A20762:2468
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 Of worldly contempt, unto which the godly are liable.
§. Sect. 5 Of worldly contempt, vnto which the godly are liable.
The other impediment, whereby the world laboureth to discourage all that in the sincerity of their hearts fear and serve God, is, to 1have them above all other men in greatest contempt and basest esteem. For whom God prizeth as his choicest Jewels, the world vilifieth as abjects and the refuse of all things; whom the Lord honoureth with the glorious titles and privileges of his own children, and heirs apparent to his heavenly Kingdom, the world despiseth as men unworthy to live in any humane society. And no sooner are they admitted into that holy and happy communion with God, and fellowship of his Saints, but presently worldly and wicked men shun them as unworthy their company. For as the unjust man is an abomination 2to the just, so he that is upright in his way, is abomination to the wicked. And this was that stumbling block, which being cast into the way, hindered many of the Rulers from following Christ, and from embracing and professing that truth, of which their consciences were convinced, because they feared, lest hereby they should impeach their ⟨p. 766⟩reputation, and expose themselves to the contempt of their consorts, loving the praise of men, more then the praise of God. This kept the parents 3of the blind man from confessing Christ, and justifying his miracle, because the Jews had decreed, that if any man did confess that Jesus was Christ, he should be put out of their Synagogue, and banished from their societies and public assemblies. Which impediment if we would remove, we must learn to esteem basely of the worlds estimate, and neither to think better of our selves, when it honoureth us, nor worse, when it vilifieth and despiseth us. To which purpose let us consider, that when we are for righteousness sake most contemned in the eyes of the world, we are most magnified in the eyes of God; and contrariwise, when we have most the applause of men in our evil courses, we are esteemed of God most vile and abject, according to that of our Saviour, That which is highly esteemed amongst