Grammar Periury and lying proceed from this confusion The very tongues doe sometimes obscure and hinder our knowledge Whether man should speake naturally Hebrew Whether we shall speake Hebrew after the last resurrection The inconueniences proceeding from this confusion of tongues Great controuersies about words Gods mercie in the vnion of these kingdomes of England and Scotland Ancient and straÌ„ge tongues adde lustre to Sciences Against translations That the title of Christ and Scripture should coÌ„tinue vnchangeable The gift of tongues The holie Ghost came in fierie tongues The Author here humbly craues pardon for all his errors He recals himselfe The punishment in womens conception and deliuery Other creatures are compared with maÌ„ in his birth How this punishment is to be vnderstood Naturall causes cannot demonstrate the paine The continuall danger and paine in conception Men-midwiues Men bearing their owne children Why God so punisheth the husband Why there are secret qualities which cannot be knowne The extent of Philosophy concerning her subiects Why the husband partakes in the wifes passions A defence of Philosophie The strange diseases of the wombe The diseases of the paps The French or Neapoliâ—an disease An aduice to women Womens longing An impression vpon the child in the wombe The skinne of a Serpent Obseruations in the birth of man Obseruations in the infancie of man The curiositie of women taxed The corruption of yong children How exceedingly children doe loue fruits The author iustifieth his method by lawe Mans death is compared with the death of dumbe beasts Mans death in respect of the elements Mans death in respect of the heauens and the Angels The soule receiues a kinde of perfection from the body The soulâ— builds the frame of our body The immortal soule is the cause of corruption How easily the soule may preserue life by a naturall course How the death of man is against the whole scope of nature in generall How death serues to instruct vs. Death is a very powerfull meanes to recall a sinner Death â—ights in defence of religion The Christian man desires death as the meane of his happinesse Death is the sacrifice of our selues Death is our comfort in all our worldly miseriâ—s Death giues the Chrisâ—â—aâ— man an excellent resolutioÌ„ The first and second death The fearefull circumstances of the last iudgement How wee should preuent Gods wrath What effects the