A09403:126
Hepieíkeia: or, a treatise of Christian equity and moderation. Delivered publicly in lecturesHepieíkeia: or, a treatise of Christian equitie and moderation. Deliuered publikely in lectures
Hepieíkeia: or, a treatise of Christian equity and moderation. Delivered publicly in lectures by M. W. Perkins, and now published by the consent of his assigns in Cambridge by a preacher of the wordHepieíkeia: or, a treatise of Christian equitie and moderation. Deliuered publikely in lectures by M. W. Perkins, and now published by the consent of his assignes in Cambridge by a preacher of the word
Cambridge: printed by John Legat, 1604Cambridge: printed by Iohn Legat, 1604
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.
He gave us not an hundred and twenty, but many hundred years, and brings no floods of Judgements, but spares us from year to year, and from age to age, that so we may either repent and escape hell: or when our time is come, drown our selves in damnation, and so be the principal cause of our own destruction.
He gaue vs not an hundred and twentie, but many hundreth yeares, and brings no floods of Iudgements, but spares vs from yeare to yeare, and from age to age, that so we may either repent and escape hell: or when our time is come, drowne our selues in damnation, and so be the principall cause of our owne destruction.
It may not unfitly be noted in this place, that sometime God may be said to cast a man into hell, and sometime man himself. God throws a man into hell, when for some monstrous and contagious sin, he takes away a wicked man in the midst of his wickedness, by some sudden Judgement, and so sends him to hell. But a man plungeth himself into hell, when God gives him leave to live, and liberty and time to repent, but he ⟨p. 75⟩continueth carelessly in his sins till he die, and so casteth himself violently into damnation. Now such is the merciful moderation of God, that for one man whom he casts into hell (as he did Judas presently upon his sin) a hundred wicked men cast themselves into hell, abusing that time and liberty, which he gave them to repent in, and so bringing upon themselves swift damnation. Let every man therefore every day of his life, when he considereth the thousands of sins that are committed that day, and seeth no flood of water, fire nor brimstone to come upon us, let him wonder at gods mercy, and say with the Prophet, It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed. Furthermore, this moderation of God to all men, hath another branch. Every mans ill conscience is to him like the fire of hell, and doubtless the torment of conscience, is a part of the very real torment of hell: now if every man had but Justice, he should feel presently after every sin, the very torment of hell, namely the sting and torment of a guilty accusing conscience: but see the mercy & moderation ⟨p. 76⟩