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. 4 That in our prosperity we must beware of pride, secu∣rity, and hard∣nesse of heart, licentiousnes, and contempt of spirituall and heauenly things.

Fourthly, let vs in our prosperity watch ouer our selues, that we be not puffed vp with pride, vnto which this estate through our corruption ma∣keth * 1.1 vs prone, as we may see, not onely in the examples of former times, as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon, and of those wicked men, of whom the Psalmist speaketh, who being inclosed in their owne fat, spake proudly with their mouth, and flourishing in all earthly aboundance, put on pride as a chaine about their neckes; yea holy Dauid and good Ezechias were thus ouertaken, and though in the time of their trouble they were meeke and humble, yet were their hearts lifted vp in their prosperity. The which, the experience of these times doth make too manifest, wherein not onely meere worldlings, but euen many of the faithfull are taynted with this odious vice, by reason of their earthly aboundance, and long prospering in their worldly desires. Which that we may preuent, let vs consider, that we haue nothing but what we haue receiued, not as absolute gifts, but as our Masters goods, lent onely vnto vs for our vse, for which wee stand in∣debted, and must giue an account at the day of Iudgement; and what reason haue wee to bee proud of our debts? that God so hateth this vice of pride, that hee will rather withdraw from vs his spirituall graces, and his gracious assistance in the time of tentation, that by falling into other sinnes we may be cured of this, and haue our soules adorned with true hu∣mility; and therefore how much rather will hee depriue vs of temporall benefits, and things of farre lesse value, then we should continue infected with this vice, which aboue all others he most abhorreth? And when the greatnesse of our gifts and possessions beginne to puffe vs vp, let vs thinke, how we haue imployed them, and whether we haue so increased and im∣prooued them for the glory of our Master, and good of our fellow seruants, as that we may with cheerefulnesse present our selues before God, when he calleth vs to a reckoning. Finally, in our greatest plenty of earthly things, let vs call to minde our spirituall wants, and how defectiue wee are in sanctifying and sauing graces, especially in our thankfulnesse vnto God for these temporall benefits; and so our plentie in the one will not so much exalt vs, as our defects in the other, which are much more excellent and ne∣cessary, will humble and abase vs. Fifthly, when wee inioy prosperity, let vs beware of security and hardnesse of heart, which is an ordinary effect that doth accompany it. For men are apt to flatter themselues in the as∣surance of Gods loue, when he causeth them to prosper in their courses, and giueth vnto them these outward signes of his fauour; and so to liue in their sinnes with impenitencie and hardnesse of heart, promising vnto them∣selues impunity, and that all shall goe well with them for the time to come. Thus Dauid saith; because the wicked mans wayes prospered, Therefore Gods iudgements were high aboue out of his sight, presuming that he * 1.2 should neuer bee mooued nor come into any danger. Yea he himselfe, as he con∣fesseth, was thus ouertaken with security, presuming in his prosperity, that he should neuer be mooued. Which that wee may auoyd, let vs consider, that * 1.3 temporall blessings are no infallible signes of Gods loue, seeing as the

Wise man speaketh, they happen to all alike, and are more often and liberal∣ly * 1.4 bestowed vpon Gods enemies, who haue their portion in this life, then vpon his owne children, for whom he reserueth the euerlasting and hea∣uenly inheritance; that there is a vicissitude and change of all these estates, and nothing remaineth certaine vnder the Sunne; that the longer God de∣ferreth, the more seuerely he will punish when hee commeth, and the grea∣ter our blessings are, the greater shall be our plagues, if we abuse them to security and impenitencie. Sixthly, let vs take heede when we are in pro∣sperity, that we doe not abuse it to licentiousnesse and carnall liberty, vn∣to which, men in this state are most prone, as the Histories of all times and daily experience teacheth. For who seeth not, that they who abound in wealth and worldly honours, doe for the most part giue themselues ouer to all voluptuous and sensuall delights; as though God had sent them into the world, and had put into their hands such large wages of earthly bles∣sings, that they should spend them and their precious time, in Hunting and Hawking, carding and dycing, courting, dancing and reuelling, drin∣king, feasting, and such like carnall pleasures? yea, who doth not perceiue, that they often abuse them to iniury and oppression, reuenge, and all kinds of vniustice, when they haue to deale with their inferiours; abusing their power and authority vnto tyranny, which they thinke neuer sufficiently manifested and magnified, till they haue borne downe and troden vnder foote, all that standeth in their way, right and reason, law, conscience, and common honestie? which abuses that we may shunne, let vs remem∣ber often the maine ends why God hath giuen vs these worldly benefits aboue others, namely, that we might be better inabled, and become more forward to glorifie him, to doe more good vnto our brethren, and abound in the workes of mercy and Christian charity, and that wee might haue better meanes to serue him with cheerefulnesse, and thereby to further our owne saluation. Of which ends, if we faile, God will either take these gifts from vs, because wee mis-spend them in vaine, or else let vs still keepe them for a further and greater iudgement. Let vs thinke in our greatnesse, that there is a greater then wee, who will one day call vs to a reckoning, and fearefully reuenge vpon vs the iniuries of the oppressed, and the shamefull abuse of our power and authority to vniustice and cruelty. Se∣uenthly, let vs beware, that our prosperity be not an occasion vnto vs of the contempt and neglect of spirituall and heauenly things, which ordinarily happeneth vnto those, vvho in their iudgements too much esteeme, and in their hearts immoderately affect these temporall blessings, as vve see in the example of those vvho vvere inuited to the Kings Supper, Demas, * 1.5 Iudas, and many others. To vvhich purpose, let vs often meditate on the excellency, profit, and necessity of Gods sauing graces, and the ineffable felicity of our heauenly inheritance, and how much these exceed the other. Let vs also often consider of the dignity of our soules, and hovv * 1.6 much they exceede in excellency our corruptible bodies, that vvee may take more care to haue them thriue in spirituall grace, and to reioyce in their assurance of future glory, then to glut our bodies vvith sensuall de∣lights, or to vvaxe rich, and grovv great in our earthly possessions. Let vs remember that the time vvill come, that our spirituall grace, vvhich

worldlings so much contemne, will stand vs in more stead, and bring vnto our soules more sound comfort then all the wealth of the world, or Mo∣narchy of the whole earth; and therefore that it is most extreme and sottish folly, so farre to affect those flitting and fading vanities, as to neg∣lect in the meane time these spirituall excellencies.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Exod. 5. 2. Esa. 10. 8. & 47. 7, 8. Psal. 10. 10. & 73. 6, 9. 2. Sam. 24. 1. 2. Chro. 32. 25. 1. Cor. 4. 7.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 10 6. Eccl. 8. 11.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 30. 6.
• * 1.4

  Eccl. 9. 1.
• * 1.5

  Luk. 14 18.
• * 1.6

  3. Epist. of Iohn. vers. 2.