A10945:1822
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.
Concerning the which point, it may easily be gathered by that which hath been said of the former privileges, how true this is:1 that many troubles never take hold of such as walk after those rules which I have spoken of, and which enjoy the said privileges: and seeing all Gods children be such as may do so, therefore even they may be delivered from many troubles and afflictions (one as well as another) which yet the ungodly and unregenerate cannot escape. For they whose hearts are cleansed and sanctified, so that they truly hate all manner of sin, and more specially renounce in their lives the sin which they know; who endeavour to have a good conscience in all things, §Dand do all this with delight; and with delight also do daily use the means to grow forward in this course: how can the plagues and calamities take hold on them, which do on other men who are strangers to such a course? For the greatest and sorest punishments and troubles that fall upon any, are brought upon them by their sin (contrary to the erroneous opinion of them, who think that religion is the chief cause of troubles) & they are nothing else but the fruit thereof; and the greater sinners that men are, the sharper and heavier judgements outward or inward do meet with and take hold of them,2 and the deepelier doth God draw his bow against them: and wherein is the scripture more plentiful, then in this argument and matter? For sin, §Ecame the first punishment into the world, namely, death and Gods curse,3 which without sin had never been known in all the world, with the casting off our first parents and their posterity out of the favour of God. Through sin, came all kinds of plagues and punishments upon men;4 as hunger, nakedness, diseases, the pestilence, bondage to enemies and invasion of them, imprisonment, loss of goods, loss of life, and such like. For sin, both person and place, whole cities and villages have been destroyed:5