A10945:359
Seven treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holy Scriptures, leading…Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading…
Seven treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holy Scriptures, leading and guiding to true happiness, both in this life, and in the life to come: and may be called the practise of Christianity. Profitable for all such as heartily desire the same: in the which, more particularly true Christians may learn how to lead a godly and comfortable life every day. Penned by Richard Rogers, preacher of the word of God at Wethersfield in Essex.Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading and guiding to true happines, both in this life, and in the life to come: and may be called the practise of Christianitie. Profitable for all such as heartily desire the same: in the which, more particularly true Christians may learne how to leade a godly and comfortable life euery day. Penned by Richard Rogers, preacher of the word of God at Wethersfield in Essex.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man, 1603
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.
Now I come to that kind of these fleshly lusts,1 which are most properly so called: And they are, when men let loose their hearts to filthy unclean thoughts and desires, with purposes of defiling their bodies, which should be kept holy to the day of marriage, and after to the end of their life. What variety of unclean wishes and desires do occupy them? how are they inflamed ⟨p. 106⟩through every object, of such persons as please their eye, and so are §Fcaught and deceived with that which is precious in them? And least that should not be enough against them, they rest not in this, which is most shameful;2 but they delight to blow up these burning lusts further, even to occupy their thoughts in all talk of unclean matters, to feed their eyes wantonly, that they may show themselves to be those, whom the Scripture describeth, namely, to have eyes full of adultery: and to such places their delight is to go, where they may have that carnal humour satisfied, or incensed by all provocations, that thus the precious treasure of the mind which is fit to have received most divine matters, and to have made it more like unto the Angels, is made a stinking brothel-house,3 and a nursery of filthiness: What beating of §Gtheir brains is there about deceiving and intrapping innocent Virgins, and modest Matrons to bring them to their lure? for common strumpets, and such harlots as have been defiled already, may be come by with less study. I speak not of the practise of the worst sort of the people of our land, but of them which are civill, live outwardly in some honest course: yea and many of them married persons themselves, and for want of better, bear office to see good order in towns, of which sort there are many thousands, who are possessed of these deceivable lusts, neighing after their neighbours wives, as the Prophet speaketh, and so stopping the course of a Christian life, from the which some of them otherwise had not been far off. But this for a taste.