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A57234 A sermon preach'd before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and aldermen of the city of London at the Guildhall-Chappel, September XVII, 1682 by Joshua Richardson ... Richardson, Joshua, 1649 or 50-1733. 1682 (1682) Wing R1389; ESTC R11880 10,424 34

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that may be attempted upon them so that no Weapon form'd against them shall prosper Secondly The practice of Universal Righteousness tends to exalt a Nation in that it promotes Union and Agreement between its Members Now Union is so indispensably necessary towards the making a People happy much more towards the rendring them Great that the want of it is enough to ruine the most flourishing Kingdom in the World The adjusting of Supremacy and Subordination a Power to Command and a Consent to obey and Agreement to live together in Peace and Order Love and Amity those are essential to all Constitutions of Government and without them any Society would soon degenerate into a promiscuous Herd of Salvage Animals continually employ'd in worrying and devouring each other Dissention among a People is like a latent Disease in an human Body that secretly preys upon its Vitals and from a State of Health and Vigour reduces it by Degrees to a faint and languishing Condition and is perpetually hastning its Dissolution Now Pride Ambition Covetousness Discontent Self-conceit and other the like deviations from universal Righteousness do naturally separate Men in Mind and Affection and make them uncharitable and censorious ungovernable and Factious But Religion is a strong and sure Ligament of Society it cements Mens Affections Unites their Souls and ties them together by the very Heart-strings it mollifies their Natures and sweetens their Tempers and takes away all that roughness which otherwise would make them unfit for Conversation It is altogether inconsistent with the Rules of Righteousness for Men to Hate and Malign to Slander and Reproach to keep up Feuds and Animosities and to fasten distinguishing and opprobious Names upon each other Such Practices do directly tend to dissolve that Union which it is the great Design of Religion to settle and establish The Laws of Christianity have provided for the Good of Societies by laying upon them the strictest Commands backt with the highest Sanctions to Peace and Love to Charity and good Will to desire and rejoice in and endeavour to promote the good of each other whereby they become a muttal Relief and Supply Defence and Security and every Member of a Society has a share in every one and so are sure of all interchangeable Offices of Kindness and Friendship Agreement and Unanimity are the Beauty and Strength of any Body Politick and a Kingdom and a City by being divided forfeit them both Now it is one great End of Christianity to conserve Peace among Mankind and whoever they be that do not what they can in order thereunto whatever refin'd Names they may assume to themselves I am sure it is by an odd Figure in Rhetorick that any wise Man will call them Christians There is a general Complaint of the Divisions that are among us and there is too much reason for it now the Apostle Rom. 16.17 bids us to Mark them which cause Divisions an Exhortation which by Parity of Reason will reach as much to Factions in the State as to Schisms in the Church and to avoid such Men. Who they are will not easily be acknowledged each Party being as forward to shift off the Guilt as they are to lament the Misfortune and I shall not here enter into a strict Scrutiny of the Matter being much more desirous that the thing it self were remov'd than the Persons barely discover'd Only thus much I shall say that whoever they be who out of Pride or Self-conceit Peevishness or Humor Covetousness or Interest Ill-nature or Uncharitableness can oppose and disturb a most excellently form'd Government or who talking very much of Religion and Practicing but little can strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel and rather than submit to an innocent Ceremony separate from the Communion of the best establisht National Church in the World and Sacrifice her Peace to little imaginary groundless Scruples those are they under what Denomination soever they fall who are Causers of Divisions and so come within the Apostles Caution and do indeed contribute very highly to the depressing and diminishing any Society they are Members of Thirdly The Practice of Universal Righteousness tends to the exalting a Nation as it prevents the Grounds and Occasions of any Fears or Apprehensions of Danger from abroad Since the World is not govern'd by one Universal Monarch but divided into several Kingdoms and Principalities and Republicks and since some ambitious Men will be always likely enough without any just Pretensions when Occasion offers to endeavour the Enlargement of their own Dominions by the Accession of new Conquests it is necessary to support the Dignity of any People that they be able to guard and defend themselves against any foreign Attemts or hostile Incursions of their Neighbours And this the Practice of Righteousness does highly contribute to as by divers other Ways so Particularly by giving a general Reputation to a People and spreading their Fame wide through the World Societies of Men are judged of by some common Genius that chiefly runs through the whole For a People to be generally Industrious and Sober and Martial this would gain them a settled Name and Credit The Neighbouring Nations round about who observ'd them would say surely this is a wise and an understanding People And this t is manifest would very greatly advance them and make others willing to keep up Commerce and enter into Leagues and Alliances with them it would render them truly great and formidable so that an Ambitious Neighbour should not think it safe to Invade them nor cheap to Affront them Whereas on the contrary Wickedness does slur and reproach a Nation for a People to be for the most part vicious and debauch'd and effeminate this makes them mean and contemtible and sollicites and invites foreign Attempts and by adding Courage to their Enemies renders them half-conquer'd before they are engaged with Fourthly Universal Righteousness does imply the Practice of all those things that have a moral Efficiency towards the producing the Honour of the Nation There are none of the Virtues which do not some way or other more or less contribute towards the Benefit of Society but there are some which are more immediately necessary to the keeping up and Maintenance of its Grandeur and the Disposition to and Exercise and Habit of these does depend upon the Practice of all the Others I suppose it may be sufficient for me to instance only in two viz. Wisdom and Courage by the former of which I do not mean a certain slippery Craft and Wiliness but a solid steady Prudence nor by the latter a sort of rash and brutal and Valour but a brave and generous Fortitude Now it will I think be plain that neither of those can inhabit in the Breasts of vicious Men. For with reference to Prudence Vice does infatuate their Minds and craze their Understandings and render them unfit to manage or deliberate of weighty and important Affairs It renders them unable to discern and