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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88645	The practice of godlines or brief rules directing Christians how to keep their hearts in a constant holy frame, and how to order their conversation aright. With an addition concerning self-examination, and the nature of faith. / By Henry Lukin minister of the gospel.	Lukin, H. (Henry), 1628-1719.	1659 (1659)	Wing L3479; Thomason E2107_2; ESTC R210051	38,795	129

fears when I considered that these things were of daily use to Christians and therefore they would be put upon a frequent perusall of them whereby they may more easily both remark and understand those things which in one cursory reading might escape their observation yea I have enlarged somewhat where I thought most needfull which hath occasioned that disproportion of parts which thou mayest observe in the Book for it is plainness and usefullness not neatness or symetry which I have aimed at And now Reader what arguments shall I use to encourage or perswade thee to follow these Directions when thou hast read them If there be any regard to be had to the glory of God to the good of others to the peace and happiness of thine own soul think on these things First This is the way to glorifie God in your conversations when you walk blameless and harmless as his Children without rebuke shining as lights in the world Phil. 2.15 Mat. 5.16 Joh. 15.8 and the Name of God is dishonoured by the loose careless walking of Christians Rom. 2.23 24. Secondly This will be a means to recover the lost credit of Christianity Christians are not so singular as they should be Mat. 5.47 they are too much fashioned to this world Rom. 12.2 hereby prophane ones are hardened against the wayes of God others confirmed in their prejudice against the principles of our profession the imputation of Christs Righteousness to our justification the necessity of his grace to our sanctification the certain perseverance of believers c. and all the arguments which we can use to vindicate them from the imputation of cherishing licentiousness will never convince gainsayers unless we enforce them by the reall proofs of an holy conversation See then that you walk circumspectly Ephes 5.15 that you may by well-doing put to stlence the ignorance of foolish men 1 Pet. 2.15 That you may cut off eccasion from those that desire occasion that wherein they glory they may be found even as you 2 Cor. 11.12 3. This will be a means to gain those that are without 1 Pet. 3.1 and to provoke to emulation those that are within 2 Cor. 9.2 4. This will be a good means to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 compared with ver 5. In the 10th verse the Apostle doth re-inforce his exhortation which he had laid down in the 5th verse by a new argument as if he had said the rather give diligence to add to faith virtue c. to the end you may make your calling and election sure 5. This will be the way to have comfort both in life and death the testimony of a good conscience will be a comfort to us in every condition 2 Cor. 1.12 especially when we come to lye down in the dust of death 2 Tim. 4.7 Some will object it may be that this is more then needs and why should we impose any unnecessary burden upon Christians To this I must say that it is an unsavoury objection and not becoming a godly man To enquire only what is necessary and what we must do if we will get to Heaven argues more self-love then love to God more care of our own welfare then of the glory of God or how we may do those things which may please him 2. If all the rules which I have given be not necessary by vertue of any speciall command as I am sure most of them are yet they are necessary as means to order our conversation aright But if thine objection be intended chiefly against this particular modell which I have drawn up after so many Treatises on the same subject I confess then I shall not have so much to say against it I freely acknowledg that many worthy men have laboured herein more fit in many respects for such an undertaking then my self and I must leave every one to their liberty to use such helps as seem best to them only this I shall say that I think I have not only done that which was done before Some have indeed written excellently at large of these things but some Christians cannot so easily read larger Treatises nor so easily gather up the sum of them to carry in their minds these short rules may be usefull to such and those that have leisure and opportunity may make use of them for the clearer explication of these Some have written excellent brief Manuals but have insisted much upon such things as I have here purposely omitted that I might not actum agere as vows meditations and the use thereof in quickening affections and strengthening resolu●ions if thou savourest the things that be of God I dare commend to thee what hath been written on this subject by my worthy Friend Mr Tho White Others have written indeed excellent things on this Subject but there is in their Books such a mixture of Popish principles and superstition that weaker Christians which have not their senses exercised to discern good and evil can scarce without danger make use of them In what I have here written I know nothing that is called in question especially in the Directions by any sober man for I have kept within the safe bounds of acknowledged truths to free the Reader from all suspition at least from all danger of being misled into any unsafe paths If any shall object against the strictness of this exercise or course of life I need say no more to shame such an objection but to set before you some brief instances of the heathen piety shewing how far they went by the light of nature in the observation of these rules which I have laid down their high esteem of godliness in generall above all other things they very oft discover in their writings but we have frequent instances of their practice thereof in particular duties as Prayer It is said of Socrates that his life was nothing but a continuall Prayer so frequent was he therein one passage whereof is reported to be Date ut sim pulcher intus honestus which is in effect the same with that of David Psal 51.10 Create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit Seneca is an eminent example of Ethnick devotion I know how he is accused by some of contradicting his principles by his practices yet it appears what their convictions were however their corrupt affections might prevail against them how we should improve the consideration of Gods omnipresence See Senec. Epist 10. how we should improve the consideration of his providence Epist 107. how we should exercise virtue in every condition Epist 85. how we should apply our selves to God in Prayer Epist 41. how we should behave our selves in Prayer Epist 10. what respect we should have to death and the judgement to come Epist 4 12 26. how carefull we should be in the spending of our time lib. de brevitate vitae in which book he enveighs much against mens profuse expence of their time of which alone we may

observe the tempers faculties abilities capacities conditions of those with whom we have to do that we may accommodate our selves as far as may be thereunto this will render our society more acceptable to others more profitable both to others and our selves By observing mens tempers we may the more easily insinuate what we please into them by observing their faculties and abilities we may both please them and profit our selves because men love to discourse of things belonging to their own faculties or wherein their abilities chiefly lye and about those things we may expect the most satisfying answers from them if they be such things as may be any advantage to us to know if we suit our discourses to mens conditions it will add much grace and comeliness to our speech Prov. 15.23 25.11 but if we do not in all things apply our selves to mens capacities we shall but weary them and what we labour to pour into them will run beside Joh. 16.12 Rom. 14.1 But remember still to be swift to hear slow to speak Jam. 1.19 to shew all meekness towards all men to speak evil of none unless you be called thereto Tit. 3.2 to be sparing of your promises and as sparing of your secrets unles to such whose faithfullness you have good experience of or unles they leave as much in pawn with you as you trust with them for by imparting our secrets to others we oft put our selves into their power so that they have a check upon us according to that Scire volunt secreta domus atque inde timeri Juven Sat. 13. And lastly Joyn prudence with innocence that you may neither do wrong nor receive any Mat 10.16 Psal 101.2 2. Labour to spend your time well when you are alone Take heed to your spirits Mal. 2.17 there is the beginning of all mischief Mat. 15.19 then is the season for Satan to come and deal with us about his works of darkness which he hath to put us upon therefore we should prevent him by some good and profitable exercise if David had taken this course 2 Sam. 11. how much evill might it have prevented how much work have we lying upon our hands to take up every spare minute of our lives how many things are we ignorant of which we may imploy our solitary time about in informing our selves by reading the Word of God or using the help of others which we have ready at hand in su●h abundance or if we cannot read the Scriptures or some other good books as in a journey or in our beds in the night how much work have we to do upon our hearts How many affections to quicken by holy meditation how many doubts to resolve and questions to answer concerning our own spiritual condition by self-examination And for your help in these exercises 1. Labour to have the Word of God dwelling richly in you Prov. 6.12 Mat. 12.35 2. Have this good treasure in your heart disposed into some order when our thoughts lie on a confused heap we cannot so easily find out what we have occasion to use let us sometimes look upward to God consider his Nature his Attributes Psal 104.34 his Wisdom Goodnes Power Faithfulness which he hath proclaimed in his Word manifested in his Works especially in that work of his manifold Wisdom which is the subject of Angels meditation Eph. 3.10.1 Pet. 1.11 Sometimes he looking backward on the wayes of Gods providence toward you Ps 139.8 c. 2 Sam. 22.1 c. or your ways towards God 1 Tim. 1.13 Sometimes look downwards into your own hearts see what work of God you can find there what remainders of sin are stil there Sometimes look forward towards your end Meditate on Death Judgment Heaven Hell So there are other usefull Subjects as the love of God the excellency of Christ the vanity of the World the sinfulness of sin the deceit fulness of the heart which Christians of ordinary capacities that are acquainted with the Scriptures and use to hear Sermons may easily improve by Meditation to the quickning of their affections and strengthening their resolutions and make your choice of these Subjects to meditate on according to your present state as in prosperity oft be thinking of such things as may keep your hearts low as your former condition and Gods gracious providence in raising you up if your condition have formerly been worse Gen. 32.10.2 Sa. 7.18 however of the vanity of the creature the brevity of life the joys of Heaven c. in adversity choose such matter of Meditation as may be most fit to work you to patience and contentedness Mic. 7.9 Ezr. 9.13 and then also make diligent search into your own hearts and ways to find out what may probably be the cause of Gods contending with you Ps 77.6 Job 10.2 34.31 32. 3. Raise up matter of holy Meditation from earthly things God hath done much for our help in this exercise by holding forth heavenly mysteries in his Word in similitudes taken from earthly things so that almost every creature every action may suggest some useful Meditation to us if we be travelling if we see a pleasant way and much company we do not consider these things but what way it is that leads to the place we go to so though the way of sin be pleasant to the flesh and most walk in it Mat. 7.13 14. that should be no temptation to us because that doth not lead to Heaven whither we go If we meet with bad lodging or mean entertainment at our Inn we know it is but for a night and we shall have better when we come to our journeys end so though we have but bad entertainment in this world we are but strangers this is but our Inne we shall be better accommodated when we come to those Mansions which Christ is gone before to prepare for us Joh. 14.2 The like Meditations may be raised from most occurrences of our life Direct 8. Let us continually set before us the perfect patern of our Lord Jesus We are more easily led by examples than precepts and Christ is the only perfect patern others are to be followed so far only as they follow him 1 Cor. 11.1 Not that all the actions of Christ are imitable he was not meer man but God also and Mediatour betwixt God and Man and what he did as God or as Mediator we cannot imitate him in but there are divers things wherein the Scripture propounds his examples to us for imitation as 1. Love Eph. 5.1 2. 1 Joh. 3.16 2. Meekness and Humility Mat. 11.29 Joh. 13.14 Rom. 15.3 3. Self-denial Mat. 16.24 Phil. 2.3 c. 2 Cor. 8.9 4. Patience 1 Pet. 2.21 5. Making it his work to do good Act. 10.38 And these are graces which carry a great stroak in all the passages of our lives Now the example of Christ doth not only serve for our direction so as we should oft think with our selves in the conduct and management of the affairs