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 carnall feare is a great hinderance vnto godli∣nesse, and the meanes to be freed from it.

Secondly, we are hindred by carnall feare in the duties of a godly life, whilest thereby we are mooued to thinke, that we shall neuer be able to performe them, though we vse all our indeuour; or if we haue begunne well, yet we shall neuer hold out vnto the end, by reason of our owne frailties and infirmities, the afflictions and troubles which crosse vs in these courses, and the manifold and malicious tentations and persecutions, which are raised against vs by the enemies of our saluation. By which feares our mindes are troubled, our hearts vexed and turmoyled, our courage quailed, our resolutions weakned, and we vtterly disabled and discouraged from entring into this course of Christianity, when as we haue little or no hope of proceeding & con∣tinuing in•••• vnto the end, that we may be saued. The which tentation

is much strengthened, when we see the many faintings and faylings of others that haue gone before vs, who professing Christianity, haue ei∣ther neglected the duties belonging to it, or performed them to little purpose in a cold, formall & carelesse maner; and in the end haue wholy desisted & returned back to their old prophanenes. Which impediment if we would remoue, we must know that neuer any did seriously & sin∣cerely seeke God in the waies of his commandements, but they haue as∣suredly found him. And therfore we must not be discouraged with the faylings and relapses of hypocrites & temporaries, if our owne consci∣ces testifie vnto vs, that we labour to serue and please God in the vp∣rightnesse of our hearts. Secondly, our faintnes and weaknesse must not discourage vs from entring into, and proceeding in the waies of godli∣nesse, seeing we walke not in our owne strength, but by the power of God assisting vs, nor by vertue of our own resolutions & indeuours, but of Gods gracious and free promises made vnto vs in Christ, that he will not onely iustifie, but also sanctifie vs, & free vs as well from the cor∣ruption of sin, as the guilt and punishment. The which if we apprehend by a true & liuely Faith, we shalbe able to ouercome all difficulties, and to serue God in some good & acceptable maner; as I haue more fully shewed in the beginning of this Treatise. Finally, we need not to feare our perseuerance in the duties of godlinesse vnto the end, if disclay∣ming our owne strength, we rest and rely wholy vpon Gods power and promises, seeing he is able and al-sufficient to perfect that good worke which he hath begunne, to enable vs likewise, who are impotent in our selues, to doe all things necessarie for his glory and our saluation, * 1.1 through the power of Christ which strengtheneth vs. To arme vs against all the tentations of the deuill, the world and our owne flesh, so that all the power of hell, the prosperity or persecutions of the world, nor any thing else whatsoeuer, shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God, or to put out and extinguish our loue of him in our hearts; or to hinder our proceeding in the wayes of godlinesse, vntill by walking in them, wee attaine vnto euerlasting ioy and happinesse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Phil. 1. 6. & 4. 13. Ioh. 10. 28. Rom. 8. 35, 36, 38.