Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	great_a	justice_n	king_n	1,506	5	3.4849	3	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

still retain a quick sense of pain and misery So that fear relies upon a natural love of our selves and is complicated with a necessary desire of our own preservation And therefore Religion usually makes its first entrance into us by this passion hence perhaps it is that Solomon more than once calls the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom 2. As for the Second phrase departing from evil the fitness of it to express the whole duty of man will appear if we consider the necessary connexion that is between the negative and positive part of our duty He that is carefull to avoid all sin will sincerely endeavour to perform his duty For the soul of man is an active principle and will be employed one way or other it will be doing something if a man abstain from evil he will do good Now there being such a strait connexion between these the whole of our duty may be expressed by either of them but most fitly by departing from evil because that is the first part of our duty Religion begins in the forsaking of sin Virtus est vitium fugere sapientia prima Stultitia caruisse Vertue begins in the forsaking of vice and the first part of wisedom is not to be a fool And therefore the Scripture which mentions these parts of our duty doth constantly put departing from evil first Depart from evil and do good Ps 34.14 37.27 Is 1.16 17. 55.7 Eph. 4.23 24. Cease to do evil learn to do well Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord. We are first to put off the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts and then to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and to put on the new man 1 Pet. 3.11 c. Let him eschew evil and do good To all which I may add this farther consideration that the Law of God contained in the ten Commandments consisting mostly of prohibitions Thou shalt not doe such or such a'thing our observance of it is most fitly expressed by departing from evil which yet includes obedience likewise to the positive Precepts implied in those Prohibitions Having thus explain'd the Words I come now to consider the Proposition contain'd in them which is this That Religion is the best knowledge and wisedom This I shall endeavour to make good these three ways 1. By a direct proof of it 2. By shewing on the contrary the folly and ignorance of irreligion and wickedness 2. By vindicating Religion from those common imputations which seem to charge it with ignorance or imprudence I begin with the direct proof of this And because Religion comprehends two things the knowledge of the Principles of it and a suitable life and practice the first of which being speculative may more properly be called knowledge and the latter because 't is practical may be called wisedom or prudence therefore I shall endeavour distinctly to prove these two things 1. That Religion is the best knowledge 2. That 't is the truest wisdom 1. First That it is the best knowledge The knowledge of Religion commends its self to us upon these two accounts 1. 'T is the knowledge of those things which are in themselves most excellent Of those things which are most usefull and necessary for us to know First It is the best knowledge because it is the knowledge of those things which are in themselves most excellent and desirable to be known and those are God and our duty God is the sum and comprehension of all perfection It is delightfull to know the Creatures because there are particular excellencies scatter'd and dispers'd among them which are some shadows of the Divine perfections But in God all perfections in their highest degree and exaltation meet together and are united How much more delightfull then must it needs be to fix our minds upon such an object in which there is nothing but beauty and brightness what is amiable and what is excellent what will ravish our affections and raise our wonder please us and astonish us at once And that the finite measure and capacity of our understandings is not able to take in and comprehend the infinite perfections of God this indeed shews the excellency of the object but doth not altogether take away the delightfulness of the knowledge For as it is pleasant to the Eye to have an endless prospect so is it some pleasure to a finite understanding to view unlimited excellencies which have no shore or bounds though it cannot comprehend them There is a pleasure in admiration and this is that which properly causeth admiration when we discover a great deal in an object which we understand to be excellent and yet we see we know not how much more beyond that which our understandings cannot fully reach and comprehend And as the knowledge of God in his nature and perfections is excellent and desirable so likewise to know him in those glorious manifestations of himself in the works of Creation and Providence and above all in that stupendious work of the Redemption of the world by Jesus Christ which was such a mistery and so excellent a piece of knowledge that the Angels are said to desire to pry into it 1 Pet. 1.12 And as the knowledge of God is excellent so likewise of our Duty which is nothing else but vertue and goodness and holiness which are the image of God a conformity to the nature and will of God and an imitation of the Divine Excellencies and Perfections so far as we are capable For to know our duty is to know what it is to be like God in goodness and pity and patience and clemency in pardoning injuries and passing by provocations in justice and righteousness in truth and faithfulness and in a hatred and detestation of the contrary of these In a word it is to know what is the good and acceptable will of God what it is that he loves and delights in and is pleased withall and would have us to do in order to our perfection and our happiness It is deservedly accounted a piece of excellent knowledge to know the laws of the Land and the customs of the Countrey we live in and the will of the Prince we live under How much more to know the Statutes of Heaven and the Laws of eternity those immutable and eternal rules of justice and righteousness to know the will and pleasure of the great Monarch and universal King of the World and the Customs of that Countrey where we must live for ever This made David to admire the Law of God at that strange rate and to advance the knowledge of it above all other knowledge I have seen an end of all perfection Psal 119.96 but thy commandment is exceeding broad Secondly 'T is the knowledge of those things which are most usefull and necessary for us to know The goodness of every thing is measured by its end

part than that eternity and the concernments of it are to be preferred before time I will therefore put the matter into a temporal Case that wicked men who understand any thing of the rules and principles of worldly wisedom may see the imprudence of an irreligious and sinfull course and be convinced that this their way is their folly even themselves being judges Is that man wise as to his body and his health who onely cloaths his hands but leaves his whole body naked who provides onely against the tooth-ach and neglects whole troops of mortal diseases that are ready to rush in upon him Just thus does he who takes care only for this vile body but neglects his precious and immortal soul who is very solicitous to prevent small and temporal inconveniences but takes no care to escape the damnation of hell Is he a prudent man as to his temporal estate that lays designs only for a day without any prospect to or provision for the Remaining part of his life even so does he that provides for the short time of this life but takes no care for all Eternity which is to be wise for a moment but a fool for ever and to act as untowardly and as crosly to the reason of things as can be imagined to regard time as if it were eternity and to neglect eternity as if it were but a short time Do we count him a wise man who is wise in any thing but in his own proper profession and employment wise for every body but himself who is ingenious to contrive his own misery and to do himself a mischief but is dull and stupid as to the designing of any real benefit and advantage to himself Such a one is he who is ingenious in his Calling but a bad Christian for Christianity is more our proper calling and profession than the very trades we live upon and such is every sinner who is wise to do evil but to do good hath no understanding Is it wisedom in any man to neglect and disoblige him who is his best friend and can be his sorest enemy or with one weak troop to go out to meet him that comes against him with thousands of thousands to flie a small danger and run upon a greater Thus does every wicked man that neglects and contemns God who can save or destroy him who strives with his Maker and provoketh the Lord to jealousie and with the small and inconsiderable forces of a man takes the field against the mighty God the Lord of Hosts who fears them that can kill the body but after that have no more that they can do but fears not him who after he hath kill'd can destroy both body and soul in hell and thus does he who for fear of any thing in this world ventures to displease God for in so doing he runs away from men and falls into the hands of the living God he flies from a temporal danger and leaps into Hell Is not he an imprudent man who in matters of greatest moment and concernment neglects opportunities never to be retriev'd who standing upon the shore and seeing the tide making haste towards him apace and that he hath but a few minutes to save himself yet will lay himself to sleep there till the cruel sea rush in upon him and overwhelm him And is he any better who trifles away this day of God's grace and patience and foolishly adjourns the necessary work of repentance and the weighty business of Religion to a dying hour And to put an end to these questions Is he wise who hopes to attain the End without the means nay by means that are quite contrary to it such is every wicked man who hopes to be blessed hereafter without being holy here and to be happy that is to find a pleasure in the enjoyment of God and in the company of holy spirits by rendring himself as unsuitable and unlike to them as he can Wouldst thou then be truly wise Be wise for thy self wise for thy soul wise for eternity Resolve upon a religious course of life Fear God and depart from evil Look beyond things present and sensible unto things which are not seen and are eternal labour to secure the great interests of another world and refer all the actions of this short and dying life to that state which will shortly begin but never have an end and this will approve it self to be wisedom at the last whatever the world judge of it now For not that which is approved of men now but what shall finally be approved by God is true wisedom that which is esteemed so by him who is the fountain and original of all wisedom the first rule and measure the best and most competent judge of it I deny not but that those that are wicked and neglect Religion may think themselves wise and may enjoy this their delusion for a while But there is a time a coming when the most prophane and atheistical who now account it a peice of Gallantry and an argument of a great spirit and of a more than common wit and understanding to slight God and to baffle Religion and to level all the discourses of another world with the Poetical descriptions of the fairy-Fairy-land I say there is a day a coming when all these witty fools shall be unhappily undeceived and not being able to enjoy their delusion any longer shall call themselves fools for ever But why should I use so much importunity to perswade men to that which is so excellent so usefull and so necessary The thing it self hath allurements in it beyond all arguments For if Religion be the best knowledge and wisdom I cannot offer any thing beyond this to your understandings to raise your esteem of it I can present nothing beyond this to your affections to excite your love and desire All that can be done is to set the thing before men and to offer it to their choice and if mens natural desire of wisdom and knowledge and happiness will not perswade them to be religious 't is in vain to use arguments if the sight of these beauties will not charm mens affections 't is to no purpose to go about to compell a liking and to urge and push forward a match to the making whereof consent is necessary Religion is matter of our freest choice and if men will obstinately and wilfully set themselves against it there is no remedy Pertinacioe nullum remedium posuit Deus God has provided no remedy for the obstinacy of men but if they will chuse to be fools and to be miserable he will leave them to inherit their own choice and to enjoy the portion of sinners 2 PET. iii. 3. Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts KNowing this first In the verse before the Apostle was speaking of a famous prophecy before the accomplishment of which this sort of men whom he calls scoffers should come That ye