Divine considerations treating of those things which are most profitable, most necessary and most perfect in our Christian profession by John Valdesso.

A Table of the Divine Considerations.

• 1. How it is to be understood, that man was created after the Image and likenesse of God.
• 2. That mans happinesse consisteth in knowing God, and that we cannot know God except we first know Christ.
• 3. In what the Sonnes of God differ from the sonnes of Adam.
• 4. From whence the revengefull affection proceeds in men: and what effects the long sufferance hath, wherewith God deferreth the revenge of those injuries, which men do unto him.
• 5. The difficulty of entring into the kingdome of God; how it is to be entred, and in what it consists.
• 6. Two depravations of Man, the one Naturall, the other Acquisite.
• 7. It is Gods will that we should commit unto him the issue and successe of all our desires.
• 8. The Covenants which Jesus Christ our Lord made be∣tween God and man.
• 9. An excellent priviledge of piety.
• 10. In what regard the estate of a Christian that believes with difficulty, is better then of that Person which believes with ease.
• 11. In what manner Gods being just, doth redound to the profit of them, that by revelation believe in Christ.
• 12. How the reason of our inward man serves us to that which the eyes of our outward man do.
• 13. A comparison which sheweth in what the benefit which mankind hath received from God by Jesus Christ, doth consist.

• 14. Amongst the things which Christian Piety obligeth us to believe, what that is which is believed with greatest difficulty.
• 15. How Christians ought to govern themselves in their tribulations, afflictions and troubles.
• 16. That the promises of God belong to them who believe them.
• 17. In what manner a Man ought to resolve himself touching the world, and touching himself, that he may be∣come a true Christian.
• 18. In what things that person who desires to enter and to persevere in the kingdome of God, ought to be exercised; and what a man brings of his own thereunto.
• 19. That the Christian life consisteth in this, that a man esteemeth himself dead to the world, and alive unto God.
• 20. That in the Infirmities, Amendment, and Health of the mind, Men ought to govern themselves, as in those of the body.
• 21. The difference of sinnes and sinners: The obligations of Piety: The signes of Piety and Impiety.
• 22. For what reason God sometime gives a godly man a Child, and soon after takes him away.
• 23. How we are disenamoured of the world, and ena∣moured of God.
• 24. That those Persons, who are governed by the holy Spirit in their serving of God, endeavour to increase in the love of God.
• 25. How pious persons may resolve themselves when God calls them to any change of place, or state of life, and when not.
• 26. That the flesh whilest it is unregenerated flesh is the enemy of God; and that Regeneration is properly the work of the holy Spirit.
• 27. That by Mortification a man maintains himself in his Christian resolution; and by reducing of his mind to God he maintains himself in the certainty of Gods providence.
• 28. How a man should assure himself of his Vocation.
• 29. That to believe with difficulty is a signe of Vocation.

• 30. That God in communicating spirituall things unto us, dealeth as in giving us the fruits of the earth.
• 31. That the livelinesse of Affections is more damageable then that of the Appetites; and that it is necessary that both the one and the other should be mortified.
• 32. Of the abuse, & of the right use of the holy Scriptures.
• 33. In what manner through patience and consolation of the Scriptures we maintain our selves in hope.
• 34. In what doth consist the benefit which men have ob∣tained from God by Christ.
• 35. Whence that difficulty comes, which pious persons find to continue in that which appertains to Piety and Iu∣stification.
• 36. In what Christian Liberty doth consist, how it is known, and how it is to be exercised.
• 37. That they who know God by mans relation, have a false opinion of him, and they who know him by the holy spi∣rit, have a true.
• 38. By a comparison is shewed in what the errour of false Christians doth consist, and what true Christians do.
• 39. That Quickning answereth to Mortification, and the glory of the Resurrection answereth to quickning.
• 40. Two wills in God, the one Mediate, the other Im∣mediate.
• 41. That God will that pious persons should know that all things are to come from him, and that they should have them all of him.
• 42. In what sort a pious person ought to govern himself in the state of inward prosperity, and adversity.
• 43. How a pious person may assure himself to have ob∣tained Piety and Justification, by the Spirit, and not by hu∣mane wisdome.
• 44. In what manner a man shall know what fruit he hath made in Mortification, and what is the cause that they who apply themselves to Piety, are tempted by Affecti∣ons and Appetites, with which they were never before tempted.
• 45. Whence the fear of death proceeds in pious persons,

• and that it is a signe of Predestination for a man to content himself that there should be another life.
• 46. That they who walk through the Christian path without the inward light of the holy Spirit, are like unto them that walk in the night without the light of the Sunne.
• 47 Foure signes to know them by, who pretend piety and the spirit▪ not having either the one or the other.
• 48 That he who prayes, and works, and understands, doth then pray, work, and understand as he ought, when he is inspired to pray, to work, and to understand.
• 49. Whence it proceeds that humane wisdome will not attribute all things to God: and in what manner they ought to be attributed to him.
• 50. In what the depravation of man doth consist, and in what his reparation doth consist. In what Christian perfe∣ction doth consist.
• 51. In what manner God makes himself to be felt, and in what manner God makes himself to be seen.
• 52. That a Christian ought to put an end to the affecti∣on of ambition, which doth consist in growing, and also to that which doth consist in maintaining.
• 53. In what manner the men of the world attending unto honour, are lesse vicious, then attending unto con∣science.
• 54 That prayer and consideration are two Books or In∣terpreters, very sure ones to understand holy Scripture, and how a man ought to serve himself of them.
• 55. Against curiosity: and how the holy Scriptures ought to be read without curiosity.
• 56. Which is the most certain, and most secure way to obtain perfect mortification.
• 57. Whence it comes to passe, that by the knowledge and sense of the things of God, the Flesh is mortified.
• 58. Eight differences between them who pretend and procure to mortifie themselves with their proper industry, and them who are mortified by the holy spirit.
• 59. That in the motions to pray, the spirit doth certifie a man that he shall obtain that which he demands.

• 60. Whence it proceeds that the superstitious are severe, and the true Christians are mercifull and pitifull.
• 61. In what manner a pious person governs himself in those thing•• that befall him.
• 62. That humane wisdome hath no more jurisdiction in the judgement of their works, who are the sonnes of God, then in the judgement of the proper works of God.
• 63. By seven conformities is shewed that the holy Scri∣pture is like a candle in a dark place, and that the holy spi∣rit is like the Sunne.
• 64. In what manner Jesus Christ our Lord will be fol∣lowed and imitated.
• 65. How that is to be understood which S. Paul saith, that Christ reigneth, and shall reigne, untill the resurrection of the just being made, he do resigne his kingdome to his e∣ternall father.
• 66. In what manner the malignant spirit is more im∣petuous then the holy spirit.
• 67. That in the regenerate onely by the holy Spirit, there being experience of the things of God, there is also certifi∣cation of them.
• 68. That the desire of knowledge is imperfection in a man, contrary to the judgement of humane wisdome.
• 69. That a man ought alwayes to acknowledge himself incredulous, and defective in faith: and that there is so much faith in a man, as there is knowledge of God and Christ.
• 70. In what those three gifts of God, Faith, Hope, and Charity do consist: and in what their eminency amongst other gifts doth consist: and the eminency of Charity amongst the three gifts.
• 71. Ʋpon the most holy prayer of our Saviour.
• 72. That man pretending that part of the image of God which did not appertain unto him, lost that part which did appertain to him.
• 73. That the union between God and man is made by love: that love grows from knowledge: what knowledge, love, and union are

• 74. That it betides to pious persons in spirituall things, as it befalls in outward things to him, who having been blind begins to see.
• 75. How it is understood, that God communicates unto us his Divine treasures by Christ: how God reignes by Christ: and how Christ is the head of the Church.
• 76. What Scandall is, and in what manner Christian per∣sons ought to govern themselves in the case of Scandall.
• 77. Two contrarieties, between them that live according to the flesh, and them that live according to the Spirit.
• 78. Two griefs, one according to the world, and the o∣ther according to God: And two weaknesses, one according to the flesh, and the other according to the Spirit.
• 79. How perrillous the errours be which men commit, pretending piety.
• 80. What Gods intent is, demanding of men that which of themselves alone they cannot give him: And why he gives them not at once all that he will give them.
• 81. Two weaknesses in our Lord Christ, and in his mem∣bers; and two powers in him and them.
• 82. In what properly consisteth that agony which Jesus Christ our Lord felt in his passion and in his death.
• 83. Five considerations in the resurrection of Christ.
• 84. That onely the incorporation in Christ is that which mortifies.
• 85. Foure wayes by which a Christian knows God by means of Christ.
• 86. To know the inward motions when they are of the holy spirit, when of the Malignant spirit, and when of a mans own spirit.
• 87. That all the creatures were spoiled in mans depra∣vation, and that they shall be restored in mans reparation.
• 88. What the cause may be, that God commanded man that he should not eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
• 89. Six causes, for which it seems necessary, that the son of God should live in that manner, and that form of life wherein he did live.

• 90. In what the Christian perfection, the Duty, and De∣corum doth consist.
• 91. That onely the sonnes of God have certain satisfa∣ction in every thing.
• 92. In what manner mortification is the proper signe by which we know our selves the sonnes of God.
• 93. That that suffering is most Christian, and most acce∣ptable to God, in which he that suffers, finds least of his own will.
• 94. Three sorts of conscience: one by the law naturall, and the other by the written Law: and the other by the Gospel.
• 95. That men are incapable of the divine Generation of the sonnes of God, and of the spirituall Regeneration of the sonnes of God.
• 96. That then a man knows himself a pilgrim in this world, when because God loves him, the world persecutes him.
• 97. Whether Justification be a fruit of piety, or whether piety be a fruit of Justification.
• 98. How that is to be understood which the holy Scri∣pture saith, attributing condemnation sometimes to unbelie∣vers, and sometimes to evil works; and salvation sometimes to Faith, sometimes to good works.
• 99. Whence it proceeds that men believe not that all our sinnes were punished in Christ, or they believe it with dif∣ficulty.
• 100. That the fruits which in Christians in the begin∣ning of their Incorporation in Christ, seem to be of the spi∣rit, are of the flesh.
• 101. Whence it comes that the wicked cannot believe; that the superstitious believe with ease; and that the god∣ly believe with difficulty.
• 102. That Christian faith hath necessity to be confirmed by experience: Of what kind the experience is, and how it is obtained.
• 103. Against the imagination, with which our Christian faith is troubled.

• 104. That Baptisme through the Faith of the Gospel is efficacious even in children, who dye before they come to the age to be able to approve their being baptized.
• 105. Three principles whence the ignorances arise, with which men erre again: God.
• 106. That that which the Scripture calls the knowledge of Good and Evil, the wise men of the world have called, and do call naturall light prudence and humane reason.
• 107. In what manner from a mans not knowing himself, nor God, there is caused in him an impossibility in accepting the grace of the Gospel.
• 108. In what manner the evil of Adams disobedience ap∣pertains to us all: and the good of Christs obedience reacheth unto us all.
• 109. The knowledge which as a Christian I ought to have of Christ, and of them who are the Members of Christ.
• 110. That the principall gifts are not understood, untill they be possessed.