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. 4 That in our preparation we must purge our selues from all sinfull cor∣ruption.

And as we must thus in our preparation purge our hearts from world∣linesse, so must we with no lesse care cleanse them from all sinfull wicked∣nesse. * 1.1 To which purpose we must search and examine them, if no sinnes lye lurking in them vnrepented of, especially such as most hinder our pro∣fiting by the publike Ministery, as wrath and maliciousnesse, (and chiefly against our teachers) filthinesse, dissimulation, hypocrisie, preiudice and forestalled opinions, voluptuousnesse, couetousnesse, worldlinesse, and such like. And yet more particularly wee must call to our remembrance what sinnes wee haue committed the weeke past, and seriously repent of them; lest continuing in our wicked courses, and cherishing our sinnes, (as it were) in our bosomes, when we present our selues before God, they moue him to abhorre vs, and our sacrifices of prayer and thankesgiuing, * 1.2 and to giue vs ouer to be further hardened by the deceitfulnesse of sinne: whereof it will follow, that our hearts becomming fat, our eares heauie, and our eyes shut, we shall heare, and not vnderstand, and see, but not per∣ceiue, that we might be healed and conuerted. And this the Lord requi∣red of the Israelites, that they should first wash them, and make them cleane, * 1.3 (namely, in turning from their sinnes by vnfained repentance) and then approch and come vnto him. The which was typically signified by that

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commandement of washing their clothes, before the giuing of the Law; * 1.4 answerable vnto which, is the sanctifying and purging of our hearts by faith and repentance from all pollution of sinne, before wee approch into Gods presence to receiue his Word. For he will not turne vnto vs, nor by his gracious promises assure vs of his fauour, till we turne from our sinnes; nor suffer the precious liquor of his Word to be corrupted and spoyled, by powring it into our hearts, whilest they continue in their pollution and vncleannes. Neither are we fit to receiue the ambassage of our recon∣ciliation, till we haue made our peace with him. For if hauing offended * 1.5 our brother, we may not approch vnto the Altar to offer our gift, till wee haue first sought to be reconciled vnto him; then much lesse may we pre∣sume to offer vnto God any religious seruice, vntill first by our vnfained repentance, we haue made our peace with him. And if our fallow grounds must be prepared and plowed vp before they be sowed, then must wee in like manner plow vp the fallow grounds of our hearts▪ as the Prophet exhor∣teth, * 1.6 before they can be fit to receiue the seed of Gods Word.

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