A20762:286
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. 8 The fourth means is, often to examine our hearts in Gods sight.
§. Sect. 8 The fourth meanes is, often to examine our hearts in Gods sight.
Finally, if we would preserve our hearts in their purity, we must often examine them in Gods sight, and for the approving of their purity and integrity, often offer them to his trial. For as the husbands eye and presence, allowing or disallowing all the wives particular actions, and behaviour to strangers, is the best and surest means to preserve her chastity: so if the heart betrothed unto God, have all the affections and desires of it scanned and examined before him, it will not easily be polluted with strange and unclean lusts. And thus David kept his heart in purity and integrity, by provoking and offering it often to Gods trial. Judge 1me (saith he) O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity, &c. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try my reins and mine heart. And again, Search me, O God, and know mine heart; try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Whose example if we follow, it will be a notable means to preserve our hearts in purity. For as we are extraordinary careful to have our houses cleansed from all filth, when we prepare them to give entertainment to an honourable and respected friend, who hating all sluttishness, will curiously look into every corner; so will our care exceed in cleansing our hearts, when as we invite our God to visit and lodge in them: yea, we shall have hereby the benefit, not only of our own care and diligence for the cleansing of our hearts, but of the Lords assistance to make them more clean, when we have cleansed them as well as we can. For he is not a curious carper at our infirmities, but a cheerful helper to reform and amend them; and therefore he that inviteth the Lord to try and search his heart, doth in another place desire his assistance for the purging of the filth and guilt of sin, which lurked in such secret corners, that it was not subject to his own view. Who (saith he) can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from