Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	day_n	lord_n	week_n	2,734	5	9.9831	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69140	VVilie beguile ye, or The worldlings gaine shevving how they hazard their pretious soules for the attaining of these vaine and transitory things, and withall teaching how to obtaine and enioy the benefits of this life: that so we may lay vp a good foundation thereby against the life to come: expressed in some sauoury and effectuall meditations and obseruations hereupon. By Thomas Cooper.; Worldlings adventure	Cooper, Thomas, fl. 1626.	1621 (1621)	STC 5710.3; ESTC S119004	40,870	88

compassion towards others that so we may lay vp a good foundation against the life to come The wise consideration and comparing of both these together both the right vse and ende of the Sabboath and our ciuill Callings will happily further the resolution of these doubts and satisfie the Conscience in any scruples that may arise there-from For out of this comparison will arise these conclusions First though the Lord hath allowed vs sixe dayes for our ciuill Callings and but one for the generall yet from this proportion it doth not follow that though more time be allowed for our worldly occasions then for our spirituall therefore wee may enlarge our thoughts so much the more after worldly things then after those of a better life seeing as our ciuill Callings are ordained not so much for the maintenance of this present as that life which is to come so our managing of them must bee Spirituall with thoughts and actions deriued from that Fountaine guided by the same Rule and ayming at the same End And therefore as the Sabboath doth restraine vs altogether from these carnall worldly thoughts as being simply euill on that day so neither doe the other dayes otherwise allow them then as they proceed from a spirituall intent to glorifie God in obedience to him in our Calling rather then to enrich our selues and so ayme at a Spirituall end euen the furthering of vs to a better life The Summe of all is 1. Our ciuill Callings one the Lords day must wholly cease but vpon the former occasions 2. On the weeke dayes they must be followed not with worldly but with heauenly minds They must be begun with Prayer both priuate and if it may be with the Familie they must be continued with spirituall Meditations tending to weane vs from the loue of them by experience of the manifold distractions the basenes and corruption incident thereto and so prouoking to raise vp the minde to heauenly obiects and they must bee ended with contentment and thankefulnesse with prayer and humbly submitting to the will of God and waiting by Faith his glorious Blessing Thus if we doe our thoughts though conuersant with the world yet shall haue sweet commerce with heauen our time though more dayes spent in our ciuil Callings yet now thus employed shall sanctifie them vnto vs and sanctifie vs more and more by them and so make euery day a spirituall Sabboath Thus we shall walke with God while we haue dealing in the world haue our conuersation in heauen while wee are thus strangers on the earth Our thoughts though imployed vpon the world yet shall not rest thereon but retire againe to their true Center of heauen and our wayes though trauailing in the world yet shall stil be ayming and hastening to our country which is aboue So that though we liue in the flesh we shall not liue after the flesh and though we may take care for the flesh yet wee shall not care to satisfie the same nor vse our libertie as occasion thereto In a word we shall hereby so vse the world as that we may not loue it we shall so desire to liue and seeke meanes for the maintenance thereof as that still wee shall bee ready to die and to leaue all for Christ And this may serue for answere to the second Question Hence ariseth a third scruple Whether it be not lawfull to desire riches and aboundance To which we answere 1. By a distinction of riches which may be considered As they are necessary and sufficient and so a small thing may be counted riches as contenting Nature and being sufficient for vs. 2. They may be cōsidered as they are in the estimation of the world and in their own Nature and so aboundance is to be deemed riches so they are vnnecessary A 2. Difference now to be considered is of the persons which may desire them which are of two sorts First publike such whose Callings cannot be well executed without aboundance as that of the Magistrate and such other publike Callings Secondly some persons are priuate and these also in regard of their charge and such like occasions may lawfully desire more or lesse A 3. Difference is in respect of our desires which are either absolute such as require simply the performance of what we desire such as are all desires for Spirituall graces which for the grace simply must be absolute though for the measure thereof they may be conditionall 2. Our desires are conditionall with subiection to Gods will as may make most for his glorie and our good and so ought all our desires be for earthly things because that God hath so onely promised them as they shal be for our good And so must we onely desire them Out of these distinctions arise these conclusions 1 First we may generally desire riches as they are in the first sence necessary and sufficient not as they are lesse necessary aboundant Genes 28. Deuter. 17.16.17 1. Tim. 6.8 2 Secondly we may desire what may aswell fit our callings as persons though this may be satisfyed with lesse yet the calling may desire more and so such callings as require state and maiestie may require aboūdance yet so as that 3 All our desires for these things must be conditional submitting to Gods pleasure both for the thing as also for the meanes to obtaine the same and so for the measure and continuance thereof vnto vs and so not enlarged by our owne couetous minde but confined to the iudgement and example of the most sober and frugall persons And therefore 4 All our desires for these things must be accompanied with prayers vnto God both for the thing we desire as also for the measure and blessing thereon Thus may we lawfully desire Riches Quaere 4 A fourth question ariseth hereupon whether we may vse such meanes for the gathering of riches as mans law doth tollerate and come not within the compasse of the Penalty thereof As vsury Monopolies letters of ma●● trading with Infidels and Idolaters tentering and burnishing our wares by pressing sliking and keeping in and storing our commodities changing of our callings c. To which we answer first by some generall rules to all 1. That whatsoeuer is not against the law of equitie and charitie without intent to deceiue as we would be done vnto that may lawfully be done herein That wherein the law of man is subordinate to the law of God we may safely venture That the law of man may dispense with some things which yet it allowes not simply but so only tollerates as to preuēt a worse mischief so confines in the tolleration as indeed in a manner implyes the impossiblitie of what it tollerates or condemnes the same Of this nature is vsury which though it be tollerated by mans law yet is restrained within such straight limits as if the law were straightly executed it might easily restraine what it seemes to tollerate My purpose is not to enter into the mystery and

minde and so also there must be a difference in the vse of the body as so to exercise the body as specially to humble and abase it by the manner of our labour whereas at other times wee may more respect the ease thereof And yet so farre onely to exercise it as not to tire weary it if vrgent occasion do not require lest wearisomenesse require some such recreation thereof as is nor meete And if any vrgent occasion may bring wearisomenes yet now in steed of such bodily recreation the minde may be enlarged to heauenly meditations and thankesgiuing thereby to refresh the wearied carcase Whence it followeth that all bodily recreations that do not further vs to diuine worship are vnlawfull on the Lords day Because they serue onely to refresh the body after labour which is restrained therefrō otherwise I say thē they shal make vs fitter to serue God when we haue any liberty to labour vpon case of necessity though we may vse that liberty to wearisomnes yet this is to be releeued specially with spirituall recreation 2 This inferreth that the vse of our Ciuil callings on this day is not as they are Ciuill but rather as they are abstracted from all Ciuill respects And this shall appeare the better if we consider the different Ends of imployment on this day from the other Our End on ordinary dayes may be benefit to our selues for the encrease of our outward meanes and maintenance in the world so may we not do on the Lords day Here wee must labour freely without hire or fee our paines must be a free will offering without respect of recompence to approue the sincerity of our obedience wholy for Gods sake and not our owne And that our labour must now be seuered from al respect or cōtentment of the body but rather to the humiliation both of soule and body The like must be resolued concerning such other workes as are allowed this day As. 2. Workes of Charitie which though they may now bee performed as relieuing the poore visiting the sicke and afflicted yet here they must be limited by the former circumstances as after a diuers Nature and to diuers Endes then at other times 1. Now they are to be performed more liberally then at other times in regard of the matter we giue because this day requires a restrayning of our selues herein that we may be more enlarged to others both in that our lesse bodily labour hath need thereof and the greater labour of the mind requires the lesse lest it be hindred and dulled hereby And yet in regard of the manner they are to be performed more sparingly lesse time bestowed thereon lesse wearying of the body and all this that both bodie and soule may bee more free and ready in the worship of God The like may be concluded of that other bodily worke allowed on the Sabboath namely the view of the creature Now the minde must be abstracted from all delight in them as they serue for present vse which may be allowed at other times and onely inflamed hereby to glorifie God in the wonderfull varietie and vse of them for the aduancement of his power and prouidence in their creation and gouernment without any respect of right or vse of them to our selues Whence it followeth 1. That all liberall vse of the Creatures in prodigall Feasting c is now forbidden but onely such as may serue necessitie and bee agreeable vnto good reason 2. Generally no other bodily labour is now admitted but what is confined within the former bounds of necessitie and charitie and the like together with such other circumstances of different manner and end as before are laid downe And thus of the first Case and Resolution thereof Case 2 A second case ariseth That seeing the Lord hath set apart but one day for his Seruice and left vs sixe for our ciuill callings Whether it be not lawfull to spend more time in following the world then seeking after heauen And so whether though our thoughts runne more vpon present occasions of this life then vpon those of a better we may not yet haue comfort that our estate is secure our interest good in eternall happinesse The Resolution hereof consists First in the Consideration of the right vse and intent of the Sabboath which is principally to confine and employ our thoughts wholie vpon heauenly things and such occasions as that day are publikely offered to further the same and that for two ends One that this heauenly employment of our thoughts on this day and so of our words and actions sutable thereto may be both a resemblance of our pure and perfect estate in heauen when all our thoughts words and actions shall be thus wholy exercised and also on euidence of our right in that happinesse and withall may prouoke vs to sigh and hasten to that perfect estate by how much our experience of fayling in these things on this day argues our shortnes and aberration from that perfection And hereupon followes another vse and intent of the Sabboath Namely that by restrayning and setting our thoughts now onely vpon heauen he obiects wee may at all other times keepe them better in order that though they may haue libertie on the other dayes to worldly occasions yet by the former imployment of them on the Sabboath they may now be so bridled and seasoned with holy grounds and Spirituall ends as that we may so vse the world as if we vsed it not our hearts may not bee set vpon the same though we must conuerse therewith but both lifted vp to God for the sanctifying of our businesse and kept still euer with God in the prosecuting thereof and so returne vnto God for the blessing of the same and relie again vpon God in waiting on his prouidence and meditating of the heauenly riches making still these worldly occasions daily matter to humble vs hereby in that we cannot be without what in some sort hinders our intire fellowship with God to exercise our Faith and patience in that our labour is nothing without the blessing of God to try our synceritie that we can spare time for heauenly occasions and season our earthly affaires with Spirituall Meditations And so to prepare vs by a daily viewing of our reckonings and making euen with God to our great account and so hereby to sit vs the better to the next Sabboath and so to prouoke vs to hunger after the eternall Sabboath Thus doth the right vse and entent of the Sabboath extend to the holy ordering of our ciuill Callings And surely if we consider rightly in the second place the right vse and ende of our ciuill Callings Which is not so much for present maintenance of life or to thriue thereby as to humble vs vnder the mightie hand of God in that we haue need of such meanes which had not sinne entred into the world we should not haue had and so daily to renew repentance and thereby to prouoke to loue and