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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	according_a	law_n	write_v	2,359	5	5.6279	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02488	King Dauids vow for reformation of himselfe. his family. his kingdome Deliuered in twelue sermons before the Prince his Highnesse vpon Psalm 101. By George Hakewill Dr. in Diuinity.	Hakewill, George, 1578-1649.; Elstracke, Renold, fl. 1590-1630, engraver.	1621 (1621)	STC 12616; ESTC S103634	122,067	373

Thou fool this night shall they take thy soule from thee The Galathians thought themselves wiser than the other Gentiles for the observation of the legall Ceremonies but St. Paul in his Epistle to them calls them fooles for their labour And likewise the Pharises were held the wisest of all the Iewish Nation but our Saviour tels them to their faces they were but formal fools True Wisdome is then to bee found and only to be found in the perfect way There is a Divellish wisdome rather craft then wisdome maintained by dissimulation and lying and perjury such as was that of Boniface the eight Bishop of Rome who entred like a Fox raigned like a Lion and died like a Dog of Iezabell and Achttophel in practice and Machivell in precepts This wisdome runs a contrary biass to this perfect way it is directly opposite unto it and fights against it Again there is a Humane or rationall wisdome enlightned at the torch of right reason yet left amongst the remainders of Gods image in man and this though it be beside the perfect way yet may it bee reduced unto it good use no doubt may bee made of it And lastly there is a Divine holy and heavenly Wisdome whose beginning is the fear of God whose crowne is the favour of God whose guide is this perfect way the word of GOD which is therfore called a way because it leads us to our journeyes end and a perfect way because the Authour of it is the abstract of all perfection because it sufficiently containes in it all things requisite to bring us to perfection both of body and soule both of grace and glory and lastly because it makes those perfect that walk in it at least in regard of endeavour and the severall parts of perfection though not the degrees as a childe may bee said to bee a perfect man in that hee hath all the parts of a man though hee want the growth and strength of a man And if this way were thus perfect in Davids time what is it by the addition of so many parcels of Scripture since If it then gave wisdome to the simple Psal. 19. 7 if it made David beeing brought up but as a Shepheard wiser than his enemies than his ancients than his teachers Psal. 119 as an Angell of God in discerning right from wrong 2. Sa. 14. 17 able to guide the people by the skilfulnesse of his hands Psal. 78. 72 what kinde of wisdome is there which wee may not now gather from thence What depth of naturall Philosophy have we in Genesis and Iob what flowrs of Rhetorique in the Prophets what force of Logick in Saint Pauls Epistles what Art of Poëtrie in the Psalmes what excellēt morall Precepts not only for Private life but for the regiment of Families and Common-weales in the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes to which may be added in a second rank as very usefull though Apochryphall the book of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus what reasonable and iust lawes haue wee in Leviticus and Deuteronomy which moved the great Ptolomey to hire the Septuagints to translate them into Greek what unmatchable antiquitie variety and wonderfull events and certaintie of storie in the books of Moses Iosuah the Iudges Samuel the Kings and Chronicles together with Ruth and Ester Ezra and Nehemiah and since Christ in the sacred Gospels and Acts of the Apostles and lastly what profound mysteryes have we in the Prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel and the Revelation of Saint Iohn But in this it infinitely exceeds the Wisedome of all humane writings that it is alone able to make a man wise unto salvation 2. Tim. 3. 15. Vpon these considerations Charles the fift of France surnamed the Wise not onely caused the Bible to be translated into French but was himselfe very studious in the holy Scriptures And Alphonsus King of Arragon is said to have read over the whole Bible fourteen severall times with Lyraes notes upon it though he were otherwise excellently well learned yet was the law of God his delight more desired of him than gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also than hony and the hony-combe I will end this point with the Commandement of God himselfe to the King Deuteronomie 17 When he shall sit upon the throne of his kingdom hee shall write him a copy of this Law in a booke out of that which is before the Priests the Levites and it shall bee with him and hee shall reade therein all the dayes of his life that hee may learne to feare the Lord his God to keep all the words of this Law and these Statutes to doe them that his heart be not lifted up aboue his brethren and that he turne not aside from the Commandement to the right hand or to the left to the end that hee may prolong his dayes in his kingdome hee and his children in the midst of Israell And looke what was there given in charge to the King in generall was afterward commanded Iosuah a worthy Leader in particular Iosuah 1. 8. This booke of the lawe shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayst obserue to do according to all that is written therein For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then shalt thou have good success It followeth O when wilt thou come unto me The comming of God unto his children is either by the performance of his promises or by the speciall assistance of his Spirit or by the receiving of them unto himselfe Such as thinke this Psalme was penned before Davids comming to the Crowne understand these words of the performance of Gods promise in setting it upon his head and settling him in the regall Throne and then this to be the meaning O Lord I will tarry thy leasure and keep my selfe within the bounds of my dutie till thou hast accomplished that which thou hast promised unto mee though thou delay the matter and put me off I will bee content to walke in the perfect way and not once presume to step aside out of it to compass that which thou hast sayd thou wilt give me And according to this promise of his we may see how hee carried himselfe for although there were a great space betwixt his anoynting whereby hee was by Gods owne mouth proclaimed heire apparant to the Crowne after the death of Saul and his comming to it notwithstanding he had the hearts of the Subiects insomuch as the women in their songs extolled him above the King though the soule of Ionathan the Kings eldest sonne were fast linked to him and so hee might haue conceived hope to have made a strong party against Saul who daily provoked him by most cruell and unjust persecution yet David kept himselfe in his uprightness hee hasted not by any indirect attempt as did his sonne Absolon afterwards against himselfe to seeke his owne revenge nor to displace the King and his seed which hee knew in time were to be remoued

Counseller friend to whom he no sooner disclosed his unnaturall affection to his sister Tamar but Ionadab presently findes out and shewes him a trick how hee might compass his desire and satisfie his unlawfull lust 2. Sam. 13. Whereas had hee beene a faithfull Counseller indeed hee would have laboured by all meanes to have reclaimed him from his mischievous purpose have stopt such a villanie as afterwards brought shame to Tamar griefe to David death to Amnon Somewhat better was Ioab who though hee wickedly gave way to Davids cruelty in making away Vriah according to the tenor of the letter sent unto him 2. Sam. 11 Yet afterwards he did him the office of a faithfull Counseller when David retyred himselfe unseasonably upon the death of Absolon I sweare by the Lord saith hee except thou come out there will not tarry one man with thee this night 2. Sam. 19. 7. And again in the 24. of the same book when the King in the pride of his heart would needs have his people to bee numbred The Lord thy God saith Ioab increase thy people an hundred folde more than they bee and that the eyes of my Lord the King may see it but why doth my Lord the King desire this thing Which howbeit at that time David hearkened not unto yet I●ab therein did his part and I make no doubt but the King himself afterward when hee felt the hand of God heavie upon him wished he had followed that advice The counsell of a grave and wise man who speakes not out of passion or private respects but out of a zeale of the publique good of the person of him to whom hee gives it should bee entertained and reverenced as the Oracle of God And though it bee true that bookes written in former ages which are justly called dead Counsellers be for the most part more faithfull in regarde that they speake without blushing or feare to the present times Yet as true it is that Counsellers which are or should bee living bookes if they bee faithfull are undoubtedly the more usefull in regard they best know the disease and should seek out the remedy of the times wherin they live It is not alwaies easie gentle physicke which is the best neither is it alwaies crossing coūsell which is the worst desperate is that mans case and past all cure whose eare judgeth all to be harsh that is wholesome and nothing profitable but what is pleasing Our Prophet was of another minde when hee spake out of deliberation Psal. 141 Let the righteous smite mee for that is a benefit and let him reprove mee and it shall bee a precious oyle that shall not breake my head And so was Salomon Prov. 27. 6. Faithfull are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitfull And it commonly proves true that hee who reproves not out of vaine affectation of singularity but with discretion and out of an honest heart shall commonly finde more favor certainly more comfort at the last than hee who flattereth with his lips But Counsell is best sought for at their hands who either have no part at all in the cause whereof they instruct or else are so far engaged that themselves are to beare the greatest adventure in the success of their owne counsels Vpon that counsell which Rehoboams Counsellers gave him are set the two marks whereby bad counsell is for ever best discerned that it was greene for the persons and violent for the matter Principis est virtus maxima Nosse suos It is a great part of princely vertue to observe the humours of his subjects in generall but chiefly of his Counsellers the greatest trust between man man being the trust of giving counsell For in other confidences men commit the parts of their life their lands their goods their childe their credit some particular affaire but to such as they make their Counsellers they commit the Whole by how much the more they are obliged to all faith and integrity Neither need the wisest Princes think it any diminution to their greatnes or derogation to their sufficiency to rely upon Counsell since the ancient times doo set forth in figure both the incorporation and inseparable conjunction of Counsel with Kings in that they say Iupiter did marry Metis which signifieth Counsell so as soveraignty or authority is married to Counsell The second condition which our Prophet proposeth to bee found in such as he meant to entertain in his service is Walking in a perfect way or walking perfect in the way it comes both to one and the meaning of it is The taking of a godly and religious course as hath already been shewed in opening the sense of the former part of the second verse I will doo wisely in the perfect way so heer Hee that walketh in a perfect way hee shall serve mee These two then must go together Faithfulness and Godlinesse Piety and Fidelity civill Honesty Religion neither indeed can they bee as they should either thrifty for themselves or trusty to their masters who bee not first religious towards God It was the memorable speech of Constantius father to the great Constantine to such as forsook their religion that they might please and serve him Godliness then is requisite in the servant first in regard of himself and then in regard of his Master in regard of himself because by that means he is sure of a reward either from his master or from God or from both The generall promise they have 1. Tim. 4. 8 Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life present and of that that is to come But a more speciall one they have directed to themselves in particular in Ephes. 6. 8 Knowe ye that is ye servants for unto them hee begins to addresse his speech in the fift verse Knowe yee that whatsoever good thing any man doth the same hee shall receive of the Lord whether hee bee bond or free And yet more expresly in Colos. 3. 23. 24 Whatsoever yee doo doo it heartily as to the Lord and not to men knowing that of the Lord yee shall receive the reward of the inheritance for yee serve the Lord Christ. And many times it falles out that those who beeing faithfull and godly receive the least reward at their masters hands receive the greater from God and that even in this world by his gracious blessing This Iacob found hee was so religious towards God that though his Master were an Idolater he still kept himselfe free from it and yet so faithfull was hee to his Master that for the space of twenty yeers hee was in his service consumed with heat in the day and frost in the night and if any of the flocks were either stolne or torne by beasts hee made it good himself he set it not on his Masters accoūt Yet for all this could not his Master afford him a good look much less a good word hee changed his wages