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A76270
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A nosegay of divine truths; wherein the chief points of religion are ingeniously discussed, and also the doctrines of predestination, reprobation, &c. rightly determined Highly necessary for all Christians to peruse. And digested into 50 chapters; both French and English, for the benefit of those who are desirous to improve themselves in the French or English tongues. By P.B. formerly of the order of S. Francis, now a convert to the Church of England
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P. B.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing B152A; ESTC R230839
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97,134
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289
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came unto me Mat. 25.35 He shall render to every one according to his works to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality eternal life but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and Wrath Rom. 2.6 By those Texts of the Holy Scripture it is as clear as the day at Noon that Predestination is not without a respect to our Faith Obedience and good Actions CHAP. XXVIII How Reprobation is to be understood IT is a gross impious and blasphemous impiety to assert that God did by his immutable decree appoint the greatest part of Men to eternal damnation without having any regard to their infidelity disobedience and bad actions as Calvin will have it to be lib. 3. c. 23. Sect. 1 2. Reprobation is an Act of God's hatred and God hates and punishes nothing but Sin which no Creature can be guilty of before its existence Wherefore the existence of the Creature and his disobedience to Gods Commandments ought to be presuppos'd before he be doom'd to eternal damnation I mean before he can be hated and condemn'd by God into Hells Fire From whence it follows when God did by eternal decree appoint the greatest number of Man-kind to eternal damnation it was in consideration of their infidelity disobedience to his Commandments or wicked Actions And to let you see that what I say is very well grounded pray mark these Texts following Go ye cursed depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels mark the reason of it for I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye clothed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not Mat. 25. The wicked saith David shall be turned into Hell Ps 9.17 they shall have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Ps 11.6 Rev. 21.8 the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience Eph. 3.6 Mans destruction is of himself saith Hosea The Angels which kept not their first estate and Sodom giving himself over to fornication are set forth for an example 2 Pet. 2. When God punished them 't was for their sins and when in his eternal decree he condemned them to everlasting flames 't was in regard of their sins because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Eph. 5.6 though Calvin saith that it is for no other cause but because he wills l. 3. c. 23. S. 1 2. Gods decree is eternal and immutable that is certain but it is subsequent and conditional I grant he hath appointed the greatest part of Men to eternal damnation but it is in regard of their infidelity or disobedience to his Commandments Their disobedience is antecedent and presupos'd the Soul that sinneth shall dye Reprobation is but conditional that is to say no man is Reprobate but upon condition he transgresses Gods Commandments or be unfaithful But some will say I grant predestination and Reprobation to be as you have explain'd them before I grant it is in respect of my Faith or Infidelity Obedience or Disobedience to Gods Commandments yet that hinders not his decree to be immutable For as he hath the knowledge of all things which have been are and shall be and because nothing can be added to his knowledge he knows whether I shall be faithfull or unfaithfull obedient or disobedient to his Commandments and therefore he knows whether I shall be sav'd or damn'd Therefore I have no need to trouble my self for whatsoever I do I can never change Gods knowledge and eternal decree concerning my salvation or damnation Answer It is true we cannot alter Gods knowledge it is certain his decrees are immutable and that we shall be either saved or damned But knowing not which of the two and being certain that God will have all Men to be saved and none to perish and that for this cause he gives his grace unto all it being their fault if they be not saved as it appears by several Texts of the Holy Scripture Mans destruction is of himself Hos 13.9 Whilst we are in this World we ought to entertain this thought that we are of the number of the Elect. And because the Tree is known by its Fruit and the mark of the Elect is to do good and avoid evil embrace vertue and eschew vice and wholly obey the will of God. Therefore we ought to live conformable to those Rules all the days of our life this is the Character of a predestinated Soul which we ought to endeavour to carry along with us to our Grave CHAP. XXIX Gods Works are necessary to Salvation WE speak of Faith we extol it in Sermons assert we are thereby Justified without having any regard to good works and to confirm what we say we alledge Both the words of St. Paul and the example of Abraham If Abraham were Justified by works he hath whereof to Glory but not before God. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for Righteousness even as David discribeth the Blessedness of the Man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without works Rom. 4.2.6 which is the cause that many thinking too much upon Faith care very little to practice good works But they deceive themselves for they ought to Remember there are two sorts of Faith one Dead and another Living The Living Faith which only Justifies our Souls and whereby we are sav'd is never without good works as a good Tree is never without Fruit in its Season the Sun without Light Fire without Heat and Water without moisture Every Faith without good works is Dead saith St. James 3.17 What doth is profit my Brethren though a Man saith he hath Faith and have not works can Faith save him If a Brother or Sister be naked destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them depart in Peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needfull to the Body what doth it Profit even so Faith if it hath no works is Dead being alone yea a Man may say thou hast Faith and I have Works shew me thy Faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by my works thou believeth that there is one God thou doest well the Devils also believe and tremble But wilt thou know O vain Man that Faith without Works is Dead was not Abraham our Father Justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar seest thou how Faith wrought with his works and by works was Faith made perfect ye see then how that by works a Man is justified and not by Faith only for as the Body without Spirit is Dead so Faith without works is Dead also It profits nothing neither to our Justification nor Salvation Whosoever therefore will after his Death obtain an eternal Salvation ought
you ought to respect and obey them If J. Christ the only Son of God your Lord and Saviour was willing to pay Tribute unto Caesar and be Subject unto him why shall a Man of the Common People refuse to obey the high Powers You are not to be the Judg of them that are Established from God to Rule If what they Command be not an Evident Sin you must obey and you are not to dispute and argue to know whether what they ordain be Just If you do not clearly see that their Ordinances are opposite to those of God you ought to Judg of them Charitably and cleave thereunto If you idly spend your time in hearkening either to your Passion or Discourses of Wicked and Seditious Persons they will persuade you that white is black and that the Magistrates Ordinance made and Publish'd for the Glory of God the Salvation of your Soul and Common good is but to ensnare your Conscience and for the utter Ruin of the good Government Consider that all Misfortune of Mankind came because Eve spent idly her time in Discoursing with the Serpent He said unto her yea hath God said the shall not eat of every Tree of the Garden she said unto the Serpent we may eat of the Fruit of the Trees of the Garden but of the Fruit of the Tree which is in the midst of the Garden God hath said ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye Dye and the Serpent said unto the Woman ye shall not surely Dye for God doth know that in the Day ye eat thereof then your Eyes shall he opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and Evil Gen. 3. She suffered heâ— self to be persuaded by the Serpent She did not obey God who commanded her not to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of the knowledg of good and Evil. And this is the spring of all our Miseries Your King and Superiors make and publish an Ordinance in nothing contrary to Gods Law you busie your selves in hearkning unto your Passion and talking and arguing with Wicked malecontent and Seditious Persons they make you believe that that Ordinance tends to the Total Destruction of your Religion Liberty and Priviledg of the Subject you transgress this Commandment and so loose your Life Goods Honor and very often you are the cause of all the troubles and miseries which afterwards unfortunately happen in a Kingdom CHAP. XLVIII How Men ought to behave themselves in their troubles WHither you be rich or poor old or young in health or in disease you must not expect to be without troubles Did you ever hear of any Man that was freed from ' em Are there not daily complaints made in our Streets I do not believe that there is any Man in the World more unhappy in Wife and Children than I am saith one Do not you hear others saying that they know not how to maintain their Family and that they are so perplext that if Death should present it self it would be pleasant to them Doth not the Wise complain of her Husband and the Husband of his Wife the Father of the Child and the Child of his Father the Master of his Servant and the Servant of his Master To make it short where will you find a Man that can say I am free from all troubles and afflictions The Disease is general and this is the Remedy When you are in troubles you must not say 't is long of this Man or of that Woman so did the Israelites spake they murmured against Moses they would have stoned him saying that it was long of him that they were afflicted You must not do as the Dog doeth who when any Man throws a stone at him is wont to run after it and bite it instead of assaulting and biting him that threw it You must let the Creature alone and run strait unto God acknowledging that he being a Father altogether good and wise if he will have you to be in troubles 't is certainly for your advantage though it seems to you otherwise You must submit your selves to his Will saying Lord if thou wilt have me to be poor I will be so if thou wilt have me to be sick I am content if deprived of my Wife Children or Estate nay of my Honour I wholly submit my self to thy holy Will fretting will but increase your miseries submission onely easeth you Suppose that you live in time of War or Famine that they ravish your Children that to one they cut off his Arms to the other his Legs and chop them to the pot that would be very difficult for you to bear scarcely could you see this cruelty without dying Weep Lament Pray to the end that what happened formerly in other Countries may never happen in this Land. But suppose the same should happen what must you do then You ought not to blame this Man nor that Woman you ought to accuse your selves and confess that your sins have deserv'd such Punishments kiss the Rod that strikes you and pray to God with tears to remove his Flail In whatsoever affliction you be you must turn to God for as the Water is in the Sea and the Light in the Sun so Comfort is in God. If you be Poor Pray if Sick Pray if Sorrowfull Pray Prayer is a Key that openeth any Lock 't is a Medecine that healeth any Wound a Weapon that will prevail in any Place Prayers have prevailed in dens and dungeons Men have made Prayers for Captives for Prisoners for poor Men sick dying persecuted tempted sorrowfull afflicted by Beasts Men and Devils and have holpen them Peter was kept in Prison bound with two Chains and the Keepers before the door kept the Prison but Prayer was made of the Church unto God for him and behold the Angel of the Lord came and delivered him Act. 12. The effectual fervent Prayer of a Righteous Man availeth much saith St. James Elias was a Man subject to the same Passions as we are and he Prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the Earth by the space of three years and six months and he Prayed again and the Heaven gave rain and the Earth brought forth her fruit Jam. 5.16.17 CHAP. XLIX A necessary Preparation to every one that desires whorthily to receive the Lords Supper LET a Man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup saith Paul 1 Cor. 11.28 examine whether your Sins be bloted out and therefore Examine whether you are truly Penitent Cease to do evil and learn to do well and though your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be red like Crimson they shall be as Wool. Isa 1.17 True Repentance contains three parts Contrition Confession and Satisfaction To the end that Contrition may be good it ought to be Respective Universal supernatural It must be like a Janus with two Faces by one it must