Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A35052
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The way to happinesse on earth concerning riches, honour, conjugall love, eating, drinking / by R.C.
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Crofts, Robert.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing C7007; ESTC R27922
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132,405
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427
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unnecessary sharking and unconscionable Lawyers of whom let us beware the good use and intent thereof is most honourable and excellent As for the preservation of mens persons from death and violence their good names from reproach slander and infamy also their goods and lands from waste and spoile and to dispose the property thereof And in generall for the good and prosperity of the weale publique and maintenance of all vertue and true Religion Insomuch as many Kings and Princes have thought it their greatest honor to be well skilled herein to make and establish good and profitable Lawes and Decrees as Numa Trajan Antonius Pius Severus Iustinian Lycurgus and many others Phisicke also is an honourable profession however there be many ignorant and unlearned Emperickes in divers Townes which makes this noble and profitable science to be evill spoken of by some yet schollers doe well know the Theory of Phisicke is a spacious field of knowledge requiring in the learned professor the Latine and Greeke tongues especially and to be well skilled in philosophy and history especially naturall to know the whole structure and frame of the body of man the operation of all vegetatives and minerals both simples and compounds and so to enquire into the most secret and obstrusest closets of nature also skill in Astronomy Astrology and so much of the juditials upon all manner of Calculations as may be well warranted and not superstitiously affected with much other kinde of art and learning Divers Kings as Orsiris and Zesostris Kings of Aegypt Mithridates King of Pontus Evax King of Arabia and others have written tracts of this subject of Physicke and Aesculapius for his skill herein was esteemed a god To conclude this Section although it be true that few men are capable to attaine the top of honour yet wee ought not to be discouraged but to make more account of that little which we can attaine unto especially by living well and honestly in our generall vocation and also particular whatsoever the same be then of all the rest of our wealth For why even the mighty statesman is in some respects beholding to the husbandman merchant sea-man all arts-men and mechanickes so as he cannot live without them like as they cannot subsist without the statesman God being pleased herein to shew his good providence so uniting each man to other in an indissoluble knot of necessity and accepting of every mans good and vertuous endeavours aswell in small matters as in great for true honour onely consists in vertuous and pious actions which doe shine forth most brightly in the sight of good men yea to the view approbation and delight of Angels and of God himselfe Psal 45.11 13 15 c. Cant. 6.10 1 Sam. 2.30 Prov. 11.20 Ier. 9.24 And though by vitious men even these vertuous and gracious actions may be reproach't and disesteemed in this life yet shall the same be crownes of honor and glory to us in the heavenly life eternally when wee shall shine as the firmament the stars the sun for glory Dan. 12.3 1 Cor. 15.41 42. yea in some sort even as the glorious body of Christ himselfe Phil. 3.20 1 Iohn 3.2 So then let us endeavour to attaine this true honour or good estimation which is gained by vertuous pious profitable and worthy actions the rather since the same appeares to be the most illustrious most commendable and most durable good that a man can possesse forasmuch as he leaveth a good example to posterity a good testimony of his life to the world and is crowned thereby with everlasting honour and glory in the heavens SECTION III. Of the abuses and dangers of Honour which ought to be avoyded especially Ambition LEt us consider that we are by all meanes to eschew the abuses and dangers of honour which otherwise will hinder our happinesse therein and bring upon us mischiefe and misery Many men while fortune smiles as they say abuse their honour and authority to the maintenance of themselves in and to the support of all dissolute wicked courses priviledging themselves therein by their greatnesse they grow proud stout arrogant insolent forget God and goodnesse and plunge themselves into all licentious and voluptuous courses of the miseries whereof I shall write God willing in their due places And at the last perhaps lose their honour and leave a rotten stinking name and memory behind them However if men use or rather abuse their honour to vitious dissolute wicked courses the same will turne to their greater perdition It had been better for such men to have endured despicable shame disgrace and ignominy These dangers and abuses of honour therefore are by all means to be avoided A further danger of honour hindering happinesse and causing misery is that common vice of many great men namely Ambition But first observe this caution That in this ensuing discourse against Ambition I doe not intend to speak against that honest ambition or desire of honour which stirs us up to vertuous gracious and therin worthy and honourable actions I thinke it good that we looke up to the examples of those men who are most worthy and vertuous that we may out of an honest emulation and desire mend our selves by continuall striving to imitate their vertues and noblenesse and so to doe worthily in all good and laudable actions for the benefit aswell of Gods Church and the common wealth as of our families and selves But now to define what I intend in this Section by Ambition It is a vice of excesse and contrary to modesty which is a part of temperance namely it is an excessive desire of outward honour It is commonly an unsatiable desire and composed with pride vaine glory insolency and the like It is the most haughty vice of all others and seated in the very soule it selfe and therefore most dangerous Before we view the evill and miserable effects thereof a few words concerning the extent Men espying a bright lustre and excellency in honour they are prone to runne thereafter without the bound-markes of reason and so plunge themselves into this boundles and top-lesse vice of Ambition The gay and glorious outside of this Glow-worme vaine-glory accompanied with outward pompe pride hipocrisie vanity and wickednesse so bewitcheth the world to seeke thereafter as they are even mad to gaine the same and endeavour by impudency flattery bribery or any other basenesse to attain their desires It is strange to thinke how some men will even sigh after this false outside of honour with designes to hazzard life and soule for the conquest of these vaine felicities Insomuch as many men in our times seeme to be of the same minde with those chiefe Rulers mentioned Luke 12.42 who loved the praise of men more then the praise of God ver 43. But let us now briefly view the vanity evils dangers and miseries of this vice of Ambition What folly and vanity is it which makes men as many doe take such paines even with all
acquite themselves of great high places of authority in Church and common wealth yet honour according to each mans degree and desert is generally due to those persons that doe well performe their duty in their professions and vocations both generall of Christianity and publique good and also particular whatsoever the same be And since also he is to be esteemed truly honourable who doth well governe himselfe in the wayes of vertue and piety and therein doth worthily for true honour only consists in vertuous and pious actions Let us endevour to apply our selves to the acquisition both of morall and divine prudence fortitude and all the most noble vertues and graces to scorne and despise all unworthy and base actions and on the contrary to addict our selves to the acquisition of good and excellent though difficult things to be resolute therein and couragious to stand upon our owne bottomes in all good vertuous pious wayes and not to be led away with flatteries and idle opinions nor with the discouragements or barking reproaches of base vitious dissolute people to imitate as farre as wee may the best men in their most sublime and excellent actions But we are still to observe and remember this caution that wee should not onely be vertuous pious and doe good onely for outward honour and glory as if that were the solary and reward thereof the opinion of men is farre to weake a pay for divine vertue and grace And as the same is too modest so also too noble to beg such a recompence We should perswade our selves that vertue and divine grace were it not to doe good to others desireth not nor seeketh a more ample and rich Theatre to shew it selfe then her owne soule and conscience no other recompence then the contentment and pleasures thereof in its own witnesse of well doing which is farre better then the testimony of all the world besides Therefore a truly vertuous pious man who is truly an honourable man 1 Iohn 3.2 scornes to look for only outward rewards he holds it for a Principle a Maxime that the fruit of honourable actions is to have acted them yea to have endeavoured them Wherein he taketh most pleasing delight and if any outward honor as the good opinion of men and so a good name bee added to this inward delight of his soule he also modestly rejoyces and well esteemes thereof yet but as an uncertaine fraile though good blessing and not to be compared with the inward testimony and delight of his conscience in well doing Yet he endeavoureth in all good wayes with modesty to gaine this outward honour also a good name and the good opinion of men for vertue not onely adorneth a man with true wisedome modesty and a pleasing conversation but also accompanieth him with valour and magnanimity takes away from him all base feare of danger and of death and inciteth every one that is endued with a generous disposition to erect unto himselfe an eternall remembrance by vertuous glorious and so honourable actions To proceed more particularly This crown of honour also duely belongeth unto two sorts of men that is first to such as professe learning Secondly to such as professe Armes or martiall affaires Forasmuch as the endeavours of the valiant Generall Captaine and souldiers seemes to aime almost wholly at honour and the renowne of men I shall first in this respect discourse of them Honour is most justly due unto those men who spend their lives in the service of their Prince and countrey and voluntarily oppose themselves to apparant dangers for the preservation of the common wealth from forreine invasions and to maintaine our Religion our Lawes and liberty which next under God are the necessary cause of our well being Since they take such great paines in so many and great dangers for such high and worthy ends this crown of honour therefore in this respect most worthily appertained to such men neither shineth it so magnificently and gloriously in any affaires as in the couragious attempts of martiall enterprizes Therefore it is that the golden Merchant although he be a very profitable and worthy member of the common-wealth yet so much honoured as the poore souldier for the one heapeth up a mountaine of treasure respecting chiefly his owne enriching the other practiseth but few meanes to enrich himselfe and those also as instruments of honour the principall end of all his endeavours being referred to the maintenance of our Religion and liberty to the good of our countrey to the faithfull service of our King and to the acquisition of honour and glory Wherefore in antient times as honourable rewards of such men have been given crownes lawrels garlands statues a certaine forme of accoutrements the honour of some sirname orders of knighthood places of worth and dignity precedency in assemblies pensions of money and the like have been worthily bestowed upon such as have valiantly fought for their Religion their Prince and countrey and Armes have been permitted to noble personages as the recognisance of their honour But it falleth out sometimes that some of these and the like markes of honour to such as have not deserved the same are an occasion of their greater disgrace for high titles and great authority without vertue and publique utility are deservedly contemptible And also sometimes it may be greater honour not to have these honourable marks having deserved them then to have them It is more honourable unto me said Cato that every man should aske me why I have not a statue erected in the market place then why I have it These military martiall affaires therefore do conferre on men such deserved honour as crowneth them with a shining light reflecting a splendent brigtnesse to posterity Insomuch as divers famous Philosophers and Historiographers as Socrates Xenophon Architas Thucydides Thales Epiminondas and a milli-of other famous men have offered themselves to all perils to gaine honor and glory and for the benefit and safety of their common wealth Yea insomuch as many Emperours Kings and Princes have esteemed and doe esteeme it a great addition to their honour to maintaine and to be martiall defendors if occasion be of their Religion and countrey This crowne of honour also most deservingly belongeth unto them which professe learning especially those most honourable sublime and generous professions of Divinity Law and Physick Divinity which concernes principally that most excellent part of man the eternall heavenly soule and the professors thereof being conversant in the knowledge of God and his true Religion the science of living well and blessedly for ever and so in all supernaturall divine and eternall things is most honourable and most worthy the study and knowledge of the greatest Monarch on earth Nor can there be a greater addition to the honour of Emperours Kings and Princes then to be religious and worthy defendors of the true Christian faith The law also is a generous and honorable profession however it be abused and although there be many