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
A85852	A discourse of auxiliary beauty. Or artificiall hansomenesse. In point of conscience between two ladies.	Gauden, John, 1605-1662.; Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667,; Walker, Obadiah, 1616-1699,	1656 (1656)	Wing G355; Thomason E1594_1; ESTC R202122	94,239	212

Catechisme upon the 7th Command Which fearfull stroke of divine vengeance and censure of so learned and pious a person making that her painting a most meritorious and principall cause of her so sad destiny are sufficient I think to scare the most adventurous woman from any such sinfull and accursed practise MAdam as I allow your rule the word of God which is the onely balance of the Sanctuary where sins are to be weighted so I am not ignorant of that story to which your LaP Ladyship as all others in this dispute do much referre Nor am I a stranger to that glosse or observation thence made against all painting or tincturing of the face by that most worthy Prelate with whose so quick and sharp a stroke I was at first reading that passage so startled that I had no rest till I advised with another person of great judgement and and sober piety who made it clear to me That that excellent Bishop however then he thought sit after the wonted oratory and freedome of some of the Fathers to make a a popular passe or stroke of his potent pen against what he might suspect to be then much used and abused too in the English world yet for certain he was too wise and judicious a Divine to fix that signall and heavy judgement of God onely or chiefly or indeed at all upon Jezebels painting which was an after act and as to that time or instant in the story comes at least 14. years behind that dreadful doom which was by the prophet Elisha foretold upon the score of Naboths blood unjustly shed his inheritance cruelly usurped which is 1 Kings 21. 23. So that her painting her eyes or face mentioned in the place you urge is indeed among other occasionall circumstances recorded but to a farre different end or use than either to lay the weight of the subsequent punishment or the guilt of any sin upon that act more than upon the other concomitant actions therewith recited § Among which this of her painting is indeed set down chiefly to shew That no advantages of outward Beauty naturall or artificiall though set off with the curiosity Majesty of a Queen are sufficient to make any person the object of either love or pity where foul and enormous sins have so debased and deformed their souls to God As Murther Idolatry and Oppression had done Jezebels For which sins as is expresly said that Tragedy befell her which was foretold long before she is brought in so dressed and adorned which thunderbolt of Gods vengeance she in vain sought to disarm or avoid by using any charms attractives or lenitives of outward beauty if that were her designe which truly is not very probable at her years and toward Jehu a declared enemy Nor do indeed the actions of Jezebel signifie as that gentleman told me any amorous intention whereby to allure Jehu since her words reproach him with so just and bitter a Sarcasme as that is Had Zimri peace who slew his master § So that Jezebel at this time seems rather resolved not so much to court as to scorn Jehu disdaining to deprecate her ruine or ow her life to such an enemy And therefore she puts her self into a posture of Majesty as shewing that height and greatnesse of mind which could own her self in the pomp splendor of a Princesse even then when she expected her enemy and her end That she might at least perish as she thought with the more reputation of a comely person and undanted spirit which abhorred to humble and abase it self after the manner of fearfull and squalid suppliants in sackcloth or to a bate any of those accustomed ornaments with which she used as a Queen to entertain her self in her prosperity So that my learned friend concluded in my opinion very rationally that the Lord Primates inference for which she was justly eaten-up by dogs may no more be applied to this particular of Jezebels painting her eyes or face than to her adorning or dressing of her head or her looking out of a window or her speaking such words as she did to Jehu's face all which are recorded in the same story immediately before her precipitate ruine which actions in themselvs cannot be branded for sins nor are they noted there for such further than they may be relatively considered as to the mind and end of the doer or speaker whereby to gratifie pride passion or any other wickednesse And in this respective consideration not only Jezebels painting and dressing but her very eating and drinking her sleeping and clothing her native strength and beauty her civil honor and power might be relatively sins as the Scripture tells us the plowing of the wicked is sin and his praying is abomination So his prosperity becomes a snare and his plenty a poyson to his soul when the good gifts and creatures of a good God are by evil minds perverted to be weapons of unrighteousnesse and instruments of sin to satisfie those lusts whose inordinatenesse and not their desire fights against God and the Soul So then your LaP Ladyship cannot be so blind as not to see that the bare historicall narration of Jezebels painting her eyes among other actions which you confesse to be innocent in themselves and whereof you make no scruple if it did referre to any wanton designe which is very unlikely at that time in a Queen whose proud and violent spirit might now justly be carried away with other passions and transports than those of lust yet it doth no way argue or import the use of that or other things therewith mentioned to be in themselves any sins to all that then did or after should use the like applications words or actions out of far different minds and to farre different ends which are beyond all dispute the proper grounds and rules of all morall denominations as to good or evil in those mediate actions agents and instruments whose freedome in nature falls not under any speciall restraint of Gods command forbidding them by any positive Law as he did many things in point of food clothes fafashions and other civil actions among the Jews It is a grosse mistake in Architecture to think that every small stud bears the main stresse and burthen of the building which lies indeed upon the principall timbers And it is an horrible wresting of Scripture to make every recited circumstance in any place to bear the whole weight of the story event You cannot think that Dives went to hell onely because he was a rich man clothed in purple and fine linen and faring deliciously or sumptuously every day All which things many persons of as good as great quality of no lesse virtue and piety than honor and estate daily enjoy without any blame Nor was it Lazarus his poverty and dunghill or his sores and the charitable tongues of the dogs that brought him to heaven The luxury pride and uncharitablenesse of the one the patience