Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	great_a	religion_n	1,317	5	5.4600	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58072	Reflections upon the eloquence of these times, particularly of the barr and pulpit; Reflexions sur l'eloquence de l'usage de ce temps. English	Rapin, René, 1621-1687.; N. N.	1672 (1672)	Wing R274; ESTC R21189	48,475	176

grace to his gesture and an agreement to to his discourse such as he pleased and all these in such a degree as never had Orator an equal power to him to raise attention and as never any person was more Master of what he said nor of the manner wherein he spoke he could give to the Spirits of his audience what impressions he pleased The greatest places where he Preached was too little to hold the concourse of those that followed him Though this great facility he had in speaking betrayed him into a neglect of preparing himself yet by the mere power of his action in the most indifferent and neglected discourses he could impose upon the People by his manner of speaking the most common things that he said were listend to with the same applause and admiration as those which were the most extraordinary things the choisest Preachers could say He had certainly been the most accomplished Preacher that ever was had his judgment and his capacity answered to his other Talents and if he had not been so excessive in his action which was too significant and besides had not all the gravity that the sanctity of the place required §. 4. These natural Talents sometimes exert themselves in so much splendor that they rob if it be lawful so to speak the word of God of that esteem veneration which we ought to have for it they often procure themselves attention not for that it is on Gods account they speak Non in sapientia verbi ne vacuetur crux Christi 1 Cor. 3. but because they speak agreeably because they are Eloquent Preach novelties or bear some Character of dignity or advancement in the Church or for some other out●ard qualities like the People of Jerusalem who went to hear Ezekiel because he was Eloquent For this reason it was that Saint Austine went first to hear Saint Ambrose before he was converted The Preacher ought to shun as a thing too humane and too sensual the giving place in his discourse to the curiosity of the people which he may easily do in taking the resolution to profit rather than please He cannot faile too of success if he know how to speak of good things and to speak them with judgement and knowledge § 5. I do not intend that it is necessary for all those that are called to the ministry to have all those great qualities that I have numbred 't is good that in the Church there should be men of different capacities to be accommodated to those of their Auditors which are so various It suffices to a Preacher that preaches to the common People to know the principal duties of Christianity An indifferent Preacher is sufficiently qualified to entertain Religion and make it subsist in a Village maugre the ignorance and stupidity that reigns amongst us for that mediocrity of genius may always be in an estate to instruct especially if it have joyned with it any Talent inspeaking and though he want the Genius to raise deep concernments yet he may be numbred amongst those Preachers who have the power to make a great noise by an animated manner of speaking which oftentimes works the same effect upon the hearts of the People as the Drums and Trumpets do upon the Souldiers in a Battel The noise astonishes them and makes them run with precipitation upon the Enemy without any reflection whither they go It is not the impulse of Reason which moves the grosser Spirits and awakens them to their duty for they understand it not but it is the emotion and ardeur with which they speak and the loudness of their Exclamations which makes the impression it is not the things themselves that move but the manner of delivering them because the manner is sensible and the things are not It is also manifest that the People judge not so much by the reasons as hath been said as by the tone of the voice they beleive him that speaks most loud and with most confidence and it is to this boldness that they owe the success of their perswasions for the truth is the Soul is not ordinarily moved than by what first vigorously strikes the sense But after all this these popular Preachers must be let to understand that they become ridiculous when they strive to be numbred amongst the fine Spirits and endeavour rather to please than to edifie it suffices in Preaching to the People to propose simply to them the great verities of Religion and the sanctity of its morals without labouring so much for Forms and Ornaments which oftentimes serve only to burthen the Preacher as well as his Audience § 6. The most part of Preachers are rendred very ignorant by mingling themselvs too much in the commerce of the world neglecting to apply themselves with that diligence that is required to the work of the Ministry 't is this reduces them ●oa necessity to copy one from another to furnish themselves with matters for their Sermons They take not the pains to fetch it from the Sources nor indeed have they any knowledge of them this is the cause that they use such ill Reasons to perswade to vertue for they have not a capacity for good reasons nor the Art to make them understood when they have them They usually ruine themselves by this copying from other men and extinguish their own Genius by striving to assume that of others From hence I may say all those deformities which are so ordinary amongst them first receive their birth that which makes so many ill Preachers is the false method they choose they ought not to serve themselves with the designs nor the thoughts of others till they be able to transform them and make them proper to their own Spirits §. 7. This Eloquence only becomes solid in a great capacity nor can any hope to be fortunate in this Art who has not before replenished his mind with all the knowledges necessary to treat the word of God with dignity The most important is that of Divinity without which a Preacher cannot with that confidence and authority give clear resolutions in the subjects whereof he treats It is a great weakness in him that preaches when he cannot determine precisely what is of Faith and what is not or to hesitate when he should decide But we know that there is nothing more great necessary or agreeable in this Eloquence of the Pulpit than Divinity which is the Science of Religion and there is nothing more miserable and disgusting when it is not treated with that sufficiency and dignity with which it ought to be §. 8. A too frequent commerce with the Schoolmen brings a much greater prejudice than advantage to the Preacher when he knows not how to make use of it as he ought and wants Wisdome or a necessary precaution in the reading of them for there is nothing so contrary to Eloquence as the learning of the Schools and I am perswaded that the Lecture of Thomas Aquinas how solid and