Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A76282
|
Metamorphosis Christiana: or, The old man changed into the new. An occasional discourse.
|
Beare, Nicholas.
|
1679
(1679)
|
Wing B1563A; ESTC R172674
|
33,570
|
43
|
are every day's Examples whereupon he makes this Challenge Bring me the Man that is Angry Ill-natur'd Stubborn by a Lecture from Christianity I 'le make him as gentle as a Lamb. Bring me the Man that is pinching and Covetous I 'le make him truly Liberal distributing with both his Hands Bring the Man that is afraid of Pain and Death I 'le make him so truly Valiant that he shall not be moved at the Fire and Faggot he shall despise even the Bull of Phalaris Bring me the Man that is incontinent and gluttonous I 'le make him chast and sober Bring me the Man that is cruel and blood-thirsty I 'le make him merciful Bring me an Extortioner or any other sinner and in a short time I 'le make the same person just and innocent The Washing or Regeneration purifies from all Malice and the force of true Religion is such as that it puts to flight the Old Man Now if Christian Religion heretofore wrought in the manners of Men so heavenly a Change how much does it concern us who profess the same to give the World a Testimony by the like Demonstration that we are not Whited Sepulchres as founding Brass and tinkling Cymbals Christians not only in Show but in Truth This Argument I have handled more largely because I look on it as the most genuine and substantial of the Text. I pass for your Encouragement to others Arg. 4. The living in the practice of the aforesaid Duties shall bespeak us truly gentile I have always been of opinion that true Gentility carrieth in it somewhat more than ordinary A generous Stream of Vertuous and Heroick Qualities circle in noble Veins The Son of Hector betrays Courage in his Cradle by the Benefit whereof upon the Top of the Tower o're which he is to be thrown he can at once look his Enemies and Death in the Face Such as are nobly descended can like the Off-spring of the Eagle behold things splendid as their proper Object which would dazle the Eyes of the Dunghil-breed Whereupon 't is obvious to observe that even Afflictions cannot alter their Nature though oppressed they will not be o'recome though under straights they betray still a generous Soul they scorne Actions dirty and Sordid To prey upon Flies to pilfer and undoe them that are below them in their Carriage full of Courtesie Whereas those of the Mushrom Production betray low and ignoble Spirits and like that Creature in the Fable by a sordid Port plainly discover themselves under the Lion's Skin Julius Capitolinus tells that from the Vitious Dirty and Sordid Behaviour of Commodus In Vit. Ant. natum Com. gladiatorem in principem 't was generally concluded that he was not the Son of Antoninus but of some Ruffian Hector There was no Ranter no Hogherd no Villain like him He that lives not up to the principles of Generosity and Prowess does plainly argue himself to degenerate is the disgrace of his Family and gives a Blot to his Escutcheon Now will any affirm that this is gentile to be o'rewhelmed with Pride and Cruelty to take pleasure in the Ruine of our Fellow-Creatures Is it an Act of Fortitude like Saul among the Amalekites to crush those that are not able to resist us Is it an Argument of a large Soul like the Dog in the Manger to bite and bark and prohibite that to others which to our selves is both useless and cumbersome The King of Beasts spares the Prostrate will not exercise his Strength where he meets with no opposition To destroy a weak punie and beggarly Enemy is not a Victory but Disparagement We are not born for our selves alone our Country Kindred and Fellow-denisons claim a share This single Inducement made many of the Heathens to prefer the Publick Good before their Private Interests Believe it Sirs we shall appear highly gentile by Acts of Love Mercy and Meekness by giving as the Roman Emperors were wont upon great Solemnities largesses to others by relieving and maintaining the Poor by pleading the Cause of the Fatherless and Widdow by furthering the good of others and doing what Service we can in our own Generation Hither Nature does direct us if the great Philosopher were not mistaken every Being runs out of his way for the Preservation of the Universe And if we have recourse to the Sun Moon and Stars the Host of Heaven Lo they Dart their Rays and vouchsafe their Influencies to all without Exception to the lowest as well as highest to the worst equally with the best of Creatures If we look above the Heavens and consider the Actions of the Supreme he has no small care of the meanest Creatures he is full of Bowels Patience Long-suffering he prosecutes his Enemies with unparallel'd acts of Love and what higher Inducement can be desired In this chiefly we shall be like him bespeak our selves nobly descended and if not from some ancient Family and great House yet from the most glorious King and Empirean Palace and not only in the sense of Aratus but a more approved even that of our Saviour we shall declare our selves his Off-spring Mat. 5.44 That ye may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven for he maketh his Sun to rise on the Evil and on the Good and sendeth Rain on the Just and on the Vnjust Arg. 5. Such Acts as these as they bespeak us truly gentile so are they highly obliging The Sun by its warmth and gentle Rays gains from the Traveller that Coat which the blustering Wind fastened closer to him Much more is to be accomplished by Kindness than by all the methods of Severity 'T is confessed Tyrants may compell and make their Vassals pliant by extream rigour I may bring many to my beck but I cannot keep them there This is a Method to treat a Slave withal one who has shaken off all Humanity This may render thee terrible but at the same time thou shalt not be without daily Fears and Trepidations Like the brute beasts they will be serviceable no longer than they are under the Yoak being released they 'l rebell and upon the first occasion become thy greatest Enemies Whereupon we find the severest Tyrants to have lived most miserable lives their own fears at least equal if not greater than those of their Slaves they fancy Poyson mixed with their Meat and Drink they sleep not without Jealousies and as we read of Dionysius in Cicero they chuse rather to singe their Beards than trust a Barber Whereas the Cords of Love are easie pleasant and strong Men take delight to be caught in these and to be led where you please The best allowable and most lasting Philtre to command the Affections of Men is a sweet and vertuous Carriage be kind and obliging to those that are round about thee and their good Wishes Presents and Services are at thy Devotion 'T was by such Acts as these that Caesar arrived to that height he did he was always kind and liberal to his
Controversie three things are to be considered 1. Somewhat here implied which is to be put off viz. the old man or old creature 2. What is here expressed and elsewhere more formally commanded to be put on the new creature 3. The privilege and significancy of this in Christianity above any thing beside for in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but a new Creature 1. First then we are to consider what is here implied and supposed and is to be put off viz. the old man which is set forth in Scripture by these phrases the body of sin the law of the members the works of darkness the natural man the members that are upon earth and the like which gives us no small light to the right Understanding of the first thing The old man is made up of the mass of that sin which was the product of Adams transgression And here I design not to give you an account of all the particulars that would be a task too tedious but because I find some more principally by the Apostle recited in the places foregoing and for the reason following I shall glance on these four Pride Malice Anger Envy We are not to look on these as single or common vices they are chief Commanders they have teeming wombs and like the Trojan Horse stock the world with Troops if not Regiments of other Evils and hence hence are the Iliads of our miseries 1. Pride in a strict sense is a special sin as the great Schoolman * 22 ae q. 162. has noted in regard it has a proper object which must specifie and distinguish it but being considered with respect to its prolifick nature it may be fitly called the †Regina Mater Ib. Empress and Parent of all sins though not necessarily so as is observed by the same Aquinas out of S. Augustine sins sometimes receiving their original from other causes yea even in its most peculiar respect it has no less than four monstrous parts verse 5. 1. The proud man thinks that the goodness which he has is not derivative but from himself alone 2. That what benefits he does enjoy are the products of his own merit 3. He boasts that he has what he has not And 4. Despising all other men he covets alone to have what he doth desire 2. Malice This has its proper Seat in the Will and therefore must be acknowledged to be the Principle of all the depravity of our actions proceeding thence this is that poison which corrupts the Fountain and cannot but make the Streams unwholesom the industry the design the resolution of sinning that sin which bends and sets men up for mischief 3. The next is Anger which may be allowed of if it be kept close to its proper Object and within its due bounds Be angry but sin not yet cannot but be hugely sinful and destructive when it has received infection from the aforesaid Leaven when like a River it swells beyond its proper Chanel or like the overflowings of the Gall which at once discolours and disaffects the whole body This Poison may not unfitly be resembled unto Fire of good Use in its right sphere but when it has exceeded that threatens nothing below the certain ruine of our own if not others Houses Of this there are many kinds Aquin. 22 ae q. 150. according to the different Constitutions of men and no less than seven Daughters if we may credit Gregory though I think upon due examination her Issue will appear to be much more numerous 4. The last is Envy which I term the Canker of the Breast a Consumption got by the thriving of others 22 ae q. 36. this also is fruitful and parturient of many other Vices These I have mentioned as the vital and principal parts of the old man like the four Elements to the body natural and as there can be no composition without the union of these so we shall find the other conspiring in a mixture to make up the constitution of the present sinner We are told that while Julia lived the Daughter of Caesar and Wife to Pompey and Crassus by whose triple League and Friendship the two other Generals were kept asunder as the Ionean and Aegean Seas by the Isthmus of Corinth but they are no sooner removed but the Trumpet sounds to Battel which ends in the certain ruine of one and the destruction of the greatest Empire that ever the world saw Thus when men cast off the obligations of Nature Friendship and Religion and give reins to these what other Issue can be expected but that these wilde Steeds like the Horses of the Sun set the world on fire These open the Floud-gates to all our Contentions and Divisions whether publick or private I am bold to assert that there was never any disturbance since the world began wherein one if not more of these was not more immediately concerned in the quarrel The true origine this of all Wars between Princes on one side or t'other of lesser Wars that is to say Law-suits between man and man the Source of all the Contentions Divisions Factions Schisms Heresies Lying Slandering Back-biting Obloquy and of a thousand other Evils These make our Hearts Cages of unclean Birds our Actions virulent and our Tongues no other than the Firebrands of Hell Who then but must conclude for the putting of them off For our encouragement in which work we cannot want Arguments which way soever we cast our Eyes Look we abroad and lo what desolation these have made No Age no Empire no Misery which gives us not sufficient Testimonies of its Spoils I will not begin to give you Examples for the proof lest I should not easily make an end and I suppose it needless to travel either far back or abroad for that which we may meet with at our own doors Look we then round about us and see what havock these have made The old man carries a large and disorderly Retinue at his heels cannot be entertained but with great cost and trouble and if not shaken off the sooner will inevitably bankrupt his hosts in the conclusion The proud man thinks nothing too much that may conduce to the keeping up or advancing his Grandeur The envious and malitious will not be sparing in any thing that may do hurt to their Enemies he will be content to lose one eye that his Adversarie may be bereft of both The passionate man puts all at stake for Satisfaction though the affront were but a trifle See how effectually Divisions and Controversies do weaken like the Duel of the Frog and the Mouse in the Epilogue they drew bloud so long of each other as that an Enemy has the advantage and the quarrel ends in the destruction of both Listen we to the Complaints of the thred-bare Client you may learn the state of his Purse by his habit his countenance does betray the grievance of his heart and 't is ten to one but