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 he gui∣deth and go∣uerneth the godly with his grace and holy Spirit: 1. In their prosperity.

The third priuiledge which the Lord vouchsafeth vnto the godly, is, that he so guideth and gouerneth them by his grace and holy Spirit, that they make a right vse of all estates, both of prosperity and aduersity, and turne all things which happen vnto them by the Diuine prouidence, to their spirituall good, the inriching of their soules with all sauing graces, and the furthering and assuring of their eternall saluation. For whereas wicked men, inioying worldly prosperity, doe stand in slippery places, their table becomming a snare vnto them, and their honours, riches and pleasures, the baits of sinne, which make them to fall into the diuels nets of perdition (for their honours nourish and increase their ambition, their riches serue as sweet drinkes, to make them thirst the more, and increase their swelling dropsie of couetous desires, their pleasures make them more sensuall and voluptuous, and all together worke in them pride, and forgetfulnesse of God, carnall selfe-loue, and loue of the world, affi∣ance in earthly vanities, and contempt of spirituall and heauenly things) The Lord preserueth those that feare and serue him, from falling into these tentations, by moderating their desires, and mortifying their car∣nall concupiscence, so as they doe not excessiuely affect these worldly va∣nities, nor dote vpon them when they haue them, but vse them onely as helpes and comforts of their pilgrimage, and not set their hearts vpon them as their Paradise, and the rewards of their Countrey, because they know them to be vaine and vncertaine, both in their getting and keeping; momentany and mutable, being euery day ready to leaue vs, or we them. Their honours doe not puffe them vp in pride, but make them the more humble, seeing they possesse them not as their owne proprieties, but as Gods Talent, whereof one day they must giue a reckoning; as wee see in the example of Dauid, who though he were aduanced from a lowe estate to a Kingdome, yet professeth, that his heart was not haughty, nor his eyes lofty, but that he behaued himselfe in all meeknesse and mildnesse, as a child weaned of his mother. Their riches doe not withdraw their hearts from God, though they abound in them, neither doe they trust in them, because they know them to be vncertaine, but in the euerliuing God, who giueth them richly all things to inioy; as we see in the example of Iob, who though hee

were the wealthiest man in all the East, yet he did not make gold his hope, nor said vnto the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; nor reioyced, because his wealth was great, nor because his hand had gotten much. But onely they vse them as the great instruments of well doing, and as meanes to inable them to exercise themselues in the workes of mercy, according to Iobs ex∣ample, who being rich and able to doe good, did not withhold from the poore their desire, nor caused the eyes of the widow to faile, nor did eate his mor∣sels alone, but did let the fatherlesse eate thereof, nor would see any perish for want of clothing, nor the poore to lye without a couering. Their pleasures, though as great as they inioy, who haue eminent places in Kings Courts, doe not, like intoxicating cups, bewitch them, and make them so drunke, that they forget the ioyes of heauen, vnto which they aspire, but euen when they haue drunke the deepest draught of them, they can (with Salomon) say of them, that all is vanity and vexation of spirit, and that there is no pro∣fit vnder the Sunne. And when they are put to their choyce, so as they must of necessity leaue the one, to imbrace the other, they will, with Moses, haue such respect to the recompence of their heauenly reward, that they will chuse ra∣ther to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to inioy the pleasures of sinne for a season. Finally, though with the Patriarches they abound with Gods blessings, yet they will not fixe their hearts vpon them, because here they haue no continuing City, but they seeke one to come, which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God; and therefore like the Workman, is perma∣nent and euerlasting. Now what a priuiledge is this, to be vpheld in such slippery places, in which, all that are left to themselues, doe fearfully fall? to haue antidotes against these dangerous drinkes, wherewith all that want them, are poysoned? to bee made more humble, mindfull of God, and thankfull vnto him by these worldly things, which make the most proud, forgetfull and vngratefull? Finally, to haue such a right vse of all these earthly and temporary blessings, that they become vnto vs pledges of Gods loue, and earnest pennies of eternall happinesse, and so to inioy both earth and heauen, all the comforts of this life, as helpes and fur∣therances to assure vs of the glory and ioyes of the life to come? Of which, seeing none but the godly are partakers, what a strong motiue should it be to perswade vs vnto the seruice of God in an holy life?

Notes

• Psal. 131. 1, 2.
• 1. Tim. 6. 17.
• Job 31. 24.
• Iob. 31. 24.
• Iob 31. 16, 17, 19.
• Eccles. 2. 11.
• Heb. 11. 25, 26.
• Heb. 13. 14. and 11. 10.