N30392:124
The travels of true godliness. From the beginning of the world to this present…
The travels of true godliness. From the beginning of the world to this present day, in an apt and pleasant allegory: showing, what true godliness is; also the troubles, oppositions, reproaches, and persecutions he hath met with in every age. : Together with the danger and sad declining state he is in at this present time, by errors, heresies, and ungodliness, or open profaneness. / By Benjamin Keach, author of a book called War with the devil, and Zion in distress, and The travels of ungodliness.The travels of true godliness. From the beginning of the world to this present day, in an apt and pleasant allegory: shewing, what true godliness is; also the troubles, oppositions, reproaches, and persecutions he hath met with in every age. : Together with the danger and sad declining state he is in at this present time, by errors, heresies, and ungodliness, or open prophaneness. / By Benjamin Keach, author of a book call'd War with the devil, and Sion in distress, and The travels of ungodliness.
Boston: printed by B. Green and Company for D. Gookin over against the Old South Meeting-House, 1745
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Poverty, can it do you any Harm to be taught to be a better Husband, and not to consume the little you sometimes get, amongst riotous Company, which might be a great Comfort to your poor Wife and Children? Also I will appeal to my neighbour Morality, whether there is any Ground for you to refuse to entertain me, because I teach you to be content with mean Things, hard Fare, and do put you upon hard Labour, and not run in Debt, unless you knew how to pay it. Ignorance is a Murderer, and hath destroyed Millions of Souls, though there was a time indeed when God seemed to wink at him, Acts 17.30. i. e. Did not lay, (as it were) his Hands immediately upon him; but now he is left altogether inexcusable, because God hath afforded him a Sufficiency of Light, to bring you to the true Knowledge of Salvation, the Necessity of Faith and True Godliness, if you would escape the Damnation of Hell. Unbelief I found the other Day with Riches, and indeed, I can come to no Door but I find him within; I gave a plain Character of him then, to which I refer you, if you ⟨p. 50⟩have a Mind to know what a dangerous Person he is; but however, take one Word or two in answer to what he says to you against me; he affirms that all my Promises are Fictions, being unseen Things, that have no Reality in them, or Things that you can never attain to, and if you could, yet they could not answer your present Necessities. If you will give Credit to such a notorious Liar, Murderer and Blasphemer, who in a sly and treacherous Manner seeks to stab you at the Heart, who can help it? Are Christ's Promises of Grace and Peace here, and Glory hereafter, because not seen with external Eyes, Fictions? He will tell you also, ere long, if you will believe me, there is no God, nor Devil, Heaven nor Hell, because not seen with visible Eyes; he may suggest the one to you as well as the other. Come, Poverty, Thousands of my Children, by blessed Experience, have found my Promises no Fictions nor idle Fancies, but Things full of Reality, Marrow and Fatness: O taste and see, how good the Lord is! And why may not you obtain these glorious good Things, (viz.) Union and Communion with God, Pardon of Sin, Peace of Conscience, and Joy in the Holy Ghost, as well as others? They were commonly given in the Time of the Gospel to the Poor:
Poverty, can it do you any Harm to be taught to be a better Husband, and not to consume the little you sometimes get, amongst riotous Company, which might be a great Comfort to your poor Wife and Children? Also I will appeal to my neighbour Morality, whether there is any Ground for you to refuse to entertain me, because I teach you to be content with mean Things, hard Fare, and do put you upon hard Labour, and not run in Debt, unless you knew how to pay it. Ignorance is a Murderer, and hath destroyed Millions of Souls, though there was a time indeed when God seemed to wink at him,