Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	aaron_n	moses_n	patron_n	17	3	10.2607	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02526	Contemplations vpon the principal passages of the holy story. The second volume; in foure books. By I. Hall, Dr. of Diuinity; Contemplations upon the principall passages of the Holy Storie. Vol. 2	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1614 (1614)	STC 12652; ESTC S103630	102,855	492

It deuoures the carcasses of men but bodies informed with liuing soules neuer before To haue seene them struck dead vpon the earth had been fearfull but to see the earth at once their executioner and graue was more horrible Neyther the Sea nor the Earth are fit to giue passage The sea is moist and flowing and will not be diuided for the continuitie of it The earth is dry and massie and will neither yeeld naturally nor meet againe when it hath yeelded yet the waters did cleaue to giue way vnto Israel for their preseruation the earth did cleaue to giue vvay to the Conspirators in iudgement Both Sea and Earth did shut their iawes againe vpon the aduersaries of GOD. There vvas more vvonder in this latter It was a maruell that the vvaters opened it vvas no wonder that they shutte againe for the retyring and flowing was naturall It was no lesse maruell that the earth opened but more maruell that it did shutte againe because it had no naturall disposition to meet when it vvas diuided Now might Israel see they had to doe with a GOD that could reuenge with ease There were two sorts of Traytors the earth swallowed vp the one the fire the other All the elements agree to serue the vengeance of their Maker Nadab and Abihu brought fit persons but vnfit fire to GOD These Leuites bring the right fire but vnwarranted persons before him Fire from GOD consumes both It is a dangerous thing to vsurpe sacred functions The ministery will not grace the man The man may disgrace the ministery The common people were not so fast gathered to Corahs flattering perswasion before as now they ran from the sight and feare of his iudgment I maruell not if they could not trust that earth whereon they stood whiles they knew their harts had bin false It is a madnesse to runne away from punishment and not from sin The end of the sixt Booke Contemplations THE SEVENTH BOOKE Aarons Censer and Rod. The Brasen Serpent Balaa● Phinehas The death of Moses At London printed by H. L. for Samuel Macham are to be sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Bull-head 1614. TO MY RIGHT HONOVRABLE RELIGIOVS AND BOVNTIFVL PATRON EDVVARD Lord DENNY BARON of WALTHAM The chiefe comfort of my labours I. H. wisheth all true happines and Dedicates this part of his Meditations CONTEMPLATIONS THE SEVENTH BOOKE Aarons Censer and Rod. WHen shall we see an end of these murmurings these iudgmēts Because these men rose vp against Moses and Aaron therefore GOD consumed them and because God consumed them therfore the people rise vp against Moses and Aaron and now because the people thus murmur God hath againe begun to consume them What a circle is here of sinnes and iudgements Wrath is gone out from God Moses is quick-sighted and spies it at the setting out By how much more faithfull and familiar we are with God so much earlier doe we discerne his iudgements As those which are well acquainted with men knowe by their lookes and gestures that which strangers vnderstand but by their actions As finer tempers are more sensible of the changes of weather Hence the Seers of God haue euer from their watch-tower descryed the iudgements of God afarre off If another man had seene from Carmel a cloud of a hand breadth he could not haue tolde Ahab he should be wet It is enough for Gods messengers out of their acquaintance with their maisters proceedings to foresee punishment No maruell if those see it not which are wilfully sinfull wee men reueale not our secret purposes either to enemies or strangers all their fauour is to feele the plague ere they can espie it Moses though hee were great with God yet he takes not vpon him this reconciliation he may aduise Aaron what to doe himselfe vndertakes not to act it It is the worke of the Priesthood to make an atonement for the people Aaron was first his brothers tongue to Pharaoh now he is the peoples tongue to God He only must offer vp the incense of the publique prayers to God Who would not thinke it a small thing to hold a Censer in his hand yet if any other had done it hee had fallen with the dead and not stood betwixt the liuing and dead in stead of the smoke ascending the fire had descended vppon him And shall there be lesse vse or lesse regard of the Euangelicall ministery then the Legall When the world hath powred out all his contempt we are they that must reconcile men to God and without vs they perish I knowe not whether more to maruell at the courage or mercy of Aaron His mercy that hee vvould yet saue so rebellious a people his courage that hee would saue them with so great a danger of himselfe For as one that would part a fray he thrusts himselfe vnder the strokes of God and puts it to the choise of the reuenger whether hee will smite him or forbeare the rest He stands boldly betwixt the liuing and the dead as one that wil eyther die vvith them or haue them liue vvith him the sight of fourteene hundred carcasses dismayd him not hee that before feared the threats of the people novv feares not the strokes of GOD It is not for Gods ministers to stand vpon their owne perils in the common causes of the Church Their prayers must oppose the iudgements of the Almighty When the fire of Gods anger is kindled their Censers must smoke with fire frō the altar Euery Christian must pray for the remouall of vengeance how much more they whom God hath appointed to mediate for his people Euerie mans mouth is his owne but they are the mouthes of all Had Aaron thrust in himselfe with empty hands I doubt whether he hadde preuailed now his Censer was his protection When wee come vvith supplications in our handes vvee neede not feare the strokes of GOD. We haue leaue to resist the diuine iudgements by our prayers with fauour and successe So soone as the incense of Aaron ascended vp vnto God he smelt a sauour of rest hee will rather spare the offenders then strike their intercessor How hardly can any people miscarry that haue faithfull ministers to sue for their safetie Nothing but the smoke of heartie prayers can cleanse the ayre from the plagues of God If Aarons sacrifice were thus accepted how much more shall the hy-priest of the new Testament by interposing himselfe to the wrath of his father deliuer the offenders from death The plague was entred vpon all the sonnes of men O Sauiour thou stood'st betwixt the liuing and the dead that all which beleeue in thee should not perish Aaron offered and was not striken but thou O Redeemer wouldst offer and be strooke that by thy stripes wee might be healed So stood'st thou betwixt the dead and liuing that thou wert both aliue and dead and all this that wee when wee were dead might liue for euer Nothing more troubled Israell then

fight then all theirs The successe must rise and fall with it Amalek rose and Israel fell with his hand falling Amalek fell Israel rises with his hand raysed Oh the wondrous power of the prayers of faith All heauenly fauours are deriued to vs from this chanell of grace To these are wee beholden for our peace preseruations and all the rich mercies of GOD vvhich vve enioie VVe could not vvant if wee could aske Euery mans hand would not haue done this but the hand of a Moses A faithlesse man may as well holde his hand and tongue still hee may babble but prayes not he prayes ineffectually and receiues not Onely the prayer of the righteous auaileth much and onely the beleeuer is righteous There can be no merit no recompence answerable to a good mans prayer for heauen and the eare of God is open to him but the formall deuotions of an ignorant and faithlesse man are not worth that crust of bread which hee askes Yea it is presumption in himselfe how should it be beneficiall to others it profanes the name of God in stead of adorning it But how iustly is the feruency of the prayer added to the righteousnes of the person When Moses hand slackned Amalek preuayled No Moses can haue his hand euer vp It is a title proper to God that his hands are stretched out still whether to mercy or vengeance Our infirmity will not suffer any long intention either of body or mind Long prayers can hardly maintaine their vigour as in tall bodies the spirits are diffused The strongest hand will languish with long extending And when our deuotion tyres it is seene in the successe then straight our Amalek pruayles Spirituall vvickednesses are maistered by vehement prayer and by heartlesnes in prayer ouercome vs. Moses had two helps A stone to sit on and an hand to raise his And his sitting and holpen hand is no whit lesse effectuall Euen in our prayers will God allow vs to respect our owne infirmities In cases of our necessity he regards not the posture of body but the affections of the soule Doubtlesse Aaron and Hur did not onely raise their hands but their minds with his The more cords the easier draught Aaron was brother to Moses there cannot be a more brotherly office then to help one another in our praiers and to excite our mutuall deuotions No Christian may thinke it enough to pray alone Hee is no true Israelite that will not be ready to lift vp the weary hands of Gods Saints All Israel saw this or if they were so intent vpon the slaughter and spoyle that they obserued it not they might heare it after from Aaron and Hur yet this contents not God It must bee written Many other miracles had God done before not one directly commanded to be recorded The other were onely for the wonder this for the imitation of Gods people In things that must liue by report euery tongue addes or detracts something The word once written is both inalterable permanent As God is carefull to maintaine the glory of his miraculous victory so is Moses desirous to second him God by a book and Moses by an altar and a name God commaunds to enroll it in parchment Moses registers it in the stones of his altar which hee raises not onely for future memory but for present vse That hand which was weary of lifting vp straight offers a sacrifice of praise to God How well it becomes the iust to be thankfull Euen very nature teacheth vs men to abhor ingratitude in small fauours How much lesse can that fountaine of goodnes abide to be laded at with vnthankfull hands O God we cānot but confess our deliuerances where are our atars where are our sacrifices where is our Iehouah-nissi I doe not more wonder at thy power in preseruing vs then at thy mercy which is not weary of casting away fauours vpon the ingratefull The Law IT is but about seuen weekes since Israell came out of Egypt In which space God had cherished their faith by fiue seuerall woonders yet now hee thinkes it time to giue them statutes from heauen as well as bread The Manna and water from the rock which was Christ in the Gospell were giuen before the Law The Sacraments of grace before the legall couenant The grace of GOD preuenteth our obedience Therfore should we keep the law of God because wee haue a Sauiour Oh the mercy of our God! which before wee see what wee are bound to doe showes vs our remedy if we doe it not How can our faith disannul the Law when it was before it It may helpe to fulfill that which shall be it cannot frustrate that which was not The letters which GOD had written in our fleshy tables were now as those which are carued in some barks almost growne out hee saw it time to write them in dead Tables whose hardnes should not be capable of alteration Hee knew that the stone would bee more faithfull then our hearts Oh maruellous accordance betwixt the two Testaments In the very time of their deliuery there is the same agreement which is in the substance The ancient Iewes kept our feasts and we still keep theirs The feast of the Passe-ouer is the time of Christs resurrection then did hee passe from vnder the bondage of Death Christ is our Passe-ouer the spotlesse Lambe whereof not a bone must be broken The very day wherein God came down in fire and thunder to deliuer the Law Euen the same day came also the Holy-ghost downe vpon the disciples in fiery tongues for the propagation of the Gospell That other was in fire smoke obscuritie was mingled with terrour This was in fire without smoke befitting the light and clearnesse of the Gospell Fire not in flashes but in tongues not to terrifie but to instruct The promulgation of the Law makes way for the Law of the Gospell No man receiues the Holy-ghost but he which hath felt the terrours of Sinai God might haue imposed vpon them a law perforce They were his creatures and he could require nothing but iustice It had been but equall that they should be compelled to obey their Maker yet that God which loues to doe all things sweetly giues the law of iustice in mercy and will not imperiously command but craues our assent for that which it were rebellion not to doe How gentle should bee the proceeding of fellow-creatures who haue an equality of being with an inequality of condition when their infinite Maker requests where he might constrain GOD will make no couenant with the vnwilling How much less the couenant of grace which stands all vpon loue If wee stay til God offer violence to our wil or to vs against our will wee shall dy strangers from him The Church is the spouse of Christ hee will inioy her loue by a willing contract not by a rauishment The obstinate haue nothing to doe with God The title of all conuerts is a willing people That