A20762:319
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. 2 That a good conscience speaketh peace according to the truth of Gods Word.
But here the carnal worldling and loose Libertine will take occasion to presume, that above all others, they have the best consciences, because they seldom or never accuse them, or if they do, yet they can easily put them to silence; they were never in their lives troubled with any horrors and fears; but have had their consciences ever quiet and peaceable, witnessing good things unto them, as that their sins are pardoned, they highly in Gods favour, and shall most certainly attain unto salvation. But for preventing of this, we have added in the description of a good conscience, that it doth not only witness peaceable and good things, but also that it doth give true testimony of them. So that if we would have good consciences, they must not be erroneous in their evidence, but peace and truth must be matched together. And because they who most err, are ready with the best to brag of truth, as well as of peace, therefore I also added the Rule and Touchstone, whereby all divine truth is to be tried, namely, when it agreeth with the truth of God revealed in the Scriptures. For conscience (as I have said) is a witness with God, testifying that which he also testifieth; and therefore when it doth excuse them whom God excuseth, and secretly whispereth peace to them, unto whom in his Word he hath proclaimed it, then is its testimony true, and truly comfortable. But when it offereth peace to them against whom he hath proclaimed war, and excuseth them as good subjects, whom his Word condemneth of high treason and wicked rebellion, then is the testimony of conscience false and erroneous, and can be no good ground of any sound consolation. And in this case, conscience is a traitor both to God and us, renouncing his service and that office which he hath imposed upon it, and joining with the enemies of our salvation, to dishonour him in our destruction. For it maintaineth a false peace, by giving us false intelligence, telling us that we are in safety, when as we lye open to all danger;