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. 2 Of the subiect matter of our Morning me∣ditations.

And so we must from prayer proceed to meditation, the which may bee longer or shorter, according to our opportunity, occasions, and leasure; and the measure and feruency of our zeale and deuotion. In which, our maine scope must bee to glorifie God, to increase our communion with him, by these familiar conferences of our soules; to strengthen our faith, in∣large our hearts with loue and thankfulnesse, and to replenish them with ioy and comfort in the sweet fruition of God, and tokens of his loue. To which purpose we must fit the subiect matter of our meditations; and be∣cause present occasions are ready at hand, and not onely more familiar and easie to be remembred, but fit to affect our hearts, which are more appre∣hensiue of present then past benefits, we are to make vse of such by medi∣tating on them. But yet principally we must begin with the fountaine, and raise our thoughts from the ground and foundation of all blessings, which is Gods infinite loue, testified chiefly, in giuing vnto vs that singular pledge thereof, his onely Sonne to die for vs, that we might be freed from euerlasting death, and attaine vnto eternall life and happinesse. For whose sake hee hath freely forgiuen vs all our sinnes, and bestowed vpon vs, to∣gether with him, all things needfull for our soules and bodies, and what∣soeuer is necessary to life and godlinesse. From which, we may descend to the particular testimonies of Gods loue lately receiued, as that hee hath by his power and prouidence watching ouer vs the night past, preserued vs from all dangers, and out of the hands of our spirituall enemies, who otherwise wanted neither will nor power to haue brought vs to destructi∣on. That he hath kept vs from all terrours of the night, with which others haue beene affrighted, and hath graciously preserued our liues from sud∣den death, with which others lying downe in health and security, haue been attached before the morning; adding vnto our dayes, and giuing vs still time of repentance, with ability to serue him, and to bee instruments of his glory. After which meditation on Gods mercies, we may take such oc∣casions as are presently offred, to furnish our mindes with holy thoughts, and to worke in our hearts good affections and desires. As our awakning out of sleepe may put vs in mind, of our awakening out of the sleepe, or ra∣ther death, of sinne, to the life of righteousnesse, by the quickning power of Gods holy Spirit in our regeneration, and of the daily renewing of this our quickning and awakning by continuall sanctification. The light of the Sun may put vs in minde of the Sunne of righteousnesse; who first in his King∣dome of grace hath shined vnto vs by the light of the Gospel, who before sate in darkenesse and the shaddow of death, guiding our feet into the way of peace. With which light we are to desire our mindes may be more and more in∣lightened, and freed powerfully and effectually from their naturall igno∣rance, without which spirituall illightning, the outward light of the Sun

and sight of our eyes wil bring vnto our hearts no sound comfort. Second∣ly, of the light of glory, which shall infinitely exceed the light of the Sun, and much more then it exceedeth a Gloworme or the smallest spark of fire. For if euery one of the innumerable numbers of the glorified Saints, shalbe more glorious then the Sun in his chiefest brightnesse, then how infinite is the glory of the (now) vnaccessable light, which we shal then see face to face, who giueth both vnto the Sun and them their beauty and brightnesse? our rising out of our beds may put vs in mind of the rising of our bodies out of our graues, when as at the last day, by the sound of the Trumpet we shalbe summoned before Gods Tribunall seate, to giue an account of all that we haue done in the flesh; the which should make vs to resolue of preparing our selues daily to meet our Iudge, because the time is vncertaine when he will call vs to Iudgement. When we see our nakednes, let it put vs in mind of our sin, which caused vs first to see and be ashamed of it, whereas when we were couered with innocency, and had the Image of God shining in vs, we no more needed garments to couer vs, then the Sun a cloud. And let this make vs to long after the garment of Christs righteousnesse, with which, when we are perfectly clothed, we shal be without sin or shame, & appeare glorious in the sight of God; yea, let vs earnestly desire to put on Christ, not only for iustification, but also for sanctification, wherby that clothing of in∣nocency before the fall, will be presently in part renewed & repaired, till at last it come to more perfection then it had in our first creation. When we put on our apparell, let vs remember that they were first giuen vs to couer our shame, not as ornaments to be proud of, but as couerings to hide our nakednesse, & to preserue vs from the iniuries of the weather. And as we are carefull, not only to prouide fit clothes for those ends, but also to put them on, and apply them to our vse, so let vs be no lesse carefull to prouide fit clo∣thing for our soules, whereby their spirituall deformities may be couered, and they beautified in the eyes of God with his Saints & Angels, as the per∣fect garment of Christs righteousnesse, already thorowly finished by his death and resurrection, and those rich ornaments of his spirituall graces, which are now inchoate and begun, and shall be perfected in the life to come; and not stay here, but also as carefully apply and put them on by the hand of faith, as we doe our apparell with the hands of our bodies, which o∣therwise will doe vs no more good, then the best garments lying in our chests, and neuer applied to the vse of our bodies. And finally, seeing wee content not our selues to clothe some parts of our bodies that need clo∣thing, and leaue others naked, but to haue them all couered with fit orna∣ments for euery seuerall part; so let vs not rest contented to haue our soules in part clothed, and in part left naked, in their naturall deformities; but to haue all ornaments of sanctifying and sauing graces put on, taking daily most care to supply that, wherein we finde our selues most defectiue.

Notes

• Eph. 2. 1.
• Eph. 5. 14.
• Luk. 1. 79.
• Rom. 13. 14.
• Phil. 3. 9. Rom. 13. 14. Eph. 4. 23, 24.