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.

About this Item

Title
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.
Author
Downame, John, d. 1652.
Publication
Printed at London :: By Felix Kingstone [and William Stansby] for Ed: Weuer & W: Bladen at the north dore of Pauls,
[1622]
Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms
Christian life -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A20762.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 17, 2024.

Pages

§. Sect. 5 That idlenesse is the cause of innumerable sinnes.

The which are of two sorts, both the euils of sinne, and the euils of pu∣nishment, of both which it is the cause, producing the one, and by due desert drawing vpon vs the other. For the first; idlenesse is a mother sinne, and (as we vsually say) the roote of all euill; for when the deuill findeth vs not imployed in Gods seruice, he entertaineth vs into his, and setting be∣fore vs the obiects and baites of worldly vanities, he offereth to giue them vnto vs as the wages of iniquity, if we will serue him in those sinfull lusts and workes of darkenesse wherein he will vse vs. When hee seeth vs like grounds vntilled and vnmanured, and therefore vnfit to receiue the seeds of Gods graces, he soweth in vs the weedes of all vice and sinne, besides all those which grow vp in our hearts naturally, and of their owne accord, being grounds which in themselues are too too fertile, to breed and bring foorth all fruits of impiety. More especially, idlenesse and neglect of our callings is a notable cause of heresies, sects, and schismes. For when men want imployment in their owne affaires, they grow curious and inquisitiue after other matters; propound many vaine questions and needlesse doubts, tending more to contention, then the vse of edifying, which when they

Page 255

haue resolued, according to their owne humour and phantasie, they goe (hauing nothing else to doe) from house to house to possesse others with their conceits, and when they haue priuately trained vp many in their opi∣nions, at last they make a generall muster, and become heads and captaines of that faction, which themselues haue raised; disturbing the peace of the Church, by renting themselues from it, and making warre against the truth; as the miserable experience of these times doth too euidently shew. Neither doth it alone make men busie and curious in matters of Religion, but also in ciuill affaires; for when men grow negligent in their owne bu∣sinesse, they haue leasure to intermeddle with other mens, and hauing no∣thing to doe at home, they range abroad; carrying tales from house to house, and sowing the seeds of discord and dissension among neighbours. Of such idle busie bodies, the Apostle complained in his time, who wal∣ked disorderly, and worked not at all, but busied themselues in other mens matters, and disquieted all whom they came among. And such were those yong idle widdowes, who wandred about from house to house, and by be∣ing idle, became tattlers also and busie-bodies, speaking things which they ought not. And as it is a cause of schisme in the Church, and dissension in families, so also of sedition and rebellion in the Common-wealth, whilest it maketh men inquisitiue after newes, and to pry curiously into matters of state; busie in censuring those that are in authority, and so filling both their owne and other mens minds with discontents, they become sediti∣ous, and vpon all occasions ready to rise and rebell, for want of other im∣ployment; and the rather, that by fishing in troubled waters, they may supply those wants and necessities which negligence in their callings hath brought vpon them, therefore betaking themselues to Armes, because po∣uerty and want (like an armed man) hath first assaulted them. And this was the reason why Pharaoh, fearing that the Israelites would rise and withdraw their neckes from vnder the yron yoke of his tyrannicall go∣uernement, probably, though falsly, coniectured that want of worke was the cause, out of that generall maxime and principle in policie, that idle∣nesse maketh men seditious and rebellious; whereas imployment in their callings so taketh vp their mindes, that they haue no leasure to thinke of things impertinent to their priuate estate and affaires. It is the cause also of couetousnesse, and all the euils that doe spring from it, as wrong and oppression in the mighty, fraud and deceitfull dealing in the weake, yea euen of theft, robbery, and piracie; for when men through idlenesse and negligence in their callings, become poore and haue nothing of their owne, they greedily desire other mens goods to supply their wants, and vse all vnlawfull meanes whereby they may compasse them. Which caused the wise Agur to pray against penury & want of necessaries, lest being poore he should steale, and so take the name of his God in vaine. And this made the Apostle inhibiting stealing, to inioyne labour, as being the best meanes to keepe men from this sinne. It is the cause likewise of gluttony and drun∣kennesse, if want keepe not from this excesse, and emptinesse of the purse preuent not this too much fulnesse of the belly. Whereof it is, that in the Scriptures they are ioyned as companions and mutuall causes one of ano∣ther. So it is said, that the sinnes of Sodom were pride, fulnesse of bread,

Page 256

and abundance of idlenesse; and that the Israelites sate down to eate and drinke, and rose vp to play. For when mens mindes are not imployed about their callings, they are set vpon their bellies, not onely to please their appetite, but also to take away the tediousnesse of time, which is caused by idle∣nesse. Which I am perswaded is the chiefe cause of the excessiue and hurt∣full vse of Tobacco in these dayes; for because mens heads are idle and empty of businesse, they fill them with smoke; and for want of better im∣ployment, they betake themselues to this vaine exercise; making hereby their idle time lesse tedious, & taking away melancholy, the vsuall compa∣nion of sloth, by intoxicating their braines, & stupifying their senses, so as they become lesse apprehensiue of their mis-spent time, and the manifold euils which accompany their idlenesse; till by much vse and custome they grow to such an habit, that they now vse it not onely for delight, but also for necessity, hauing no power to forbeare and weane themselues from it. Of which I am the rather perswaded, because I see it most vsed amongst those who are most idle, as inordinate youth and loose gallants, and by those who are otherwise industrious and laborious, when they intermit the workes of their callings, and vpon any occasion are at leasure from their imployments. Finally, idlenesse is the cause of whoredome and all vncleane lusts, not onely as it is a speciall meanes to pamper the flesh, and so to inable and prouoke it to these workes of darkenesse, but also because it giueth leasure and liberty to the heart and eyes, to wander and roue after wanton and lasciuious obiects, as the lamentable example of holy Dauid, and of innumerable others since his time, and euen in our owne dayes, haue too manifestly prooued.

Notes

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.