A01975:651
A guide to go to GodA guide to goe to God
A guide to go to God: or, An explanation of the perfect pattern of prayer, the Lords prayer. By William Gouge, B. in D. and minister of Gods Word in Black-Friars LondonA guide to goe to God: or, An explanation of the perfect patterne of prayer, the Lords prayer. By William Gouge, B. in D. and minister of Gods Word in Black-Friers London
London: printed by G. Miller for Edward Brewster, 1626
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.
Q. What doth this phrase (be done) teach us?
Q. VVHat doth this phrase (be done) teach vs?
A. Nothing is sufficient without practise. I say nothing, because neither knowledge of Gods will, nor a good disposition thereto, nor profession thereof, without doing it, is any thing. All these are in their kind needful: for practise without knowledge can not but be very preposterous: without a good disposition, merely hypocritical; and without a free profession, too too timorous; so as knowledge of Gods will is as light to give direction unto practise: a good disposition thereto is as salt, to season it: a free profession is as wine to make it quick and cheerful. But yet all those without practise are as nothing. He that knoweth his Masters will and doth not according to it shall be beaten with many stripes. 1He that hath a good mind and disposition to Gods will, and yet doth it not, condemneth himself in that which he alloweth: and he that maketh a fair profession of it, but yet doth it not, is like to that Fig tree which Christ cursed:2 and he hath this doom denounced against him by the Judge of all, Depart from me thou worker of iniquity. I may therefore well say to them that know, like, and profess Gods will, Blessed are ye if ye do it. 3But without doing, all is in vain. For
A. Nothing is sufficient without practise. I say nothing, because neither knowledge of Gods will, nor a good disposition thereto, nor profession thereof, without doing it, is any thing. All these are in their kinde needfull: for practise without knowledge can not but be very preposterous: without a good disposition, meerely hypocriticall; and without a free profession, too too timerous; so as knowledge of Gods will is as light to giue direction vnto practise: a good disposition thereto is as salt, to season it: a free profession is as wine to make it quicke and cheerefull. But yet all those without practise are as nothing. He that knoweth his Masters will and doth not according to it shall be beaten with many stripes.