A20762:773
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 Of the right ordering of our tongues, and the means of it.
§. Sect. 2 Of the right ordring of our tongues, and the meanes of it.
The like care and endeavour we must daily use in the right ordering of our tongues and speeches, either by seasonable silence, when wisdom, discretion, and gravity requireth it; of which, the general rule is, that it is better to forbear and say nothing, then to vent that which is vain, unprofitable, or worse then silence: or else by speaking that which is useful and necessary for the advancement of our main ends, which are Gods ⟨p. 206⟩glory, the profit of our brethren, and the comfort and salvation of our own souls. God is glorified by our speech, when as we do not presume to speak of him, his attributes and persons, his name, Word or works, upon any light or slight occasion, vainly or in jest; but when the cause is weighty and important, and then gravely and seriously, with all humility and due reverence. Our neighbour is profited, when as our speech is 1gracious, powdered with the salt of wisdom, and either tending to spiritual edification, by instruction, admonition, exhortation, reprehension, 2counsel or comfort; or to his temporal good in his worldly affairs. And our own comfort and salvation is furthered, when unto these former we add such speeches as more properly tend to our own good, as to the increasing of our wisdom and knowledge, the strengthening of our faith, the increasing of any other saving grace; as when we mutually inform one another, and stir up the graces of God in us by holy conferences; or else such as are profitable in respect of our temporal estate, as about the ordinary businesses of our callings and earthly affairs, in which we are daily conversant. Now that we may thus rule our tongues, and order our speeches in this holy manner, abstaining from all light and vain words, frivolous and unprofitable discourses, and rotten and unsavoury communication; let us consider, that God hath given us this excellent gift of speech that we might thereby glorify him, and benefit one another, especially in the best things: & therefore they who neglect these, and direct their speech to contrary ends, do most fearfully abuse this excellent gift, and thereby justly deserve to be deprived of it. Secondly let us consider, that God is always present with us, and is an ear-witness of all our speeches;