A20762:845
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. 3 That we must pray with our understandings.
§. Sect. 3 That we must pray with our vnderstandings.
And these are the things generally required, that our prayers unto God may be the speech of the soul; now we are to speak more specially of 1those things which are required hereunto, both in our minds and hearts. In our minds it is required, that we pray with understanding: unto which, knowledge is necessary, both of the true God, unto whom we pray; and of his will revealed in his Word, according unto which we are to frame our prayers. We must know God in his own nature and persons, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, in whom only we can know him aright. 2We must know him in himself, and in his saving attributes towards us, as that he is a God all-sufficient, most merciful, bountiful, and gracious, and our most loving Father in Jesus Christ, who listeneth unto our suites before we make them; a God that heareth prayers, and is more ready to give, then we to ask. Secondly, we must have knowledge of Gods revealed will, which ought to be the rule of all our suites; from which if we swerve, we shall err in our own inventions, and 3ask we know not what. We shall not pray in the Spirit, which teacheth us to pray according to the will of God; and wanting this guide, and not knowing of our selves how to pray as we ought, we shall ask things hurtful as well as profitable, and such as tend rather to the satisfying our carnal lusts, then the furthering of our eternal salvation. We shall ask 4