Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	choose_v	hate_v	persecute_v	1,861	5	9.5088	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26871	Cain and Abel malignity that is, enmity to serious godliness, that is, to an holy and heavenly state of heart and life : lamented, described, detected, and unananswerably [sic] proved to be the devilish nature, and the militia of the devil against God and Christ and the church and kingdoms, and the surest sign of a state of damnation / by Richard Baxter, or, Gildas Salvianus ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1689 (1689)	Wing B1195; ESTC R2643	73,886	164

hate you as it hated me because you are not of the World but I have chosen you out of the World Marvel not if the World hate you As many as will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer Persecution c. Who do you think all this is spoken of It is not of you that are fleshly worldly ungodly men Who Persecuteth you for righteousness sake Who hateth revileth or imprisoneth or fineth you for living godly in Christ Jesus Do you suffer as much for reviling Preachers as we have done for Preaching What suffer you for all the Oaths that be sworn daily in Streets and Taverns and the horrid prophaneness Atheism Sadduceism Infidelity that men are guilty or If you did suffer for Whoredom Drunkenness Blasphemy is that for Christ or righteousness When the Holy Ghost saith As he that was born after the Flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now is it such as you that he meaneth When Peter saith They speak evil of you and falsly accuse your good conversation in Christ 1 Pet. 3. 16. whom meaneth he When he saith 1 Pet. 4. They think it strange that you run not with them to all excess of ryot lasciviousness lusts excess of wine revellings banquetings and abominable idolatry who do you think he meaneth And when he saith 1. Pet. 2. 9. Ye are a chosen Generation a royal Priest-hood a holy Nation a peculiar People that ye should shew forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light who is it that he meaneth You 'll say It is Christians True But is it Hypocrites Is it those that will say at last Lord we have Prophesied in thy Name and Eat and Drunk in thy presence to whom Christ will say Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity I know you not Sure false Christians are worse than Heathens 39. The way which you take against Religious persons doth shew who it is that sets you on work and what it is that is the root of your enmity As Gods Image is in the understanding will and executive power of man so is Satans and he is accordingly described by Christ to be 1. A Liar and Deceiver 2. A Malignant Hater of Goodness or Holiness and a cause of sin 3. A hurtful murderer or destroyer And these are the three ways by which Godly people are prosecuted in the world 1. Belying them is grown so common with their enemies that there is nothing scarcely so notoriously false which they will not affirm of them and it 's well if some will not preach it print it or swear it And they make one another easily believe it Till experience proved it I did not think that humane nature had been liable to such impudent monstrous lying 2. The daily business of many is by wit and diligence to draw men to hate Religious men on false pretences As plainly as Christ preacheth and urgeth Love as his great Commandment so plainly do these press and urge men to Hatred But of this before 3. And Hatred tends to Hurtfulness What plotting and labouring is there in the world to ruine and destroy each other The malignant spirit is blood-thirsty It 's strange how the unclean Devils thirst to draw or suck some blood from Witches Nothing more alienates me from the Papal Kingdom than that it lives like Leeches upon blood To read over the History of the Inquisition and of their Massacres would make Men take Toads and Adders and mad Dogs and Wolves for harmless things in comparison of some Men. If any would requite them or others with the like I hate it in Protestant or Papist The Turks conquered the Greek Empire partly by the mutinous divisions of the Christians and partly by promising them Liberty of Religion And when the Christians thought they should have that they yielded up the Empire with the less resistance And that which was so advantageous to the Infidels might well used and limited be more advantageous to the Christian Truth and Church But though good things may be used in an ill cause it is a sign of a bad cause which needeth bad means That cause which is carried on by Lying Perjury and Deceit by malignant Love-killing endeavours and by cruelty and hurtfulness and blood is thereby made suspicious to all wise men It is a wonder of impudency in Baronius Binnius and other Papists to justifie Martin a Canonized Saint for renouncing Communion to the death with the Synods and Bishops who perswaded the Emperor to draw the Sword against the Gnostick Priscillianists and themselves to defend a thousand-fold greater cruelties and murders in their own Church on the account of Religion But sin is mad self-contradiction 4. I conclude with this great truth They that hate and oppose Godly mens obedience to God do seek to silence the chief Witness of Christ and to cast out Christianity from the Earth Christianity cannot be proved to be true but by the Spirit which is its Seal and Witness This Witness of the Spirit was not only extraordinary in Languages and numerous Miracles but also ordinary in the work of Sanctification This Seal is set on all that shall be saved in all times and places The Lord knoweth who are his And let him that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity He redeemed us to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Iesus Christ Tit. 2. 12 13 14. By this healing work Christ is known to be indeed our Physician the real Saviour that saveth his people from their sins As man generateth man and the Father is known by the similitude of the Child and as he is known to be a good Artist that can make others such This is Christs standing Witness in all times and places And when you would turn this into scorn and cloud it with slanders or the charge of Hypocrisie and would have such judged an odious people and have them driven out of the world what do you in effect but spit in the face of Christ and crown him with Thorns and call him a Deceiver and crucifie him afresh and seek to expel Christianity from the Earth What reasonable man could believe Christ to be Christ the Saviour of the world if he did not sanctifie men and make them much better and fitter for Heaven than other men So that in this you directly militate for the Devil the World and the Flesh against God the Father Son and Holy Ghost against the Holy Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints and the Hope of Resurrection and life everlasting which if you did openly under the name of Infidels or Heathens or rather as the profest Souldiers of the Devil it were less disingenuous and hypocritical than to do it in

his Conscience But you may as wisely think to conquer pain and death But whatever you do with your own if we should leave our obedience to God to obey you or any men we know not what we should do with our own Consciences nor how to quiet them God hath brought us out of that Darkness and Lethargy which quieted them in sin heretofore And we cannot now be ignorant of that duty to God that self-interest that danger to wilful sinners and that evil of sin which would begin Hell in us here And are not your scorns and threatnings easier than this 22. Do not most men at death see the madness not only of enmity but of neglect of a holy life and wish that they might die the death of the righteous and that their last end might be like his Had you rather die a Dives or a Herod or a Lazarus or a Paul Is it not a shame to your devilish cause and you to see men live in one mind and die in another And scorn hate and persecute serious Godliness till the Sentence of death is past upon them and then to wish they were such themselves Or if you be more hardened to the last you are the more hopeless But how quickly did such another change his note and cry Father Abraham send one to my five brethren to warn them that they come not to this place of torment If you mock at these words you mock at Christ that spake them and sure you look not to be saved by a derided Christ. And it 's base Hypocrisy to deride him and yet call your selves Christians and go to Church as if you served him Live as you would die and be judged for you shall be judged as you live and die Either hold to the mind that you will never change or change it quickly before it be too late 23. If you know what a man is you know that his Soul is better than his corruptible flesh And if you think your Throats and Guts and Fancies worth all the Cost and Care and Labour which you bestow on them in the world shall not we think our Souls worth more What Godly man that you think makes too much a do for Heaven doth bestow more time and words and labour for it than you do for the Flesh and World Do we not see how men will labour at land and venture through dangerous Seas and Fight in Wars and Plot against all that stand in their way and this all day from year to year and all for Provision for Flesh and Fancy And do those that you accuse do more for their Salvation If you know not now you will shortly know which makes the better choice and bargain 24 What harm doth Godliness and Conscience do you in other men Had you not rather have a son that takes Disobedience Whoredom Gaming and Drunkenness for sin than one that makes no Conscience of them Had you not rather have a Wife whose Conscience restrains her from Scolding and Adultery and a Servant that makes Conscience of robbing or deceiving you than one that doth not Sure unconscionable Servants and Debtors are more troublesom than they that fear God and believe that injustice is a damning sin But the truth is most wicked men are for so much Conscience and Religion in others as restrains them from wronging or hurting them but no more nor for that much in themselves which may restrain them from hurting others But if you resolve rather to be damned than to be Sober Just and Godly and obey God against the flesh Why cannot you bear with other men that make a wiser choice What hurt doth their praying do you or their preaching while they are responsible for any ill Doctrine What if they be reading the Scripture or hearing Directions for a holy life while you are Drinking or Gaming or reading a Romance or Railing Libel doth their Piety hurt you What if they dare not Swear and Drink as you do doth this do you any harm What is it but the Serpentine enmity that maketh you hate those that never hurt you 25. If you will believe God it is for the sake of Godly men that God preserves the World from ruine He would have saved Sodom had there been but ten such persons in it He will not destroy the world till he hath gathered all his chosen out of it And do they deserve to be most hated 26. How exceeding dear a love hath God and our Redeemer exprest to all holy obedient believers God calls them his Jewels his Treasure in whom he delighteth He gave Christ specially for them He sealeth them to Salvation by his Spirit he justifieth them and will glorify them in Heaven Christ calls them Flesh of his Flesh his Friends his Spouse they are united to him he washeth them in his blood and feedeth them with his Flesh and will make them equal to the Angels and will condemn their Enemies And are not you devilish enemies to God and Christ who cull out those for your malice and Enmity whom God chooseth out to magnify the wonders of his Love on them for ever 27. The Angels of Heaven rejoyce at the Conversion of a sinner Luke 15. 10. And rejoyce to be Christ Servants for their defence continually And is it not Devils then and their Servants and Souldiers that are against them Take heed Gods Angels that smote a Herod may do execution on you ere long 28. The Holy Ghost saith 1 Cor. 6. That the Saints shall judge the world and even the Angels that is the evil ones Did you believe this you would be afraid to hate and persecute them now 29. Even Heathens are for much honouring and worshiping their Gods yea many offer them too costly Sacrifice What praises doth Iulian give to the Sun and what strictness of life doth he Command his Priests What great contempt of the Body and the World did the Platonists the Stoicks and the Cynicks profess And shall profest Christians hate those that are obedient to the true God yea to shew that the War between Good and Evil goeth on in all the World even among Heathens those that were for true virtue were despised and hated by the sensual 30. And is it not a self-condemning thing in those that accuse Gods Servants as making too much adoe in obeying the Law of God and yet make as the Church of Rome doth abundance more Laws or Canons of their own and require precise obedience to them all Yea will burn men at a Stake for breaking their Laws Doth God make too much work in the Judgment of them that think it not enough without much more as if Gods Law were too narrow and insufficient Yea learn by the Church of England whose Canons 5 6 7 8. ipso facto excommunicate them that do but affirm any thing to be repugnant to Gods word in their Liturgy Ceremonies or Church Governing Offices And can you think that obeying God deserveth hatred when

subject King and Kingdom to the Sacred King of Rome yet the Laity would be less against the common Peace when they found that it was their own Peace § 12. I have told you what I mean not by Malignant Enmity to Godliness I tell you now what I mean by it viz. When the blindness and ungodliness of corrupted Nature increased by practice into Serpentine Enmity and turning mens hearts by unbelief and disaffection from God and Heaven doth possess them with a deep dislike of a holy heavenly and spiritual life first as to their own practices and then as it is in others and because it is against their worldly hopes and fleshly lusts they hate it and reject it themselves and then hate and maliciously oppose it in others yea though Law Custom and worldly Interest draw them formally to profess Christianity and Obedience to Gods Laws and to Vow that in Baptism they hate the serious performance of their own Profession and Vows and would be glad to drive it out of the world and to set up Hypocrisie and Ceremony or a Stage Religion and Mummery or the toothless Mass and Formalities in its stead And if custom or shame hinder them from persecuting or scorning Truth and Godliness in its proper name they will shew their mind by these things following 1. They will set up some worldly fleshly Interest like the Papal Kingdom which is contrary to the Christian and holy Interest and then they will persecute Christians not as Christians nor as Godly in name but as such indeed by pleading Conscience and Obedience to God against their inconsistent interest and ways 2. Among all that are against their carnal false interest they will cull out the more serious godly persons to afflict 3. Among all the faithful they will cull out those who do Christ most service in the world because Christs service is it that is their disservice and opposite to their sin 4. They will make a scorn of their very Religious duties and take up mimical derisions to make them seem ridiculous or contemptible 5. When they can charge them with no crimes they will purposely make Nets to catch them as the Enemies of Daniel did by him Dan. 6. And as the Spider makes her curious Webs to catch and kill the Flies 6. Yea they will make faults by slander and lies if not by perjuries if they can find none 7. Yea their virtue piety and innocency shall be all called Hypocrisie and when they cannot accuse their actions they will accuse their hearts and secret thoughts and judge them as if they had a Casement into their breasts 8. Yea if their innocency cannot be so stained they will hate them so much the more because they cannot tread down their reputation 9. They will search after and aggravate all the failings of Religious people and turn them into crimes 10. If any one of them or an Hypocrite that 's like them be guilty of any notable fall they will perswade men that all the rest of their lives is like that crime yea and that all that profess much seriousness in Godliness are as bad as they that all the rest of the life of Noah Lot David Solomon c. were as bad as the criminal part and that all the Servants of Christ are Peter's or Iudas's 11. That it is not their sins but their piety which they hate you will see in that they live in far greater sin themselves and take it to be no great harm but hate those that reprove them 12. And they make light of the common crimes of others They can bear with an Atheist an Infidel a Drunkard a prophane Swearer a derider of Godliness yea a Persecutor a Fornicator a man of no Religion if he will but be for them and serve their interest and will not scruple Communion with such But men never so sober just and godly that cross their wills and carnal ways they cannot endure And if they be such Clergy-men as the world hath too many such serious Godly men for disliking their ungodliness are made the common objects of their Pulpit and discoursing scorn or accusations and perhaps are excommunicate ipso facto for dissenting from their Opinions or Wills. 13. Such usually in former ages have been the chief Instigators of Princes and Rulers to hate men of serious Religion and to stir up Persecution against them and to render such odious to the world as Hereticks or intolerable Villains O what difference is there between the true narratives of the Lives of Luther Calvin Beza and abundance such and the odious lies and defamations written of them by some others Yea those who commend Melancthon Bucer and many such for Learning and Moderation hate their Doctrine of Reformation and serious Piety 14. And you may note that in any slander of a Godly man they will sooner believe one or two ignorant malicious Drunkards against them that never knew them than the testimonies of hundreds of most faithful persons who praise and vindicate them though they better knew them 15. They seldom give the accused leave to speak for themselves before they believe Accusations against them but conclude that they are as bad as back-biting malice reporteth them behind their backs 16. They are glad to hear of any infamy of Religious persons and loth to hear them praised without contradiction and are glad to hear of any suffering which befals them 17. If there be any publick differences in a Church City or Land they are usually against that side which most favoureth serious Godliness be they who they will. If the King Parliament and Bishops will be for the persons and ways of soberness justice and serious Godliness they would be on the other side And they will cry up any that will cry them down or would oppress them 18. Lastly The quality of the Enemies may help with the rest to tell what it is that they are against when it is the generality of worldlings proud ambitious men sensual drunkards gluttons fornicators prophane and irreligious who hate Godliness so far as to drive it from themselves and families and rather venture on Hell fire than be truly godly it 's easie to know what these hate in others I have told you who I mean by Malignant Enemies of Godliness that the mistakers and slanderers of my words may have no excuse Could we now but prevail against this Cainism or Devilism it would do much to recover the Peace of many Nations of the Earth But Christ hath told us that this Enmity between the seed of the Woman and the Serpent of which Cain and Abel were the first specimen since the Fall will never cease till Christ come as is terribly described 2 Thes. 1. 6 10 11 12. and Matth. 25. But yet some Sauls may become Pauls and for the hope of the recovery of such I will adjoyn such Reasons as should convince any that have the use of Reason left Chap. III. Undeniable Reasons against

disobeying men deserveth excommunication Learn of our late Laws which account all the Ministers of England worthy to be cast out and silenced if they dare not take the imposed Declarations Oaths and Subscriptions and do what the Act of Uniformity imposeth And do you think it worthy of reproach to be as strict in obeying Gods known Laws as is required to the Act of Uniformity and the Canons 31. Even the Church of Rome applaudeth great Rigor and Strictness of life in such as will obey the Pope And they have allowed Orders of Fryars whose rules tye them to great abstinence to much praying and some to much Preaching so that Religion is all their calling And shall the strict obeying of Gods known Laws render men odious among professed Protestants Yea the Papists honour the very Bones and Relicks of their dead Saints And you your selves keep holy days for many Saints And will you at the same time hate and hurt those that endeavour to imitate them Will you imitate those Pharisees whom Christ pronounceth Woe against who at once honoured the dead Prophets with building them Monuments or Tombs and murdered the living that succeeded them 32. You can never come to Heaven or be saved from Hell your selves without serious Holiness Justice and Sobriety And will you hate that without which you cannot be saved 33. Scarce any sin doth more certainly prove you to be ungodly than hating godliness What ever hope there may be of those that sin against Conscience and wish to be better and purpose Repentance that man cannot be a truly Godly man that is an Enemy to godliness so that this is a dreadful deaths mark on you 34. You would extirpate the principle of self-love which God hath made inseparable from us There is somewhat in our nature which we cannot lay by which makes us unwilling to be damned If you that believe no Hell dare venture into it we cannot do so who do believe it If you say that it is our folly to believe that none shall be saved without Holiness and mortifying the deeds of the body by the Spirit bear with that folly which doth you no harm It is not Men or Devils that we had it from but the Holy Ghost in Scripture If it be your wisdom to give God the lie and believe a Drunken sot or the Devil before him it shall be none of ours Speed as you choose and let us speed as we choose we shall meet your Souls shortly in another mind and tune Strive not to make us choose damnation now our Eyes are open We were once too easily befool'd but cannot now so hate our selves 35. Moreover he that would not have a man live a life of holy obedience to God would have him lay by that which he was made for and that which God continueth his life for and that which he hath his reason and all his daily mercies for What else have we to do in the World Have men going to the Grave and Eternity nothing to do but Eat and Drink and Laugh and Play and run up and down like Ants with sticks and straws and then die and call all vanity and vexation too late If we may not spend our time in making sure of a better World we had rather we had never been born or had died in infancy or that we had a dose of Opium that would make us sleep out the rest of our lives in quietness rather than spend it as you do and then give a sad ac●ount of all we had rather we had been Birds or Beasts Dogs or Swine than Men were it not for that life which you hate and the hopes which depend on it It had been a greater kindness to us to have murdered us at the birth than to tempt us to live for our damnation 36. What do you think it is that is Gods Image on mans Soul you know that it 's said in Scripture that God made man at first in his own Image and that Christ by his Spirit reneweth them to that Image What is it think you God hath not hands and feet and bodily parts as we have It is the Soul that hath his Image And do you think it is the love of Money and Lust and Sport or Gluttony or Drunkenness that is his Image Scripture saith Eph. 4. 23 24. Colos. 3. 10. it is Holiness And this is called the Divine nature as coming from God and inclining nature unto God. Either Holiness Wisdom and Righteousness is Gods Image or else there is none such on man And then you make Gods Word to be false And if this be it and this it which you hate are you not haters of God And is not that to be devilish and hated by God 37. While you are angry at them that say few are saved or that none but Saints or serious godly obedient men are saved you would sink all the World into utter despair and make none or next none to be saved One part of the haters of godliness believe no life to come And these would have all men despair For if there be none there is none to be hoped for and they that think men die but as Dogs Swine do must be expected to live like Dogs Swine The other part of you labour by all means to make themselves and others believe that the profession of more godliness than worldly carnal men have is but hypocrisy and that such are at the heart as bad as others And if this be so what is the consequence but that none are saved For unless you will give God the lie or be saved in spite of him you must believe that none are saved that are not sanctified by the Spirit of Christ and live not after the Spirit mortifying the flesh Ioh. 3 3 5. Heb. 12. 14. Rom. 8. 6 7. 8 9 13. 2 Cor. 5. 17. And that no man can be saved that loveth the world more than God and Heaven and fleshly pleasure more than holiness And therefore if there be none such then none are saved Hypocrisy will not save men God tells us that Drunkards Fornicators Covetous Thieves Extortioners Revilers Effeminate Idolaters cannot enter into the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Eph. 5. 5. And if any man love the world best the love of the Father is not in him 1 Ioh. 2. 5. And if all that pretend to be better are hypocrites than none at all are saved It may be you have the kindness to except some few But if those few be all that be not either carnal men described Rom. 8. 5 6 7 9. or hypocrites how few then do you make to be saved if God be true 38. Who do you think it is that Christ meaneth when he saith I send you as Lambs among Wolves Ye shall be hated of all men for my names sakes Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness sake When they say all manner of evil of you falsly for my sake The World will