A20529:105
Four godly and fruitful sermons two preached at Drayton in Oxford-shire, at a fast,…Foure godlie and fruitful sermons two preached at Draiton in Oxford-shire, at a fast,…
Four godly and fruitful sermons two preached at Drayton in Oxford-shire, at a fast, enjoined by authority, by occasion of the pestilence then dangerously dispersed. Likewise two other sermons on the twelfth Psalm. Whereunto is annexed a brief tract of zeal. / By I. Dod. R. Cleaver.Foure godlie and fruitful sermons two preached at Draiton in Oxford-shire, at a fast, enioyned by authoritie, by occasion of the pestilence then dangerously dispearsed. Likewise two other sermons on the twelfth Psalme. VVhereunto is annexed a briefe tract of zeale. / By I. Dod. R. Cleauer.
London: printed by T.C. for William Welbie, 1611
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.
But the proud flesh will be ready to object,1 and say, I do not only go beyond these and these wicked ones, but I am better than divers that are esteemed godly and religious.
But the proud flesh will be readie to obiect,1 and say, I doe not onely goe beyond these and these wicked ones, but I am better than diuers that are esteemed godly and religious.
- 1Object.Obiect.
Are you so?1 you may easily be deceived; and the better conceit you have of your self, the worse you are likely to be: but grant for the time that you excel others in some things, do not they go before you in some other? you have a better government of your tongue than many of your neighbours; but are you not more grossly tainted with covetousness than they are? You have a better gift of chastity than another, but doeth not he less offend in violent distempered passions than you do? and the like might be said in other particulars. If you consider your own goodness and others badness, you may easily grow to think better of your self than of others: but if you would withal set before your eyes their goodness and your own badness, it would happily make you to have a better opinion of them than of your self, and cause you to conclude that (all things considered) their graces are more excellent than yours. But let that be yielded, that you are indeed beyond many others in piety and godliness, ⟨p. 28⟩do you not yet come far short of that which the law requireth? & for those gifts that you have, whence proceeded they? are they not bestowed upon you out of the Lords mere bounty? and if you have received them, why are you puffed up as if you had not received them? If you did aright consider that you are no more worthy of the least blessing of God than the vilest creature in the world, and that not your goodness, but Gods goodness is the cause that you excel others, there would be no place left for over-weening conceits of your self, but you would conclude (as the truth is) that the better you are gifted,