Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77492	An antidote against the poysonous vveeds of heretical blasphemies, which during the deplorable interval of church-government have grown up in the reforming Church of England. As it was lately presented to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth. / By Iohn Brinsley, Minister of the Gospel there. Augus. 10. 1650. Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1650 (1650)	Wing B4705; Thomason E612_13; ESTC R206488	47,516	58

This I take up from the Apostle writing to Timothy in the place forenamed 1 Tim. 5. 22. where he giveth him this Caveat Lay hands suddenly on no man viz. in Ordination so it is most commonly and most properly expounded Herein Paul willeth Timothy to be advised so as not to have any hand in instaling any into any Ecclesiasticall function who were not approvable both for Doctrine and life Adding this for a Reason Neither be partaker of other mens sins Timothy by ordaining impowring of an Heretical false teacher giving him an advantage to spread his false doctrine with authority should make himself accessory to all that mischief which should redound unto the Church by so pernicious an Instrument A point which I wish it might be taken notice of by all those who have or may have power to impower others whether in a Civil or Ecclesiastical way to promote and install any in any place or office of publike trust whether in the Church or Common-wealth If so be they be men of dangerous and poysonous principles such as those Heretical Blasphemers I have been speaking of let them take heed how they lay hands on them unlesse it be in securing their persons from doing any farther harme how they have any hand in putting advantages into their hands wherby they may spread the contagion of their Errours to the indangering of the souls of others In so doing they shall make themselves partakers of their sin accessories to all the evill that accrueth to the Church of God by their means 3. A third way is by tolerating and suffering of such This I take from the spirit writing to the Churches Rev. 2. Writing to the Church of Pergamus he layeth this to the charge of the Angel there that he had in that Church them which held the doctrine of Balaam ver. 14. and them which held the doctrine of the Nicolaitans vers. 15. Pertinacious Hereticks for so much the word there imports {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} such as held fast those doctrines So the same word is translated in the verse foregoing ver. 13. Thou h●ldest fast my name {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} And so the word here signifieth an obstinate and pertinacious holding of those heretical doctrines which properly maketh an Heretick Such Hereticks there were some in that Church But what was that to the Angel the Minister or Officers in that Church Yes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Thou hast them i. e. thou toleratest and sufferest them not proceeding against them according to that authority committed unto thee So you have it more plainly in that charge against the Church of Thyatira v. 20. I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel which calleth her self a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my people This TOLERATION where that power which God hath committed to any for the suppressing reforming or punishing of such Heretical Blasphemers is not put forth but they are connived at born with this involves those who are herein failing in their duty in the guilt of that sin maketh them accessories to it The Rule is ancient and true Qui non vetat peccare cum possit jubet who so having power to prohibit or hinder an evill shall not put forth that power maketh himself at least accessory to it This do Church-officers in the state Ecclesiastical Having liberty to exercise that power which Jesus Christ hath committed to them for the edification of his Church under himself if they shall not put it forth for the suppressing of so great an evill as this they thereby become accessories to it And so doth the Civill Magistrate being by Gods appointment keeper of both Tables if he shall not draw forth the sword which God had put into his hand for the vindicating of the name and cause of God against these open and professed enemies of it for the Punishing of Blasphemers according to the power and authority committed to him by this whether voluntary or negligent Toleration and connivance he involveth himself in the guilt of this sin Quest Happily some by the way may interrupt me and demand of me What punishment is due unto this sin Answ. Give me leave to turne aside a little to returne them an Answer For the right stating whereof we must distinguish There are divers kinds of Blasphemies and Blasphemers To follow the Casuist Alsted there are two kinds of Blasphemy the one Immediate the other Mediate Immediate which strikes directly at God himself denying him to be or to be such a one as he hath revealed himself or attributing something to him which is inconsistent with his nature or highly dishonorable to his Majesty Mediate which doth only obliquely indirectly interpretatively by consequence redound to him and reflect upon him As when his Image Word Works Ordinances are contumeliously spoken of which redoundeth unto God the Prototype and Author of them Again Blasphemy is either of Infirmity or Pertinacie Of Infirmity which is sudden and occasioned through the distemper of some passion or the violence of some temptation Of Pertinacy when men in cold blood do advisedly blaspheme the name of God or when they do {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} pertinaciously and obstinatly maintain some damnably Heretical and Blasphemous doctrines Now according to the quality kind and degree of this sin so is the punishment to be proportioned As for Immediate Blasphemy against God himself the divine law maketh it capital You may read it Levit. 24. where Moses enquiring of God concerning the Blasphemer which was then in ward what they should do with him the Lord returns him an answer both concerning him and all others in the like case ver. 13 14 15 16. The Lord spake unto Moses saying Bring forth him that hath cursed without the Camp and let all that heard h●m lay their hands upon his head and let all the Congregation stone him And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel saying Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death Here is the Divine Law which hath been followed by the Civil Law Blasphemi ultimis suppliciis afficiantur Blasphemers let them be punished with capital punishments with death Others have adjudged this sin to be punished with cutting off or plucking out the tongue And that saith Aretius most deservedly For unworthy is that tongue ever to speak more that shall dare once to speak against its Creator Afterwards the Canon Law hath relaxed and mitigated the punishment commuting it into pecuniary Mulcts and Penances c. But by what Authority it hath taken upon it thus to dispence with the Divine Law it cannot be said Sure it is this unwarrantable lenity hath been no small advantage unto the sin As for the Law of God it is expresse and peremptory He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord shall surely be

put to death which being understood of manifest and notorious Blasphemies where God himself is peirced or struck through as the word there used Nakab properly signifieth and that by a person that is Compos mentis in his right wits is an universal law for all Nations being indeed of the law of nature So much is collected by some from those words of Jobs wife to her husband Job 2. 9. being read as our Translation renders them Curse God and dye Intimating that by that means he should soone be dispatched cut off by the sword of the Magistrate A construction taken from a not improbable supposition viz. that the very light of nature did carry those heathenish Nations to as high and severe a revenge against the highest sin as the law of Moses did the Israelites It was natural divinity that taught the Athenians to adjudge their Socrates to death for some dishonourable and contumelious language against their gods And so much our judicious Perkins observes from that Decree of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 3 29. who though a Heathen yet gave in commandment to his people concerning the God of Shadrach Mesheck and Abednego being convinced that he was the only true God that if any one Blasphemed him spake any thing amisse concerning him that he should be cut in peices and his house made a dung-hil From whence the aforesaid Author collects that manifest and convicted Atheists if they be put to death they have but their deserts This did that conscientious Heathen by the light of nature A precedent which will rise up in judgment against many Christian Magistrates at the last and great day who notwithstanding that they have not only the same law of nature but the written law the law of the Word to go before them to direct and beare them out yet they can suffer the name of God to be peirced and struck through and that in a presumptuous way by manifest and notorious Blasphemies and yet connive at it not drawing forth the sword to avenge the quarrel of their Creator Egregiè profectò vicarii vasalli Dei saith Alsted speaking of such full well do they deserve to be called Gods Deputies and Vicegerents who whilst they are most tender of their own names their own honors their own priviledges they care not how the name of God suffer by impious and blasphemous tongues Immediate Blasphemy is Capital deserving death by the law of God and by the law and light of Nature Object But if so how came Moses to be at a stand concerning that Blasphemer that he should so solicitously enquire of God what he should do with him Answ. To this it is answered This Moses did not out of any scruple that he had whether he deserved death or no Well did he know what sentēce of the law had passed upon those which should curse their father or mother Exod. 21. 17. He that curseth his father or mother shall surely be put to death And consequently he could not make a question whether Blasphemy against God deserveth the like or no But his scruple was about the kind of death which in as much as God had not determined in particular he made a question whether that which was inflicted for a far lesse offence were not too light for this Blasphemy being the highest sin deserveth to be punished extremis suppliciis as the phrase of the Civil law is with the highest kind of punishment So doth Immediate Blasphemy As for Mediate and Immediate Blasphemy it is to be weighed and considered according to the aforesaid Modification respects whether it be sudden or deliberate whether of infirmity or pertinacy and accordingly the punishment is to be qualified So much we may learn from St. Jude who speaking of such kind of persons willeth Christians of some to have compassion making a difference Jude v. 22. yet so as the sin ought not to be connived at not passed by Specially in confirmed habituated and presumptuous blasphemers such as do advisedly or customarily utter or obstinately maintaine what tends to the high dishonour of God In this case the name of God calleth for a vindication from them who do not beare the sword for nought who if they shall now connive at offences and offendors of this nature suffering them to go unpunished in so doing they make themselves partakers of the sin Accessories to it This do publike persons by Tolerating not Punishing 4. And this in the fourth place to hasten in that which remains may private persons do by not reproving not shewing their dislike and detestation of this sin Not Reproving of it Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknesse but reprove them rather So the Apostle layeth down the general Injunction Eph 5. 11. agreeably to that Prescription in the Law Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him This are Christians to do with a wise and holy zeale as in other cases so in this making use of seasonable Admonitions and Reprehensions where there is any hope they may take place Otherwise the Rule is Cast not pearls before swine Matth. 7. 6. Rebuke not a scorner lest he hate thee Prov. 9. 8. Persons desperatly wicked and profane are not to be dealt withal in this way Admonitions and Reprehensions so spent will be mis-spent Nay it may be prove like oyle to the fire inflaming instead of quenching Upon this ground it was that Hezekiahs Commissioners when they heard Rab shakeh blaspheming in that desperate way they answered him not a word Isa. 36. 21. deeming it in vain to make any reply when it would but incite him to farther outrage But where there is any hope that reproofs may be hearkned to Christians may not be tongue-tyed they ought to speak for God However some way or other they are to manifest their dislike and detestation of this sin It was a Canon amongst the Jewes as I hinted it before that whosoever heard Blasphemy of the name of God whether he heard it himself or heard it by the report of another he was bound to rend his cloaths And so did those Ambassadors as I told you though they held their peace yet they rent their garments This Ceremony was Jewish but the Moral and meaning of it is Christian Christians ought not to have the name of God blasphemed but they ought some way or other to manifest their detestation of it and indignation against it Which not doing they may seem to approve of what they do neither by word nor signe reprove and so may become Accessories to this highest of sins 5. Again in the fifth place this may be done by a voluntary associating with such kind of persons entertaining unnecessary familiarity or society with them This Christians may not do It is Pauls charge to his Corinthians concerning scandalous persons in general that they should not company with such not eate with them 1 Cor. 5. 9. 11. that is not