The Practice of Piety

3 Meditations of the miseries of Man-hood.

What is Mans-state, but a Sea, wherein (as waves) one trouble ariseth in the neck of another? the latter worse then the former. No sooner diddest thou enter into the affairs of this world, but thou wast enwrapped about with a cloud of miseries. Thy Flesh provokes thee to lust, the World allures thee to pleasures, and the Devil tempts thee to all kind of sins: fears of enemies affrights thee, suites in Law ⟨p. 83⟩do vex thee, wrongs of ill neighbours do oppress thee, cares for Wife and Children do consume thee, and disquietness twixt open foes and false friends, do in a manner confound thee: Sin stings thee within, Satan lays snares before thee, Conscience of sins past, dogs behind thee▪ Now adversity on thy left hand frets thee; anon prosperity on thy right hand flatters thee: over thy head Gods vengeance due to thy sins is ready to fall upon thee; and under thy feet Hell-mouth is ready to swallow thee up. And in this miserable estate, whither wilt thou go for rest and comfort? the house is full of cares, the field full of toil; the country ⟨p. 84⟩of rudeness, the city of factions; the Court of envy, the Church of sects, the Sea of pirates, the Land of robbers. Or in what state wilt thou live? seeing wealth is envied, and poverty is contemned; wit is distrusted, and simplicity is derided; Superstition is mocked, and Religion is suspected; vice is advanced, and virtue is disgraced? Oh with what a body of sin art thou compassed about in a world of wickedness? What are thine Eyes, but windows to behold vanities? What are thine Ears, but flood-gates to let in the stream of iniquity? what are thy Senses, but matches to give fire to thy lusts? what is thine Heart, but the Anvil, whereon Satan ⟨p. 85⟩