Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	believe_v	faith_n	great_a	3,866	5	3.4970	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51227	A sermon preach'd before the Lord Mayor, and the Court of Aldermen, at Guild-Hall Chappel, on the 28th of May, 1682 by John Moore ...	Moore, John, 1646-1714.	1682 (1682)	Wing M2552; ESTC R20127	21,938	53

a new convert but his having forsaken his old vices 3. It is an Argument both of the Truth and excellency of the Christian Religion that the Doctrines of it are according to Godliness Godliness as we have shewn is the sum of the duties of natural Religion and what duty is there in natural Religion but in the code of the Royal Christian Law it is more clearly propounded more fully explained more strongly confirm'd Now what greater Argument is there for the truth of the Doctrines of any Religion than their agreeableness to the common sentiments of mankind or what more manifest proof of the excellency of the precepts of it than their harmony with the Laws of Nature for the most material objections against any Instituted Religion are either that its Principles are contradictory to clear Reason or its Duties repugnant to Natural Laws Since those Principles can not be true which contradict right Reason nor those Precepts good which are repugnant to the Laws of Nature For if we cannot be certain of the truth of those things for which there is plain and manifest Reason we cannot be certain of the truth of any thing and it must be granted that natural Religion is the Foundation upon which all revealed Religion does stand because from natural Light is fetcht the proof of the Existence of God which revealed Religion does always suppose Now there is nothing commanded in our Religion but what becomes the perfections of the Divine Nature and agrees with those Eternal Laws which flow from it there is nothing required of us but what sutes with the Native Principles of our own Souls and our truest Interest there is nothing propounded in our Religion as a point of Faith but we have sufficient Reason to believe it there is nothing exacted as a Duty but we have exceeding good motives to doe it We may find the great duties of our Religion all writ upon our own Nature And it was well said by Trithemius in his Answer to Maximilian the Emperor That of all the Sects and Religions in the World none approach'd so near to the Laws of Nature nor were so conformable to them as the Christian Religion Neither is there any thing that will contribute so much towards the accomplishment of our natural capacities as a life conformable to the Laws of our Religion since as God designed Religion to advance our nature and make us more nearly resemble him so prophaness and irreligion set God and us at the greatest concievable distance and turn man upon whom the divine Image was stampt into the shape of the Devil or of the beast that Perish Thus should you suppose the contray of every Christian Law enacted that insted of forgiving Enemys reconciling our selves to our adversarys and shewing mercy to the distressed we should be commanded to revenge every little injury unto Death to be implacably malitious where we have had a quarrel and cruel even to extremity with the poor and unfortunate would not mankind be chang'd into a race of Wolves and Tigers shall I say or become a new order of Devils incarnate And suppose also that we were injoyned to be false to our words unjust in our dealing treacherous to our trust would not all civil societies be disolv'd all commerce destroy'd and the World become a great den of Thievs and Robbers if it was required of us to eat always to gluttony and to drink to excess would the effect of our obedience be any other than the spoiling our health the besotting our rational faculties and the transforming the Children of Men into a Herd of Swine So little reason have we to complain of the Commandments of God as either difficult or grievious when it is evident that were we to receive laws in the matter and all the circumstances of them contrary to those with which God now Governs the World we should cry out of our duty as intolerable and sink under our burdens as not being able to bear them And so much cause is there to bless God for ruling the World by Righteous Laws and having given us a Religion which our own faculties being judges and we trust and rely upon in all other Cases is most reasonable and excellent As being perfective of our nature and Worthy of the wisdom of God who contrived it as being framed with great Condescention to the infirmities of man and carrying a plaine conformity in it to the attributes of God 4. That they who Teach and Perswade Men they may be Saved by their true Opinions or sound Beleif tho not Accompanied with a Godly life do defeat the very design of the Gospel and Obstruct that Influence it should have on the minds of men Christianity is a Covenant wherein as God has obliged himself to bestow rewards so he has bound man too to yield Obedience How absurd then is their opinion who think a Covenant does not bind on both sides how hurtful is their mistake who teach Christians there is no service required on their part in this new Covenant what ground or colour could there be to think the Religion instituted by Jesus should consist in the beleif only of a set of Propositions without intermedling in the affairs of Life and the Government of our will and affections when all his Sermons were so many Lectures upon virtue and at the last day he will judg us by our Works when he has Establisht so many rules for the ordering of our thoughts words and actions in every Condition and required a sincere though not a Perfect observance of them all We are Commanded to Watch and Pray to fight the good sight of Faith to strive that we may enter in at the strait Gate to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling to run that we may obtain and to take the Kingdom of Heaven by Violence These Phrases contain a Discription of the Dutys of a Christian and the degrees wherein they are required of him They shew he is to work as well as believe and that what he does must be withal his might and with as much perfection as he can his Life must be Productive of much and the best fruits the nature of his Christian Inployment does make it Necessary that he pursue it with great Intention of Mind and Earnestness of will and that he put to all his Strength The Christians duty is represented under the Metaphor of a Race to convince him that he must strip and free himself of whatever does Clogg or Burthen him and use his utmost Speed and not Slacken his pace till he has obteined that is till he comes to the end of the Race and his Life his Duty also is exprest by a narrow Way and strait Gate to shew that his calling is attended with great difficulties and that they are only to be broke through by Zealous Contention he that will enter must strive The reward indeed which is proposed to Christians is very tempting and of most