Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	cause_n	great_a	sin_n	4,172	5	4.8426	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11600	The ministers portion· By William Sclater. Batchelar of Diuinity and minister of the word of God at Pitmister in Somerset	Sclater, William, 1575-1626.	1612 (1612)	STC 21841; ESTC S116822	29,708	56

a loathnesse to bee informed or obfirmation against all perswasions Yet let vs attempt who knows whither the Lord may be pleased f Act 16 14. to open the heart if but of one Lydia to attend to the things which are spoken Consider therefore I beseech you even in the bowels of Christ Iesus first the hainousnesse of this sinne of sacriledge They erre in g Zanch. de vitiis exter Cult opposit Thesi 3● Zāchies iudgement that make sacriledge only a branch of theft and breach of the eighth precept yea rather it is a species of irreligion Heare his reasons For whence proceedes it but from contempt of holy things manifest vnreverence towards God himselfe wherefore steales any man things separate to preserue the ministerie but because he contemnes the whole Ministery yea God himselfe to whose worshippe they are consecrated And wherevnto tendes such fraudulent or violent praying vpon holy things but to the vtter overthrow of all religion Sathan knowes well Gods outwarde worship cannot be continued without the Ministerie nor the Ministery without Ministers nor Ministers without Church goods and therefore provokes hee Tyrants and profane men to invade the Churches possessions that by that meanes he may hinder if not wholly overthrowe the state of religion To this purpose Zanchius Shall I adde one other reason The rather because I see men thinke of this theft even those that thinke worst but as of thefts from men they rob not God but Ministers if any while they detaine tithes or other things hallowed Now let them consider that the dominion and propertie of all things hallowed is Gods and such consecration giues him seizure of them in see the vse only is the Ministers h Polan in Ezech 48.14 Quae sanctificata sunt Domino non sunt eorum quibus data sunt sed eius cuius nomine possidentur Things hallowed to God are not so much theirs to whom they are given as Gods in whose title they are possessed Therefore saith the Lord to the Israelites detaining tithes from the Levits Yee i Mal. 3. haue robbed not Levi whose they are in vse but ME in whom is the property and dominion Need any more reasons then the enormity of the sinne Heare then 2 the detestation wherein in al times amongst all men christians or heathen this sin was holden To omit the bitter invectiues every where obvious consider the punishments appointed for the sacrilegious k Cent. 9. cap. 1. Charles the great in his time made this decree that whosoever should invade or waste or by any cunning meanes presume to alienate the goods of the church he should legally be punished by the Iudges as an homicide or sacrilegious theefe excommunicated by the Bishops deprived of burial yea as if his almes were infectious or accursed none must receiue it Amongst the heathen no tortures were thought sufficient for this sin l Lactant. de orig Error c. 3 scourgings burnings rackings hangings any thing whatsoever their furie could devise to inflict m Plutarch de his qui serò a numine puniūtur At Delphos they vsed to cast them headlong from a rocke which they called Hyampeia The Aethiopians had an herb they called Ophiusa as of vnpleasing aspect so of farre more dangerous effect taken into the body It so affrighted with phantasmes of dreadfull serpents that such as drāk it made away themselues n Plin. hist nat lib. 26. cap. 17. Obid saith Pliny cogebantur sacrilegi illam bibere for that cause were church robbers forced to drinke it Amongst our selues breaking vp of churches stealing the least trifle aggravates the theft makes the offender culpable of death If the Philosopher were now aliue would he not laugh at the spectacle To see the great theeues lead the smaller to the gallows How is it a sin more hainous to violate a temple then to alienate Church maintenance from the worship of God 3. If none of these moue oh yet let the blood of so manie soules perishing by this if not as a cause yet as a greate occasiō waken vs. Many motions I haue heard of made for a learned ministery that every congregation might haue o Ier. 3.15 a past or to feed them with knowledge and vnderstāding For my part I say as p Gal. 5.12 Paule in another case vtinā excindantur I would they were cut off that hinder it But amongst all how is it that the point of maintenance comes not to be consulted It were to be wished that the Apostolique zeale burnt now in Ministers that rather then soules should starue they would freely giue what they haue freely receaved But hee was q Perkins in Iob. 33. 23. an holie man that said men are men and must be allured by such arguments as may prevaile even with flesh and blood It was Gods great wisdome in the creation first to provide food before he made the Animal creatures And it 's ashame to the Church in the daies of peace to see men of best gifts therefore divert their studies to other arts because the ministery affords not maintenance for our Church most where Gods allowance is so liberall were it not that sacrilege did intercept it 4 May J not adde the mischiefe temporall it hath brought vpon the land Complaints are frequent amongst our people against inclosures the decayers they say of husbandry by which saith Salomon even kings are maintained I dare say that peculatus if J may so tearme it hath not beene more hurtfull this way then hath this sacrilege Cornefields were wont to laugh in our Gentlemens now pastures but tithes seeme more compendious to the ground of housekeeping then the toilesome tediousnesse of tilling the earth And scarfe a great man now adaies though but niggardly hospitall that can keep open dores without a Parsonage It were wel me thinkes amongst so many delicates they would once in their liues eate one morcel of their own bread Lastly if these perswade not yet let that terrour of the Lord prevaile with vs r Prov. 20.25 It s a curse saith Salomon to devoure holy things a cursed practise that brings downe Gods vengeance vpon the sacrilegious Examples we haue seene many and read of more even kings themselues haue not gone vnpunished The ſ Zech. 5.4 flying booke of Gods vengance Enter saith Zecherie into the house of the theefe and consumes it with the timber and the stones thereof leaues scarse a monument where hee hath beene Is God thus sharpe against petite thefts and will he leaue sacrilege vnavenged Search records divine humane where findest thou a rob-God without his vengance obserue these sacrilegious amongst our selues it s much if they prosper to the fourth generatiō much though God be much in sparing if hee either leaue not them childlesse or their children gracelesse by one meanes or other makes them not vomit those morsels of holy things that they haue devoured Tithes with lay men are as the