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

Fourthly, our desires, resolutions, and endeavours to lead a godly life, must not be lazy and luskish, idle and slothful; but exceeding industrious, painful, and diligent in the use of all good means whereby we may attain unto it. For being a Jewell of such price, we may not think to have it for the bare wishing; but that we must compass it with some difficulty, and have our cost and labour, in some proportion, answerable to this precious pearl, which is much to be preferred before many worlds. ⟨p. 24⟩And considering what cost and pains worldly men willingly undergo in pursuing their earthly desires, out of a bare, and (often) false hope to obtain them; with what industry and labour, hazard and danger, the ambitious man aspireth unto honours, the covetous man hunteth after riches, and the voluptuous man after pleasures; let us be sorry and ashamed to think any pains or peril too much, in walking in the way of a godly life, which shall assuredly be crowned with glory and immortality, rewarded ¹with heavenly treasures which will never fade, and with such everlasting joys, as our eyes have not seen, nor our hearts conceived. The soul ²of the sluggard (saith Solomon) desireth, and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. The which, as it is true in respect of earthly riches, so also of spiritual grace and the treasures of holiness, the which we may long idly wish, and yet never enjoy them; whereas if, as our desires be earnest, so our endeavours diligent and laborious, we may have much more assurance to be enriched with them, then to compass, with all our pains, our worldly desires; seeing we have Gods promises more absolute for them. Neither do they flee their followers as earthly riches do, which make themselves wings, and fly away as the Eagle towards heaven,