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. 1 Of the summe of the first Commande∣ment.

WE haue spoken of piety, which is the summe of the first Ta∣ble. And now it followeth, that we speake briefely of the particular precepts; the first whereof is contayned in these words: Thou shalt haue no other gods before me, or before my face. The maine scope and summe whereof is this, that wee know, acknowledge and worship Iehouah, the Father, Sonne and holy Ghost, in Trinity of persons, and vnity of Essence, and no other gods besides him. For to haue God, is, in our mindes and vnderstandings to know and ac∣knowledge him, to bee our God, all-sufficient, incomprehensible, omni∣potent, immutable, eternall, iust, mercifull, and infinite in all perfecti∣on; in our hearts and affections to adhere and cleane vnto him with faith, affiance, hope, loue, zeale, whom we know to be the chiefe Goodnesse and supreme cause of all our happinesse; in our wills, with all earnest de∣sire and constant resolution to serue and obey him in all his Commande∣ments, with all the power and faculties of our bodies and soules, whom we know and acknowledge to be the chiefe end of all things, and so infi∣nitely good & gracious vnto vs; and with our bodies, actions and inde∣uours, to worship and serue him alone, with all our might and strength. So that the true sauing knowledge of God is the ground of all other ver∣tues and obedience, as we haue shewed; and therefore if wee would im∣brace any vertues, or perform any Christian duties of a godly life, we must

in the first place labour to haue our mindes inlightened with the know∣ledge of God and his truth; without which, our deuotion will bee no bet∣ter then superstition; and all our indeuours in the performance of religi∣ous duties, meere will-worship and idolatry, as wee see in the example of the Idolaters, who in stead of worshipping the only true God, worship stocks, stones and Images, Saints, and Angels, and in stead of doing Gods will in their deuotions, do their owne wills, and therefore tire themselues, and spend all their strength in vaine.