Selected quad for the lemma: honour_n
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A35052
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The way to happinesse on earth concerning riches, honour, conjugall love, eating, drinking / by R.C.
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Crofts, Robert.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing C7007; ESTC R27922
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132,405
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427
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and looking above them doe even contemne them in comparison of the more excellent things which then they know So let us as children in Gods family make a good use of this earthly honour and be thereby encouraged and excited to learne and search the way to the eternall glory of heaven of which this is but a shadow And when we are grown wise and skilfull men in rhe knowledge of divine things Let us then in comparison endeavour to be above and even contemne these toyes and trifles of the world for such is earthly honour even in it's greatest excellency in comparison of the heavenly honour and glory and then let us untye our selves from the overmuch and vitious desire of terrestriall honor which can never satisfie us and with a desire full of sprightfulnesse love and joy elevate our thoughts to heaven to eternity for certaine it is that those souls which doe often contemplate the heavenly glory and doe well know the excellency thereof are often raised farre above all the greatnesse of the earth inasmuch as eternity is above time and infinite glory above a shadow thereof And in these contemplations they are often so transported and raised beyond and above themselves as if they were then capable of terrestriall and humane vanities they would not know themselves while their souls doe thus direct their lookes desires affections and contemplations wholly to God himselfe to heaven Insomuch that while their spirits are so raysed in such divine thoughts and illuminations they doe seeme very gloriously then to despise all the honour and greatnesse of the earth and with unexpressable delight to marke out the thrones of their honour in the kingdome of heaven where they know that a crowne of immortall glory shall for ever environ their heads And in these divine thoughts and elevations they are often even astonisht with such wonderfull delights and happinesse as they can finde neither measure nor limits in these divine glorious amuzements heavenly irradiations and elevations of spirit So not being able to find any thing on earth worthy of their greatnesse they have designed the crowne and set up the throne of their honour and glory in the empyrean heaven To conclude Let it alwaies be our glory to glorifie our fathet which is in heaven Mat. 5.16 Ier. 9.23 They that honour me I will honour saith God 1 Sam. 2.30 Psal 9.14 15 16. O how honourable how happy is he whom God is pleased to honour Teach oh Lord this secret divine language to my heart to desire onely thy honour thy glory and that I may glory onely in thee who art mans soveraigne glory yea onely true happines Let me esteeme this honour this glory this happinesse as heaven already The third PARTITION Of Conjugall Love SECTION I. Of the excellency of such Conjugall or Marriage Love in generall and the miseries of the losse and want thereof KIng Solomon saith a prudent wife is from the Lord Prov. 19.4 From the beginning of the creation saith our Saviour God made them male and female for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they two shall be one flesh Mar. 10.7 Mat. 19. So it appeares God himselfe is the Author of this lawfull conjugall or marriage-love And therfore in respect of him the Authour to be very well esteemed accordingly Therefore in his sacred word by King Solomon he saith Rejoyce in the wife of thy youth c. See Prov. 18.2 Eccl. 9.9 and by Saint Paul Husbands love your wives as Christ loved his Church So ought men to love their wives as their owne bodies for he that loveth his wife loveth himselfe Eph. 5.25 28. Let me here againe make a short though perchance very necessary digression Since God himselfe as hath been shewed is the Authour of this Conjugall true Love and commends the same unto us I doe intend God willing to write on of this Subject though all the severe Grandsires and Stoickes of the world should frowne and the more nice then wise people turâ—e aside their heads and though envious malitious people should pine and grieve exceedingly at such loving felicities though over-doting sottish and brain-sicke Lovers should be toucht to the quick in this ensuing discourse and therefore kicke and though whoremasters should be gall'd and lash though Momus or jeering Coxecombes should carp and scoffe at this subject of Conjugall Love and though meere earthly sensuall fooles should not see or conceive the good and divine use thereof which is principally heavenly Love of God And I protest I shall in this discourse principally endeavour to please God the Authour of this Love that is to doe good for I know all goodnesse pleaseth him and what better and more necessary endeavour then to increase this so good and necessary happinesse of Conjugall or Marriage-Love in the world from which springeth so many good and happy effects therein as in this the next the fourth and fifth Sections of this Partitioâ— I intend to shew more largely And in the next place I would gladly also please all vertuous pious men and of them especially true-lovers which I hope I shall the rather since I have formerly been much encouraged by such and since I have followed and learned the substance of this Partition of many wise and worthy Authours who have formerly written of this subject done much good thereby and are deservingly commended for the same And lastly I write this to please and recreate my selfe also amidst more serious studies and occasions Now therefore let the said severe Grandsires Stoicks over-nice people envious malitious men over-doting sottish brain-sicke Lovers carping scoffing geering coxcombs meere sensualists or any other vitious men for such onely I thinke will frowne looke aside pine grieve be angry barke stir kick lash carp scoffe soulely detract or remain still meere sensuall fooles I care not since I have endeavoured and shall endeavour to doe this good hereby It matters not to me what such men say While I please God good men my self enjoy And since God the Authour of this Conjugall Love hath commended the same unto us in such a sweet amiable and pleasant manner as is said Prov. 5.18 c. Eccles 9.9 Ephes 5. and divers other places and also in the Canticles and elsewhere even in a misterious and divine way therefore if I or any man endeavour to shew and increase this happinesse and to do this so necessary good in a pleasing â—â—d harmelesse manner what wise well disposed man who but some rugged discontented envious carping maligne spirited men will be displeased therewith I wonder why any should be so maligne as to dislike grudge or envy the felicities of lovers I protest I wish that all the true-lovers and married men in the world might enjoy as much pleasure and felicity in their loves and wives as they can wish and thinke of though it were upon this condition that my selfe should lose all my joyes hopes and
unnecessary sharking and unconscionable Lawyers of whom let us beware the good use and intent thereof is most honourable and excellent As for the preservation of mens persons from death and violence their good names from reproach slander and infamy also their goods and lands from waste and spoile and to dispose the property thereof And in generall for the good and prosperity of the weale publique and maintenance of all vertue and true Religion Insomuch as many Kings and Princes have thought it their greatest honor to be well skilled herein to make and establish good and profitable Lawes and Decrees as Numa Trajan Antonius Pius Severus Iustinian Lycurgus and many others Phisicke also is an honourable profession however there be many ignorant and unlearned Emperickes in divers Townes which makes this noble and profitable science to be evill spoken of by some yet schollers doe well know the Theory of Phisicke is a spacious field of knowledge requiring in the learned professor the Latine and Greeke tongues especially and to be well skilled in philosophy and history especially naturall to know the whole structure and frame of the body of man the operation of all vegetatives and minerals both simples and compounds and so to enquire into the most secret and obstrusest closets of nature also skill in Astronomy Astrology and so much of the juditials upon all manner of Calculations as may be well warranted and not superstitiously affected with much other kinde of art and learning Divers Kings as Orsiris and Zesostris Kings of Aegypt Mithridates King of Pontus Evax King of Arabia and others have written tracts of this subject of Physicke and Aesculapius for his skill herein was esteemed a god To conclude this Section although it be true that few men are capable to attaine the top of honour yet wee ought not to be discouraged but to make more account of that little which we can attaine unto especially by living well and honestly in our generall vocation and also particular whatsoever the same be then of all the rest of our wealth For why even the mighty statesman is in some respects beholding to the husbandman merchant sea-man all arts-men and mechanickes so as he cannot live without them like as they cannot subsist without the statesman God being pleased herein to shew his good providence so uniting each man to other in an indissoluble knot of necessity and accepting of every mans good and vertuous endeavours aswell in small matters as in great for true honour onely consists in vertuous and pious actions which doe shine forth most brightly in the sight of good men yea to the view approbation and delight of Angels and of God himselfe Psal 45.11 13 15 c. Cant. 6.10 1 Sam. 2.30 Prov. 11.20 Ier. 9.24 And though by vitious men even these vertuous and gracious actions may be reproach't and disesteemed in this life yet shall the same be crownes of honor and glory to us in the heavenly life eternally when wee shall shine as the firmament the stars the sun for glory Dan. 12.3 1 Cor. 15.41 42. yea in some sort even as the glorious body of Christ himselfe Phil. 3.20 1 Iohn 3.2 So then let us endeavour to attaine this true honour or good estimation which is gained by vertuous pious profitable and worthy actions the rather since the same appeares to be the most illustrious most commendable and most durable good that a man can possesse forasmuch as he leaveth a good example to posterity a good testimony of his life to the world and is crowned thereby with everlasting honour and glory in the heavens SECTION III. Of the abuses and dangers of Honour which ought to be avoyded especially Ambition LEt us consider that we are by all meanes to eschew the abuses and dangers of honour which otherwise will hinder our happinesse therein and bring upon us mischiefe and misery Many men while fortune smiles as they say abuse their honour and authority to the maintenance of themselves in and to the support of all dissolute wicked courses priviledging themselves therein by their greatnesse they grow proud stout arrogant insolent forget God and goodnesse and plunge themselves into all licentious and voluptuous courses of the miseries whereof I shall write God willing in their due places And at the last perhaps lose their honour and leave a rotten stinking name and memory behind them However if men use or rather abuse their honour to vitious dissolute wicked courses the same will turne to their greater perdition It had been better for such men to have endured despicable shame disgrace and ignominy These dangers and abuses of honour therefore are by all means to be avoided A further danger of honour hindering happinesse and causing misery is that common vice of many great men namely Ambition But first observe this caution That in this ensuing discourse against Ambition I doe not intend to speak against that honest ambition or desire of honour which stirs us up to vertuous gracious and therin worthy and honourable actions I thinke it good that we looke up to the examples of those men who are most worthy and vertuous that we may out of an honest emulation and desire mend our selves by continuall striving to imitate their vertues and noblenesse and so to doe worthily in all good and laudable actions for the benefit aswell of Gods Church and the common wealth as of our families and selves But now to define what I intend in this Section by Ambition It is a vice of excesse and contrary to modesty which is a part of temperance namely it is an excessive desire of outward honour It is commonly an unsatiable desire and composed with pride vaine glory insolency and the like It is the most haughty vice of all others and seated in the very soule it selfe and therefore most dangerous Before we view the evill and miserable effects thereof a few words concerning the extent Men espying a bright lustre and excellency in honour they are prone to runne thereafter without the bound-markes of reason and so plunge themselves into this boundles and top-lesse vice of Ambition The gay and glorious outside of this Glow-worme vaine-glory accompanied with outward pompe pride hipocrisie vanity and wickednesse so bewitcheth the world to seeke thereafter as they are even mad to gaine the same and endeavour by impudency flattery bribery or any other basenesse to attain their desires It is strange to thinke how some men will even sigh after this false outside of honour with designes to hazzard life and soule for the conquest of these vaine felicities Insomuch as many men in our times seeme to be of the same minde with those chiefe Rulers mentioned Luke 12.42 who loved the praise of men more then the praise of God ver 43. But let us now briefly view the vanity evils dangers and miseries of this vice of Ambition What folly and vanity is it which makes men as many doe take such paines even with all