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B12526 A preparation vnto fasting and repentance. By Peter Moulin, and translated by I.B.; Preparation à jeune et repentance. English Du Moulin, Pierre, 1568-1658.; J. B. (John Bulteel), d. 1669. 1620 (1620) STC 7336.5; ESTC S113623 21,955 107

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excellent creature that is how much lesse betweene God and between a man a sinner as Abraham was who acknowledgeth himselfe to be nought but dust and ashes whose light is nought but darkenesse whose righteouinesse is as filthy ragges whose strength is as smoake that vanisheth away If God findes no stedfastnesse in his Angels how much lesse in them that dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust which are crushed before the Moth Such as was the splendor of Herods robes when hee was eaten of wormes and gaue vp the ghost in comparison of the brightnesse of the Sun such is the glory of man in the presence of God and that small lustre which he hath in this world is accompanied with thousands of briers and incommodities like a gloe-worme in the midst of a bush What thinke ye is the highest heauen before God It is as a point in his presence and what is the earth in regard of heauen but as a point in comparison And what is a man in comparison of the whole earth but as a Pismire wandring in a large countrey as the Prophet Isaiah Chapter 40. speaketh Behold the nations are as a drop of a Bueket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance and are as nothing before him And therefore Abraham saith Behold I haue taken vpon me to speake vnto the Lord which am but dust and ashes It is also the end for the which God hath created man of the dust to the end that if he should happen to glory of the light of his vnderstanding hee should be presently abased and abated by the remembrance of the birth and beginning of his body and by the feeling of his infirmity and to the end hee should vse and imploy this reason to pray vnto God who lifteth the poore from the dust and powreth his treasures into earthen vessels that he would not contest against dust nor enter into an accompt with ashes that he would let it dissolue by nature without dissoluing it before his time by the violence of his wrath This is the consideration which Dauid brings in the 103. Psalme to moue God to clemency and compassion Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him for he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are dust before whom wee cannot present our selues but our haires must stare our blood must freeze within vs and all the pride wee haue in vs must needes be abated by feare All these considerations might make this priuate familiaritie of Abraham with God seeme to be excessiue as intending to controule the actions of God and his cunning with small respect to insinuate himselfe little by little and obtaine by peeces that which hee durst not demand all at once Notwithstanding in that God heareth him willingly and accepts his demaund hinders vs to presume of any euill in such an holy and excellent seruant of God To resolue you of this point ye must know that in a great similitude of words there is often a great dissimilitude of sence and intention Two persons sometimes will vse the same words and make the same signes but to diuers ends and with different intentions As in the 17. Chapter of Genesis Abraham laughes at the promise which God made him touching a Sonne this laughter in him is not reproued because it proceeded of ioy not of distrust but in the 18. Chapter Sarah laughes at the selfe same thing and is checked for it because God did perceiue therein her distrust as if the thing was impossible Zacharie the father of Iohn Baptist and the Virgin Mary doe answere the Angel in words alike saying How shall this be In Zacharie it was a How of doubt in the holy virgin Mary it was a How of inquiry to demand instruction Who could approue in any other then in Moses these bolde words Yet now if thou wilt forgiue their sinne if not blot mee I pray thee out of thy booke which thou hast written You know that Iob and Ieremie prest with anguish haue cursed the day of their birth I thinke that those that are tormented in hell say the very same thing for as Christ saith of Iudas it had beene good for those men that they had neuer beene borne But other was the motion that droue these holy men to this other the murmuring of the damned for these are moued and set on with hatred against God but Iob and Ieremie haue suffered themselues to slippe by infirmitie to these words of excesse wherein I doubt not but they haue greatly offended God and haue asked him pardon thereof The bubling of their anguish haue casted forth for once this scumme of their impatience So in a man weaker in faith then Abraham and lesse accustomed to conferre with God familiarly this priuate familiarity might seeme excessiue but the humility whereby he acknowledgeth himselfe dust and ashes and the fauourable answeres of God to his demands doe exempt him from the crime of temerity Let vs not impute to subtilty this kinde of insinuating himselfe so by degrees nor looke for any craft therin let vs rather attribute it to the nature of faith which imboldeneth her selfe by degrees and maketh her selfe familiar little by little by how much shee acknowledgeth the effects of Gods fauour for the first fauourable answers doe giue liberty to make others the first graces of God doe containe couert promises of increasing of graces for God giueth because he hath giuen his first liberalities doe inuite the following ones hee crownes not our merits but his gifts his gifts and his calling are without repentance This priuate familiarity of Abraham therefore was without contempt his boldnesse was modest his confidence humble which hee testifies in acknowledging himselfe dust and ashes for without this humility his prayer had beene vnpleasing to God who reiects the prayer of the proud and inclines his care vnto those that haue a contrite and broken spirit as it is said in Isaiah Chapter 66. I will looke to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word God sendeth raine in greater abundance on low places yea when it doth fall on high places it stayes not there And if any great tempest or furious storme happeneth the Oake and Ashe trees are ouerthrowne and cast downe to the earth but the Time and Marioram remaine whole Gods graces falling vpon the proud doe not stop nor settle there God resisteth the proud but giueth grace vnto the humble To aske of God graces with a haughty spirit and opinion of his owne righteousnesse is to be like him that should begge with a suit of cloath of gold and all perfumed he that askes after such an vndecent manner must looke to be refused Notwithstanding in this gradation of Abrahams de●…ands considering that he being come to the number of ten he stayes there and saith not but Lord if there be fiue found within the Citie wilt thou not spare the place for