Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	moral_a	nature_n	positive_a	4,914	5	10.3383	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05289	Speculum belli sacri: Or The looking-glasse of the holy war wherein is discovered: the evill of war. The good of warr. The guide of war. In the last of these I give a scantling of the Christian tackticks, from the levying of the souldier, to the founding of the retrait; together with a modell of the carryage, both of conquerour and conquered. I haue applyed the generall rules warranted by the Word, to the particular necessity of our present times.	Leighton, Alexander, 1568-1649.	1624 (1624)	STC 15432; ESTC S108433	252,360	338

Philistim and yet these were they that they never suspected till the battle was lost wherein 30000 were slaine their Priests were gone Eli his necke broken and which was worste of all the Arke of God was taken Then they began in their calamitie to call a new quest of inquirie to make a new search and to find out this execrable thing namely their sin 1. Sam. 7. ● for the which as it is said all the hoast of Israel lamented before the Lord. The like neglect wee may behold in the people of Israel going against Beniamin The first day they lost 22000 they lament indeed and looke about them what should be the matter but they go the wrong way they fall to doubt of their commission as though there had been some fault in that they supposed they could not prosper because they had lift up their hand against their brethren although God had bid them doe it but there was another matter in it that they were not a ware of that was their sin which questionlesse God did punish by those two overthrows First they were altogether become corrupt and abhominable in their courses worship of God insomuch that as the Lord speaketh every man did what seemed good in his owne eyes It is true when they heard of the beastly and abhominable act of killing of the Levits wife under their filthy lust their hearts rose against it they would be avenged on all the whole tribe if the transgressors were not delivered This was all well but this was not all they should haue begune at home and purged themselues of spirituall uncleannesse and other sinnes that doe accompany that and then they had been fit to haue punished the beastlinesse of the Beniamits Againe for number they were so many and the other not a gleaning to them that they made no question of the victory so that they thought it needlesse to seeke to God by humbling of themselues for a good successe But God for those met with them and set them in the right way ere he had done with them for when after the second defeate they got sight of their sin and humbled themselues for it by fasting and praying they received a better answere with assurance of the victory Now give me leaue to applie and that in all humilitie Application The ground of your enterprise was good the commission faultlesse and the end for any thing I know upright yea and the enemie Gods enemie yet for all this thus far they haue prevayled and doe prevaile the cause I feare is want of reformation at home and it may be too much presuming of worldly forces and friendship which the Lord would haue to prove no better then a broken reede If the commission be good and the parties disable themselues from the execution of it what fault is in it or in him that gaue it out As it is far from me to charge any thing upon any mans conscience so I intreate every man to charge his owne conscience as David did and say I am the man A generall view or search will not serue for so long as men keepe themselues at generals they never find out that in themselues which most displeaseth God but often mistake that to be no sin which is sinne or that to be sin which is no sin Men must not stay themselues in the Procatartick or remote causes but they must dive unto the Proegumene conjunct or essential imediate cause Empyrickes mistaking symptomes for the sicknesse it selfe are fayrer to kill then to cure so in finding out some petty sinnes some never look at the main sinnes like those that lop off branches of the tree but never strike at the roote and as by this pruning the trees grow bigger so by daliance in search all growes worse and worse therefore to the bosome sin the darling-sin the seed-sinne that is deer as hand and foot cut it off and cast it away Let every man be severest with himselfe and favour himselfe not in the least sin that sin that hee least lookes after and will not acknowledge to be sin is commonly the capital sinne as taking liberty to profane the Sabboth going to stage-plaies scoffing precisenesse pettie oathes abuse of the creatures usury these be Nationall sins and set ope the gate to all other sins and consequently to judgment On the first my heart giues me to dwell if it were my place and the Treatise would permit for as it is the sin of Nations so it is the capitall sin though least thought on the threatnings against the breach of this commandement the promise annexed to the keeping of it the backing of it with reasons and fore-fronting of it with a remember Zacor doe necessarily imply all these lessons as first the antiquity of it and the continuance of it that as it was from the beginning so it should be remembred to the end Gen. 2.3 secondly it discovers the propensity of man to the light esteem of it and to the breaking of it thirdly it shews the greatnesse of the sin Ezech. 20.12.22 fourthly Gods great desire to haue it kept calling it the holy honourable day yea and the delight of the Lord Es 58.13 All these cords will pull down inevitable judgements upon all the palpable profaners of this day by their pleasures or ordinary imployments except they repent This sin cryes in England and roares in Holland where by open shops and other works of their calling they proclaim with open mouth their little regard of God or his Sabboth Iudgement likewise hangs over the head of all halvers of the Lords day making it neither Gods nor theirs but divide it All Iewish translators of the Sabboth all toleration from higher powers to profane it at which we may lay our hands upon our mouths But I hope the Parliament will redresse it likewise on all that dare proclaime it from Pulpit to bee onely a Ceremoniall Law and that the rest now injoyned is a meer Civill Ordinance The Papists presse this as a meer humane Institution in religious Worship Spalato a little before his departure told a man in dispute with him that that Commandement was done away Many Libertine Ministers and Prelats in England maintain the same in effect and the worst of the Ministers of the Vnited Provinces concur with them in this point for though some presse the keeping of it yet they urge it not as a divine Precept but as a time appointed by a meer positiue law for the worship of God but this crosseth the nature of the commandement being Morall given from the beginning before the Ceremoniall Law written by Gods own finger proclaimed to all the people to continue to the end It substracts from the number of the Precepts being ten Exod. 34.18 Deut. 10.4 it oppugneth the practise of God which is for a president to us It is against naturall reason and divine prerogatiue that God should not haue a solemn time appointed for

it be a Sacrament as they say yet the Sacrament of orders barreth them of it as the military sacrament did bar the souldier But Severus more wisely Herodian lib. 3. upon better warrant gaue them free liberty to haue their wiues at home but Alexander permitted them to haue them in their Camps with their families after the Persian manner and so to liue and breed in Camps as the Hollander doth at Sea Though this proved well for Alexander as every thing did and though a great many loving wiues willing to liue and die with their husbands would be of his mind yet upon mature judgement the middle rule shall proue the best but I leaue it to the scanning of the judicious and I come again to Discipline Sejanus as Tacitus reporteth would haue Camps remote from Cities except they did beleagre them that by the evils of the Cities they might not be corrupted Yea the lascivious and disordered youths were brought into the Campes Iuvenē urbano luxu lascivientem melius est in castris haberi lib. 2. Annal. that by the force of Discipline they might be reclaimed For as the Synagogue of Rome and all the lymmes of that confused Babel liketh nothing worse then the Discipline of Christs Campe so to the loose Atacticks of these evill times there is nothing more contrary then the medicine of Discipline A great many therefore had need to be in Camps if Campes were as they should be the schooles of Discipline As the necessitie of this Discipline is evident from the exorbitancy of corrupt nature and the evils incident to a militarie life so it is more then manifest from Gods own command concerning the government of the Israelites Camp wherunto Moses and Ios hua had a great respect namely that Discipline should be exactly exercised as appeareth in the censure of Achan and others Yea the Romans whose glory was their God and their Common-wealth their best inheritance made this the inlarger and maintainer of their Dominions It was said of Scipio to his great commendation that hee was the restorer of Discipline not onely fayling but also neglected among the Romanes insomuch that hee held it a greater labour to reduce his own forces to Discipline then to giue battle to the Numantines his enemies therefore he abandoned all Bauds Whoores Coseners Coggers Diviners and Figure-flingers And to giue our enemies their due for the wicked are wise in their own generation how admirable hath the Turkes been in the ●ictnesse of Discipline I formerly shewed Pandect Turc cap. 24. whereof you ●ay see more at large in Leunclavius Hypolitus Busbequius ●●d others Yea to come to a latter instance in one of ●e greatest of Gods enemies that this age affoorded name●● the Duke de Maine for excellency in discipline he was ●●cond to none For the ruin of this The causes of the decay of Discipline I may again with ●●e learned renew my complaint but I haue handled that before onely the causes would be observed which I take First to be want of piety the duties of the second Table wise from the duties of the first Other causes we may gather from the words of Appian Lib. 4. de bello civili These are the things saith he that layeth millitary Discipline in the dust every one forgetteth his place namely that he is a souldier hee preferreth the serving of a private humour or his own lust to the publique good great Ones or Princes abuse the service of Inferiours to their own onely gain In sua orat apud Dionys Ha●●carnas Appius Clau●●us giveth another cause namely mans palliating foule sins with abused names as haughtinesse and contempt with the name of gravity filthy ribauldry with the name of merriment palpable foolery with the name of simplicity starke staring madnesse with the name of fortitude bloudie oaths with the name of big souldier-like words drunkennesse with the name of good fellowship the Idol-maker of a Cup with the name of a good subject and lastly the loose carriage of great Ones with the names of refreshing themselues And by the contrary the best things are branded with the worst and foulest names as piety by the name of Puritanism humility with the name of pusillanimity simplicity of speech is called hypocrisie and sobriety singularity and reproofe of sin too much holinesse due execution of discipline cruelty but remissenesse of discipline gentlenesse As the evill is manifest with the causes thereof so of necessity there must be a medicine else all is mard and with this as I shewed the great Ones in themselues must begin Moses and Iosua if they will leade the Lords forces must disciplinate themselues before they direct others If a King 〈◊〉 in the Camp Discipline should rule him It is very base flattery and meat and drink to many to suggest to Kings that they may rule others by Laws and themselues by their our wils The very Heathen Emperours who had no mo● knowledge then the bookes of Nature or at most such 〈◊〉 Morall Philosophy could affoord and no more glory b●● transitory command yet they would subject themselues t●● the selfe-same Laws that they willed others to obey A notable instance in this we haue in Adrian the Emperour the first after Octavius Caesar that revived Discipline and therefore much magnified by Aelian in his Tackticks Sparlian in vita Hadrian Lib. 5. eb 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was the manner in creating of a Tribune of war to put a sword into his hand as an Ensign of command vvhich the Emperour holding out to the Tribune Behold saith he recei●● this sword which if I command and rule in reason as a Prine should doe draw it out and use it for me but if I doe otherwise use it against me Crinitus hath words to the same effect spoken by the Emperour to Sura when hee set him over the Pretorian forces So Dio. But Suidas hath the words in Greeke Secondly if Commanders would haue Discipline the must not disdain to shew them the way And that great Generals haue not denyed to doe in things even inferiour to their place As I shewed you before in Adrian so by a whole Iury of the learned the like is testified of Scipio the restorer of Discipline He would haue no beds and to shew them an example he used himselfe to much hardnesse lying no better then on a bed filled with Hay hee abandoned all dainties and delicacies Ign●viam aliaque mi litum vitta exercendo potius in castris velut in scholis quam puniendo sustulit Appian de bell Hispā 1. alij so that ease had no intertainment and by these pains he obtained his end As it is said of him to his great praise That hee tooke away sloth and other vices of the souldiers rather by his exercise in the Campe as in a schoole then by inflicting of punishment ●et Christian Kings and Commanders learne this of ●od the great Commander