A20762:1115
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. 2 How we must behave our selves when we confer with civill worldlings.
§. Sect. 2 How we must behaue our selues when we conferte with ciuill worldlings.
Again, if those with whom we confer are but mere worldlings, we must wisely consider whether they be morally civill, or openly profane and desperately wicked. If they be of the former sort, we must cherish those common gifts and graces of the Spirit, which we observe in them, yet so, as we do our best to work them out of a Pharisaical conceit of them, as though they needed no more to assure them of their salvation. To which purpose we are to take all good occasions to show their insufficiency, that being beaten off from this pernicious opinion, they may deny themselves utterly, and all their own righteousness in the work of their justification and salvation, and may fly unto Christ by faith, who is only able and all-sufficient to effect them. With which we must join all other good means, which opportunity shall offer unto us for the gaining of them to Christ, and making of them truly religious. And to this end we must heedfully watch for all good occasions, which either their words or actions shall offer unto us, of speaking something which may be for the use of edifying; liking and approving any thing which is well said or done by them (as our Saviour dealt with the young man that answered him discreetly) showing that they are not far from the Kingdom of God; and as Paul with King Agrippa, who watched and 1took hold upon every word which he spake, to draw him to Christianity. Yea when none are offered by them of speaking any good, we must seek out occasions our selves, making choice of such as we think will be most plausible, and likely to find entertainment, as some works, mercies, or Judgements of God, which are fresh in memory. And if the company be such, as that we cannot directly propound unto them such savoury discourse, let us use our best art and policy to screw and wind it in by degrees