A20762:1210
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. 6 That we must carefully arm our selves against the tentations unto which this estate is endangered; and take heed that it hinder not our heavenly happiness.
§. Sect. 6 That we must carefully arme our selues against the tentations vnto which this estate is indangered; and take heede that it hinder not our heauenly happinesse.
Tenthly, let it be our care when we are in prosperity, to set a double watch over our selves, that we be not overcome with those manifold tentations, 1unto which this estate doth chiefly expose us, as love of the world, earthly-mindedness, ambition, covetousness, voluptuousness, and the rest. To which end let us consider, that in these worldly thickets Satan cunningly layeth his most dangerous ambushments, to surprise us with his tentations at unawares; that they are his traps and snares, in which he entangleth many, and keepeth them in his slavery; and his usual baits, whereby he allureth us to come within the compass of his nets of perdition, unto which, who so stoop with a greedy appetite, fall into many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown them in destruction. Finally, that they are his common wages, which he offereth as his hire, to draw men to serve him in the works of darkness, wherewith he hath prevailed with so many, that he thought it his strongest inducement to persuade our Saviour 2Christ himself to yield unto him and do him service. And therefore as we desire to stand in the day of tentation, to prevent our foils, and would not hazard the eternal salvation of our souls, let us in our prosperity watch over our selves, and also earnestly desire the Watchman of Israel to watch over us, that we may be preserved from all these dangers. Finally, let us, when we enjoy prosperity and temporal blessings, above all things carefully take heed, that they do not hinder our heavenly happiness, by being burdens on our shoulders, which will tire us in our journey thitherwards, and as the Camels bunch upon our backs, which will hinder us from entering into the straight gate. The which our care must be redoubled by the greatness of the danger, seeing it is a most hard thing for the same man to enjoy earth and heaven, to have temporal felicity in the full fruition of worldly things, and eternal happiness in Gods Kingdom, to have the honours, riches, and pleasures of this life, and eternal glory, lasting riches, and heavenly joys in the life to come. For the Apostle telleth us, that not many wise men after the flesh, nor many mighty,