A20762:1810
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
Book 5 › Chapter 15 › Section 3: §. Sect. 3 The difficulty of this religious exercise.
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. 3 The difficulty of this religious exercise.
Which examples that we may imitate, I will first consider the reasons which may move us, and remove the impediments which might hinder and discourage us from the undertaking of this exercise, and then set down the doctrine and practice of it in a form of meditation, that so we may be instructed in the right use of it; and have a plain example to lead us as it were by the hand, and to enable us to frame the like upon other occasions. The reasons may be reduced to the same heads which I propounded in the general consideration of this duty; all which do specially and chiefly belong to this kind of meditation, as being above the other much more excellent, profitable and necessary. For if it be a privilege of excellency to come into Gods sight, then much more for some good time to continue and converse with him; if we may think our selves highly advanced, if we may for the least moment be admitted into his presence, and suffered to salute him: then how much rather, when we may be permitted to have free conference with him, and our souls in his presence? But as it is truly said of all things excellent, that they are also hard and difficult; so may both these be truly verified of this exercise, then the which, as no other is more excellent, (prayer and contemplation excepted, which exceed in some degrees in the same kind) so there is none besides them of greater difficulty. First, in that our corrupt nature is not more averse unto any other duty; both because we take our whole delight in things that are connatural and subject to the senses, and our minds are soon tired with meditating seriously upon those things which are merely intellectual and abstracted from the senses; and also because our carnal hearts, which take their chief pleasure and contentment, in thinking upon, and affecting worldly things, are ready to murmur and repine when they are restrained of their liberty, and kept hard to this spiritual task; and to break loose and fly out every hand-while, that they may rove and wander after their wonted delights. Secondly, because in other spiritual exercises, as hearing the Word, reading and conferring with others, we have but to deal with men (as we conceive it) at least in respect of immediate actions, objects and intercourse, which we perform with greater alacrity, because the senses are exercised in them about outward things: