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
A47777	The parasynagogue paragorized, or, A parenetical confutation of the epidemical error which asserteth, separation from parochial church-communion : demonstrating their practice, who on the Lords day neglect the publick exercises of divine worship in their parochial congregations, and frequent (cæteris paribus) other churches, to be anti-scriptural / by John Lesly ...	Lesly, John, d. 1657.	1655 (1655)	Wing L1171; ESTC R11754	60,778	214

Commonwealth So that he that retreats at any Alarm or Summons of God for the common affaires of the Church to enjoy himselfe in his solitary ends runs himself on the shelves of that rough censure of Athanasius Athanasius ad Dracont Part 2 Edit ult Vereor ne dum propter te fugis propter alios sis in periculo apud Dominum To stand by and to give aime only whilst others shoot proclaimes thy lazinesse if not thy impotency If therefore this thy mother implore thy aide so Augustine counsels his Eudoxius on the one side hand not with Ambition August Epist 81. on the other lean not to a lazie refusal Weigh not thine own idlenesse with the necessities and greatnesse of her burthens to which whilst she is in travel if no good men will administer their help Certe quomodo nasceremini non inveniretis God must then invent new ways for our new birth CHAP. III Parochial Church-communion is a Duty implanted by Nature and a Moral and Solemn part of Divine Worship § 1 AND here I professe and I would not say any thing in which I am singular I have so much childish fear as scarce to dare to walk in publick where I am alone The Topick therefore whence I intend God willing to raise my Reasons for a due and dutiful observation of Parochial Church-communion shall be the same threefold cord with which Tertullian prosecuted another Subject Eccles 4.12 that is according to Scripture Nature and Discipline By these three I hope to demonstrate that Scripture enacteth this Duty for a Law Nature establisheth it and Discipline exacteth Obedience to it As Nature Tertul. de Veland Virg. c. 16. Scripture and Discipline are the Lords saith Tertullian so whatever is contrary to them is not the Lords Let that be unto thee Scripture Nature and Discipline which thou findest ratified by God as thou art commanded 1 Thes 5.21 To prove all things and to hold fast that which is good Cui ex his consuctudo opinionis profit vel quis diversa sententiae color est What can custom of opinion profit any of these or what pretence is there for any contrary judgment saith that Father And first I begin with the Testimony of Nature because God hath premised Nature to be thy Teacher Tertul. de Resurrect Carn c. 12. Tertul. de Cor. Milit. c. 5. being afterwards about to send the Scripture that thou mightest the more easily believe the Scripture being first Natures Scholar and whatsoever is against Nature deserveth by all men to be called a Monster but we will call it Sacriledge against God the Lord and Author of Nature § 2. That Honour and Reverence which is the proper Act of Religion Ames de Consc lib. 4 cap 1. is due only to God Nature teacheth 1. Because it is the greatest Honor that can be given to him 2. It is the honor that is due to the sole Lord of Life and Everlasting Felicity 3 Religious honour directly submitteth and subjecteth the soul and conscience to the Lord alone 4 In Religious honour God only is acknowledged to be our absolute Lord and to have absolute right to require our Obedience Thus Nature teaching us that every Religious Act is due unto God then Parochial Church-Communion being a Religious Act is a Natural or Moral Duty commanded by the Law of Nature Now Moral or Perpetual relating to a Law signifies in the Notation of the word any Precept serving to regulate the Manners of men Sabbatum Redivivum part 1. pag. 9 There are two kinds of Moral Lawes Moral-Natural and motal-Motal-Positive which agreeing in Perpetuity do differ in their distinct Properties as may appear by their several descriptions which are these 1 A Law Moral-Natural is a Law of things necessary to be done or forborn toward God or Man our selves or others which the nature of man now though corrupt cither doth acknowledge or may at least be convinced of to be such even without Scripture by Arguments drawn from those Principles which are now in the hearts of all men generally 2 Lawes moral-Moral-Positive are Lawes clearly laid down in Scripture in words expresse Naturae majestatem recogitare nulli frivolum videre potest Tertul. de Testim Animae c. 5. or certain consequence which Nature though corrupted cannot reasonably deny to be Just Good and so convenient to be perpetuated according to the Law-givers pleasure though antecedent to his will some way revealed to them it would not nor could have judged them to be of themselves altogether necessary The distinction of Moral Laws into Natural and Positive being clear in their descriptions their agreement is manifest in two things besides perpetuity 1 In their Authority and force of Obligation a Positive Law in force doth as strongly bind the conscience as a Natural aequè though not aequaliter 2 In their independance both depend upon God and not upon the will of man and so are indispensable by humane Authority These things premised I conclude that as all Solemn and Religious worship of God is natural-Natural-Moral so Parochial Church-Communion is a Duty implanted by nature § 3. But lest I should be thought to neglect in effect any other Solemn Worship beside this publick Worship in Church-Communion which the Ancients in severest manner did prescribe and require I will briefly declare Concil Gangren cap. 5. 6 that all Solemne Worship is Moral-Natural in all the parts thereof and so by consequence this Worship in Church-Communion Though the nature of man be much defaced by the Fall of Adam yet are there as all men do acknowledg some Principles of Religion found in every soul which can never be blotted out Among which there are these two most legibly upon the Tables of the heart 1 That there is a God which even the most barbarous people in all ages and the worst of Atheists have beene forced to acknowledge 2 That this God must be worshipped by all reasonable Creatures Rom. 1.20 capable of his divine knowledg This is that natural Homage and Alegeance due to God from all mankind by the very law of Nature in their Creation 1 Cor. 6.20 whereby they are bound to perform all Duties that he prescribes to them both with soul and body Our life then regulated by nature is the honour of nature but things done against Nature do hinder the Solemn Worship of God Euseb Orat ad Caet Sanct. c. 1. said Constantine the great § 4 The Worship of God may be distinguished into Ejaculatory and Solemn Ejaculatory Worship is that which a man may tender unto God either with the Heart alone or with the Tongue also in Prayer and Praises even in the midst of worldly imployments To this kind of Worship every one is undoubtedly bound as much as it is possible for us to perform it and that by those general precepts which bind Semper Psal 1.2 62.8 1 Thes 5.16 17 18 as the Schools