A20762:2211
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. 7 That we must in our fast, exercise our selves in all Christian duties.
§. Sect. 7 That we must in our fast, exercise our selues in all Christian duties.
The second part of repentance, which we must both profess and practise, is, that ceasing from evil, we do that which is good, exercising our selves in all Christian duties, both towards God, and our neighbours, both in the day of our fast, and afterwards. In respect of that present time, we must, with extraordinary care and diligence, exercise our selves in all good works, and principally in the duties of piety, and of Gods service; as prayer, hearing and reading of Gods Word, holy conferences, and meditation, the subject matter whereof may fitly be repentance, of which I have before spoken; all which, according to the occasion, are to ⟨p. 677⟩be performed with more then ordinary zeal and devotion. And these duties of piety towards God, we must approve to be sincere and without hypocrisy, by our works of justice and righteousness, mercy and compassion towards our neighbours. For in the day of our fast, the Lord specially requireth, that we should execute judgement, and show mercy and 1compassion every man to his brother, that we should loose the bands of wickedness, undo the heavy burden, let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke. For therefore (as one saith) we restrain our minds from desiring meat, that 2we may exercise their whole force in coveting after virtues. And so our flesh will less feel the pain of abstinence, when it hungereth after righteousness. But especially we must, in this day, exercise our charity in the works of mercy, and in relieving the poor. To which uses we must at least spend so much as we spare from our selves and our families by our fast, or else we give just cause of suspicion, that we fast more out of miserableness then devotion, being content to fast, that all our servants may bear us company, and so by emptying their and our own bellies, to add something towards the filling of our bags. And this the Lord specially requireth in the day of our fast; namely, that we should deal our bread to