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
A77851	A treatise of self-judging, in order to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper. Together with a sermon of the generall day of judgement. / By Anthony Burgesse pastor of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664. Demonstration of the day of judgement against atheists & hereticks.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1658 (1658)	Wing B5661; Thomason E1904_1; ESTC R209997	46,977	246

Ordinances have a kind of perfidiousness and Covenant-breaking in them and this must needs aggravate 6. The sins of Gods people are to be heightned in this consideration that they are not only transgressions but unkindnesses and therefore they are said not only to anger God but to grieve him as Ephes 4.30 Grieve not the holy Spirit of God God complaineth of Israel who were his people in a peculiar manner though all not upright in heart that forty years long they had grieved him and truly what grieveth the spirit of God must exceedingly grieve us Hence though the sins of the godly cannot be that sin against the Holy Ghost which the Scripture makes unparpardonable yet because the Spirit of God is in the godly a Sanctifier a Sealer a Comforter and worketh choice and glorious effects in them therefore they do in a more special manner grieve the Spirit of God The Spirit of God dwels in the godly as in his Temple and not so in a wicked man now to defile this Temple to prophane this Temple by applying thy self to any evil way how distastfull must it be to the Spirit of God Oh remember wicked mens sins anger God but thine do grieve him also as a stubborn child doth not only offend his parents but make them inwardly grieve also 7 The people of God in their sins have this aggravating particular why God should judge them rather then others because they have greater power to withstand it there is not that necessity upon them in sinning as is in unregenerate men It is true an unregenerate man cannot but sin in all that he doth yet this necessity doth not excuse but aggravate both because it is voluntarily contracted upon himself and because this necessity is voluntary and with delight Eo magis libera quo magis Ancilla as Bernard But now in a godly man there is a spiritual life and power within him to avoid sin he is not in the progresse of holinesse as in the first conversion meerly passive but now actì agimus and moti movemus the grace of God exciting we have life within us to co-operate Now then if God hath infused such a life within us it is thy greater sin if thou dost not act accordingly God hath brought thee out of thy first bondage and if thou dost yet live a slave the greater is thy condemnation It 's made a dispute whether a godly man can avoid any more sins then he doth or do any more good then he doth Some Orthodox men are reported by the Arminians to affirm they cannot but no doubt converting grace takes away that spiritual death in sin and giveth principles of life and all habits of grace infused have a sufficiency in their way to produce their acts yet so as they need actual grace to excite and apply these to operation A man that hath his eye healed hath a power to see yet if there be not light to actuate the medium he cannot see We need grace even after conversion to excite and quicken those principles But this sheweth that a godly mans sin is therefore to be aggravated because he hath a principle within to refuse it 8. Hence it is because of this supernatural life within him that all the sins of a godly man have a kinde of unnaturalnesse in them when a wicked man sinneth he sinneth of his own it is naturall as it is for a serpent to be poysonous for a wolf to be ravening but if a godly man sin it 's wholly contra-natural How cometh this figtree to bear thorns this Vine to bear thistles Hence 1 Joh 3.9 he that is born of God is said not to sinne yea he cannot sinne because the seed abideth in him for sins are against his divine principle it is as if iron should swim as if fire should descend How can I do this and sin against God said Joseph Gen. 39.9 9. Therefore God doth judge his people when offending because their sinnes do dishonour God more what disorders are in an house redound to the Masters reproach from wicked men no other thing is expected every one looketh that swine will wallow in the mire but when sheep do so this is intollerable This aggravation God putteth upon Davids sinne 2 Sam. 12.14 Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion for the enemies of God to blaspheme Now remember that the honour and glory of God is worth ten thousand such as thou art 10. And lastly The sinnes of the godly are a stumbling block and incouragement to the wicked if they see thee proud earthly passionate they think they may do so likewise Besides thou dost hereby discover some wearinesse of God as if to turn from him to sinne were better as if thou didst not finde that contentment and fulnesse in the waies of God as thou didst hope for so that seeing all these things are in the sinnes of the godly no wonder if the Lord do in a special manner call them to account make them taste of the bitter cup he giveth them to drink Use of Exhortation let the People of God then speedily set upon this duty of self-judging It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God provoked if thy heart be dull hard sensless lay all these quickning aggravations of thy sins to thy soul and they must needs humble thee The Sacrament of the Lords Supper as from one consideration it requireth joy and gladness of heart so from another godly sorrow and brokenness of soul to see Christ crucifyed as it were for thy sins before thy eyes and thou hast been many times ready to crucifie him again and again Cry out O Lord my heart is overwhelmed what can I say This sin with these aggravations make me fear and tremble Oh it is not in my own worthinesse in my own fitnesse I presume to draw to this Ordinance for with the Centurion I am not worthy Christ should come within my roof and thus the lesse thou sparest and excusest thy self the more welcome wilt thou be to this Table CHAP. III. Of Gods punishing his people for sins against a Positive Institution such as Sacrament-sins 1 COR. 11.31 For if we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord. THE last Observation is That God doth judge his people not only for moral grosse sinnes but Sacrament-sins sinnes that are against a positive institution The Corinthians were guilty of many other sins some whereof were contrary to the moral Law yea to the very light of nature but the Apostle doth not instance in them as a cause of that publick judgement which was upon them but he pitcheth on their prophane approachings to the Lords Supper which is of a positive Institution The original of all that calamity which is come upon mankinde and that sinne for which God was so provoked that all the posterity of Adam is obnoxious to eternal wrath God punishing no sin in the like manner as he did this What was

it but a transgression of a positive law Uzzah was stricken dead Nadab and Abihu consumed with fire from heaven and all because they did not keep to such order in Gods worship as he had instituted 1 Chron. 15.13 Yea Moses but for deferring Circumcision which was an Ordinance likewise of meer institution so that it had been no duty to circumcise if God had not commanded it yet he was threatned to be killed for his delay therein The Paschal lamb also Exod. 4.24 to which the Sacrament of the Lords Supper doth answer whosoever did neglect was to be cut off from among his people Numb 9.13 By these instances it doth appear how severe the wrath of God is against all such as do not keep to the Ordinances of God and that in such order as he hath required as we reade David acknowledging 1 Chron. 15.13 I shall not treat in the general about all the positive institutions of Christ but limit my self to this of the Lords Supper and to shew you that seeing God will so justly judge men for their unworthy approaches to it it is good for us to judge our selves for such sins first and this may prevent Gods judging of us only to understand the Doctrine you must know that that speaketh of sins of two sorts moral sins and positive sins to understand which distinction you must know that this division is according to the two kinds of Commands which God imposeth upon his Church there are moral commands which command or forbid that which is either intrinsecally good or evil so that because they are goo● God commandeth them they are not commanded and therefore good suc● is to love God to fear hi● and such are the duties of the second Table for we regard not those Schoolmen who say nothing is intrinsecally good or evil but meerly so from the outward Command of God or his prohibition Again there are positive commands and these have their goodness onely because God commands them in themselves they have no intrinsecal goodness only Gods institution makes them good thus the sanctification of the Lords Day is a duty by positive institution so the observation of the Sacraments it is a duty by Gods meer will and institution so that the not being baptized the not receiving of the Lords Supper had not been any sins if God had not required them only these positive Commands are again distinguished into positive temporary such things as God hath required of h●s Church for a time only as to be Circumcised to observe the Judaical Rites and Sacrifices it was great sinne to keep them up when the time of their obligation was expired 2. There is positive perpetual and that is when God hath appointed such Ordinances to be observed till the coming of Christ as the Lords day Baptisme and the Lords Supper we are to shew forth his death till he come 1 Cor 11. This is called by some Divines Moral Positive and the other Moral commands are called Moral Natural Now as there are two kinds of Laws so there are such kinds of sins which are the transgression of those Laws when a man is unjust unclean intemperate then he breaks the natural Law of God when he prophanes the Sabbath when he cometh unprepared to a Sacrament he breaketh the Positive Law and whereas it might be thought these latter sins are not very hainous because they are only mala quia prohibita evils because prohibited Gods prohibition maketh them to be sins The Doctrine telleth us that for such sins God will judge us yea it is worth the while to take notice of that place Levit. 17. ver 3 4 5. where God speaking not of a prophane killing of beasts for common food but religious by way of Sacrifice he enjoyneth this order that whosoever killeth a beast thus for a Sacrifice and bringeth it not unto the door of the Tabernacle blood shall be imputed to that man he hath shed blood A notable place to shew how hainous a sin it is not to keep to Gods order in his worship The very not bringing of it to the door of the Tabernacle maketh it as hainous a sin as to kill a man and indeed in some respects these sins are worse then the other whereof this is the chief because the Lord doth by these Positive precepts demonstrate his soveraignty over us and try our obedience so that if we be negligent or omissive therein we do expresly and formally manifest our disobedience to God and do refuse to own him as our Lord Not to add that in these positive institutions God regardeth our good he hath appointed Sabbaths and Sacraments not for his good but for ours not that he needeth us but because we need him and therefore we must highly sin against our souls What particulars are to be examined inquired after with special respect to the Ordinance of the Lords Supper when God shall in such a mercifull manner tender our good and we refuse it This foundation laid let us inquire into the duty of Self-judging in this particular Ordinance of the Lords Supper and because this judging as you heard doth imply a judgment of discussion and upon sin discovered a judgement of condemnation Let us speak to both and for the judgement of Discussion these things are to be done first the worthy Receiver who may receive comfortably is to judge himself about the state of grace to examine himself whether he be a new creature whether God hath ever put a supernatural and heavenly principle in him or no for if he be a man in the state of nature still If he have no more in him then what he came with into the world he cannot put forth those actual graces of Faith and spiritual hunger after Christ and his benefits which make the Lords Supper to be spiritual meat and nourishment indeed There was once a prophane custom crept into the Church which was removed by a Council That the Lords Supper should no● be given to dead men and the elem●nts being symbols of nourishment in the use whereof we a●e commanded to eat and drink all this supposeth that while men are dead in sins void of spiritual life they cannot spiritually eat and drink nor put forth gracious actings in the Ordinances for there must be a good root befo●e the branches be good there must be a good Fountain ere the streams be and so a good foundation of grace and spiritual life within before thou art able to put forth Sacramental act ngs only you must remember that the Church admits such to this Table that have competent knowledge and are free from gross sins because she cannot judge of the hearts of men neither is the Sanctification or Regeneration of a person either in Baptism or the Lords Supper a foundation of the administration of the Sacrament for then the Minister would be in perpetual doubtings to whom to give it to or ra her conclude to give it to none because he