Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	good_a	sin_n	transgression_n	4,384	5	10.5404	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51033	The way to true honour and happiness A friendly address to all parents, masters of families, and landlords, the persons most capable to honour ... , and to gain honour to themselves, by beginning and carrying on a rational reformation. To which is added, [A] memorandum for mothers. By John Mitchell, M.A.	Mitchell, John, fl. 1697.	1697 (1697)	Wing M2287B; ESTC R221889	23,817	48

Mercy and no Merit to procure his Favour Yea he had no Creature in Heaven not Earth to befriend him nor to interceed for him 5. In this extremity of Misery the infinitely wise and gracious God was pleased to pity Mankind and did promise and in due time sent a Saviour to redeem him and to restore him to Favour and that without any necessity merit or motive but only of his own free Love and abundant Grace Gen. 3. 15. Io. 3. 16. 6. That in and through this Saviour God was graciously pleased to enter into new Terms with Man to make a Covenant o● Grace with him promising Life and Salvation to those who believe and receive him upon the terms that he is offered and denouncing Death and Damnation to those who believe not but despise and reject this Saviour Io. 3. 18 36. Quest. What needs all this Is Sin so great an Evil as to offend God and make Man so miserable Answ. Sin is the greatest Evil in the world 〈…〉 and the only Cause of all other Evil because i 〈…〉 is contrary to the Nature and Will of the● greatest Good It is the only thing in the world that God hates yea he must abhor and● spunish it because it is contrary to his Purity and Holiness and the violation of his Laws● which are holy just and good Hab. 1. 23. So that as the Law of God is violated by 〈…〉 it must be repaired by Suffering either in 〈…〉 Sinner or his Surety For the honour of 〈…〉 d is concerned to vindicate his Justice and 〈…〉 Justice is concerned to maintain his Law Quest. Adam sinned and must I suffer What ●th his sin affect me Answ. Adam being the natural and federal 〈…〉 ent to all Mankind his guilt is reckoned 〈…〉 e his punishment is due to thee his cor 〈…〉 ted nature is inherent in thee and many 〈…〉 of Rebellion and Transgression like unto 〈…〉 ● have been committed by thee And if 〈◊〉 did most justly condemn the whole world 〈…〉 one sin he may likewise most justly con 〈…〉 n thee for many sins Quest. What way then can I be saved Answ. There is Salvation to be obtained 〈…〉 d if thou diligently studiest two Books thou 〈…〉 be thereby disposed to look and long for 〈…〉 Saviour and gladly accept of him being of 〈…〉 d unto thee ● Seriously study the Book of God's Law 〈…〉 be firmly persuaded that all the Precepts 〈…〉 eof are holy just and good and do oblige 〈…〉 inward as well as the outward Man the 〈…〉 rt and Affections as well as Words and 〈…〉 ions and declareth every one accursed 〈…〉 o continueth not in every thing written in 〈…〉 Law to do the same Deut. 27. 26. Gal. 3. 10 The Law cannot pass by a Transgression nor 〈…〉 give a Sin ● Diligently acquaint thy self with the Book of thine own Conscience that thou may 〈◊〉 know thy self and thou wilt find that thou ● art a Sinner and a Transgressor of the Holy ● Laws of God both in thoughts words and ● actions Yea thou wilt find that in thy natural and unregenerate State thou dost nothing● but sin Heb. 11. 6. Rom. 8. 7 8. And in thy renewed State thou dost nothing without 〈◊〉 Eccles. 7. 20. 1 Io. 1. 8. Thou wilt find that naturally thou art destitute of the Image of God that thou a● dead in Trespasses and Sins and art by natu●● a child of Wrath and lyable to the just Judgments of God Rom. 5. 18. Ephes. 2. 1 3. That thy whole Man is corrupted and treasures of wickedness in every faculty of thy sou● 1. Thy Understanding is full of Darkne● and Error great ignorance of God and of sp●ritual Things and yet thou would be accounte● wise but art negligent in seeking after use●● Knowledge Eph. 4. 18. 2. Thy Will is obstinate perverse and co●●trary to good rebelling and fighting again●● God and his Law and wholly inclined to Ev●● and Vanity Io. 5. 40. 3. The Conscience is perverted corrupted an● de●iled full of treachery deceit and lies apt 〈…〉 call evil good and good evil and to flatter t 〈…〉 Soul with formal pretences and shadows wit● out sincerity or reality 1 Tim. 4. 2. Tit. 1. 1● 4. The Memory is corrupted and vain a 〈…〉 to forget God dependance upon him and eve● ●●ty towards him both as to matter and 〈…〉 er substance and quality It is apt to re 〈…〉 Wickedness Vanity and Trifles but to let 〈…〉 seful and necessary Truths 5. The Affections and Passions are all cor 〈…〉 ed and abused our admiration our love 〈…〉 anger our hatred our desire our fear our 〈…〉 our grief our anger c. are often em 〈…〉 ed and exercised about things quite con 〈…〉 y to the appointment of God's Law 〈◊〉 that the heart of Man is become a very 〈◊〉 generate thing a sink of Sin and mass of Cor 〈…〉 ion full of Malice Impiety and Impurity 〈…〉 ereby the spiritual and heaven-born Soul is 〈…〉 ome despicable base and miserable a slave 〈◊〉 own Servants yea even to its greatest 〈…〉 mies under the dominion of Sin Satan the 〈…〉 rld and the Flesh. And yet the greatest misery of all is That 〈◊〉 is not sensible of this his miserable condi 〈…〉 he knows it not he is not affected with it 〈…〉 goes light under his load and is chearful 〈…〉 is chains fancying himself safe happy and 〈◊〉 Rev. 3. 17. And why because his mind 〈…〉 nded and his heart hardned For it is of 〈◊〉 nature of sin to blind the Mind and harden 〈◊〉 Heart as well as to de●ile the Conscience 〈◊〉 pollute the Soul That very sin which 〈…〉 es the Man guilty makes him likewise past 〈…〉 ng Eph. 4. 18 19. ●oe is me is this my condition Am I one 〈…〉 hese miserable creatures Am I yet in a natural and unregenerate State I am not safe What shall I do If thou art truly awakened from thy Lethargy and convinced of thy Sin and Misery if thou art deeply humbled under a sense of the same if thou art perswaded that thou canst not be saved by thy own Power thy Skill thy Duties nor thy Merits if thou art so humble that thou art willing to be beholden to another for help and safety yea if thou hast hungring and thirsting Desires after Salvation and art glad to submit to any terms to escape Sin and Misery and to obtain Happiness and Glory Then and not till then art thou fit to hear of Christ the Saviour and to receive that comfortable invitation Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me c. Isaiah 55. 1 2. Christ came to seek and to save such lost Sinners as despair of Salvation any other way He will be a Physitian to such sick Souls Behold the Terms of the Gospel-Covenant If thou truly and sincerely repentest of sin so that thou inwardly loathest and abhorrest it and thy self for being guilty of it If thou truly and sincerely believest in Christ so as to prize

their Ears with hearing any wicked vain or idle words till they be able to tes●i●ie against them and r●buke the Tongue that speaks them For Children are capable to think as soon as to see and to form Idea's as soon as to hearken They are capable to remember before they can judge or determine Therefore let them hear none speak who have not learned the Language of Canaan and let them converse with none but those who are acquainted with the Lord Jesus and can help to make them so Let the Streets and Publick Places be an abomination unto them until Holiness to the Lord be written on the Foreheads of all who walk there 4. Seasonably and gently bow their IronSinew before it become too strong that is make their Will plyable Teach them to be denyed and to deny themselves Let them not know that you give them their Will in any thing Humour them not in any thing they cry for And let them have what is fit at another time rather than when they call for it If you let them have their own Will they will soon torment you and ruine themselves An unbridled Will makes an ungovernable Person But when you have effectually and prudently brought the Will into good subjection and order more than the half of your work is done 5. Throw water on their Wild Fire that is let not Passions prevail Let Frowns Rebukes and Rods curb restrain and suppress their immoderate Passions and irregular Desires Let Discipline chastise and keep in order these Wild Beasts till Reason be able to tame them Let them know by your Countenance and Behaviour that Patience Meekness and Sobriety are lovely and commendable Vertues Beware of giving bad Example here 6. Regulate their Diet nourish their Bodies but do not pamper them Let them know that Temperance is a Vertue and that Fasting is Physick Let their Food be course and plain for Strength and Nourishment not for pleasing the sensual Appetite And as soon as possible let them gain their Bread by the Sweat of their Brow according the Command Gen. 3. 19. 2 Thes. 3. 10. 7. Moderate their Apparel and do not feed their ●ide Adorn their Minds before you deck their Bodies ●●ch them the use of ●loaching and let Gaudiness be 〈◊〉 Abomination to them Suffer them not to be proud 〈◊〉 that which covers their Shame 8. Moderate their Recreations let them never be ●e and let every thing they do be useful and instructive ●●pen their Reason and inform their Judgment 9. When they are capable of being instructed then ●ch them first by the Ear before you make a Book ●ir Burden Let them have a good Treasure of sound 〈◊〉 useful Truths in their Memory and be able to answer ●any Questions before you ●ix their Eyes upon a let● 〈◊〉 And that ye may build them high in Faith and Ho●●ss be careful to lay a sure and solid Foundation 〈◊〉 therefore let Humility be the first Vertue that you ●●t in them And for this end make them acquaint●●ith themselves Let them know That they are 〈◊〉 degenerate Off-spring o● sinful Adam shew them the ●●ption of their Nature in all the parts of it what 〈◊〉 ought to have been and what they are in their cor●ed State Make known to them the Purity and Ho●●ss of God's Nature and Law and that every sin is an ●ence against God and a Transgression of his Law 〈◊〉 them the Evil of Sin and the dreadful consequents 〈◊〉 that every Sin deserves Death and Damnation and 〈◊〉 this is due to them because they are Sinners guilty 〈◊〉 unclean Creatures Enemies to God by nature and ●●els against his just and holy Laws Let them know ●t whatever good they receive and enjoy is purely 〈◊〉 God's Free Grace and Bounty and not of their own ●●●ving and that it is of God's great Mercy Patience 〈◊〉 Long-suffering that they are not thrown into Hell ●ady 10. When you have thus awakened their Minds con●●ed their Judgments humbled their Hearts and sof●● their Spirits then ●ou may make known to them 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus Christ the only Saviour his Person his ●●ures Mediation and Offices and what way he is given for Mankind offered unto them and must be received by them in order to their Reconciliation with God Shew them the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace and the Method and Terms of Salvation and what is the nature and extent of that Holiness which is absolutely necessary to fit them for Glory and Happiness Heb. 12. 14. Teach them to understand the Person the Offices the Dictates Motions and Operations of the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier and Comforter Teach them to understand the nature and manner of the Temptations of their spiritual Enemies and how to resist and overcome them Make them acquainted with the Doctrine and Duty of Prayer and oblige them to pray by themselves not by a formal repeating of Words but expressing the humble and hearty desires of their Souls from a sense of their own wants of God's Goodness and gracious Promises of Christ's Merits and Mediation and of the Holy Spirit 's Assistance and Intercession and teach them to trust in God and wait for a return of their Prayers and in every thing to be thankful to him Particularly teach them to believe in to prize esteem and love the Lord Jesus Christ as the Fountain and Foundation of all the Blessings and Benefits which they enjoy and expect Io. 14. 6. and that they are bound in Covenant with him by their Baptism 11. Being thus instructed and prepared it will be easy for you to teach them to Read and to understand the Word Preached for their further Edification and to inform their Judgment and excite their Practice in all the Parts of Publick Worship And when they are examined and approved by the Governours of the Church they may be admitted to renew their Covenant with God publickly and solemnly at the Lord's Table 12. When they are thus prepared fenced and fortified by the pious care and faithful diligence of Parents and especially of you MOTHERS then may they go abroad and be sent to School to learn Languages Arts and Sciences and such Accomplishments as are requisite and useful for them which they will easily attain to 〈◊〉 the Mind is so enlightned in the Knowledge of 〈◊〉 ● there I shall leave them to the Conduct of faith●●chers But do not you leave them while life lasts 〈◊〉 However you may be pleased with your Childrens ●●●●dings yet never flatter them never commend 〈◊〉 till they really deserve it Never call them good 〈◊〉 be effectually so tell them that Perfection is 〈◊〉 Duty and that yet they are far from it but must ●●rance to higher degrees of Grace and Holiness Now MOTHERS these are some hints of that 〈◊〉 you ought to do for the Sanctification and Salva● of your Children This is no matter of indifferency 〈◊〉 your indispensable Duty Prov. 1. 8. and 6. 20. ●●●ore neglect it not it cannot be done in a short time 〈◊〉 little pains therefore delay it not but begin 〈◊〉 and proceed diligently and endeavour to obtain 〈◊〉 Honour of being the happy Instruments of a glori●●● Reformation in England and may all your endea●●●● be crowned with happy Success 〈◊〉 It is not good to burthen Children and break 〈◊〉 Spirits with too much Religion it raises Prejudi●●● in them and gives them false Notions and apprehen●● of God and Religion 〈◊〉 Surely this Language proceeds from the Devil this greatest Instruments because it is so directly con●y to the Dictates of God's holy Spirit Prov. 22. 6. 〈◊〉 a Child in the way he should go and when he is old 〈◊〉 depart from it Eccl. 12. 1. Remember thy Grea●● the days of thy Youth c. 2 Tim. 3. 15. Timothy i●●●mended for knowing the Holy Scriptures from a 〈◊〉 whereby he was made wise unto Salvation 〈◊〉 We have not leisure to take all this care and 〈◊〉 upon our Children 〈◊〉 You find leisure to beger nurse feed and cloath 〈◊〉 to take care of the Body and will you neglect 〈◊〉 Soul He who gives you time and all that you en 〈…〉 appoints you this Work and will reward you ac●●ing to your management of it Therefore let nothing be a hindrance now which cannot excuse you at that ● of Account Yea let compassion to the Fruit of your ● dies be a forcible motive to excite your diligent ● zealous endeavour for its Sanctification and Salvat ● And when you have done your utmost still acknowle●●● your selves unprofitabls Servants and that all you'● done is to no purpose without the sanctifying Grac● 〈◊〉 the HolySpirit Therefore continue your earnest Sup●cations to the good and gracious God the giver of ev● good Gift that he would give his Holy Spirit to m● your Labours successful and effectual and the Rig●ousness of his beloved Son to make your Endeavour● 〈◊〉 ceptable with him Therefore tho' you ought and 〈◊〉 obliged to use every Mean of his Appointment yet 〈◊〉 to no Mean rely upon none of your Performances 〈◊〉 all your dependance be upon the Lord Jesus Christ beg the Spirit of Christ for your Assistance and the 〈◊〉 rits of Christ for your Acceptance And in every th● give Thanks and Praise to God the Father Son 〈◊〉 Holy Ghost FINIS

loving Friends YOU being reasonable Creatures and called by the Noble Name of CHRISTIANS 〈…〉 supposed and taken for granted that you 〈◊〉 well informed in your Judgment and firm 〈…〉 persuaded in your Conscience that the Glo 〈…〉 os and Wise CREATOR of all things hath 〈…〉 ed and appointed you to bring forth and 〈…〉 g up Children for his Honour and Service prepare Members of his Church on Earth 〈…〉 Partakers of his Glory in Heaven And it 〈◊〉 be thought that all of you are ambitious ● this Honour to be instrumental Causes of a 〈…〉 oly Seed and Blessed Off-spring which may ●ake up the Church of Christ in the world and replenish Heaven with Saints to shine in Glory and celebrate the Praises of the Eternal King I believe all of you are desirous of Dignity and ambitious of Honour and here is Honour indeed to be the Mothers and Nurses of little Angels Children of the most high that may reign in Glory and shin● in Heaven for ever I believe none of you will say that you are willing to gratify Satan to bring forth and educate Children to be his Slaves and Subjects of hi● Kingdom who being Enemies to God and his Ways may carry on the Devil's work in the world and then 〈◊〉 tormented with him and howl in Hell for ever Surely you will not affirm that you are willing to go to that place of torment your selves nor to have any of your Children so unhappy and miserable as to remain in the burning bottomless Pit to all Eternity And yet woful Experience doth plainly shew that many imprudent and fond Parents especially Mothers are the greatest Enemies to their own Children and do further their Ruine and Misery more than the Devil or any other Enemy can do by gratifying their sens●al Appetites pleasing their foolish Fancies satisfying their unreasonable Desires pampering their corrupt Nature encouraging them in Vanity and Folly and perhaps by shewing them bad Examples in a word by giving them their own Will and with-holding from them that ●ecessary instruction and seasonable correction ●hich is requisite to the renewing of their co●rup●ed Nature and bringing them out of a 〈…〉 ate of Sin and Vice into a State of Holiness ●d Vertue And by this means they are fit●ed for Satan's Service and prepared to com●ly with most of his Temptations It is most certain that neither the Devil nor ●e World can tempt Children until they be ●apable of yielding and giving their consent Now if the fi●st buddings of Vice and Wicked●ess springing from the Root of corrupt Na●●re were timely suppressed and removed the Root would languish and decay and Satan ●ould find nothing in them whereupon to fa●en his Temptations Io. 14. 30. And if the Seeds of true Knowledge Piety and Vertue ●ere timely and carefully sown and duly and diligently watered the● would be sufficiently ●●rnished against his Assaults and quali●ied to resist his greatest Temptations Eph. 6. 11 13. Now since Children are born ignorant tho' ●ot innocent they must be taught and in●●ructed they must know their Duty before they can do it And who can so properly do this as Parents especially you MOTHERS who have the immediate management of them i● their Tender Age who are oftenest with them have greatest influence upon them and are most capable to oblige and prevail with them You who are the causes of their Being are most obliged to contribute to their well-being Quest. What Means shall we use What Method shall we take Answ. 1. Being entred into a Married State and having diligently and faithfully acquainted your selves with the Duties incumbent upon you in that State which God's Word and other good Books do teach let your chief Design be to honour and glorify God in that holy State which he hath ordained And by humble Supplication beg his Blessing on the means of his own Appointment that your Seed and Off-spring may be instruments of his Glory and Subjects of his Kingdom And imitate holy Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 11. Dedicate unto the Lord what he lends unto you and pray that his Grace may sanctifie and prepare it for his Service 2. When your Child is born renew your Oblation dedicate and offer it up to God as a living Holy-Sacrifice to be employed in his Service to live to his Honour and to be under his Protection all the days of its life Exod. 34. 19. 3. At the time of the Child 's solemn and publick Dedication or Christning instead of foolish Feasting Flattering and Pratling call together some Christian Friends who may join with you in praising God for adding a new Member to his Church and for making you the happy instrument of it and in praying to God for the Preservation Sanctification and Salvation of the Child 4. If it be possible carefully nurse the Child ●our self and let it take its Nourishment ●hence it derived its Substance that it may be ●holly yours You may read your Duty in ●his particular in Ier. Taylor 's Doctrine con●●rning the Virgin Mary's nursing the Holy Child Jesus in his Book called The great Examplar And in the Section concerning Wives in the Book called The Ladies Calling 5. When the dawnings of Reason appears ●●d Nature begins to shew it self in the Child ●●en bestir your self and apply great care and ●iligence in Prayer and Pains to have the cor●apt Nature rectified the Image of Satan re●oved and the divine Nature and Image of God renewed in it Quest. Are Children destitute of God's 〈…〉 age and a new Nature Answ. Yes All the Posterity of Rebelliou● Adam are guilty a●d polluted void of good 〈…〉 d full of evil Psal. 51. 5. They are shapen in ●quity and conceived in sin Job 14. 4. They are 〈…〉 clean branches of a corrupt root Jo. 3. 6. That ●●ich is born of the flesh is flesh that is unholy ●●d corrupt Rom. 8. 8. They that are in the ●lesh cannot please God because they are not 〈…〉 ke him they are not pure and holy You find Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 24. that th●●●age of God consists in Knowledge Righte●sness and true Holiness Now you see that Children are altogether ●estitute of these Qualifications and are very averse and backward to learn or acquire them which Teachers of Youth find by experience Quest. Have Children the Image of Satan and a corrupt Nature Answ. Yes All Adam's Posterity are not only destitute of Righteousness but inclined to all iniquity Gen. 6. 5. A Subject capable of two contrary Qualities must have one of them the Air must be either dark or light Wax must be either hard or soft The Heart of Mankind must be either good and holy or else bad and wicked it must be ei●her for God or against him Now God's Word tells us Rom. 8. 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God and is no● subject to his Law And indeed no worse can● be in the Devil than Enmity against God and Rebellion against his Laws We are not only Strangers