A10945:1379
Seven treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holy Scriptures, leading…Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading…
Seven treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holy Scriptures, leading and guiding to true happiness, both in this life, and in the life to come: and may be called the practise of Christianity. Profitable for all such as heartily desire the same: in the which, more particularly true Christians may learn how to lead a godly and comfortable life every day. Penned by Richard Rogers, preacher of the word of God at Wethersfield in Essex.Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading and guiding to true happines, both in this life, and in the life to come: and may be called the practise of Christianitie. Profitable for all such as heartily desire the same: in the which, more particularly true Christians may learne how to leade a godly and comfortable life euery day. Penned by Richard Rogers, preacher of the word of God at Wethersfield in Essex.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man, 1603
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.
12Again, whereas another use of our solitariness is, that we should bend our minds to holy and heavenly things when we are alone; this is a special caution herein, that we do not for all our oft recourse to this duty, go about them with the less reverence, whether we go to prayer, or set our selves to reading, or enter into any meditation. The which admonition I know to be very needful, for that I see many to set less by and lightlier to esteem the most holy exercises of piety, even for the commonness of them: who yet, when they first enjoyed them, could never sufficiently commend, esteem, or have §Htheir full of them.3 For as our Saviour Christ saith of John Baptist: John was a burning light,4 and for a season ye delighted in him; and as the Galatians ran well for a time, but were letted: so I may say of this, that diverse for a while take pleasure in the use of private helps to godliness; but they are soon broken off,5 their hot zeal is quickly cooled. And this (if they were well rooted in the beginning) is, for that they do not daily nourish the estimation and love of them, nor see daily the necessity of them: but many days suffer them to be omitted, which they would not do, if they did not begin to be glutted with them. Therefore resolve thy self of this, that thou hast daily need of such holy exercises, and to have some time in the day by thy self alone §Ito call thine affections home from wandering in the world, and to have thy secret and sweet talk betwixt God and thy soul; that thou mayest thereby unburden thy self of the load of worldly cares and desires, which by too earnest dealings have grown upon thee. And what day doth pass, wherein thou hast not as great need, as thou hast had upon any other, of meditating upon Gods unchangeable love to thee, of the continual and daily benefit of Christs death to heal the sore of thy soul through sin? what day goeth over thy head, in which thou hast not need to confess thy sins, to see them better, and to bethink thy self how thou mightest grow more constant in godliness?