A20762:538
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. 4 Of the means and manner of working charity in us.
§. Sect. 4 Of the meanes and manner of working charity in vs.
The means and manner of working this grace in us, is, first by persuading us that God in Christ loveth us, and will give unto us the remission of our sins, his grace here, and glory hereafter: with the lively heat of which love, our hearts are inflamed with fervent love towards God again, from which springeth an holy affection towards our selves, who are thus beloved of God, members of Christ, and Temples of the holy Ghost, whereby we seek the fruition of our chief goodness, and consequently of our own salvation and eternal happiness, which whilst we were destitute ⟨p. 136⟩of the love of God, and were poisoned with hatred of God and carnal self-love, we neglected and contemned. And from hence also ariseth the like affection towards our neighbours, whom we love for Gods sake, not only as Gods creatures, and bearing his image, but also in obedience unto his Commandment. So that it is impossible to love either our selves or our neighbours as we ought, and for our own and their good, unless we love God in Christ Jesus first and chiefly, from whose sincere love the other springeth and floweth. But when we sincerely love God, and so yield our obedience unto the first Table, our love towards our selves and our neighbours, which is the sum of the second Table, will necessarily and inseparably follow. For as our love towards God is exercised immediately in religious virtues and holy duties of piety which we perform in his service, so mediately by performing (in obedience to his Commandments) the duties of a true and Christian love towards our selves and our neighbours. For when our little goodness, bounded in narrow limits, will not reach unto God for the manifestation of our love towards him, we extend it as far as we are able, and do what good we can, our of a holy and sanctified affection to our selves and our neighbours, to show our love towards God, in yielding obedience unto his Commandments. As we see in the example of David, who being ravished with the apprehension of Gods love, and desiring to show his love towards him again, could no otherwise do it, then by taking