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.

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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]
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Subject terms
Christian life -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A20762.0001.001
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 June 14, 2024.

Pages

§. Sect. 8 Reasons moo∣uing those which are of yeeres to sub∣mit themselues to be catechi∣zed, if they be ignorant.

Now these reasons concerne not onely children in yeeres, but also chil∣dren in knowledge, though they bee ancient in respect of age. The first * 1.1 whereof may be taken from the end of their creation and redemption, for they are created vnto good workes, which God hath ordained that they should walke in them; they are redeemed out of the hands of their spirituall enemies, that they should serue God in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of their liues; they are not their owne, but bought with a price, that they might glorifie their Redeemer in their soules and bodies. But none can truely serue the Lord, vnlesse they know him, his will, and Word, from which they must not decline to the right hand nor to the left, and neither adde any thing to it, nor detract ought from it; for else through naturall ignorance, they will (as our Sauiour chargeth the Samaritans) worship they know not what, * 1.2 and in stead of his true seruice, offer vnto him their owne will-worship and inuentions. Neither can wee come to this knowledge, but by the meanes which God hath ordained, one of the chiefe whereof is this religious ex∣ercise. Secondly, we haue vowed in our baptisme, that we will fight vn∣der Christs Banner against our spirituall enemies, which wee cannot doe without receiuing a shamefull ouerthrow, vnlesse our Christian Armour be put on and fastened vnto vs with the girdle of verity, and vnlesse wee be trained vp in this Christian warfare, and taught rightly to vse the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Now if vowes must be paid without delay, then * 1.3

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how much more this which importeth vs as much as our saluation? A third reason may be taken from Gods loue and fatherly care and proui∣dence watching ouer vs, and preseruing vs from all perils and dangers in the time of our infancie and childehood, vnto which as we were natu∣rally most prone, so were wee vtterly vnable to auoid them by our owne prouidence, or to vse any meanes to helpe our selues. Which considera∣tion should moue vs, as soone as we are come to knowledge and discreti∣on, to testifie our thankefulnesse by learning his waies, that wee may walke in them, and thereby glorifie him who hath so graciously preserued vs. Fourthly, let vs consider, that the Law was giuen, not onely to the ancient and them of ripe age, but also to children and young men, that they might cleanse their wayes by taking heede thereunto according to Gods * 1.4 Word; which made Iosuah to reade it vnto them all alike. And both old * 1.5 and yong shall be called to giue an account of their workes and waies at the last day, according to that in the Reuelation, I saw the dead, great and * 1.6 small, stand before God, and the bookes were opened, &c. and the dead were iudged out of those things which were written in those bookes, according to their workes. And therefore the young as well as the old, must prepare themselues for their reckoning, and learne both what strength the Booke of the Law hath to indite and condemne him, and how by the Gospell they may trauerse this inditement, and be acquitted from that dreadfull sentence of con∣demnation, by pleading full satisfaction by Iesus Christ. And therefore when his soule wallowing it selfe in carnall delights, saith vnto him; Re∣ioyce, * 1.7 O yong man, in thy youth, and let thine heart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth; and walke in the waies of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; then let him remember, that for all these things God will bring him to iudgement. Fifthly, consider that this age aboue all others, is most fit to receiue and retaine instruction and information in the wayes of the Lord, as also refor∣mation and amendment of our sinfull courses. Which if it bee deferred to riper age, they will be lesse able to learne the will and wayes of God, to hold them in memory, or to obey and walke in them. For the facul∣ties of the soule will bee more enfeebled, and they distracted with earth∣ly cares, and loue of the world, ambition, couetousnesse, voluptuousnesse; they will then be more apt to content themselues with their ignorance, wherin they haue bin so long nuzzled; their passions will grow strong and violent, and custome of sinning laying fast hold on them, will pull them backe from the schoole of piety, yea will make them openly to professe, that they are now too old to learne; by all which, who seeth not how des∣perately they hazzard their saluation, who put off instruction, and neglect the meanes of it, in the time of their youth? And therefore let vs hearken to the Wise mans counsell; and remember now our Creator in the daies of our * 1.8 youth, while the euill daies come not, nor the yeeres draw nigh when thou shalt say, I haue no pleasure in them. Sixthly, let vs remember, that God would haue first fruits offered vnto him, as a type to teach vs, that the prime of our age is an oblation wherein he chiefly delighteth; that our Sauiour was much pleased, when little children entertained him with their applause, Crying * 1.9 Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid; that God out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hath ordained strength, because of his enemies, that he might stil the enemie & the

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auenger. Finally, that in the time of the law, they were inioyned to offer vn∣to God the yong and lusty, & not the old and lame, to shew that the Lord would haue the prime of our age and strength consecrated to his seruice; although in the Gospell all are inuited to the marriage Supper, the poore, * 1.10 maimed, halt and blinde, because (so we bring with vs the wedding gar∣ment) it is better in our age to come halting to the feast, and through the dimnesse of our sight, groping for the right way, then to frame worldly excuses, and absent our selues altogether.

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