A20762:1402
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 The second means is to meditate on the excellency, profit, and necessity of integrity and sincerity.
§. Sect. 2 The second meanes is to meditate on the excellency, profit, and necessity of integrity and sincerity.
The second means is, to meditate on the excellency, profit, and necessity of this sincerity and uprightness of heart. The excellency herein appeareth, 1in that the Lord so highly esteemeth it, that he approveth them as perfect, who serve him with this integrity, though they be never so full of wants and weaknesses, and neglecteth, yea severely punisheth the most glorious works of Hypocrites which are done without it. It is most profitable, seeing God withholdeth nothing from them that walk uprightly; for he is unto them a Sun and a Shield; a Sun for consolation, a Shield for protection; a Sun to give them life, a Shield to defend life given; a Sun to make them fruitful in all good, and a Shield to preserve them from all evil; and he will give unto them grace in this life, and glory and happiness in the life to come. Finally, the necessity of this integrity and sincerity hereby is manifest, seeing the best graces which are without it, are false and counterfeit, our wisdom devilish, our faith dead, our repentance feigned, our love worldly and carnal, our zeal dissembled, our Religion hypocrisy, and all the seeming good duties which we perform, of no esteem in Gods sight. For if sincerity be wanting, our prayers are but lip-labour, our preaching a kind of merchandizing for the hire of worldly gain, as the Apostle implieth; our receiving 2