A20762:1544
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. 5 That we often renew the Covenant of grace between God and us.
§. Sect. 5 That we often renew the Couenant of grace between God and vs.
The rules which respect the subordinate causes and helps, whereby we are enabled to perform the duties of a godly life, are divers. The first, that we often renew the covenant of grace between God and us, by renewing the condition of it on our part, faith and repentance. In which exercise, as we are to renew our sorrow for all our sins, and those above the rest, which we have most often committed, and thereby most offended and ⟨p. 453⟩dishonoured God; so especially for those sins and corruptions which have most disabled us unto the duties of a godly life, and have plunged us into the contrary wickedness, whereby we have served sin and Satan. As our negligence and want of zeal, and holy care to glorify God by the light of our Christian conversation, and bringing forth the fruits of new obedience, and adorning our profession by our holy conversation, whereby contrariwise we have caused Gods holy Name to be blasphemed, and our Christian profession to be slandered and evil spoken of, as though it were the cause of all our enormities. Our security and hardness of heart, whereby we have made no good use either of Gods Word or works, his mercies or judgements, to be drawn by them to repentance, and made more diligent in the duties of his service; but putting the evil day far 1from us, have taken occasion thereby, with the evil servant, to be slothful and negligent in all good duties, and to take liberty in running licentious courses, loathing the means whereby we should have bin wakened and roused up out of this spiritual lethargy. Our cowardice and slothfulness in making war against our flesh and fleshly lusts, whereby they have often gotten to such an head, strength, and height of rebellion, that they have prevailed, and have shamefully foiled the spiritual part, and led us captive unto sin. Our negligence in preventing the occasions, and withstanding the first motions and beginnings of sin, and our want of care, in banishing out of our minds and hearts the desires and concupiscence of the flesh, when they were first suggested unto us; whereof it hath come to pass, that suffering them to rest in us, we have been allured and tick led with carnal delight in thinking of them, which hath drawn us from our former sincerity, and moved us to like and approve them, to consent unto, and produce them into act, when we have had fit occasion.