Man's Corruption and Misery
THE PLAIN MAN'S
PATHWAY TO HEAVEN.
INTERLOCUTORS.
THEOLOGUS,
a Dtstsi.
PHILAGATHUS,
_A!C Hosest Mas.
ASUNETUS,
AK Igsokast Mak.
ANTILEGON,
a Cayilleb.
MAN'S CORRUPTION & MISERY.
Phil. Well met, good master, Theologus.
Theol. What my old friend, Philagathus !
I am glad to see you in good health.
Phil. Are you walking, sir, here all alone in this pleasant meadow ?
Theol. Yea; for I take some pleasure at this time of the year to walk abroad in the fields for my recreation, both to take the fresh air, and to hear the sweet singing of birds.
Phil. Indeed, sir, it is very comfortable, especially now in this pleasant month of May: and thanks be to God, hitherto we have had a very forward spring, and as kindly a season as came this seven years.
Theol. God doth abound towards us in mercies; Oh that we could abound towards him in thanksgiving.
Phil. I pray you, sir, what a clock hold you it?
man's COEBUPTIOS"
Theol.
I take it to be a little past one ; for I came but even now from dinner, Phil. But, behold, yonder eometh two men towards us : what be they 1 pray you ?
Theol. They be a couple of neighbours of the J next parish : the one of them is called Asunetus, | who in very deed is a very ignorant man in (rod's
matters: and the other is called Antilegon, a i notable atheist, and caviller against all goodness.
Phil.
If they be such, it were good for us to take some occasion to speak of matters of religion; it may be we shall do them some good.
Theol. You have made a good motion :
I hke it well.
If therefore you will minister some matter, and move some questions, I will be ready to answer in the best sort I can.
Phil. But stay, sir, lo here they come upon us.
Theol. Welcome, neighbours, welcome.
How do you Asunetus, and you Antilegon?
Asun. Well, God be thanked ; and we are glad to see your mastership in good health.
Theol. What makes both of you here at this time of the day?
There is some occasion I am sure draweth you this way.
Asun.
Indeed, sir, we have some little business ; for we came to talk with one of your parish, about a cow we should buy of him.
Theol. Hath my neighbour a cow to sell? i Antil. We are told he hath a very good one to sell; but I am afraid at this time of the year, we shall find dear ware of her.
Theol. How dear? what do you think a very | good cow may be worth?
Antil. A good cow indeed, at this time of the year, is worth very near four pounds, which is a great price.
AXD MISERT.
Theol.
It is a very great price indeed.
Phil.
I pray you, Mr. Theologus, leave off this talking of kine, and worldly matters ; and let us enter into some speech of matters of religion, whereby we may do good, and take good one of another.
Theol. You say well : but it may be these men's business requireth haste, so as they cannot stay.
Asun. No, sir, we are in no great haste, we can stay two or three hours, for the days are long; if we dispatch our business by night it will serve our turn well enough.
Theol. Then if it will please you to walk to yonder oak tree, there is a goodly arbour, and handsome seats, where we may sill sit in the shadow, and confer of heavenly matters.
Asun. With a good will, sir.
JPhil. Come, then, let us go.
Asun. This is a goodly aibour indeed, and here be handsome seats.
Theol.
Sit you all down, I pray you.
Now friend Philagathus, if you have any questions to move of matters of rehgion, we are all ready to hear you.
Phil.
It may be these men are somewhat ignorant of the very principles of religion ; and therefore I think it not amiss to begin there, and so to make way for further matters.
Theol.
I pray you do so then.
Phil.
First, then, I demand of you, in what state all men are born by nature?
Theol. In the state of condemnation, as appeareth, Eph. ii.
We are by nature the children of wrath as well as others.
And again it is written, "Behold I was born in iniquity, and in sin hath my mother conceived me," Psal. ii. 5.
man's coeeuption Pliil.
Is it every man's case?
Are not dukes and nobles, lords and ladies, and the great potentates of the earth exempted from it ?
Theol. No, surely, it is the common case of all, both high and low, rich and poor, as it is written,
" What is man that he should be clean, and he that is born of a woman, that he should be just ? "
Job XV. 14.
I^hil. From whence cometh it, that all men are born in so woful a case?
Theol. From the fall of Adam, who thereby had not only wrapt himself, but all his posterity, in extreme and unspeakable misery ; as the apostle saith, "By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners: and by the offence of one, the fault came on all men to condemnation."
Fhil. What reason is there that we all should thus be punished for another man's offence?
Theol. Because we were then all in him, and are now all of him : that is we are so descended out of his loins, that of him we have not only received our natural and corrupt bodies, but also by propagation have inherited his foul corruptions, as it were by hereditary right.
Phil. But forasmuch as some have dreamed that Adam by his fall hurt himself only, and not his posterity, and that we have his corruption derived unto us by imitation, and not by propagation ; therefore I pray you shew this more plainly.
Theol. Even as great personages, by committing treason, do not only hurt themselves, but also stain their blood, and disgrace their posterity, for the children of such nobles are disinherited, whose blood is attainted, till they be restored again by act of parliament; even so our
JLSD MISEBT.
O blood being attainted by Adam's transgression, we can inherit nothing of right, till we be restored by Christ.
PAt7. Doth this hereditary infection and contagion overspread our whole nature?
Theol. Yes, truly, it is universal, extending itself throughout the whole man, both soul and body, both reason, understanding, will and affections; for the scriptures avouch that we are dead in sins and trespasses, Eph. ii. 1; Col. i. 21, ii. 13.
Phil. How understand you that?
Theol. Not of the deadness of the body, or the natural faculties of the soul, but of the spiritual faculties, Phil. Did Adam then lose his nature and destroy it by his fall ? or is our nature taken away by his fall?
Theol.
Not so.
Our nature was corrupted thereby, but not destroyed: for still there remaineth in our nature, reason, understanding, will, and affections, and we are not as a block, or a stock; but by Adam's disobedience we are blemished, maimed, and spoiled of all ability to understand aright, or to will and do aright.
As it is written, "We are not sufficient of ourselves, to think any thing as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is of God," 2
Cor. iii.
And again, "It is God which worketh in you both the will and the deed; even of his good pleasure,"
Phil, ii. 13.
And, as concerning the other point, St.
James saith, "That all men are made after the similitude of God," James iii. 9, meaning thereby that there remain some relics and parts of God's image, even in the most wicked men; as reason, understanding, &c. so that our nature was not wholly destroyed.
G man's coreuption I'hil. Then you think there be some sparks and remnants left in us still of that excellent image of God, which was in our first creation.
Theol.
1 think so indeed: and it may plainly appear imto us in the wise speeches and, writings of heathen poets and philosophers; in all which we may, as by certain ruins, perceive what was the excellent frame and building of man's creation.
Phil. Can a man please God in any thing which he doth, so long as he continueth in the state of nature?
Theol. No, not in any thing: for till we be in the state of grace, even our best actions are sinful; as preaching, prayer, alms deeds, &c.
As it is written, "Who can bring a clean thing out of that which is unclean?" Job xiv. 4.
The apos-, tie also saith, "They which are in the flesh cannot please God," Bom. viii. 8; that is, such as are still in their natural corruption.
And our Lord Jesus himself saith, "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Matt, vii.
16; meaning thereby, that mere natural men can bring forth no fruits acceptable to God.
Phil. This is a very harsh and hard saying; I pray you, for my further instruction, make it more plain.
Theol. Men in the state of nature may do those things which of themselves are good, but they do utterly fail in the manner of doing them: they do them not as they should be done; that is, in faith, love, zeal, conscience of obedience, &c. neither yet with any cheerfulness, delight or feeling, but even as it were, forcing themselves to do the outward actions.
Thus did Cain sacrifice, the pharisees pray, Ananias and Sapphira give
A»D MISEBT.
alms, and the Jews offer up their oblations and burnt-offering.
Phil. Have men any true sight, or lively and sound feeling of this misery and woful estate, so long as they be merely natural?
Theol. No, surely, but are altogether blinded and hardened in it, being nothing desirous to come out of it, but do greatly please themselves in it, and can hardly be persuaded that they are in any such woful case; as appeareth plainly in the example of that ruler, who being commanded or rather required of our Saviour Christ to keep the commandments, answered, "All these have I kept from my youth," Luke xviii.
21.
And again, although the church of Laodicea was wretched, miserable, poor, bhnd, and naked, yet she thought herself rich, increased with goods, and wanting nothing.
It foUoweth then, that so long as men are in the state of nature, they have no true sight and feehng of their misery.
Phil. Do you not think that all men being merely natural, are under the ciirse of the law ?
Theol. Yes, certainly; and not only so, but also under the very tyranny and dominion of Satan, though they know it not, see it not, feel it not, or perceive it not; for all that are not in Christ, are under the curse of the law, and the power of darkness and the devil, as appeareth, Eph, ii. 2, where the devil is called the prince that ruleth in the air, even the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, 2 Cor. iv. 4.
In another place, he is called the god of this world, who blindeth the eyes of all unbelievers.
And again, it is said, that all men naturally are in his snare, being taken captive of him at his will, 2 Tim. ii. 2G.
MAN 8 COEEUPTION
Phil. Few will be persuaded of that; they will say they defy the devil, and thank Grod they were never troubled with him.
Theol. Their hot words do nothing amend the matter; for the devil is no more drivenaway with words, than with holy water, but he sitteth in the tongues and mouths ; nay, possesseth the very heart and entrails of thousands which say they defy him, and are not troubled with him, as appeareth manifestly by their particular actions, and the whole course of their life.
Phil. Methinks, if the devil do so inwardly possess the hearts and consciences of men, they should have some sight and feeling of it.
Theol. The working of the devil in men's souls (being an invisible spirit) is with such inconceivable sleight and crafty conveyance, that men
,J in the estate of nature cannot possibl}' feel it, or
perceive it: for how can a blind man see, or a dead man feel?
PMl. Shew this more plainly.
Theol. Even as a crafty juggler doth deceive, and blind men's outward senses by the delusions of Satan, that they think they see that which they see not, and feel that which they feel not: even so the devil doth so delude and bewitch our inward senses, and the natural faculties of our souls, that we having a mist cast before our eyes, think we are that which we are not, see that which we see not, and feel that which we feel not.
For the deep cunning of Satan lieth in this, that he can give us our death's wound, and we shall never know who hurt us.
Phil. Few will believe this to be true.
Theol, True indeed: for few will believe the : few will believe this, because few feel scriptures