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A26596 A moral discourse of the power of interest by David Abercromby ... Abercromby, David, d. 1701 or 2. 1690 (1690) Wing A83; ESTC R6325 62,955 218

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Irregularities but upon a fair prospect of some very considerable advantage for themselves and this is chiefly the maintaining of the People in their blind Obedience to the Authority of their Church which notwithstanding all her pretences to Infallibility holds it to be both lawful and useful for Men to make their Spiritual Exercises in an unknown Tongue though this be such a piece of blind Obedience as would make us say to God in our daily Addresses we knew not what since the imaginary general Intention of the Church they pretend to be sufficient in this case could never supply the particular want of Knowledge in what relates immediately to the good of our Souls Now how Antichristian soever you may judge it to be to keep the Scriptures that are God's Letters Patents to all Mankind from the common people Yet the Papists are oblig'd through a principle of Self-preservation to condemn the common use of so dangerous a Book as they call the Scripture And I confess it to be so for them as mentioning no where the fundamental and distinguishing Articles of Popery the Infallibility I mean and Universality of the particular Church of Rome the Transubstantiation of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ that are now in Heaven the Lawfulness of Image-Worship Relick-Worship of Prayers to the Saints and for the delivery of the Souls pretended to be in Purgatory c. If the people were made sensible that these things were not reveal'd in the Word of God they would without any longer delay shake off the insufferable Yoke of Popery since they might soon understand by the daily perusal of the Holy Writ that these and the like new coin'd Articles are meer humane Inventions and not God's reveal'd Word The Papist then I fancy how foolish soever you may think him acts wisely and according to the great Law of Self-preservation in not allowing the people to read the Scripture because the common use of this Divine Book would prove the utter ruine of the Romish Church for the Reason I just now hinted at ARTICLE XXXIX 1. Men generally more concern'd for their own Reputation than for the Honour of God 2. A Young Lady severely used by her own Mother and upon what account 3. The late Prince of Conde's Reflection against the French Bishops Though Fathers and Mothers vertuously enclin'd can hardly bear with the irregular and sinful Actions of their Children yet 't is observable that they are much more concern'd for some sins they commit than for some others though perhaps more heinous and more grievous in their own Nature As for instance How many take little or no notice of their Childrens Drinking Swearing Gaiming Stealing c. who nevertheless use them with the utmost Severity if they chance to commit such sins of frailty as may occasion either disgrace or shame to themselves or their Familes This I can give you a sufficient proof of by what I have once observed my self in the behaviour of a very precise and godly Lady towards the best of her own Daughters though look'd upon by her as the very worst because she had been overcome by the fair words and reiterated promises of a deceitful Lover The Young Lady having liv'd till then in great Reputation among her Neighbours was thought a true Pattern of Vertue and Modesty by all that knew her Whereas her Sisters were known to be guilty of lying drinking of detracting of all Mankind to say nothing of their insufferable Vanity and Pride of their Gaiming late and early or rather whole Nights and whole Days and of many other immoral Exercises of that kind for which their godly Mother never so much as once check'd them in good earnest though upon the first discovery of her Eldest Daughters Misfortune she fell upon her in such a fury that had she not been rescued out of her hands it was generally believ'd she had murder'd her You may easily think I design by this short passage to tell you that such as are meer pretenders to Vertue mind always more their own Concerns than those of God Almighty whom yet they seem to honour so much with their lips as to check and condemn all such as make not so great a show of Godliness as they upon all publick occasions commonly do The sins of the Sisters I was speaking of were sins indeed against God but the Fault committed by the Ladies Eldest Daughter was something else as being a disgrace and a stain to the Family and that I fancy this Old Lady was chiefly if not only concern'd for or that her Daughter by this unhappy accident had lost that which did best qualifie her for a rich and honourable Match What happen'd lately in France is somewhat a-kin to what I have been discoursing of since it lays open to the World such as are but seemingly concern'd for nothing more than for the Honour and Glory of God The Famous Moliere had written a Comedy intituled Tartuffee against Bigots Hypocrites and all sorts of meer Pretenders to Religion but with so little applause from such as knew themselves to be guilty that the Bishop of Autun the chief Man as it was reported aim'd at in the Play assisted by some of his Brethren complain'd to the French King of the Wrong done them by Moliere who having inform'd the Prince of Conde of their whole proceedings gave his Royal Highness occasion to say That several Treatises had been dispers'd up and down the Kingdom to introduce Atheism which the Bishops took no notice of because there the Honour of God only was concern'd but that now they appeared with a greater Zeal than was requisite against Tartuffee because their own Reputation seem'd to lie at stake ARTICLE XL. 1. Interest the frequent Cause of Ingratitude 2. King Charles the Second's Behaviour towards his best Friends 3. Lewis the XIV highly oblig'd by the French Hugonots Such as forget or reward not the good done 'em by their best Friends and Benefactors are generally thought either to be guilty of or not to scruple much at any other Crime according to the old saying Si ingratum dixeris omnia dixeris Yet the Power of Interest is so absolute and so arbitrary as to cause Men sometimes not only to forget their true Friends but likewise to promote and enrich their greatest Enemies What Obligation Charles the Second had to the Cavalier Party in England Scotland and Ireland 't is too well known to be told again in this place How many both Noblemen and Gentlemen stood up for him in the worst of Times to the hazard and loss of their Lives and Fortunes suffering patiently till he came home again the greatest Extremities that Oppression and Want could expose them to Who had not thought but that upon the Return of King Charles to England they had been all nobly rewarded for their past Services and Sufferings for their constant loyalty and daily endeavours to set things again upon their first
A MORAL DISCOURSE OF THE POWER OF INTEREST By DAVID ABERCROMBY M. D. and Fellow of the Colledge of Physicians in Amsterdam Omnes quaerunt quae sua sunt Phil. c. 2. v. 21. Licens'd May 1. 1690. J. Fraser LONDON Printed by Tho. Hodgkin for the Author and are to be sold by John Taylor at the Ship in St. Paul's Church-Yard and may be had at Mr. Trehern's Limner in the Strand over-against the New Exchange 1690. TO The Honourable ROBERT BOYLE Esq SIR SInce most Men act by Interest as I do here endeavour to shew it may be in all likelihood suppos'd that in Dedicating this Book to you I am my self guilty of the very same thing I reproach in every Article to others Which indeed I cannot flatly deny if Interest oblige us as undoubtedly it does to be grateful to such as we are most or rather only indebted to But besides this particular Reason relating to my private duty to you I was up on another account resolved at last to prefix your Name before these Papers because the World easily allowing you to act always by a generous Principle and not by Interest it cannot be thought that I intend to give Sentence against you when I condemn the generality of Mankind and tho I seem to say somewhere That the Publick Good is the advantage you propose to your self in all your Learned and Excellent Wtitings yet this being a thing in it self highly commendable you have no reason to think your self wrong'd by such an unusual reproach since 't is by pursuing eagerly this very kind of Interest that you are deservedly styl'd every where and particularly abroad Philosophus Britannicus the English Philosopher which Title so glorious to your Self to your Countrey and to your Noble Family that you may in all Health and Prosperity long enjoy is the hearty wish SIR Of your Affectionate Friend and Servant DAVID ABERCROMBY THE AUTHOR TO THE READER Courteous Reader IF an imperfect Knowledge of the probable Causes of Natural things was thought of old sufficient to make a man happy Foelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas I am of Opinion that this Treatise may prove of some use to thee upon the same account because it discovers in a not unpleasant Variety of very observable Particulars the undoubted Cause of all the Transactions of the Politick World Almighty Interest to whose powerful influence over Mankind as I ascribe not only the odd and irregular Practices of some but likewise the unaccountable Speculations of others so I endeavour to shew in almost every Article that men generally behaving themselves as if they were all downright Hypocrites both think say and do things for Reasons they will not own and which I undertake to lay open in the following Discourse with this peculiar Advantage from the very Subject it self That whatsoever may be said of the Method I have made choice of I can hardly be accused of a flat Untruth upon the whole matter THE CONTENTS ARTICLE I. 1. That there is something in the Political World answerable to what we call Primum Mobile in the Heavens 2. That every thing actually mov'd owes its Motion to some forreign impression 3. Several obvious Demonstrations of this Truth Pag. 1 ARTICLE II. 1. Man never moved but by something without himself 2. The Design of this Treatise 3. Who are not like to be very much pleas'd with it p. 4 ARTICLE III. 1. General Pretences of most Men in their Vndertakings 2. What particularly influences most Mens Actions 3. Who act by Temper and not by Principle p. 6 ARTICLE IV. 1. True Vertue hard to be known and why 2. The dangerous condition of Tradesmen 3. The true Notion of a Gentleman p. 8 ARTICLE V. 1. The Tradesman's Apology 2. Vsury generally practis'd without scruple 3. Simony what and how eluded p. 11 ARTICLE VI. 1. The Obligation of restoring other Mens Goods and Good Name not minded 2. The surest sign of Reprobation 3. The Casuists immoral Advice to Rich Men. p. 15 ARTICLE VII 1. Good and wholesome Advice to Princes 2. The French King's Success of late what to be ascrib'd to 3. Why the Spaniards are not now so great Politicians as they were of old p. 18 ARTICLE VIII 1. What encourageth Men most to write or to do great things 2. Our chief Inducement to serve God 3. Few Productions of this Age to be admired and why p. 21 ARTICLE IX 1. Plenty the occasion of most Mens Honesty 2. The Opinion of the Vulgar of such as are not able to pay their Debts 3. Advice to Rich Men. p. 24 ARTICLE X. 1. What Covetousness driveth some men to 2. The common practice of inviting other Princes Subjects to betray their Masters not allowable though in an open War 3. The vain Pretences of Casuists favouring it p. 25 ARTICLE XI 1. False Oaths not much scrupled in this Age. 2. The Turks not so guilty of such Crimes as some Christians 3. The Breach of a Treaty solemnly sworn to severely punish'd p. 28 ARTICLE XII 1. The Breach of Solemn Treaties upon the account of Interest too frequent among Christians 2. Why and upon what Penalty the Papists are oblig'd to break their Oaths made to maintain Heresie 3. Equivocation and Mental Reservation taught and allowed of by the Casuists p. 31 ARTICLE XIII 1. Why the Begging Popish Orders Preach so often for Alms-giving 2. And why some others handle so seldom this Subject 3. Why few write after they are got into Preferment p. 35 ARTICLE XIV 1. The Popish Principles coin'd in the Mint of Interest 2. Purgatory how advantageous to Rome 3. A short account of the Virgin Mary of Loretto p. 37 ARTICLE XV. 1. The Abuse of Popish Indulgences 2. The Advantage accrewing to Priests from their pretended Power over Christ's Natural Body 3. The Canonization of Saints a meer Contrivance to enrich Rome p. 41 ARTICLE XVI 1. The Worship of the Dead useful to the Living 2. Popish Processions 3. Why Debates about the true Relick of a Saint are never determined in the Popish Countries p. 45 ARTICLE XVII 1. What sort of Images most in Esteem in the Church of Rome 2. The Proofs of a Miricle done by a Popish Image or Statue 3. The History of the Holy Vial commonly called La Sainte ampoulle p. 47 ARTICLE XVIII 1. Rome's Politicks 2. The Fond of the Apostolick Chamber 3. The late Pope's Zeal p. 50 ARTICLE XIX 1. The Pope Christ's pretended Vicar-General 2. His Design in assuming this Title discovered 3. Exceptions in Plenary Indulgences and Jubilees p. 53 ARTICLE XX. 1. A good Advice to Clients 2. A Scotch Lawyers Answer to one of his Clients 4. The late Duke of Lauderdale's Answer to the Right Honourable Earl of Rochester p. 57 ARTICLE XXI 1. Judges sometimes easily gain'd 2. The Dispensing Power why agreed to in the late Reign 3. A short account of a Popish Council held at Edenburg during the stay of the Duke of York there p.