Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	fire_n	set_v	tongue_n	3,258	5	9.1898	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81905	A case of conscience concerning ministers medling with state matters in or out of their sermons resolved more satisfactorily then heretofore. Wherein amongst other particulars, these matters are insisted upon, and cleared. 1 How all controversies and debates among Christians ought to be handled regularly, and conscionably to edification by those that meddle therewith. 2 What the proper employments are of Christian magistrates, and Gospel-Ministers, as their works are distinct, and should be concurrent for the publick good at all times. 3 What the way of Christianity is, whereby at this time our present distractions, and publick breaches may be healed : if magistrates and ministers neglect not the main duties of their respective callings. Where a ground is layed to satisfie the scruple of the Demurrer, and of the Grand Case of Conscience. / Written by John Dury, minister of the Gospel, to give a friend satisfaction: and published at the desire of many. Octob. 3. Imprimatur, Joseph Caryl.	Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1649 (1649)	Wing D2836; Thomason E579_1; ESTC R206157	157,053	200

taken up of designes persons will never suffer the mind to be at rest but by the apprehensions of evil listning after rumors and reports the heart will be moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind The remedy of Tale-bearing and private censuring By every one Therefore the first remedy of tale-bearing and private censuring is this cure of jealousies and feares for where the spirit is free from this distemper and in a serene frame within it selfe following that which is good towards all men before God there will be no listening after evill reports nor entertaining of tale-bearers upon evill surmisings and if no man will lend a tale-bearer his eares he will be soon weary of his employment By the Magistrate But the more direct cure of this disease is partly in the Magistrates partly in the Ministers hand for if the Christian Magistrate would take up Davids resolution and Psalm 101. practice it To know no wicked person To cut off such as privily stander others To cast out of his sight and discountenance every where such as carry tales from one to another and tell lies and consequently to represse railing accusations scandalous pamphlets and injurious reproaches so that a way might be opened at least for a reparation of the injuries of such a nature with infamy to those that inferre the same as in other Common-wealths the custome is If I say this were done by the Magistrate the publick inconveniencie of tale-bearing private censurings and of defamations would soone be cured As the North-wind saith Solomon ariveth away Prov. 25. 23 rain so doth an angry countenance a back-biting tongue If the angry countenance of a private man will doe this to a slanderer in private much more will the angry countenance of a Magistrate be able to effect it when a just reward of punishment will take hold of the transgressors By the Minister But to perfect this cure the Ministers of the Gospel should make it a part of their work as well in privat as publick to make all men sensible of the sinfulnes of whispering and backbiting and of the danger of an unruly tongue which sets the world on fire and is set on fire of hell What shall be given unto Psal 120. 3. 4. thee or what shall be done unto thee thou false tongue sharp Arrowes of the mighty with Coales of Juniper and such as with a deceitful tongue love devouring words God shall likewise destroy Psal 52. 4. 5. them for ever he shall take them away and pluck them out of their dwelling-place and root them out of the land of the living Saith the Holy Ghost and if free passage of the Gospel into the soules of men is to be regarded there is nothing that doth more directly obstruct it and hinder men from entertaining it then envies and evil speakings which are alwayes accompanied with malice guile and hypocrisie as the Apostle doth intimate 1 Peter 2. 1. 2. nor shall we ever see Jerusalem a quiet Habitation nor peace upon Israel till the disorder lines of whispering tale-bearing and passionate censuring be removed from the zeale of the Profession if Ministers themselves too too many were not guilty of this it might hopefully be in some Zelots but the zeale for one and against another party which hath drowned the zeale for meeknes for love and for true unpartial Christianity doth licenciat the spirits of professors to do this without controll by the example of some of their Ministers for it is from the pride of men that dote about questions of their own framing because they mind not with true zeale the undoubted and known truths of the Gospel that this heat of strife and railing and of passionatenes which is mistaken for zeale doth proceed as the Apostle declares 1 Tim. 6. 3. 4. 5. and truly it is hard to know whether Satan doth more harme to the felicity of mankind by the false accusations which unconscionable and profane men give out against the godly in the world or by the privat and faulty reprovings of true faults which disorderly zealous professors give out against them in the Church By all Conscionable Professors of Religion The Rules then to be offered to such as make Conscience of their wayes which may prevent and cure the disorderlines of these courses are these First let us watch over our spirits that nothing be done through strife and vain glory but all things in humility and without murmurings and disputings Phil. 2. 3. 14. Secondly if a man in the way of a lawful Calling must needs contend for Truth and Righteousnes and for the Faith once given to the Saints yet then let him remember that he ought to be slow to speake and slow to wrath because the wrath of man Jam. 1. 19. 2. worketh not the Righteousnes of God for our heat and passions do rather prejudice then advantage the truth in the minds of those to whom it is offered Thirdly let us consider this truth that to relate the faults and errors of one man who is a stranger to another under the pretence of warning him to whom the relation is made of the danger thereof is neither charitable nor positively edifying it is not charitable because the discoveries of mans failings to strangers can proceed from no love to those that faile for love covereth from strangers a multitude of sins nor can it work any love in strangers towards them nor is it possitively edifying to those that are made acquainted therewith because nothing doth positively edifie but the manifestation of Truth and Righteousnes Fourthly and lastly let this Rule be laid to heart that to lay open the faults of any either to himself or to others otherwise then in order to the course which Christ hath appointed to rectifie the same and with a charitable design to bring him that erreth from the error of his way is altogether unlawful and therefore none ought to censure any man or fault but that at the same instant is able and willing to shew the way how to reclaim the man and redresse the fault Concerning the remedy of revenge The first is Prayer Hitherto I have spoken of the distempers which are cureable in our nature by reasonable perswasions the distemper of revenge which we have found to be incureable by ordinary meanes must be referred unto the prayers of the Godly to intercede for those that are in danger thereof that their passion may not be an incentive of the fierce wrath of God against their own soules and over the whole Nation but that the remainder of wrath may be restrained from breaking forth upon Psal 76. 10. others and by the spirit of Christ subdued within themselves The second is Christs Spirit To be held forth by the Ministers for nothing but the mighty spirit by which Jesus Christ did walk in our flesh and overcome the world bound the strong man in our nature and spoiled him of his goods can

moulding wherewith they are so prepossessed that they can conceive of nothing else but that which is wrested and made consonant to the thoughts wherewith they have racked their own understandings out of frame With these men if once high flowen there can be no rationall dealing for they have crackt their brain and despise all things as below themselves Magistracy Ministery Ordinances Scriptures nay and Christ himself is by some made a matter of small or no concernment at all in respect of that which they account themselves to have attained unto From these and such as joyne neerest in Principles with these none other controversie as I conceive can bee expected What controversie is to be expected from them but that which these two questions do offer as first whether yea or no the Christian Magistrate hath any thing to do at all with the visible affaires of the Churches And secondly whether yea or no the Rule and Government of all things doth not belong properly unto the Saints and to none but them Whom they meane by Saints and what by rule and government is not now time to enquire after but it is apparent that their Principles and thoughts lead them rather to lay aside all Rule and all Magistracy at least in reference to the pretended Saints then to think that they ought to be limited in any thing But by reason of the extravagancies whereunto some have licentiated themselves and of the strange pretensions which are made to a Fantasticall perfection whereof none other account can bee given but their owne bare saying of themselves that it is so and so with them I say by reason of this and their other impertinencies these men have not only made themselves a grievance unto the Godly and a laughing stocke unto others that are morally sober and rationall but for their sake the mouthes of the profane in the world are opened against Religion Atheists are confirmed in their impietie a disrespect and scandall is raised against the spirituall profession of Christianity amongst single hearted formalists and the politick adversaries of our settlement and Reformation triumph and exult at it over us Now as I do not expect that any of these who make themselves so eminent in their spiritualitie as to have cast off all moralitie should debate this matter so nothing which from their Principles can be drawn is to be much regarded But such as are not strangers to a life truly spirituall although they are not found to walk up to it but rather follow the way of humane reasonings such as have The second sort of Controverters who are men of Reason and Learning improved their naturall with acquired abilities of sciences and experience by studie and conversation and such as have interessed themselves hitherto in State affairs to become instrumentall for the designes of one or against the proceedings of another party such I say as these may perhaps speak something to the purpose worth consideration and deserving an Answer chiefly if without prejudice and passion and with due respect unto conscience and reason they weigh the matter whereof they shall offer a debate discreetly With these I shall not be unwilling to go along to search out a doubtfull truth in this or any other matter Onely before I come to speak of this particular subject to shew what I conceive the debate may be with these according to the forenamed Rules I shall in two or three words briefly intreat by way of warning the causes of disorderlinesse whereunto our ordinary course is accessory to intangle our affairs If we reflect then upon our wayes wee may observe that the aime of ordinary controverters is set rather to uphold What way of controverting is used by most of them and that professedly the outward interest of a party either to vindicate it from some aspersion or to gaine some advantage to the proceedings thereof by aspersing others and by getting themselves into power over others then to make a discoverie of profitable duties and of naked Truths that the necessitie of the former and the evidence of the latter may become recommendable indifferently unto the consciences of all men or that the conscience of those who have strayed from the same may bee brought backe againe unto the acknowledgement thereof whence also we see that the course taken to debate differences even in spirituall matters and farre more in outward concernments doth almost savour nothing else but the affectation of naturall wisdome of subtilty and of eloquence and the venting of passions proper to men depending upon this world And herein wee finde a pride moving men to outstrip one another either by shewing their parts as wit language reading Philosophy History and other learning or by lashing and smiting one another with the tongue to seek a conquest rather by the infamy of others then by the armour of righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left By these unchristian and unconscionable wayes of considering matters and dealing with persons the more able and naturally rationall the men are that take them up the more destructive they make themselves unto the comforts of their brethren and the neerer their Debates thus agitated relate unto Religion the further off they set themselves and others from the kingdom of Jesus Christ the respect which is had to gain credit with men to loose no ground in the Debate and to be thought a leader in the cause together with the fear lest we should seem to be foiled in any thing chiefly after we have owned the title of a Doctor of Divinity and think our selves in some repute for Learning doth strip us of all Christian simplicitie and morall ingenuitie for when we come to a close fight and in danger to be convicted of some error our passions are inflamed and we choose rather to make our contestations endlesse and inextricable then that our Antagonist should seem to have gotten any advantage against us Thus we strive not for Truth and Righteousnesse how to finde it out for the unpartiall way to seek it is not once thought upon but for our selves in comparison to others that we and we onely may be thought to have it and this makes the Debates tedious full of trifling circumstances and so large and voluminous that to read onely the heads of matters agitated in this way will require more time then a wise man will afford thereunto or a godly man can take pleasure to spend thereupon Upon these rocks of contentiousnesse and irregularitie the excellent gifts of many able and otherwise godly men are oft-times shipwrackt For Satan by their zeal for themselves The evill effect of this way and privat ends hath blinded them in that which is truly publick and by this meanes for it is from the failings of godly men on all sides that our misery doth chiefly arise a fire is kindled amongst us of prejudicacy and jealousie which never will be quenched by humane power or perswasion only God