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A66060 Sermons preach'd upon several occasions before the King at White-Hall by the Right Reverend Father in God, John Wilkins ... ; to which is added, A discourse concerning the beauty of providence by the same author. Wilkins, John, 1614-1672. 1677 (1677) Wing W2213; ESTC R22933 57,878 194

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Cause which doth dispose a Man to such a Condition upon the Account of Fitness and Desert and in this sence Honour is the Reward of Virtue There is an equitable right a suitableness and congruity that Good Men should be loved and esteemed and Vitious Men exposed to shame As Snow in Summer and as Rain in Harvest so is Hononr unsuitable for a Fool Prov. 26. 1. The intermixing of Winter and Summer would not cause a greater disorder in the Natural World than the cross disposal of Honour and contempt would in the Moral World And hence is it that the Laws of all Nations and Governments have owned it as a Point of Policy to excite their Subjects unto Virtuous and worthy Actions by the Motive of Honour and to deter them from Vitious courses by the consideration of the shame and contempt which belongs to them That is said to be the Natural Cause of a thing which doth by its own immediate efficacy produce the Effect and in this sence likewise is Virtue the Cause of Honour The Fire doth not more Naturally produce heat than Goodness doth Love and Esteem Which will appear very plain if we consider That Inward Honouring is nothing else but the Believing a Man to be Worthy and Virtuous and the Testifying this by our Words and Actions is Outward Honouring Now nothing can be more evident than that the best means for one to be thought good is to be so A Man may excel in Strength Beauty Riches Learning Wit which are all commendable things and will contribute to a Man's esteem But if we apprehend such a one to be notoriously Vitious This esteem will not be accompanied with Love but with Fear Hate and Envy because such a one hath by these things so much the greater advantage of doing Mischief in the World Whereas on the other side though a Man should be destitute of all these other advantages without any Nobility in his Ancestors but of a small Estate a low Condition yet if we believe him to be a truly Virtuous Man it cannot be but that we must pay a Veneration to him All things whatsoever have some Natural Standard whereby the Goodness of them is to be measured namely their suitableness unto that chief end for which they are designed We do not therefore account a Ship to be good because 't is curiously painted and gilded or carved and inlayed but because 't is fitted for all the purposes of Navigation which is the proper end and use of a Ship Nor do we therefore account a Sword to be good because it hath a rich Hilt and an Embroidered Scabbard but because it is fit for the proper use of a Sword which is to cut They are the comparisons of Seneca speaking of this Subject In homine quoque nihil ad rem pertinet quantum aret quantum foeneret a quam multis salutetur c. sed quam bonus sit It should be so likewise in our esteem of men who are not so much to be valued by the Grandeur of their Estates or Titles as by their inward goodness Every man is endowed with a natural Principle inclining him to a state of Hap●●ness and hath in some measure both an ability to judg of and a freedom and liberty for applying himself unto those Duties which are the proper means for the promoting of this end And this being the peculiar difference of the Humane Nature therefore a man is not upon any other account to be justly praised or blamed but according to the right or wrong use of this natural liberty and consequently as a man doth find either in himself or others a constant and firm resolution to make a right use of this so should he proportion his esteem accordingly preferring this inward Greatness this rectitude of Mind whereby a man is resolved in every condition to do that which shall appear to be his duty before any external Greatness whatsoever There are two kind of Virtues amongst all the rest which are by general consent esteemed Venerable and such as do advance the Reputation of those who are endowed with them namely Wisdom Courage Because they have a more intrinsick rise and do less depend upon external advantages but seem rather to be rooted in the inward frame and temper of mind and withal are most beneficial both to our selves and others The former signifying a man to have those intellectual abilities which are proper to his kind whereby the Humane Nature is to be distinguished from other things The other because it argues a Rectitude in the Will and a Power to subdue the Passion of Fear which is most natural to our present state of Infirmity and withal doth support a man against Difficulties and inable him for those two Services of Doing and Suffering as he ought And for this Reason the Vices that are opposite to these are amongst all others counted the most shameful there being no greater Reproach to be cast upon any one than to be esteemed a Fool or a Coward Now a Man that is Irreligious cannot justly pretend to either of these Virtues 1. For Wisdom This is so essential to Religion that in the Scripture-phrase especially in the Writings of David and Solomon they both go under the same Name and there is very good reason why it should be so because there is such an intimate agreement between the Natures of them The Philosopher doth define Wisdom to consist in an ability and inclination to make choice of the right Means in the prosecution of our true End And nothing can inable a Man for this but Religion both as to the Subordinate End of Temporal Happiness in this World but chiefly with respect to that great and S●preme End of Eternal Happiness in the World to come 2. And then for Courage 'T is not possible for a Man to be truly Valiant unless he be withal truly Religious He may be bold and daring and able in a fearless manner to rush upon any danger but then he must stifle his Reason from considering what the Consequences of things may be what shall become of him hereafter if he should miscarry There being no man whatsoever so totally free from the Apprehension of a future state but that when he is serious and considerate he must be startled with Doubts and Fears concerning it So that there cannot be any rational sedate deliberate courage but only in such as have some good hopes of a better Estate in the other World And 't is Religion only that can inable a Man for this 3. I proceed to the Third kind of Argument to this purpose from Experience By which I mean that Practical Knowledg which every man may attain by his own Observation of the usual course of things in the World And by this it will appear that no kind of persons have been more highly reverenced in the Hearts and Consciences of others than those that have been most eminent for their Virtue and Religion which hath been always