N30392:295
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.
Doth he obey all God's Precepts, as well as believe all God's Promises? Secondly, As to his Faculties, his Understanding may be somewhat enlightened, but his Affections may be Carnal, and his Will oppose me, being averse to true Godliness? Is not his Heart divided? Come Conscience, I do now command you, in the presence of the great and dreadful GOD, who searches all Hearts, to make a righteous Decision; tell me plainly, is my Enemy Hypocrisy here or no? By these brief Hints you may easily know him.
Conscience, Sir, I must confess Hypocrisy is here; now I have found him out; nay, Sir, and he hath hid him secretly in his House, ever since he came to live in this Town Religion he is seemingly holy but really wicked? He loves the face of Holiness, but is without the Grace of Holiness; his greatest Care hath been to Wash the out-side of his Platter: If he can but keep his Name from being reproached by Men, he cares not tho' his Heart be grievously defiled before God. Should I tell you of all those Lusts which he harbours in his Heart, and what Favour he shows to that old Man, (you mentioned before) I should quite shame him; he is a Saint indeed abroad, but a Heathen (to say no worse) at home, he Prays, Hears and Reads, but 'tis to keep up his Credit. Name and Esteem amongst many Christian Men of this Town; for I have often found him very weary of these Duties, God knows as well as I; nay, Sir, he would seldom Pray at all, were it not to quiet me, for he doth not love my Lashes; besides, he performs them with a sad, cold, dead, carnal and lifeless Spirit; he is much for the lesser Things of Religion, (as you minded) he keeps a mighty stir about Mint, Anise and Cummin, but quite neglects the greater and more weighty Things; nay, there is one thing more I will tell you, as he does not love ⟨p. 101⟩strict Godliness himself, so his Heart is ready to rise against all such, who out-do him. Sir, he is a mere Dissembler, yet he would be thought as religious a Man as any in Town: I find him also much abroad, finding of Faults of others, or espying the Mote that is in his Brother's Eye, but never minds the Beam that is in his own; nay, and he is ready to fall out with many good Christians, because they will not follow him in Habit, Mode and Gesture, &c. In a Word, most of all those black marks of this deceitful Villain Hypocrisy you hinted at, I find in him.