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

Our consciences are defiled and impure, loaded with the guilt of sin, and yet oftentimes senseless of their burden. Our judgements are full of error and ignorance, and very weak in spiritual discerning. Our wills perverse and obstinate in evil, and very averse and awke to good things, and do not incline to the doing of thy will with cheerfulness and delight. Our hearts remain still hard and full of carnal security, untractable and inflexible, and do not relent and melt, either with thy mercies or judgements. We are still assaulted with much doubting and infidelity, and our faith is often shaken with dangerous tentations. Our repentance is weak, and full of wants; our sorrow for sin slight, and soon over, and our resolutions and endeavours to amend, subject to much inconstancy, and broken off with every small impediment. There is much poison of corruption still remaining in our affections, which draweth us from thee, when we sell our selves to seek and serve thee, unto the world, and earthly things. We are still full of carnal self-love and love of the world, which quencheth and cooleth in us the love of thee, and of spiritual and heavenly things; our affiance in thee is weak, and after much experience of thy power and sufficiency, goodness and truth, we can hardly trust thee, unless we have inferior means and helps, as pawns in our hands, and we are too too prone to rely upon the creatures, and our own policies and strength; our hopes are faint and wavering, one while inclining towards presumption, and soon after forsaking us, endanger us to despair. We oftentimes fear men, and neglect thee, and hazard thy love, to avoid their displeasure. Our zeal is lukewarm, in seeking thy glory, and our devotion cold in holy duties. There still remaineth in us, much pride, hypocrisy, impatience, unjust anger, covetousness, voluptuousness, ⟨p. 911⟩and all other sinful lusts, which continually fight and strive against the good motions of thy holy Spirit, and oftentimes overcome, and quench them. And notwithstanding that the flesh and the corrupt lusts thereof do still remain so strong in us, yet we acknowledge to our shame, that we are careless and negligent in fighting against them, and in using those good means whereby we might be enabled to subdue them, and to purge our hearts from these carnal corruptions:

Our consciences are defiled and impure, loaded with the guilt of sinne, and yet oftentimes senslesse of their burthen. Our iudgements are full of errour and ignorance, and very weake in spirituall discerning. Our wills peruerse and obstinate in euill, and very auerse and awke to good things, and doe not incline to the doing of thy will with cheerefulnesse and delight. Our hearts remaine still hard and full of carnall security, vntractable and inflexible, and doe not relent and melt, either with thy mercies or iudgements. Wee are still assaulted with much doubting and infidelity, and our faith is often shaken with dangerous tentations. Our repentance is weake, and full of wants; our sorrow for sinne slight, and soone ouer, and our resolutions and indeuours to amend, subiect to much inconstancie, and broken off with euery small impediment. There is much poyson of corruption still remayning in our affections, which draweth vs from thee, when we sell our selues to seeke and serue thee, vnto the world, and earthly things. Wee are still full of carnall selfe-loue and loue of the world, which quencheth and cooleth in vs the loue of thee, and of spirituall and heauenly things; our affiance in thee is weake, and after much experience of thy power and sufficiencie, goodnesse and truth, we can hardly trust thee, vnlesse wee haue inferiour meanes and helpes, as pawnes in our hands, and wee are too too prone to relie vpon the creatures, and our owne policies and strength; our hopes are faint and wauering, one while inclining towards presumption, and soone after forsaking vs, indanger vs to despaire. Wee oftentimes feare men, and neglect thee, and hazzard thy loue, to auoyd their displeasure. Our zeale is lukewarme, in seeking thy glory, and our deuotion cold in holy duties. There still remaineth in vs, much pride, hypocrisie, impatiencie, vniust anger, couetousnesse, voluptuousnesse,