Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A59607
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The true Christians test, or, A discovery of the love and lovers of the world by Samuel Shaw ...
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Shaw, Samuel, 1635-1696.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing S3045; ESTC R39531
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240,664
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418
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the rest of the Symptoms of a Worldly Mind to be exploded Such a Symptom I take all Wagering to be that proceeds from a covetous desire of getting that which is another mans or is accompany'd with a vexatious Fear of losing our own For Covetousness and distracting Carefulness are ever bad and that cannot be very good that is the proper direct efficient cause of them If it be said That in so saying I condemn all Wagers without Exception even the smallest as being all attended with some degree or other of Covetousness I think it is very falsely objected for I know some men now and then lay some small Wager which they are very indifferent whether they Win or Lose nay which they had rather Lose than Win Such a Symptom are all such Wagers that are laid for the abetting and encouraging of scandalous or suspicious Actions or Sports For if it be unseemly and of ill report to men to run Races stark naked or Women next to naked to abett the same by Wagers cannot be safe or seemly And such a Symptom are all such Wagers as impoverish or weaken him that lays them it he Lose or his Adversary if he Win. It is a very uncomfortable way of coming to Poverty by losing great Wagers and indeed it is a sorry paltry way of getting Riches to get them by Winning Abraham scorn'd a far Genteeler way of enriching himself than this by the Spoil of his conquer'd Enemies that it might not be said that the King of Sodom had made Abraham rich And such a Symptom are all such bold Wagers that are laid concerning Events that are purely in the hand of God no room being left for second Causes to interpose and make a humane Probability or Improbabilty This looks like a prophane piece of Sawciness For how can mortal man intermeddle with the Counsels of the great God to stint limit engage or excuse them and be innocent But I have known Wagers also laid meerly in stead of Arguments when men have had nothing to say in defence of their Cause and others laid concerning things which can never be proved or determined And oftentimes they that are so forward to lay Wagers will not venture to pitch upon a certain Judge who may determine whether they Win or Lose These also are Symptoms like the former only somewhat worse For besides the Impiety and Impertinency they argue a great degree of shameful Folly MEDITAT XXV Of Gamesters I Think it is generally concluded That Exercise is expedient and upon the matter necessary for the health of the Body Physicians contend for the agreeableness of some Recreations in particular to some Constitutions and so they alot Ringing to some Shooting to others Hunting to others and Bowling to others I had rather believe these Artists than dispute with them though it seems that the end of all these Recreations may be attained as well by Riding or Walking I shall esteem him a wise and temperate man who is induced to these Recreations by no other consideration but that of Health But I fear there are few such Recreations are also said to be needful to the relief of the mind which I will not deny And yet so far as I can apprehend the Variety of Business is the best Recreation and does as effectually relieve the mind as any Sports whatsoever For my own part I would defire no better Recreation of mind than to go from one Business to another that should be within my call and compass and then seasonably to lay down both the one and the other upon my Pillow But whatsoever may be said in Vindication of some Sports there are certainly many others which cannot be justify'd yea and the Gamesters will be found Lovers of the World and not of the Father Such Gamesters are they who follow Sports in their own Nature unlawful being against the Rules of Justice Temperance or Modesty And such are they who follow Sports in themselves lawful unlawfully that is unrighteously intemperately or unseasonably I reckon that they follow Sports unrighteously who make a Calling of Gaming and Recreation their Business thereby either endeavouring to get other mens Estates or venturing to lose their own The nature of Commutative Justice requires that when I receive that which is another mans I part with something of my own that is equivalent and bears some due proportion to it Hereby the gains of Wagers and Gaming comes to be rank'd amongst other filthy Lucre and may be matcht with the price of a Dog or the hire of an Harlot And here by the way I cannot but stop a little and complain of the Carelesness and Cruelty of those Parents and Masters who instruct or encourage or so much as allow their Children Servants or Scholars to play for money Is not Covetousness a sufficient blemish to our old Age but we must be inur'd to it in our Youth Is it not Cruelty to instruct Children to cheat and wrong one another before they be in a capacity to make Restitution Is the Love of money the Root of all Evil and yet we take so much care to plant it and that in the minds of those whom we pretend to preserve from Evil It cannot easily be computed how much idle covetous contentious cozening Conversation is usher'd into the World by this kind of Education nor how many mischievous Consequences there are of it Oh that all that pretend to love the Father would diligently watch against the introduction of the love of the world into the hearts of their Children by this means But besides those Gamesters that unrighteously get or spend Estates by Gaming there are others Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God who spend their time excessively in Sports pleasurably passing away their Time which without Pastimes hastens away apace and which when it is past cannot be call'd back though one would give all the substance of his House to retrieve it I know it is unjust to determine the same measure of time for Sports to all men and I think it is unsafe to determine an exact measure to any man But every mans own Conscience if he examine it can tell him Whether he be a Lover of Pleasure more than of God whether he live in Pleasure whether he spend his time either more largely or more gladly in Sports or in Devotion or good Business or which he prefers or oâ—ghts in most It seems to be angerly spoken by the Philosopher Indignus est humano nâ—mine qui vel unum diâ—m velit esse in voluptaribuâ— That he does not deserve the name of a man who is content to spend one day in pleasures But if he was in earnest as he seems to have been I think it is highly reasonable that the Professors of Christianity should be as serious and abstemious as any Heathen Philosopher of them all and rather reduce the Unâ—m 〈◊〉 into Unam Horam than enlarge their Liberty I wonder exceedingly what most of our Gentlemen
I must meditate of Idolatry Under the second of Witchcraft And under the third more particularly of Self-Willedness and Ingratitude and in general of the Devilish Nature And so I will shut up this First Part which concerns Man consider'd in his Moral Capacity with a Cautionary Meditation lest any one should falsely judge another Man to be a Lover of the World who is not so and endeavor to prevent mis-judging In the Second Part I will first endeavor to undeceive the False Pretenders to the Love of God and here meditate of Monastick Persons of the Votaries of Virginity of the Votaries of Penance and of Quakers of Pretenders to Charity and Righteousness And having diseharg'd that Examination I will proceed to consider Men in their Civil Capacity and meditate of Conformists and Nonconformists of Parents Guardians Tutors of Persons marrying and giving in Marriage of Patrons of Chaplains of Judges and Magistrates Arbitrators Electors Jurors of Landlords and Tenants of Tradesmen of Inn-Keepers of Beggars of Wagerers of Gamesters of Debtors of Creditors particularly of Usurers And so conclude with some Dissuasives from the love of the World and Motives to the love of God MEDITAT III. Of the World THE World is taken either in a Physical Sense or in a Theological In a Physical Sense it signifies that vast Globe that make up Heaven and Earth and Sea and all things contained in them But in a Theological Sense it is put in opposition to God as it is here in this Text of the Apostle John and often elsewhere The World taken in a Physical Sense is lovely and the Strength Beauty Order and Variety thereof are to be Reverently regarded and admired as the workmanship of Infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness It is very proud and prophane or very foolish to despise the World in this Sense and to disregard the Operation of God's Hands To despise the Workmanship reflects a Dishonour upon the Workman and those that see nothing excellent in the World may be justly suspected to see nothing above it The Psalmist says Psal 111. 2. The works of the Lord are sought out of all that have pleasure in them and I â—hink if we Translate it have pleasure in him the Divinity will be as good if the Grammar should not The best Men are the best Philosophers for they make the best Observations upon the admirable Structure and Furniture of the World they see most beauty in it who behold and admire the Divine Wisdom Power and Goodness shining forth in it He that converses in the World and beholds the many Demonstrations there given and the Lectures there read and does not from thence learn the Eternal Power and Godhead is a Notorious Dunce He that does understand and know them and does not love and admire them is prophane and proud and so for all his knowledge may be truly said to know nothing Of these prophane Philosophers I shall have occasion to meditate hereafter amongst the Lovers of the World At present I only conclude That Philosophy especially the Philosophy that discovers and comments upon the stately Fabrick the harmonious Order the magnificent Furniture and the admirable Variety of the World the proper Causes and Ends of Things is a very Laudable Study in its own Nature and may be a singular means for the advancement of the Name and Honour of the Blessed Creator It was an extraordinary Expression of a Person of great Quality amongst us when he was but about two and twenty years old That he could be content even then to quit this World and all the Pomps and Hopes thereof though it were for no higher Felicity than to be perfected in the knowledge of Natural Things I cannot tell precisely what degree of value we ought to set upon Philosophical Learning but this we know That no Man in the World and in all the Ages thereof were more famous and admirable than those two Princes of the Jews Moses and Solomon who excell'd in this kind of Learning And the great God himself has given fair encouragement to the study of it by those Philosophy-Lectures that he read out of the Whirlwind to the Eastern Prince which are contained in the 38 39 40 41 Chapters of the Book of Job MEDITAT IV. Of the World taken in a Theological Sense THE World taken in a Theological Sense is put in opposition to God and so it signifies all that which is contrary to the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ and Warreth against it and true Religion all that which doth not comply with the Will of God or withdraws the hearts of Men from him And consequently all that which besides the knowledge and love of God Men covet delight in or lament In this Sense it is said 1 John 5. 4. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World And Gal. 6. 14. that the true Believer is crucify'd to the World and the World to him In this Sense The Friendship of the World is said by the Apostle James to be Enmity against God and by the Apostle John to be hatred of him This is sometimes called Mammon and is put in opposition to God sometimes it is call'd our own things in opposition to the things of Jesus Christ. And this appears to be the meaning of it in this Text which I meditate upon by the following Verse which explains the World by the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and the Pride of Life which certainly if they be put together are of a large Extent In this Sense we read of Worldly Lusts Tit. 2. 12. of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Things of the World 1 John 4. 5. of the Fornicators of the World 1 Cor. 5. 10. of the Rulers of the darkness of this World Ephes 6. 12. of the Spirit of the World the Wisdom of the World the Nations of the World Luke 12. 30. the Men of the World which have their Portion in this Life Psal 17. 14. the Sorrow of the World 2 Cor. 7. 10. The World in a Theological Sense is in general whatever is not God and so even Life it self may be call'd the World The Apostle James puts the Theological Notion of the World out of dispute in that famous Text wherein he describes the pure Religion to be a keeping of ones self unspotted from the World Jam. 1. ult So then the Apostle St. John means If any Man love any created Being or cleaves to it more than God or prefers it before him he is a Lover of the World and consequently no Lover of the Father MEDITAT V. Of the Noble Affection of Love IF any Man love c. The Noblest Affection that God hath endu'd the Sons of Men yea or the Angels of Heaven with is Love For when that blessed Being was minded to copy out Himself upon the rational Creature He made it apt to love as He Himself is Love God is Love and the power of Loving is his Image However Liking and Lusting and Appetite