A10945:93
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.
But to leave them as sufficiently convinced of a woeful estate, even by the testimony of men, who have any judgement, and to go forward with that ⟨p. 10⟩which is in hand, that is, to show how this doctrine worketh in him, who by §Fit shall come to true faith and assured hope of salvation, we are to know, that he remaineth not an idle and unprofitable hearer, as sometime, and as many other still do, but is secretly drawn, he cannot tell how, by the unspeakable work of the spirit of God to be persuaded, that the doctrine taught doth concern him;1 the Lord giving him with his knowledge, wisdom, which is a gift of the spirit, whereby he appleth general things particularly to himself: and that he thereby speaketh unto him, as well as he doth to any other, in the denouncing the threats of the law,2 and everlasting damnation: and (his eyes being now opened to believe this) he thinketh himself the miserablest of all other, who before nothing at all regarded the welfare of his §Gsoul, but thought himself in as good case to Godward, as any other. He now perceiveth (I say) himself not only a loathsome creature in Gods sight, through the Jeprosie of sin, but withal a most cursed and damned creature, subject to all Gods plagues in this world, and to condemnation in the world to come. For although the world lie in darkness, and believeth not the law of God, least it should be convicted by it (and therefore cannot believe the promises of the Gospel) yet God otherwise provideth for his, that they by seeing and feeling the desert of their sins, may have an appetite thereby to seek mercy and forgiveness, which without it is unsavoury to them: as our Saviour Christ saith, The whole have no need of the Physician, but §Hthe sick, Matth. 9.12. Neither let this deep impression of the doctrine of the law preached (being no less sensible to the party that feels it, then the print of the seal is to our eye in the soft wax:) let it not (I say) be counted a mean and common mercy: In deed it is meanly accounted of, the doctrine of it being so common and oft taught. For as it is said of faith,