A09376:135
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon…A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon…
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon the 11 chapter to the Hebrews preached in Cambridge by that godly, and judicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executors, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.
London: printed by Humphrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607London: printed by Humfrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607
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 conclude this point, I say unto all men: Doest thou see what disorder is now in the world, in thy apparel, meat, recreations, buildings? Seest thou the confusion, vanity, corruption of all creatures: the variance, dissension, and hatred of creatures amongst themselves? Canst thou see all this, and either not regard it at all, or else take delight in it? This is a cursed and abominable delight. If a rich man should consume all his wealth, or throw it all on heaps, and then desperately set his house on fire, hath he any cause of joy to see this? If he sit still at this, you will say he is senseless: but if he laugh at it, he is mad: So God created man rich in all blessings, put him into the Palace of the world: garnished this house of the world with exceeding beauty: his meat, his apparel, his recreation, his house were all excellent and glorious: he made all other creatures, amongst which there was nothing but concord, love, agreement, uniformity, comeliness, and good order. Now man by sin fell; & by his fall, not only spent all his riches (that is, defaced the glory of his own estate): but also set his house (that is the world) on fire: that is, defaced the beauty of heaven and earth: brought confusion, corruption, vanity, deformity, imperfection, & monstrous disorder on all creatures; set all the world together by the ears, & one creature at variance and deadly hate with other: so that one creature doth fight, tear, wound, destroy, and eat up another. O cursed & damnable sin of man, that hath so shamefully disordered that heavenly order, wherein God created all things at the beginning• and miserable men are we, which can sit still & see this, and not be moved: but if we rejoice and delight in it; certainly, then a spiritual madness hath bewitched our souls. Let us therefore stir up our selves, and look about us: and seeing all the world on a fire about us, namely, flaming ⟨p. 33⟩in contention, hatred, and all disorder: let us for our parts seek to quench it: which because we cannot, therefore lament and bewail it: but much more lament and be humbled for our sin, which kindled this fire of disorder in the world.
To conclude this point, I say vnto all men: Doest thou see what disorder is now in the world, in thy apparell, meate, recreations, buildings? Seest thou the confusion, vanity, corruption of all creatures: the variance, dissension, and hatred of creatures amongst themselues? Canst thou see all this, and either not regard it at all, or else take delight in it? This is a cursed and abhominable delight. If a rich man should consume all his wealth, or throw it all on heapes, and then desperately set his house on fire, hath he any cause of ioy to see this? If he sit still at this, you will say he is senselesse: but if he laugh at it, he is madde: So God created man rich in all blessings, put him into the Palace of the world: garnished this house of the world with exceeding beauty: his meate, his apparell, his recreation, his house were all excellent and glorious: he made all other creatures, amongst which there was nothing but concord, loue, agreement, vniformity, comelinesse, and good order. Now man by sinne fell; & by his fall, not onely spent all his riches (that is, defaced the glory of his owne estate): but also set his house (that is the world) on fire: that is, defaced the beauty of heauen and earth: brought confusion, corruption, vanity, deformity, imperfection, & monstrous disorder on all creatures; set all the world together by the eares, & one creature at variance and deadly hate with other: so that one creature doth fight, teare, wound, destroy, and eate vp another. O cursed & damnable sinne of man, that hath so shamefully disordered that heauenly order, wherein God created all things at the beginning and miserable men are we, which can sit still & see this, and not be moued: but if we reioyce and delight in it; certainly, then a spirituall madnesse hath bewitched our soules. Let vs therefore stirre vp our selues, and looke about vs: and seeing all the world on a fire about vs, namely, flaming