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.

§. Sect. 3 That Satans might & ma∣lice compared with our weakenesse and simplicity, must not dis∣courage vs, and the reasons hereof.

Neither let Satans power consisting in his might and strength, and in his craft and policy, compared with our weakenesse and simplicity, discourage vs from seruing God in the duties of holinesse and righte∣ousnesse. But when wee haue set our faces towards the heauenly Ca∣naan, and are trauailing vnto it in the wayes of godlinesse, though wee see mountainous difficulties, impossible in respect of our owne strength to be ouerpassed, on either hand, a sea of troubles and dangers before vs, and an huge host of spirituall enemies armed at all points with hellish tentations, pursuing vs at our backes; let vs goe on in our course without dread, seeing those which are on our side are more, and more mighty, then those which are against vs. And first, when wee see our owne wants and weakenesses opposed with such malicious might and hellish furie, let not this dismay vs, seeing it is a great part of our strength to see our weakenesse, and we are best armed, when wee see, acknowledge and bewaile our owne nakednesse. For this will make vs more carefull to prouide and put on the sprituall Armour, especial∣ly the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, whereby we shall bee enabled to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, and to stand fast and firme against all his tentations in the euill day, wherewith if wee be thorowly armed, we can neuer be foiled. Or if through our frailties and infirmities, we finde herein many wants and imperfections, this must not discourage vs, seeing our armour hath not so much suffici∣ency to defend vs in its own strength, as from the Author that made it, and gaue it for our vse, who being Almighty, to make good his owne worke, and to be of high proofe against all tentations, will neuer suf∣fer those to be vanquished, who are of his arming, but will manifest his power in their infirmities, and glorify himselfe in their victory. A∣gaine, the sight and sense of our weakenesse, and our enemies power, must not so dismay vs, as that wee should desist in our course, but driue vs vnto the God of our strength, crying with Moses vnto him for helpe and deliuerance, when we are pursued by our spirituall enemies. And acknowledging with Asa our owne impotency to resist them, let vs make it our ground, to implore Gods helpe. Let vs bee as

children in the hand of our heauenly Father, and the more we finde and feele our owne weakenesse and pronenesse to fall, let vs take so much the surer hold of him by a liuely faith, and implore his helpe with the more feruency, who is able and willing to support vs, and by the assistance of his holy Spirit to doe all our workes for vs, as the Pro∣phet speaketh. Finally, when we are most weake in our selues, this is no hinderance vnto vs, but that wee may be so strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, as that we may bee able to withstand and ouer∣come all Satans tentations, whereby he laboureth to hinder vs in the wayes of godlinesse. For though this strong armed man is able to keepe in safety all that hee possesseth, against weaker opposition, yet God, who is stronger then he, is able to disarme him, and to set vs at liberty from vnder his tyranny. Though our aduersarie bee mighty, yet our Sauiour, who hath redeemed and deliuered vs, is almighty, and no power of earth or hell is able to pull vs out of his hand. And there∣fore when we see our owne weakenesse, let vs labour also to see the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power, not onely in himselfe, but also towards vs who beleeue in him; and pray for our selues, as the Apostle for the Co∣lossians, not onely that wee may walke worthy of the Lord vnto all pleasing, being fruitfull in euery good worke, but also that we may be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, and ouercome all difficulties, which our spirituall aduersaries cast in our way, to stoppe and hinder vs in this course of godlinesse. The like comforts we may haue in the performance of all good duties, when as wee consider Satans craft and policy, and compare it with our ignorance and simplicity, seeing this need not to discourage vs, if we deny our owne wisedome as in∣sufficient to guide vs, and suffer our selues to be wholy directed by the light of Gods truth, which is sufficient to discouer and defeate all his subtilties and hellish stratagems whereby hee indeuoureth to cir∣cumuent vs; and giue our selues ouer to bee guided in all our waies by the good Spirit of God, who being infinite in wisedome, is able to turne this Achitophels policies into foolishnesse, to fustrate all his cunning plots and proiects, and so to direct vs in all our courses, that wee shall easily auoid all the snares and secret ambushments of this subtill enemie. And finally, his vigilancy and diligence, in seeking to turne vs out of the right way, that wee may fall into his snares, cannot discourage vs, if denying our owne prouidence and watch∣fulnesse, wee commit and commend our selues vnto Gods protecti∣on, seeing hee is that great Watch-man of Israel, who neuer slumbreth or sleepeth, but continually keepeth vs vnder the all-seeing eye of his prouidence, that he may preserue vs safe from the malice and might of Satan and all the enemies of our saluation.

Notes

• Eph. 6. 16.
• Exod. 14. 15.
• 2. Chro. 14. 11.
• Esa. 26. 12.
• Ephe. 6. 10.
• Luk. 11. 22.
• Ioh. 10. 28, 29. Ephe. 1. 18, 19.
• Col. 1. 10, 11.
• Psal. 121, 3. 4.