Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	day_n	rest_n	sabbath_n	16,566	5	10.2403	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52426	Practical discourses upon several divine subjects written by John Norris.	Norris, John, 1657-1711.	1691 (1691)	Wing N1257; ESTC R26881	131,759	372

throw out their Censures at random and speak Evil ex tempore without considering of whom they talk or what or why Men that are for running down every one that comes in their way and are for passing Sentence immediately without any trial or examination nay without so much as the formality of asking Guilty or not Guilty This is certainly a very preposterous headlong method against all sense and good breeding as well as Charity 'T is like the Jews that were all for Crucifying the Lord of Life before they had heard him But this is such a gross piece of Injustice as sufficiently condemns it self all therefore that I shall further say to the Men of this Practice is that he who makes hast to Censure can no more be Innocent than he that makes hast to be Rich and that if we ought to consider before we venture to Commend as Wise Men say we ought then much more ought we before we Condemn Secondly When though we do consider and make some enquiry into the cause and withal find some ground and foundation for an ill Judgment yet we conclude beyond the force of the Premises and give a Peremptory Sentence where there are grounds for no higher an Assent than Opinion or Suspicion This is a certain sign that we are not determined by the Moments of Truth by the strength of Reason and Argument but by some other By-Consideration and partial Inducement For were our Judgments guided and determined by the sole Appearances of Truth 't is impossible that our Assent should be stronger than the Evidence that causes it For the Understanding of it self can be determined no farther than as the Object appears to be either true or false if it be all that overplus of Judgment that exceeds the degrees of Evidence must be produced by some other cause the Evidence alone could cause no more than what was proportionable to it There is indeed a mixture in all such Judgments and the Will has a part in them as well as the Understanding He therefore that concludes worse of another than in Appearance he has reason to do must be supposed in some measure willing to do so that is in other Words to be under some Malice or Prejudice-against him and he that judges upon such Principles can never judge Righteous Judgment Thirdly This we do when we conceive an ill Apprehension of a Person from one or two single instances of his Life without considering the general tenour of his Conversation This is a very unjust way of proceeding and contrary to all Human and Divine Measures The main current of a Man's Life is to be regarded and if this maintain a regular Course 't is not here and there a little straggling Rivulet that should spoil the Character For if the Denomination ought always to be taken from the major part certainly much more so when it lies on the most favourable side To ballance therefore one single wandring Star against a whole Constellation of regular actions is a very ill sort of unrighteous Judgment and such as the best of Men could never be able to abide who must needs all be cast in such a Court as this Such a way of Judging therefore is not to be indured especially considering that the Supream Judge of all does not judge us at this rate but often proceeds by a contrary measure and suffers one single Vertue to cover a multitude of Sins Fourthly and Lastly To give one general Measure for all this we do whenever our ill Opinion of a Man is built upon such poor and slight Appearances as would not be sufficient to gain our Assent in any other indifferent matter wherein we are altogether dis-interessed which way the Scale turns or prevail with us to think the same concerning another Person This is a sure Sign that Prejudice holds the Ballance 't is held so uneven and that we judge what we would willingly have And this is more particularly that judging according to Appearance which our Lord here condemns For thus stood the case our Saviour had perform'd a Cure upon the Sabbath day among those who were Superstitious Observers of it now this carried some Appearance of its Violation whereupon the Jews tax him with Prophaning that holy Rest not at all reflecting either upon Moses's seeming inconsistency in appointing such a troublesome work as Circumcision to be done on that day as often as it happened to be the Eighth or upon themselves for then administring it But the reason was plain they were soundly prejudiced against Christ but not against Moses or themselves Well therefore might our Lord say if a Man on the Sabbath day receive Circumcision that the Law of Moses should not be broken are ye angry at me because I have made a Man every whit whole on the Sabbath day Will you wound upon that day and shall not I heal Judge not according to Appearance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to every slight superficial Appearance such as you your selves would not submit to in another case but judge Righteous Judgment The great Reasonableness and Necessity of which Precept comes now in the last place to be considered It s Equity relies mainly upon this double ground the ill Principle that such superficial Judging proceeds from and the ill Consequences it leads to First It proceeds from an ill Principle it argues First that we are conscious of some inward Baseness in our selves something that is very low and fordid which makes us so prone and easy to suspect the same in others as that is Drunk himself fancies every one else to be so that he meets It argues Secondly that we thirst after Eminency and yet despair of attaining it any other way than by levelling those about us which makes us so ready and willing to discover Spots in the Moon and Flaws in the most Solid and Massy Vertue It argues Thirdly a Mind very disassected to our Neighbour to Human Nature indeed and as much alienated from the true Spirit of Love and Goodness That we are full of Envy Pride Malice and Prejudice that we love to dwell upon Sores and Deformities that we take a secret pleasure in the Follies and infirmities of Mankind and grieve at that whereat the Angels rejoyce namely the wife Behaviour and good order of Men all which is Inhuman and Diabolical fit only for Devils and Evil Spirits but altogether contrary to the unselfish universalized nature of God who rejoyced when he saw all things good and perfect and to Charity whose Character St. Paul tells us is that it rejoices not in Iniquity But Secondly the Consequences of this sort of Judging are as bad as the Principle for Ist He that proceeds to Judgment upon every little Appearance must needs be often mistaken and give Sentence with and Erring Key and so often incur that Woe pronounced by the Prophet against all such as call Evil Good and Good Evil because Falshood often wears the guise of Truth