A73023:41
M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in…
M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Stourbridge Fair. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignity of the ministry: delivered publicly in the University of Cambridge. With a preface prefixed touching the publishing of all such works of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the particulars [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Sturbridge Faire. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignitie of the ministrie: deliuered publiquely in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. With a preface præfixed touching the publishing of all such workes of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the perticulers [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.
London: printed by T. Creede for William Welby, 1605
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.
The man that passeth upon ridges of Mountains, and sides of hills, or that goeth over a narrow bridge, or some dangerous ⟨p. 6⟩and steep Rocks, at midnight; feareth not, because he seeth no danger: but bring the same man, in the morning, and let him see the narrow bridge, he went over in the night, under which runs a violent stream, and a bottomless gulf, and the dangerous Mountains, and rocks, he passed over, and he will wonder at his own boldness, and shrink for fear to think of it, and will by no means venture the same way again: for now he seeth the height of the Mountains; the steepness of the Hills, the cragginess of the Rocks, the fearful downfall, and the furious violence of the stream underneath, & thereby seeth the extreme danger, which afore he saw not: therefore he wondereth, & reioy •oth, that he hath escaped so great a danger; and will by no means be drawn to go that way in the day, which he went most carelessly in the darkness of the night, but seeketh another way (though it should be far about:) So a sinner in his first estate, which is natural and corrupt ⟨p. 7⟩(as we are bred and borne) hath a veil before his face: so that he seeth nothing: the wrath of God and the curse due for sin, Hell and damnation seeking to devour him, he seeth them not, although (living always in sin,) he walketh in the very Jaws of Hell it self: and because he seeth not this fearful danger, therefore he refuseth no sin at all, but rusheth securely into all manner of sin: the night of impenitency, and the mist of ignorance so blinding his eyes, that he seeth not the narrow bridge of this life, from which if he slide, he falls immediately into the bottomless p•t of Hell.
The man that passeth vpon ridges of Mountains, and sides of hils, or that goeth ouer a narrow bridge, or some dangerous ⟨p. 6⟩and steepe Rockes, at midnight; feareth not, because hee seeth no daunger: but bring the same man, in the morning, and let him see the narrowe bridge, he went ouer in the night, vnder which runnes a violent streame, and a bottomlesse gulfe, and the daungerous Mountaines, and rocks, he passed ouer, and he will wonder at his owne boldnesse, and shrinke for feare to thinke of it, and will by no meanes venter the same way againe: for now hee seeth the height of the Mountaines; the steepnesse of the Hilles, the cragginesse of the Rockes, the fearsul downfall, and the furious violence of the streame vnderneath, & therby seeth the extreame daunger, which afore he saw not: therfore he wondreth, & reioy oth, that he hath escaped so great a danger; and will by no meanes be drawn to goe that way in the day, which hee went most carelesly in the darkenesse of the night, but seeketh another way (though it should be far about:) So a sinner in his first estate, which is naturall and corrupt