Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A54216
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Some fruits of solitude in reflections and maxims relating to the conduct of human life. Licens'd, May 24. 1693.
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Penn, William, 1644-1718.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing P1367; ESTC R216936
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27,730
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152
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than home and blaming the Unhappy rather than covering and relieving them 39. In such Occasions some shew their Malice others their Justice but few or none their Charity Especially if it be about Mony-matters 40. You shall see an old Miser come forth with a set Gravity and so much Severity against the Distressed To excuse his Purse that he will ' ere he has done put it out of all question That Riches is Righteousness with him This says he is the Fruit of your Prodigality as if poor Man Covetousness were no Fault Or of your Projects or grasping after a gread Trade While he himself would have done the same thing but that he had not the Courage to venture so much ready Mony out of his own trusty Hands tho' it had been to have brought him back the Indies in return But the Proverb is just Vice should not correct Sin 41. They have a Right to censure that have a Heart to help The rest is Cruelty not Justice 42. Lend not beyond thy Ability nor refuse to Lend out of thy Ability Especially when it will help others more than it can hurt thee 43. If thy Debtor be honest and capable thou hast thy Mony again if not with Encrease with Praise If he prove insolvent don't ruin him to get that which it will not ruin thee to lose For thou art but a Steward and another is thy Master and Judge 44. The more merciful Acts thou dost the more Mercy thou wilt receive And if with a charitable Imployment of thy Temporal Riches thou gainest eternal Treasure thy Purchase is infinite Thou wilt have found the Art of multiplying indeed 45. Frugality is good if Liberality be join'd with it The first is leaving off superfluous Expences the last bestowing them to the Benefit of others that need The first without the last begins Covetousness the last without the first begins Prodigality Both together make an excellent Temper Happy the Place where ever it is found 46. Were it universal we should be cur'd of two Extreams Want and Excess And the one would supply the other bringing both nearer to a Mean the just degree of earthly Happiness 47. It is a Reproach to Religion and Government to suffer so much Poverty and Excess 48. Were the Superfluities of a Nation valued and made a perpetual Tax or Benevolence there would be more Alms-houses than Poor Schools than Scholars and enough to spare for Government besides 49. Hospitality is good if the poorer sort are the Subjects of our Bounty else Superfluity 50. If thou wouldst be happy and easy in thy Family above all things observe Discipline 51. Every one should know their Duty and there should be a Time and Place for every thing And whatever else is done or omitted be sure to begin and end with God 51. Love Labor For if thou dost not want it for Food thou mayest for Physick It is wholsom for thy Body and good for thy Mind It prevents the Fruits of Idleness which many times comes of nothing to do and leads too many to do what is worse than nothing 53. A Garden an Elaboratory a Work-house Improvements and Breeding are pleasant and profitable Diversions to the Idle and Ingenious For here they miss ill Company and converse with Nature and Art whose Variety are equally grateful and instructing and preserve a good Constitution of Body Mind 54. To this a spare Dyet contributes much Eat thereforeto live and do not live to eat That 's like a Man but this below a Beast 55. Have Wholsom but not costly Food and be rather cleanly than dainty in ordering it 56. The Receipts of Cookery are swell'd to a Volume but a good Stomach excels them all to which nothing contributes more than Industry and Temperance 57. It is a cruel Folly to offer up so many Lives of Creatures as make up the State of our Treats As it is a prodigal one to spend more in Sawce than in Meat 58. The Proverb says That enough is as good as a Feast But it is certainly better if Superfluity be a Fault which never fails to be at Festivals 59. Rarely drink but when thou art dry nor then between Meals if it can be avoided 60. The smaller the Drink the clearer the Head and the cooler the Blood which are great Benefits in Temper and Business 61. Strong Liquors are good at some Times and in small Proportions being better for Physick than Food for Cordials than common use 62. The most comon things are the most useful Which shews both the Wisdom and Goodness of the great Lord of the Family of the World 63. What therefore he has made rare don't thou use too commonly Lest thou shouldst invert the Use and Order of Things become Wanton and Voluptuous and thy Blessings prove a Curse 64. Let nothing be lost said our Saviour But that is lost that is misused 65. Neither urge another to that thou wouldst be unwilling to do thy self nor do thy self what looks to thee unseemly and intemperate in another 66. All Excess is ill But Drunkenness is of the worst sort It spoils Health dismounts the Mind and unmans Men It reveals Secrets is quarrelsom lascivious impudent dangerous and mad In fine he that is drunk is not a Man Because he is so long void of Reason that distinguishes a Man from a Beast 67. Excess in Apparel is another costly Folly The very Trimming of the vain World would cloath all the naked one 68. Chuse thy Cloaths by thine own Eyes not anothers The more plain and simple they are the better Neither unshapely nor fantastical and for Decency not for Pride 69. If thou art clean and warm it is sufficient for more doth but rob the Poor and please the Wanton 70. It is said of the true Church The King's Daughter is all glorious within Let our Care therefore be of our Minds more than of our Bodies 71. We are told with Truth that Meekness and Modesty are the Rich and Charming Attire of the Soul And the plainer the Dress the more distinctly and with greater Lustre their Beauty shines 72. It is great pity such Beauties are so rare and those of Jezabel's Forehead are so common Whose Dresses are Incentives to Lust but Bars instead of Motives to Love or Vertue 73. Never marry but for Love but see that thou lov'st what is lovely 74. If Love be not thy chiefest Motive thou wilt soon grow weary of a Married State and stray from thy Promise to search out thy Pleasures in forbidden Places 75. Let not Enjoyment lessen but augment Affection it being the basest of Passions to like when we have not what we slight when we possess 76. It is the Difference betwixt Lust and Love that this is fixt that volatile Love grows Lust wastes by Enjoyment And the Reason is That one springs from an Union of Souls and the other from an Union of Sense 77. They have divers Originals and so are of different Families That
and thou wilt acceptably serve God 417. Is it but Reason if we expect the Acknowledgments of those to whom we are bountiful that we should reverently pay ours to God our most munificent and constant Benefactor 418. The World represents a Rare and Sumptuous Palace Mankind the great Family in it and God the mighty Lord and Master of it 419. We are all sensible what a stately Seat it is the Heavens adorned with so many glorious Luminaries and the Earth with Groves Plains Valleys Hills Fountains Ponds Lakes and Rivers and Variety of Fruits and Creatures for Food Pleasure and Profit In short how Noble an House he keeps and the Plenty and Variety and Excellency of his Table His Orders Seasons and Suitableness of every Time and Thing But we must be as sensible or at least ought to be what Careless and Idle Servants we are and how short and disproportionable our Behaviour is to his Bounty and Goodness How long he bears and often he reprieves and forgives us who notwithstanding our Breach of Promises and repeated Neglects has not yet been provok'd to break up House and send us to shift for our selves Should not this great Goodness raise a due Sense in us of our undutifulness and a Resolution to alter our Course and mend our Manners that we may be for the future more worthy Communicants at our Master 's good and great Table Especially since it is not more certain that we deserve his Displeasure than that we shall feel it if we continue to be unprofitable Servants 420. Let us then not cozen our selves with the Shels and Husks of things nor prefer Form to Power nor Shadows to Substance Pictures of Bread will not satisfy Hunger nor those of Devotion please God 421. This World is a Form our Bodies are Forms and no visible Acts of Devotion can be without Forms But yet the less Forms in Religion the better since God is a Spirit For the more mental our Worship the more adequate to the Nature of God the more silent the more suitable to the Language of a Spirit 422. Words are for others not for our selves Nor for God who hears not as Bodies do but as Spirits should 423. If we would know this Dialect we must learn of the Divine Principle in us As we hear the Dictates of that God hears us 424. There we may see him too in all his Attributes Tho' but in little yet as much as we can apprehend or bear For as he is in himself he is incomprehensible and dwelleth in that Light which no Eye can approach But in his Image we may behold his Glory Enough to exalt our Apprehensions of God and to instruct us in that Worship which pleaseth him 425. Men may Tire themselves in a Labyrinth of Search and talk of God But if we would know him indeed it must be from the Impressions we receive of him And the softer our Hearts are the deeper and livelier those will be upon us 426. If he has made us sensible of his Justice by his Reproof of his Patience by his Forbearance of his Mercy by his Forgiveness of his Holiness by the Sanctification of our Hearts through his Spirit we have a grounded knowledge of God This is Experience that Speculation This Enjoyment that Report In short this is undeniable Evidence with the reality of Religion and will stand all Winds and Weathers 427. As our Faith so our Devotion should be lively Cold Meat wont serve at those Repasts 428. It s a Coal from God's Altar must kindle our Fire And without Fire true Fire no acceptable Sacrifice 429. Open thou my Lips and then said the Royal Prophet my Mouth shall praise God But not till then 430. The Preparation of the Heart as well as Answer of the Tongue is of the Lord and to have it we must make our Prayers powerful and our Worship grateful 431. Let us chuse therefore to commune where there is the warmest sense of Religion where Devotion exceeds Formality and Practice most corresponds with Profession and where there is at least as much Charity as Zeal For where this Society is to be found there shall we find the Church of God 432. As Good so Ill Men are all of a Church and every Body knows who must be Head of it 433. It is a sad Reflection That many Men hardly have any Religion at all and most Men have none of their own for that which is the Religion of their Education and not of their Judgment is the Religion of another and not their own 434. To have Religion upon Authority and not upon Conviction is like a Finger-Watch to be set forwards or backwards as he pleases that has it in keeping 435. It is a preposterous thing that Men can venture their Souls where they will not venture their Mony For they will take their Religion upon trust but not trust a Synod about the Goodness of Half a Crown 436. They will follow their own Judgment when their Mony is concerned whatever they do for their Souls 437. But to be sure that Religion cannot be right that a Man is the worse for having 438. No Religion is better than an Unnatural One. 439. Grace perfects but never sours or spoils Nature 440. To be Unnatural in Defence of Grace is a Contradiction 441. He that is without Bowels is not a Man How then can he be a Christian 442. It were better to be of no Church than to be bitter for any 443. Bitterness comes very near to Enmity and that is the Devil because the Perfection of Wickedness 444. A good End cannot sanctify evil Means nor must we ever do Evil that Good may come of it 445. Some Folks think they may Scold Rail Hate Rob and Kill too so it be but for God's sake 446. But nothing in us unlike him can please him 447. God has replenisht this World with abundance of good Things for Man's Life and Comfort but they are all but Imperfect Goods He only is the Perfect Good to whom they point But alas Men cannot see him for them tho' they should see him in them 448. It is as great Presumption to send our Passions upon God's Errands as it is to palliate them with God's Name 249. Zeal dropt in Charity is good without it good for nothing For it devours all it comes near 450. They must first judge themselves that presume to censure others And such will not be apt to overshoot the Mark. 451. We are too ready to retaliate rather than forgive or gain by Love and Information 452. And yet we could hurt no Man that we believe loves us 453. Let us then try what Love will do For if Men did once see we Love them we should soon find they would not harm us 454. Force may subdue but Love gains And he that forgives first wins the Lawrel 455. If I am even with my Enemy the Debt is paid But if I forgive it I oblige him for ever 456. Love is the hardest Lesson in Christianity but for that reason it should be most our care to learn it Difficilia quae Pulchra 457. It is a severe Rebuke upon us that God makes us so many Allowances and we make so few to our Neighbour As if Charity had nothing to do with Religion Or Love with Faith that ought to work by it 458. I have often wondred at the unaccountableness of Man in this among other things that tho' he loves Changes so well he should care so little to hear or think of his last great and best Change too if he pleases 459. Being as to our Bodies composed of changeable Elements we with the World are made up of and subsist by Revolution But our Souls being of another and nobler Nature we should seek our Rest in a more enduring Habitation 460. I find all sorts of People agree whatsoever were their Animosities when humbled by the Approaches of Death Then they forgive then they pray for and love one another Which shews us that it is not our Reason but our Passion that makes and holds up the Feuds that reign among Men in their Health and Fulness They therefore that live nearest to that which they should die must certainly live best 407. Did we believe a final Reckoning and Judgment or did we think eno ' of what we do believe we would allow more Love in Religion than we do since Religion it self is nothing else but Love to God and Man 462. He that lives in Love lives in God says the Beloved Disciple And to be sure a Man can live no where better 463. It is most reasonable Men should value that Benefit which is most durable Now Tongues shall cease and Prophecy fail and Faith shall be consummated in Sight and Hope in Enjoyment But Love remains 464. Love is indeed Heaven upon Earth since Heaven above would not be Heaven without it For where there is not Love there is Fear But perfect Love casts out Fear And yet we naturally fear most to offend what we most Love 465. What we Love we 'll Hear what we Love we 'll Trust and what we Love we 'll serve and suffer for too If you Love me says our Blessed Redeemer keep my Commandments Why Then he 'll Love us then we shall be his Friends then he 'll send us the Comforter then whatever we ask we shall receive and then where he is we shall be also Behold the Fruits of Love the Power Vertue Benefit and Beauty of Love 466. Love is above all And when it prevails in us all we shall all be Lovely and in Love with God and with one another Amen FINIS ERRATA P. 8. l. 8. del by p. 34. l. 15. r. in daring p. 35. l. 14. r. of the p. 38. l. 12. r. bond vertue p. 71. l. 22. by by del p. 88. l. 6. r. Shift Heads l. 7. r. Hands are p. 117. l. 3. r. is not