Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	bear_v	law_n	nature_n	2,347	5	6.1756	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62626	Sermons preach'd upon several occasions by his Grace John Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury ; the first volume.; Sermons. Selections	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.	1694 (1694)	Wing T1260; ESTC R18444	149,531	355

commands whatsoever things are pure and chast all manner of sobriety and temperance and moderation in reference to our appetites and passion and forbids whatever is unnatural and unreasonable and unhealthfull in the use of pleasures and of any of God's creatures Hither belong all those Texts which require of us that we should not walk after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 that we should cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 that we should be holy in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 1.15 St. John distributes the lusts and irregular appetites of men into three kinds voluptuousness covetousness and ambition answerably to the three sorts of tempting objects that are in the world pleasures riches and honours All that is in the world the lust of the flesh 1 Joh. 2.16 the lust of the eyes and the pride of life c. And Christianity doth strictly forbid all these Luke 12.15 Take heed and beware of Covetousness says our Saviour and he adds this excellent reason for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth It forbids pride and ambition and vain glory and commands humility and modesty and condescension to others Mat. 11.29 Learn of me says our Saviour for I am meek and lowly in spirit Rom. 12.16 Mind not high things but condescend to them that are of low degree Let nothing be done through vain glory Phil. 2.3 but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves And in reference to sensual pleasures it forbids all irregularity and excess and strictly enjoyns purity and temperance Luke 21.36 cautioning us to take heed lest we be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness Rom. 13.13 chargeing us to walk decently as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness 1 Pet. 2.11 to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul Now all these precepts do not onely tend to beget in us such vertues and dispositions as are reasonable and suitable to our nature and every way for our temporal convenience and advantage but such as do likewise exceedingly dispose us to piety and religion by purifying our souls from the dross and filth of sensual delights For covetousness debaseth a man's spirit and sinks it into the earth intemperance and lust cloud a man's understanding and indispose it for the contemplation of things spiritual and divine Thus you see how the Precepts of Christianity do tend to the perfection of humane nature considering men singly and personally Secondly The other sort of Precepts are such as tend to the peace and happiness of humane Society And the reason of mankind can devise nothing more proper to this end than the Laws of Christianity are For they command all those vertues which are apt to sweeten the spirits and allay the passions and animosities of men one towards another They require us to love our neighbour that is every man in the world even our greatest enemies as our selves And for this end among others was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper the Feast of love instituted that by commemorating the love of our dying Saviour who laid down his life for his enemies we might be put in mind how we ought to love one another And by this Law of loving all men even our enemies Christian Religion discovers it self not onely to be the most innocent and harmless but the most generous and best natur'd Institution that ever was in the world For in pursuance of this general precept it commands us to do good to all men if it be possible and as much as in us lies to live peaceably with all men to be kind one to another ready to gratifie and oblige men to be tender-hearted and compassionate towards those that are in want or misery and ready to supply and relieve them to sympathize with one another in our joys and sorrows to mourn with those that mourn and to rejoyce with them that rejoyce to bear one anothers burdens and to forbear one another in love to be easily reconcil'd to them that have offended us and to be ready to forgive from our hearts the greatest injuries that can be done to us and that without bounds and limits even to seventy seven times as our Saviour expresseth it The Laws of Christianity do likewise secure both the private interests of men and the publick peace by confirming and enforcing all the dictates of nature concerning Justice and Equity and our doing to others as we would have them to do to us and by commanding obedience to humane Laws which decide mens rights and submission to government under pain of damnation And by forbiding whatever is contrary to these violence and oppression defrauding and over-reaching one another perfidiousness and treachery breach of trusts oaths or promises undutifulness to superiours sedition and rebellion against Magistracy and Authority And if there be any thing else that is apt to disturb the peace of the world and to alienate the affections of men from one another as sowerness of disposition and rudeness of behaviour censoriousness and sinister interpretation of things all cross and distastfull humours and what ever else may render the conversation of men grievous and uneasie to one another All these are either expresly or by clear consequence and deduction forbidden in the new Testament And now what could any Religion do more towards the reforming of the dispositions and manners of men What Laws can be devis'd more proper and effectual to advance the nature of man to its highest perfection to procure the tranquillity of mens minds and the peace and happiness of the world than these precepts of Christianity are Several of which as those of loving our enemies of not revenging injuries of rendering good for evil c. though they have been esteem'd reasonable by some of the wifest among the Heathen yet by reason of the degeneracy of the world and of the obscurity and uncertainty of humane reason they never obtain'd to have the estimation and force of natural Laws So that we owe to Christianity the discovery of the most certain and perfect Rule of life that ever the world was acquainted withall III. Christian Religion propounds the most powerfull arguments to perswade men to the obedience of these Laws The Gospel offers such considerations to us as are fit to work very forceably upon two of the most swaying and governing passions in the mind of man our hopes and our fears To encourage our hopes it gives us the highest assurance of the greatest and most lasting happiness in case of obedience and to awaken our fear it threatens sinners with the most dreadfull and durable torments in case of disobedience Rom. 2.7 8. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality it promiseth eternal life But unto them that obey not the truth but obey

and use and that 's the best thing which serves the best end and purpose and the more necessary any thing is to such an end the better it is So that the best knowledge is that which is of greatest use and necessity to us in order to our great end which is eternal happiness and the salvation of our Souls Curious speculations and the contemplation of things that are impertinent to us and do not concern us nor serve to promote our happiness are but a more specious and ingenious sort of idleness a more pardonable and creditable kind of Ignorance That Man that doth not know those things which are of use and necessity for him to know is but an ignorant man whatever he may know besides Now the knowledge of God and of Christ and of our duty is of the greatest usefulness and necessity to us in order to our happiness It 's of absolute necessity that we should know God and Christ in order to our being happy This is life eternal that is Joh. 17.3 the onely way to it to know thee the onely true God and him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ It is necessary also in order to our happiness to know our duty because 't is necessary for us to do it and it is impossible to do it except we know it So that whatsoever other knowledge a man may be endued withall he is but an ignorant person who doth not know God the Author of his being the preserver and protector of his life his Soveraign and his Judge the giver of every good and perfect gift his surest refuge in trouble his best friend or worst enemy the present support of his life his hopes in death his future happiness and his portion for ever who does not know his relation to God the duty that he owes him and the way to please him who can make him happy or miserable for ever who doth not know the Lord Jesus Christ who is the way the truth and the life If a man by a vast and imperious mind and a heart large as the sand upon the Sea-shore as it is said of Solomon could command all the knowledge of Nature and Art of words and things could attain to a mastery in all Languages and sound the depths of all Arts and Sciences measure the earth and the heavens and tell the stars and declare their order and motions could discourse of the interests of all States the intrigues of all Courts the reason of all Civil laws and constitutions and give an account of the History of all ages could speak of trees from the Cedar-tree that is in Lebanon even unto the Hysop that springs out of the wall and of beasts also and of fowls and of creeping things and of fishes and yet should in the mean time be destitute of the knowledge of God and Christ and his duty all this would be but an impertinent vanity and a more glittering kind of Ignorance and such a man like the Philosopher who whilst he was gazing upon the stars fell into the ditch would but sapienter descendere in infernum be undone with all this knowledge and with a great deal of wisdom go down to Hell 2. Secondly That to be religious is the truest wisdom and that likewise upon two accounts 1. Because it is to be wise for our selves 2. It is to be wise as to our main interest and concernment 1. 'T is to be wise for our selves There 's an expression Job 22.21 He that is wise is profitable to himself and Prov. 9.12 If thou be wise thou shalt be wise for thy self intimating that wisdom regards a man 's own interest and advantage and that he is not a wise man that doth not take care of himself and his own concernments according to that of Old Ennius nequicquam sapere sapientem qui sibi ipsi prodesse non quiret That man hath but an empty title of Wisdom and is not really vvise vvho is not wise for himself As self-preservation is the first principle of Nature so care of our selves and our ovvn interest is the first part of wisdom He that is wise in the affairs and concernments of other men but careless and negligent of his own that man may be said to be busie but he is not wise he is employed indeed but not so as a wise man should be Now this is the Wisdom of Religion that it directs a man to a care of his own proper interest and concernment 2. It is to be wise as to our main interest Our chief end and highest interest is happiness And this is happiness to be freed from all if it may however from the greatest evils and to enjoy if it may be all good however the chiefest To be happy is not onely to be freed from the pains and diseases of the body but from anxiety and vexation of spirit not onely to enjoy the pleasures of sense but peace of Conscience and tranquillity of mind To be happy is not onely to be so for a little while but as long as may be and if it be possible for ever Now Religion designs our greatest and longest happiness it aims at a freedom from the greatest evils and to bring us to the possession and enjoyment of the greatest good For Religion wisely considers that men have immortal spirits which as they are spirits are capable of a pleasure and happiness distinct from that of our bodies and our senses and because they are immortal are capable of an everlasting happiness Now our souls being the best part of our selves and eternity being infinitely the most considerable duration the greatest wisdom is to secure the interest of our souls and of eternity though it be with loss and to the prejudice of our temporal and inferior Interests Therefore Religion directs us rather to secure inward peace than outward ease to be more carefull to avoid everlasting and intolerable torment than short and light afflictions which are but for a moment to court the favour of God more than the friendship of the world and not so much to fear them that can kill the body and after that have no more that they can do as him who after he hath kill'd can destroy both body and soul in hell In a word our main interest is to be as happy as we can and as long as is possible and if we be cast into such circumstances that we must be either in part and for a time or else wholly and always miserable the best wisdom is to chuse the greatest and most lasting happiness but the least and shortest misery Upon this account Religion prefers those pleasures which flow from the presence of God for evermore infinitely before the transitory pleasures of this world and is much more carefull to avoid eternal misery than present sufferings This is the wisdom of Religion that upon consideration of the whole and casting up all things together it does advise and lead us to our best interest