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 daily renewing of our repen∣tance. First, by recalling our sinnes to re∣membrance; And secondly, by humbling our selues be∣fore God in the sight and sense of them.

Now the principall meanes of renewing and confirming this couenant of grace, is, daily to renew the condition on our part, which is a liuely faith, approued by the fruits of it in vnfained repentance. The which lat∣ter, because it is the infallible signe and touch stone of the former, and the outward and sensible fruit, which assureth vs of the hidden roote, that it liueth and groweth, I will in the first place speake of our daily exercise in renewing of our repentance; vnto which is required, first, that we call to our remembrance our former sinnes, together with the cursed roote of o∣riginall corruption from which they spring; but especially the sinnes, frailties and falls, which haue ouertaken vs since the last time that wee performed this exercise, to which purpose it behoueth vs to keepe a strict and narrow watch ouer all our thoughts, words and workes, that these spirituall enemies of our soules may not slily passe by, or secretly lurke in vs vnespied, and consequently vnrepented of; and also to take speciall marke of them, that they doe not slip out of our minde and memory. For which end we must looke our selues often in the glasse of Gods Law, & ex∣amine our liues by this rule, that so we may take notice of our spirituall spots and deformities, of our errours and auersenes to good, & pronenesse to euill, and so bring them into the Court of conscience, that being there∣by, in the presence of God our supreme Iudge, accused & condemned, our hearts may bee smitten with godly sorrow in the sight and sence of them, and affected with a loathing and mislike of our former euill proceedings; according to the practice of the faithfull, foretold by the Prophet: Then shall ye (saith he) remember your former euill wayes, and your doings that were not good, and shall loath your selues in your owne sight, for your iniquities, and for your abominations. The neglect of which duty is reproued and condem∣ned in the people of the Iewes: I hearkened and heard, but they spake not a∣right, no man repented him of his wickednesse, saying, What haue I done? eue∣ry one turned to his course, as the Horse rusheth into the battell. Secondly, Hu∣miliation is here also required, in which, diuers things ought to concurre; first, when we haue called our sinnes to our remembrance, and set them in order before vs, we must in the sight and sence of them haue melting, relen∣ting, broken, and contrite hearts and spirits, which will truely mourne with bitter griefe, because by our sinnes wee haue displeased so gracious and good a God, who hath multiplied vpon vs so innumerable benefits and blessings, both in temporall and spirituall things, especially in giuing his only Sonne to the death for vs, when as we were strangers and enemies vnto him. Vpon which consideration we must, looking vpon him whom wee haue pearced, mourne for him, as a man mourneth for his onely sonne, and be in bitternesse for him, as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne. We must not slight ouer our sorrow, but labour with Peter to weepe bitterly, and with the Israelites, to powre forth our melting soules before God, like water drawne out of a well; and finally, with Dauid we must labour to bring our mourning for sinne into daily practice; Euery night (saith hee) make I my bedde to swimme, and I water my couch with my teares. And if

through the hardnesse of our hearts, we cannot thus sorrow for our sinnes, wee must bee grieued, because we can be no more grieued, and la∣ment the hardnesse of our hearts, because we can no more hartily bewaile them. Which if it be vnfained, then will it moue vs to vse carefully the meanes whereby our griefe for sinne may bee increased; as to meditate on the innumerable multitude, and the grieuous hainousnesse of our sins, the manifold imperfections and corruptions of our best actions, the ma∣iesty, power and greatnesse, the infinite goodnesse and graciousnesse of God towards vs, against whom we haue committed them, our owne base∣nesse and vilenesse, who haue prouoked to wrath so infinite a maiesty, the small and contemptible inducements which haue allured and inticed vs to offend so mercifull a Father, euen the base baites of worldly vanities; our continuing in these sinnes without repentance, notwithstanding that the Lord hath giuen vs so manifold and effectuall meanes of reformation and amendment, as the preaching of the Gospell, admonitions, instructi∣ons, reprehensions, the good motions of his Spirit checking vs for our sinnes, and inciting vs to holy duties; his promises alluring vs to serue him; his threatnings terrifying vs that we may not offend him; his mer∣cies and benefits incouraging vs to all good; his chastisements and fa∣therly corrections discouraging and stopping vs in our euill courses: notwithstanding all which helpes and meanes, we haue impenitently con∣tinued in our sinnes, without any reformation; our dishonouring of God hereby, who hath beene so gracious and bountifull vnto vs, and abusing of his mercies, patience and long suffering, which should haue led vs to repentance; our pearcings, wounding, and as it were, crucifying afresh the Lord of life, our blessed Sauiour and Redeemer; and our vexing and greeuing of the good Spirit of God, whereby wee are sanctified; by quenching the good motions which he hath suggested vnto vs, and by dulling and deadding his gifts and graces in vs. Secondly, we must bee much displeased with our selues, because we haue so many waies displeased God by our sinnes, and be inflamed with a godly anger against our flesh and sinful lusts, which haue caused vs to breake out into al these impieties, the which must shew it selfe in our readinesse to be reuenged of them, by vsing all good meanes whereby they may be mortified and crucified. Thirdly, we must haue our hearts affected with confusion and astonish∣ment, and our faces filled and discoloured with shame and blushing, that we haue thus many waies shewed our selues so vnkinde and vngratefull to so good a God; and when we see that God remembreth his couenant, to establish and make it good to such vnworthy wretches, we, with the Church of the Iewes, repenting of our sinnes, must remember our former wicked waies, and be ashamed and confounded, in the fight and sence of our vnworthinesse. Finally, we must in the former considerations cast away all pride, carnall loue and selfe-conceitednesse of our owne worth and excel∣lencie, and be humbled and cast downe in the apprehension and feeling of our owne basenesse and vilenesse; confessing that we are but dust and ashes; with Dauid, that we are wormes, and no men; and saying with Iob vnto cor∣ruption, Thou art my father, and to the worme, Thou art my mother and my si∣ster; yea with him, we must abhorre our selues, and vnfainedly repent in dust and

ashes. The fruits of which humiliation we shall finde inestimable. For we shall hereby offer vnto God a sacrifice which he most delighteth in, and make him hereby propitious and gracious; yea to dwell with vs, and to re∣plenish and cheare our hearts with our sweete communion and fellowship with him in the gracious comforts of his holy Spirit, according to that of the Psalmist, The Lord is nigh vnto them that are of a broken heart, and saueth such as be of a contrite Spirit; And the Lords owne speech by his Prophet, Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to reuiue the spirit of the humble, and the heart of contrite ones. We shall bring our selues within the compasse of Christs call, and inte∣resse our selues vnto his gracious promises of easing vs of the vnsupporta∣ble burthen of our sinnes, and curing vs of all our spirituall sicknesses and sores of sinnes: for he came to bee the Phisicion, not of the whole, but of the sicke, and to call, not those who haue no sence and feeling of their sinnes, but such as labour and are heauie laden, not the righteous in their owne opi∣nion and conceite, but sinners to repentance. We shall make our selues fit hearers of the glad tidings of the Gospell, and intitle our selues to all the gracious comforts of Gods holy Spirit, according to that of the Prophet, cited & applied by our Sauiour; The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me, because he hath anointed me: to preach the Gospell to the poore and meeke, he hath sent me to binde vp and heale the broken-hearted, to preach liberty and deliuerance to captiues, and recouering of sight to the blinde, to set at liberty them that are bruized, to comfort them that mourne; giuing vnto them beautie for ashes, and the oyle of ioy for mourning, and the garment of praise, for the spirit of heaui∣nesse. Moreouer, by this humiliation wee may come to the assurance of the remission of our sinnes; for if we humble our selues and pray, seeke Gods face and turne from our wicked waies; then will the Lord heare from hea∣uen, and will forgiue vs our sinnes, and heale our plagues; as wee see in the example of Manasses, one of the greatest sinners that euer liued, who humbling himselfe greatly before the God of his Father, and seek∣ing and suing vnto him for pardon, the Lord was intreated of him, and heard his supplication. Finally, if wee thus dayly humble our selues, the Lord hath promised to lift vs vp and exalt vs, to furnish vs with all sauing graces, to fill and replenish our emptie soules with all good things, to cheare vs in our mourning with the comforts of his Spirit, and to make vs blessed in the eternall fruition of his heauenly King∣dome.

Notes

• Ezech. 36. 31.
• Ier. 8. 6.
• Zach. 10. 12.
• Mat. 26 75. 1. Sam. 7. 6.
• Psal. 6. 6. Lam. 2. 18, 19.
• Rom. 2. 5.
• Ephe. 4. 30. 1. Thes. 5. 19.
• Ezech. 16. 61. Ier. 6. 15.
• Gen. 18. 27. Psal. 22. 6. Iob 17. 41. Iob 42. 6. Psal. 51. 17.
• Psal. 34. 18.
• Esa. 57. 15. & 6. 2.
• Mat. 11. 28. & 9. 13.
• Esa. 61. 1, 2, 3: Luke 4. 18.
• 2. Chro. 7. 14.
• 2. Chro. 33. 12.
• Jam. 4. 6. 1. Pet. 5. 5, 6. Luke 1. 53. Matth. 5. 3, 4.