Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
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A26596
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A moral discourse of the power of interest by David Abercromby ...
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Abercromby, David, d. 1701 or 2.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing A83; ESTC R6325
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62,955
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218
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Irregularities but upon a fair prospect of some very considerable advantage for themselves and this is chiefly the maintaining of the People in their blind Obedience to the Authority of their Church which notwithstanding all her pretences to Infallibility holds it to be both lawful and useful for Men to make their Spiritual Exercises in an unknown Tongue though this be such a piece of blind Obedience as would make us say to God in our daily Addresses we knew not what since the imaginary general Intention of the Church they pretend to be sufficient in this case could never supply the particular want of Knowledge in what relates immediately to the good of our Souls Now how Antichristian soever you may judge it to be to keep the Scriptures that are God's Letters Patents to all Mankind from the common people Yet the Papists are oblig'd through a principle of Self-preservation to condemn the common use of so dangerous a Book as they call the Scripture And I confess it to be so for them as mentioning no where the fundamental and distinguishing Articles of Popery the Infallibility I mean and Universality of the particular Church of Rome the Transubstantiation of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ that are now in Heaven the Lawfulness of Image-Worship Relick-Worship of Prayers to the Saints and for the delivery of the Souls pretended to be in Purgatory c. If the people were made sensible that these things were not reveal'd in the Word of God they would without any longer delay shake off the insufferable Yoke of Popery since they might soon understand by the daily perusal of the Holy Writ that these and the like new coin'd Articles are meer humane Inventions and not God's reveal'd Word The Papist then I fancy how foolish soever you may think him acts wisely and according to the great Law of Self-preservation in not allowing the people to read the Scripture because the common use of this Divine Book would prove the utter ruine of the Romish Church for the Reason I just now hinted at ARTICLE XXXIX 1. Men generally more concern'd for their own Reputation than for the Honour of God 2. A Young Lady severely used by her own Mother and upon what account 3. The late Prince of Conde's Reflection against the French Bishops Though Fathers and Mothers vertuously enclin'd can hardly bear with the irregular and sinful Actions of their Children yet 't is observable that they are much more concern'd for some sins they commit than for some others though perhaps more heinous and more grievous in their own Nature As for instance How many take little or no notice of their Childrens Drinking Swearing Gaiming Stealing c. who nevertheless use them with the utmost Severity if they chance to commit such sins of frailty as may occasion either disgrace or shame to themselves or their Familes This I can give you a sufficient proof of by what I have once observed my self in the behaviour of a very precise and godly Lady towards the best of her own Daughters though look'd upon by her as the very worst because she had been overcome by the fair words and reiterated promises of a deceitful Lover The Young Lady having liv'd till then in great Reputation among her Neighbours was thought a true Pattern of Vertue and Modesty by all that knew her Whereas her Sisters were known to be guilty of lying drinking of detracting of all Mankind to say nothing of their insufferable Vanity and Pride of their Gaiming late and early or rather whole Nights and whole Days and of many other immoral Exercises of that kind for which their godly Mother never so much as once check'd them in good earnest though upon the first discovery of her Eldest Daughters Misfortune she fell upon her in such a fury that had she not been rescued out of her hands it was generally believ'd she had murder'd her You may easily think I design by this short passage to tell you that such as are meer pretenders to Vertue mind always more their own Concerns than those of God Almighty whom yet they seem to honour so much with their lips as to check and condemn all such as make not so great a show of Godliness as they upon all publick occasions commonly do The sins of the Sisters I was speaking of were sins indeed against God but the Fault committed by the Ladies Eldest Daughter was something else as being a disgrace and a stain to the Family and that I fancy this Old Lady was chiefly if not only concern'd for or that her Daughter by this unhappy accident had lost that which did best qualifie her for a rich and honourable Match What happen'd lately in France is somewhat a-kin to what I have been discoursing of since it lays open to the World such as are but seemingly concern'd for nothing more than for the Honour and Glory of God The Famous Moliere had written a Comedy intituled Tartuffee against Bigots Hypocrites and all sorts of meer Pretenders to Religion but with so little applause from such as knew themselves to be guilty that the Bishop of Autun the chief Man as it was reported aim'd at in the Play assisted by some of his Brethren complain'd to the French King of the Wrong done them by Moliere who having inform'd the Prince of Conde of their whole proceedings gave his Royal Highness occasion to say That several Treatises had been dispers'd up and down the Kingdom to introduce Atheism which the Bishops took no notice of because there the Honour of God only was concern'd but that now they appeared with a greater Zeal than was requisite against Tartuffee because their own Reputation seem'd to lie at stake ARTICLE XL. 1. Interest the frequent Cause of Ingratitude 2. King Charles the Second's Behaviour towards his best Friends 3. Lewis the XIV highly oblig'd by the French Hugonots Such as forget or reward not the good done 'em by their best Friends and Benefactors are generally thought either to be guilty of or not to scruple much at any other Crime according to the old saying Si ingratum dixeris omnia dixeris Yet the Power of Interest is so absolute and so arbitrary as to cause Men sometimes not only to forget their true Friends but likewise to promote and enrich their greatest Enemies What Obligation Charles the Second had to the Cavalier Party in England Scotland and Ireland 't is too well known to be told again in this place How many both Noblemen and Gentlemen stood up for him in the worst of Times to the hazard and loss of their Lives and Fortunes suffering patiently till he came home again the greatest Extremities that Oppression and Want could expose them to Who had not thought but that upon the Return of King Charles to England they had been all nobly rewarded for their past Services and Sufferings for their constant loyalty and daily endeavours to set things again upon their first
Dealings with all Mankind ARTICLE XXIV 1. The Jealousie of Men of the same Employment instanc'd in Courtiers 2. The unhappy Condition of Kings 3. Interest prevailing every where To pursue the Scope of this Treatise in some other particulars 't is an old Saying and a true one Figulus figulum c. That generally men of the same Profession hate one another This has been observ'd from all times and among all sorts of men but more especially among Statesmen Tradesmen Lawyers c. How intimate soever men may be before they become Courtiers they are no sooner set up together at Court but Jealousie seizing upon their hearts kindles a Flame that nothing can extinguish but the Ruine of their Fellow Courtier whom nevertheless they receive aud complement after the most obliging manner in the World upon all occasions while at the same time they endeavour to undermine him by the advice of such as they dare discover their ambitious Projects to and if succeeding in the secret Ambushes they have laid they overthrow their Enemy by rendering him obnoxious to the Prince's Wrath or the Common-wealth's Indignation their next step is to get into his Employment Civil or Military if perhaps he was in a better post than themselves What troublesome and factious Intrigues all Courts are embroyl'd in 't is too well known to be particularly taken notice of in this place as if it were hard to guess at the true Cause and secret Spring of the Plottings of great Men in Places of Trust and Authority one against another But there is one thing not so obvious to every common Understanding that gives occasion to the uneasiness of most Courtiers and it is this That very often Men unfit for business to say nothing worse are set over their Heads because they have been able to present largely some body or other who upon this encouragement represented them to the Soveraign as Men of great Worth and Integrity and fit to serve him in any Employment whatsoever But the pity is that Kings must of necessity see with other Mens Eyes else they would often discover that their sincerest Friends are commonly no partakers of their private Favours either because they have not wherewithal to buy Places of Profit and Honour as others less deserving do or because they are misrepresented to their Soveraigns as if they ought to be afraid of them as their Enemies But 't is in vain to complain of this and other Abuses of this kind to be met with in all Courts and at all times for let Princes take what measures they please to give every one his due prevailing Interest both in Church and State will still get more than real Merit It is likewise more regarded than it should be in most Courts of Justice to the great oppression of the poorer sort and of such as cannot go on with their business by the ordinary methods of Law for want of Money for grant the Judges to act never so justly or at least which is all that is required of them Secundum allegata probata according to the Depositions and Proofs proposed in the Case debated yet the subtle Lawyers unless very conscientious upon the prospect of a great Reward know how to stretch the clearest Decisions of the Law in favour of their Rich Clients to the very deceiving of the ablest Judges If Interest prevail with them it has no less power over all the other Tribes of Mankind What Quarrels Divisions and Heats does it not daily occasion among all sorts of Tradesmen their whole business generally being not so much to out-do as to un-do one another as 't is likewise observed to be practis'd by some Physicians who finding always fault directly or indirectly with whatever they have not prescrib'd themselves offer modestly their Service to the Patient especially if Rich with a Quack-like promise of a sure easie speedy and infallible Cure Auditum admissi risum teneatis amici Quid tanto dignum dabit hic promissor hiatu ARTICLE XXV 1. The true Cause of the Popish Fury against Protestants 2. A short account of the Popish Hierarchy 3. Why the Council of Trent oppos'd a thorough Reformation I have been sometimes concern'd to know the true Cause of the Fury of Roman Catholicks against such as are not of their own Religion and more especially against Protestants I was at first of Opinion it was a meer Zeal like that of the Apostles who would have consum'd the Samaritans to ashes for not admitting our Saviour into their City I concluded then sometimes with my self that their foolish perswasion of our being Reprobates if we die not in their Communion was the occasion of the pains they take to pervert us to their principles by all possible means whether lawful or unlawful And really the ignorance of the Popish Mob as likewise of the simple and blunt Fryars is so gross that not a few among them are acted by such a blind Zeal as this is The Prelates and Clergy of the Church of Rome are no less zealous than the unlearnedest Priest to root out what they think and call Heresie either by fair means if against Sence and Reason they can impose upon the unthinking Multitude their new coin'd Articles or by the French method of Converting and Dragooning Men into the Popish Religion But no doubt in all such proceedings they propose to themselves some other end than the meer saving of Souls for I can hardly think them so great Fools as to believe really that there is no way to Heaven but by and through the particular Church of Rome Now what this is you may discern more distinctly by the following and short account of the Popish Hierarchy and Clergy The Power over Christ's Natural Body assum'd by the Romish Priests in the Consecration of Bread and Wine has by degrees swell'd them so big with the Opinion of their own Authority that in the Council if I misremember not of Constance they unanimously declared that notwithstanding the Institution of the Sacrament by Christ himself in both kinds notwithstanding the Practice of the Primitive Church continued during the space of Fourteen Hundred Years yet they yea they forsooth thought fit to Order Command and Appoint That the Lay-Christians should be partakers of the same but under one kind only or that they should eat the Bread alone without receiving the Cup. If we consider more particularly the present Condition of the Bishop of Rome we shall find that there is no Prince in the World so absolute as he is over those of his Communion He absolveth them when he pleases from their sworn Allegiance to their Princes he pretends as he often express'd himself in his Bulls to the Power of Scattering and Gathering of Settling and Pulling down of Planting and Pulling up again at pleasure by Deprivation Excommunication Deposition of Soveraign Princes if they act against his Authority he being the only Prince in the World incapable of doing any wrong in the