Selected quad for the lemma: world_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A58850
|
The method and means to a true spiritual life consisting of three parts, agreeable to the auncient [sic] way / by the late Reverend Matthew Scrivener ... ; cleared from modern abuses, and render'd more easie and practicall.
|
Scrivener, Matthew.
|
1688
(1688)
|
Wing S2118; ESTC R32133
|
179,257
|
416
|
he will acquitt and absolve us But God undoubtedly doth remitt offences to some mens repentance which he will not doe to anothers by reason of the varietie of the circumstances of the persons As for instance If a man heinously offending God and having knowledge opportunity means and speciall motives to exercise and demonstrate the same shall speak lightly of that way and with presumption rather than Faith securely lay all the dutie on some inward trouble of minde I may justly fear such a mans repentance will fail him and frustrate his expectation though in some cases and of some persons it may be accepted No greater evill surely to Gods grace and mans well-grounded faith is there than to have recourse to what God can doe and what Christ hath done and so therein to rest as wilfully to forbear what they themselves ought to doe And men ought to doe what in them ordinarily lies to the recovery of their fall and standing right in the Court and favour of God neither attributing too much to such outward workes wrought nor too confidently laying claim to the freenesse and amplitude of Gods favour unqualified wholly for the same 5. Two eminent Examples Ancient stories afford us for the better regulating our belief and actions in this Case The one is of Father Paemen in the Apothegmes of the Fathers To whom one coming and confessing a great sin whereinto he had lately fallen humbled himselfe before him assuring him that for so doing he would doe Penance for three yeers No said the old Father it is too much A yeer then said the other It is too much said he Fourtie dayes said the offender It is too much I tell you said Paemen three dayes Penance not committing the same sin again the sin was Fornication may suffice No doubt but this resolution was sound and good because of a fervent and strong determination of taking upon himselfe a more difficult task and heavie burden through deep sense of his wickednesse which God principally regards But should any man set such like sin at so low a rate as to contemne much outward trouble and say within himselfe that true Repentance is to be sorrie at large and not to committ the same sin again I doubt whether such selfe-absolution upon such easie termes would be accepted by God. For those who probably have not fallen into such scandalous sins but devoted themselves more entirely and intimately to the service of God have judged their whole lives not too much to win Gods favour by Repentance and that of the severer sort For Gregory Nyssen in the Life of St. Ephrem the Syrian writeth of him That as it was naturall for all other men to use respiration and motion so became it customarie to him to weep so that there was scarce any day or any night or any considerable part of day or night or very short time in which he did not shed teares teaching us that we ought never to resolve against weeping for our sins or having confidence in Gods mercy where the grace of true Repentance is found and true fruits though not so high and heroicall as I may so speake are not wanting Nothing is more contrarie to the free Grace of God or our Dutie than limiting him or it where he hath not circumscribed himselfe To say within a mans selfe God will not have mercie upon me unlesse I truely repent is the Doctrine God himselfe put into a mans mouth and must be held immutably and inviolably because he hath so often said it and hath limited his pardon to that condition But to say To doe thus much in Repentance or to goe thus far only is sufficient without farther troubling flesh and blood or on the contrary to say positively God will not pardon my offences unlesse my true repentance be attended with and demonstrated by such or such outward exercises is to determine what God hath not determined and to lay the stresse of obtaining mercie upon uncommanded services as we are taught by some of late dayes to speake It is left therefore by God obscure as to the visible part of Repentance what God will accept and what he will not for reconciliation But to condemn outward severities as too many doe upon a possibilitie that God may save us without them may for ought we know turne Gods face from approving our presumed-on Repentance inward For there are so many instances of Great Sinners greatly humbled outwardly as well as inwardly upon the sight of their sins in Holy Scripture as well as monuments of the Church that it is a wonder to me to observe the confidence the moderne divinity of some hath put into the hearts of men by a prodigall faith to make up a short and easie reckoning between God and them adding taunts and reproaches to them who surpasse them in sensible exercises and concomitants of inward sorrow He therefore is in the safest way to have his soule cleansed from his sins and the scores wiped out between God and himselfe who shall bear such a venerable opinion towards Repentance such a hatred and detestation of sin such an equall opinion between the Justice and goodnesse of God as that by abundance of penances imposed on himselfe or by others whose judgement he may follow better than his own in such cases he cannot merit properly Gods favour nor keeping up a faithfull and humble spirit towards God in sincere Repentance not so fairly qualified must despair of remission For undoubtedly the contrition of the heart shall much preponderate the bodily exercises weighed together in Gods ballance but 't is no reason at all because that is principally to be done that we should leave the latter undone and that upon severall accounts not so well consisting with our present designe 6. But yet in generall to reconcile men to the complexe dutie of Repentance thus asserted I shall offer to the devouter mindes these few Considerations of the excellencie of Repentance As first that Repentance is the greatest Good God could bestow upon the lapsed Sinner so that it may be doubted whether his singular love to mankinde had appeared more conspicuously in preventing his fall by a powerfull hand than by giving him Repentance to lift him up again It was much easier for man to have persever'd in the state of Grace at first received of God and seems more easie to God if any thing may be said to be difficult to him to have preserved man so than to have restored him So that of that great evill of man Apostacie from God this great good ensued the manifestation of the greatnesse of his power and mercie in giving repentance unto man and by such an abject thing in the eyes of the world to produce so glorious effect as the conversion of a Sinner the very joy and applause of the blessed Saints and Angells in heaven Nay though Christ as a Mediatour and Redeemer was the pure gift of God to man yet the influence and effect
Christ hath set us 6. Secondly The speciall care that God taketh of him who careth least for his own will but committeth the management of it into the hands of his most Wise and Gracious Father 'T is true To have ones own will and to doe as we are impelled by it is the preciousest Pearle in the world to the naturall man nothing so deare to him as that and that when it is really evill in it selfe and hurtfull though pleasing to himselfe But man having so little skill how to use such a dangerous instrument were it not much better to resigne it into the hands of him that careth for us more than we doe for our selves and is wiser for us than we for our selves As we see it in Children When a thing of great value is bestowed upon them by some Friend the Parents have the keeping of it least it should be lost spoiled imbezel'd or hurt the young owner till he comes to yeers of discretion So our Godfather properly so called God himselfe bestoweth upon us that great Jewell of Freewill and Choice which he denies to inferiour Creatures but with this tacit condition that we should committe it to his custodie and by his wisdome and direction only use and exercise the same till we come to yeers of true discretion which is only in Heaven and not in this life Then shall we have the full and absolute use of it because then there is no feare that we should use it amisse as here we doe And this is that which holy David adviseth Psalm 55. 22. saying Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved This is it which St. Peter allso exhorteth unto 1 Ep. 5. 6 7. Humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you And more expressely and particularly Christ himselfe counselleth thus his Disciples Matth. 6. Take no thought for your life c. For Which of you by taking care can adde on cubit to his stature The trueth is no man exalts himselfe so highly as he who secluding or not considering God followes the will of himselfe and the greatest of all humiliation is by the subjecting of our wills to Gods and the next and readiest way to true preferrement or exaltation And take no thought saith Christ not commending supinenesse sloth or lazinesse in any but none without God none not directed and regulated by his Will and Prescripts none without consulting him and submitting the event with all confidence aed calmenesse to his all-disposing most wise most just most gracious Providence and in suffering as well as doing his Will For it is a Maxime or Rule berter becoming a Heathens mouth than a Christians Every man is master or maker of his own fortune not but that every man hath a hand in and contributes towards Good or evill events befalling him but that the Architectonicall or Over-ruling Power of all is in God whoe doth not allwayes give the Battle to the strong nor the Race to the swist nor bread to the wise to teach us that he is Lord paramount of all according to the Divine acknowledgement of the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 26. 12. Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou allso hast wrought all our works in us And therefore it seems to me a thing as very memorable so more worthy the mouth and practice of a Christian what is written of Muhamed Olbarsalanus the Great Prince of Bagdet or Babylon a Saracen who being wounded to death in a Battle which he fought as he died said I never before this once fought but first I desired Gods blessing I would all Christians would doe so and have so much confidence in God in all matters especially of importance that they would first implore Gods aid and then depend on him for the successe which if it be favourable he must be humbly thankfull if improsperous in like manner patient as the effect of Gods Divine and wise Providence requires 7. Thirdly The Scripture both by Example and Precepts directs us to this reasonable as well as religious resignation of our wills unto Gods Will when it sets before our eyes the practice of earthly Parents and Children as Hebr. 12. 9. We have had Fathers of our Flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live For they verily for a few dayes chastened us after their own pleasure but he for our profit that we might be patakers of his holinesse Fathers of our flesh may take a cruell pleasure rather than intend any reall profit or benefit unto Children in chastising them but 't is not to be imagined that God can transgresse the mean or erre in the end of any Dispensation severe or unpleasant to us therefore much rather should we be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live a more easie safe and comfortable life here than otherwise can be expected and a most happie life hereafter where all things be perfectly subject to the Father as Saint Paul speaks 1 Corinth 15. that he may be here allso as well as hereafter All in All. 6. Fourthly This Selfe-deniall is the true Holocaust or absolute Sacrifice we can give to God and most acceptable imposed upon us as true Believers according to Saint Paul Rom. 12. 1. saying I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of the spirit of your minde that ye may prove what is that good and perfect Will of God. Sacrifices came alive to Gods House and Altar but were not accepted till they were slain so it is with the spirituall or reasonable Sacrifice of our selves especially our naturall wills so long as they live cannot please God but they must be crucified as Christ was crucified for us And as the same Apostle advises Rom. 6. we must reckon our selves dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ. He that is dead ceaseth from willing and so from sinning He that denieth himselfe and his will is dead indeed unto sin and liveth by the life of the Son of Man and is acted by the Will of God. And surely if it be our Dutie our Wisdome our Righteousnesse to committ our very Soules and life into Gods hands and disposall shall we stick to render that one faculty of our Soule our Wills into his hands That doth Saint Peter exhort us unto 1 Epist 4. 19. Wherefore let them who suffer according to the will of God committ the keeping of their soules to him in well doing as unto a faithfull Creatour Let God then have the keeping of our Wills as he hath of our Lives as he had of Christs