A09466:282
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he may discern it, and persevere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set down in the page following.A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he maie discerne it, and perseuere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set downe in the page following.
London: printed by R. Robinson for T. Gubbin, 1590
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.
Euseb. Brother Timoth. I know what I say, God give me grace to speak it with ⟨p. 129⟩more lively feeling of my weakness, & with a more bitter detestation of my sin. By nature through the fall of Adam am I the child of wrath, heir of the vengeance of God by birth: yea and so from my first conception: And I had my fellowship with the damned devils under the power of darkness and rule of Satan, while I was yet in my mothers womb: and although I showed not the fruits of sin as soon as I was born nor long after: yet was I full of the natural poison, from whence all wicked deeds do spring, & cannot but sin outwardly, as soon as I am able to work (be I never so young) if occasion be given: for my nature is to sin as is the nature of a serpent to sting: and as a Serpent yet young, or yet unbrought forth is full of poison and cannot afterward (when time and occasion is given,) but bring forth the fruits thereof. And as an Adder, a Toad, or a Snake is hated of man, not for the evil it hath done, but for the poison that is in it, and hurt which it cannot but do: so am I hated of God, for that natural poison which is conceived and borne with me before I do any outward evil. And as the evil which a venomous worm doth, maketh it not a serpent, ⟨p. 130⟩but because it is a venomous worm therefore doth it evil, and poisoneth: even so do not our evil deeds make us evil first, but because we are of nature evil, therefore do we evil, and think evil, to eternal damnation by the law, and are contrary to the will of God in our will, and in all things consent unto the will of the fiend.
Euseb. Brother Timoth. I know what I say, God giue mee grace to speake it with ⟨p. 129⟩more liuelie feeling of my weaknes, & with a more bitter detestation of my sinne. By nature through the fall of Adam am I the childe of wrath, heire of the vengeance of God by birth: yea and so from my first conception: And I had my fellowshippe with the damned diuels vnder the power of darknes and rule of Sathan, while I was yet in my mothers womb: and although I showed not the fruites of sinne as soone as I was born nor lōg after: yet was I full of the naturall poyson, frō whence all wicked deeds do spring, & cānot but sin outwardly, as soone as I am able to work (be I neuer so yong) if occasion be giuen: for my nature is to sinne as is the nature of a serpent to sting: and as a Serpent yet young, or yet vnbrought foorth is full of poyson and cannot afterwarde (when time and occasion is giuen,) but bring forth the fruites thereof. And as an Adder, a Toad, or a Snake is hated of man, not for the euill it hath done, but for the poyson that is in it, and hurt which it cannot but doe: so am I hated of God, for that naturall poyson which is concieued and borne with mee before I doe anie outwarde euill. And as the euill which a venemous worme doth, maketh it not a serpent,