A20762:1107
A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties
A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helps enabling & the reasons persuading unto it the impediments hindering the practise of it, and the best means to remove them whereunto are added divers prayers and a treatise of carnal security by John Douname Bachelor in Divinity and minister of Gods Word.A guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helpes inabling & the reasons parswading vnto it ye impediments hindering ye practise of it, and the best meanes to remoue them whereunto are added diuers prayers and a treatise of carnall securitie by Iohn Douname Batcheler in Diuinitie and minister of Gods Word.
London: printed by Felix Kingstone and William Stansby for Ed, 1622
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.
§. Sect. 4 That we must carefully avoid all corrupt communication.
§. Sect. 4 That we must carefully auoid all corrupt communication.
Much more let us carefully avoid in our conferences, the speech of 1Ashdod, which who so useth, professing himself an Israelite, deserveth to be cursed, and that there were some good Nehemiah to smite him with the hand of Justice, and to pluck off his hair. As all hurtful speech, ⟨p. 315⟩which tendeth to Gods dishonour, swearing, blaspheming, cursing, and such as savoureth of irreligion, profaneness and Atheism; or to the destruction of our own and neighbours souls, for which Christ died; as 2all evil words which corrupt good manners; all filthy communication and rotten speech, which infecteth and poisoneth the hearers; all scurrility, unsavoury and obscene jests; all scoffs and bitter frumps, scornful taunts and spiteful jests, impeaching the credit and reputation of our neighbours, which proceed, for the most part, from an affectation of the praise of wit, and so far bewitch men, that they are ready (as we say) to lose their friend rather then their jest, and so foolishly to exchange a precious jewel, for a trifling babble. And hereunto we may add all speeches directly contrary unto those that tend to edification; as such as tend to the corrupting of the judgement of our neighbours, and to the leading of them into error, evil counsel, and all such as discourage them in the ways of Godliness. Such as grieve the afflicted spirit, and make him to sink under his burden; such as encourage men unto sin, and countenance those, who are fearful and bashful, in wicked courses, or which hinder those that are fallen, from rising again, and turning unto God by true repentance. And as we are to avoid in all our conferences these hurtful and pernicious speeches, so also such as are vain and unprofitable, as not attaining unto our chief ends, the glory of God, and our own and our neighbours good; in which notwithstanding the most men spend their time, and as the Psalmist complaineth, speak vanity every one