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	keep_v	sabbath_n	47,166	5	10.4175	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61678	Deceivers deceiv'd, or, The mistakes of wickedness in sundry erroneous and deceitful principles, practised in our late fatal times, and suspected still in the reasonings of unquiet spirits delivered in a sermon at St. Paul's, October 20th 1661 before the Right Honorable Sir Richard Browne Knight and Baronet, Lord Maior of the city of London, and the aldermen his brethren : being the initial also of the Reverend Dr. John Berwick, dean of the said church, at the first celebrity of divine service with the organ and choiristers, which the Lord Maior himslef solemniz'd with his personal presence from the very beginning.	Stone, Samuel, 1602-1663.; Browne, Richard, Sir, 1602?-1669.; Barwick, John, 1612-1664.	1661 (1661)	Wing S5735; ESTC R18742	26,609	51

of Pater Noster and Ave-Maries and so many empty slight Collects as a wise Christian can sense it no better then meer superfluity others therefore would have no form of Prayer at all no not so much as the Common Prayer it self though it be the very Characteristick of our Church of England to distinguish it from other Protestant Churches Sic vitant stul●i vitia This is the contrariety of Extreams Some practise the Sabbath as not keeping it at all without any observation of duty all the day long others therefore would be seem in declining this extremity to keep it without any intermission of duty from morning until deep at night as if the Lords day which by the practise of all the Churches is a festival a day of joy to be called our delight saith the prophet Isai c. 58. 13. Exod. 31. 17. and a refreshment saith Moses explayning rest as if such a day should be more onerous or burthensome then a Fast or as if the perfection of holiness should consist in length and quantity which is a known property of imperfection or as if purity of reformation whereof this of the sabbath they most ostentate should be seen chiefly in a likenesse unto Jews in their Devotion as they were too much like them in the late Kings The Lords anointed decollation Sic vitant stulti vitia This is the contrariety of extreams Which together with the premises shews the Principle of reasoning from contraries to be foolish and deceitful A fourth deceitful Principle of wickedness whence vain workers of iniquity reason to themselves the lawfulnesse of their vilest practices is Successe in them Because their actions though never so monstrous and abominable do neverthelesse prosper and take effect according to their desires they conclude therefore 'T was Gods will and pleasure so to have them come to passe and thereby they warrant and applaud themselves as instruments of effecting Gods purposes and giving issue to his providential Decrees forsooth as the only servants of the most High Whereupon it follows in the Poets phrase That Prosperum Scelus Virtus Vocetur Wickednesse must be new Christened and called a Virtue As the late Rebellion was called the Good old Cause nay God himself was invited to be the Godfather to 't and 't was called the Cause of God for the promotion whereof Religion it self deform'd by policy was fain to play the Hypocrite and mockt God with Thanksgivings for his blessing upon the Enterprise and his wonderfull mercy in the Successe and Prayer and Fasting too did take their turn to implore divine assistance for the further carrying on and maintenance of the Prodigie God himself being thus entitled both Father Author thereof The deceitfulness of which reasoning appears sufficiently in this That the very Turks themselves from the same Argument may plead the cause of Mahomet and justify their Tyranny and Usurpation over half the World almost and so ye know had Popery spread over all Christendome for many hundred years and is yet successfull over a great part thereof Yea sin it self after it had once entred prevailed over al the World which I hope no man will be so wretched as to impute to God as the Author thereof howbeit it had successe enough as to it self as well as Mahometism and Popery He that rates the righteousnesse and lawfulnesse of actions by their coming to effect or their successe by mens prospering in them may very well allow the Atheists Argument in Martial Calius byname who would prove there was neither God nor Heaven Quòd se videt dum negat haec beatum because he prospered in that opinion But what virtue soever there might supposedly have been in this Argument of successe during the time of Wickednesse what strength hath it now that Monster of Iniquity which gave being to so much fatal successe is quite cut off Branch and Root head and tayl Carkasse and Rump and those Vermine that crawled out from her poysonons bowels are left to rot in their own stanch and contagion The memory of the wicked shall rot saith Solomon I and their members too say I. And may they rot and repent in misery and shame if they could the impudence and ignorance of such lewd reasoning as from the Event and a little temporary Successe to justifie the greatest abominations that ever were done one only excepted upon the face of the earth the Poet's curse therefore is now upon them Careat successibus opto Quisquis ab eventu fact● notanda putet For arguing so wickedly and deceitfully from successe never to have successe more for what successe do they deserve who make voyd the Law of God which should be the rule of all actions and measure them by events or effects as results of Gods Will in Decree in the bringing whereof to pass their hands and counsels chiefly being instrumental they think they have done well and are the only Servants of the Almighty not considering that men slighting the revealed Will of God in his written Word which they are only bound to observe for Vivendum secundum Precepta non secundum decreta The will of Gods Commandements must be our rule not of his Decrees which are unknown Things revealed belong to us and our children that we may do all the wards of the Law Deut. 29. ult whereas secret things belong unto the Lord only verse the same not considering this I say but presuming into the secrets of the Almighty to unravel and measure out the mysteries of his Decrees and resolve them by their own phansies they little think that whereas good men do the known will of God to their Salvation wicked men such as themselves may perform the secret will of God to their Damnation as the wretched Jews crucified the Lord of Life to their everlasting confusion albeit he was delivered by the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God Act 2. 23. And as the Assyrian was the Rod of Gods indignation to punish a hypocritical Nation but afterwards thrown into fire Isa 10. And Pharaoh's obstinacy served for the magnification of Gods Name and Power over all the Earth Rom. 9. 17. whiles himself was therefore drowned in the Red-Sea and became a Type of Reprobates in Hell Let no man therefore hereafter deceive himself with this false imagination of lawfulness in his action because eventually 't is or may be successful and being brought to pass may seem to answer unto the Purpose and Decree of God that God would so have it For there is no more warrant of lawfulness from such a plea than for a Sons wishing his Fathers death because it so falling out his wish concurr'd with the secret will of God who had determined the Fathers dayes So much for discovery of the fourth Deceit A fifth deceit in the practise of sin is a Plea of Necessity Some ugly sin or sins being once palliated and allowed and the poor Conscience baffled with some pretext of the lawfulness thereof gives