Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	law_n	lord_n	read_v	2,876	5	6.3934	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25212	Melius inquirendum, or, A sober inquirie into the reasonings of the Serious inquirie wherein the inquirers cavils against the principles, his calumnies against the preachings and practises of the non-conformists are examined, and refelled, and St. Augustine, the synod of Dort and the Articles of the Church of England in the Quinquarticular points, vindicated.	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.; G. W.	1678 (1678)	Wing A2914; ESTC R10483	348,872	332

spur up and quicken the lazy Priests and Levites to their duty and yet no power to create them a duty He had power to punish Church-men to restrain the exorbitances of the Clergy and for Male-administration to cashiere them nay to order the High-priest himself if he proved factious seditious or Rebellious and endeavoured any Alteration of the Theocracy either in Church or State but he had no power to make New administrations He had a power to restore the corrupted worship to it's primitive integrity but he had no power to institute Worship and therefore it 's more then Ridiculous to Argue from a Power to such a power § 2. He pretended to prove That the Magistrate in Determining these circumstantials did not exceed his Commission and his medium is from the Iewish Magistrate Now his proper di●… and easy way to have evinced that the Iewish Magistrate had this power had been to have exemplifyed the Commission it self and not stand trifling with Matter of fact to prove Matter of right especially seeing that the Commission is upon Record and many doubts in Law will arise from the fact as whether what was done was done jure and if jure then Quo jure Now for the Commission from him by whom Kings reign it was ready drawn of old only a blanck left to insert the Name of that particular Person whom God immediately or by ●…cession should chuse 17. Deut. 18. 19. 20. It shall be when he 〈◊〉 upon the Throne of the Kingdom that he shall write him a Copy of this Law in a book out of that which is before the Priests and Levites and it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of this Law and those statutes to do them that his heart be not lifted up above his Brethren that he turn not aside from the Commandement to the right hand or to the left to the end he may prolong his days in the Kingdom he and his children in the midst of Israel from whence 't is evident that though the Israelites were for some time in their minority govern'd by Judges yet when their Nation should grow up to it's greatest perfection God would then bestow upon them ●…he most perfect form of Government viz. Monarchy and in the most perfect manner continue it viz. by succession not impeaching his own prerogative to alter either the form or the time but with a Negative upon any or all the people so is it as plain that God fyes up his Prince to Govern by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Deuteronomy à Copy of the Laws and statutes Morel and positive without turning to the right hand or the left in excess or defect mangling or mending Gods Laws Allowing to himself still a power to vary but not to them save by his Direction § 3. This great proof for the Magistrates power over the Circumstantials of Religion is fetcht from the Magistrates power i●… the Iewish Commonwealth He that is so severe upon the Nonconformists that they are Iudaizers if they argue but a fortiori from Moses to Christ now takes his greatest proof from David to the Christian King and though it be scandalous for them to Reason from that Topick in Doctrinals yet is safe and honourable for himself to Reason thence in Politicals and Ceremonials his instances come now to be considered § 1. David as I shewed before altered somethings and instituted others in the Temple worship That 's his instance And David as I proved before altered nothing instituted nothing without special Direction from God that 's my answer which special warrant when it shall be produced for any Alterations of or Additions to Christs institutions under the Gospel they shall by me be most Cordially embraced § 2. Hezekiah says he without a Scripture for it broke the Braze●… Serpent to pieces though it was a Symbolical Ceremony of Gods own Iustitution Oh but if Hezekiah had set up one braz●… Serpent as a Symbolical Ceremony without Gods institution it had been more to his purpose then if he had broken a hundred Let him take these few things along with him and then make the best he can of his instance 1. If Hezekiah needed no Scripture warrant to destroy an old Antiquated Institution of God because it had been and still was abused to Idolatry much more may a Christian Prince without further Scripture warrant abolish such Symbolical Ceremonies as being originally the meer inventions of men have been and still are abused to the most fowle Idolatry and grossest superstition that ever was in the world 2. Let the Enquirer recollect himself a little He undertook to prove that Princes have power to set up Ceremonies and his instance proves only thus much that they have power to pluck them down 3. Hezekiah needed no Scripture to empower him to destroy the brazen Serpent because it was then no institution of God It had been once indeed a temporary appointment of God but the ceasing of the End was the Determination of the use when it 's sacred Relation ceased it was of no more value in Gods account when Hezekiah broke it then so much Brass 'T is not true therefore that Hezekiah broke in pieces the brazen Serpent though it was but though it had been for●…rly an institution of God He did not make it but declare it to be Nchushtan an old Relique made a New Idol and now served as it deserved 4. I do not understand that the brazen Serpent was a Symbolical Ceremony what grace what duty did it signify A type it was to direct their faith to Christ fot that time to expect the healing of their souls from him but the visible service was only to heal their bodies stung with the firy Serpents 3. John 14. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up 5. Hezekiah had Scriptures more then one not only to enable but Command him to do it He needed no new Authority but new wisdom to Apply al●…s old general Command to a particular case If the Enquirer could but shew as much Scriputre warrant for the setting up one Ceremony as Hezekiah had for destroying a thousand Idols he would think himself a jolly fellow I might urge his Authority from the second Commandement where God declares himself a jealous God in the Matter of instituted worship and how many following generations might smart for the prevarication in that particular he well knew There might have been a Drachm of the brazen Serpent as well as an Ounce of the Golden Calf in their subsequent calamities if he that was Custos utri●…sque Tabulae and now had not his name for nothing had not testifyed against that abomination But I shall crave leave to Remember him of the incomparable Huge who upon this fact of Hezekiah thus Egregium Documentum Regibus at quamvis

suppose the things controverted though Lawful in their abstracted natures and what actions are not so yet to be really unlawful in their use upon a just ballancing of all Circumstances for we conceive many things Lawful out of worship which in worship are not so Many things Lawful when used without offence which are otherwise when they give offence to the weak Many things Lawful when Conscience is satisfied which are not so under it 's real dissatisfactions many things Lawful to be used under the power of which 't is sinful to be brought 2. We say not that Conscience makes a nullity in the Law but that under present Circumstances it will not suffer us to act But if we had said so we might perhaps have drunk in the Delusion from his own words so lately quoted Some higher Law of God or Reason by which my Conscience is guided hath in that case made a nullity in the Law of the Magistrate 3. His Reason Because s●…n is a Transgression of the Law Applied to the Law of God is true but when applied to the Law of Man is not of universal Truth sor neither is the transgression of a humane Law always a s●…n Nor at any time is it the formal Reason of sin but because such transgression of the humane Law transgresses some particular Law of God or at least that General Law to obey where we ought to do 2 His second Enquiry is What is a Tender Conscience And here that nothing sacred might escap●… the pe●…ulancy of Priviledged Drolery he is in a Rapture of facetiousness and makes fine spout with poor Tender Conscience When Iosiah that great Pattern of all Royal virtues the great instance of ripe Grace in green years had heard the book of the Law read with those dreadful comminations thundred out against prevarication in that holy Law and had duly consider'd how his people had incurred the menaces by violating the praecepts thereof he rent his cloaths and went to Enquire of the Lord. who gives him this Answer Because thy heart was Tender and thou hast humbled thy self I also have heard thee saith the Lord 2. Kin. 22. 19. Wisdom it self has taught us That the man is happy that feareth always but he that hardens himself shall fall into mischief 28. Prov. 14. They that know the World is thick sown with snares and those snares baited with suitable temptations will see Reason to walk very cautelously towards the world and to maintain a Godly jealousy over themselves least they be surprized with the deceitfulness of sin But there are a daring sort of jolly Adventurers that fear no colours that will come up to the mouth of a Canon that neither regard Gods threatnings or warnings the Devils stratagems or the Ambuscadoes of the flesh but being fool-hardy make a mock of sin and all preciseness about it who think it a piece of gallantry to dance on the brink of that praecipice that hangs over the bottomless pit and can find no fitter essays of their valour and skill then how to come within a hairs-breadth of Hell and yet not tumble in And these are the men that fall into mischief This tenderness of heart being of so great price in the sight of God we must expect it will not escape long the severe lashes of virulent spirits but it will be difficult to persecute a thing so innocent before it be exposed and therefore they advise themselves from Amnon's example who first defiled and then reviled his Sister Tamar A tender Conscience saith this Compassionate Enquirer is nothing but either an ignorant or uninstructed mind or a sickly melancholy and superstitious understanding which he might more concisely have described without this vast expense of words A tender Conscienced person is one that has a soft place in 's Head or had he but spoke in plain English as he did in the Definition of Conscience He is a most profound Coxcomb They who preach this Doctrine to the World might with the same labour and almost equal honesty preach God out of the World for whoever would dethrone God from the heart discovers but an impotent Ambition to pluck him down from his throne in Heaven But when they have run through all their vain methods to excusse his soveraignty God will maintain to himself an Authority in the Conscience Nay this will destroy the Magistrates power also in a while for whose sake the Contrivance is pretended for when subjects are once instructed so far to debauch conscience that though we judge an action sinful yet we may do it it will lead to this easy inference that though we judge the Magistrates Commands Lawful yet we may disobey them for as we say when men have got a hole in their hearts one concern will drop through after another without regret When the Italians would call any one Fool with an Emphasis they say He is a Christian Hence forwards when the Devil would shame his modester Servants from cowardise in sinning he has a nickname for them these are your men of tender Consciences And that which has been a Holy Engine of Gods wisdom to secure from sin shall now become the Devils Machine to flish raw novices in it That a tender Conscience is a good Conscience has been hetherto presumed by all our Divines and I never met with a Collect in the Liturgy of any Church that taught us to pray from the great plague of a tender Conscience Good Lord deliver us which yet if it be so great a judgment we may presume they would have done But the Enquirer is of another judgment and perhaps may proselite us with his Reasons 1. Reason Tenderness cannot be taken in the same Latitude with a good Conscience every good man has such a tenderness as to be affraid of sin and to decline the occasions of it If this argument has any strength in it it must be because every good man is a Fool But why I pray cannot a good and a tender Conscience meet in every good man Oh the Reason is this It would be too arrogant and presumptuous for those that plead the tenderness of their Consciences to suppose themselves the only men that make Conscience of what they do But if a tender Conscience be a good Conscience it will be nevertheless good because some unjustly pretend to it or others unjustly revile it Dissenters do not suppose themselves the only men that make a Conscience of what they do It suffices them to enjoy the peace of their own without daring to judge other mens Consciences 2. Reason Because says he Then the contrary to it must be a brawny Conscience Well! what hurt is there in that Soft and hard tender and call●…us sensible and brawny have been opposed before this dispute began a heart of stone is opposed to a heart of flesh and would it not be a way of Reasoning well-becoming a Rhethorician to argue a heart of flesh cannot possibly be a good heart the contrary