Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	know_v	see_v	son_n	19,837	5	5.8352	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77348	Brevis demonstratio. The truth and excellency of Christian religion demonstrated against Jews, Mahometans, and heathens Publish'd at the desire of some learned men, and for the satisfaction of all rational persons in England.		1665 (1665)	Wing B4424; ESTC R170793	19,852	40

much the more perfect But in the mean time there is promised that which exceeds all earthly Goods even the highest and paternal favour of God offering pardon to them that repent of all their past sins and that they might not sin for time to come the gift of the Holy Spirit a necessary help to the performance of the duties of Piety and also a peculiar Guard of Angels But after Death there is promised a return to Life blessed Immortality a heavenly Kingdome in conjunction with a most pleasant Aspect of the supreme Deity and the fellowship of blessed Spirits The Precepts also are sutable to so sublime Promises There is nothing wanting in them to the highest sanctity forasmuch as Christian Piety consists not * in bodily washing but in true renovation of mind in subduing of the flesh and affections in an unconquerable patience under evils in a constant meekness in a perfect abstinence from hurting others in a chearfull readiness to help them in a continual celebration of the Name of God and studious exercise of fervent Prayer in a diligent regulating of all actions words and thoughts in a full faith and trust in God in a most ardent desire of celestial Immortality and serious meditation of divine things in a true contempt of the World its Riches Honours and Pleasures and if there be any thing else which Reason dictates to be joyned with Vertue V. Neither may any man say that the precepts of Vertue would have been more perfect if we had been injoyned perpetual abstinence from Marriage as also from Meat and Drink or if there had been no remission of sins no reward proposed to them that do well that so men might be drawn by the love of Vertue alone not hope of reward For who sees not that such things can have no place in men as are above their strength and nature It is therefore great imprudence to require of them so great perfection In which matter the Heathen Philososophers extreamly doted who dream'd of I know not what empty Notions of Vertue as if conversing in Plato's Commonwealth they had had a purpose to form the life of celestial Persons not the manners of mortal and frail men The perfection of precepts is to be accomodated to the model of the strength and nature of those to whom they are prescribed So sound Reason so Prudence injoynes For who would praise him that should impose on a Child of three years old a Burden that can scarce be born by a strong man of full age In this very thing therefore the high perfection and wisdome of Christian Religion is manifest that it delivers most divine precepts and prescribes a Doctrine of great piety as greater cannot agree to mortal men yet nevertheless it doth not onely not exceed humane strength but also is not hard to be performed as we shall shew by and by VI. We shall now speak of the qualities of Christian Religion which appertain to the perfection of its nature they are these 1. That it is universal not peculiar to one Nation only but common to all men of all Kindreds Nations Ages Conditions and Sexes 2. That it is spiritual both in its precepts and promises in those requiring internal purity of mind not external cleansing of the body and in these propounding not carnal but spiritual benefits 3. That it is easie because it invites men to piety by a most ample and inestimable reward for the greatness of the reward lessens and takes away all the difficulty of the labour Again because it many wayes assists humane imbecillity in the course of vertue by the holy Spirit inasmuch as thereby mens minds are confirmed in the Truth cleared in doubts encouraged in dangers and filled with a sure hope of eternal Life Thirdly because it prescribes nothing but what is exactly consonant to reason but those things are more easily done the equity whereof the Understanding sees and the reason of which we perceive then those things which why they are to be done we know not That is the part of ingenuous men or as I may so say of Sons who are not ignorant of what the Father doth This of Servants who are seriously treated and to whom is given no reason of designes but are led by the meer Authority of the Commander That makes that what is commanded be done willingly and cheerfully this unwillingly and by constraint VII Let us now come to the Adjuncts or Effects of Christian Religion and they are discerned in the altogether divine and wonderfull propagation of it in which these things following are to be noted 1. That many thousands of men of all sorts forsaking their Countrey-Religion to which they were accustomed from their youth embraced it in great numbers 2. That very suddenly that is in the space of thirty years or thereabouts as appears by Histories it spread it self far and near not onely in Judea and all Asia yea through the whole Roman Empire but beyond it also it sounded in the ears of Parthians and Indians 3. That it extirpated Paganisme so that the Religion of Christ increasing that came to nothing neither is there any memory of it now extant save in Books onely 4. That being not supported by Armes and worldly power it encreased so much and for near three hundred years before the Emperour Constantine induced it it was promoted by the means onely of private men 5. That by mean contemptible simple men and Idiots it was first delivered and divulged 6. That all the wise and mighty of this world were against it yet notwithstanding neither by the craft of the Jewes nor power of the Romane Caesars whereof ten are reckoned chief Persecutors of this Religion nor yet of other Heathens could it be suppressed 7. That innumerable companies of its Professors by no though never so cruel pains and torments no not by any the most ignominious death suffered themselves to be affrighted from it 8. That it has nothing in it gratefull to the flesh it looseth not the reins to licentiousness it opens not the way to pleasures nor honours it allures not men by the commodities of this life but rather deprives them of them least any should think that the so prosperous success of its propagation were to be ascribed to a Doctrine flattering and pleasing the lusts of men 9. That it hath continued now a thousand six hundred sixty years and upward without any interruption 10. That at this day it is so largely spread that it has filled almost the whole world for it possesseth not onely all Europe but also Macedonia Thracia and the Isles of the Aegean Sea are filled with it and both under the Turk and Tartar live Christians innumerable in Affrica also in the Kingdome of the Abissines Congo and Dangali also in Peruvia and New Spain in Goa and the Islands unto which the Dutch and Spaniards have Commerce touching which Geographers may be consulted Lastly They are not wanting in America as testifieth Acosta