A10945:354
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.
yet what grace do they desire the more, although they have their fill, but are rather more headstrong, and inordinate? And if they ask ought of God, it is to bestow it on their lusts, being made drunken with their pleasures:1 so that they are lovers of them, more then lovers of God, and become insensible thereby, and past §Eall feeling. If some be not thus hardened, yet shall they be found to have small desire to furnish their hearts with the best gifts, when yet they see, that he which hath given the one, is as ready to give the other also. And as for the true worshipping of God, how far are the most from taking pleasure therein; when yet one day bestowed in it is better then a thousand in any delights beside? For superstition and blind devotion carry many to false worships: affirming boldly, that they cannot rest in that manner which ⟨p. 104⟩God prescribes in his word,2 that is, to do it in spirit and truth: though God §Fsendeth us to the Scriptures to know his will and mind; but the will-worship which they devise to themselves, and which they take up by tradition, as to represent God by an image, and Christ by a Crucifix, that only pleaseth them: and their devotion is frozen and cold, except it be helped by such counterfeit delusions. And many of them which embrace the truth, and retain the right manner of worshipping God according to his word, yet are content to be deceived, while they deny that which only maketh the other well pleasing to God, and savoury to themselves, that is, to do it with their heart and joyfully,3 without which God telleth them plainly that in vain they worship him. And as in their worshipping of him, by the use of religious exercises,§G their harts take no delight; even so in his service, throughout the course of their private conversation, how vain, profane, and dissolute are their hearts, what pleasure is it to them to please him, though it should be their meat, drink and pastime, and how lightly are his judgements passed over, how fearful soever they be? so far is it off, that they can expel their hypocrisy and other sins.