Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_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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that can say with David God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever happy is he who can exclaim with him Ps 42. as the heart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God. My soul thirsteth for God for the living God my tears have been my meat day and night while continually they say unto me where is thy God 't is as much impossible to satisfie our Soul with the things that are here below as it is impossible to quench a great Fire by adding fewel unto it continually The Reason is this our Soul is spiritual and all that is in the World is material our Soul is made to enjoy God who is soverainly perfect and infinite and all that is in this World is imperfect and finite Why doth bread nourish our Body and poison destroy it the Reason is this bread agreeth with the nature of Men and poison doth not agree with it God alone agreeth with the nature of our Soul and therefore he only is able to satisfie it he Created it for himself by consequence it will never be contented untill it rests in him CHAP. XLII The Covetous Man is always poor and miserable the Liberal always Rich and Happy THE Covetous Man is always Poor He wants as well of what he possesseth as of What he hath not Although all other Sins be hurtful nevertheless they procure some good either to others or to him that sinneth But Covetousness is hurtful unto all Men as well in general as in particular for whilst the Covetous Man hideth his Money and will neither use it nor distribute a part of it for the relief of the poor it profits no Body not so much as to the Covetous Man. He is more unhappy than the other Sinners for though they have no Joy to hope in the other World yet they receive some in this present Life but the Covetous Man hath none in this World nor in the other No Covetous Person which is an Idolater hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God Ephes 5. he is unworthy to have a place either with the Angels above in Heaven or with Men below in Earth He is miserable in his Life for he is always Poor He is hated of his nearest Relations to whom if he doth any good 't is only after Death being not able to carry away his Money along with him And there is Danger whilst he is in the World either it will happen to him that which happened Ananias and Saphira who for their Coveteousness were punished by a sudden Death or he falls into the same misfortune as Judas who for the Love of Money having sold his good Master hang'd himself It is not so with the liberal he gives and wants nothing He knoweth he that bestows his goods upon the Poor for Gods sake will no more want than the poor Widow wanted oyl and Meal when she relieved Elias Give saith Christ Luc. 6.38 and it shall be given you He that gives to the Poor gives to Christ for as much saith he as ye have done it unto one of the least of those my Brethren ye have done it unto me Mat. 25.40 when we appear before him in the day of Judgment by the works of Mercy he will Judg us The more a Man gives to the needy the more he is like God his Creator who gives to all and receives nothing from any Many do spend a great deal of Money to Adorn their Houses with Fine and Rich Furniture and to make when they are dead a magnificent and splended Burial to the end that they obtain some Reputation amongst Men but they would be more esteemed if what they spend in these trifles and vanities they would bestow it upon the poor All those fine Beds Rich Tapistries and splendid Furnitures have no tongue to praise them as the Poor have By distributing their goods in the hands of the needy they send them into Heaven where neither moth nor rust shall corrupt them and where thiefs cannot break through to steal them away Therefore happy is he who stretches out his hands to the needy He that gives to the Poor shall not lack the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a Curse Prov. 28.27.31.20 Ps 41.1 CHAP. XLIII We must submit our Flesh to the Spirit WHosoever you are you shall have always occasion to fight in this World because you carry in your bosom an Enemy from whom you shall never be freed till after Death The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other and so united together that whilst we are here below the one cannot be without the other And yet they are so divided that the Life of one is the Death of th' other Walk in the Spirit saith Paul for if ye Live after the Flesh ye shall Die but if ye mortifie the deeds of the Body ye shall live take away the wood from the Fire and the heat shall abate Take away Oat and Hay from a young wild Horse you make him tame and Obedient to his Master if you grant to your Body all that it desires if you give it drink eat and sleep abundantly it will overcome your Soul. But if you assist your Soul with fasting watching and Prayer it will with the Grace of God master your Body Is it not better to your Soul to be the Mistress that both Body and Soul may be saved than to see one and the other eternally damn'd if you let your body master your Soul he that loveth his Life shall loose it and he that hateth his Life in this World shall keep it unto Eternal Life Jo. 12.25 Though St. Paul were a Vessel of Election yet saith he I keep under my Body and bring it into Subjection least by any means when I have Preached to others I my self should be cast away 1 Cor. 9.27 Daniel was mourning three full Weeks and eat no pleasant bread nor came Flesh nor Wine in his mouth neither did he anoint himself at all till three whole Weeks were over then lifting up his Eyes he had immediately Visions from Heaven and Revelations from God Dan. 10. though J. Christ had no need of fasting to subdue his Flesh to the Spirit nevertheless to give an Example he fasted Fourty Days and Fourty Nights Take heed saith he Luc. 21.34 least at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this Life and so that day come upon you unawares CHAP. XLIV Idleness ought to be avoided WIll you avoid Evil and Vice avoid Idleness it is the Mother and Nurse of it Idleness brings much evil Eccl. 33.26 The running water affords the best Fishes but the standing does commonly produce but Frogs Toads and Serpents The Earth which is barren and not Till'd brings forth only Bryers and Thorns The Fowler doth not commonly shoot
pleasant and sweet that nothing but Experience is able to express it I could at that time say with Peter it is good to be here But now I perceive that the Tide is turn'd there is water mingled with my Wine Joys are changed into bitterness for being continually alarm'd by the cryes of an accusing Conscience I am afraid of the terrors of an avenging God least he condem me for ever into Eternal Fire those fears never leave me they are my constant attendants they lye down and rise up with me and pursue me so near that I am become a Burden to my self and can find no Comfort Remember some may say that J. Christ is the Propitiation for our Sins he hath purged them and delivered us from the Curse of the Law and from the Wrath to come and satisfied the Divine Justice and obtain reconciliation with the Father for us These words are indeed excellent to comfort a Soul that is persuaded she hath a real interest in J. Christ but since God according to Calvins Doctrine did by his immutable decree elect a small number of Men to Salvation and appoint the rest to Damnation neither considering their good or bad Actions but his pleasure only l. 3. c. 22. Sect. 7. How shall I know that I am of the number of the Elect without a particular Revelation from God they say the number of the Reprobates is far greater than that of the Elect. If so have I not great cause to fear that I am enroll'd under the greater Multitude when Christ said to his Apostles one of you shall betray me though eleven of em were Innocent and but one Guilty yet they were so anxiously concern'd and troubled that they could not forbear asking Master is it I Wherefore in Case the number of the Reprobate should be less than that of the elect yet being doubtful in what number I am listed and the torments of Hell being very frightful this consideration alone is able to trouble me and deprive my Soul of all comfort For nothing can assure and comfort me but an Infallible and certain perswasion that I am of the number of the elect and that is what I cannot have in this Life without a special Revelation from God. CHAP. XXVI David and St. Paul did not believe Predestination and Reprobation as they are above explain'd in the 19th Chapter THeir ardent Prayers to God Almighty and frequent Exhhortations to Men for their Eternal Salvation are an undeniable proof of it I have saith Paul a great heaviness and continual sorrow in my Heart for I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the Flesh Rom. 9.2 and in the next Chapter he speaks thus Brethren my Hearts desire and Prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved What should be the reason of this sorrow Prayer and wish of St. Paul if God did by his absolute and irrevocable decree ordain the Brethren of St. Paul and his Kinsmen according to the Flesh to an Eternal Damnation without any regard to their Sins for if Gods decree had been such and known for such to St. Paul he ought to have said that it was very wise very just and conducing to Gods Glory and that it was an impiety for any Man to repine and murmer at it and therefore St. Paul would be very imprudent knowing Gods decree to be immutably fixt to all Eternity to interpose his Prayers and Wishes for the Evasion of it His Prayer would be Sin being against Faith and the true Rule of a good Prayer which ought to be a perfect and intire Submission to Gods orders and decrees Rom. 14.23 because of unbelief they were broken of Rom. 11.20 know saith David that the Lord hath set a part him that is godly for himself the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon him that fear him to such as keep his Covenant and to those that remember his Commandments to do them These words shew clearly that David and St. Paul did not believe Predestination and Reprobation as they are above axplain'd in the 19th Chapter having regard to Fidelity and Infidelity to Obedience and disobedience to good and bad Actions CHAP. XXVII How Predestination is to be understood IT is certain God knows all things from all Eternity and no new thing can be added to his knowledg It is certain also that his Decree is immutable and that those he hath Predestinated unto Salvation shall infallibly obtain it as those he hath appointed to Damnation shall not escape it but it is not without consideration of their Faith and Infidelity nor without a respect to their obedience and to their good and ill Actions Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse a blessing if ye obey the Commandments of the Lord your God and a curse if ye will not obey Deut. 11.26 If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8.13 So that either we live by one means or we die by another the Will of God Almighty is always fulfilled his decree doth not change because it is conditional Gods Will is not that we should necessarily observe his Commandments or that we should necessarily transgress them but if we transgress them though this transgression be contingent yet eternal Death is the necessary punishment for 'em and if we keep them though this observation of 'em be in our power with the Grace of God yet eternal Salvation is the necessary reward for ' em Thus Predestination is to be understood It is in respect of our Faith and obedience to Gods Commandments Thus the Prophets and Apostles understood it and that you may be fully convinc'd marke these Texts following He is the Author of Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 He that shall endure unto the end the same shall be saved 1 Tim. 2.25 Be thou faithful unto the Death and I will give thee the Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 I have fought a good fight saith Paul I have finished my course I have kept the Faith henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness 2. Tim. 4.7 God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth 2 Thess 2.13 Elect according to the foreknowledg af God the Father through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of J. Christ 1 Pet. 1 2. God is not respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and works Righteousness is accepted with him Act. 10.34 Then shall the King say come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you for I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye cloathed me sick and ye visited me in Prison and ye