Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

There are two things that keep men off from discerning aright whether this disease be in them or no. The ¹one is unwillingness to search and examine, wherein men do like to a man that hath a broken Estate; he is alway unwilling to search and to dive into the bottom, he is loath to be discouraged, loath to be disquieted. And ⟨p. 263⟩another is, disability to judge. One of these two keep us off, either our unwillingness to search, or our inability to judge. But now this I say to you, though I should say no more, me thinks this should be enough. It is a disease of the soul, and it is a dangerous disease, it concerns your lives. But for the other, our disability to judge; we may say something more of that. Children and fools, weak men, they are deceived with counterfeit things, that have but a show and appearance; so are the great part of the world deceived with this: they would try, but are not able. Therefore that you may know what this power of godliness is, we will in brief show you what is meant by it, that you may learn to get it; and how it differs from the show and form of godliness. And this we will do exceeding briefly. And we will declare it to you what this power of godliness is, and how it differeth from the form; by these five expressions ²which will be as so many differences arising from the very Word.

There are two things that keep men off from discerning aright whether this disease be in them or no. The ¹one is unwillingness to search and examine, wherein men do like to a man that hath a broken Estate; he is alway unwilling to search and to dive into the bottom, he is loath to be discouraged, loath to be disquieted. And ⟨p. 263⟩another is, disability to judge. One of these two keep us off, either our unwillingness to search, or our inability to judge. But now this I say to you, though I should say no more, me thinks this should be enough. It is a disease of the soul, and it is a dangerous disease, it concerns your lives. But for the other, our disability to judge; we may say something more of that. Children and fools, weak men, they are deceived with counterfeit things, that have but a shew and appearance; so are the great part of the world deceived with this: they would try, but are not able. Therefore that you may know what this power of godliness is, we will in brief shew you what is meant by it, that you may learn to get it; and how it differs from the shew and form of godliness. And this we will do exceeding briefly. And we will declare it to you what this power of godliness is, and how it differeth from the form; by these five expressions