A15000:202
A godly treatise, entitled the view and down-fall of pride Wherein is declared the…A godlie treatise, intituled the view and down-fall of pride Wherein is declared the…
A godly treatise, entitled the view and down-fall of pride Wherein is declared the cause of Babylons destruction, and Nebuchadnezzars subversion. Set forth by William Wheatley Master of Art, and preacher of Gods word.A godlie treatise, intituled the view and down-fall of pride Wherein is declared the cause of Babylons destruction, and Nabuchadnezzars subuersion. Set forth by William Wheatley Maister of Art, and preacher of Gods word.
London: printed by Thomas Creed for John Deane and John Baily, 1602London: printed by Thomas Creed for Iohn Deane and Iohn Baily, 1602
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.
Secondly, as the remembrance of death is terrible unto us, when we think that God will not hear us,1 lying on our beds crying and howling: because we have despised to hear him, when his holy majesty cried & called for us: so also to consider, that God is true in his promises, that to them that cannot repent, he fulfilleth his threatenings, that he therefore is just, that he is the God of vengeance, 1. unto whom vengeance belongeth: that as he is crowned with mercy, so he is armed with justice; and in truth he will show himself to plead against us, and to plague us. And when thou (O man) doest call to mind upon thy bed of death, that thy life hath been spent in usury, extortion, oppression, Pride, covetousness, whoredom, drunkenness, malice & envy, and such like sins, for which the curse of God is due; this will make thee say of death, as Israel did to Moses of God, saying: Let not God talk with us least we die. 2So thou, Let not death apprehend us, least ⟨p. 138⟩we go to hell. Here now we may see, even what the fear of death is,3 Non dolor exeundi de corpore, sed disperatio vitae post mortem timet. Idest mortem qui non putat: se vivere post mortem. The fear of death is, not sorrow to die, but the despairing of life after death. That is; He feareth death, that cannot tell what will become of his soul after death. And so,4 Qui malae conscientiae est, semper pucillanimis & timidus est, hee that is of an evil conscience, is always faint-hearted and fearful of death: because they tremble to think, Moriendo, quo ire rogantur, whither God in vengeance will send them when they be dead. And believe me thereof is great cause. For we read that Esdras prayed,5 as we are taught, saying: Let it not be thy will, to destroy them that have lived like beasts, and worse then beasts. Esdr. 8.28.
Secondly, as the remembrance of death is terrible vnto vs, when we think that God will not heare vs,