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

We are ready to trust in the creature, more then in thee the Creator, and cannot, as we ought, rest upon thy power and promises in the absence of inferior means. We are apt to forget thee, when thou most rememberest us, and the more that we abound with thy blessings, the less mindful we are of thee from whom we have received them. We have loved the world and earthly things, more then thee and heavenly excellencies, and have preferred the pleasures of sin, before thy love and favour, being ready to hazard these, rather then to forgo them. We are full of self-love, and have been moved hereby to sow unto the flesh, of which we can reap nothing but sin and punishment; and have set our hearts so much upon carnal vanities, that they easily draw them away from thee. We do not patiently and ⟨p. 907⟩constantly hope and wait for the accomplishment of thy promises, though we have great experience of thy power, truth and goodness towards us. We are cold or luke-warm in our zeal, and have not with any fervency advanced the means of thy glory, nor removed the impediments whereby it is hindered. Our rejoicing is more in the flesh then in the Spirit; in worldly things and the pleasures of sin, more then in thee the Fountain of all true joy; in the fruition of thy present favours, and expectation of heavenly happiness. We are ungrateful unto thee for thy manifold benefits, and oftentimes when we praise thee, it is with our lips only, and not with inward joy and cheerfulness of our hearts. We do not approve our love and thankfulness unto thee by our fruits of obedience; but have been negligent in the duties of holiness and righteousness, that we might give glory to thy holy Name, and all we do, is maimed and imperfect, full of wants and weaknesses, and stained with many corruptions. We are ready to murmur and repine in our least afflictions, and do not bear thy fatherly corrections with patience and thankfulness, being more sensible of the smart, then of our sins which have caused it; and looking more to the rod, then unto thy hand, which thereby chastisest us for our amendment. We do not fear to displease thee by our sins, nor avoid thine anger as the greatest evil; or if we do fear thee at all, it is not so much for thy mercies, as to avoid thy Judgements.

We are ready to trust in the creature, more then in thee the Creator, and cannot, as we ought, rest vpon thy power and promises in the absence of inferiour meanes. We are apt to forget thee, when thou most remembrest vs, and the more that wee abound with thy blessings, the lesse mindfull wee are of thee from whom we haue receiued them. Wee haue loued the world and earthly things, more then thee and heauenly excellencies, and haue preferred the pleasures of sinne, before thy loue and fauour, being ready to hazard these, rather then to forgoe them. We are full of selfe-loue, and haue been moued hereby to sow vnto the flesh, of which we can reape nothing but sin and punishment; and haue set our hearts so much vpon carnall vanities, that they easily draw them away from thee. We doe not patiently and