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 affiance in God, & where∣in it consist∣eth; and of the reasons which may mooue vs vnto it.

THe speciall duties, whereby we adhere and cleaue vnto God with all our hearts, are either principall, or those which arise out of them and depend vpon them; the chiefe and princi∣pall are affiance, the loue and feare of God. By affiance wee adhere and cleaue vnto him, when as knowing, acknowledg∣ing, beleeuing, and remembring the omniscience, omnipotence, all suf∣ficiency, trueth, and goodnesse of God towards vs, we doe put our trust and affiance in him, for the obtaining of all good, and preseruation from all euill, both in the presence and absence of all inferiour meanes. Vnto which affiance the Scriptures exhort vs. So Dauid, Trust in the Lord, and doe good. And Salomon, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and leane not to thine owne vnderstanding. Which if we performe, wee haue diuers gra∣cious promises made vnto vs: as first, that we shall be greatly rewarded; Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward; and be incompassed with all Gods mercies and fauours; according to that of the Psalmist, He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compasse him about. Second∣ly, that wee shall bee sustained and preserued by his prouidence. Cast thy burthen vpon the Lord, and he shall sustaine thee; he shall neuer suffer the righ∣teous to be mooued. And againe, They that trust in the Lord, shall be as mount Sion, which cannot be remooued, but abideth for euer. Thirdly, that we shall haue the good things of the earth for the present, and eternall blessednesse in the life to come; for he that trusteth in the Lord, shall possesse the land, and shall inherit his holy mountaine. So Ieremie, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. And the Psalmist, O trust and see, that the Lord is good, blessed is the man that trusteth in him. And thus wee must trust in the Lord for the obtaining of all good, and the auoiding of all euill: vnto the former, Dauid exhorteth, Commit thy way vnto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to passe. And of the other, we haue him for our example: The Lord is my light and my saluation, whom shall I feare? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I bee afraid? Though an hoste should incampe against me, my heart shall not feare, though warre should arise against me, in this will I be confident. And againe, God is our refuge and strength, a very present helpe in trouble: therefore will we not feare, though the earth be remooued, and though the mountaines be cast into the middest of the sea, &c. And thus must we trust in the Lord, in the presence and absence of inferiour meanes. When we haue meanes, wee must put our affiance in him, first, though they be weake and insufficient, knowing that he is able to giue vertue and vigour vnto them, seeing we liue not by bread onely, but by euery word that proceedeth out of Gods mouth. Hee is able in the famine to feede vs with rauenous birds, which in their owne nature are

more fit to take away our meate, then to bring any vnto vs; and to make our small pittance, a few pulse, an handfull of meale, and a cruize of oyle, as sufficient for our nourishment as the greatest dainties of the worldly wicked. In time of plague he can keepe vs safe vnder the shaddow of his wings, and though thousands doe fall at our sides, and ten thousand at our right hand, it shall not come nigh vs. In time of warre, he is able to saue with few, as well as with many, as Ionathan speaketh; and to giue victory, not only to those who haue a strong armie, but to those also that haue no power, as Asa confesseth. Or if our meanes be many and mighty, yet we must not trust in them, but vsing them as sent of God to serue his prouidence in our sustentation and preseruation, we must put our whole confidence in him, and rest alone in his blessing vpon them, without which they shall neuer doe vs any good. For we trauaile in vaine, vnlesse God blesse the house; In vaine wee plow and sow, vnlesse hee giue the increase. In vaine are our Granaries and Store-houses replenished with all plentie, if hee breake the staffe of bread. In vaine is the horse prepared against the day of battell, if saluation come not from the Lord. And in vaine doe Gods spirituall Husbandmen plant and water, except the Lord doe giue increase. Neither must we lesse trust in the Lord in the vtter absence of all inferiour meanes, knowing that he is true of his promise, and will neuer faile vs if we put our affiance in him, and in himselfe alone, all-suffi∣cient to preserue and defend vs in their absence, as well as in the presence of them. And thus did Dauid trust in God, though he walked alone in the vale of the shaddow of death; the three children in the firie surnace, Daniel in the Lyons den, Peter garded with Souldiers, and Paul and Silas when they were in the stockes. And thus Abraham hauing Gods pro∣mise, respected not his age, nor the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe, but trusted in him for the obtaining of a sonne, and as the Apostle speaketh, against hope beleeued in hope, that hee should become the father of many nations.

Notes

• Psal. 37. 3.
• Pro. 3. 5.
• Heb. 10. 35.
• Psal. 32. 10.
• Psal. 55. 22.
• Ps. 125. 1.
• Esa. 57 13.
• Ier. 17. 7.
• Psal. 34 8.
• Psal 37. 5.
• Psal. 27. 1.
• Psal. 27 1, 3. Ps. 46. 1, 2. & 23. 4. & 36. 12. Pro. 3. 26. 2. Chr. 20. 20.
• Mat. 4. 4.
• Psal. 91. 1, 7.
• 1. Sam. 14. 6.
• 2. Chro. 14. 11.
• Psal. 127. 1. Hag. 1. 6. Esa. 3. 1. Pro. 21. 31.
• 1. Cor. 3. 6.
• Psal. 23. 4.
• Dan. 3. & 6. Act. 12. & 16.
• Rom. 4. 18.