Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	apostle_n	faith_n	work_v	4,705	5	7.7266	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38622	An essay concerning adepts, or, A resolution of this inquiry how it cometh to pass that adepts, if there are any in the world, are no more beneficial to mankind than they have been known hitherto to be, and whether there could be no way to encourage them to communicate themselves : with some resolutions concerning the principles of the adeptists and a model, practicable, and easy, of living in community : in two parts / by a Philadept ...	Philadept.	1698 (1698)	Wing E3279; ESTC R11286	34,148	53

themselves or their Medecine as they otherwise would I Have hitherto made way to answer the chief Objectons against the Stone Now I shall more directly resolve in this Section the inquiry how it comes to pass if there are Adepts in the World that they are no more beneficial to Mankind And for a resolution of this we need but observe the perverse disposition of the generality of men For it is certain 't is men's fault and not the Adepts that the World enjoys not the benefits of the Elixir But what must Adepts do Must they go communicate their Medicine to some Prince who then being furnished with all the Treasure of the World will perhaps give way to his ambition and frame the project to subdue to him all the World and so will fill the Earth with Confusion and Violence Or must an Adept betray himself to a company of wicked men as certainly the greatest part of men are who consulting nothing but their own greedy desires will be ready thro'their Lust and Coveteousness to commit the greatest enormities to get the possession of that whereof they are unworthy and which they would not know how to use but to their own destruction and Eternal damnation Certainly it must be confest those who have the Elixir can scarcely find safe oppertunities to make use of it to the Benefit of men in that disposition the generality of men now are And this undoubtedly does sufficiently solve the difficulty of the inquiry For indeed it cannot reasonably be look't upon as any thing else but a difficulty For it can never be thought an Argument that there are no Adepts for tho' we could give no account at all why supposing there be Adepts they are no more beneficial to mankind yet it would not necessarily follow that that supposition that there are Adepts is false for it might be some reason we did not know did hinder them to communicate themselves or their Medecine to the World for certainly we know not all things wherefore not taking at first this difficulty as a sufficient ground to move reasonable persons to disbelieve that there are any Adepts I said in the beginning my design was only to write for them who allow the reality of the Sophick Stone and consequently think there may be Hermetick Pilosophers now living tho' at the same time it may also seem strange before due consideration why they do no more good than we generally see they do which is the occasion of that part of the inquiry of which I think a sufficient account has been given V. Sect. What would encourage Adepts to communicate themselves more or what would put them in a capacity to be beneficial to Men. I Extremely blame those who incessantly compare the matters that relate to the Hermetick Philosophy with the matters of Religion But particularly as to the Evidence of the reality of the Stone what comparison is there of that with the Evidence of Religion Doth natural Conscience witness any thing concerning the Stone Have any Adepts offered their lives and magnanimously suffered Martyrdom to confirm the Truth of it But on the other hand I think those cannot be excused who because they have no ocular demonstration of the Elixir esteem it not worth while to do the most reasonable things to qualify them for a participation thereof A wise man ought to beware of extreams and to weigh calmly every thing and to proceed in his actions according to the Laws of reason And that I 'm sure will justify whatsoever Adepts can be supposed to require of the World That makes me the more willing to endeavour now in some measure to resolve the latter part of the Inquiry Importing Whether there could be no way to encourage Adepts to communicate themselves more freely then hither to they have done I answer There is without doubt seeing as has been observed it is Men's fault and not the Adepts that the World enjoys not the benefit of the Elixir Then the question must be what would encourage Adepts to communicate themselves and their Medicine and what would put them in a capacity to be Beneficial to Men The Resolution in general and in short is that Adepts unquestionably would freely communicate themselves if they saw Reason Justice and Moderation prevail among Men. Then they would have ground to hope that Men would make no ill use of the Elixir but would be content to make that use of it which reason and Adepts should direct And that we may suppose would be chiefly to prevent Pains and Diseases and to free men from want and enable them to do good to them that need but not to move them to disturbe and trouble other men and pretend to domineer over and command all the World 'T is certain Adepts think there are few just causes of War except that which is made for a Peoples own defence They abhor all violence and cruelty ambition and oppression For certainly God abhors these things and they are evidently directly contrary to Reason But what assurance could Adepts have that a People would be Just and Moderate and which way could it be ascertained that men for the future would entertain Moderation and Justice Why Magistrates being exemplary in those Virtues and taking solemnly a particular Oath that they would constantly persevere in them and keep Faith with Adepts that would be a great encouragement to Adepts to communicate themselves to some of them for the Universal good of their People It is undoubted Adepts look upon all men to be Brethren and Equals and therefore would have all men to be alike happy if they would be swayed by Justice and Reason Their chief learning consisting in that of Piety and the Fear of God they cannot but observe that the Christian Religion forbids an immoderate love of this World and effeminate ease and Luxury and requires all men to work and to be actually useful in the World and particularly charges Christians to Love all men as themselves making this the Badge of Christianity Therefore they conclude that there should not be such an unequality among Christians as there is It is thought they wish that Christians would live some-what after the manner that the Lacedemonians did by the direction of Lycurgus Yet it must not be supposed that they expresly require this of men and that without it they 'll never do good to mankind But it is certain they would at least that men shewed that Moderation Justice and Mercifulness that their Natures require and that Religion enjoyns that unreasonable abuses were reformed and that a due provision were made for the helpless and innocent and no man grieved or neglected but all humanly treated and Christianly dealt with as being all the Children of the same Father that in that sense there might be some Equality among them as the Apostle willeth it to be Then would all men rejoyce and the Nations would be right glad the People would be at Peace and Amity and the Earth

one of their Children big enough to help them Now if thou wouldest but consider it what Miserable and Bruitish Life is that they lead Poverty ordinarily makes those weak Christians ungentle and Peevish always cross and angry and causes them to live most unchristianly and instead of Loving and Comforting continually to Brawl and Quarrel and spight and hate one another But in our Christian Community the work would be Easy the Victuals would be ready got for them that Work they should be wholsom and there would be enough Every Family might have both Men and Women Servants and every person might live chearfully and Comfortably And which is the most considerable of all there would be sufficient Provision made for the nourishment of the Soul to Eternal Life How many People seldom or never go to Church out of Bruitishness and want of Sense of Religion and somtime because they are taken no notice of and there is no room for them in the Church particularly in great Towns But in our Parishes no Body could be absent from Publick Worship but it might easily be observed and Remedied As concerning this Perishable Life there is one great Evil must not be passed by tho' it cannot be noted but to the shame of Christians or indeed of Men. The Poor have not only all the difficulty in the World to live when they have Youth and Strength but they are also necessitated to Slave themselves all their Life and to Toil and Drudge in their Old and Feeble Age and Work hard to the last minute they Breath as if they had never done any thing for the Society But it would not be so if there was an equality among men But thou wilt say Equality has also its inconveniences Rich and Gay Attire must then be layd aside as also good Fellowship and the quintessence of the delights of Life And were it not 〈◊〉 to renounce our Rich Wines our Sweet Perfumes our Jewels and Pictures our Coaches and Furniture and all the Pleasures and Conveniences in the World And must our Children be brought up to be Servants to those we have been used to despise and Command I Answer This Objection utterly savoureth of the things of men and not of the things which be of God What hadst thou rather keep thy Gay Attire than relieve the World from Slavery and Misery Where is thy Temperance and Moderation If Equality has no other inconvenience than to oblige men to use neat but modest and decent Garments the inconveniences of it are not great Despise ye the Church of God and shame them that have not But what reason is there thou shouldst abound in Supersluities and others should want Necessaries And what inconvenience is that to oblige thee not to get a Surfeit but to teach thee Temperance and learn thee to take care of thy Health God forbids thee no delights but such as are Foolish and not necessary or that are hurtful to thy self and others or that are unnatural and impure What necessity is there for thy Strange Wines Perfumes and Jewels There is not any no more than for thy Pictures and such other like Pageantries and Fopperies And why should not thy Children serve others as well as other Peoples Children serve thee If they live their turn will come to be served themselves And why should they not serve others if they are willing others should serve them one day This we speak not as if it was Lawful to trouble or resist the Constitution that is in the World since men shift for themselves and have left off to live in common which tho' we do not think to be so well nor so reasonable yet being Established it must be Sacredly complyed with and must not be at all altered except those who thro'-Gods Providence are in Authority were pleased in some measure to order it But what we urge all along is only to shew what in it self would be most reasonable We may represent these reasons to those that are Rich and also to those that are in Authority especially being Christians because if they do not altogether order this they may hereafter order somthing equivalent to it providing for the Necessities and Instruction of the Poor and so aiming at some sort of equality especially if Adepts communicated themselves to some of them And if they should build and endow some such Houses in Community as that I have described it might perhaps induce some Adepts to enable them to build more and do a greater good However by what has been said it appears these Writtings would not prove useless and in the mean time they cannot reasonably be thought impertinent or hurtful For as they authorize nothing but what is agreeable to order and is for the good of every Man and the quiet and Tranquility of the World so they declare that Adepts do not absolutly require such a perfect Reformation to be prevailed with to communicate themselves to Men as we shall briefly see in the next Section Yet 4. It would be a great Conveniency to the Men of the World if there were such Societies endowed and established as there are Convents and Monasteries in other Countries It might be a good Nursery to bring up Children in and inure them to Work before they came to their Estates and to be their own Masters It is a good Policy of the Turks and of several among the Germans to make all their Children Work and learn a Trade It makes them stronger and of a more healthful Constitution And besides if afterwards their Estates should happen to fail them they would know how to get their Livelyhood without depending on others being used to Labour They would be fit to Travel throughout the World and propagate Christianity when the day of Visitation appointed by God should come If there were such Houses it may be some Adepts would repair to them to live there and be Members of the Corporation which they would sufficiently enrich with the Portion they would bring along with them Finally such Societies would be also very convenient for Gentlemen there to dispose of their Younger Children as they do in Religious Houses in some Countries 5. And Lastly It is self-evident that to wish ill to so Just a Constitution argues much unchristian Partiality and uncharitableness It shews men to be very selfish and partial and not to care what becomes of other Men so they fare but well themselves every day Thus many that call themselves Christians being born in that part of the World where the Christian Religion is Professed yet have nothing of Christianity in them altho' they make their boast of the Name of Christ and pretend externally a mighty Zeal for Christianity and the Speculations thereof and perhaps are learned in the Sacred Languages and it may be in the writtings of the Fathers Yet these very men had they lived in the time of Christ and His Apostles and heard them discourse concerning Love and its Duties would no

doubt have fiercely opposed both the Master and the Disciples and been ready to cry Away with 'em Crucify Crucify It is certain in Scripture all are required to work and Christians are commanded to bear one anothers Burdens and not to have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory with respect of Persons Nay the Ornaments of plating the Hair and wearing of Gold and Apparel are expresly forbidden But 't is not of Late that Christians seem to have forgot all those things They busie themselves about wrangling in obscure Questions and Speculative matters and despise that which is plain and indisputable and which tends to Practice and a Holy Life which is the Summ and Essence the End and Intendment of all the Gospel and they neglect and pass by the weighty matters inward Purity Justice and Mercifullness Thus they deal with Religion but no shifts will availe with God He will Judge all men according to the Gospel And then many that call themselves Christians shall not pass for such Thou wouldest be willing it seems to be a Christian so thou mightest do what thou likest and didst just obey of what Christ commands that which thou wert pleased Rare Christian who refuseth to receive Christ for his Master and thinks he knows best what ought to be prescribed and practised It is certain they that contradict the plain tendency of the Gospel and that which is agreeable to the Spirit of Christ and is represented to us as the Essence of Religion as the Loving other Men as our selves indisputably is they are plainly Antichristians they evidently oppose the Kingdom of Christ Fight against God and resist His will most certainly do the work of the Devil and are absolutely unfit and unqualified for Salvation There is no other Religion wherin men may be Saved but that which Christ has taught Nor can we shew that we are Sincerely of that Religion of His but by keeping His Commands Now has He not charged us by His Messengers that we should not set our affections on the things of this world That we should renounce all worldly Vanities that we should use this world without abusing it And that if need be we should forsake all for His Sake But what appearance is there that men are in that Religious disposition and that they would resigne themselves to the utmost sufferings for Christ if now for His Sake they will not so much as submit to abstaine from Superfluities and from Partiality to Love other men equally with themselves What has been said is abundantly sufficient to evince that such a Community as has been mentioned is both possible and reasonable and that it would be most Christian like to follow that sort of Life Sect. V. That yet Adepts cannot be thought to require expresly so much for if they pleased they might easily reduce Men to an absolute necessity to do so THat Adepts cannot be thought to require expresly so much of Men is plain because if they would they might oblige all mankind to live much after the manner we have described that is for the greatest part of Men to work alike and Live in Common For to that End they need but publish their Art to the world Then when every Body knows how to make easily infinite quantities of Gold and Silver Mony must needs grow vile and good for nothing no Body will slave for wages and all will be Rich alike new divisions being necessary to be made For those that have Lands not knowing how to work will be obliged to quit the greatest part of their Estates to those that will take the care to till them But as in the Apostolick times it was approved that Christians should Live in Common but it was not expresly required so Adepts likewise prefer that way of Living but they do not force men to follow it Sect. VI. That in general they would undoubtedly require of men nothing but Secrecy and Fidelity Reason and Moderation Justice and Mercifulness and that 't is not to be doubted could they be assured of these they would be ready to communicate themselves under some just limitations THere is no reason to doubt for those that believe there are Adepts in the world and that they are Good and Pious men who live in the Fear of God and heartily wish well to Mankind but that all that Adepts require is 1. that they may be secure from the Violence and wickedness of Men and 2. that they may be assured that those they shall Communicate themselves to will be ruled by reason and the Fear of God and will do good according to the Adepts directions and not Mischief with the Elixir These are the just limitations under which undoubtedly they would freely Communicate them selves for the good of a People They therefore indispensibly require Justice and Mercifullness Reason and Moderation Secresy and Fidelity Sect. VII What this Condition more particularly may be supposed for instance to Imply THe above mentioned conditions may be thought to Imply for instance those or the like particulars That selfish worldly designs may be made as much as possible to be layd aside and the good of all Men particularly respected that a Provision may be made that the poor may live more comfortably and be better instructed that a fixed rate may be Publickly set from time to time to most things that are Sold to avoyd as much as is possible Cheating and Lying in Buying and Selling That the abuses of Courts and all unreasonable customs there may be reformed that Physitians and Lawyers as well as Divines may have set stipends that Justice and Physick may be Common and dispenced Gratis to all Men that some Children may be brought up in houses founded for that purpose to be sent into several places to propagate the Gospel That Physitians Children and those of Divines and Lawyers and also those of Souldiers be brought up at the charge of the Publick that the Fathers may have no occasion to be greedy of gain and have no other care incumbent upon them than the Improvement of their Calling and the assiduous discharge of their Duty And that the said Children be made use of for the Service of the Country in either of those Callings and be Preferred according to their Capacities and deserts That how many mercenary Souldiers soever there be employed to supply the defect of the Militia none have less then one Shilling a day actually in mony but that none be kept in Idleness but be employed all day in some Work for the good of the Publick and be carefully instructed in Religion and every one of them be bound to Marry at a certain Age that those among them and Seamen that shall be convicted to be habitual prophane Swearers have their Tongue bore through with a hot Iron That Curtezans Coiners and Thieves be kept in a Bridewell all their Life to work for the Publick That most severe Punishments be determined to be indispensibly inflicted