Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

but my sin hath put in so many Thorns of pride, hardness of heart, uncompassionatenesse, endless cares, security and resolutions of sin, and the like, as are ready to pierce me through with many sorrows. The Calling wherein thou hast placed me is honest and profitable to men, wherein I might spend my time in glorifying thy Name, in obedience to thy will, in attendance on thy blessings; but my sin hath ⟨p. 89⟩brought so much ignorance and inapprehension upon my understanding, so much weakness upon my body, so much intricateness upon my employments, so much rust and sluggishness upon my faculties, so much earthlymindednesse upon my heart, as that I am not able without much discomfort to go on in my Calling. All thy Creatures are of themselves full of honour and beauty, the beams and glimpses of thine own glory; but our sin hath stained the beauty of thine own handiwork, so that now thy wrath is as well revealed from Heaven as thy glory, we now see in them the prints as well of thy terrors as of thy goodness. And now, Lord, I do in humbleness of heart truly abhor my self, and abominate those cursed sins, which have not only defiled mine own nature and person, but have spread deformity and confusion upon all those Creatures, in which thine own wisdom and power had planted so great a beauty, and so sweet an order. After some such manner as this ought the consideration of the thorniness of the Creature humble us in the sight of those sins which are the roots thereof.

but my sinne hath put in so many Thornes of pride, hardnesse of heart, uncompassionatenesse, endlesse cares, securitie and resolutions of sinne, and the like, as are ready to pierce me thorow with many sorrowes. The Calling wherein thou hast placed me is honest and profitable to men, wherein I might spend my time in glorifying thy Name, in obedience to thy will, in attendance on thy blessings; but my sinne hath ⟨p. 89⟩brought so much ignorance and inapprehension upon my understanding, so much weakenesse upon my body, so much intricatenesse upon my employments, so much rust and sluggishnes upon my faculties, so much earthlymindednesse upon my heart, as that I am not able without much discomfort to goe on in my Calling. All thy Creatures are of thems•lves full of honour and beauty, the beames and gli•pses of thine owne glory; but our sinne hath stained the beauty of thine owne handyworke, so that now thy wrath is as well revealed from Heaven as thy glory, we now see in them the prints as well of thy terrours as of thy goodnesse. And now, Lord, I doe in humblenesse of heart truly abhorre my selfe, and abominate those cursed sinnes, which have not onely defiled mine owne nature and person, but have spread deformitie and confusion upon all those Creatures, in which thine owne wisedome and power had planted so great a beauty, and so sweet an order. After some such manner as this ought the consideration of the thornynesse of the Creature humble us in the sight of those sinnes which are the rootes thereof.