Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	action_n	good_a	work_n	1,044	5	5.6274	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55395	A seasonable apology for religion being the subject of two sermons lately delivered in an auditory in London / by Matthew Pool, minister of the Gospel in London.	Poole, Matthew, 1624-1679.	1673 (1673)	Wing P2852; ESTC R36683	40,512	78

only oppose the humours and fancies of some weak Christians as they falsly suppose but do indeed confront all the wisdom of former Ages and the concurring votes of the most learned Philosophers 2. What is it to justifie Religion or how must a man justifie it Answ. This duty hath a reference 1. To men● thoughts and opinions we must justifie Religion by maintaining high and honourable thoughts of it in particular it implies that a man should sincerely esteem Religion to be 1. The wisest choice and best bargain So did Iob 28.28 Vnto man he said the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil that is understanding So did the wisest among meer mortals Prov. 3.15 She is more precious than Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared with her consequently he will not think it a stoical Paradox that the good man is the only wise man and all others are Fools especially those that think they are least such When a man looks upon serious Christians as Fops and Fools he doth not justifie Religion but he justifies irreligion and condemus himself 2. As the justest Law 'T is very true some of the Precepts of Religion are hard in themselves and seem harder to them that never did accustom themselves to bear this yoke when God gives Laws to mens thoughts and inward affections restrains their senses and bridles their tongues when he commands them to hate and forsake Father and Mother Wife and Children estate and life for his sake and the Gospels they think these are hard sayings and none can bear them and upon this account they condemn the Laws of their Lord and Maker and quarrel with Religion and vent their rage against God himself but good men are of another and better mind they justifie all the commands of God howsoever repugnant to their own wills and appetites or destructive to all their worldly interests So did David Psal. 119.128 I esteem all thy Precepts concerning all things to be right And so did Saint Paul when he was under the same temptation as other men when his corrupt inclination led him one way and the Law and Spirit of God pull'd him another way and he was like one torn asunder by wild Horses yet he justifies the Law of God and condemns himself Rom. 7.7 What shall we say then is the Law sin God forbid Nay I had not known sin but by the Law v. 12. Wherefore the Law is holy and the Commandment is holy and just and good 14. For we know that the Law is spiritual but I am carnal sold under sin 3. As the chief felicity A good man looks not upon Religion as a burthen which he must be forc't to endure but as a priviledge which it is his happiness to enjoy There is nothing in the world which he more passionately desires than that he could live exactly according to the excellent Precepts of Religion so that he desires death it self for this end that he may live in perfect and constant exercise of all virtues and graces there is nothing that he more heedfully and industriously pursues nothing the want whereof doth more afflict and torment him the holy Ordinances and Exercises of Religion which to an ungodly man are tedious dry unsavoury things to a good man are very pleasant and satisfactory A day spent in the Courts and Service of God he prefers before a thousand employed in Balls or Plays or any other of the toys and trifles of humane life Iob. 23.12 I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food 2. This duty of justifying Religion relates to the tongue or discourse in these particulars 1. You must not censure or condemn Religion upon any pretence whatsoever It concerns you to be very cautious and modest in your censures of religious persons that you make not harsh conclusions concerning their state nor uncharitable constructions of their actions remembring that with what judgment you judge you shall be judged and with what measure you mete it shall be measured to you again but above ●ll take heed of speaking ill of Religion which is directly contrary to the present duty 2. You must not partake with others in that vulgar sin of censuring and scoffing at Religion You may be very guilty of this sin though you never speak a word against it If you freely and familiarly and unnecessarily converse with those whose throats are an open Sepulchre always belching out impure steams against heaven and against God if you consent to them connive at or any ways approve of them For as the Roman Orator saith Quid interest inter suasorem facti probatorem aut quid refert utrum voluerim fieri an gaudeam factum What difference is there between him that perswades another to an evil action before it be done and him that approves of or pleaseth himself with it afterward 3. You must not give occasion to wicked men to speak against Religion for though no such occasion will warrant or excuse them yet it will involve you in the guilt of their sin you know the woe belongs to him that gives the offence as well as to him that makes ill use of it 4. You must when occasion requires be ready to vindicate Religion when it is traduced when wicked men have their mouths open against God and Religion you ought not to have yours shut as I said before You have the advantage of the better cause you serve a better Master and shall have better wages and if they do the one out of choice much more should you do the other which is your duty Mistake not I do not say this is the duty of all persons in all times and companies God hath made this a duty for there is a sinful silence as well as a sinful speech but Christian prudence must direct the time and manner of it and other circumstances In some cases you know God hath given us an exemption Prov. 9.8 Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee Mat. 7.6 Give not that which is holy unto Dogs neither cast ye your Pearls before Swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rent you Certainly this if any other duty doth require great prudence and understanding in the management of it an indiscreet defence of Religion by an ignorant but well meaning Christian doth oft times more disparage and prejudice it than another mans reproaches against it 3. This duty relates to the actions 1. You must justifie Religion by the practice of all the principles and duties of Religion This is the true and the principal way to justifie Religion and to stop the mouths of all ignorant and malicious cavillers against it This is the way to maintain the honour of God Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven This is the way to adorn the Doctrine of the Gospel

unspeakably short of the Rules and Precepts of it much less is it to be measured by the slanders of wicked men There are three just exceptions against the testimony of ungodly men against Religion 1. They are ignorant How witty or learned soever they be in other matters they are deeply ignorant of the concerns of Religion and therefore speak evil of that which they understand not They say there is no such thing in the world as Religion that it is nothing but fancy or passion or imposture and design and they may in part think so because indeed they know nothing of the reality of Religion as one said whose profession should have ●●ught him better things he knew no regeneration but when a man turned from a Jew or a Heathen to believe in Christ Religion is not to be known but by an inward sense and tast Tast and see that the Lord is good Psal. 34.8 If so be you have tasted that the Lord i● graciou● 1 Pet. 2.3 It is therefore no wonder if ungodly men represent Religion to themselves and others as phantastical burthensom and slavish because they see only the outside of it which is the uncomly and troublesom part of it but are profoundly ignorant of the inside of it in which the beauty and pleasure of it consists The inward work and actings of grace in the soul acquaintance and communion with God in Christ the consolations of the Holy Spirit joy and peace in believing triumphant hopes of eternal glory these things to them are a Terrae incognita an undiscovered part of the world or rather a meer Vtopia or Fiction Now what prudent man will venture his salvation upon the report of such unlearned and unexperienced persons in these matters by the same reason by which I am obliged to believe the best Artists in their several professions I am also obliged to reject and slight the testimony of illiterate Novices such as these are in the affairs of Religion 2. They are interessed persons They are brib'd against Religion not only by the censures of others and by the common cry which easily carries away such unstable souls but also by their own lusts Religion hath an enemy in every mans breast every sinful desire and inclination which a man hath designs nothing less than the extirpation of Religion which is the only thing it dreads and therefore hates according to the known Maxim Now what man in his wits will run so great a hazard as the loss of an immortal soul and an eternal life upon the testimony of interessed persons Perit judicium cum res transit in affectum That mans opinion is little worth which is byassed by his interest and affections 3. They are enemies and malicious persons they owe Religion a spite and their hearts are full of malice against it as I have already proved by divers instances I do not say they hate Religion for it self but they hate it upon other grounds partly out of envy at that lustre which they cannot attain partly out of revenge against their Judge and principally out of love to their sinful lusts but whatever is the cause the effect is evident they hate God and are enemies to Religion as any prudent man will easily discern and therefore their testimony hath no weight nor force in it against Religion Religion is not to be evil thought of either because of the miscarriages of its friends or the censures of its enemies which leads me to the second Doctrine viz. As it is the duty of all so it is the practice of those that are wise and good to justifie Religion notwithstanding all the miscarriages of its friends and censures of its enemies The subject of this Proposition is the justification of Religion What that phrase implies hath in part been told before and will hereafter be more fully explained At present this may suffice as God justif●eth a sinner when he absolves him from all the guilt of his former sins and from all the censures and accusations of the Devil and his own conscience and holds him for innocent so do we justifie Religion when we acquit it from all the censures and imputations of ungodly and unworthy men against it when we heartily approve of it when we think and speak honourably of it upon all occasions when we credit and adorn it by our actions This justification of Religion notwithstanding the miscarriages of its friends and censures of its enemies 1. Is the duty of all No men are more deeply obliged to the practice of this duty than they that least perform it than the maligners and censurers of Religion because Religion is the only Physick and cure for a lost soul which none need more than such undone and desperate creatures This is one of the first steps to salvation it is most certain till a man justifie Religion he will never love it nor chuse it nor give up himself entirely to it the Scribe who did approve of Religion and an holy life our Saviour said of him thou art not far from the Kingdom of God Mark 12.34 And on the contrary salvation is far from the wicked saith the Psalmist Psal. 119.155 because they seek not thy Statutes and they that do not justifie and approve of Gods Statutes will never seek them 2. It is the practice of those that are wise and good and that 1. Because they are wise their wisdom enables them to distinguish aright 'T is the folly of ungodly men that they can not distinguish and hence it comes to pass that they charge the faults of men upon Religion and impute the miscarriages of hypocritical Professors to serious Christians But true wisdom teaches men to distinguish 1. between persons and persons between pretenders and sincere Christians I would not countenance that fond conceit of some who pretend to a spirit of discerning in this sense that they can distinguish between hypocrites a●d sincere persons as Saint Peter could discern the false-heartedness of Simon Magus Acts 8. 23. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity For neither are these men Peters successors nor did Peter for any thing that appears from the Text perceive it any other way than by observing the effects of a naughty heart and judging of the Tree by the Fruit which we also may do and those that are wise can do They can in some good measure see through the varnish and pretence of hypocritical Professors and therefore they seldom or never charge the misdemeanours of such persons upon those that are truly religiou● 2. Their wisdom helps them to distinguish between persons and things betwixt Religion and the Professors of it and hence they avoid that Rock which wicked men generally stumble at they do not impute the faults of men to Religion What is good in men they ascribe to Religion that hath the honour of it as in reason it should what is evil in men they charge upon