Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	aaron_n	appear_v	moses_n	75	3	7.3023	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85088	Two treatises The first, concerning reproaching & censure: the second, an answer to Mr Serjeant's Sure-footing. To which are annexed three sermons preached upon several occasions, and very useful for these times. By the late learned and reverend William Falkner, D.D.	Falkner, William, d. 1682.; Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.; Sturt, John, 1658-1730, engraver.	1684 (1684)	Wing F335B; ESTC R230997	434,176	626

these persons nor can lay any thing to their charge And these several sorts of men make up so great a number that it was the complaint of an ancient and pious Bishop of considerable note (b) Paulin ad Celant inter Epist Hieronymi 14. that there were very few men who had forsaken this vice and concerning those from whom better might be expected he adds that even they who had gone far off from other vices fall into this as into the last snare of the Devil 3. But since this hath respect to the actions and practices of men we may best discover how largely this evil is propagated by observing particular instances of fact and none can be given more considerable than that which concerneth our blessed Saviour Wherefore I shall now enquire Who they were by whom he and other worthy men were reviled 4. Yet 1. It is odious to the best of men Now First He was not reviled but reverenced by the best and most holy men who observed and obeyed the true rules of Religion These rendred unto him that honour and glory which was due to the Son of God the Messias and Mediator of the New Testament and the Saviour of the World And indeed all rash evil speaking and reproaching especially against those who deserve to be highly esteemed and honoured is much opposite to the reason and conscience of man and more especially to the true Christian temper and both that charity and that honesty and integrity which it so much requires It is also greatly contrary to the motions of the Holy Spirit of God who disposeth good men to the performance of these Christian duties Hence the Apostle having commanded that men grieve not the Holy Spirit of God Eph. 4.30 31. adds Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil-speaking be put away from among you with all malice Slandering and reproaching are of the evil one and it is part of the character of those worst sort of men described by S. Jude that they are murmurers complainers walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaketh great swelling words But meekness patience humility and charity are such great and necessary duties that those who are sincerely good apply themselves to the practice of them And uncharitable speaking hath such a contradiction to these and such like duties that it is very distastful and odious to the spirits of such pious men who have duly considered the evil of it S. Austin professed such an earnest and constant dislike hereof that as (c) Pos d. de Vit. Aug c. 22. Posidonius relates he had contra pestilentiam humanae consuetudinis against the plague or pest of the custome of men in their converse these two Verses inscribed upon his table Quisquis amat dictis absentum rodere vitam Hanc mensam indignam noverit esse sibi That is Whosoever pleaseth himself to use biting words against the lives of absent persons let him know that this table is no fit place for his society And the same Writer tells us that he would not with patience hear any man speak contrary to this rule of free and familiar conversation The best men are not only perfect strangers from but enemies to this vicious practice and every Christian man ought watchfully to take heed of it and if at any time he be surprized and overtaken thereby he so far departs from the rules of his Religion and makes himself work for a future repentance 6. But Secondly 2. It is frequently entertained by the publick vogue of the multitude The common vogue may frequently pass severe censures upon the best of men Even the Holy Jesus was reviled and evil spoken of by the generality of the Jewish Nation It is true that manifest and open vice is a thing so shameful and so contrary to the common sentiments of reason and conscience that it is in all places a blemish to any mans reputation and a just matter of general censure And vertue and goodness considered in the notion of it and in the practice also when rightly understood go under a general commendation and applause But yet such are oft-times the common mistakes of the multitude concerning persons that the best men fall under a suspicion amongst them of harbouring some secret evil design and men of the greatest integrity and simplicity are charged with being the contrivers of danger and mischief by the publick voice and clamour of the people And it is no hard thing for subtil ill-designing men or for those who are themselves jealous to promote these misapprehensions amongst others Even the useful undertakings which wise and good men prudently manage with the greatest integrity are oft-times strangely misunderstood and the intent of them strangely misrepresented to the common esteem of men This was so much observed by Socrates that he declared as Xenophon tells us (d) Xenoph. 2. Memor that it is no easie thing to undertake any work to wit of a publick and useful concern without undergoing blame because it is no easie thing to be every where free from real fault or to meet with equal judges where they are so 7. it is the more mischievous by reason of its spreading infection And there are very many instances wherein the greater part of the people have been guilty in this particular of judging speaking and acting against their duty and in divers of them Gods displeasure was remarkably manifest Thus did the Jews with united votes and clamour engage against our Lord. Nor was this only the carriage of the meanest sort of men who might be thought more rash and inconsiderate but even their Elders and chief rulers and the whole Jewish Sanhedrin was of this temper and spirit And though this gave encouragement unto others it was not the better for them but the worse that this sin prevailed so universally for hence proceeded the ruine and misery of the Jewish Nation to this day and the forfeiture also of their relation (e) Cypr. Ep. 69. to God to Christ and to his Church And when after the death of Corah even all the Congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron Numb 16.41 this occasioned a dreadful Plague And before this the general discontent against the Conduct of Moses which appeared in all the Children of Israel who resolved to chuse themselves a new Governour and to return back to Egypt Numb 14.4 at the time when they who searched the land of Canaan brought an evil report upon it did provoke God to resolve that they should all die in the Wilderness 8. But in such cases as these every good man ought to have that generous and couragious spirit as not to be daunted or moved even with publick censure And he must esteem his approving himself to God and having the testimony of his own conscience to his integrity to be of more value than the flattering applauses of the greatest numbers of men It was excellently spoken by

denounced against by the laws of civil Societies and inflicted upon such offenders in many civil Societies this carrying so great an opposition to the laws of nature and the publick quiet and good of the World Lipsius (p) Lipsius in Orat. de Calumnia tells us that the Athenians imposed a pecuniary penalty upon such offenders and that the ancient Romans set a mark upon the forehead of him who was guilty of this crime with the letter K. If this was so I do not doubt but this letter K was to signifie Kalumnia or Kalumniator Calumnia being one of the three words which are noted by (q) Scalig. Animadv in Euseb Chronol p. 114. Scaliger to have been only written with K. and not with C. in the most ancient use of the Latin tongue And this was a publick declaration that the Reproacher or Calumniator deserved to be openly marked out and branded for an infamous person 21. But since a great part of mankind have had as great an esteem for their good name as for their lives in the ancient famous Laws of the (r) Duodec Tabul Fragment Tit. 25 n. 3. twelve tables it is declared that though very few crimes were by those laws punished with death yet the reproaching and defaming others was thereby made a capital offence And in the ancient laws of the Empire this is related to have been sometimes punished with stripes and sometimes by making the person Intestabilis or one who by the law was not permitted to make any Testament to dispose of his goods at his death But by the Constitution of (s) Cod. l. 9. Tit. 36. leg unic Valentinian and Valens both he who is the author of a Calumny and he also who casually findeth a libel and divulgeth it seem guilty of death to wit where the calumny is some great matter of defamation And I above noted that this offence was sometimes capital amongst the (t) n. 14. Jews To this I shall add the consideration of S. Chrysostome concerning the dangers of reproaching Superiors with respect to what God established and effected under the Mosaical Dispensation He considers (u) Hom. 2. in illud Salutate Priscillam Aquilam that if he who reviled his Father or Mother must die the death Exod. 21.17 Lev. 20.9 how severe a punishment must he deserve who doth this to his Spiritual Father And when he had mentioned the dismal misery which befel Corah and his Company for speaking against Moses and Aaron he then considers the case of Miriam Miriam with Aaron had reproached Moses because of the Aethiopian Woman by Gods judgment in this world which he had Married Num. 12.1 with other expressions of contempt And for this cause Gods wrath was kindled against her and by the hand of God she was smitten with leprosie and must be put out of the Camp of Israel and bear her shame And as S. Chrysostome observes this punishment for this offence could not be avoided though Moses prayed and fell down before God on her behalf yea though she was Moses his own Sister and the person as he goes on who preserved the life of Moses calling his Mother to nurse him and led the women in their praises Exod. 15. as Moses did the men 22. But the inflicting the eternal judgment of God and his severe wrath in another world is far more dreadful than any temporal penalty and in the world to come And since the most High God is infinitely righteous in all his laws threatnings and judgments whatsoever he sets himself against and wheresoever he executes his fierce anger it gives manifest evidence that that which provokes him so to do must be greatly evil as well as dangerous And it is necessary to abhor and avoid those things which expose to the divine vengeance which is utterly intolerable Now that the punishment of those who yield themselves to this sin of evil speaking will be very sad may appear by two Considerations 23. First By taking a review of it The several sins contained in it are all destructive and observing the danger of every one of the several sins above mentioned which are contained under this of reproaching and therefore what the sad consequence must be of all these meeting together Doth it oppose the great and necessary duty of love He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death 1 Joh. 3.14 Doth it include a breach of the fifth Commandment and an opposition against our Governours when it hath respect to them they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13.2 Is the violation of the sixth Commandment included in it When S. John had said He that hateth his Brother is a murderer he immediately adds and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him 1 Joh. 3.15 Doth the reproacher speaking against charity usually exceed the bounds of truth all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 21.8 And among the eight sorts of lies reckoned up and of all them condemned by (w) de Mendac ad Cons c. 14 21. S. Austin this which is altogether pernicious or hurtful to another is the highest except that one of lying concerning the Faith and Doctrine of Religion Is this sin a practice of unrighteousness the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 Is it a yielding to passion and an opposing peace and meekness they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Gal. 5.21 24. Now if the summ of all these particulars be cast up and put together it will amount to thus much even the treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath And it will be hence manifest that they who indulge themselves in this sin do put several bars to shut out themselves from the Kingdom of Heaven When our Saviour had said to the young man Mat. 19.17 If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments and was again asked which Commandments he must keep among six which our Lord expressed as necessary for him to observe that he might have eternal life these are four Thou shalt do no murder Thou shalt not bear false witness Honour thy Father and thy Mother and Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And I have above shewed that in this sin of evil speaking especially when it is directed against Superiors there is a transgressing all these four precepts 25. Secondly By considering the severe punishment particularly denounced against or inflicted upon the practisers of this sin I have above noted divers instances of Gods heavy Judgments expressed in the Scripture as the sad calamity which came upon our first Parents and all their Posterity for their hearkening to and entertaining the reproach and evil suggestion of the Serpent the dismal punishment of Corah and his complices for their speaking against Moses and Aaron and other such like And the Author under (x) ad fratres in