The travels of true godliness, from the beginning of the world to this present…

Now Poverty had it seems, divers base and lazy Companions, who were all grand Enemies to ⟨p. 43⟩True Godliness; also some of them 'tis said, were his own Children, or Natural Off-spri•g; their Names were these; viz. Unbelief, Ignorance, Sloth, alias: Idleness, Wasteful, Light-fingers, Faint-heart, Carping-Cares and Fear-man, together with some others: Now when he began to open to Godliness these hindered him.

Now Poverty had it seems, divers base and lazy Companions, who were all grand Enemies to ⟨p. 43⟩True Godliness; also some of them 'tis said, were his own Children, or Natural Off-spri•g; their Names were these; viz. Ʋnbelief, Ignorance, Sloth, alias: Idleness, Wastful, Light-fingers, Faint-heart, Carping-Cares and Fear-man, together with some others: Now when he began to open to Godliness these hindred him.

First, Sloth and Idleness would not suffer him to rise up out of his Bed of Security, to call upon God, nor take pains to pull up the Briars and Thorns that grew in his heart; by which means his Field lay barren and untilled, nothing growing therein, but what the Ground brought forth naturally. Nay, these made him of such a sluggish Temper, and such a lover of Rest, that he complained many times because he could not go without motion; nay he was unwilling to be at the trouble of feeding himself; therefore would wish that men might live as Trees and Plants do: and though there was offered him a Cabinet of rich Jewels, yet he would not so much as stretch out his Arm to take hold of it, and notwithstanding he had many fiery darts stuck in his Breast, yet he would not be at the pains of pulling them forth; by which means he was in a sad and lamentable condition. I remember a very wise man told me, that he hides his hand in his bosom, ¹