A20762:2287
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 consideration of our lost time before our conversion.
§. Sect. 4 The fourth reason, taken from the consideration of our lost time before our conuersion.
The fourth argument may be taken from the consideration of our lost time, which we have mis-spent before our conversion, whilst we lived in ignorance, and in the state of Infidelity, when as we wholly neglected all duties of Gods service, and the means which might have enriched us with all saving graces, and furthered the assurance of our salvation; and have spent all our strength in pursuing of worldly vanities, and in the unfruitful works of darkness, to the great dishonour of our good God, the wounding of our consciences, and the burdening and defiling of our souls with the guilt and corruption of sin. The which should be a powerful reason, after that we are effectually called, to make us more zealous of Gods service, that we may in the remainder of our lives, as much glorify him by our holy conversation, as we have before dishonoured him by our sinful lives, and that we may by our extraordinary endeavour and diligence, attain unto the treasures of his spiritual graces, whereby we may be enabled to travail in the ways of godliness with so much the greater speed, by how much we have been more late in setting forth in our spiritual Journey, and more sluggish and slothful in travailing in this way which leadeth us to our heavenly Country. And as those who have mis-spent their youth in riotous living, neglected all means of thriving, and wasted their states by prodigal courses, when they come to riper age, and see their folly, being beaten by their own experience, do not only desist from their former vain and prodigal courses, but are sorry and ashamed of them, and set themselves with so much the more care and diligence to recover and repair their decayed estates, and with the greater earnestness use all good means of thriving; And as those who being to travail about important business, nearly concerning them in their life and state, if they have over slept themselves in the morning, or trifled out their time, about things of no worth; when they see their error and folly, do make more haste in their way all the day following, that they may not be benighted, and so coming short of their journey, be frustrated of