Almighty god, for whose glory all nations are created. Thou which art the mighty and the faithful God, keeping thy covenant, and free mercy with a thousand generations of those that love thee, and obey thy commandments, & which givest again the very same unto those that hate thee, and rebel against thee with every of them even to their face, whose ⟨image 137⟩will is the just and sovereign cause of all that is done in heaven, and in earth, whose counsels are unsearchable, and judgements most profound and admirable. O Father and governor of all things, thou hast even from the beginning of thy unspeakable goodness framed man, and reclothed him with such an excellency, as did sufficiently preach forth the infinite power of thy hand, which had created him such a one. I will ⟨image 137⟩not, neither can I ascend higher then thy word teacheth me, to enquire wherefore thou wouldest not so establish the blessed being of this the greatest and chiefest of thy visible works, that he might not fall, I have matter enough to occupy the strength of my soul, to meditate upon, to have in detestation, yea even before thy Majesty to accuse the pride of our nature, which thought not it self in honour sufficient, unless ⟨image 138⟩it were equal with thy deity, freeing it self from all fear, and obedience unto thee, and by that rash ingratitude cast himself headlong from innocency into sin, from life into temporal and eternal death. To thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, and to man confusion & shame, and thou, after thy good pleasure, showest mercy to whom thou wilt show mercy. The vain Philosophy, and foolish curiosity, which is not ⟨image 138⟩content with the simplicity of Christian faith, retained within the limits of thy sacred Oracles, shall make much enquiry about this fall of Adam, to the end (if she could) to penetrate into thy secret counsel, about the creation and end of thy works; yea even in that which toucheth the election and reprobation of mankind she dareth in this bottomless pit to discourse of thy infinite justice, & the argument of thy incomprehensible ⟨image 139⟩glory, measuring both the one and the other, with her terrestrial conceits, for to declare in her imaginations, thy grace to the elect, and thy judgement against the reprobate, daring to plead their cause, as also she will resolve of their estate after this life, and of the quality of their punishments.
ALmighty god, for whose glorie all nations are created. Thou which art the mightie and the faithfull God, keeping thy couenant, and free mercy with a thousand generations of those that loue thee, and obey thy commandements, & which giuest againe the very same vnto those that hate thee, and rebell against thee with euery of them euen to their face, whose ⟨image 137⟩will is the iust and soueraigne cause of all that is done in heauen, and in earth, whose counsailes are vnsearchable, and iudgements most profound and admirable. O Father and gouernor of all things, thou hast euen from the beginning of thy vnspeakable good nesse framed man, and reclothed him with such an excellency, as did sufficiently preach forth the infinite power of thy hand, which had created him such a one. I wil ⟨image 137⟩not, neither can I ascend higher then thy word teacheth me, to enquire wherefore thou wouldest not so establish the blessed being of this the greatest and chiefest of thy visible workes, that he might not fall, I haue matter enough to occupy the strength of my soule, to meditate vpon, to haue in detestation, yea euen before thy Maiestie to accuse the pride of our nature, which thought not it selfe in honor sufficient, vnlesse ⟨image 138⟩it were equall with thy deitie, freeing it selfe from all feare, and obedience vnto thee, and by that rash ingratitude cast himselfe headlong from innocency into sinne, from life into temporall and eternall death. To thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousnesse, and to man confusion & shame, and thou, after thy good pleasure, shewest mercy to whom thou wilt shew mercy. The vaine Philosophie, and foolish curiositie, which is not ⟨image 138⟩content with the simplicitie of Christian faith, retained within the limits of thy sacred Oracles, shal make much enquiry about this fall of Adam, to the end (if she could) to penetrate into thy secret counsaile, about the creation and end of thy workes; yea euen in that which toucheth the election and reprobation of mankind shee dareth in this bottomlesse pit to dicourse of thy infinite iustice, & the argument of thy incomprehensible ⟨image 139⟩glory, measuring both the one and the other, with her terrestiall conceits, for to declare in her imaginations, thy grace to the elect, and thy iudgement against the reprobate, daring to pleade their cause, as also she will resolue of their estate after this life, and of the qualitie of their punishments.
