Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	christian_n	day_n	sabbath_n	11,845	5	9.8333	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60331	Christian practice described by way of essay upon the life of our Saviour by Stephen Skynner ...	Skynner, Stephen.	1693 (1693)	Wing S3946; ESTC R1647	46,475	162

Zeal for the Sanctuary of God should not show greater concern than he did for the Honour of his Sabbaths But the case betwixt these was very different For the Jews who at this time so profanely neglected the Temple were no less superstitiously nice in keeping the Sabbath and tho a Whip were fittest to scourge their Profaneness a Bridle was most proper to restrain their Superstition Wherefore we may observe him holding the Reins in here upon every occasion He is far from encouraging any in a loose regard towards this day for he considers it as a day dedicated to God's Service and we find him therefore Preaching continually upon it in the Jewish Synagogues Mark 6.2 to shew that one principal Duty of the Day is to attend the Publick Worship of God and all the liberty he pleads directly for on this day is only for works of Necessity and Mercy It is in respect of these alone he tells us Mark 2.27 28. That the Sabbath was made for man and that man is lord also of the Sabbath Nor does he give the least countenance for spending this Day upon Recreation or Secular Business As sure it is very hard since God has given us six days in the week for the benefit of our Bodies if the seventh shall not be allowed by us to his Glory and the good of our Souls Though neither is Christ for tying men up upon this Day to that strictness which was enjoined by Moses as a Clog and Punishment to the Jews He himself was a Jew and as a Jew therefore no question he observed this Day in all respects answerable to the intent of Moses though not to the Pharisees superstitious Glosses upon it But the Curse of the Law which he was made under he desired not to bring upon any of us And lest his Example therefore should be brought into president there is no mention made of any Legal Observances in resting from Culinary Affairs or the like which he tied himself or his Disciples up to on this Day Rather the whole drift of his Discourses about this Day being more to take off from than advance any scrupulous Rest upon it is a plain Argument of his Design to set up that more Rational Sabbath which the Primitive Christians afterwards observed upon the Lord's Day when the Sabbath was reckoned not so much a Day of Rest as a Day of Good Works And instead of sitting still upon it as the Pharisees did with frozen hearts and sullen dejected looks Christians thought nothing so proper next to God's Worship as to express their Joy upon it in making comfortable Provisions for themselves and for the Poor We know what hard words the Father gave such persons who chose to Fast upon this Day 7. Fasting I think may well be brought under the Head of Ceremonial Duties And this is certainly an excellent Ordinance in it self there being no means more proper for resisting the Devil's Assaults by making us meek and poor in spirit fit for the Influences of God's Spirit to work upon And our Saviour therefore is so far from discountenancing this that he says there are some Devil 's not to be cast out without it Mat. 17.21 And he not only prepared himself therefore by it Mat. 4.2 Mark 6.16 17. in order to that grand Conflict he had with the Devil but he recommends the use of it to his Disciples at the same time that he cautions them against the Pharisees way of Fasting Indeed he is against the Pharisees Fasts not only as they had an Hypocritical Air of Pride and Vainglory in them but as they were reckoned by them a Meritorious Act. For never were higher Asserters of the Doctrine of Merit by Good Works than among these Pharisees Whence it was that to enhanse the value of this Duty before God their Fasts were both carried on with greater Strictness and were much more frequent than other peoples Neither of which is much commended by Christ As to the frequency of their Fasts our Saviour used his Disciples so little to this Mark 2.18 as to make the Pharisees think they Fasted not at all It may seem he was not for making this Duty too common but for using it only as occasion required When such Duties are practised of course they are apt to lose their virtue soon like Physick to which mens bodies are accustomed It is the applying them upon great and special occasions chiefly that makes them have due Operation upon mens minds And though our Saviour therefore tells us That his Disciples should practise this Duty oftner when he was gone Mark 2.20 this implies not that it should always be so but only whilst the days of Mourning as it were for the Bridegroom's Departure did in an extraordinary manner require it And much less does our Saviour commend the Pharisees rigid Observance of this Duty pale looks and drooping heads are things perhaps that man may admire people for but God delights not in Even in this most Mortifying Act of Religion Mat. 6.17 Christ is for anointing the head and washing the face for behaving our selves with modest expressions of Chearfulness before the World 8. This Principle of Merit which the Pharisees so espoused put them not only upon Fasting at this rate but upon Whipping themselves also and using the like acts of Austerity as good Authors report which is the practice of the Romanists at this day And this was a mighty work of Supererogation among them But our Saviour gives not the least Encouragement to this either by his Precept or Example As Whipping is reckoned a part of Penance by the Romish Church we are not so unreasonable to expect to find our Saviour exercising his Body after this manner for sins he never committed tho as it was reckoned awork of superabundant Merit as well as of Satisfaction by the Pharisees it may seem as proper for him as any body else But then certainly it is very strange among so many Penitents as came to him for cure of their Sins that he should never prescribe this Method of letting themselves blood did he believe it of any avail to that end It 's true Luke 18.13 he gives a fair Character of the Publican's smiting upon his breast when he made Confession of his sins to God But what then That was an Act significant of True Contrition and was no less natural for persons in great Trouble of Mind than Whipping is foolish and unnatural Nor is John the Baptist's course of life which the Papists insist so much upon any just ground for this or the like Austerities For besides that there is nothing there of this Whipping Practice John the Baptist had an extraordinary Call from God to do what he did He was to come in the Spirit of Elias as a Forerunner of Christ and so was to imitate that Prophet in a rough hardy way of Life And this we may suppose to represent to us as in an Emblem