The rules of a holy life. Or A treatise containing the holy order of our liues, prescribed in the Scripture concerning our carriage: towards God, towards men, towards our selues. With generall rules of preparation, that concerne either the helps, or the maner of a holy conuersation. By N. Bifield preacher of Gods Word at Isleworth in Middlesex.
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Title
The rules of a holy life. Or A treatise containing the holy order of our liues, prescribed in the Scripture concerning our carriage: towards God, towards men, towards our selues. With generall rules of preparation, that concerne either the helps, or the maner of a holy conuersation. By N. Bifield preacher of Gods Word at Isleworth in Middlesex.
Author
Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.
Publication
London :: Printed by G[eorge] P[urslowe] for Ralph Rounthwaite, and are to bee sold at the Flower de-luce and Crown in Pauls Church-yard,
1619.
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Subject terms
Christian life -- Early works to 1800.
Theology, Doctrinal -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A17410.0001.001
Cite this Item
"The rules of a holy life. Or A treatise containing the holy order of our liues, prescribed in the Scripture concerning our carriage: towards God, towards men, towards our selues. With generall rules of preparation, that concerne either the helps, or the maner of a holy conuersation. By N. Bifield preacher of Gods Word at Isleworth in Middlesex." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A17410.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 10, 2024.
Pages
descriptionPage 1
CHAP. I. (Book 1)
Containing the Preface,
which shewes the drift,
warrant, profit, and vse
of the ensuing Treatise. (Book 1)
THE onely
thing intended
in this Treatise
is,* 1.1 to collect for
thy vse (Christian Reader)
those directions scattered
here & there in the Scrip∣tures,
descriptionPage 2
which may, through
out the whole course of
thy life, tell thee, what thou
must do in the right order
of thy conuersation: How
thou shouldst behaue thy
selfe toward God, and how
thou shouldst carry thy
selfe toward men, in all the
occasions of thy life: In
company, out of company:
In all duties either of righ∣teousnesse
or mercy: and
how thou shouldst dispose
of thy selfe in affliction, and
out of affliction, at all times.
And thou maist be the
more encouraged to study
and practise these rules,* 1.2 be∣cause
thou hast the most
descriptionPage 3
expresse & apparant word
of God to warrant and re∣quire
thy obedience here∣in.
Be not so prophane, as
to thinke, that here is more
to do then needs, or that
I burthen the liues of
Christians with a multi∣tude
of vnnecessary Pre∣cepts,
and so make the
way harder then it is: For
I require thy obedience in
nothing, thou hast not
reason to be perswaded to
bee enioyned thee by the
pure word of God; And
thou must know, to the
confusion of thy security;
that hee that will walke
descriptionPage 4
safely, must walke by rule,
Gal. 6. 16. Hee is yet in
darkenesse, and walkes on in
darkenesse, and sees not
what he doth, or whither
hee goeth, that doth not
make the Word of God the
light vnto his feet, and the
Lanterne vnto his pathes:
Psal. 119. There is a holy
order of life commended
in the godly, Col. 2. 5. and
Gods promises are made
to such as will dispose of
their waies aright. A loose
conuersation is an ill con∣uersation;
and if euer we
would see the saluation of
God, wee must bee at the
paines to dispose of our
descriptionPage 5
waies, and to see to it, that
we dispose of our waies a∣right,
Psal, 50. vlt.
The benefite thou maist
reape by this Treatise,* 1.3 is
much euery way, if the
fault bee not in thy selfe:
for here thou maist briefe∣ly
behold the substance of
a godly life; thou maist in
a short time informe thy
knowledge in that great
doctrine of practicall Di∣uinity:
But especially thou
maist, by the help of this
Treatise see a sound way,
how to beautifie thy owne
conuersation, with the ad∣dition
of diuers rules,
which, perhaps, hitherto
descriptionPage 6
thou hast not taken notice
of: God hath promised
much peace, and comfort
vnto such as will walke ac∣cording
vnto rule, Gal. 6. 16.
Yea, hee hath promised,
that they shall see the salua∣tion
of God, that dispose their
way aright, Psal. 50. vlt. It
is true, it is a greater la∣bour
to trauaile in the way,
then to shew it; but yet
it is a great benefite to be
shewed the way. Howso∣euer,
it may not be denied,
but it is a greater glory to
obserue these rules, then to
know them, or prescribe
them.
that the rules are so
many, thou canst neuer re∣member
them, and so not
profite by them. I answer:
If I haue made the
rules no more in number
then God hath made them
in his Word, thou maist
not finde fault with me.
Secondly, no man that
is to learne any Trade, or
Science, but hee meeteth
with more directions, then
hee can on the suddaine
reach to, or practise, and
yet hee reiects not his
Trade or Science, because
in time he hopes to learne
it all. Would we put on a
resolution to serue a Pren∣tiship
descriptionPage 8
to Religion, and to
worke hard one whole se∣uen
yeeres: oh, what work
would we dispatch! How
many Rules and Know∣ledges
would wee grow
skilfull in! But alas, after
many yeeres profession of
Christianity, the most of
vs, if all were put together,
haue not done the worke,
that might haue bene done
in few daies.
Thirdly,* 1.5 I answer, that
it is not necessary thou
shouldst lay all these Rules
before thee at once, but
marke out certaine choise
Rules, so many as thou
canst well remember, and
descriptionPage 9
striue, by daily practice, to
bring thy selfe to some
kinde of dexterity in ob∣seruing
them. There bee
some rules of each kinde,
which, if thou bee a true
Christian, thou knowest
and obseruest already:
These thou maist continue
to obserue still, without
loading thy memory a∣bout
them. Now if those
be omitted, then consider
of the rest that remaine,
which of them do most
concerne thee, or would
most adorne thy practice
and profession, or are such
as thou neuer hitherto
didst make conscience of:
descriptionPage 10
Extract or marke out so
many of those at a time, as
thou wouldst in daily
practice striue to attaine,
and when thou hast lear∣ned
them, then go on, and
prescribe to thy selfe new
Lessons. To a carnall
minde, all the way of god∣linesse
is impossible, but
to a godly and willing
minde all things, through
the power and assistance of
God, are possible: God
will accept thy desire and
endeuour, and will adde
strength and might, and
encourage thee in all his
waies. By prayer thou
maist forme any grace in
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thee, by reason of the
power the Lord Iesus hath
to preuaile for any thing
thou dost aske the Father
in his name.
The last benefite may
come to thee, if thou dai∣ly
reade these directions,
is, that they will quicken
thee to a great care of wel∣doing,
and giue thee cause
to walke humbly with thy
God, and abase thy selfe
for thine owne insufficien∣cy:
The Lord giue thee vn∣derstanding
in all things,
and vnite thy heart vnto
his feare alwaies, that thou
maist obserue to doe, as hee
commandeth thee, and
descriptionPage 12
not turne from the good way
all the daies of thy life.