A20762:2583
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. 3 That carnal fear is a great hinderance unto godliness, and the means to be freed from it.
§. Sect. 3 That carnall feare is a great hinderance vnto godlinesse, and the meanes to be freed from it.
Secondly, we are hindered by carnal fear in the duties of a godly life, whilst thereby we are moved to think, that we shall never be able to perform them, though we use all our endeavour; or if we have begun well, yet we shall never hold out unto the end, by reason of our own frailties and infirmities, the afflictions and troubles which cross us in these courses, and the manifold and malicious tentations and persecutions, which are raised against us by the enemies of our salvation. By which fears our minds are troubled, our hearts vexed and turmoiled, our courage quailed, our resolutions weakened, and we utterly disabled and discouraged from entering into this course of Christianity, when as we have little or no hope of proceeding & continuing in•• unto the end, that we may be saved. The which tentation ⟨p. 807⟩is much strengthened, when we see the many faintings and failings of others that have gone before us, who professing Christianity, have either neglected the duties belonging to it, or performed them to little purpose in a cold, formal & careless manner; and in the end have wholly desisted & returned back to their old profaneness. Which impediment if we would remove, we must know that never any did seriously & sincerely seek God in the ways of his commandments, but they have assuredly found him. And therefore we must not be discouraged with the failings and relapses of hypocrites & temporaries, if our own consciences testify unto us, that we labour to serve and please God in the uprightness of our hearts. Secondly, our faintness and weakness must not discourage us from entering into, and proceeding in the ways of godliness, seeing we walk not in our own strength, but by the power of God assisting us, nor by virtue of our own resolutions & endeavours, but of Gods gracious and free promises made unto us in Christ, that he will not only justify, but also sanctify us, & free us as well from the corruption of sin, as the guilt and punishment. The which if we apprehend by a true & lively Faith, we shall be able to overcome all difficulties, and to serve God in some good & acceptable manner; as I have more fully showed in the beginning of this Treatise.