A00564:14
The black devil or the apostate Together with the wolf worrying the lambs. And…The blacke devil or the apostate Together with the wolfe worrying the lambes. And…
The black devil or the apostate Together with the wolf worrying the lambs. And the spiritual navigator, bound for the Holy Land. In three sermons. By Thomas Adams.The blacke devil or the apostate Together with the wolfe worrying the lambes. And the spiritual navigator, bound for the Holy Land. In three sermons. By Thomas Adams.
London: printed by William Jaggard, 1615London: printed by William Iaggard, 1615
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
To the Reader.
Reader, this Book stands at the mercy of thy capacity for thy censure. Perhaps thou wilt judge it done for oppositions sake; the Black Devil to the White: perhaps for imitation; perhaps for affectation. Thou mayst for me causes enough in thy imagination to produce it, yet miss the right. It was to show thy self, and all other perusers, the blackness of Sin; and among the rest, of Apostasy. Would you not behold Impiety in the true colours: you may for bear. If you would, look here, and detest it. If you will take out a good lesson, and hate to do it; neither you nor I shall have cause to repent our labours. Once we must give account, what we have heard, and seen, and done; when the pleasures of Sin, like old surfeits, shall give a bitter reluctancy in the stomach of the conscience; and we are going to Gods cold earth. Learn we now to prevent the doing of that, which we shall one day be sorry to have done. ⟨image 4⟩There is no man living, but shall repent of his wickedness, either on earth, or in hell. Read and be instructed. If you find just faults here, I submit my weakness to your censure. In omnibus meis scriptis, non modo pium Lectorem, sed liberum correctorem 1desidero. But to those Censurers, Qui vel non intelligendo reprehendunt, vel reprehendendo non intelligunt, 2I wish either a more sound understanding, or more sober affection.
REader, this Booke stands at the mercy of thy capacity for thy censure. Perhaps thou wilt iudge it done for oppositions sake; the Blacke Deuill to the White: perhaps for imitation; perhaps for affectation. Thou mayst for me causes enough in thy imagination to produce it, yet misse the right. It was to shew thy selfe, and all other perusers, the blacknesse of Sinne; and among the rest, of Apostacie. Would you not behold Impiety in the true colours: you may for beare. If you would, look here, and detest it. If you will take out a good lesson, and hate to doe it; neither you nor I shall haue cause to repent our labours. Once we must giue account, what we haue heard, and seene, and done; when the pleasures of Sinne, like old surfets, shall giue a bitter reluctancie in the stomacke of the conscience; and wee are going to Gods colde earth. Learne wee now to preuent the doing of that, which we shall one day be sorry to haue done.