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	holy_a	sabbath_n	45,615	5	10.2433	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53733	Truth and innocence vindicated in a survey of a discourse concerning ecclesiastical polity, and the authority of the civil magistrate over the consciences of subjects in matters of religion.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1669 (1669)	Wing O817; ESTC R14775	171,951	414

Worship of God to be necessarily and for a continuance observed among them but what they had express Warrant and Authority and command of our Lord Christ for Counsel they gave in particular cases that depended upon present emergencies Directions for the regular and due observation of Institutions and the Application of general Rules in particular practice They also taught a due and sanctified use of Civil customes and the proper use of Moral or Natural Symbols But to impose any Religious Rites on the constant practice of the Church in the Worship of God making them necessary to be alwaies observed by that imposition they did not once attempt to do or assume power for it to themselves Yea when upon an important difficulty and to prevent a ruining scandal they were enforced to declare their judgement to the Churches in some points wherein they were to abridge the practice of their Christian liberty for a season they would do it only in things made necessary by the state of things then among the Churches in reference to the great end of edification whereby all practices are to be regulated before the declaration of their judgement for the restriction mentioned Acts 15. So remote were they from assuming unto themselves a Dominion over the Religion Consciences or faith of the Disciples of Christ or requiring any thing in the constant Worship of the Church but what was according to the Will Appointment and Command of their Lord and Master Little countenance therefore is our Author like to obtain unto his sentiments from the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament or the Example either of the Jews or Christians mentioned in them The Instances he gives from the Church of the Jewes or that may be given are either Civil Observances as the feast of Purim or Moral conveniencies directed by general Rules as the building of Synagogues or customary signes suited to the nature of things as wearing of Sackcloth or such as have no proof of their being approved As the feast of Dedication and some monethly Fasts taken up in the Captivity from none of which any objection can be taken against the position before laid down Those from the Church of the new Testament had either a perpetual binding institution from the Authority of Christ as the Lords day Sabbath or contain only a direction to use Civil Customes and Observances in an holy and sanctified manner as the Love Feasts and Kiss of Charity or such as were never heard of in the New Testament at all as the observation of Lent and Easter He that out of these instances can draw a warranty for the power of the Civil Magistrate over Religion and the Consciences of men to institnte new duties in Religion when he pleaseth so these do not countenance Vice nor disgrace the Deity which all his Christian Subjects shall be bound in conscience to observe or otherwise make good any of those particulat conclusions that therefore Christ is not the ouly Law giver to his Church or that Divin● Revelation is not the adequate rule of Divin● Worship or that men may add any thing to the Worship of God to be observed in it constantly and indispensiely by the whole Church will manifest himself to have an Excellency in Argumentation beyond what I have ever yet met withal A removal of the Argument taken from the perfection of the Scripture and its sufficiency to instruct us in the whole Counsel and Will of God concerning his Worship and our Obedience unto him is nextly attempted but with no Engines but what have been discovered to be insufficient to that purpose an hundred times It is alledged That what the Scripture commands in the Worship of God is to be observed that what it forbids is to be avoided Which if really acknowledged and a concernment of the Consciences of men be granted therein is sufficiently destructive of the principal Design of our Author But moreover I say that it commands and fo●●bids things by general Rules as well by particular Precepts and Inhibition and that if what is so commanded be d●served and what is so forbidden be avoided there is a direct-Rule remaining in for the whole worship of God But this is said here to be of substan●● duties but not of external circumstance and if it be so even of substantial dut●● it perfectly overthrows all that our Autho● hath been pleading in the three first Cha●ters of his Discourse For external circumstances of what nature those are wh●● are disposable by humane Authority an● Prudence hath been now often declare and needs not here to be repeated The summ of his Apprehensions in th● matter about the perfection and suffici●ency of the Scripture in reference to th● Worship of God our Author gives us pag. 189. Anything saith he is lawful th●● is in the Worship of God that is no● made unlawful by some prohibition for things become evil not upon the scors of there being not commanded but upon that of their being forbidden And what the Scripture forbids not it allows and what it allows is not unlawful and what is not unlawful may lawfully be done This tale I confess we have been told many and many a time but it hath been as often answered that the whole of It as to any thing of reasoning is captious and sophistical Once more therefore what is commanded in the Worship of God is lawful yea is our duty to observe All particular Instances of this sort that are to have actual place in the Worship of God were easily enumerated and so expresly commanded And why among sundry things that might equally belong thereunto one should be commanded and another left at liberty without any Institution no man can divine Of particular things not to be observed there is not the same reason It is morally impossible that all instances of mens Inventions all that they can find out to introduce into the Worship of God at any time in any Age and please themselves therein should be before hand enumerated and prohibited in their particular instances And if because they are not so forbidden they may lawfully be introduced into Divine Worship and imposed upon the practices of men ten thousand things may be made lawful and be so imposed But the truth is although a particular prohibition be needful to render a thing evil in it self a general prohibition is enough to render any thing unlawful in the Worship of God So we grant that what is not forbidden is lawful but withal say that every thing is forbidden that should be esteemed as any part of Divine Worship that is not commanded and if it were not yet for want of such a command or Divine Institution it can have neither use nor efficacy with respect to the end of all Religious Worship Our Author speaks with his wonted confidence in this matter yea it seems to rise to its highest pitch as also doth his contempt of his Adversaries or whatever is or may be offered by