Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	ability_n	able_a	establish_v	15	3	7.2969	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96372	A treatise of the power of godlinesse: consisting of three parts. 1 wherein it consists. 2 cautions against, and discoveries of, several mistakes and hinderances, most common to the people of God. 3 several means and helps for attaining of it. / By Thomas White, preacher of Gods Word in London.	White, Thomas, Presbyterian minister in London.	1658 (1658)	Wing W1848; Thomason E1848_1; ESTC R209711	168,479	438

upon us and the last to bee done at night when wee take a review of all the passages of the day CHAP. XIII The tenth help for the attainment and progress in holiness which is the choice of a faithful prudent director in the things of God IT is evident that onely in the things of God we are negligent in such things we account that a burthen and disgrace which we do not so account in any thing else nay wee pray and wait and pay for that in the matters of the world which in the things of God though we bee entreated to receive freely we refuse and if forced by any Church constitution wee call it imposing and tyranny I shall instance in some few things For our Children wee seek out the ablest most experienced and strictest Schoole-masters so they be milde withall and such as are most careful and frequent in hearing examining and directing our Children wee like them best we are at great charges for thei● education and indeed one can hardly bee prodigall in that case alwaies provided it bee not in teaching of them vanities as in dancing travelling to see fashions c. and if in many years they attain to exactnesse in the tongues and arts we think their time and our money well bestowed and make much of their School-Masters and Tutors and they deserve it and their whole time they spend in the attainment of these things but as for the matters of God we think wee can attain it without any Tutor to direct us in them without spending any considerable time attention or money therein as if our souls onely were the things that wee need not care for or could without any help furnish with piety and knowledge Physitians and Lawyers how are their Houses and Chambers frequented but for Ministers wee think it enough if we hear them preach without desiring any personal directions or instructions in spiritual matters Which are notwithstanding as necessary and profitable for our progress in holinesse as the former are in matters of this World And the Papists do press auricular confession and blind obedience to all the commands of their Priests and so have mixed the advantages that wee ought to endeavour to have from Ministers with so many superstitions and so much will worship that it hath made people neglect those benefits that they may reap that way and indeed peoples unwillingness to give that due honour and subjection that they owe to Ministers makes them so much decry the superstitions of Popery that they neglect their own duty When any one goes to learn arts or Languages hee that teacheth them first by speaking with them understands how farre they have proceeded and by that is enabled to give them suitable directions he directs them what lessons and books they shall read and takes a strict and frequent account of them and they are very exact in following their method and directions so that though other books or lessons may seem more pleasing to them yet they deny themselves as for Example in Musick there is a method in teaching First the plain notes and longer time after that shorter time and so giving them lessons as they are capable of them but those that rather chuse the pleasantest than the best way will rather learn some tunes they know than to go on methodically and so never attain any perfection in the Art so in Arithmetick Mathematicks if the directions of the Tutor bee not followed they will finde far more difficulty and uncertainty Doubtless there are many inconveniences that come for want of directions in the matters of knowledge and practise of Religion some from open profaneness and ignorance fall upon the study and disputes of the highest points of Divinity at first and before they are in any measure grounded in the Fundamentals of Religion they fall upon points that are so knotty that Ministers of the greatest abilities are not able to untye and new beginners being received with such doubtful and difficult disputations it is no marvel that they turn either Athiests or Hereticks It is true that those that are grounded and established Christians do less want but I suppose are more desirous of further directions and instructions in the matters of God but surely for beginners there is a kinde of necessity or great conveniency this way for Sermons are somewhat too general and cannot meet with the personal particular cases of every one but this way will but pride ignorance and profanenesse makes people loath to come to the light because their deeds are evil and Ministers have lost that honour and authority that God hath and people ought to give them and this is the peoples loss more than theirs for what care we for honour or dishonour if the work of God might go on as well with the one as with the other yet many cautions ought to bee observed concerning this matter 1. As concerning the person whom we are to chuse to bee our spiritual tutor for great care need to be had whom we chuse especially for grown Christians for as for others that are new beginners those that are of lesser knowledge and experience and prudence may serve and by a simile I shall set down most of the rules that concern this matter as those that cannot so much as read need not to go to School to the eminentest Scholars to teach them but those of inferiour gifts will serve the turn so those that are very ignorant of the things of God may bee instructed until they make a further progress by private Christians which that Minister whom they shall chuse for their Director shall commend them to And this I would also have every one take special care of what Minister it is whom they chuse for their Tutor let him bee one of good report of great prudence experience and leisure if it may be and one that is ready to teach and to instruct Now as it was with Moses it must be with Ministers they are to chuse out of their Congregation some that are so qualified viz. prudent experienced Christians c. to whom they are to commit the more ignorant sort that they might hear cases of lesser importance and instruct Christians of weaker abilities and those cases that are of greater weight and difficulty are to be decided by themselves and those Elders like Ushers are to fit them for the Ministers further instruction of them So that as when Scholars come to a School if the School-Master findes them not to have learned so far as to fit them for those Formes that are under his immediate teaching he refers them to the teaching of his Usher till they bee made fit for himself So a Minister should have divers to whom he may commend those who have made little progress in the knowledge of spiritual truths who may build them up until they bee made fit for himselfe for if all should bee under his immediate inspection the burthen would be too great for him to

from duties or Ordinances either by taking up all thy time or by pleading that thou art unworthy to come into the presence of God when and upon that account hinders thee from coming when hee calls thee all sorrow as to these effects is to bee mortified 3. If the sight and sorrow for thy sins discourage thee and makes thee to think that it is in vain thou shalt never overcome such corruptions such sorrow is not from God The Apostle sayes that hee forgot the things that were behinde in this sense wee must forget our sins and forget our graces that is wee must not look upon our former sinful life from thence to draw such sad conclusions that our sins are too great to bee pardoned or of too deep a dye to bee cleansed or our corruptions too strong to bee conquered neither must wee look upon our former duties and graces as if now wee might slack our pace CHAP. VI. Of letting the Truths of God lie loose upon us THe first great impediment of holiness is that we let the truth of God lie loose upon us they are not fastned by the Master of the Assemblies as nailes in a sure place few there are that take up their Religion upon any other grounds than because their Parents and the Nation in which they were born and brought up have and do profess it But I shall not prosecute this any further since it is done in that singular book Pinks Tryal of our sincere love to Christ few there are that do truly and really believe what they profess they are rather asham'd to deny those truths which all amongst whom they live profess than that they in their hearts do believe them to bee true which appears partly by this that when Sects and Heresies are multiplied and abundance fall off from the truth so that the sname of holding such errours is taken off than they do own those errours which before they believed but were ashamed to profess but especially by this that they deny those truths by their lives and conversation which they profess with their tongues it is true that there may bee conviction without conversion nor can the understanding make the will love those truths as good which it self believes as true yet though conviction cannot work conversion yet doubtless generally it would work Reformation the way to gain firm and strong perswasions of the truth of God is to build our faith upon strong and irrefragable grounds the chief if not the onely is the Word of God there are too few Christians that if they were ask'd how they could prove the fundamentals of Religion could not bring one Text of Scripture to prove them Therefore I do advise all Christians to get two or three plain and evident places of Scripture to establish themselves in every truth they hold to which purpose I cannot but commend that singular and invaluable though low priz'd book the Assemblies Confession of Faith and larger Catechisme for in the margent thereof are set down the choicest places of Scripture for proof of the several truths therein specified The second advice for the getting of a firm perswasion of the truths of Religion is to begin with fundamentals it is the devils policy to set us upon the Pinacle truths of the Temple at first as some now do as soon as they think of Religion they enter upon the points of Election and Reprobation by this means they are dazled and grow giddy and fall headlong into perdition There are scarce any Arts Trades or Sciences but there is a method in teaching of them the rudiments are first to be learned and afterwards the higher truths or practises as whosoever intending to learn upon the Lute should begin with the difficult'st lesson at first would bee discouraged and disinabled from proceeding any farther so in the truths of Religion the plainest and most fundamentals are first to bee learned and then those which are less fundamentall The third advice is to venture something upon the truths you know and would strengthen your faith in them nay may I say unto you though you do not believe them to bee true but onely think that they may be true do as those do who are desirous to know the mysteries of nature if the experiment will cost them but little and bee of great concernment to him hee will make experiment of it So in the mysteries of Religion would you know whether the Doctrine of the Gospel bee true or no our Saviour tells how you may make the experiment keep the Commandments of God it will cost you but little so to do and then you shall know c. John 7.17 So if you will know whether that saying be true Mark 10.30 make a tryal of it leave something for Christ if ever occasion bee leave lands houses c. but though extraordinary times of persecutions fall not in thy daies so that thou shalt have no opportunity to make such an experiment yet leave thy lusts and unlawful games and pleasure the esteem of the world when the truths of the Gospel require it of thee and try whether it shall not bee an hundred fold advantage to thee even in this World it is true it may bee God will pay thee in Diamonds which thou layest out in farthings in peace of conscience in spiritual graces or comforts whereas that which thou didst part with for his sake was it may bee some worldly profit pleasure or credit or that which is much worse some filthy lust But concerning further directions for the begetting and strengthening of our faith and to preserve us from errours I refer the Reader to the Preface of my Annotations upon the 4 5 6 7 Chapters of Matthew CHAP. VII The next Impediment is want of consideration THe second great Impediment of Holiness is want of consideration There are many truths not only such glorious truths as the Gospel but even such truths that even the very Heathen themselves did and do believe the bare knowledge whereof though it hath little excellency in it self yet if they were truly considered and improved would bee of singular use and advantage to us who is there amongst us that knows not that hee must die yet how few do consider and improve this plain truth wee let the truths of God lie by us and store them up as divers Ladies do their rarities and curiosities in their closets onely to shew them to those that come to see us so wee make use of the truths of God to discourse of them and rather as matters of ostentation to boast of and pride our selves in than as things by the improvement whereof wee may gain everlasting life or as great persons do of their gardens sometimes to walk in them and enjoy the pleasure of the beauty and sent of the flowers that grow there than as the Bee doth to draw honey from them There was a certain Kingdome that revolted from their Prince and stood in open defiance against him