A20762:128
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. 1 That these desires, resolutions, and endeavours are required of all those who will serve and please God.
§. Sect. 1 That these desires, resolutions, and indeuours are required of all those who will serue and please God.
And so I come from the matter of it, and the duties therein required, to speak of the form and manner, how they may be so performed, as that they may be acceptable in Gods sight. And hereunto there concur three things: First, fervency of desire: Secondly, a settled resolution: And thirdly, an hearty and earnest endeavour to please God in all things by doing his will, in the duties of piety, righteousness, and sobriety. First, our hearts must be inflamed with fervent desires to please God in all things, and to do his will in as great perfection here on earth, as the Angels and Saints do it in heaven, although we cannot possibly in this state of sin and corruption attain unto it. So the Church professeth of her self: In the way of 1thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee, the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee; with my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. The which desires break out into longing wishes after that perfection which we cannot as yet compass, as we see in David; O that my ways were directed to keep thy 2statutes! And are accompanied with bitter grief and lamentable complaints, when as we find them crossed with our corruption, and defeated by the tentations of the devil and the world; as we see in the Apostles example; To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find 3not. For the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do, &c. for I delight in the Law of God after the inner man, but I see another law in my members warring against the Law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And this fervent desire of the heart to please God by doing his will, is always accompanied with an undanted resolution and settled purpose of the will to shake off all delays, and break through all difficulties which hinder us in our course, and with all care and good conscience, to use all helps, whereby we may be enabled and furthered in Gods service. And thus David resolveth that he will keep