Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
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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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Birds when they are flying but when they are setting So doth the Devil he doth not ordinarily tempt us when we are busie but always when we are Idle Whilst David was imployd in the Persecution of Saul he committed no Adultery but when he stood quiet and idle in his Palace then he defiled himself with Bersabee God did not put us in the World to be idle but to work As he hath given Birds two Wings to fly even so he hath given Man two Hands to work Man is born unto travel saith Job as the sparks fly upward Job 5.7 If he be laisy if he will not work he will swarm in Vices and be reduced to beg his Bread. The slothful will not plow because of Winter therefore shall he beg in Summer but have nothing he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 10.4 CHAP. XLV Riches ought to be contemned and how TO be a Christian is enough to oblige you to the contempt of all earthly Riches We are engaged to 't by our Baptism For by our solemn promise to renounce the Pomps and Vanities of this World we have at the same time implicitly promised to make no account of its Riches being the causes and nurses of them Take away the Cause the effect ceaseth Take away Riches you take away Pride and Vanity Will you not set your Heart on Riches remember that naked thou camest out of thy Mothers Womb and naked shalt thou return thither again Job 1.21 Remember that we brought nothing into this World and it is certain we can carry nothing out but they that will be rich shall fall into temptation and a snare and into many hurtful lusts which drown Men into destruction and perdition for the love of Mony is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the Faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows 1 Tim. 6. Remember when Nebuchadnezzar set his heart on Riches he became a Beast and eat Grass as an Ox but lifting up his Eyes into Heaven by Repentance he came again unto his former shape Dan. 4.34 If Crates despised Riches because they did hinder him to apply himself to Philosophy ought you not with a better reason to imitate him if you find they hinder you to go to Heaven For what profits a Man if he wins the whole World and looses his own Soul. At last remember that the Pilgrim who is going to travel a great Journey is not used to load himself we are all Pilgrims our Country is Heaven we intend to go thither If you will easily enter into 't you must not load your selves with the care of Riches When I say you ought to contemn Riches I do not mean you ought quite to forsake them so that you may be brought to extream poverty Because Poverty is another sort of temptation which is able to make you fall into sin and consequently loose the Kingdom of Heaven .. Solomon who knew it speaks thus unto his God. O Lord give me neither Poverty nor Riches feed me with food convenient for me lest I be full and deny thee and steal and take the name of my God in vain Prov. 30.8 By the contempt of Riches I mean if you have them in great plenty you ought neither to set your heart on them nor endeavour to keep and increase them by unlawfull ways but let the needy be partakers of them Otherwise it will be as hard to you to go to Heaven as to a Camel to go through a needles eye and if you have none you must not be idle but work by just and honest ways to get some But if after your endeavours it pleases God to leave you in Poverty be content with your condition and persuaded since God who is good and wise denies you Riches in this World it is either to punish you for your sins or because he knows they would be an hindrance to your Salvation CHAP. XLVI We must avoid the smallest Sins THere are some who detest with Horror Robery and Adultery they would not for all the World commit those sorts of Sins But they do not care if they fall into others which seem to them of small consequence wherein they deceive themselves for using to commit the small Sins they fall insensibly into the greatest If you will hinder a ship from being drowned you must stop all the Leaks whereby Water useth to come in One Sin draws an other qui spernit modica paulatim decidet he that contemns small things shall fall by little and little one of the Plagues in Egypt was in the beginning a small number of lice afterwards followed an innumberable number of Flees which vexed Pharao and his People The Devil is not wont to provoke you at first unto great Sins you would be frighted at them and he would loose his time He incites you to commit the smallest knowing by experience that if you commit them you will insensibly fall into those which are more hainous If you suffer Sin when it is small to subdue your Heart it will increase by little and little and afterwards it will be as hard to you to drive it out as it is difficult to pluck up a great tree Eschew therefore the smallest Sins as you are used to avoid Plague and Serpents CHAP. XLVII We must Obey Kings and Magistrates KIngs Magistrates are Gods Lieutenants they are his Image they represent him and for this cause they are called Gods in the Holy Scripture When they Command you must Obey He that heareth you saith Christ unto his Disciples hears me and he that Obeys Kings and Magistrates Obeys God. You are then bound to Obey them provided they Command nothing contrary to the Commands of God if it be so you ought to Disobey as did Sydrach Misach and Abednago who had rather to enter into a burning Furnace than to bow before the Image which Nabuchadnezzar had caused to be erected and as did also the Apostles and Martyrs who had rather to endure all kinds of Torments than to Obey the Heathen Emperours when they did forbid them to believe and Preach that J. Christ was the Son of God. For it is written in the Acts we ought rather to Obey God than Men. But when you see nothing in their Commands contrary to the will of God. You must obey them Obey them that Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls as they that must give account Heb. â— 17 and let every Soul be Subject unto the higher Powers for there is no Power but of God the Powers that be are ordained of God whosoever therefore resists the Power resists the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation it may be that both the King and Magistrate are Sinners it is what you must not consider the Office wherein they are by Gods Will is Holy and what they Command is good
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