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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	david_n	king_n	samuel_n	1,895	5	9.9973	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65408	The practical Sabbatarian, or, Sabbath-holiness crowned with superlative happiness by John Wells ...	Wells, John, 1623-1676.	1668 (1668)	Wing W1293; ESTC R39030	769,668	823

Primùm quievit deus deinde benedixit hanc quietem ut seculis omni bus inter homines fancta foret septimum quemque diem quieti dicavit Calv. in Gen. the most eminent of every age and Nation hath beheld this rising Sun and rightly calculated the time of its rise even from the first week in the world The Learned without the help of Astrology have cast the Sabbaths nativity It is a worthy saying of the Learned Andrews when putting the question But is not the Sabbath a Ceremony and so abrogated by Christ He thus answers Do as Christ in the cause of divorce look whether it was so from the beginning now the beginning of the Sabbath was in Paradise before there Dies ille Sabbati stetit a creatione mundi ad domini resurrectionem quando in diem dominicum demum ab Apostolis mutatus est Bez. in Apocal. was any sin and so before there needed any Saviour and so before there was any ceremony or figure of a Saviour Bullinger Aretius and Gualter rightly observe that the Sabbath was ordained in the beginning of the world but confirmed in the giving of the Law Paradise was the place of its institution Mount Sinai the place of its more solemn promulgation of its second and fairer Edition It were endless to run over the several authentick testimonies which are copiously and dextrously given to this truth Rivet reckons no less then thirty Hoc Sabbatum primò à deo fuit observation institu●um est à creatione mundi confirmatum autem per Mosen Aret. loc com loc 30. Zanch. l. 1. part tertia de oper Creat Gual in Mat. 12. Homil. 162. Merc. in c. 2. Gen. Protestant Divines of note who give in their concurrent verdict and what place can be left for stumbling when we have so much light to walk by And therefore Franciscus Gomarus was better employed in his fervent disputes against the Arminians then in raising batteries against a truth so generally owned and so strongly supported And as for that fancy of anticipation first Midwiv'd into the world by Abulensis viz. That God should only shew us what he intended to do in after-ages when he rested on the seventh day and blessed and sanctified it Gen. 2. 3. He did not appoint the Sabbath to be presently observed but only manifested his purpose what he intended for the future when the Law should be given on Mount Sinai I say let Catharinus answer Testatus who was of the samè Religion Bertram de Polit. Judaic with him a Papist and of the same order with him a Bishop and he calls this fancy ineptum figmentum a foolish Jun●us Paraeus Zepper Martin Allsted c. figment And Catharinus speaks only as the Fore-man of the Jury for Steuchius Eugubinus Gilbertus Genebrardus Jacobus Satianus Cornelius Alapide Emmanuel Sa Ribera and Steuch Eugub in Cosinopoea c. 2. Suarez all give in their verdict with their foreman This invention of Tostatus is so ridiculous that Amesius gravely saith No man ever thought of anticipation in this place who Gilb. Genebr in Cronol was not first anticipated with some manifest prejudice And he further goes on and saith No such kind of anticipation Jacob. Satian in Annal. can be found in the whole Scripture Nay the phrases of the Sabbaths institution Gen. 2. 3. convince the contrary for Corn. Alap in Gen. 2. the blessing of the seventh day and the sanctifying it i. e. making it holy for mans observation are so plain that to Emman Sa Riber Suarez create a Prolepsis is to paint the Sun to parget over a Rose and to raise an imaginary vanity to cloud the truth And Haec prolepsis meâ sententiâ omni probabilitate caret Wal. besides it is very injurious to Scripture to force figures upon the plain words of it when there is no necessity And it is a rule among Divines That the Scripture ought to be understood according to the true property of the Oportet ●cripturam intelligere secundum verborum proprietatem ubi non cogimur evidenti absurditate Eellar de Baptis l. 1. c. 4. words when we are not diverted by some manifest absurdity It is true it is an easie thing to invent Tropes and Figures or a vain prolepsis to supply a fancy but let us observe God blessed the seventh day what is this blessing but the dispensing a peculiar favour towards it And God fanctified the seventh day what is this sanctification but a separation and consecration of it to holy worship what more plain and clear And therefore furely who ever cherisheth Nihil sacilius est quàm dicere Tropus est figura est modus quidam discendi est Aug. this fiction in his brain or patronizeth it with his pen he may justly be attached either of singularity or design Bellarmine himself lays down this rule We must not recede from the plain words of Scripture unless some other text of Scripture or some Article of faith or the general sense of the Church enforce us to it which if Nisi cogamur ab aliquâ aliâ this be true as I suppose it will be easily granted we are Scripturâ aut ab aliquo articulo fidei c. Bellar. safe enough from this figment of anticipation Object The main matter which is yet behind is to free this truth viz. of the Sabbaths original from the beginning of the world from all sieges and disturbance which will be taken up in answering that Objection that the Patriarchs did not observe the Sabbath as we find mention'd in Scripture Sol. To which is answered That they did not keep the Sabbath because we find it not mentioned in Scripture is a large and loose inconsequence for as the historical Narration of Moses speaketh Non dubium est Sabbati observantissimos esse Patres quotquot ante legem vixerunt et quorum fides Scripturâ comcommendatur Gualt nothing of the observation of the day after its institution so we may find that after it was commanded in Mount Sinai no mention is made of it or its observation in the book of Joshua nor in the book of Judges nor in Ruth nor in the first and second Books of Samuel nor in the first Book of Kings shall we therefore conclude that in all this time valiant Joshua the worthy Judges holy Samuel zealous David and others did not observe the Sabbath In all the Book of Hester no mention is made of Jehovah shall we therefore say that neither Mordecai nor Hester nor the Religious Jews worshipped the adorable Jehovah The institution of the Sabbath from Gen. 2. 3. hath been plentifully proved and so the Patriarchs ought to have observed it which if they did not it was sin in them but the Reverence we owe to those holy men of God binds us to think better thoughts of them Surely good men could not forget their solemn and set day for converse with

so is the sugar at the bottom When the plummets Egressus Isaac in agrum ad m●ditandum accepit praemium pietatis sponsam scil gratissimam of our souls have been running down in worldly affairs and businesses in the day time then in the Evening to draw up that weight of the Clock in holy meditation is most suitable and commendable nor can any thing better become a Christian then in this duty to give God the Alpha and the Omega of every day The third season for holy Meditation is the night time when nature hath rockt every thing asleep and silenced the world from interrupting noyses This David leaves as The third season for meditation the matter both of his command and example Psal 63. 6. The night season is sequestred from worldly affairs and is Psal 63. 6. not checkt with their clamorous importunity nor is it a time Psal 4. 4. distracted with the incursions of sensible objects it is likewise a time not accosted or besieged with frivolous or dangerous temptations There are two things which do much fit and dispose the soul for Meditation viz. Rest and Silence Sancti laetantur dei patefactionibus sed timore et tremore both which are to be found in the night And to this may be added when the curtains of darkness are drawn over the world we are then filled with a religious fear of God our hearts are more composed and we entertain more solemn and awfull apprehensions of the Divine Majesty Stulte quid est somnus gelidae nisi mortis imago there is then a holy terrour struck upon the soul And when we lie upon our beds the bed is an image and representation of the Grave and at such a time a man may be more serious and composed for the duty But above all let us consider the Sabbath is the fittest time for meditation On that day our Saviour arose from the The fourth season for meditation Earth and our souls should ascend and raise themselves towards Heaven And meditation doth not onely become the morning but the whole day of a Sabbath it must not onely be our morning dress but the attire we must wear all the day We should think with our selves the Lords day it is a type of Heaven and contemplation is the work of Heaven The Heb. 4. 9. present Sabbath is onely the abridgement of that eternal rest which the Saints shall enjoy with God And they which disrelish this duty how can they expect that glorious reward which principally consists in the view and contemplation of God A gracious soul upon the Lords day by meditation may converse with God and with the inhabitants of another world he may enjoy as much of God as this interposing vail of flesh will admit of And thus much for the proper seasons of meditation The next thing which will further illustrate this blessed duty of meditation is the evidencing of the great advantages The great advantages of meditation of it which are both rich and many As several Diamonds are found in the same Rock and much Gold crowded into the same Mine Let us therefore take these manifold Emoluments in their Order Meditation is a vigorous antidote against sin It is rare physick to purge away or prevent that poyson Most sin for want of meditation There are two great snares which take most The first adtage of meditation men and intangle them in sin viz. Ignorance and Incogitancy when we either not know our danger or not consider our duty Men certainly would not be so brutishly sensual as they are if they did seriously weigh things in the ballance by solemn and holy meditation If they did meditate on the strength of Gods Arme on the strictness of Gods Justice Exod. 15. 16. on the consuming power of his Wrath if they seriously considered how infinitely evil sin is how much it Nehem. 9. 33. affronted Divine Purity and broke in pieces Divine Laws Heb. 12. 29. how exceedingly it endangered the soul and how deeply it Psal 5. 3. wounded the conscience surely men would flee all appearances 1 Joh. 3. 4. of evil and repulse a temptation in its first onset It is sin which puts a worm into Conscience a sting into Death 1 The● 5. 22. a curse into the Law and fire into Hell Men meditate not Rom. 2. 15. on these things and so they are entangled in the snare Holy meditation is a golden shield against the darts of sinfull temptations In this case meditation would be as the Angels Judg. 22. 23. sword to stop us in our sinfull cariere and to strike us into clammy sweats and heavy damps that we should not sport our selves in the wayes and traverses of sin and provocation Joseph's meditation on Gods presence and omnipotency Gen. 39. 9. Josephus circumseptus fui● pulcherrimarum virtutum choro quarum hortatu victor evasit spoyled the design of his Mistris her dalliance and kept him within the limits of holiness and chastity Meditation makes the heart like we● tinder it will not take the Devils fire In a word it is strange rashness in men that they will be taken in the ambushes of sin before they seriously meditate on what they are going about Holy meditation keeps vain and foolish thoughts out of the heart it prepossesseth the soul that frivolous imaginations The second advantage of meditation tions are wholly shut out God complains of the people of Israel that they were wholly taken up with vain thoughts Jer. 4. 14. Jer. 4. 14. And so it is with most men their minds are filled with froth and vanity and varieties of foolish thoughts croud in upon them as flyes swarm to the place where the honey lies and those incautelous persons consider not that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost sin begins at the thoughts which are the first plotters and contrivers of all evil the heart is the womb whereall sin is conceived and framed and outward acts onely midwife the sinfull birth into the world and make it visible The mind and fancy is the stage where sin is first acted The malicious O quàm vanae sunt hominum cogitationes una cogitatio foelix est cogitare de domino Hieron in Psal man acts over his sin in his thoughts he plots his revenge the impure person acts over his concupiscence in his thoughts he contrives his lust And it is much to be deplored how much wickedness is committed in the chambers of our thoughts Now meditation on things Divine the Purity of God the Promises of God would be a Soveraign means to exite and banish such vain and flatulent thoughts Hierome 2 Cor. 7. 1. cries out How vain are the thoughts of men there is but one thought considerable and that is to think on God If David had carried the Book of the Law about him and meditated 2 Sam. 11. 2. on it