Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
lord_n day_n ghost_n holy_a 10,874 5 5.1853 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A45297 A letter concerning Christmasse sent to a knight in Suffolke by that Reverent Father in God Dr. Joseph Hall ... Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656. 1652 (1652) Wing H389; ESTC R40929 8,282 24

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

holiness in it as such We should justly incur that blame which the Apostles cast upon the Galatians and Colossians False Teachers but to wrest this forbiddance to a Christian solemn Purity which is meerly commemoration of a blessing received without any prefiguration of things to come without any opinion of holiness anexed to the day is no other then injurious violence Vpon all this which hath been said and upon a serious weighing of what ever may be further alledged to the contrary I dare confidently affirm that there is no just reason why good Christians should not withall godly cheerfulness observe this which that holy Father stiled the Metropolis of all Feasts to which I add that those which by their Example and Doctrine sleight this Day causing their People to dishonour it with their worst cloaths with shops open with servile works stand guilty before God of an high and sinfull contempt of that lawfull Authority under which they live for as much by the Statutes of our Land made by the full concurrence of King and State This is commanded to be kept holy by all English Subjects and this power is backed by the charge of God Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake If now after all this I should let my Pen loose to the suffragant Testjmonies whether of Antiquity or Modern Divines and Reformed Churches I should tire your patience and instead of a Letter send you a Volume let it suffice that ever since the second 100 years after Christ this Feast hath without contradiction obtained due respect in the Church of God received many noble Elogies and passionate inforcements from the Learned and holy Fathers of the Church amongst the rest that of Gregory Nazianzen in his Orations upon the Day of the Nativity of Christ is so remarkable that I may not omit it as that which sets forth the excess of joyfull respect wherewith the Ancient Christians were wont to keep this day Let us saith he Celebrate this Feast not in a Panegyrical but Divine not in a worldly but supersecular manner not regarding so much our selvs or others as the worship of Christ and how shall we effect this not with Crowning our doors with Garlands nor leading of Dances nor adorning our Streets not by feeding our eyes not by delighting our ears with pleasant Songs not by effeminating our smell with perfumes not with humouring our taste with dainties not with pleasing our touch not with silken costly cloaths and not with the sparkling Jewels not with the luster of Gold not with the artifice of counterfeit colours let us leave these things to Pagans for their pomp c. But we who adore the word of the Father if we think fit to affect delicacies let us feed our selves with the dainties of the Law of God and with those Divine Discourses especiall which are fitting for this present Festival So that Learned and eloquent Father to his Auditors of Constantinople where to let me if you please have leave to add one or two practical instances one shall be of the good Emperour Theodosius lying now for eight moneths under the severe Censure of Bishop Ambrose when the Feast of the Nativity drew neer what moan did that Religious Prince make to his Courtiers that he was by that resolute Bishop shut out for his blood-guiltiness from partaking with the assembly in that holy Service and what importunate means did he make for his admission Hist. tri partit lib. 9. cap. 30. Had that gracious Emperour been of the Diet of these our new Divines he would have sleighted that repulse and gladly taken this occasion of absense from that Superstitious Solemnity or had one of these grave Monitors been at his elbow he might have saved that pious Prince the expence of many sighs and tears which now he bestowed upon his abstention from that dearly affected Devotion The other shal be a History of as much note as horror too clear a proofe of the ancient Celebration of this Feastival it was under the Tyrany of Dioclesian and his Co-partner Maximinus Nicephor 1.7 ca. 6. that 20000. Christians met to Celebrate the Feast of this Nativity in the large Church of Nicomedia which were made an Holocaust and burnt together with that goodly Fabrick to ashes on that day Lo so great a multitude as 20000. Christians of al ages of both Sexes had not thus mett together in a time of so mortal danger to celebrate this Feast if the holy Zeal of their duty had not told them they ought to keep that day which these Novellers teach us to contemne Now let these bold men see of how contrary a disposition they are to those blessed Martyrs which as this day sent up their Soules like Manoahs Angel to Heaven in those flames After thus much said I should be glad to know since reason there can be none what Authority induces these Gain-saiers to oppose so antient received a Custome in the Church of God you tell me of a double Testimony cyted to this purpose the one of Socrates the Historian which I suppose is fetched out of the 5th Book of Eclesiastical Story Chap. 21. where upon occasion of the Feast of Easter he passeth his Judgement upon the indeffrent nature of all those ancient Feasts which were of use in the Primitive Times shewing that the Apostles never meant to make any Law for the keeping them but left men to the free observation thereof For Answer whereunto I do not tell you that this Author is wont to be impeached of Novatianism and therefore may seem fit to yield Patronage to such a Clyent I rather say that take him at the worst he is no enemy to our opinion or Practice we agree with him that the Apostles would have men free from servitude of the Jewish observation of days that they enacted no Law for set Festivals but left persons and places so to their liberty in these Cases that none should impose a necessity upon others this were to be pressed upon Victor Bishop of Rome who violently obtruded a day for the Celebration of Easter upon all Churches supposing in the mean time an Easter universally kept of all Christians though not on the same day This makes nothing against us who place no Holiness in the very hours nor plead any Apostolicall injunction for days nor tye any person or Church to our strict Calender but only hold it fit out of obedience to the Laws both of our Church and Kingdom to continue a joyfull Celebration of a memorial Day to the honour of our blessed Saviour But that other Authority which you tell me was urged to this purpose I confess doth not a little amaze me it was you say of K. James our Learned Soveraign of late blessed memory whose testimony was brought in before the credulous people not without the just applause of a Solomon-like-wisdom as crying down these Festivals and in a certain Speech of his applauding the purity of the Church of Scotland above that of Geneva for that it observed not the common Feasts of Christs Nativity Resurrection c. Is it possible that any mouth could name that wife and good King in such a cause whom all the world knows to have been as zealous a Patron of these Festivals as any lived upon earth and if he had let fall any such Speech before he had any Down upon his chin whiles he was under the Ferule what candor is it to produce it now to the contradiction of his better experience and riper judgement Nay is it not famously known that it was one of the main errands of his journey into his Native Kingdom of Scotland to reduce that Church into a conformity to the rest of the Churches of Christendom in the observation of these Solemn Dayes and to this purpose was it not one of the main businesses which he set on work in the Assembly at Perth one of the 5. Articles of Perth And wherein he imployed the service of his worthy Chaplain Dr. Young Dean of Winchester to recall and re-establish these Festivals And accordingly in pursuance of his Majesties earnest desires this way was it not enacted in that Assembly that the said Feasts should be duly kept Doubtless it was that not without much wise care holy caution which act because it cannot be had every where and is well worthy of your notice and that which clears the point in hand I have thought good here to insert The tenor of it therfore is this As we abhor the superstitious observation of Festivall days by the Papist and detest all licentious and prophane abuse thereof by the common sort of professors so we think that the inestimable benefits received from God by our Lord Iesus Christs Birth Passion Resurrection Ascension and sending down of the Holy Ghost was commendably and godly remembred at certain particular days and times by the whole Churches of the World and may be also now therefore the Assembly ordains that every Minister shall upon these days have the commemoration of the aforesaid inestimable benefits and make choice of severall pertinent Texts of Scripture and frame their doctrine and Exhortations thereto and rebuke all Superstitious observation licentious prophanation thereof I could if it were needfull give you other proofs of K. Iames his zeal for these days but what should I spend time in proving there is a Sun in the Heaven light in the Sun the name of that great King suffereth for his exces this way Seeing then the Church of God his anointed Law Antiquity and Reason are for us in this point and I doubt not but we wil gladly be on their side Away with all Innovations and frivolous quarrels we were divided enough before and little needed any new rents the God of Peace quiet all these distempers and unite our hearts one to another and all to Himself Farewell in the Lord FINIS
Vera Effigies Reverendi Doni Iosephi Hall Norwici nuper Episcopi A LETTER Concerning Christmasse Sent to a Knight in SUFFOLKE By that Reverent Father in God Dr. JOSEPH HALL late Lord Bishop of NORWICH London Printed by E.C. for Fran Grove dwelling on Snow-hill 1659. To the Reader I Here present you with a true Copie of a Letter sent by Dr. Joseph Hall late of Norwich Bishop to the Right Worshipfull Sir Iohn Wentworth Knight in Suffolke And this Iaverre to be Transcribed by me Iohn Smith from the Bishops own hand-writting and I wish it as good success as St. Pauls Letter to the Corinthians had that you may not read it with prejuduce that ye sorrow Godly So that in nothing ye be hurt therby And rather then this so worthy a Letter should have been obscured ● one Familie I have ventured it to the Publick that they may save the good that was meant to my Noble Friend and Kinsman before mentioned and that that hvmble and meeke Author and Saint now in Abrahams-bosom might have his due of all Now the Lord grace us with all Spirituall Blessings till he bring us to Glory the perfection of Grace for the attainment of which together with all External Prosperity and Temporal Felicitie in this life You shall never want the instant Prayer of John Smith Gent. A Letter Concerning Christmass sent to a Knight in Suffolke By that Reverent Father in God Dr. JOSEPH HALL the late Lord Bishop of NORWICH Sir with my loving Remembrance c. IT cannot but be a great griefe to any wise and moderate Christian to see Zealous and well meaning Soules carried away after the giddy humour of their new Tea●ers to a contempt of all holy and Reverant Antiquitie and to an eager affectation of Novel Fancies even whilst they cry out most utterly against Innovation when the Practice and Judgement of the whole Christian World even from the daies of the blessed apostles to this present Age is pleaded for ●●y Forme of Government or Laudable Observation they are streight taught That old things are passed and that all things are become new making their word good by so new and unheard of an Interpretation of Scripture whereby they may as justly argue the introducing of a new Church a new Gospel a new Religion with the annulling of the Old and that they may not want an alsufficient Patronage of their fond conceit our blessed Saviour himself is brought in who in his Sermon on the Mount controlled the antiquity of the Pharisaical glosses of the Law Mat. 5.21 27. Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old thus and thus but I say unto you thus thus as if the Son of God in checking the upstart Antiquities of a misgrounded unreasonable tradition meant to condemn the truly ancient and commendable customs of the whole Christian Church which all sober and judicious Christians are wont to look upon with meet respect and reverence and certainly whosoever shall have set down this resolution with himself to sleight those either Institutions or Practices which are derived to us from the Primitive Times and have ever since been entertained by the whole Church of Christ upon earth that man hath laid sufficient foundation of Schismes and dangerous Singularities And doth that which the most eminent of the Fathers St. Augustine chargeth with no less then the most insolent madness Insolenti sini est c. For me and my Friends God give us grace to take the advice which our Saviour gave his Spouse To go forth by the footsteps of the flock and to feed our Kids besides the Shepherds Tents Canticle 1.8 And to walk in the sure paths of uncorrupt Antiquity for the celebration of the Solemn Feast of our Saviours Nativity Resurrection Ascension and the coming down of the Holy Ghost which you say is cryed down by your Zealous Lecturers One would think these should be reasons enough in those wonderfull and unspeakable benefits which those days serve to Commemorate unto us for to instance in the said Feast of the Nativity when the Angel brought the news of that blessed Birth to the Jewish shepherds Behold saith he I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people for unto you is born this day a Saviour Luke 2.10 If then the report of this blessing were the best tidings of the greatest joy that ever was or ever could be possibly incident unto mankinde why should not the commemoration thereof be answerable where we conceive the greatest joy what should hinder us to express it in a joyfull Festivity but you are taught to say the day conferred nothing on the blessing that every day we should with equal thankfulness remember this inestimable benefit of the Incarnation of the Son of God So as a set Aniversary day is altogether needless Know then and consider that the all-Wise God who knew it fit that his people should every day think of the great work of the Creation and of that miraculous Deliverance of the Egyptian servitude and should daily give honour to their Almighty Creator and Deliverer yet ordained one day of seven for the more special Recognition of these marvellous works as well knowing how apt we are to forget those Duties wherewith we are only encharged in common without the designement of a particular renumeration Besides the same reason will hold proportionable against any monethly or annual Celebration whatsoever The Jews should have been much to blame if they had not every Day thankfully remembred the great Deliverance which God wrought for them from the bloody design of cruel Haman yet it was thought requisite if not necessary that there should be two special days of Purim set apart for the Aniversary memorial of that wonderful preservation the like may be said for the English Purim of November It is well in besides the general tye of our thankfulness a precise Day ordained by Authority can enough quicken our unthankful dulness to give God his own for so great a mercy Shall we say it is the work of the year what needs a day As therefore no Day should pass over our heads without a gratefull acknowledgement of the great mysterie of God Incarnate So withall the wisdom of the Primitive Church no doubt but by the Direction of the Holy Ghost hath pitched upon one special Day wherein we should intirely devote our thoughts to the Meditation of this Work which the Angels of Heaven cannot enough admire But we are told that perhaps we misse of the Day since the Season is Litigious uncertain unknown and in all likelyhood other then our December and that it is purposely not revealed that it may not be kept As to the first I deny not that the just Day is not certainly known the great Saviour of the World that would have his second coming without observation going before it would have his first coming without observation following it he meant to come