A20762:96
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. 8 That a lively faith is necessarily required unto a godly life.
§. Sect. 8 That a liuely faith is necessarily required vnto a godly life.
The fourth thing required in those who are to lead a godly life, is a lively faith; whereby we understand, not only a general faith, whereby we know and believe that the duties which we perform, are agreeable to Gods will, and warranted by his Word: but a true, lively, and justifying faith, whereby we are ingrafted into Jesus Christ, and made partakers of all his benefits. For we must first by him be made righteous, before we can do the works of righteousness; we must first become good trees, 1before we can yield good fruits, and be lively branches of the true Vine Jesus Christ, which suck from this root the sap of grace and holiness, before we can bear the sweet and ripe grapes of new and true obedience, which are acceptable to God, and well relishing unto his taste. In which respect the Apostle telleth us, that without faith it is impossible to please God, 2because whatsoever is not of faith, is sin. Besides, our best righteousness is 3like a polluted cloth, stained with our corruptions, and mingled with our imperfections, and consequently cannot endure the severe trial of Gods strict justice, nor be accepted of him (who being infinite in perfection in himself, alloweth of nothing that is imperfect) unless being united unto Christ, we be made partakers of the benefit of his death and obedience, and so have the imperfection of our actions covered with his perfect righteousness, and their pollution washed clean away in his most precious blood. And therefore if we would lead such a godly life as may be pleasing unto God, we must first labour to be endued with a lively faith, that all our fruits of obedience springing from this root, may be accepted, in and for Christ, and be allowed through his righteousness and obedience, which deserve to be rejected in respect of their own pollution and imperfection.