A20762:2787
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
Book 6 › Chapter 20 › Section 7: §. Sect. 7 That the duties of a godly life must not be delayed.
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 the duties of a godly life must not be delayed.
The last objection which the flesh maketh, is, that it is yet too soon to enter into this strict course of a godly life; seeing howsoever it may be necessary in due time and place to do it, yet the present time of our youth and strength is not fit for such austerity. It cannot be denied, but that God must be religiously served, but all in good time; we have the day before us, and shall have leisure enough to serve our selves and God too. After we have better settled our worldly estate, and attained unto such a proportion of wealth for our own maintenance and those that belong unto us, or have delighted our selves with such and such pleasures, then it will be more seasonable to sequester our selves from the world, and to betake our selves unto our devotions. And thus, when the flesh cannot any longer hide from us the profit and necessity of leading a godly life, then it moveth us to make delays, and to post it off from time to time, till at last we be prevented with unexpected death, and so perish in our sins. Of this Augustine propoundeth himself as an example: As no man (saith he) is so sluggish, that will in his judgement prefer perpetual sleeping before waking, and going about his business, but yet when sloth hath seized upon his members, deferreth to shake it off, though it be high time that he should rise: so I thought it better to yield my self rather to thy love, then mine own lust; but that pleased and overcame me; this liked me and held me captive. For I had nothing to answer, when thou saidst unto me; Arise, thou that sleepest, 1& stand up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light, being convinced ⟨p. 880⟩with the truth, but only the words of the slothful and sleepy: Anon, behold