A09376:341
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.
First, men by nature deny Gods presence. For men would be ashamed to do many things in the presence of any man, even the basest in the world: which when they are out of mens sights, and yet in Gods presence, they commit carelessly and boldly. I speak not of natural actions, which are lawful; & yet in many whereof there is none so great shame, as men naturally refuse to do them before others: But I mean sinful actions, which not for any natural unseemliness, but even for their foulness and ugliness, because they are heinous sins, men would fear to do, if any man were present. Seeing then men fear not, nor shame not to do them, though they be in Gods presence; It followeth, that therefore they naturally imagine, that God is not present: for, if they were so persuaded, they would not commit them, though they esteemed God no better then a man.
First, men by nature denie Gods presence. For men would be ashamed to doe many things in the presence of any man, euen the basest in the world: which when they are out of mens sights, and yet in Gods presence, they commit carelesly and boldly. I speake not of naturall actions, which are lawfull; & yet in many wherof there is none so great shame, as men naturally refuse to doe them before others: But I meane sinfull actions, which not for any naturall vnseemelinesse, but euen for their foulenesse and vglinesse, because they are haynous sinnes, men would feare to doe, if any man were present. Seeing then men feare not, nor shame not to doe them, though they be in Gods presence; It followeth, that therefore they naturally imagine, that God is not present: for, if they were so perswaded, they would not commit them, though they esteemed God no better then a man.
Secondly, men by nature deny Gods power, thus: When a man offends a Magistrate by breaking any law which may deserve death, or some great punishment, he is sore afraid; and all his care is, how he may escape his punishing hand. But, let a man offend God never so much, by breaking carelessly all his holy commandments, he never fears at all, nor trembles at the punishment belonging unto them. How can this be? but that howsoever he grants there is a God, yet he is not persuaded that God hath power to revenge the contempt of his laws, & therefore he never fears nor shrinks at the remembrance of him, nor flieth at all from