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. 5 Secondly, he guideth the godly in the time of their afflictions.

In respect also of the afflictions of this present life, godlines hath no lesse priuiledges. For first, they which carefully serue & please God, are wholly deliuered from thē, as they are punishments of sin to satisfie Gods Iustice, because Christ hath in their stead satisfied for them, & paid their debt to the vttermost farthing, and by taking away their sinnes through his death and sufferings, hath also cancelled the hand-writing which was against them, freed them from the curse of the Law, and all the punishments which were due vnto them. Secondly, by leading of a godly life, we are freed from afflictions in the greatest part, as they are the corrections of Gods children. For howsoeuer sometimes the chiefe end, at which God aimeth in afflicting the godly, is the triall of those graces which hee hath giuen them, that being approoued, he may be glorified that gaue them, and his gifts crowned in those that haue receiued them; yet for the most part, sinne being the occasion, euen of these trials, and the cause of other

crosses, according to that in the Lamentations; Wherefore doth a liuing man complaine, a man suffereth for his sinnes? Hereof it followeth, that wee may escape these afflictions, if we carefully flee sinne, and serue the Lord in the duties of a godly life. For though the Lord iudgeth his children in this life, that they may not be condemned in the life to come; yet it is not as they are innocents (for thē they should neuer come into iudgment) but as offenders, who by their sinnes and negligence in his seruice, haue deserued these, and farre greater punishments. Though he chastizeth eue∣ry sonne whom he receiueth, yet not being faultlesse, but when by their sins they haue displeased him, that he may bring them to repentance and a∣mendment. And therefore he prescribeth this repentance as a meanes to preuent his corrections, seeing, by reason of naturall frailty and corrup∣tion, we cannot be wholly innocent: As many as I loue, I rebuke and cha∣stize; be zealous therefore and amend. Though he make afflictions to serue for soueraigne salues to his Children, yet he would not apply them to the whole skinne, and sound flesh, but because they haue sores which need to be cured, being so festered, that the balme of his benefits will not heale them. Finally, when by afflictions he weaneth them from the loue of the world, it presupposeth that they dote too much vpon it, and argueth, that if, as they ought, they did lothe and contemne it, in comparison of spiri∣tuall graces, and heauenly glory, they should not haue it imbittered vnto them: For what mother would rub her teat with mustard, or worme∣wood, to weane her child, if he had wit and will to leaue it in due time? So that if we would carefully flee sinne, and please our heauenly Father, by doing our duty, we should not need to feare stripes, but should be con∣tinually cherished and incouraged with rewards. If we would not surfet of sinne and wound our consciences, we should not be troubled with the bitter medicine, and sharpe and searching salue. But we might, with com∣fort and assurance, apply Gods promises of preseruation, both from out∣ward and inward afflictions, euen when they are most rife in the world, and seaze vpon others round about vs, according to that of Eliphaz to Iob, He shall deliuer thee in sixe troubles, yea in seuen there shall no euill touch thee. And that of the Psalmist, Many sorrowes shall be to the wicked, but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compasse him about. Thirdly, if by our sinnes we haue brought afflictions vpon vs, yet walking before God in our ordinary course, after an holy manner, we shall haue heereby this priui∣ledge, that those afflictions which are pernicious vnto others, both in re∣spect of their soules and bodies, shall not be able to doe them any harme. Or though, like the Serpent, they bite them by the heele, and cause some temporary smart, yet being armed with the brest-plate of righteousnesse, they shall not hurt their vitall parts, nor any whit hinder them of euerlast∣ing happinesse. Yea contrariwise, through the good blessing of God, and assistance of his holy Spirit, sanctifying them to their vse, they, with all o∣ther things, shall worke together for their good, by drawing them neerer vn∣to God, through vnfained repentance, by mortifying their sinnes, wea∣ning them from the world, strengthening them in all grace, and by being vnto them infallible signes of Gods loue, and their adoption. In all which, and innumerable other respects, they may conclude (not from the sense

and smart of their afflictions, which, as the Apostle speaketh, seeme not ioyous, but grieuous) but from the fruits of righteousnesse, which spring from them; that it is good for them that they haue been afflicted, that they might learne Gods Statutes; and that it is good for a man that he beare the yoke from his youth: yea, that they are blessed whom the Lord chasteneth, and teacheth them out of his Law. Finally, by leading of a godly life, wee haue this pri∣uiledge in respect of our afflictions, that we shall haue seasonable deliue∣rance out of them, when as it shall be most fitting, both for Gods glory, and our owne spirituall and euerlasting good. For as the Wise man saith, The righteousnesse of the vpright shall deliuer him, but transgressors shall be taken in their naughtinesse. So the Psalmist saith, that many are the trou∣bles of the righteous, but the Lord deliuereth them out of all. For, When the righteous cry, the Lord heareth, and deliuereth them out of all their troubles: according to his gracious promise, Call vpon me in the day of trouble, I will deliuer thee, and thou shalt glorifie me. And therefore this also should effec∣tually mooue vs vnto the duties of a godly life, feeing heereby all estates are sanctifyed vnto vs, and euen afflictions themselues are turned to our good, which in their owne nature are the punishments of sinne. For see∣ing through our intemperate lusts, we oftentimes surfet of the pleasures of sinne, and thereby cast our selues in to many afflictions (as it were) dan∣gerous diseases, who would not esteeme much of such a cordiall, as will keepe the poyson of the disease from the vitall parts? yea, which will cause the sicknesse it selfe to become a meanes of increasing and confirming our spirituall health? But such a cordiall is true godlinesse, which conuer∣teth afflictions, which in their owne nature are the diseases of our soules, and states, caused by surfetting vpon sin, into notable helpes and meanes for the bettering of our spirituall estates, by making vs to flee sinne more carefully, whereupon we haue surfetted, and by confirming and increasing all Gods graces in vs.

Notes

• 1. Pet. 2. 24. Col. 2. 14. Gal. 3. 13.
• Jam. 1. 12.
• Lam. 3. 39.
• 1. Cor. 11. 32.
• Heb. 12. 6, 7.
• Apoc. 3. 19.
• Iob 5. 19. Psal. 32. 10. and 91. 3, 4. Pro. 3. 21, 22, 23, 24.
• Rom. 8. 28.
• Heb. 12. 11.
• Psal. 119. 71. Lam. 3. 27.
• Psal.
• Pro. 11. 8.
• Psal. 34, 17, 19.
• Psal. 50. 15.