A20762:2228
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. 4 The fourth reason taken from the benefit of our creation.
The second fruit and effect of Gods Love, and cause or means of our salvation and happiness, is our creation by his Almighty Word; and preservation, being thus made by his powerful providence. Concerning the former, whereas God might have left us without a being, which is to be esteemed amongst the greatest evils, he created us of nothing, or which is all one, of the dust of the earth, which came of nothing, by sole virtue of his powerful Word; and whereas he might have made us the vilest and basest of the creatures which creep upon the earth, yea worse then they, even wicked devils, ordained to condemnation, he created us according to his own image, in wisdom, holiness and righteousness, endued us with an immortal and reasonable soul, and made us Lords over all the rest of the creatures upon the earth, and only inferior to himself, that we might be ruled and governed by him; and by our service glorify him who hath created us, and given us our being. The which, if it be rightly considered, is an unspeakable benefit, as being the ground of all that follow it. Neither could we ever attain unto well-being, unless we had first a being; nor unto our final end, eternal salvation, unless we had found an entrance and passage unto it by our creation. In lieu of which great benefit, God requireth nothing at our hands, but that by our service we glorify him, for which end he gave us our being. Not that his glory needs our service, seeing it is in it self absolute & infinite, but out of the same love which moved him first to make ⟨p. 684⟩us, that he might honour us in this life, by using us as instruments to manifest his glory, and might hereby take occasion to glorify us in the world to come, by crowning our service, of his mere grace, with heavenly joy & happiness. The which also is a most effectual reason to persuade us, that we devote and consecrate our selves unto Gods service in all duties of a godly life, seeing he is our Lord and Maker, who hath created us unto good works, that we should walk in them, to the glory