The Practice of Piety

O Wretched man, where shall I begin to describe thine endless misery! who art condemned as sonne as conceived, and adjudged to eternal death,¹ before thou wast borne to a temporal life. A beginning indeed I find, but no end of thy miseries: for when Adam and Eve being created after Gods own Image, and placed in Paradise, that they and their posterity might ⟨p. 76⟩live in a blessed state of life immortal, having dominion of all earthly creatures, and only restrained from the fruit of one tree, as a sign of their subjection to their Almighty Creator. Though God forbade them this one small thing, under the penalty of eternal death; yet they believed the devils word before the word of God, making God (as much as in them lay) a liar. And so being unthankful for all the benefits which God bestowed on them, they became male-contented with their present state, as if God had dealt enviously, or niggardly with them: and believed that the Devil would make them partakers of far more glorious ⟨p. 77⟩things, then ever God had bestowed upon them: and in their pride they fell into high treason against the most high, and disdaining to be Gods subjects, they affected blasphemously to be Gods themselves equals unto God. Hence, till they repented, (losing Gods Image) they became like unto the Devil: and so all their posterity, as a traitorous brood (whilst they remain impenitent, like thee,) are subject in this life to all cursed miseries, and in the life to come, to the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels.

O Wretched man, where shall I beginne to describe thine endlesse miserie! who art condemned as sonne as conceiued, and adiudged to eternall death,¹ before thou wast borne to a temporall life. A beginning indeed I finde, but no end of thy miseries: for when Adam and Eue being created after Gods owne Image, and placed in Paradise, that they and their posterity might ⟨p. 76⟩liue in a blessed state of life immortall, hauing dominion of all earthly creatures, and onely restrained from the fruit of one tree, as a signe of their subiection to their Almightie Creator. Though God forbad them this one small thing, vnder the penalty of eternal death; yet they beleeued the diuels word before the word of God, making God (as much as in them lay) a lyer. And so being vnthankefull for all the benefits which God bestowed on them, they became male-contented with their present state, as if God had dealt enuiously, or nigardly with them: and beleeued that the Diuel would make them pertakers of farre more glorious