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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	church_n	civil_a	society_n	1,332	5	9.1138	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39678	The reasonableness of personal reformation, and the necessity of conversion; the true methods of making all men happy in this world, and in the world to come Seasonably discoursed, and earnestly pressed upon this licentious age. By J.F. a sincere lover of his native countrey, and the souls of men.	Flavel, John, 1630?-1691.	1691 (1691)	Wing F1180B; Wing F1466_CANCELLED; ESTC R214634	80,393	172

avoided and that there are degrees of Goodness found in Pleasures and Delights p. 22. Sect. V. The Wisdom and Goodness of God admired in leaving Principles of Reason and Notices of Conscience in men after the Fall p. 24. Sect. VI. The Wickedness of violating and abusing these Notices and Principles p. 26. Sect. VII How reasonable it is that men should consult their Reasons and Consciences p. 29. CAAP. III. Giving the true censure of Reason and Conscience upon Prophane Swearing in Nine Sections Sect. I. TWO Ends for which God bestowed the noble Faculty of Speech upon man p. 31. Sect. II. The Nature and Grounds of Lawful Oaths p. 33. Sect. III. The Contumely and Malignity of Prophane Oaths p. 34. Sect. IV. What a dreadful provocation to God and hazard to the Community contumelious Blasphemy is p. 37. Sect. V. Till Publick Justice lay hold on Offenders the force of Reason tried upon them p. 39. Sect. VI. The Swearer's first Plea from the Lepor and Ornament that Oaths give to his Language weighed and rejected by Reason p. 41. Sect. VII His second Plea from provocations by men bafled by Reason p. 43. Sect. VIII His Third Plea That Swearing is modish and a Badge of Gentility confuted and overthrown by Six Reasons p. 44. Sect. IX The Last Plea for Swearing from Custom cast over the Bar of Reason p. 53. CHAP. IV. Reason and Conscience again consulted about the Sin of Drunkenness in Five Sections Sect. I. THE intimate and admirable love of Souls to their Bodies p. 57. Sect. II. The Prudence of the Soul manifested in its government of the Body p. 59. Sect. III. The dethroning of Reason by Drunkenness the highest exaltation of folly p. 61. Sect. IV. The Moans and Laments of a Drunkard's Body to his Soul represented in a pathetical Prosopopaea p. 63. Sect. V. The Drunkards First Plea from his Natural Ability p. 65. His Second Excuse from the relief of his anxious Cares p. 70. His Third Excuse from his Delight and Pleasure in Wine c. p. 72. His Fourth Excuse from alluring Company and Business p. 75. His Fifth Excuse from pretended Loyalty to the King p. 77. His Sixth Excuse from his plentiful Estate p. 78. CHAP. V. Containing the Determination of Reason and Conscience about the Sin of Uncleanness in Eight Sections Sect. I. GOD hath made more abundant Provision for the delight of Rational than of Brutal Beings within the Pale of his Laws p. 81. Sect. II. Corrupt Nature hates God's Confinements p. 82. Sect. III. God's Choice better than our own in Five Respects p. 84. Sect. IV. What should induce men to break out of God's Inclosure p. 87. Sect. V. The First Inducement from the Examples of Great Ones bafled by Reason p. 88. Sect. VI. The Second Inducement from pretended Necessity cashier'd by Reason p. 89. Sect. VII The Third Inducement from the absence of lawful Remedies rejected by Reason p. 92. Sect. VIII The Fourth Inducement from the Commonness of it wholly shamm'd and bafled by Reason p. 93. CHAP. VI. The Last Debate with Reason and Conscience about the bitter enmity and spirit of Persecution among professed Protestants in Six Sections Sect. I. Man naturally a sociable Creature p. 96 Sect. II. The Interest of States and Churches to make every Individual as useful as may be to the whole p. 98 Sect. III. The folly and misery of the feuds and animosities in the same Civil and Religious Societies ibid. Sect. IV. These Feuds presages of National Misery p. 100 Sect. V. The true Rise and Cause of this fixed Hatred p. 101 Sect. VI. This true cause politickly suppressed and silenced Hypocrisy pretended and the Pretence hafled p. 102 The Second Pretence of their Sedition and Rebellion bafled by Reason five ways ‖ p. 106 The CONTENTS of the SECOND PART Of the Possibility Nature and Necessity of Conversion to God in Ten Sections Sect. I. Conviction supposed and Grace therein admired p. 121 Sect. II. The Conversion of the vilest sinner possible demonstrated three ways p. 125 Sect. III. The Conversion of prophane Persons more probable than others fixed on their own Righteousness p. 129 Sect. IV. True Conversion frequently and fatally mistken p. 132 Sect. V. The Nature of true Conversion to God opened p. 135 Sect. VI. Opening one great hazard attending Conversion p. 136 Sect. VII Demonstrating the absolute Necessisy of thorough Conversion p. 138 Sect. VIII Men may do more than they do towards their own Conversion And what these things are p. 140 Sect. IX Discouragements removed out of the way of Conversion and the Sinners way prepared to Christ p. 142 Sect. X. Powerful Motives perswading to Conversion p. 144 THE REASONABLENESS OF Personal Reformation CHAP. I. The Introduction and State of the Case SECT I. REason exalts Man above all earthly Beings 'T is his Dignity and Priviledge that God hath furnished him with Abilities of Mind to recollect animadvert compare infer ponder and judge his own Actions Hereby he becomes not only capable of Moral Government by Humane Laws which no Creature beside him is but also of Spiritual Government by Divine Laws and the blessed Frutions of God in Glory which no other Species of Creatures Angels only excepted have a subjective capacity for Right Reason by the Law of Nature as an ●ome-born Judge arbitrates and determines all things within its proper Province which Province is extended far and wide All Action Natural Moral and Civil are weighed at thi● Beam and Standard None are exempted but ma●ters of supernatural Revelation and yet eve● these are not wholly and in every respect exemp● from Right Reason For though there be som● Mysteries in Religion above the sphere and fligh● of Reason yet nothing can be found in Religio● that is unreasonable And though these Mysteries be not of natura● investigation but of supernatural Revelation yet Reason is convinced nothing can be mor● reasonable than that it take its place at the fee●● of Faith which is but to suffer it self to becom● Pupil to an Omniscient and Infallible Instructo●● The resolution of our Reason into Faith an● of Faith into God's Veracity are Acts highly be●coming Reasonable Beings in such Cases a● these It may not pry too nicely into unrevealed My●●steries demand the Reasons or examine th●● Causes of them as bold and daring Socinians do● but it feels it self obliged to receive all those thing both as possible and true which God hath revealed counting his Revelation alone to be Reason suffi●cient For the Veracity of God takes out of Rea●sons mouth all Objections against the truth 〈◊〉 them and his Almighty Power silences all its Scru●●ples against the possibility of them But in all Matters properly under the jurisdi●ction of Reason every man is obliged to accoun● with himself as well as others for the reasona●bleness of his own Actions and that Act whic● will not endure the test of sound Reason i● judges not fit for the entertainment of a Man 〈◊〉 Reason

the least Finger or Toe much less with a Leg or Arm but would reckon himself half 〈◊〉 done if a Paralytick Disease should strike one half of the Body and render it utterly useless to defend and succor the other Part in time of danger SECT III. Much so stands the Case with Churches and Kingdoms when the causeless and cruel Enmity of one part prevails so far against the other as to deprive that State or Church of the Use and Service of Multitudes of good and faithful Members It is Folly in its highest exaltation for one part of a Nation out of bitter Enmity to the other not only to seek all ways and means to suppress and ruin it whilst a common Danger hangs over the whole but to rejoyce in the Miseries of their Brethren as the principal thing which they fancy would contribute to the great Advantage of their Cause What but a general Punishment if that will do it can work Mens hearts into a more general Compassion The Histories of those times sufficiently inform us That the great Feuds and Factions in the Western Church not only immediately preceded but opened the way to the terrible Inundations of the Goths and Vandals Whilst the suffering Par cries out Cruelty Cruelty those that inflict it cry as loud Justice Justice Whatever rational Apologies or Methods of Peace come from the oppressed Party are censured by the other as Murmur and Mutiny All Men commend Unity and assert it to be the Interest of Kingdoms and Churches They wish all Men were of one Mind but what Mind must that be To be sure none but their own The more cool prudent and moderate Spirits of each Party may strive to the uttermost to allay these unnatural Feuds and Animosities The Wisdom of the governing-part may take the Instruments of Cruelty out of their hand but 't is God alone that can pluck up the roots of Enmity out of their hearts And what is the matter when all is sifted and examined Why the matter is this some will be more serious strict and conscientious than others think fit or necessary for them to be They ●are not Curse Swear Who●e and be Drunk as others do They scruple to comply with what God hath not commanded and the very Imposers confess to be indifferent antecedently to their Command They reverently mention the Name of God without an Oath and the solemn Matters of Religion without a Jest in their Company They will assume as much Liberty to reprove Sin as others do to commit it They take more pleasure in heavenly Duties and holy Conferences than in Ranting and Roaring in Taverns and Alehouses That is in a word they live up to the Principles of Religion which all pretend to and this is their unpardonable Crime a fault never to be expiated by any less punishment than their destruction And are not People think you come to a fine pass when the strictest Obedience to the Laws of God shall be accounted more criminal than the most open and profane Violation of them Nay tho they reprove the other Parties Sins no other way but by their more serious and religious Lives yet this alone shall be sufficient to make them culpable and obnoxious SECT IV. If the Party thus generally hated and maligned be for the generality of them serious and godly Christians or if the strictness and holiness of their Lives and tenderness of their Consciences be the true Ground and Reason of our hatred of them such an hatred when it becomes general is a direful presage of some common Calamity and Misery hastning upon such a People Hos. 9. 7. The days of visitation are come the days of recompence are come Israel shall know it the Prophet is a fool the spiritual man is mad for the multitude of thine iniquity and the great hatred And our own Reason will give us this Conclusion as well as Scripture For whatsoever brings Sin to its full maturity must needs hasten Judgments And what can heighten and accent the Sins of a People more than such a cruel hatred of good Men upon the score and account before given All hatred of Godliness hath a tang of Devilishness 'T is a desperate flying in the very Face of God whose Image Holiness is Sin can scarce be graduated a peg higher Reason tells the Husbandman 't is time to Mow and Reap his Corn when it is full Ripe And it may convince you that God's time of reaping down a sinful People is near when their Sins are grown to such full maturity as this Put ye in the sickle for the harvest is ripe come get ye down for the press is full the fats overflow for their wickedness is great Joel 3. 13. SECT V. The true Cause and Rise of this great and fixed Hatred amongst professed Christians whatever may be pretended to salve Reputation is the Contrariety and Repugnancy of the Natures and Principles by which the Godly and Ungodly are governed There is an Enmity betwixt the two Seeds Gen. 3. 15. And this Enmity runs down in a Blood more or less in all Ages and Places Gul. 4. 29. As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now So it was and so it is and so it will be till Conversion changeth the heart and principle This Enmity cannot die whilst Satan ●ives and rules in the hearts of Children of Disobedience And the Enmity is mutual An unjust man i●●n abomination to the just and he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked Prov. 29. 27. Only with this difference The good Man hates Non virum sed vitium not the Person but his Sin The wicked Man hates both the Person of the Godly and his Godliness too yea the Person for his Godliness sake This hatred of the Godly secretly and habitually lurks in the Nature of a wicked Man as Rapaciousness doth in a young Wolf that never saw a Lamb. It extends it self universally to the whole Kind and reaches those whose lives are most obligingly sweet yea those that are bound to them in the strictest Bonds of Nature As we may see in that most unnatural Instance of Cain's murthering his own Brother Abel It discovers it self in seeking the Destruction of them they hate upon a Religious account and in rejoycing at any Evil that be●als them Nothing is more grateful to them than any occasion to disgrace and expose them with contempt to the World SECT VI. But tho the strictness and holiness of good Men causing the Consciences of wicked Men privately to condemn and inwardly to gaul and grate them for their loosness and prof●neness be the true and read Ground and Cause of the Grudge and Hatred yet they think it fit for Reputation s●ke that this be wholly suppressed and silen●●d and something else pretended for the Cause and Reason of it else it would look too like the Devil himself And therefore amongst

Converses Do you love him the better for his plain dealing with your Consciences in detecting the grand Cheat of Formality in Religion for his close cutting Convictions of the insufficiency of meer Civility to your Salvation and the indispensable necessity of Regeneration Do you heartily Love and Honour him for thundering you out of Ale-houses and Taverns unto your Family and Closet-duties For telling you plainly your Love must not be confined to your own Party but extended to all that fear God however they be externally distinguished among Men Nay for convincing you plainly that Religion lies not in external Modes and Rites in Standing Kneeling or Responses That the Name and Cry of the Church the Church will as little avail to your Salvation as the cry of the Superstitious and Profane Jews the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these That true Religion is an inward serious spiritual thing consisting in and evidencing it self by the Mortification of your Sins and real devotedness of your Hearts to the Lord If such a Man as this will please and delight your very hearts then my Reason is bound to conclude there may be reality in what you pretend But if you shall hate and loath such a Man as this equally with a professed Dissenter you must excuse me and all the Rational World with me if we shall conclude that it is not true Zeal for the Laws for the Church or for the sincerity and peaceable Lives of its Professors but an inward rooted Enmity at Religion it self that sets you on work under the feigned pretences of other things Expectation V. Fifthly Your Reason will expect and exact it from you that whensoever you shall be convinced that all these Stirs and Bussles that have been in the World all this Fining Imprisoning and Impoverishing your Protestant Brethren and Neighbours for their Conscience-sake hath done the Church no good but given a great and real Advantage to our common Enemy to ruin us together that we may distinguish our selves how we please in our Folly but they will never distinguish us in their Fury for we are all known to them by one common Name of H●reticks In this Case your Reason exacts it from you and so doth the common Reason of Mankind that a Sense of common Interest and common Danger now quiet those Fe●ds and extinguish those Fires which our own Lusts first kindled and the Devil and our common Enemies have incensed to the great Damage and Hazard of the whole Protestant Cause Such a seasonable and becoming Sense as this were in it self sufficient to cool a wise Mans heats if Penal Laws were left standing in their full force and vigour but when the Wisdom and Reason of the State shall plainly discern both the Usefulness and Necessity of Liberty and thereupon take away as they have now most prudently and seasonably done the further occasions of mischief to the whole by relaxing the Yoke that bound some and those a very great Body of truly Loyal and Useful Subjects leaving the rest in the quiet Possession of their own Liberties and Properties what shall we call that Fire which still continues burning and encreasing not only after but by all this but an unquenchable Hell-fire If Chimaera's and self-created Jealousies That some carnal Interests of ours are not so well secured to us under Liberty as they were under Persecution and Tyranny this were the right way to perpetuate Dissentions and Persecutions to the end of the World And now Gentlemen I hope I may say without being vain or opinionative that your own Reason hath fairly disarmed you of these Pleas and Excuses by which you have hitherto defended your selves in your most sinful Practices of profane Cursing and Swearing Drunkenness Uncleanness and bitter Enmity against your Protestant Brethren for things that touch not the Essence of Christianity And believe it Sirs it is truly Genteel and Glorious to suffer your selves to be subdued and conquered by the plain Convictions of your own Reason and Conscience 'T is ten thousand times more Honourable and Glorious to lay down your Arms at the feet of these than to lay down both Reason and Conscience at the feet of Satan and your Lusts and continue sighting obstinately against God your own Souls Bodies Estates Reputations yea your very Reasons and Consciences your Innocent Brethren and the Peace of Church and State under Satan's Banner In all this Discourse I have not designed to exasperate but asswage and restrain your Lusts and Passions by laying the loving and gentle hands of your own Reasons and Consciences upon them I have not given the least Injurious touch to your Honour but all along pleaded for the Recovery or Security of it I have exposed no Man by any particular Mark or Indigitation But now I have don● with you if your own Consciences shall begin to make a rounder and more particular Application of these general Reasonings and Arguments and say to you as Nathan to David Thou art the Man I am not accountable for that But be confident of it you are accountable to God for all those plain Convictions and faithful Endeavours used with you and tryed upon you to save you from all those Miserie 's your head-strong Lusts with furious Precipitation are manifestly running you into If you can substantially and solidly refel those Arguments against and vindicate those Pleas for Sin which Reason and Conscience have urged and censured above and can produce stronger and clearer Arguments to defend and justify the Courses here censured and condemned Or if you can obtain a Writ of Error to remove these Causes to another lawful Court of Judicature where you shall obtain a more favourable Verdict your complaint of severe Dealing with you here will not want some Ground or Colour But if you cannot as you know you cannot then never blame your own Reasons nor mine for dealing Rigorously or Injuriously with you I am willing to hope and perswade my self that I shall at least obtain a Reformation of Life from many of you I have tugg'd hard for it with you here I will tug harder with God in Prayer to obtain it for you But yet Gentlemen I must tell you in the close That tho an external Reformation of these Evil Courses may make your Lives more healthy happy and durable in this World and will greatly conduce to the publick as well as your personal and private Interest yet if you expect compleat and perfect Happiness in the World to come you must advance one step further beyond Reformation unto sound Conversion The first makes you comparatively happy here but the second will make you perfectly happy and blessed for ever hereafter The first frees you from many temporal Miseries upon Earth but the second from eternal Miseries in Hell And this brings you to the other blessed Step by Conversion which is the Second Part. The Second Part Evincing the POSSIBILITY NECESSITY AND EXCELLENCY OF Conversion to God