Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	body_n	church_n	society_n	1,721	5	9.2198	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49459	The chief interest of man, or, A discourse of religion, clearly demonstrating the equity of the precepts of the Gospel, and how much the due observance thereof doth conduce to the happiness and well-being as well of humane societies as of particular persons by H. Lukin.	Lukin, H. (Henry), 1628-1719.	1665 (1665)	Wing L3473; ESTC R125	65,780	204

then be presently reduced to nothing See more of this in Austin De civitate Dei lib. 21. cap. 10. But if we understand this figuratively or metaphorically then certainly God hath chosen that which is the most exquisite pain which we can conceive of to set forth something else which we know not how otherwise to frame a notion of in our minds and which doth as far exceed such sersible things as are used to express it as the Glory of Heaven doth exceed all that Glory which is borrowed from the Creatures to express it to our weak imperfect understandings Further this punishment will be without any allay in Hell there is pure darkness there will not be a drop of water allowed to refresh in those raging flames and company which some talk of will but increase mens torment and as there will be no allay so no intermission no lucida intervalla as there will be no night of Darknesse in Heaven so there will be no night of rest in Hell and to compleat the misery of that condition there will be no end of it Eternity will make their misery perpetual but the belief and consideration of eternity will make it insupportable and swallow Men up in a hideous despair they shall be like men t●●sed 〈◊〉 the midst of the S●● the Wa●es to●●ing one after another if he could see any land behind those proud surges there might be some hopes but to see nothing but the vast Ocean and the Waves swelling higher and higher and raging against him like a Giant this is that which amazeth him and such will the thoughts of Eternity be then to miserable sinners when lifting up their heads to see if they can descry any end of their misery they shall see thousands of Ages multiplying themselves to infinity and there will be no remedy left but they must sink down into an everlasting despair neither will time or suffering at all alleviate their misery as the Poet saith of those who by enduring poverty make it at length more easie to be born as our multiplyed thoughts of the happinesse of Heaven will not cloy and weary but increase our pleasure and fruition so will our thoughts of torment more enrage those eternal flames which shall burn within us and make that burning surnace glow more and more that as the duration of mens misery draws it forth extensively so it will also aggravate it intensively till it come to that extremity beyond which there can be imagined no degrees to which it may be further heightened SECT XII How much Religion conduces to the good of humane Societies And first of Families prescribing such rules to all therein as well observed would make them happy in each other IF thou be wise thou shalt be wise for thy self saith the wisest of Men. Prov. 9.12 He that hath the fear of God which is the beginning or chief and principal of all wisdom doth as is evident from what hath been said already best provide for himself and consult his own soveraign good and indeed God hath out of his abundant goodnesse to mankind so twisted and interwoven their happinesse with his own glory in the businesse of our salvation that while they best serve him they do most advantage themselves and according as they seek his Glory they promote their own happiness but yet we are not born for our selves but as every member should do its office for the common good of the whole body so every Man should as a member of the universe or community stand the whole in some stead and not be as a Wen or a Wolf a disease or deformity only drawing away nourishment from the body without doing it any service being an unprofitable burden of the earth living undesired dying unlamented Wherefore I will now come to consider Man as a sociable creature and as he stands in relation to others and so we shall find that a good Man is a common good and that Religion and holinesse doth not only make men Tzadikim or just but Chasidim or good for which if for any men will venture their lives Rom. 5.7 And first I shall consider Men in an Occonomical state Families being the first in order among the Societies of Men others being made up of a conjunction or combination of several families as families are made up of several persons Now in Families there is a threefold society The 1. Conjugal between Husband and Wife The 2 Paternal between Parents children The 3. Despotical between Masters servants Though all these not be found in every family yet they are all found in some and some in all And let us but consider the Rules prescribed to all these by Christ in the Gospel and we shall see a perfect draught of Oeconomicks and the most exact pattern of an happy well governed Family And if any professing Godlinesse do not come up to such rules what I have undertaken to prove holds good in Thesi and it is not Mens Godlinesse but their want of it which is to be blamed though we may find this amongst Christians sooner than Plato find his Common-wealth or the Stoicks their perfect man For the Conjugal Society Husbands are to love their Wives as themselves as their own bodies yea as Christ loved his Church a proof of which he gave in giving himself for it so that he is to provide for her whatever is meet and necessary not to be bitter against her to be tender towards her giving honour to her by how much more honour God hath given to him to instruct her in whatever is meet for her to learn of him and in a word to forsake all others in the World and cleave only to her reckoning her and himself no more two but one flesh Wives on the other hand are obliged to submit themselves to their Husbands to reverence them to obey them diligently and frugally to manage the affairs of their Family and to ease their Husbands as far as may be of the burden of cares that lyes on them and to carry themselves with that prudence modesty chastity gravity that they may be a Crown to their Husbands that the heart of their Husbands may trust safely in them and that they may do them good and no hurt all their dayes So in the Paternal Society Parents are bound to take care of the Souls of their Children and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to teach them the way wherein they should walk while they are young and to take care of their bodies also providing for them laying up portions for them and not to use too much rigor and severity towards them so as to discourage them yet to give them that moderate correction which the vanity of childhood and youth many times makes necessary So Children are to obey their Parents in all things lawful to honour and reverence them to requite their care of them by maintaining them if need require in their Old Age