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A57648 A centurie of divine meditations upon predestination and its adjuncts wherein are shewed the comfortable uses of this doctrine : to which are annexed sixteen meditations upon Gods justice and mercy / Alexander Ross. Ross, Alexander, 1591-1654. 1646 (1646) Wing R1948; ESTC R1065 34,757 168

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and the glory of thy truth in performing what thou hast promised though thus I have not deserved XCV All the afflictions of Gods people are either punishments chastisements or probations punishments for sins past chastisements to prevent sinnes to come probations to make triall of our Christian vertues and though Christ was punished for our sinnes to free us from eternall torments yet we are not thereby exempted from temporarie punishments he died to save us from death eternall not from death temporall he both suffered and satisfied we suffer though we cannot satisfie our sufferings are to shew our conformitie with Christ but not to shew any insufficiencie in the death of Christ Thou O Lord hast paid a plenarie ransome for sin and thou that knewest no sin becamest sinne and didst suffer death as a punishment for us that we who are born in sin might be free from sin that death might not be a punishment but a chastisement to us XCVI As by one simple act God knowes his own Essence so by one simple act he wils his own goodnesse which will whether we take it for an act or for an habit is eternally in God and differs but in some respects from his essence and therefore is immutable infinite and holy as his Essence and though many things are willed by him yet there is but one will in him which cannot be moved by any efficient end or object different from himself Lord though my will cannot attain that simplicitie infinitenesse and immutabilitie that is in thee yet let it obtain some measure of holinesse that in desiring of that only which is good it may in some measure resemble thine XCVII All have not had the happinesse to heare of Christ and yet there is no happinesse without Christ in this God is not unjust for they who either in themselves or in their parents have rejected him are not worthy of him besides God hath not left himself without a witnesse for he hath left a law written in all mens hearts and so much light of his goodnesse and justice as may make all men excuselesse If therefore they shall be rejected that had not that light of knowledge which we have how can we think we are elected who have even spurned at the knowledge of that light which they have not XCVIII Regeneration which is the killing of the old man and quickning of the new hath for her ushers Sorrow and Contrition for her Attendants Faith and Hope for her followers the works of Charitie if any of these be defective Generation will be little effective neither is this the work of nature but of grace for nature by generation can give us a mortall essence but grace by regeneration gives us an immortall existence in our first birth we had a new nature from our corporall parents in our second birth nature is renewed by our spirituall parents So easie is the work of physicall generation that it 's performed in the instant of our conception so difficult is the work of hyperphysicall regeneration that we cannot be consummately reformed till the instant of our dissolution Lord the great world was with greater facilitie by thee created then the little world of man could by thee be re-created that was done only by uttering thy externall word this could not be done but by the suffering of thy internall Word therefore as I am bound to thee for the tempor all life which in my generation by thy spirit thou breathedst in me much more am I bound for that eternall life which in my regeneration by thy Sonnes death thou hast purchased for me XCIX In thy sight O Lord no flesh can be justified if we consider the puritie of thy nature the rigour of thy justice the infirmities of our flesh and the imperfections of our righteousnesse For the first the Angels are not pure in thy sight much lesse we who dwell in houses of clay For the second if thou shouldst marke Lord what is done amisse who could abide it For the third there is no man that doth good no not one we are all gone out of the way For the fourth the justest man falleth seven times a day and our righteousness is like a menstruous cloath Therefore we acknowledge Lord there is no righteousnesse inherent in us by which we can be saved but that righteousnesse which is inherent in thee and imputed to us and by that we are justified and there is in thee exuberance of mercies by which we may be pardoned C. We are justified by grace formally by faith instrumentally by the word ministerially by good works demonstratively by sorrow and repentance preparatively by Christs death and obedience meritoriously and by God himself principally if then God be the efficient cause if Christs active and passive obedience be the materiall if grace be the formall if Gods glory be the finall cause of our justification how can we claime any share in it We are only subjects and patients no wayes agents our good works are but fruits and effects no wayes causes our sorrow and repentance are effects of preventing grace not of free-will our faith is from above not from our selves Therefore O Lord I disclaime all merit of congruitie and condignitie all efficacie of Sacraments all suffrages of Saints all power of Romane Prelates all absolution of Priests all observation of humane tradition and all will-worship from my justification I acknowledge no other merits but thy mercies by thy grace thou preventedst my merits my merits are thy suffrings my holinesse is thy goodnesse my righteousnesse is but a sparkle of thy brightnesse a drop of that Ocean a grain of that heap a stone of that immense mountain of thy incomprehensible goodnesse for which I am indebted to thee not thou to me Therefore not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name we glve the glory DIVINE MEDITATIONS UPON Gods Justice I. GOD will not pardon any sin except we repent of every sin for as he that breaks one command is guiltie of the breach of all so he that faileth in repenting of one sin repenteth of never a sin God loves not to doe things by halves he will pardon all or none and he will have us repent of all or none for as it stands not with his goodnesse and perfection to give an imperfect pardon so it consisteth not with the sinceritie of repentance to conceale any sin not repented as he ejected seven divels out of one and a legion out of another without leaving any behinde in the possessed so he will have us cast out all our sinnes without hiding of any unrepented What availes it to be freed from Satans power in casting us into the water of drunkennesse if he can when he pleaseth fling us into the fire of concupiscence O thou that art the great Physician of my soul to thee I open all my wounds and disclose all my maladies make me by the vomit of confession to cast up all my sinfull humours before
sinceritie II. A great argument of Gods goodnesse and mercie is his forbearance and longanimitie he stretcheth out his hands all day long to a rebellious generation Why will you die O house of Israel As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner Many miracles did he work to turn Pharaohs heart sixscore yeares did he spend to bring the first world to repentance many Prophets did he send before he would destroy the Jewes he would have healed Babylon but she would not be healed he would have gathered Jerusalem as the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings but she would not be gathered How loath was he to cut down the fig-tree though fruitlesse how loath was he to destroy his Vineyard though grapelesse how loath to overthrow the Jewes though gracelesse O Lord I confesse that thy forbearance in punishing me so great a sinner proceeds not from any liking thou takest in my sinning for thou art most good nor for any neglect in correcting for thou art most just nor for any ignorance that can be in thee for thou art omniscient nor for any impotencie that can befall thee for thou art omnipotent but onely out of thy goodnesse and mercie towards me who delightest not in any mans destruction but patiently waitest for the sinners conversion Lord I am more bound to thee for thy long forbearance then the Angels who sinned in Heaven and Adam in Paradise they had no sooner offended thee but they were rejected by thee I have oftentimes sinned and yet I am spared O let me not abuse thy long animitie by presumption but let it work in me a true and speedie conversion III. God sheweth his great mercie towards us in using so many meanes to call us when we are wearie he bids us come to him and he will ease us when we are thirstie he bids us come and drink that with these waters of life he may refresh us when we are hungrie he bids us come and eat for with his own body he will feed us when we have fought and got the victorie he will bid us come to receive the Crown of glorie which he hath laid up for us He calls us by his Spirit inwardly and by his Word outwardly Every good motion is a call and an inward knocking every Preacher is a Messenger every Sermon is a Summons every Scripture is a Love-letter by which he invites and calls us Besides every benefit that we receive from him is a Messenger to invite us to him every morning the sun riseth not onely to give us light but to invite us unto him who is the fountain of light every night the moon or stars appeare not only to lessen the darknesse of the aire but also to drive away the darknesse of the minde to call us both out of corporall and spirituall obscuritie Every drop of rain every flower in the field every eare of corne every grape in thy Vineyard every increase of thy flock every addition to thy stock are so many trumpetters of Gods mercie to stirre up and call thee Again every crosse and affliction he layes upon us whether sicknesse povertie banishment imprisonment or infamie are so many Heraulds sent to summon and call us Besides all these the horrour of hell-darkness which shall never be illightened of that fire which shall never be extinguished of that thirst which shall never be quenched of that worm that shall never be consumed of that weeping and gnashing of teeth which shall never be ended are proposed to us as so many sad Apparitors to summon us But lastly if none of these will prevaile with us then the joyes of Heaven are painted out unto us the light that knowes no darknesse the joy that knowes no sorrow the life that knowes no death the comfort of Gods countenance the beautie of the new Jerusalem the societie of holy Angels the companie of Christ and of all the blessed Soules the rivers of delight fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore O God how wonderfull is thy goodnesse which thou hast shewed to me in profering so many baites to catch and draw me out of the turbulent sea of this world unto the shore of eternall happinesse But I have not obeyed thy outward invitations nor inward motions I have not taken notice of thy benefits nor of thy chastisements not of thy threatnings nor of thy promises Lord I am so backward thou must not only call me but compell me thou must not only warne me but thou must draw me and then I will cheerfully run after thee IIII. The mercy of God appeares also in this that after our relapses he is ready to receive us his mercies are those sweet oyntments which make the Virgins follow him He came to call sinners to repentance to save that which was lost he rejected not that sinfull Mary Magdalene nor Matthew though a Publican nor the Canaanitish woman though a dog nor the Thief upon the Crosse nor Peter that denied him nor the Jewes that crucified him nor Paul that persecuted him that loving Father in the Gospel did not receive his prodigall Son when he returned nor the shepherd that sheep which went astray nor the woman her groat which she had lost with so much joy and gladnesse as he will us if we return to him by repentance O Lord I have gone astray like a lost sheep from thee I have like a Prodigall spent that patrimonie of grace which thou gavest me I have gone a whoring after this vain world and have forsaken thee O thou that art a carefull Shepherd a pitifull Father a loving Husband reject not thy lost sheep thy prodigall sonne thy disloyall wife Shall I dispaire to come unto thee whose armes are stretched out on the crosse to embrace me whose head bendeth downward to kisse me whose heart is opened to receive and entertain me V. Gods mercie is to be considered either as it is in him or as it is from him as it is in him it is his act or habit as it is from him it is his effect as it is in him it is immutable as it is from him it is changeable as it is in him it is necessarie as it is from him it is voluntarie for he will have mercie on whom he will as it is in him it is his * power as it is from him it is his † operation as it is in God it is God for nothing is eternall except God but his mercy is eternall from generation to generation saith David it is not lawfull to trust in any but in God yet David trusteth in Gods mercy doubtlesse then his mercy is himself and being it is so his mercy and justice are all one though the effects of his justice and mercy are different Lord as thy justice is seen in punishing sinners so is thy mercy manifested in sparing them as thy justice was unspeakeable in punishing thy Son for my sin so is thy mercy incomprehensible in pardoning my