A20762:820
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 That in our first meditations, we must renew our faith and repentance.
Now as we are thus to take these, & all other such like good occasions of holy and heavenly meditations; so our chief care must be, that we do daily renew our repentance and faith in Christ, using to this purpose all those helps and means which I have formerly prescribed. For the better performance of which duty, we must set a sure watch before the doors of our hearts, to keep out all wandering thoughts and earthly desires ⟨p. 220⟩from entering into them, which would distract us in this holy exercise; or if any through heedlessness have crept in at unawares, our second care must be to strangle and choke them as soon as they are entered, and to check our selves, in that we have been so negligent in keeping our watch. But above all things we must take heed, that we do not countenance and defend our infirmities and slips in this kind, by objecting against this exercise, that it will take up too much time, and our leisure will not serve in respect of the works of our callings which we must not neglect, and our many and weighty occasions and affairs, which are sufficient to take up our whole time, and exercise all our thoughts for the right ordering and managing of them. For there is no man so much employed in worldly business, who doth not waste more time idly, and upon unnecessary things which bring no profit to his soul, body nor state, then is required for these spiritual meditations, which being short in themselves, may yet be more contracted into such a narrow room, that less then one quarter of an hour may be sufficient for them. The which we may reasonably think will be no hinderance to our profitable proceedings in our worldly affairs and duties of our callings, seeing a good beginning is a great furtherance to a good ending, and an ill conclusion in matters that concern our earthly estate, cannot arise from such holy and heavenly premises. Yea rather we may with faith and a good conscience assure our selves, that seeing the Lord only buildeth the house, and without his blessing