Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	body_n	faith_n	heaven_n	3,628	5	5.3468	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63883	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sir Henry Tulse, Lord Mayor of the city of London and the court of aldermen, together with the governors of the hospitals at the parish-church of St. Bridget, on Easter Monday, March 31, 1684 by the Right Reverend Father in God Francis Lord Bishop of Rochester ...	Turner, Francis, 1638?-1700.	1634 (1634)	Wing T3284; ESTC R38919	18,664	40

prove there 's a Life to come so that a Man shall say verily there is a Reward for the Righteous then such a Life and such a Reward once prov'd is the strongest Argument in the World and the most persuasive to the Practice of such Good-Works only to mention this Argument of a Recompense at the Resurrection were Charity never so cold were sufficient to raise it up from the dead again to think that many a poor Good Man whom you have seen frozen almost to Death this last hard Winter and have supplyed him with the means to warm him till his loyns blest you many a Blind Maimed or Lame whom you have as it were led by the hand out of his present misery shall one day become a Guide to you as you were to him formerly that he shall have the Agility of a Spirit and the discerning power of a Spirit of a Just Man made perfect to behold you coming toward the place of Bliss and to call you as the good Angel did the Apostle Come up hither if this will not prevail with you to Call the Poor and give them a little Comfort in this World nothing will ever move you this is that Powerful Motive our Saviour uses to make our Selves friends in Heaven by giving Alms upon Earth that when we fail they may receive us that the Heirs of Salvation may be allowed and sent forth by God to meet us when we enter into the New World that they may Conduct us into their Everlasting Habitations for as St. Chrysostom Argues upon that place If we go to a strange City we need a Guide much more to another World when the Soul is torn away from the Body the staff upon which it lean'd then it has Dreads and Horror say he when it quits this Flesh And if you will forgive me the laying of one Quotation upon another St. Cyprian speaks so pathetically to the same Purpose De Morta●ltat● how they shall welcome us into the Other World for whom we had Charity or Kindness in this that with a Lively Description and Discourse of His since I cannot with a better I shall Conclude mine Who is there say he who being to sayl homeward to his Friends does not make wishes for a prosperous Gale that he may quickly embrace those whom he loves so dearly Let us account that Paradice is our Country as we have look'd upon the Patriarchs to be our Parents why do we not hasten and move forward apace to see that Country of ours and salute those Parents there are a vast number of Persons very dear unto us that expect us our Forefathers our Brethren our Children a numerous Company that long for our coming to them being secure of their own and still solicitous for our Imortality to see them again and grow into Embraces with them How will it Affect and Transport both us and them what kind of Bless is there in those Heavenly Kingdoms which consists with no fear of Dying with an Assurance of Living Eternally there is the Apostles glorious Quire there the Prophets honourable Senate there the Legions of Crowned Martyrs that Dyed and Suffer'd Valiantly there the Triumphant Virgins that have subdued and tamed by the mighty hand of Continence the Carnal Desires of the Body there the merciful Men who have dealt their Doles and Largesses to the Poor and Needy Let us hasten away to these wing'd with a fervent desire to be with these to be with Christ Let this be the Aim of all our wishes Let God see such thoughts in us Let Christ see the Travail of our Souls the Intent of our Faith who will assuredly give them larger Rewards whose Souls are more enlarged toward Heaven and Eternity Now unto the King Eternal Immortal c.

needs say in the second place That some extraordinary Object of Compassion may be so pressing and lye so hard on the Conscience of any Christian as to bear it down and the feed of Grace the Vital Act in the Heart may be utterly destroy'd for the present if he turns away his Face and does not put forth his hand to save his Brother for whom Christ was pleased to Dye The Priest and Levite who past by the Poor Man that had fallen among Thieves and left him there weltring in his Blood they drew it no doubt upon their own heads and are Condemn'd by the Mouth of our Blessed Lord for so not loving their Neighbour as if they had been Accessories to the killing of him nay Principals not only in mortally Wounding his Body but their own Souls But I must also offer this as my Third Conclusion That a Passionate a Vehement an Affectionate or for want of an English word to hit my Conceptions fully give me leave to call it an Affectuous setting the Heart upon Wealth and worldy Goods more than upon Heaven and the way to Heaven by Charity is a state of Sin and of Death tho the Conscience like his who had great Possessions be so partial to its self as being not throughly Examined to make a Return not Guilty of any Gross Omissions in this kind or of any notorious Act of Uncharitable dealing or of any Habit to make one appear Hard-hearted yet if your Treasure be upon Earth and your Souls be set upon it they must needs be stak'd down here too and mount no higher for it is a Judg'd Case and with all the Reason in the world That where your Treasure is there will your Hearts be also But it may be Objected and Thoughts may arise in your Hearts if there be so much danger of doing too little and too slender Alms then What is enough for the Rich to bestow upon Charity shall I say whatever they can spare from their own Occasions that will not advance one foot toward stating the Question 't is only raising another a harder Question which the best Casuists will never be able to settle De abjiciendo Superfluo of the parting with our superfluity to relieve those in need or necessity But what is superabundance to some is scarce a Competency to others in different Circumstances Upon the whole matter no precise bounds and limits can be set for all Men nor for any two Men in the World tho we could suppose them exactly alike in Minds Bodies and Estates It must be when all is done in taking the measures of this or any other Christian Graces prout vir prudens definiverit as Old Philosophy could never otherwise assign the constant Exercise of moral Virtues its just Ampliations and Restrictions but only as Prudence should define them in particular Cases indeed to suit this with Divinity it must be Christian Prudence that is well guided Piety or Conscience wisely directed Nor do's the Apostle St. Paul go very much farther towards fixing the definite Proportions of Charity in the almost infinite Circumstances of men than the Masters of our morals had gone before him in describing the Lines and Limits of what they called Mercy only St. Paul seems to enjoyn one thing necessary to Enter and Engage good Christians in a Course of Charity that they all should have set times as they are the Stewards of God to make up their Accounts for Pious Vses that these set times should be so near one another as to keep the Trade of Charity quick upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store But when it comes to naming the Sum that every one must allow St. Paul himself could not offer any common measure he does not decimate or call upon them for a Temh nor yet for a Twentieth Part or Exact upon them at any determinate Rate But let every one lay by him in store as God hath prospered him If it be Reply'd that this is to leave our Duty at such Uncertainty as makes it hard to know when our Righteousness that is our Charity exceeds theirs who shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven my Answer is All such Scruples are easily removed if insted of disputing how much 't is our Obligation to give we fall to practising and abounding in the Work of the Lord this is to take the safe and the high-way to Heaven And this falls in with my second Part Here is a matter of Precept mixt and joyn'd with matter of Counsel and Advice concerning the Manner the Measures the Rules of Proportion and Decency to be observed in doing our Alms-Deeds Here are excellent Directions given us to do them presently and with our own hands rather than leave them to be done by others after our Deaths to do them Diligently Chearfully Plentifully nay Openly sometimes as well as Secretly at other times to do them with all the Condescending Kindness of Entertainers for such good natur'd Qualifications as these are implyed in these words When thou makest a Feast Call the Poor This saying differs much from that other saying Sell what you have and give to the Poor so says our Blessed Saviour St. Luke xii but it is a plain Case That was only propos'd and advis'd to some never impos'd by Christ upon any but one that Rich Young Man we spoke of His Case was singular Our Lord discerned him to be as worldly as wealthy therefore it was necessary for his Eternal Salvation to part him and his Great Possessions But good Amends would have been presently made him he would have been admitted to be one of the Peculiar Followers of Jesus and probably the Power of working Miracles would have been given him But for the Generality of Mankind they are left free and forced upon none of these Extraordinary Attainments whether they will or no He that lyed to the Holy-Ghost in the matter of Alms was told by St. Peter While the Land remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thine own power that is to do what he pleas'd with the Money paid fot it And yet such as sould their Lands and laid the prices at the Apostles feet and Distribution was made unto every man according as he had need these have that Character immediately given them that Great Grace was upon them all Notwithstanding which to say that our Saviours words in St. Luke Sell what you have and give to the Poor obliges the Rich to part with all or as Zacheus did and it was well done of him with the one half of his Goods to the Poor this was one dangerous part of Pelagius'es Heresie Therefore Christ did not pr●ss that Publican to so vast a Proportion of Alms as he gave unaskt and then Christ Graciously Accepted it nor does Christ Labour the Pharisee in my Text to devest himself of his whole Estate at once But implies sufficiently that

Afraid to let thy Light shine before Men since all manner of Good-Works that happen to be seen of Men are not therefore unpleasing to God but only such as are done with so vile a principal End as to be seen of Men and not with a primary Intent that those Men may Glorifie thy Father which is in Heaven Lastly When thou makest a Feast Call the Poor that is Call them to be thy welcome Guests thy humble Friends thy Spiritual Kindred since Christ has Call'd them his Brethren since he has made them Heirs and Coheirs with himself and thee Lay aside thy supercilious Demeanour toward them nay put off now and then that Awful Distance which Decency requires thee to keep at other times Let some of them at these good Times be seated at thy Table with thee thy Betters have us'd them more familiarly they have girded themselves and served them with a Real not an Affected Humility The Greatest Kings and Queens have not thought it too little for them to wash and kiss their Feet in Imitation of him that introduc'd the same significant Ceremony proposing it for a Pattern to his Followers and where can even Royal Dust and Ashes lay themselves low enough in an Office of Devotion to him in the Proxies or in the Persons of those that are his when he the Son of God he who thought it no Robery to be Equal with God yet took upon him the form of a Servant and was content to Abase himself even to kiss the Feet of the Traytor Jud●s But tho we are not obliged to fall so low to the Poor as always to set them above us yet there is one Complement essential to make it a Feast in all thy Gifts shew a Chearful Countenance says the Wise Man for God loves a Chearful Giver says the Apostle and then there is felt and enjoy'd true pleasure in the Act of Charity when Chearfulness dilates and enlarges the Heart of the Alm'ner as well as the Soul of the Alms-Man But now 't is high time for me to interpose one Caution and that Caution will naturally meet me upon my third Head of Discourse That fit Objects for the Charity of the Rich must be such as are Poor indeed for such they are not nor are they properly so called that are in condition to help themselves they must be really helpless Creatures the Maimed the Lame the Blind For to nourish Idleness the certain fore-runner if not the Companion of Wickedness is but mistaken Charity and those that have two hands left them to feed one Mouth are to be counted with those that are Rich enough if they are no way disabled from such our Alms would be more kindly withdrawn than extended to them or rather instead of these External Works of Mercy those which the Schoolmen call Internal should be applyed to them such as Good Counsel with Assistance toward their Settlement to make them some way useful to their Country or at least no longer Burthens of the Earth or if Advice be lost upon them another Office of Charity to their Souls at least even Castigation and Compulsion upon them is but their Due as well as our Duty to solicit it I must have leave in this place to lament the miserable Abuse of so vast a Fund for Charity as perhaps no Kingdom under Heaven can boast the like I mean that Yearly Treasure rais'd by virtue of that exceedingly well meant and ill manag'd Act for every Parish in the Nation to maintain their Poor who thereupon make themselves such on purpose and are become perfect Oppressors in the Land which they will not set their Hands to Cultivate how low soever the Husband-man's Trade is grown for want of Labourers that Honourable thriving Profession heretofore but now decayed and fallen together with your Rents which is all for want of Executing with that wholsome Statute-Law the same in substance with that Apostolical Canon If any one would not Work neither should he Eat But on the other side I must needs highly commend and congratulate this City so many Work-Houses to Chastise and Reduce the Vagrant and Vicious Poor so many Late useful Inventions to Employ the Willing-Poor and to put even such as are half Cripples in a way of getting their Bread so many worthy Active Undertakers to find 'em work that they may Eat the Labour of their Hands whoever they are that Engage in this Labour of Love to Gather the Dispersed from door to door and to make 'em live by themselves and their own handy-works they do as it were treat them every day and may the good Conscience of their own deeds be to themselves a continual Feast But the most goodly sight of all in this noble City are so many fair Hospitals either to i●close those whom the Hand of God has toucht with Lunacy or to breed up poor Children abandon'd to the narrow mercy of the wide World or to keep those from starving that are poor indeed the Maim'd the Lame and the Blind Let me but Read you a true Report c. Now I hope Strangers when they survey these M●numents of Antient and Modern Piety will not say that the Church of England owns any such Solifidian Doctrine as tends to the Disparagement of Good Works none will imagine that our Reformation is not a Soil for Charity to prosper upon where has it grown or flourisht more than it has among us both heretofore and of late I have been Askt abroad by way of Reflexion Who Built our Churches in London I have Answered The Old ones were most of them built before the Corruptions of Rome and since the Fire of London we know who Rebuilt ' em But no where does the City-Charity look more hopefully nor promises greater Advantages to the Publick as well as to the Poor than it does in those several Royal and Ample Foundations lately Repair'd and Restor'd to receive those wretched Infants expos'd to a Condition well nigh as deplorable as that whom the Prophet describes to these the King is insted of God and not only says unto them when they are as it were in their Bloud Live ●ut takes such honourable Care of their Education that they may not live in vain may God Almighty add to the King's Life those Years which the King by his Bounty and Goodness has prevented from being cut off from the Lives of these Little Ones or from being so misemploy'd as would in all likelihood have brought 'em to shameful Deaths And may his Majesty live to perfect his other most Royal most Christian Design in the Neighbourhood of this City that stately Pile whose Walls are now happily rising for the reception of Lame and Maimed Souldiers that after Brave Men have serv'd the King in his just Wars they may not want a provision and place of Retirement in their Old broken Age where they may end their Days in serving God and still praying for the Life of the King Such as these