Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	action_n	good_a	sin_n	2,029	5	4.5198	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38609	New observations upon the decalogue: or The second of the four parts of Christian doctrine, preached upon the catechism. By John Despagne Minister of the Gospel; Novelles observations sur le decalogue. English.	Espagne, Jean d', 1591-1659.	1652 (1652)	Wing E3263A; ESTC R217341	56,517	213

be called a fool then a wicked man For although that outwardly in regard of inconveniences men are more troubled if they be called wicked yet inwardly and in their secret thoughts they are more offended if they be reputed fools The reason is because every one naturally desireth to be thought a man that is a reasonable creature of which degree he thinks himself degraded if he be taxed of folly which is the want of judgment or reason and indeed essentiall to man So divine justice condemneth him to greater punishments who calls his brother fool then him that is angry without cause Mat. 5.22 But then how comes it that no man except he be a fool indeed dare take upon him the title of wise and yet every one dare call himself good the cause also is plain for though every man beleeves himself to be reasonable and is offended at the name of fool yet he knows that the name of wise includes qualities not common to all and which are not in the power of every one for to have a good natural understandding a quick apprehension a good judgment are perfections which every one cannot have though he would never so fain but to be good that is to hav moral goodness consisting in civil conversation only there are none who think not themselves capable thereof therefore as every one beleeves he may be a good man if he will so every one dares call himself good and that boldly because he knows that common belief gives him power to be so but as for wisdom which we know depends not on the will of any person none dare so boldly and openly assume this title An Oservation upon this That in the Scripture God is oftner angry with mans wickedness then he useth to laugh at their folly We may speak the truth irronically God himself useth sometimes this figure namely then when he mocks Idolaters and such as trust in Soothsayers he invites them to try if their gods and Astrologers can deliver them Iudg. 10.14 Ier. 8.28 Isa 47.13 and then also when he mocks those who trust to the wisdom or power of Kings Hos 13.10 truly mans folly deserveth as much to be mocked as his malice is worthy of our indignation yet there is oftentimes more cause to be angry with the wickedness of the world then to laugh at its vanity So the Scripture sets out to us how God is oftner angry with the wickedness of men then he useth to laugh at their folly and even then when he doth mock them he is most incensed against them Psalm 2.4 5. Is it lawful to divulge false news if it may serve for the publick good For example to appease a discontented people or to incourage them when they are affraid or to disperse a tumultuous conspiracy or to divert the plots of an Enemy Polititians make no scruple among other of their inventions to spread a false report when they think it may produce some good effect this seems to be countenanced by that of the Prophet Elisha who led the Syrians into Samaria making them beleeve that he would conduct them elsewhere 2 Kings 6. but to leave the opinions of Expositors upon that extraordinary example the general rule of truth is still firm for if it be not lawful to lie even for the glory of God how much less for other causes for is it reason that any estate or weal publick should be of greater consideration with us then God himself VVhy it is lawful sometimes to make shew of evil but never lawful to make shew of good There is great odds between a formal lie and a simple fiction or resemblance for the one is altogether vitious the other sometimes lawful but with a distinction We do not call him an Hypocrite who makes shew of evil which he hath not but him who makes shew of the good he hath not the first is sometimes lawful the other is never allowable it is lawful for a good man to counterfeit the naughty man as Salomon made shew to dispatch the poor infant 1 Kings cap. 3. but it were cousnage if a wicked man should counterfeit a good man its lawful for a learned man to play the ignorant but it were ridiculous presumption in an ignorant to make shew of learning its lawful for a wise man to play the fool as David did in the Court of Achis but but its a trancendant folly for a fool to counterfeit the wise man its lawful for a milde man to make shew of rigour as Ioseph did outwardly to his brethren but there is nothing more detestable then for a cruel man to make shew of mildness and lastly it is lawful for a friend to counterfeit the enemy but for an enemy to play the friend is horrible treachery Counterfeiting therefore is lawful in the one but not in the other good and evil in respect of their essence lodge within man not according to outward appearance the inside may be good though it doth not alwaies appear outwardly so but the outside can never be good if there be not goodness within hence it is that sometimes good under the shape of evil is lawful but evil is never lawful under the shape of good VVe may know a wicked man but it is impossible to know a good man If I finde a man doing wickedly I am not deceived if I hold him for a wicked man but when a man doth all the good he can yet this is no infallible mark to assure me that he is a good man for many do good things either out of Hypocrisie or some interest such will give all they have to the poor yea will suffer willingly Martyrdom who notwithstanding are void of Charity 1 Cor. 13.3 the works they do have truly a superficial goodness but abusive because the inside is naught As true goodness then lodgeth within the heart which to us is unknown so we cannot know if such a man is truely good But then how shall we know him to be wicked seeing wickedness as wel as goodness hath its abode within the heart The reason of this difference is plain an evil action never proceedes from a good heart but an action that is outwardly good may proceed from an evil heart When the Scripture speaks of any man in Hell it never names the man and when it doth name him it never expresseth the name of Hell an observation upon this matter The Parable in St. Luke chap. 16. nameth him who is in Abraham's bosome to wit Lazarus but gives no name to him that is in Hell Only in general calls him a rich man I will omit the reasons which some alledge for this and will onely say that the Scripture never nominates those whom it mentioneth to be in Hell torments and for this cause it is that the rich mans name is past over in silence whereas Lazarus is called by his name so it speaks of divers spirits in prison 1 Pet. 3.19 that is to say in Hell but

right hand the other at his left It seems that as yet ambition was more universal then avarice for although both these are rooted in the hearts of all men yet the one hath a more general command then the other so ambition is more ancient then avarice for sin began at Adam's ambition and in Scripture we read of many examples of ambition which appeared in the first ages of the world before we finde any examples of avarice In brief though both these be crimes yet of the two avarice is the most unbeseeming man To one man onely God by divine means did shew the way to become rich It is God who still giveth riches and the lawful means to become rich It is he also that giveth industry but yet he doth not furnish us with these except by humane and natural means which are understanding diligence experience and other qualities he never used extraordinary revelations for men to enrich themselves except to one man onely this was Iacob to whom God sent an Angel expresly from Heaven to bestow on him the invention to make himself rich Gen. 31.10 11 12. This is the onely example in all the Scripture except we will add that of the Israelites to whom God shewed the means to enrich themselves by the Egyptian jewels Exod. 12.35 36. Now it is a thing remarkable that God hath not been sparing of his oracles when there hath been question about providing for the necessities of his servants or for giving them advice of things requisite to their preservation but to shew them the way to enrich themselves his revelations in this point have been very rare which notwithstanding in other cases he hath not been sparing of as when he provides for the security of his children so he forbid Laban to wrong Iacob or for their honour so he advertiseth Abimelech not to meddle with Abraham's Wife or for their quietness so many times he comforteth Jacob in his afflictions or for confirming and encouraging them in their vocations so sometimes he hath spoken to Moses Joshua Gedeon and others or for giving them victory over their enemies so he shewed the way to the Israelites how to surprise Hai to David how he might entrap the Philistims o● for preventing some inconvenience so he advertiseth Isaac not to go down into Egypt and on the contrary he gave order to Joseph the Husband of Mary the Virgin to carry Christ thither that was newly born to avoid the fury of Herod But to teach men by oracle how to inrich themselves God never used except one time onely and for a special cause So the Saints have sometimes desired revelations in case of necessity but never for superfluity A conjecture upon the Jewish opinion touching the just price of things vendible The Rabbins teach that he who sells a Commodity in gross ought not to gain above the fift part that is to say if the commodity hath cost five he may sell it for six and not above Now I know not upon what rule or example they ground this proportion it may be they have taken it from that action of Pharaoh who having purchased the property of all the Lands of Egypt contented himself with the fifth of their yearly rent then when he made restitution to his subjects Gen. 47.24 it may be also and with more probability that they ground this upon that law which is contented that he who injustly detaines his neighbours goods should restore them with the addition of the fift part over and a-above Lev. 6.5 Num. 5.7 But these reasons are not concluding to prescribe an universal price or tax the justice of valuations consisteth not precisely in an A●ome but in a certain latitude either more or less according to circumstances A Question if he that hath made restitution of the goods unjustly detained as also of all the profits and interests and recompenced all the losses hath he sufficiently discharged his conscience Zacheus was not content to restore fourfold for all that he had stoln but also he bestowes on the poor the half of what remained of his goods lawfully gotten Luke 19.8 Now though this example doth not serve as a rule in all its measures yet it is founded on a rule in respect of its matter and substance He that hath done evil is bound by the law of true repentance to do good also but this is not properly to do good when one repairs onely the evil which he hath done he therefore that restores onely what is not his own cannot be said by this action to hav don good to his neighbour for after restitution of that which he detained from another he is bound also to give of his own where charity requires the greatness also of his bounty must answer in some fit proportion to the greatness of the robbery committed by him for he that hath done much evil is obliged to do also much good not to pay the interest of Gods justice which no man can satisfie but to express the fruits of repentance which cannot be sincere if it endeavours not to exceed the greatness of the evil by the greatness of the good So he that hath restored all hath not as yet cleared his conscience because for detaining another mans goods he must give some of his own according to the greatness and extent of the evil he had done him He that makes restitution of ill gotten goods remains yet charged with great obligations Sacriledge the first crime committed in the Church of Israel after they entred into Canaan And the first in the Christian Church To rob God is a more hainous sin then to rob man yet it is held a thing indifferent even among those who are conscientious in all other things yea many there are who think it a point of the true Religion to suppress and annihilate all that their predecessors have consecrated to the service of God as though one could not be sufficiently reformed except he commit Sacriledge this was the first sin that the Israelites perpetrated in the land o● Promise and in the first City they Conquered to wit in Ierico Iosh 7.1 c. And this was also the first sin that appeared in the Christian Church committed by Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5.1 c. This fata● sin of the Church hath been punished in both these beginnings as well that of the Israelites as that of the Christians by miraculous and exemplary Judgments to shew how excreable this crime is in the eyes of Almighty God The IX COMMANDEMENT Thou shalt not bear false witness c. Whether it be more injurious to call our neighbour fool or knave And why a man glorieth rather to be esteemed good then wise IT is not onely a reproach to ascribe wickedness to our neighbour but also to accuse him of folly unjustly Now which of these two kinds of calumniation be most criminal is a disputable question yet a man is more sensible chiefly he that is of any spirit if he