A20762:1669
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 Thirdly, as it is our restipulation in the Covenant of grace.
§. Sect. 5 Thirdly, as it is our restipulation in the Couenant of grace.
Thirdly, it is a means to help us forward in all duties of godliness, as it is our restipulation in the Covenant of grace, whereby having received from God the promise of the remission of our sins, grace and glory, we for our part promise unto God again, that we will receive Christ and all his benefits by a true and lively faith, bringing forth the fruits thereof in unfeigned repentance and amendment of life, and that utterly renouncing Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh with the lusts thereof, we will wholly dedicate and consecrate our selves, or souls and bodies to the service of him who is our Creator and Redeemer. The which our vow and Covenant made unto God, is a powerful bond to restrain us from all sin, and to tie us unto the performance of all duties of Gods service, seeing if we do not perform the condition of the Covenant between him and us, we can have no true joy and comfort in our lives, because we can have no assurance that we have any right and interest unto any of Gods gracious promises made unto us in Jesus Christ. So often therefore as we have occasion to call to our remembrance, our vow and promise made unto God in baptism, and especially when we are present at the celebration of this holy Sacrament, and hear it again repeated and made in the name of infants admitted unto it; if we conscionably labour to make a right use of our Baptism, it will put us in mind of our Covenant then made with God, and renew our desires, resolution, and endeavour of performing that service in the duties of a Christian life, which we have vowed and promised unto him, lest we should be found Covenant-breakers, and dalliers with God, who will not be mocked, thereby deluding our selves of all blessings and benefits, respecting this life and the life to come, which in the Covenant of grace are promised unto us. Where, by the way we may observe, that those who withdraw themselves, and depart out of the assembly when the Sacrament of Baptism is administered, do not only thereby sin against God, the Church, and the party baptized (as I have before showed) but also are very injurious unto themselves, in that they lose a good opportunity of calling to mind and renewing their Covenant with God, and deprive themselves of one special help, whereby they might be enabled to perform the duties of a godly life.