Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	deed_n	light_n	reprove_v	2,736	5	10.3625	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53501	A treatise concerning the causes of the present corruption of Christians and the remedies thereof; Traité des sources de la corruption qui règne aujourd'hui parmi les Chrestiens. English	Ostervald, Jean Frédéric, 1663-1747.; Mutel, Charles.	1700 (1700)	Wing O532; ESTC R11917	234,448	610

Christianity I said that the Par●icular Truths and the Parts of Religion were better known which does not imply but that in this respect too Ignoran●● is very great and general 1. I shall not scruple to say that the● are prodigious Numbers of People wh●●● scarce have any Knowledge at all of th●● Doctrines of Religion If all Christian● were obliged to render an account of thei● Faith if they were examined upon th● Articles of their Belief or the main Fact● related in Sacred History there would appear in most of them such an astonishin● Ignorance or such confused and intrica●● Ideas that one would hardly think the● more knowing than if they lived in th●● darkness of Heathenism And what Religion what Piety can we look for amon● such Men But besides this gross and palpable Ignorance there are several defects of Instruction to be observed even in thos● who have or fancy that they have mo●● Knowledge than others I shall particularly take notice of these two 1st Those who exceed the ordinary degree of Knowledge have yet often bu● a false kind of Light Either they do not know those Truths which they shoul● know or else they know them not aright They apply themselves to things which are not essential to Christianity or which ●●e less considerable than others which ●●ey do not study Thus in all Christian ●ocieties Instruction is commonly placed in ●●e Knowledge of the Doctrines and Opi●●ions particular to every one 's own Sect ●nd Party Whoever is able to debate ●ose Points and is skilled in Controver●e is said to understand his Religion ●hese Matters may perhaps have their ●●se but there are other things which ●en are more concerned to know because ●hey are more conducing to Piety and ●et they are almost constantly neglected The occasion of this Error is that the various importance of the Truths of Re●igion is not duly weighed and that Religion is not studied in an orderly method Very few Persons distinguish between the more and the less necessary Things between the most useful Subjects and those which are of little Edification Most Men study Religion without Rule and to no purpose and so run out upon many unprotable Subjects That which is called Learning in Divinity or Knowledge of Religion is frequently nothing else but a heap of Notions which have no influence upon Piety or respect to Mens Salvation It is but a confused Medley wherein the least necessary Things are blended without choice and distinction with the most important I do not speak here of the perplext and unaccurate Ideas which Men often have about these Matters I pass by the false Reasonings which are sometimes used to establish the Truths of Christianity as well as those Mists which the School-Divinity has cast upon the Gospel I do only observe That the Knowledge which most Men have of Religion is not very fit to make them sensible of the Beauties of it so that when all is done it is no wonder that it should seem to many an obscure crabbed unpleasant and intricate Science and that it should have so little Effect upon Mens Minds 2dly The other Fault is that Men content themselves with bare Instruction or with the simple Knowledge of the Christian Truths while they are ignorant of their use If they do but know in an Historical manner what is believed by Christians and are able to reason about it and to discern Truth from Error they think themselves sufficiently instructed But these Instructions do not reach the Heart Among that small number of Persons who have some Knowledge there are but few who consider that this Knowledge is to be directed to a Holy Life as to its proper end and intendment and they are fewer yet who actually direct it to that end and make it subservient to the reforming of their Lives And so it comes to pass that a great many of those who are best acquainted with the Truths of Religion have yet but an imperfect and barren Knowledge of it and that with all their Attainments they live still in the darkness of Corruption and Vice II. Hitherto we have considered Ignorance with relation to the Truths and Doctrines which the Christian Faith embraces Let us now view this Ignorance with respect to the Duties which Christianity prescribes Upon this second Head we shall discover yet a greater Ignorance than upon the first For after all something may be done when we are only to infuse into Men some Knowledge of Truths and Doctrines It is usual enough to see very ill Men who in this regard are not destitute of Light But it is much harder to instruct them in the Duties of Holiness We may apply here these Words of our Saviour's * John III. 19 20. Men love Darkness rather than Light because their Deeds are evil for every one that doth evil hateth the Light neither cometh to the Light lest his Deeds should be reproved The Maxims of the Gospel and the Rules of its Morality condemn Sinners and therefore they do not care to be informed about them Those who love the World and their Sins are glad if they can enjoy the Sweets of these without Disturbance and Interruption And therefore they will not enquire much into the Moral Precepts of Jesus Christ they are loth to come at such a Knowledge as would disclose to them the Turpitude of Vice and breed Disquiet and Remorse in them Ignorance begets Security The more ignorant a Man is the fewer Stings he feels in his Conscience and the more Pleasure he takes in his Sin The very shadow of Evil frights a well-instructed Christian but Crime it self does not daunt one who is ignorant He does not hear within himself those Alarms or Reproaches which are either the Preservatives against Sin or the Remedies of it From this it may be judged already that Men are generally very little instructed in what concerns Manners But that we may ●he better understand how great the Ignora●ce is in this Matter it must be observed that whoever will perform the Duties of Religion must be persuaded of their Necess●ty and acquainted with their Nature One cannot imagine how they can be practis●d by a Man who either does not know them or does not think them necessary This is the plain Reason why Men do so little addict themselves to Piety they know neither its Necessity nor its Nature 1. As the Foundation of Faith is the Belief of the Truth and certainty of those Facts and Doctrines which Religion proposes so the Ground-work of Piety is to be persuaded of the Necessity of the Duties which Christianity requires Without this Persuasion it is impossible for Men to resign up themselves to the Practice of Virtue Now one would think that all Christians should be fully convinced of this Necessity For if there is any certain Truth in Christianity it is this That the Practice of good Works is Necessary Good Works do so immediately belong to the Design and the