The Old Faith an Evident Probation out of the Holy Scripture, Tract · Part 1
¶ Of the goodneſſe of god and wickedneſſe of man.
GOd whych hath euer bene ſuffyciēt to all perfection, & nedeth nothynge of the creatures to hys perfectneſſe onelyonly of hys own kynde and nature whyche is good (that is to ſaye, of hys owne grace and mercye, yee euen bycauſe he woulde do good) created man for hym ſelfe. But before he created hym, he prouided firſt for hym wonderfully, and fornyſhedThe fyrſt creatiō of heauē and earth. hym wyth vnoutſpeakeable ryches hys goodneſſe. For whan he deuyſed the creacyon of man, and the tyme was nowe come, whych his godly wyſdome and prouydence had ordeyned, he fyrſte of all appoynted a wonderfull lodgynge for man and garnyſhed the ſame yet muche more wonderfully. At the begynnynge (whan the goodly and cleare lyghte was made) the Lord prepared the inſtrumentes which he afterwarde ſundred one from another, and ordeyned eueryevery one to ſome purpoſe. Ouer the depe, that is / ouer the water… erth (whiche yet was in the water) made he a firmament / and ſpred out the heauen aboue as a pauilion. Afterward out of the water he called and brought forth the erth (aſmoch as ſerued for the habitation of men) and appoynted the water his boū des and markes / whiche it maye not ouer paſſe. And theſe thre thinges / the water / the erth and the firmamēt (that is to ſaye / the ayre and clearneſſe aboue vsus vntounto the heyght of heauē) are the eſſenſial and ſubſtantiall parcels of the world / and ſe…ueas an houſe for the habitacion of men: Neuertheles as yet all this was but rough and vnfynyſhed / and nothing garniſhed at all: Therfore dyd the wyſe and faithful maſter put forth his hand wyder / to perfourme and pleaſaūrly to garnyſhe that wonderfull worke: yee not onelyonly to garnyſhe it / but alſo to make it frutefull and profitable for man ▪ whiche was the geſt and in habitour for to come.
And firſt in aſmoch as man ſhuld inhabiteThe garnyſhynge of heauen and erth. the erth / he garniſhed it afore hand, and clothed it with a goodly grene garment, that is, with a ſubſtaunce, whiche he deckte firſt with floures and al mane… of herbes: which not onelyonly are pleaſaunt to loke vponupon, and wonderfully bewtified of a pleaſaunt taiſt and goodly coloure, but alſo profitable for food and al maner of medicine. To the ſame alſo dyd he fyrſt adde ſondrye trees and plantes. Then watred he the erth with fayre ſpringes, riuers and rennynge waters. And the grounde made he not lyke on eueryevery ſyde, but in many places ſette it vp pleaſauntly. And herof hauehave we the walleyes, playnes, mountaynes, and hylles: whych thynges all hauehave theyr due operacyon, frute and pleaſauntneſſe.
After thys alſo beganne he to garnyſhe the heauen and fyrmament, and ſet therein the Sonne and Moone, the planetes and Starres: whyche thynges all are goodlyer and more wonderfull, then mennes tongeThe office … the … in the firmament. can expreſſe. As for theyr offyce, & the cauſe why they are ſet in the heauen. It is to geue vsus lyght, and (wyth theyr vp and down goynge, or mocyon) to declare the tymes, yeares, monethes, & dayes, deuydynge the dayes and nyghtes aſunder.
Thyrdly, he ſayed hys hande lykewiſe inFyſhes. the water, in the whyche he hath wrought no leſſe wonders, then in heauen and vpō earth. For in the water (and ſpecially in the ſee) do the wonderfull workes of God appeare in the fyſſhes and meruels of the See, yf a man conſider the nature and diſpoſition of them. And in the ayre alſo hathFoules. he created and ordeyned greate tokens of hys goodneſſe, power and wyſdome, euen the foules that pleaſauntly (accordynge to dyuerſe commodities) do ſynge vntounto man, and refreſhe hym.
At the laſt endewed he the erth yet moreBeaſtes. rychelye, and fylled it wyth all kynde of profytable and Goodly beaſtes, and ſundred one from another pleaſauntly.
Whan the Lorde nowe had prepared thys goodly and ryche pleaſure, then fyrſte after all theſe he made man, that he myght be Lord of all theſe thynges. Hym alſo endewedThe treatiō of mā. he aboue all other creatures, and created hym after hys owne ymage. He made hym of body and ſoule, whych ſhuld hauehave endured for euer, yf he had not fallen into ſynne. Nowe hath he afrayle bodye, and an immortall euerlaſtynge ſoule. But the fyrſt man made he altogether parfecte and wythout blemyſhe, ſo that verelye he was called the ymage of God not wythoute cauſe. The Lorde alſo was not ſuffyſed in garnyſhynge the erathe golye, but fyrſt alſo buylded vponupon the erth, a ſpecyall garden of pleaſure, euen a paradyſe: and therin he ſet man hys deare beloued creature. And for aſmuche as he beyng ſoThe creaciō of the woman. litary and alone, coulde not conueniently dwell wythout a make, he appoynted him firſt to plante and kepe the gardē of pleaſure, and prouyded for hym a wyfe, euen out of the bones of hys owne bodye, that ſhe myght be the mans helpe. Thus wolde the goodneſſe of God fynyſhe and make man perfecte, to the intent that he ſhoulde lacke nothynge, whyche ſerued to a ryght wholſome, and perfecte lyfe.
Therefore was it equall, that man whyche was endewed wyth reaſō and hye vnderſtandynge, ſhulde ſhewe thankefulneſſe and obedyence vntounto God, for ſuche hye gyftes. Yee God hym ſelfe (whyche is not only good, but alſo ryghteous) requyreth the ſame of hym, and that by the meanes of the cōmaundement. That he mighte eate of all the trees of the garden of pleaſure: OnelyOnly he ſhulde eſchue the frute of knowinge good and euyll. And thys commaundementThe requeſte of the commaundement. was not greuous nor vnreaſonable, OnelyOnly it requyreth o…edyence and louelove of God the maker, vntounto whome onelyonly the treature (euen man) ſhoulde hauehave reſpecte, and loke for all good at hys hande, and not to take the fourme of good and euell oute of hym ſelfe, but onelyonly to holde that for euyll and forbydden, whych God inhybyteth as euell: and to compte that as good and ryghteous, whych God aloweth or forbyddeth not. For a repreſentacion, viſible token, and Sacrament, God ſhewed hym a ryghte vyſible and frutefull tree in the garden of pleaſure, and forbad hym wyth earneſte threatenynge, that in what houre ſo euer he dyd eate of the ſame tree, he ſhuld dye an euerlaſtyng death. But vntruly dealth mā wyth hys faithfullThe vnthankfulneſſe and wickedneſſe of man. god, tranſgreſſed hys commaundemente, and gaue more credence to the perſuaſyon of the woman and of the ſerpente, then to the true worde of God: whyche was nothyng els, but euen as much as to take the fourme of good and euell out of them ſ…lues or els where rather then of God, and not to cleue and be obedyente onelyonly vntounto hym as to ſuche one as wyſheth good vntounto eueryevery man For man beynge dyſceaued thorowe the woman and the ſerpente dyd beleue, that God was not indyfferent and that he had wythdrawen from hym ſome of hys godly wyſdome. And for aſmuch as the mynde nowe was departed from God thorowe infydelyte, and loked not for all good at hys hande, therfore toke the hande the noyſome apple, and the mouth dyd eat the forbydden meate. And thus thoughte he to helpe hym ſelfe to Goddes maieſtye, by another meanes, rather then by God, and ſo to repayre hys neceſſyte whyche he thought he had. And ſo wyth infydelyte, vnfaythfulneſſe, diſobedyēce and vnthank fulneſſe, he wroughte lyfe, and dyed the deathe: that is, he offended agaynſte God, and fell in to the puniſhment of euerlaſtinge dampnacyon: Yee he made hym ſelfe bonde vntounto the Deuyll, whome he was ſo dyligent to beleue, to folowe, and to ſerue: Contrarywyſe he forſoke God, and ſo came he vtterly in to the bondage of the Deuell and darkneſſe. And thus hauehave we now the goodneſſe and faythfulneſſe of God. Agayne, the wyckedneſſe & great vnfaythfulneſſe of man.