Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise
A TREATISE OF THE FOVRE DEGENERATE SONNES, The ATHEIST, the MAGITIAN, the IDOLATER, and the IEVV.
ISA. 1.2.
I have nouriſhed and brought up children, and they have rebelled againſt me.
IT is very well knowne, and miſerable experience teacheth us, that many who are anciently deſcended, and come of Noble parents fall into vile ſinnes and degenerate from their anteceſſors, not following their footſteps. Not unlike unto thoſe are the degenerate children of God, (Epheſ. 1.15. Of whom the whole family of heaven and earth is named) who are fallen from that firſt eſtate in the which they were created, and are not to bee reckoned as his genuine, and naturall children; but as unnaturall, not worthy to be called his ſonnes. Theſe degenerate children are foure. There reſts the fift ſonne, who is Gods naturall ſonne, who worſhips God in purity and ſincerity.
The Atheiſt denies his Father.The firſt diſobedient and degenerate ſonne is the Atheiſt, who denieth God his father. The ſecond is the Magitian or Sorcerer,The Magitian renounceth his Father. who after that he had ſolemnly vowed himſelfe to God in baptiſme, yet after hee renounceth the true God,The Idolater misknows his Fa her. and giveth himſelfe over to Sathan, and enters into covenant with him. The third ungracious and degenerate ſonne is the Idolater, who gives the creature that worſhip which is due onelyonly to God.The Iew killed his Father. The fourth lewd ſonne is the Iew, who cruelly murthered the Lord of life. The fifth ſonne is the Chriſtian,The Chriſtian acknowledgeth and worſhippeth his father ſincerely. who feares God and worſhips him ſincerely. And from theſe comes Atheiſme, Magick, Idolatry, Iudaiſme, and Chriſtianity, which are the ſubject of this Treatiſe following.