A20762:1171
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. 7 Reasons moving children to submit themselves to be catechized.
§. Sect. 7 Reasons moouing children to submit themselues to be catechized.
And these are the reasons which may persuade governors to perform this duty of Catechizing; unto which, we will add some others, which ⟨p. 336⟩may move those who are under their government, to submit themselves willingly unto this Ordinance of God, to receive instruction from them, and attentively to hear them, carefully to treasure up in their hearts and memories what they have learned, and cheerfully to render an account of it, when they are called thereunto. The which I thought necessary, in respect of the backwardness which is to be observed in most families and congregations amongst all sorts, not only nor chiefly among children in years, but especially such as being riper in age, are notwithstanding children in knowledge. The which is caused by their natural averseness to these religious duties, by the corruption of their judgements, persuading them that they are unnecessary, by the worldliness and profaneness of their hearts, which hindereth them from attending unto instruction, and consequently maketh them unwilling to be called to account, because they find themselves unable to answer and give any satisfaction to their teachers; by carnal pride, and proud bashfulness, which causeth them scornfully to cast off Christs yoke, and contemptuously to refuse subjection unto his Ordinance, because they fear to be disgraced before others, for their ignorance and small profiting in the knowledge of Christian Religion; and finally, by the subtle malice of the devil, which casteth before them all discouragements which he can devise or raise against this profitable exercise, because he well knoweth, that it is a most powerful means to dispel the mists of ignorance, through which he misleadeth men to profaneness, heresy, hell, and destruction, and to enlighten mens minds with saving knowledge, to beat him from his throne, and to cast down the strong holds of sin, and to set up and establish in their hearts the gracious Kingdom of Jesus Christ, by which they shall be brought to all glory and heavenly happiness.