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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	wonderful_a	world_n	year_n	56	3	4.9130	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33542	Bourignianism detected, or, The delusions and errors of Antonia Bourignon, and her growing sect which may also serve for a discovery of all other enthusiastical impostures / by John Cockburn.	Cockburn, John, 1652-1729.	1698 (1698)	Wing C4804; ESTC R17688	48,522	82

hear-say or any uncertain Report but from his own Experience There is another still alive who knew her was intimately acquainted with her and who gives her a Character above what either Man or Woman besides Jesus Christ ever deserved It is Monsieur Poiret who may be called the Chief Disciple or First Apostle of Antonia Bourignon he having spread her Fame and propagated her Opinions more studiously and with more Zeal and Fervour than any other As St. Paul desired to know nothing save Iesus Christ and him crucified so this Man seems to desire to know nothing but Madamoiselle Bourignon He does not believe a God more firmly than that this Woman was divinely inspired His words were to some of my Acquaintance who visited him Tam certus sum eam Virginem inspiratam esse quam Deum existere She is ever in his Mouth and on all occasions he recommends her Books as having Light and Instruction and all desirable Advantages above all the Books in the World without excepting the Scriptures Some few Years after her Death he sent a Memorial to Monsieur Bale to be inserted in the Novelles de la Republique de la Lettre that all the learned World might have the Knowledge of this wonderful Woman And because Monsieur Bale had dropt something which did not savour of that respect which is due to Madamoiselle Bourignon he again expostulated with him and corrected him by another Memorial both which may be seen in the Ninth Articles for the Months of April and May for the Year 1685. All which Monsieur Poiret writes now is upon the Principles of this Woman Her Doctrine is the Foundation of his Oeconomy Divine in which he imagines that he has explained all the Mysteries both of Nature and Religion cleared all Difficulties either in Philosophy or Divinity and revealed the secret Purposes of the Counsel of God both in respect of what is past and of what is to come All these great things he hath done by the Light which his Beloved Mistress afforded him Take his own words for it I ought to acknowledge that these Principles and many other things are not of my own Invention but that I have been led to them by the Divine Writings and by the Instruction of one of Unknown Worth I should never have come to the knowledge of these Truths of my self if the Light which God communicated to one of his Saints had not Administred the Occasion She is a Person whose Writings have led me into the Knowledge of the solid Principles of all things Madamoiselle Bourignon hath received from God such certain and particular Light as without which I neither could have seen nor been sensible in this manner of these Divine Truths how palpably soever the Text of Scripture may seem to lead the attentive Reader unto them God hath drawn me forth not by the force and subtilty of my wretched Reason nor by Study or by Reading the Books of Learned Men but by the Writings of a Woman through which God has touched and illuminated my Heart making me see a perfect Light in all these Matters and Difficulties as well as almost in all other things whether Divine or Humane Natural or Supernatural Behold a great and notable Truth and a Key of an infinite number of admirable Lights for explaining a Thousand Passages of Divine Scripture and of the charitable and adorable Conduct of God towards Men Nothing is wanting to make this rare and incomparable Truth to be received of Men but that its Discovery and the Explication of these Passages of Scripture which point it out have not been communicated by some Ancient Father or by some great Doctor but by an unlearned Woman to whom God has been pleased to manifest himself so far notwithstanding of the contrary Judgment of some bearded Animals Whosoever would see these things in the most sensible and most Divine Light that can be desired have no more to do but to consult the Works of Madamoiselle Bourignon particularly these Three or Four The renewing of the Gospel-Spirit Antichrist Discovered The Light of the World and the Touchstone For I do acknowledge That I have not perceived that God since the beginning of the World did ever discover more clearly more sensibly more strongly more plainly the greatness of Man's Corruption as he hath done in our Days by that excellent Organ of the Holy Ghost And nothing but the Discovery of this Evil has offended all wilfully wicked Persons at her their Proud Heart would not humble it self nor be covered with Confusion nor can they be induced to hate and renounce themselves The Devil also their good Friend who dwells in their corrupt Hearts not enduring to be thus exposed has resolved to employ by his Diabolical Slaves against this Divine Light and this Holy Soul which declares it his two ordinary Machines Lying and Violence which he hath inspired abundantly into the Hearts of many wicked Persons both Learned and Idiots who have not been wanting hitherto to labour in this as it becomes them in favour of their Master and King the Murtherer the Persecutor the Lyar the Calumniator from the Beginning who will one Day give them his common Pay if they do not defeat the Work which they have Diabolically made for him against the most Divine the most Splendid and the most Solid Truth which ever yet appeared Thus far Monsieur Poiret But that I may not be thought to impose upon the English Reader by Quotations from foreign Books which are little known and in few hands I will justifie this high Character of Antonia Bourignon by Passages of a parallel strain out of the Prefaces to her Treatise of The Light of the World which is now rendred into English to be read understood and considered by all who desire to be saved as the Title-page bears There her eminent Sanctity is declared and set forth in words which were never applicable to any Creature before for none but Iesus Christ was ever said to be perfect and without sin But the Purity of Antonia Bourignon's Life was exact and constant she was a perfect Pattern and living Exemplar of the Spirit and Doctrine of the Gospel In short We may all truly affirm That we never observed in her any Vice Sin or any Weakness of Spirit but a perfect and solid Vertue surpassing Natural and Humane Strength which made us say That her Life was altogether Miraculous as if Adam had never sinned in her And as to her Knowledge and Understanding it is made Infinite for there were hid in her the Treasures of Divine Wisdom which enabled her to utter things unheard of so marvellous and sublime that we often remained quite lost with Admiration for we had never heard such things She explained likewise the Holy Scriptures so perfectly that none of the holy Fathers have ever so done nor any body since the Creation of the World She knew the

we close with this or that Method of Salvation otherwise we are shamefully lazy negligent and easie in things which do most concern us 'T is true the generality of the World practise the contrary they take these things upon trust and are satisfied with that which is first proposed and which lie nearest them But this is a Reproach to Mankind nor can there be a greater instance of the Corruption of Humane Nature than this that Men use their Reason least in things of greatest moment However we are not to consider what is commonly done but what should be done what is fit to be done by wise and good Men by such as would build their present Peace and Comfort and their eternal Interest not upon Sand but upon a Rock which can hold out against Storms and Tempests Now if in such cases a reasonable Conviction a satisfying Evidence be necessary then to receive Madamoiselle Bourignon as one so highly dignified by God and her Scheme of Religion and System of Opinions as Divine and absolutely necessary to be followed we ought to have something more than the Authority and Testimony of those Men formerly quoted for whatever their Morals be they are fallible as others if they will not wilfully deceive yet they are liable to be deceived and if they have been imposed upon where are we if we follow them The Testimony of Men is only valuable so far as they are competent Judges of the things which they declare It is unjust to deny the Testimony of sincere honest Men when they bear witness only to Matters of Fact to things which they have heard and seen but when it comes to Opinions Perswasions and Sentiments both good and wise Men ought to be submitted to a Tryal and Examination whether there be Reasons for their Belief Now the Case before us is of the Nature of the last that is It is not a Matter of Fact but a Matter of Faith and Opinion and therefore we must be allowed to judge the Validity of the Reasons of these Mens Sentiments of Antonia Bourignon before we can or ought to be of their Side And I am confident that if their Reasons be weighed in the Balance if they be put into just and equal Scales they will be found light and wanting Weight to make them pass for the Value which is put upon them I will not conceal any of their Reasons nor will I misrepresent them I do not remember to have met with any besides those which follow which have been suggested and which may be gathered from what has been said above 1. An Early and Extraordinary Sanctity 2. The secret Knowledge of Mens Thoughts 3. Foretelling things to come 4. A Sublime and Wonderful Knowledge of Divine Mysteries with an Uniformity and Agreement of Sentiments both with her self and Scripture 5. The Supernatural Means and Method of her coming to the Knowledge of all these things viz. without Reading without consulting Men or Books and without Meditation 6. The apparition of Comets at her Birth when she began to Write and at her Death From these Reasons they conclude that she was Divinely Inspired and sent to the World upon some great Design and for these Reasons they make her the Woman in the Revelation who was cloathed with the Sun and had the Moon under her Feet they call her the Spouse of Christ and give her that large Character which we have seen above I intend to consider these Reasons calmly and impartially First whether supposing them true the Consequence drawn from them be just and necessary and then what truth is in them I begin with the First viz. her Early and Extraordinary Sanctity And I do acknowledge that true Sanctity is only from God It is not the work of Nature but of Grace No Man can be perfectly Holy of himself nor can the Devil either intend or effectuate such a thing if therefore any have the Gift of Sanctity they have it from above God certainly is the Author of it whose Spirit only can subdue our Natural Corruption and raise us to a Conformity to the Divine Nature And as this Gift is of God so it is more valuable than the Gift of Miracles Prophecies speaking with divers Tongues and such like for it is a greater sign of the love of God and does better secure an Interest in him When our Lord bestowed the Power of Miracles and of casting out Devils upon the Seventy Disciples that they might not overvalue this Special Privilege or boast too highly of it be said unto them Notwithstanding in this rejoyce not that the Spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in Heaven Now all who are truly holy have their Names written there Many who have Prophesied and cast out Devils and done many wonderful Works shall be disowned in the great Day of the Lord they shall be commanded to Depart from Christ our Saviour but they who are truly sanctified will never be separated from him theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven for ever But though Sanctity be a great and most desirable token of God's Love and Favour yet it is not always attended with extraordinary Illuminations and Inspirations It may be without these and these may be separated from it Good and Holy Persons in the other World shall have a full and clear Vision of all things then they shall understand the Intricacies of Providence and the Secrets of the Divine Counsel then they shall see God as he is and know even as they are known But at present the best and most Holy see as through a Glass darkly and are ignorant of many things as well as others nay persons very good and holy and very dear to God may not know so much as some that are wicked and unsanctified What St. Paul supposeth may be proved by several Instances that one may have the Gift of Prophecy and understand all Mysteries and all Knowledge and yet be without Holiness for if they may want Charity they want a special part of Holiness Wherefore suppose we should grant Sanctity to Antonia Bourignon suppose her to be truly and extraordinarily Holy yet she is not therefore to be reckoned Infallible nor endued with all Knowledge nor are her Doctrines to be received Implicitly Let her Sanctity be never so great yet that alone doth not raise her to the Station and Dignity of a Prophet at whose Mouth the Church and all particular Persons should receive the Law and Will of God for though Holiness doth certainly not only dispose Persons to receive special Influences of the Spirit of God but also give a deeper Sence of Divine Truths than Reading even as Practice in any Art doth make one Wiser and more Skilful than Speculation yet every Holy Person must not pretend a Revelation of all particulars or to know the Mind of God in every thing Wherefore we find St. Paul distinguishing warily what was his own Judgment from what he had