Selected quad for the lemma: land_n
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A47306
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Of Christian prudence, or, Religious wisdom not degenerating into irreligious craftiness in trying times
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Kettlewell, John, 1653-1695.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing K378; ESTC R28756
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189,905
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358
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alone but when they have Company enough to back and stand by them They are for Truth and Goodness when they have the strongest Parties and the Cry of a Crowd to approve and justifie them in that Cause But not when the Cry goes against them and they see no Numbers to joyn with So that 't is not Spiritual Truth and Goodness but Worldly Strength and Number which is highest in their Opinion and takes most with them We may likewise observe from the same influence and interposition of Fleshly Wisdom even among well-disposed Men the great Difference between Suffering Duties when cryed up and the saâ—â— when decryed by the Multitude Men find it much easier to suffer for a good thing when the Shout of the People is for them but very hard when it runs all against them Nay there is a Terror in the Clamor of Rabbles which frights many thaâ— dare even stand the face of Regular Justice Fleshly Wisdom looks out still for some visible Support and a fleshly Arm which when it cannot have from Authority and the Higher Powers it would fain have from the Number of Partakers Where it has inclination it needs moreover to bâ— heartened and commended in a good thing It is not mortifyed enough to the Countenance and Cry of Men Looking too much without it self to their Applauses and too little within to the Commendations of God and a Good Conscience Whereas by all the Rules of God and true Wisdom if a way is bad no Authority of Numbers or Press of the Multitude must bear us along with it Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil saith the Law Exod. 23.2 If sinners entice thee whether more or fewer whether a Sinful Man or a Sinful Nation consent thou not saith Wisdom Prov. 1.10 When ill Men list themselves in Numbers and Combine in Errors or ill things they are ungodly Conspiracies and all that Love God or themselves must take care not to be drawn in or go along with them Say not ye a Confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say a Confederacy neither fear ye their fear nor be afraid Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear Is. 8.12 13. Thus must not we run in with their wrong Opinion or fear what affrights them but instead thereof what will offend him When the World is bent upon ill things as it ordinarily is Good Christians must not think it will excuse them to say they were born away in the same with the Torrent But they must remember that in their Baptism they renounced the World that Christ tho he found his Followers in the World yet has called or chosen them out of or from among the World John 15.19 and that they must not be conformed to this World but transformed into a quite different Stamp by the Renewal of their Mind Rom. 12.2 And on the contrary if a way or thing is truly Virtuous and Good no smallness of Numbers on its side or scarcity of Adherents can warrant us to forsake it Our owning it at such times instead of being excused is more highly requisite and most of all needed For then under all the Attaques of its Enemies it is to be supported by its Followers and can worst Dispense with their Service It is then in want of Adherents and so can least of all spare us It is then like to be left Destitute and without help in its greatest need which instead of Releasing any must incite every one who would approve himself its true Friend a Friend being born for Adversity instead of flinching from to appear for it and put to his helping hand And accordingly the best Persons have not Cowardly slunk away but Couragiously stuck to God and their Duty when they had the least Company and were left to own and stand to it by themselves When Jesus Christ that absolute Patron and Advocate for Virtue appeared in the World He was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Sign spoken against Luc. 2.34 When the Apostles after him came to embarque in its Cause and Interest they were a Sect every where decryed Acts 28.2 the whole World in a manner stood at gaze and they were made a gazing-stock to the World by Reproacheâ— and Afflictions Heb. 10.33 being made a Spectacle or Theatrical Show to the World to Angels and to men 1 Cor. 4.9 Confessing the Truth bravely and undauntedly as did all the Primitive Saints under all the Discouraging Crys and Persecutions of Popular Tumults and Uproars as well as of Courts and Judicatures Noah was a Pattern and Preacher of Righteousness to the old World when the whole Earth had corrupted themselves with one Voice Decrying his Virtue and Deriding his Preaching and Provision of the Ark and were full ripe for Ruin by the Flood Gen. 7.1 2 Pet. 2.5 Elias was true to God and Religion and jealous for them when he had none visibly to side with him and take his part all the Prophets as he complains to God being slain with the Sword and I even I only am left and they seek my Life to take it away 1 Kings 19.10 Jeremy asserted the Truth and way of God when he alone was to be a Defenced City and a Brazen Wall against the whole Land Jerem. 1.18 when he was a Derision to all his People and their Song all the day Lam. 3.14 In the great Article of the Divinity of our Lord S. Athanasius was almost left by himself and there was as it was said Athanasius contra Mundum or Athanasius on one side and the whole World on the other And to those who then objected the Paucity of its Numbers and measured the Authority of a Doctrine by the multitude of Applauders he suggests that Christ chose twelve Apostles and armed these twelve who were all simple illiterate and poor Men with Truth against the whole World who tho so many more in Number were yet all in the wrong And these twelve were not to follow ten Thousand But the ten Thousand were to Compose themselves to the Way and Belief of these Twelve Who as he goes on when St. Stephen stood alone Derided by all and Stoned to Death would not rather have been on the Side of this single oppressed Man than of the Numerous and Persecuting Vulgar Or on Phineas 's who went out alone for God among the Jews Or on Noah 's to have been saved with those few Souls in the Ark when the universal World were destroyed by a Deluge 'T is Good 't is Good for a just Man tho he be but one and stands alone to shew a Confessorian Liberty and Profess the Truth boldly and freely and this way to break the Power of Error and Wickedness tho standing on the united Votes and concurrent agreement and approbation of the Multitude And as for the Weight of Numbers a Multitude without Demonstration Proceeding only by Will is fit to imprint Fear not to persuade Belief Tho some Multitudes I
non prohibet quando poâ—â—st ac debet jubet says the Rule by not prohibiting they authorised their not gainsaying in Moral estimate is consenting to it They are 〈◊〉 to do there what they do visibly And if then they do not visibly disclaim and cast out such an unlawful thing they visibly approve or give way to it He that is not against us is on 〈◊〉 Part holds true in this case That is when a thing is sought to be carryed by any helps by this saying he is got over to its side who when he might will not hinder or oppose it Accordingly when any such thing passes the construction is as having every ones Consent if 〈◊〉 gainsays it Thus it is said of the Company or College and Council of Priests whose share was so Great in the Jewish Judicatories that they Murder'd with one Shoulder or Consent because if any of them had any dislike or inclinations to justice in any Persons case he kept them to himself and for ends gave way to what injustice the rest decreed not openly dissenting from it Hos. 6.9 And therefore Joseph of Arimathea that Good and just Counsellor as the Scripture stiles him when he was against the Judgment of the rest of the Council in the cause of Christ shewed them he did not partake therein by his open dissent from it He had not consented to the Council and Deed of them saith St. Luke but had given his opinion and voice against it openly owning afterwards the innocence of that just Person and going in to beg the Body of Pilate Luk. 23.50 51 52. 'T is not then for men in such Stations thro timorousness or politick considerations to conceal themselves when unrighteous or unconscionable things are going on Their connivance and Permission who are in Place and under obligation of Prohibiting brings Guilt upon them and by not forbidding and opposing they partake in the evils which are done 3. Sometimes again tho they are in no place of Power to coerce and restrain yet they are in place of Teachers and Monitors to admonish and give warning This is the case of Ministers who from this are styled Watch-men Ezek. 33.7 and c. 3.17 Watching for your Souls as they that must give an account as St. Paul speaks Heb. 13.17 Their Care and Calling is to keep out sin or to Reform it so if others sin thro' their neglect or fault they are more especially accountable for it They are more particularly Guilty of the sins of those committed to them when their People either fall into any impious or unrighteous way or thing or continue therein 1. First For want of their giving them warning Thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn 〈◊〉 from me says God to the Watchman Ezek. 3.17 and c. 33.7 they must not take the word of their Preaching from any appearance of humane Advantages or serviceableness of any way to Secular Purposes from its being set on by the arm of Authority the heat of People and cry of the times which is not to hear it from God's mouth but from carnal suggestions But if it is a breach of the mind or will of God however desirable that way may seem on those worldly accounts as his Ministers they must speak his word not the World 's and in his Name declare against it And if any perish at such times for want of their giving warning God declares he will exact his Blood at their hands When I lay a stumbling Block or Opportunity and Temptation to fall from any Righteous way before a Righteous Man if he turn from his Righteousness and commit Iniquity because thou hast not given him warning his Blood will I require at thy hand Ezek. 3.20 Or when a wicked man that is already plunged in Sin and Death continues therein for that thou blowest not the Trumpet and givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life his blood will I require at thine hand v. 18. and c. 33.6.8 The Ministers work is to save Souls alive by the ministry of the Word And if any Souls dye for want of the word their death is owing to a want in his ministration and he is guilty of the blood of Souls by not speaking the word or being silent His giving warning is necessary as God says in Ezekiel as to save his Peoples so to deliver his own Soul c. 3.19 and c. 33.9 And St. Paul says they must keep back nothing that is profitable for them Acts 20.20 but declare to them the whole counsel of God that they may be pure from the blood of all men v. 26 27. But of all other times it is not for them to hold their tongues when danger and temptation comes Then their Flocks need most of all to have and take warning and therefore then are they more especially bound to give it When those ways of death are recommended to them the Word is most necessary to keep them alive and therefore then especially the Ministers thereof are to administer it When the Watchmen seeth the sword a coming then is he at his peril saith God to blow the Trumpet and warn the People of it Ezek. 33.6 When he seeth the Wolf coming i. e. any terror or wolfish Cruelty to force on an ill thing then is his time to call out to the Sheep and by the greater fears of Religion to guard them the best he can against it as we learn from our Lord Jo. 10.11 12. 2. Secondly Through their misleading them if they do not only fail to warn them from an ill way but go before them therein The Shepherd is to lead out his sheep and go before them and they are to follow him as our Lord says Joh. 10.4 And their going wrong must therefore be more especially chargeable on him that leads them wrong the stâ—aying of the Flocks imputed to the straying of the Guides Especially when they lead them wrong in the Ministries of their Function and in the very house of God send up from themselves and their Congregations such an Offering as instead of hoâ—ouring God shall prophane him This God mightily resented among the Jews Both Prophet and Priest are prophane yea in my house have I found their wickedness saith the Lord. Therefore thâ—s saith the Lord concerning the Prophets Behold I will feed them with wormwood and make them drink the water of gall for from the Prophets of Jerusalem is prophaneness gone forth into all the Land Jer. 23.11.15 These ways if their People follow and are led by them turn even their piety into prophaneness Or if they see through them and discern the Pollution it makes the Lord's People to transgress or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Septuagint render it i. e. it makes them refrain or forbear God's service yea to abhor the Offering of the Lord which God took so heinously at Ely's Sons and sets down as a special aggravation of their