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

they that have courage to meet an Army in the Field, and have confidence to laugh at the glittering Spear and Shield, they that have courage to plough the Sea, to face the mouth of a Canon, to stand a volley of Shot, to fight Duels, to endure the noise of Guns, to hear the clashing of Swords and Spears, and lie on the cold ground many nights together, to have an Arm or Leg cut off; have they courage to do all this, and shalt thou think Consideration about these great things too hard for thee? Contemn the ⟨p. 123⟩thoughts of being overcome by this deceitful and timorous fellow Difficulty. Secondly, As to what Deficiency says,¹ that thou art a man of a weak understanding; alas, thou canst perceive that Gold is better than Glass or Rattles, and that Pearls are better than Pebbles; thou art able to perceive thou art mortal and must die, and dost know when a Bone is broke, 'tis good to have it set; and that Food is good for thee when thou art hungry; and that 'tis good to get Clothes on to hide thy nakedness, and art not able to consider the need there is of food to feed thy Soul, and Clothes to cover the nakedness of thy Soul; and that it is good to get Grace to enrich thy Soul. Art able to find out how grievous 'tis to be cast into a furnace of fire; and canst not think that 'tis worse to be cast into a fire that cannot be quenched? Nay, and have not weak and simple ones in their own eyes, and in the eyes of others too, attained to the skill of Consideration about their eternal state, nay and have wonderfully outdone the wise and learned ones of the World in it too; Knowledge is easy unto him that hath Understanding. ²Wisdom gives subtlety to the simple, and young Men Knowledge and Discretion. When Wisdom entereth into thine Heart, and Knowledge is pleasant to thy Feet;³ Discretion shall preserve thee, and Understanding shall keep thee. Thirdly, As for what Sloth saith, thou hast cause to abhor him, for he is a beggarly Villain, and deserves to be drove not only out of thy House, but out of the Town and World too, for ⟨p. 124⟩he never did any man the least good; cast him out as a Vagabond: How now Thoughtful, wouldst thou not take pains? Remember the slothful person shall beg at Harvest, and have nothing. Through his means, and Idleness his Brother, thy House is ready to fall through, and thy Vineyard is grown all over with Thorns and Nettles;