Chapter 2: The Chief Enemies of Godliness

Showing who the chief enemies of Godliness are.

Having given you a brief account of the pedigree, original, and antiquity of True Godliness, wherein occasionally has been hinted some of those great abuses he met with in ancient times I judge it may not be amiss (before I come to treat of his travels and entertainment in these latter days, and how it fares with him at this present juncture, to give a description of some of his greatest adversaries, to the end the true lover of Godliness may be aware of them, and those who have a mind to be acquainted with him, and are hindered from receiving him into their houses, may know the cause and reason of it now.

1. One of the greatest enemies of this great prince and favorite of Heaven is the Devil; nor is there any one that hates him more.

2. Sin, alias Vice, alias Lust.

3. The flesh.

4. The world.

But because this general and common description is not sufficient to discover the great danger men and women are in, by certain other secret and domestic enemies, who are the cursed agents and servants of those grand adversaries of True Godliness, some of which many are ready to entertain as friends, not suspecting the fatal danger they are in thereby; I shall upon this therefore give you an account of a few of them, and tell you their names. The First I shall begin with is Unbelief, a very dangerous fellow. 2. Pride. 3. Vain-glory. 4. Formality. 5. Hypocrisy. 6. Oppression. 7. Heresy. 8. Superstition. 9. Idolatry, alias Papistry. 10. Prosperity. 11. Persecution. 12. Ignorance. 13. Blind Zeal. 14. Vain Hope. 15. Sloth, alias Idleness. 16. Covetousness. 17. Old Custom. 18. Evil Example. 19. Self-Righteousness. 20. Presumption. 21. Despair. 22. Slavish Fear. 23. A Sensual Pleasure. And 24. Apostasy, with many other of like quality, too tedious here to reckon up; but by mentioning the names of these, you may easily discern who and what the others are, who with their attendance are all implacable enemies to True Godliness, and as much as lies in them endeavor to hinder his being entertained wherever he comes, as you will find in the ensuing history of his travels. Now, the reason why True Godliness has so many enemies, I had thought to have showed in this place, but because I will not hinder you from the main scope and design of this treatise, I shall reserve them for a more convenient place.