A10945:2006
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.
1But to proceed: such of you as have not extended your care of living godly to every day nor throughout the same; but have taken more liberty to your selves then God alloweth, this I say to all such: If you have done so through ignorance,2 and that God hath revealed no further light unto you, who yet were ready to do whatsoever you should hear to be commanded you of him; be not discouraged, your sin hath been the lesser, and God will not impute it to you, nor lay it to your charge. Only show that ye did it ignorantly, hereby, that now ye know God requireth it of you, that your care should §Gcontinue one day as well as an other to look to your lives and particularly to observe them, that now (I say) ye do so, and follow conscionably that, which ye see to be your duty, as ye did before in that which he knew. And so join your selves in your practise with your brethren before mentioned: and all that is said to them,3 take it as spoken unto you. But to others of you, who fear God and know it to be your duty to make conscience of your ways one day as well as another, and yet did it not; or if you were ignorant of it, yet ye made no hast to know more then ye did, lest ye should answer for more then ye were willing to do:4 the sin of both sorts of you is great, and doth cry to God for punishing it, and he hath hard the cry of it against you, and §Hhath a controversy with you for it; as he said in the same case to the church of Ephesus, 5(though yet God was worshipped truly of it, but not indeed with zeal, and fervently) I have somewhat against thee. And that which Saint John said to them,6 I say unto you: Remember from whence ye are fallen, and repent, and do your former works, or else God will come against you shortly.