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.

§. 6 Of the causes of carnall se∣curitie in the faithfull. First, prosperitie, worldly or spi∣rituall.

Now the causes of this carnall securitie in the Faithfull, are princi∣pally these. First, their abuse of worldly prosperitie and temporall benefits, with which God hath blessed them; when as being in them∣selues common gifts, which hee bestoweth as often, and in as great plentie, vpon the wicked as the godly, they notwithstanding esteeme them as speciall Testimonies and Pledges of his loue, and so out of this false ground conclude, that hee will watch ouer them with his Prouidence, and keepe them still in this flourishing estate, safe and sure from all afflictions and troubles: which mooueth the Lord, that hee may waken them out of this securitie, in which they were more apt to rest vpon his gifts then vpon the Giuer, or at least vpon the Giuer for the gifts sake, to depriue them of this prosperitie, in which they trust, and to hide his Face from them in respect of those earthly pledges of his loue. As wee see in the example of Dauid. I said (saith he) in my prosperitie I shall neuer be moued, thou Lord, of thy fauour hast made my Mountayne to stand so strong, that is, Thou hast so established my King∣dome, euen as Mount Sion, the seate thereof which cannot be remo∣ued: But thou diddest hide thy Face, and I was troubled. In which se∣curitie Dauid was, when he numbred the people, trusting ouer-much in the arme of Flesh, and multitude of his Subiects; but was awake∣ned out of this sleepe by the message of the Prophet, and that grie∣uous plague whereby so many of them were destroyed. Yea, some∣time this carnall securitie in them, is caused through their spirituall prosperitie, and the ioyfull feelings of Gods fauour in the pledges of sauing graces; which maketh them to thinke these comforts will al∣wayes last, and that in the strength of them, they shall hold out in the profession and practise of true godlinesse vnto the end; and so rest more vpon the Springs or Streames of these sanctifying Graces, then vpon God himselfe, who is the Fountayne of them. Which moueth the Lord to stop the course, by spirituall desertions, as it were, at the head of the Riuer, and to giue them ouer to their owne strength with∣out any flow of fresh supply, whereupon these streames in their sense and feeling are soone wasted, with the scorching heate of tentations, so as they returne to their naturall drynesse. And to this securitie, new Conuerts are most subiect, who like fresh-water Souldiers, thinke that they haue wholly conquered all their spirituall Enemies, because they haue gotten the better of them in some light skirmishes; and that they are sure and firme for euer falling, because they haue such feelings of Gods assistance, and the ioy and comfort that doth accompany it; whereas in truth, God tendring their child-hood and weaknesse, doth hold them vp in their wayes, because hee would not at their first ven∣turing to goe, haue them discouraged by their falls; and knowing that like vntryed Souldiers, they are faint-hearted, and easily discou∣raged from fighting in the spirituall warfare, he giues them victorie in some small skirmishes, that they may be heartned to indure constant∣ly

and couragiously in sorer conflicts. The which they misse-con∣struing, and attributing too much vnto their owne strength and va∣lour, the Lord to driue them from this ill-grounded securitie, doth leaue them to themselues, and suffereth them to fall, and to bee ouer∣taken with some danger, vpon which they become oftentimes in the sight and sense of their weaknesse, as cowardly and fearefull, as they were before confident and couragious, and vncomfortably complaine as men forlorne and forsaken of all hope. And this an ancient Father well obserued. Some (saith hee) thinke the sweetnesse of their imita∣tion, the height of their confirmation, and therefore when a tenta∣tion followeth, they iudge that they are vtterly forsaken of God. And againe, For the most part euery one, newly conuerted, herein slippeth and fayleth; that whilest hee is entertayned with the sweet sense of some gifts of grace for his initiation or entrance into the course of Christianitie, hee thinketh that hee hath attayned vnto the confirma∣tion of perfection, and esteemeth it the consummation of full mea∣sure; not knowing that they are but the allurements of inchoation: whereof it commeth to passe, that whilest he is touched and shaken with the tempest of some tentation, he suspecteth himselfe to bee de∣spised of God, and in the high way to vtter destruction; whereas if hee would not giue too much credit to the comforts of his first en∣trance; he would in his prosperitie, prepare his mind to indure ad∣uersitie, and would afterwards so much the more firmely resist Vices, comming to incounter him, by how much hee had more wisely fore∣seene them.

Notes

• Psal. 30. 6.
• 2. San. 24.
• Quidam dulce∣din••m incheatio∣nis putant subli∣mi••a••em confir∣mationis: & i∣deò cum tenta∣tio s••quitur dere∣lictos se à Deo putant. Greg. in Moral. lib. 24. cap. 7.