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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	law_n	moses_n	sin_n	8,417	5	5.8287	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40658	Two sermons the first, Comfort in calamitie, teaching to live well, the other, The grand assizes, minding to dye well / by Thomas Fuller ...	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.	1654 (1654)	Wing F2420; Wing F2476; ESTC R210330	100,765	342

anciently the Grec●ans and Romans and at this day the Persians and Chinois have scoured over the dimme inscription of the Morall Law that it appeareth plaine unto them Such were Socrates the Pagan Martyr put to death for asserting one God Diogenes the Heathen Hermite Plato their Moses who saw the back parts of God in the Doctrine of his Id●●'s Regulus their Abraham so famous for his Faith though but a Morall one kept with the Carthaginians Titus Vespasian their Iosiah who wept at the consideration of the sinnes of the Iewes and Gods seve●itie at the sacking of the Temple in Ierusalem Verily I say unto you I have not found so much civill performance no not amongst many professing themselves to be Christians Such wise Soveraignes such loyall Subjects such valiant Generalls such ●orthie Souldiers such loving Husbands such dutifull Wives such provident Pare●ts such obedient Children such equall Masters such faithfull Servants such constant Friends such courteous Neighbours that they discharged all Morall Relations to the admiration yea envie of all Beholders Yet even the best of these in the strictnesse of Gods Justice may be condemned when the Bookes are opened For grant that in some particular actions they may be said morally to supererogate even over-doing in goodnesse what was required at their hands yet in other things they were defe●tive and fell short of the just measure of Gods Commands according to the Morall Light manifested unto them That servant doth not his Masters will who being commanded to shut all the doores in the house doth latch bolt lock barre and barricado up one or two of them leaving the rest standing open So though some of these Heathens may seeme in some particular acts to surpasse themselves and to be better then the Law enjoyneth them yet in other things they were deficient and justly condemnable for the same seeing Gods finall Sentence shall be passed not according to some eminent performance of persons but according to the constant drift scope purpose and tenour of their conversations Besides some grand Vices though not so visible to humane eyes infected the transcendiaries of their highest atchievements First V●ine-glory and Popular Applause the Pole-St●rres by which they steered all their actions Had Pride been the Weapon whereat a Duel had been fought betwixt Alexander and Diogenes probably the Conqueror of the World had been worsted by a poore Philosopher Secondly Hypocrisie set a Tincture and Dye on all their Actions Who hath more golden Sentences then Seneca against the Contempt of Gold Yet if Tacitus and other of his Contemporaries may be credited none more Rich none more Covetous then he as if out of Designe he had perswaded others to cast away their Money that he himselfe might come and gather it up againe Thus these Heathens for ought we can finde in Scripture are left in a d●mnable but farre be it from me to say in a damned condition When men of my Profession were formerly admitted into the Commission of the Peace it was fashionable for them to goe off the Bench at the Assizes after the Iurie had Cast and before the Judge did pronounce the Sentence of Condemnation on Malefactors To shew that we of the Clergi● ought to be Men of Mercie taking no delight in the sad though necessarie part of Punitive Justice Give me leave so farre to remember this ancient Custome that I may make an improvement thereof for the present occasion We finde these Heathen men Cast by the Verdict of the Scriptures let my Sermon therefore depart in silence and proceed no further in this Point as to any determining of their finall condition When Haman Esther 7. 8. fell into the displeasure of King Ahasuerus it is said they covered his face as of a man that lost himselfe at Court and no pleasing spectacle for others to behold it being a ghastly sight to looke on a though living man yet dying y●a dead favourite Let us cover the faces of these Heathen men as from any further discoursing of their condition whose sad Case may thus briefely be drawn● up They are left under the Wrath of God and weight of their sinne and without any ordinarie ●ay to a Saviour I say ordinarie I confesse it is a Gospel-Truth That in the Name of Iesu● onely Salvation is to be expected and it is a Maxime no lesse sound then generally received Extra Ecclesia●● nulla salus Out of Gods Church no hope to be saved if both be confined to common Dispensations and the regular knowne way of Gods manifesting of himselfe But how farre forth it might please God to reveal● Christ to such Heathens on their Death-beds by peculiar favour out of the Rode of hi● com●on kindnesse and how farre fo●th God as an Vniversall Creator may be pleased to indulge unto some ●minent Heathen persons is curious for man to enquire and imp●ssible to determine Leave we the● therefore to stand or fall to their owne Master onely adding this That it will be farre better at the Last Day of Iudgement for these Christian Pagans as I may terme them then for many Pagan Christians amongst us now-adayes who are worse under the Sunne-shine of Grace in the Gospel then they by the dimme Candle-light of Nature Come we now to Christians where the difficultie is the lesse to prove that they all shall be arraigned and may justly be condemned when the Bookes are ope●ed which will plainely appeare on the serious perusall of the following particulars First That to all persons living within the Pale of the Church Christ hath really and cordially sine fuco dol● without any fraud or deceit been tendred unto them under the Conditions of Faith and Repentance That whosoever beleeveth o● him should have everlasting life And this will appeare when the Bookes shall be opened Secondly that even the worst of men living under the Light of the Gospel have at one time or another their heads filled with good notions and their hearts with good motions Grace illuminating wooing and courting them as I may say to lay hold on God in his Promises on the truth whereof their owne Consciences will be deposed and so this will appeare when the Bookes are opened Thirdly that God standeth readie on mans good improvement of the aforesaid illuminating Grace though not for the merit of mans performances but for his owne meere mercie and promise sake to Crowne their Endeavours with the addition and accession of farther degrees of Grace even such as infallibly accompanie salvation For I shall never be of their Opinions who parallel Gods proceedings with those of Adonib●zek Judg. 1. 7. who put seventie Kings under his Table there to gather up Crummes which probably did very plentifully fall down unto them whereas he before-hand had taken order that their Thumbes were cut off Their Thumbes I say which alone of all the fingers are of the Quorum to the gathering or grasping of any thing and whose effectuall correspondencie with the rest of the

each of you to her mother THese words containe the continuation of Naomies returne wherein we may observe Fi●st the companie that went with her her two daughters in law Secondly the discourse she had with this companie consisting of a Precept in the Text Goe returne each of you to her mother and of a prayer in the words following Now whereas her daughters in law did not take their farewell of Naomi at the threshold of their house but went part of the way with her we gather Observation That all offices of kindnesses and courtesies ought to be betwixt the mother in law and the daughter in law I meane her sonnes Wife And yet looke into the world and ye shall commonly finde enmitie betwixt them as saith Terence in Hessera Neque declinatam mulierem reperias ab aliarum ingenio ità adeò uno omn●s animo socrus oderunt nurus And their fallings out chiefely proceed from these two causes First they contend which should have the greatest right interest in the Man who is Sonne to the one Husband to the other Iudah and Israel contested 2 Sam. 19. 43. which should have most part in King David the former claiming it because he was bone of their bone the latter pleaded they had eleven parts in him to Iudahs single share Thus mother in lawes and daughter in lawes use to fall out the mother because her sonne is flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone pleades it is right that he should side and second with her the daughter in law because he is her Husband and therefore one flesh challengeth that he should rather take her part so betwixt them they fill the Family with all discord Secondly they fall out about the managing of the matters in the Household after whose mind they should be ordered but as S. Iames said in another case Beloved these things ought not to be so both these brawles may be easily ended The first may be taken up by the wisdome and discretion of the sonne in law who ought so indifferently to poyse his affections betwixt them both with such dutifulnesse and respect to the one such love and kindnesse to the other that neither may have just cause to complaine And the second controversie may thus be decided If the mother hath the state still in her hands good reason it is she should rule the Affaires and that the daughter in law should wait till her mother in lawes naturall death hath paved the succession to the governing of the Family but if the old woman hath resigned her estate and confined her selfe to an yearely pension then ought she not to intermeddle with those matters from which she had willingly sequestred her selfe Were this observed there would not so many daughters in law rejoyce when the day of mourning for their mother in law is come some whereof say as the wicked said of David O when will she die and her name perish Now to come to the discourse she had with them Goe returne c. Where ariseth a question Whether Naomi did well in perswadiug her daughters to goe back unto Moab For the satisfaction whereof I will set downe first what may be said against secondly what may be brought for her defence Accusation Why Naomi Why didst thou quench the zeale of thy daughters which proffered themselves so willingly to goe with thee Oh rayne them not backward with disswasions but rather spurre them forward with exhortations and strive to bring them out of an Idolatrous Land to a place where Gods Worship is purely profest Say unto them Hearken O daughters and consider encline your ears forget also your Country and your own Mothers house so shall the Lord your God have pleasure in you true it is ye have a Mother in Moab but what of that care not for your Mother but care for your Maker care not for her that Conceived you but care for him that Created you tarry not with them no not so much as to expresse your last love in performing their Funeralls rather let the dead bury their dead those that are dead spiritually let them bury such as die naturally and come go ye along with me to the Land of Canaan Thus Naomi oughtest thou to have said and then hadst performed the part done the duty of a Mother if whilst thou hadst travelled with them on the way thou hadst travelled with them till God had been formed in them then shouldst thou shine as a double Sunne in heaven for saving of two souls whereas now thou art in a manner accessary to their ghostly murther in sending them back to an idolatrous Country Defence To this accusation Naomi might justly answer It is my hearts desire and prayer go God that I may be an instrument of my Daughters in laws conversion but the wisdome of the Serpent as well as the innocency of the Dove is to be used in all our actions least we draw needlesse danger upon our selves True it is my Daughters in law proffer to go with me but here is the question whether this is done out of courtesie and complement or out of singlenesse and sinceritye Now should they through my perswasions go into the Land of Canaan and there live in want and penury they will be ready to raile on me another day We may thank Naomi for all this we had plentifull provisions in our own Country but she must have us hither she by her restlesse importunitie must wring a constrained consent from us to come into Canaan all these miseries are befallen upon us through her default Yea I am affraid that finding want that they again will return into their own Country to my shame the scandall of our Religion and the deeper punishment of their own souls Wherfore without their minds would I do nothing that their going might not be as it were of necessity but willingly To which end I will put them to the touchstone to see whether their forwardnesse be faithfull or faigned sound or seeming cordiall or counterfeit I will weigh them both in the ballance hoping that neither shall be found too light Upon these Grounds learned men have acquitted Naomi from any fault in managing this matter she doing it onely with an intent to trie them Whence we may observe That Pagans that proffer themselves to become Converts are not without proof presently to be received into the Church And here we may take occasion to digresse a little to shew how Christians ought to behave themselves in the converting of Infidels First They must strive in their mutuall conversing with them to season them with a good opinion of their honesty and upright dealing otherwise their Doctrine will never be embraced whose manners are justly mislik't Secondly Having possessed them with th●s good esteem they ought as occasion is offered to instruct them in the Rudiments of Christian Religion and to begin with such as are plain and evident by the light of nature and so in due time to

them Michaiah answered As the Lord liveth whatsoever the Lord saith unto me that will I speake If they be never so deare unto us we must not follow their ●ad practice So must the sonne please him that begat him that he doe not displease him that crea●ed him so must the Wi●e follow him that married her that she doth not offend him that made her Wherefore as Samson though bound with new Co●ds ●●apt them asunder as Towe when it feeleth the fire so rather then we should be led by the lewd examples of those which be neere and deare unto us let us breake in pieces all Tyes Engagements Relations whatsoever Question Yea but one may say What if I finde in the Scripture an action recorded whose doer is knowne to have beene a godly and gracious man may I not without any further doubt or scruple follow the same Answer For the better satisfying hereof I will ranke the actions of godly men registred in the Scriptures into nine severall rankes and will shew how farre forth we may safely proceed in the imitation of them 1. We fide some actions set downe which are extraordinary the doers whereof had peculiar strength and dispensation from God to doe them Thus Samson slew himselfe and the Philistims in the Temple of Dagon Elias caused fire to descend on the two Captaines and their ●ifties Elisha cursed the Children of Be●hel Now these are recorded rather for our instruction then imitation For when the sonnes of Thunder would have been the sonnes of Lightning and have had sire from Heaven to burne the Samaritans which refused to receive our Saviour after the example of Elias Christ checked their ill-tempered Zeale and told them You know not of what spirit you are of 2. Some examples are set down which are founded in the Ceremonial Law as the eating of the Paschall Lamb the Circumcising of their Children the eight daie Now the date of these did expire at the death of Christ the substance being come the shadows are fled and therefore they may in no wise still be observed 3. Such examples as are founded in the Judicial Law which was onely calculated ●or the elevation of the Jewish Common-wealth as to put Men to death for Adulterie Now these examples tie us no farther to imitate them then they agree with the Moral Law or with those Statutes by which every particular Countrie is Governed 4. Some there be founded in no Law at all ●ut onely in an ancient custome by God tolerated and connived at as Polygamie in the Patriarks Divorces in the Iewes upon every ●light occasion from these also we must in these daies abstaine as which were never liked or allowed by God though permitted in some Persons and Ages for some speciall reasons 5. Doubtful examples which may so be termed because it is difficult to decide whether the Actors of them therein did offend or no so that should a Jurie of learned Writers be empannelled to passe their verdict upon them they would be puzled whether to condemn or acquit them and at length be forced to find it an Ig●oramus as whether David did well to dissemble himselfe frantick thereby to escape the crueltie of Achish King of Gath. Now our most advised way herein is altogether to abstain from the imitation of them because there is a deal of difficultie and danger and our judgements may easilie be deceived 6. Mixt examples which containe in them a double action the one good the other bad both so closely couched together that it is a very hard thing to sever them thus in the unjust Steward there was his wisdome to provide for himselfe and his wick●dnesse to purloyne from his Master the first God did commend we may imitate the latter he could not but loath we may not but shun In the Israelitish Midwives Exod. 1. there was fides mentis fallacia mentientis the faith of their love and the falsenesse of their lying the first God rewarded and we may follow the latter he could not but dislike and we must detest Behold here is wisdome and let the Man that hath understanding discreetly divide betwixt the Drosse and the Gold the Chaffe and the Wheat in these mixt examples that so they may practice the one eschew and avoid the other 7. Those which be absolutely bad that no charitable Comment can be fastened upon them as the drunkenness of Noah the incest of Lot the lying of Abraham the swearing of Ioseph the adulterie of David the denial of Peter Now God forbid we should imitate these farre be it from us with King Ahaz to take a pattern from the Idolatrous Altar of Damascus the Holy Spirit hath not set these sinnes down with an intent they should be followed but first to shew the frailtie of his dearest Saints when he leaves them to themselves as also to comfort us when we fall into grievous sinnes when we see that as haynous offences of Gods servants stand upon record in the Scripture 8. Actions which are only good as they are qualified with such a circumstance as Davids eating of the Shew●bread provided for the Pries●s in a case of absolute necessitie These we may follow but then we must have a speciall eye and care that the same qualifying circumstance be in us for otherwise the deed will be impious and damnable 9. Examples absolutely good as the faithfulnesse of Abr●ham the peaceablenesse of Isaac the painfulnesse of Iacob the chastitie of Ioseph the patience of Moses the valour of Ioshuah the sinceritie of D●vid these it is lawful and laudable with our best endeavours to imitate follow not the Adulterie of David but follow the chastitie of Ioseph follow not the dissembling of Peter but follow the sincerity of Nathaniel follow not the testiness of Ionah but follow the meeknesse Moses follow not the apostasie of Orpah but follow the perseverance of Ruth which cmes in the next Text to be Treated of Vers. 16 17. And Ruth answered Intreat me not to leave thee nor to depart from thee for whither thou goest I will goe and where thou dwellest I will dwell thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Where thou diest will I die and there will I be buried the Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and me HEre we have the resolution of Ruth portrayed in lively Colours so that if we consider her Sex a Woman her Nation a Moabite one may boldly pronounce of her what our Saviour did of the Centurion Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Intreat me not to leave thee Some reade it Be not thou against me as it is in the Margent of the New Translation Where we see that those are to be accounted our Adversaries and against us who disswade us from our Voyage to Canaan from going to Gods true Religion They may be our Fathers they cannot be our Friends though they promise us

Se●vants who have taken Bribes to prepossesse the Judge their Master with the prejudice of false informations Justice hereby may be strangely perverted and corrupted Many Masters themselves have been honest and upright yet much wrong hath been done under them by their wicked Servants It is said of Queene Mary that for her own part She did not so much as bark but she h●d them under her which did more then bi●e such were Gardner Bonner Story Woodrooffe Tyrrell Now she should have tyed up these Bandogs and chained and fettered up these Blood-hounds from doing any mischiefe Camden in his Elizabetha in the yeare 1595. writeth thus of the then Lord Chancellor of England Ob sordes corruptelas famulorum in beneficiis Ecclesiasticis nundinandis ipse vir integer ab Ecclesiasticis haud bene audivit He ought to have imitated the example of Boaz not onely to have done no harme himselfe but also to have enjoyned the same to his servants Have I not commanded my servants that they should not touch thee Thirdly in these words Boaz doth intimate That if he gave a charge to the contrarie none of his servants durst presume once to molest her Observation Where we see Masters commands ought to sound Lawes in the eares of their servants if they be lawfull Indeed if Absolon 2 Sam. 13. 28. saith to his servants Kill Amnon fear not for have I not commanded you This command did not oblige because the thing enjoyned was altogether ungodly Otherwise men must imitate the obedience of the Centurions servants who said to the one Goe and he goeth and to another Come and he commeth and to his servant D●e this and he doth it Coroll Now if we ought to be thus dutifull to our Earthly Masters surely if the Lord of Heaven enjoyneth us any thing we ought to doe it without any doubt or delay Were there no Hell to punish no Heaven to reward no Promises pronounced to the godly no Threatnings denounced to the wicked yet this is a sufficient reason to make us doe a thing because God hath enjoyned it this a convincing argument to make us refraine fr●m it because he hath forbidden it Then she fell on her face and bowed Qu●stion Was not this too much honour to give to any mortall Creature And doth it not come within the compasse of the breach of the second Commandement Thou shalt not bow downe and worship them Especially seeing godly Mordecai refused to bend his knee to H●m●n Answer Civill honour may and must be given to all in Authoriti● according to the usuall gestures of the Countrey Now such bowing was the custome of the Easterne people Gen. 33. 3. As for Mordecai's instance it makes not against this he being therein either immediately warranted by God or else he refused to bow to Haman as being an Amalakite betwixt which c●●sed Brood and the Israelites the Lord commanded an eternall enmitie Coroll Now if Ruth demeaned her selfe with such reverent gesture to Boaz how reverent ought our gesture to be when we approach into the presence of God Indeed God is a Spirit and he will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth yet so that he will have the outward decent posture of the bodie to accompanie the inward sinceritie of the ●ou●e And said Why have I found favour As if she had said When I reflect my eyes upon my selfe I cannot reade in my selfe the smallest worth to deserve so great a favour from thy hands and therefore I must acknowledge my selfe exceedingly beholden to you But principally I lift up my eyes to the providence of the Lord of Heaven mens hearts are in his hand as the Rivers of Water he turneth them whither he pleaseth He it is that hath mollified thy heart to shew this undeserved kindnesse unto me Here we see Ruths humilitie Many now-adayes would have made a contrarie construction of Boaz his Charitie and reasoned thus Surely he seeth in me some extraordinarie worth whereof as yet I have not taken notice in my selfe and therefore hereafter I will maintaine a better opinion of my owne deserts But Ruth confesseth her owne unworthinesse And from her example let us learne to be humbly and heartily thankfull to those which bestow any courtesie or kindnesse upon us Since I am a stranger She amplifies his favour from the indignitie of her owne person being a stranger Coroll Oh then if Ruth interpreted it such a kindnesse that Boaz tooke notice of her being a stranger how great is the love of God to us who loved us in Christ when we were strangers and aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel As the never-failing foundation of the Earth is firmely fastned for ever fleeting yet setled on no other substance then its owne ballasted weight so Gods love was founded on neither cause nor condition in the Creature but issued onely out of his owne free favour So that in this respect we may all say unto God what Ruth doth unto Boaz in the Text Why have we ●ound fav●ur in thine e●es that thou should●st take know●edge of us seeing we were but strangers Vers. 11 12. And Boaz answered and said unto her It hath fully been shewed me all that thou hast done unto thy Mother in law since the death of thine Husband and how thou hast left thy Father and thy Mother and the Land of thy Nativitie and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore The Lord recompence thy worke and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust It hath been fully shewed me all MOre then probable it is that Boaz had received his intelligence immediately from N●omi Observation How-ever here we may see the vertues of worthy persons will never want Trumpets to sound them to the world The Iewes were the Centurions Trumpet to our Saviour Luke 7. 5. And the Widowes Dorcas her Trumpet to S. Peter Acts 9. 39. Let this encourage men in their vertuous proceedings knowing that their worthy deeds shall not be buried in obscuritie but shall finde tongues in their lively colours to expresse them Absolon having no Children and desirous to perpetuate his Name erected a Pillar in the Kings Dale and the same is called Absolon's Pillar unto this day But the most compendious way for men to consecrate their Memories to Eternitie is to erect a Pillar of vertuous Deeds which shall ever remaine even when the most lasting Monuments in the World shall be consumed as not able to satisfie the Boulimee of all-consuming Time And to put the worst grant the envious men with a Cloud of Calumnies should eclipse the beames of vertuous Memories from shining in the World yet this may be their comfort that God that sees in secret will reward them openly Moreover it is the dutie of such who have received Courtesies from others to professe and expresse the same as occasion shall serve that so their Benefactors may publikely receive their deserved commendation Thus