Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	gain_v	jew_n	weak_a	10,116	5	11.7630	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40399	A resolution of two cases of conscience in two discourses : the first, Of the lawfulness of compliance with all the ceremonies of the Church of England : the second, Of the necessity of the use of common-prayer in publick.	Francklin, John, d. 1689.	1683 (1683)	Wing F2082; ESTC R22618	22,030	42

That Christ and Christian Religion were an enemy to government that the Devil hath in all ages stirred up men to persecute the Church upon this pretence our Blessed Saviour the most innocent person who lived upon Earth who payed Tribute to Caesar with the expence of a Miracle was yet condemned and executed If thou let him go thou art not Caesar's friend said the Jews to Pilate It was on this account that the Apostles endured bonds and imprisonments as men that would turn the World upside down It was upon this pretence that the Primitive Christians for above 300 years together were oppressed with the rage of heathen Emperours because thought disturbers of the publick peace So we see how the very pretence of indisposing men for subjection which notwithstanding the Apostles by their doctrine and the Primitive Christians by their example clearly resured is apt to bring Religion into disesteem and render it odious But these disobeyed onely where God's Law was contrary to the Emperour 's and when they could not obey they patiently suffered But if we will stand out against our King in those things which God requires not of us if we will disobey our Sovereign and be never the more obedient to God if every scruple be an excuse from subjection and obedience these pretences will be turned into realities and we shall be left without excuse if we will have no regard to the Laws of Men which are the bond of humane Society though no ways hindered by the fear of the Laws of God If tumults and insurrections shall be the appendixes of every command we find not expresly and in so many words contained in the word of God we may fear that the frequent calamities which will attend men on this account may cause to say no worse a great decay of Christian Religion Let us a little consider what the effects of mens contumacy and opposition of decent Ceremonies established by Law by which our late Wars were begun maintained and carried on in England hath been in our own Nation How much Religion hath been established and propagated by stumbling at straws and leaping over blocks by loathing indifferent Ceremonies when the great duties of holiness and righteousness required conformity Hath not this been the introduction of Atheism and irreligion the greatest distemper among us hath not this been the original of all Sects and Schisms hath it not nourished those manifold Errours and Heresies which caused profane Persons to sit down in the seat of the Scorners and therefore as we tender the honour of our Religion and would vindicate it from being an enemy to government and destructive to humane Society preserved by government unless we would drive the same design with the Devil the common enemy of mankind and especially of Christians to bring an universal scandal on our Profession and render it odious to mankind we must not be refractary or disobedient to humane Laws when the Laws of God permit us to obey them and give an eedless occasion of offence to those whom God hath placed in authority over us And therefore in this case though ecclesiastical Persons are the best judges of what ought to be introduced into the Church yet if there should arise a dissention for the avoiding Scandal the Fathers of the Church ought to give place to the Father of their Country St. Paul teacheth us 1 Cor. 9. 20 21. that unto the Jews he became as a Jew that he might gain the Jews to them under the law as under the law to them without the law as c. to the weak as weak to all men all things that he might by all means save some What think you he would have done nay what would he not have done if the Emperours by his condescensions should have become Christians by which means a free passage to the Gospel would be laid open throughout the whole World would he that so severely injoined obedience to the higher Powers on pain of damnation and that so readily and willingly complied with all sorts of men for the salvation of their Souls have scrupled a few indifferent Ceremonies whereby Governours and Magistrates might be alienated from the love of Christianity he had the same reason to comply with these as with all other sorts of people for their good And thus these things being premised I shall come to shew the lawfulness of compliance with all the Ceremonies of the Church of England and this I shall doe by one general and comprehensive argument If then the Jewish Ceremonies commanded in the Levitical Law were indifferent and might lawfully be observed after the Death Resurrection and Ascension of our Saviour who put a period unto them even by those who knew the Levitical Law abolished at that time much more are the Ceremonies of the Church of England indifferent and may be lawfully used But the Jewish Ceremonies c. and therefore c. Of these Propositions in order now the sequel or consequence will evidently appear if we compare theirs and ours together 'T is true indeed the Jewish Ceremonies had their institution and signification given unto them at first immediately from God himself And the Jews still thought that this obligation from God remained on them But however they were instituted onely for a certain time till Christ should come in the flesh and by oblation of himself once purchase the remission of our sins And then their signification together with the obligation to observe and perform them utterly perished so far forth as it was from God For this was the end of the institution of the Sacrifices and most of the Ceremonies to signify Christ to come and the offering him up as a Sacrifice for us all Heb. 9. 23 24. And therefore the continuation of them afterwards was not from Divine Authority but depended on the ignorance of the Jews and prudence of the Apostles the Jews were zealous of the Law and the Apostles were willing to permit it as long as they embraced Christianity But God's institution and injunction being then expired they were for the time they were afterwards used as much humane and depending on the will of man as our Ceremonies are now and so in this case there is an equality And it is all one to think that to be appointed by God which is not appointed by him and to know it to be appointed by God's Vicegerent But if we will consider other circumstances we shall find that those which attended the Jewish Ceremonies were very dangerous and had such tendency to evil which ours are exempted from For first They might well be accounted vain and as the Passover Sacrifices for sin unreasonable Christ being already offered Secondly It might seem to be a mocking of God and abusing his Institution to use Ceremonies signifying Christ to come who was then ascended into Heaven and which represented his merits as future when they were already consummated Thirdly The use of them was joined in most Jews with this