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	bring_v	moses_n	230	3	7.3611	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80396	A pattern of mercy. Opened in a sermon at St. Pauls, before the Right Honorable, the Lord Mayor, and the Lord General Monck: February 12. 1659. / By Tobias Conyers, minister at St. Ethelberts, London.	Conyers, Tobias, 1628-1687.	1660 (1660)	Wing C5994; Thomason E774_8; ESTC R207295	28,966	47

punishment of Blasphemy To hoth which good Reader I shall crave the leave both to explain my self and give my Reasons 1. For the general and natural tendency of my Sermon I think it was for Peace Love Mercy and Unity and if any thing otherwise either hath or shall ensue upon it it is absolutely contrary to its primitive intention I am indeed till I see reason for the contrary very much perswaded of the equity and reasonableness of suffering with lenity and moderation all those that dissent in Religion provided they trample not upon Authoritie make no breach upon the civil peace offer no violence or dishonor unto those who are different in their perswasions from them Here I take shelter under the great St. Austin who writing to Proculianus the Donatist acknowledgeth That such as err from the Truth must be drawn home by mild instruction and not by cruel enforcement When Bishop Itacius as my Author informs me had put to death Priscilian and divers of his Followers Anno 383 he was first condemned for that bloodie act by Theognistus and St. Ambrose afterwards meeting some Bishops at Triers that had partaken with Itacius in his bloodie execution refused to have any Communion with them Neither do I think can it be made appear that the Councils of Nice Calcedon or Constantinople made use of any other weapons against the Arrians Nestorians Macedonians but the Word of God And my same Author brings in Thuanus proaem in Histo p. 5. a Romanist challenging all the world to shew him any approved euample in all the Monuments of Antiquitie of any execution done upon the Opinionists of those times but that the Church of God did alwaies abhor the shedding of blood in matters that meerly concern'd Religion To denie unto men the exercise of their Religion provided as before they keep the civil peace is that which neither the Pole nor the French denie unto the Hugonets the Sectaries of those parts That the Church of Rome should impose in matters of Religion is so far rational that she doth pretend to an high infallibilitie but why one Minister should impose upon another one Protestant upon another when neither the one or the other does so much as pretend to infallibillity for the present I see not and should be glad that any person of piety and learning would give me sober reasons of Conviction In particular concerning that distinction which I gave twixt goodness and mercie in God for which some took occasion boldly to aver That I denied the Attributes of God whoever they were they fulfilled the old saying Fortiter calumniare aliquid adhaeretis and I hope I shall wipe off both the dirt and the stain by denying it I will not disparage the Auditory at Pauls so far as to make any other explanation then what I then made and to which I refer the Reader as it is truly transcribed and printed for when we said that God could not be merciful till the creature sin and misery opened a door thereunto we spake of mercy in actu exercito in the exrcise and practice thereof and in this sense onely it seemeth distinguishable from goodness and in all other respects identified and made one with it for mercy it is elicit and drawn forth of goodness by the consideration of want and misery In the second and last place That which was most excepted against and which hath opened the mouths of so many men against me was that one Expression That I could subscribe to punish Blasphemy according to the Judaical Law if there were any person to be found who could infallibly determine it This is all that was spoken more 〈◊〉 less upon this Subject and what grounds there may be for it thou shalt judge 1. Consider that at that time when this Law was put in execution against Blasphemers the Jews that were entrusted therewith were such as had an immediate and consequently infallible Direction in all difficult and important Cases from God himselfe and therefore could not swerve in the Administration of Judgement unless they would directly oppose the plain and positive Determination of God himself but since we cannot expect any such immediate Direction or Determination in an Affair of this importance whether we ought to put any such Law in execution ought to be the subject of our serious thoughts and inquiry 2. It is worth our consideration how the Jews made the ordinary and common naming of Jehovah to be blasphemous and punishable by death judging it warrantable from the Letter of that Text Lev. 24. 11. And the Israelitish Womans Son blasphemed the Name of the Lord it is in the Septua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And naming the Name of the Lord cursed And Ver. 16. without the explication or addition of cursing or execration it s said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that meth the Name of the Lord shall surely be put to death though our translation hath it He that blasphemeth the Name of the Lord shal surely be put to death Now I submit it to the Judgements of the Wise how difficult it is to state the Nature of Blasphemy how high or how far the Expression must go to bring the person in danger of this Law and how requisite it was even for the Elders of the Congregation to put the Offender in Ward as they used to do till the mind of God was known concerning this thing 3. The Law against Blasphemie seemeth to be much of the same kind with that equally severe against presumptuous Sins Numb 15. 30. But the soul that doth ought presumptuously whether he be born in the Land or a Stranger the same reprocheth the Lord that Soul shal utterly be cut off i. e. Punished with death An Instance is there given Ver. 32. They found a man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath-day and they brought him unto Moses and Aaron and unto all the Congregation and they put him in Ward because it was not declared what should be done unto him We observe 1. There was an Atonement to be made for sins of Ignorance but sins of Presumption were to be punished by Death 2. Presumption or as ihe Septuagint reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sin with an hand of pride is such a sin that cannot be judged of accurately and distinctly by any save God onely men may guess but it belongs unto God to pass a definitive Sentence The man was brought into just suspition that had gathered sticks on the Sabbath-day but how far God would interpret it presumptuous neither Moses nor the Congregation could determine Therefore they put him in Ward till they knew the mind of God Observe Christian Reader that the Enquirie which they made at the mouth of God seems not to be concerning the Punishment for that was determined before The soul that doth ought presumptuously shall be cut off but concerning the Sin how far God would interpret it presumptuous and within the Cognizance of his own Law Hence I