The Practice of Piety

7 Mark the fearful ends of notorious evil men, to abhor their wicked actions; mark the life of the godly, ¹that thou mayest imitate it: and his blessed end, that it may comfort thee. Obey thy betters, observe the wise, accompany the honest, and love the religious. And seeing the corrupt nature of man is prone to hypocrisy: beware that thou use not the exercise of religion, as matters of course and custom, without care and conscience, to grow more holy and devout thereby. Observe therefore how by the continual use of Gods means, thou feelest thy special corruptions weakened,² and thy sanctification more and more increased: ⟨p. 389⟩and make no more show of holiness outwardly to the world,³ then thou hast in the sight of God inwardly in thine heart.

7 Marke the fearefull ends of notorious euill men, to abhorre their vvicked actions; marke the life of the godly, ¹that thou maist imitate it: and his blessed end, that it may comfort thee. Obey thy betters, obserue the wise, accompany the honest, and loue the religious. And seeing the corrupt nature of man is prone to hypocrisie: beware that thou vse not the exercise of religion, as matters of course and custome, without care and conscience, to grow more holy and de•out thereby. Obserue therefore how by the continuall vse of Gods meanes, thou feelest thy speciall corruptions weakened,² and thy sanctification more and more increased: ⟨p. 389⟩and make no more shew of holinesse outwardly to the world,³ then thou hast in the sight of God inwardly in thine heart.