The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. 1. Touching the Corruption and Perversity of this World, how great it is.
EVen as one that taketh pleasure to behold a pleasant and delightsome place, a piece of ground covered and painted with all manner of fine flowers, a garden decked, and as it were cloathed with exquisite plants and fruitfull trees, is much grieved so soone as he perceiveth all this beauty and pleasure suddenly to be withered and scorched by the violence of some outragious tempest: or if he be constrained to cast his eyes from them, upon some other place by, all cragged and parched, full of briers and brambles. In like sort, a man cannot chuse but be sore grieved and discontent, when hee beholdeth on the one side the wholsome light of the Sunne, whereby the heavens doe many wayes distill their favours upon this World, gloriously to advance it selfe: on the other side he perceiveth such an army of thicke clouds and palpable darknesse, from whence such a number of disorders and hurliburlies do arise, that most strangely disfigure the face of the whole World: when that he which ought to be gentle and peaceable, is become mischievous and quarrellous: in stead of being true and single hearted, disloyall and deceirfull: in stead of being modest, well governed, and courteous, is proud, cruell, and dissolute: in stead of serving God, serveth his owne humors and affections: Which kinde of behaviour is too common and usuall; for there is not any kind of wickednesse which is not found in this ranke. Vngodlinesse vomiteth up his fury together with injustice, in those men of whom it is said, There is none Psal. 14.that understandeth or secketh after God: their throat is an open sepulchre, they use deceit in their tongues, the poyson of Aspes is under their lips, they have nothing in their mouths but cursing and bitternesse, their feet are swift to shed bloud: destruction and misery is in their waies, and they have not knowne the way of peace: In summe, the feare of God is not before their eyes. From whence it commeth, that being not restrained by any bridle, like untamed colts broke loose, they give the full swinge to their bold and violent affections, running fiercely to all filthinesse and mischiese: and being thus enraged, some of them with horrible blasphemies (most villanously) speake and doe in despight of God, and deny him that created them, and sent them into the World: Others are not ashamed to be open forswearers of themselves, violating and breaking every promise, without regard of faith or honesty: Others, as they are of cruell and bloudy natures, so they doe not cease to exercise these their natures by outragious practises: to some of them whoredomes and adulteries are no more esteemed, than as sports and pastimes, whereof they boast themselves: to another sort, cousenings, extortions, and robberies, are ordinary exercises, whereof they make their best occupations. All which evils are so common and so usuall at this time amongst men, that the World seemeth truly to be nothing else but an ocean full of hideous monsters, or a thicke forrest full of theeves and robbers, or some horrible wildernesse wherein the inhabitants of the earth, being savage and unnaturall, void of sence and reason, are transformed into bruit beasts, some like Tygres or Lyons, others like Wolves or Foxes, others like Dogges and Swine: Oh sinfull nation (would the man of God say if hee lived at this houre) a people laden with iniquity, a seed of the wicked, corrupt children, they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Isay. 14.Israel to anger. The noble and high minded are proud to disdaine the lower, and ready alwaies to smite them, making their countenance pale with vices and oathes: the Magistrate partiall and full of brides, overthroweth equity: the Merchant covetous and desirous of gaine remembreth not his integrity: nor the labourer his simplicity. And so vertue in most men lyeth buried, piety banished, justice oppressed, and honesty troden under foot: in such sort, that all things being as it were overthrowne and turned upside downe, men speake evill of good, and good of evill, accounting darknesse light, and light darknesse, sowre sweet, and sweet sowre. And by such disorder it commeth to passe, that the most vertuous are despised, whilest naughty-packs and vitious fellowes are esteemed and made much of.