Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A57650
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Gods house made a den of theeves delivered in a second sermon in Southampton / by Alexander Rosse ...
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Ross, Alexander, 1591-1654.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing R1954; ESTC R16607
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12,168
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16
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these were our first reformers holy men learned divines blessed martyrs who sealâ—d these prayers with their blood they had the honour once to weare the crowne of Martyrdome and now they are crowned with glory sâ—all any then be so thanklesse as to spurne at their prayers And so gracelesse as to retaliat their blessed paines with flowâ—es and jeeres I hope they are not offended that these prayers are established by so many acts of parliament under 3. gratious and religious Princes Edward 6. Qu. Elizabeth and K. Iames all of blessed memorie What is it then that they dislike in thesâ— prayers I thinke they know not themselves onely they dislike them Non amo te volusi nec possum dicere quare Hoc tantum possum dicere non amo te Indeed it 's no new thing to establish by authoritie sâ—tt formes of prayers in the Church for avoyding confusion babling tautologies impertinencies tediousnesse and absurdities to which extemporarie and unpremeditate prayers are subject God himselfe uâ—der the law prescribed a set forme to Aaron and his sons So did Christ under the Gospell to his Apostles Mat. 6.9 Luke 11.2 so did Constantine the first Christian Emperour to his souldiers as â—usebius recordeth It is ordered in the 3. Councell of Carthage that no man shall use such prayers as are not approved by the choysest of the Clergie Instructioribus fratribus and in the Milevitan Councell held under Innocent 1. in the time of Honorius and Arcadius it is expresly commanded that no other publicke prayers shall be used in the Church but such as are approved of by the Councell Nec aliae nisi quae a Prudentioribus tractatae vel comprobatae in Synodo fuerint Least by ignorance or in advertencie some wordes may be uttered against the true faith I doe not remember that there is at this day any publicke Congregation of private conventicles I speak not which hath not their set formeâ— of prayers The Iews in their Synagogueâ— Turks Persians Arabians in their Mosques Christians in their Churches have all set formes the Greeke churches have their divers Liturgies of Saint Basil and St. Chrysâ—st Not to speake of these antient Liturgies which beare the nâ—mes of Saint Peter Saint Iames Saint Marke and the Apostles The latine Churchâ—s have their set formes some after the order of Saint Ambrose aâ— at Millaine and otâ—ers of Saint Gregorie as at Rome So all the Christian sects have also their set Prayers as the Georgians in Iberia the Cophti in Egypt the Iacobits in Ethiopia the Melchits in Syriâ— the Armenians in Turcomania and Cilicia the Maronits in mount Libanus the Christians of Saint Thomas the Muscovits yea all the reformed churches beyond seas have some set prayers before their Sermons and shall our Church onely be quarrelled with for her set service or shall her Ministers be disliked for vsing rather her formes and words then their owne It 's too much temeritie to come before God with rash and extemporarie prayers hâ—arken to Solomons counsell be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hastie to utter any thing before God for God is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few But I will detaine you no longer in viewing of the temple as it is the house of prayer let us looke on it now as it is a den of theeves I will but onely point at them that you may beware of them and then I will end Our Saviour alludes here to the Pharisees name in Hebrew Phâ—rusim are Pharisees and Perutsim are theeves they were like in name and so they were in concition for they were theeves indeed They stole from God his glory whilst they attributed many things to Fate and Destinie They stole from the Commandements their dignitie in preferring their traditions to Gods precepts They robbed Religion of it's life whilst they placed it in washings and other supeâ—flâ—ous ceremonies They robbed the Temple of it's holâ—nâ—sse in â—aking it a shop of Merchandise therefore Christ tells them that they were theeves and robbers that wâ—nt before him meanâ—ng the whole â—abble of theeves as Pharisees Saduces Essenes Gaulonits oâ— Galileans Herodians Scribes Disputers Nasarites Rechabites and even the coâ—rupted Priests and Levites and the false Prophets such as Iudas Galileus and Thaddeus with all these theeves was the temple pestered and their Synogogues but this was onely Manipulus furum a handfull to compare to the legion oâ— theeves with which the poore Church of Christ is vexed robbed and wounded I will onely poynt at some of the chiefe and will begin first with Sacriledge a notorious theefe having most rapatious hands sparing neither holy places nor holy things nor holy persons making no conscience to breake 5. commandements at once which is the one halfe As it prophanes Gods honour it breaks the third commandement As it robbs spirituall parents of their maintenance it breaks the fifth as it is a murtherer of soules for want of the Ministers food it breaks the â—â—â—th As it is theft it violats the eighth and as it covets other mens goods it breaks the tenth commandement The Athenians did so much abhorre the sacrilegious theefe that they denied him the honour of buriall Si quis res sacras clepserit in Artica non sepeliatur The second theife which useth to creepâ— into Church and State when men are not warie and carefull to prevent is Faction which in the Church is called Schisme in the State sedition this is a dangerous theefe and a bad guest where he is intertained requiting his hosts kind intertainment as Paris did Menelaus who stole away his wife Helena from him So where this theefe comes he will be sure to steale away wives from their husbands children from their parents servants from their masters people from their Ministers and neighbours one from another now he steales away not their bodyes but their hearts and affections from each other which is worse then Plagiatus beware of this theefe which cunningly begins to creepe in amongst you Remember Christs words the theife commeth not but for to steale to kill and to destroy to steale that which is neerest and dearest to you your wives loyaltie which they owe to their husbands childrens duty to their Parents servants obedience to their masters and our neighbours love to one an other and to steale away the sheep from their sheepheards There are but two golden pillars that support Church and State viz. Vnitie and Order this theife steales them both away Who stole the hâ—arts of Israel from David the ten tribes from Roboam the peoples affections from Moyses and Aaron and who steales the peoples respect and obedience from the Magistrate and Minister but this thiefe Prometheus stole away fire from the Sun but faction steals away the fire of love from mens hearts and not onely is he a theefe but a murtherer too he cuts mens throats as Ionothan did Godoliahs under