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	place_n	sabbath_n	10,594	5	9.6630	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75849	Satans stratagems, or The Devils cabinet-councel discovered whereby he endevors [sic] to hinder the knowledg of the truth ... wherein is laid open an easie way to end controversies in matters of conscience ... together with arguments to each book ... / by Jacobus Acontius ... ; as also the testimonies of some ancient divines, together with an epistle written by Mr John Goodwin ; and Mr. Duries letter touching the same.	Aconcio, Iacopo, d. 1566.; Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.; Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1648 (1648)	Wing A443A; ESTC R42404	127,449	159

portion of the Spirit If thou hast not so unfiting it is that thou alone shouldest speak in the Congregation that there will hardly be found any that desires rather to be silenc't then thy self But if thou art a prophet if thou hast the Spirit mark what the Apostle says Acknowledg quoth he that those things which I write are the commandments of the Lord. Go to then On the one side we have the judgment of our Lord willing that prophecy for this is a word that we are obliged to use should be common to all and that not for the destruction but the salvation of the Church On the other side we have thy judgment who fearest lest that may breed contentions and confusion whose iudgment now ought we rather stand to If thou shalt conceive we must stand to thine consider what thou assumest unto thy self and what will become of thy modesty Our Lord it should seem understood not what a kinde of creature man was he wanted thy wisdom b●like to admonish him of the danger or haply he thought not upon that corruption which should befal mankinde whereby such a Liberty might prove unprofitable But Paul answers thee That God is not the author of contention but of peace Who well knowing what might move contentions what beget peace and not loving nor willing to have contention but peace willed that this liberty of prophesying should be in the Church What canst thou say to the contrary what hast thou to obj●ct against God himself wilt thou accuse him of indiscretion No man hath so wicked a tongue as to dare to do it Yet if thou shalt diligently search thine heart thou shalt finde there a certain disposition ready to contend even with God himself Which motion of thy heart must by no means be hearkened unto but sharply repressed and wholly subjected to the Spirit of God It may seem peradventure an absurd thing That after some very learned person hath spoken some contemptible person shall be allowed to contradict him Can such a person so do without great rashness and temerity Were I to speak according to the judgment of man verily I could not deny it But if we be really perswaded That the knowledg of matters divine ought not to be attributed to our watching studies wits but to God and to his Spirit wherewith he can in a moment endue the simplest person in the world and that with no more labor or difficulty then if he were to give him unto one that had spent Nestors age in study What reason is there for me to judg that this man does rashly and unadvisedly if he shall arise and contradict Is not the spirit able to reveal somewhat to him which he hath hidden from thee Now if the spirit have revealed somewhat to him and to that end revealed it that he might contradict that by his means the thing may be revealed to the Church shall I say that he hath done rashly in obeying the holy Ghost And if thou think otherwise verily thou art not perswaded that the Spirit is the Author and Teacher of this Knowledg but that all the praise thereof is due to studies watchings and the wits of men And if this be thy judgment I tell thee again That thou art not onely unworthy to be the sole speaker but worthy rather to be the onely person not permitted to speak in the congregation And that thou mayst the better understand that the most unlearned ought to be allowed to speak consider God will have himself to be acknowledged the Author of his own gifts he will not have his praise attributed unto our studies or wits but unto himself But if the man that hath spent all his life in study speak wisely it is not attributed to God but to study In word perhaps it may be attributed to God yet not without a vehement reluctancy of our judgment and this is that which I say God will not abide But if so be thou shalt hear a wise word come out of the mouth of some unlearned person thou must needs whether thou wilt or no a●knowledg God to be the Author thereof So when God was minded to give unto Israel a victory against the Midianites under the conduct of Gideon and Gideon had gathered together Thirty thousand men lest the Israelites should boast that they had gotten the victory by their own strength and not by the assistance of God which might have been conceived if Gideon had fought with so numerous an Army he would not suff●r him to have above Three hundred that it might appear that he was the cause of the victory and not the number or valor of those that fought Now besides the glory of God hereby great profit does accrue to the Church For if the people shall see now one man now another endued with the spirit beyond all expectation many will thereby be encouraged to hope for the same gift if they shall ask it many will learn and profit and it will thereby come to pass that when occasion shall be to choose a Minister the Church shall not need to call strange and unknown persons to that office but she may have of her own such as are fit to be chosen men whose conversation and manners are sufficiently known And when the number of such as are able to prophecy shall be great the Church will not be forced to use such Pastors as from their very childhood have proposed to themselves such offices as the reward of their studies and addicted themselves to the study of Scripture and Religion no otherwise then they would have done to some Trade whereby they meant in time to get their living So that a man can expect but very few of them to prove other then mercenary or hireling Pastors Now ●hat it was the custom of the Jewish Church that all might thus prophecy we may hence conjecture in that it is upon Record Luke 4. Luke 4. how our Lord upon the Sabbath day according to the custom came into the Synagogue took a book and expounded a place of Esay and how being twelve yeers of age he sate at Jerusalem in the temple among the Doctors and did dispute For he could not so do by vertue of any ordinary office forasmuch as his age was uncapable neither did the Doctors know who he was Yea rather our Lord in so doing must needs make use of the power which was granted to every one to speak It remained in the Christians Congregations until the times of Constantine at the least Forasmuch as we have these words of Eusebius Eccle. hist lib. 9. the Writer of Church-affairs to that effect If any man inspired by the grace of God should speak unto the People they all with great silence fixing their eyes upon him gave such attention as if he had brought them some errand from heaven So great was the reverence of the hearers such order was seen among the Ministers One after another another after him Neither was

ought to remember that it is not his but the Magistrates office to censure or punish any one And in case he shal plead that it belongs to him let us consider with what success he shal use such a power in respect of the end proposed I shal not deny but that many men terrified by the example of such persons as they see by such dealing brought into great disgrace and hatred may become thereby less daring to vent such things as curious studies frequently suggest howbeit unless the lives of such who are the Censurers be void not only of vice but suspition too and unless their holyness and innocency be in all things apparent so that they shal rather shew themselves to be certain divine creatures then of Mankind I conceive they shal advance very little by such a course For it wil just so fall out as when a man shal stop the passage of a river with damms the waters wil seem for a while to be restrained of their course yet wil they seek a passage on all sides and to be sure swelling higher and higher they wil overflow the bay and at length having eate through and throwndown the damms with mighty violence wil they break forth and make by many degrees greater waste then if their course had never bin restrained for the man whose liberty is curbed by such a bridle for a time indeed he keeps himself quiet but it is much against his wil and he collects poyson by little and little wherewith being filled he must of necessity pour it forth and it proves so much the more deadly by how much the longer he kept it in forasmuch as hatred against such as he conceives tyrannically to rule over him is the cause that he is averse unto and abhorrs their opinions Hereupon he endeavors by all the cunning ways possible first to draw away now one then another to his side and so the evil grows by little and little and gathers strength til at length the sect fears not to discover it self and to disquiet the Common-wealth which is plainly seen among many other instances in the so late sedition at Munster And a wonderful thing it is with what arts Satan furnishes these kind of men and with what success he furthers their designs which if those men would more advisedly weigh who judg reproaches to be of such force to preserve the purity of doctrine they would haply be less delighted with them then they are In a word as I deny not but that sometime sharp reproofs ought to take place so I Avouch that all those conditions do very seldom concurr which are requisite that they may be in the least measure beneficial And to pass over the consideration of their profit a great and wonderful is that which Jude in his Epistle mentions that Michael the Archangel contending about the body of Moses durst not rail upon Satan himself but desired God to rebuke him What hare-braind men are we how much greater things dare we not only against Satan which yet were a great arrogance to take more liberty then the Archangel thought fit to use but against men it may be no less dear to God then we our selves are Would we but weigh this one example and then consider what liberty we use in mutual reproaches verily that man must be very blind that sees not how that this same custom of evil-speaking comes from no other spirit but that of the Divel But forasmuch as we have declared that what ever we do upon the report of some Error spread abroad we ought to consider the end we ought to aime at in every thing and that we ought among other things to endeavor that the party erring may be drawn from his Error to which purpose bad language and insultations profit not but rather do very much hurt let us now make enquiry what is most fit to be done in such a case Now there are two things requisite to reduce a person erring from his Error first such demonstrations as may be of force with one of his judgment to discover his error unto him secondly that he may weigh such demonstrations with a perfect and sound judgment But if so be the demonstrations shal not be suited to a mans understanding or he shal not weigh them or in case he do it shal be with a prejudiced and corrupted judgment we shal miss of our intended scope Further his judgment shal then become sound and uncorrupt when God shal have healed it with his spirit and have rendred it capable of the truth as also when it is not vexed with any jealousies or passions Here therefore nothing is more to be avoided then that we speak or do any thing which may wound his mind and estrange his affections such are all words that may imply our bearing any ill-wil towards him such as may gall and accuse him of deceit ignorance impudence or in a word any ways blast his reputation We ought rather by all kind of humanity and respects invite him to gentleness moderation and goodwil whereunto charity wil best instruct us provided it be sincere void of ostentation which vertue whosoever is not assured that he is furnished with let him not once meddle in this design til he have attained it And if so be thou canst see nothing in the party that may deserve thy love consider what there is in God and his only begotten son whose workmanship he is that may command thy affection Were it not the pleasure of God that this man should live either he should never have bin born or presently expired upon his birth or at least never have lived til this time whereas now thou seest how God nourishes him how he causes his sun to shine upon him as much as upon thy self and how thousands of ways he makes him partaker of his liberallity and goodness Shal it then become thee who art the servant of this God to be otherwise affected towards such an one How knowest thou as we said before but this man may be a sheep of the Lords fold which how ever at present he wanders from the flock as one distracted shal at length be found by that best of the shepherds healed brought back to the flock And if the case be such doest thou not discern our Lord himself in the person of such an one coming to the weak and sick to make tryal of thy love which he intends to commemorate at the last day And forasmuch as thou art not able to judg whether it be thus or no it is enough for thee that possibly he may be such an one so that what ever kindness thou shalt shew him the Lord may reckon it as done unto himself Thou oughtest not therefore to look upon his person but upon the person of Christ whom he represents and to remember how great his love hath bin to thee insomuch as he refused not being himself just and innocent to dye for thee an unjust person and the

Lord hath a true humane body and yet that the same body maybe in divers places at one thesame time Forasmuch therefore as they believe and that most strongly that Christ is true man the Son of God and raised from the dead and all other things which the Scripture holds forth as necessary to be believed what reason hast thou to deny that they may be saved even in this their Error It is clear therefore that as wel those which hold Christs body to be in the Sacramental bread as those which deny the same although it must needs be that one side err yet are they both if otherwise conscionable observers of our Lords commands in the way of Salvation In which regard they are bound to love and reverence one another as brethren the servants of God and members of Christ If they shal mutually vex one another with revilings reproaches cursings if they shal go on to exercise enmity one against another they shal not escape the just judgment of God Wherefore I pray and beseech both parties by Christ Jesus that laying aside all hatred and rash judgments they would strive to go beyond one another in offices of Love Let us abandon bad language scoffs contempt so wil it certainly fall out that such as err shal at the length be brought to acknowledg the Truth If we shal but once be united in heart and affection the Lord wil not deny us any favour or success neither wil he ever suffer that such as out of true love endeavour to draw their bretheren out of Error shal reap no fruit of their labour Now look how we have discussed these two points viz. the Error of Sabellius and the Controversie about the corporal pre-presence in the Sacramental bread it wil be easie for any man in like manner to judg of what ever other points shal come into Controversie For concerning what ever Error shal be questioned we must enquire whether or no the person so erring may not believe all such things as to the belief whereof Salvation is promised that in case he may we may perswade our selves that he errs not in a point necessary to be known unto salvation but if not that he errs in a necessary Doctrine Howbeit whosoever would condemn any man for any Error ought to consider again and again what assurance he hath that such an Error cannot stand with salvation Do but consider when as our Lord says come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I wil give you ease Shal any man be so fool-hardy as to dare to pul back him that is coming and of his own head to say to him Oh! do you hear it wil be in vain for you to go unto Christ who do not believe this or that point Who art thou that wilt hinder another mans servant from coming at his Masters call With what confidence takest thou upon thee to divine at the wil of God not being very clearly manifested unto thee Must you according to your fancy set bounds to the goodness mercy and kindness of God He unto whom it belongs to give life calls all unto him and wilt thou by I know not what exceptions of thine own devising limit those graces which he promiseth but limits not What dost thou in so doing Doubtless as much as in thee lies thou robbest a man of his life not of this life which is rather a death then life but of eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven adjudging him to eternal torments neither is it to one alone thou art so injurious but to thousands haply Thou maimest Christ in so many members thou rendest the Church into Sects and pavest a way to infinite mischiefs And if our Lord so severely menace such as offend the least what thinkest thou shal become of them who by their rash judging have drove men to make Sects without any necessary cause so requiring Wo unto them And if so be the way which we have set down to distinguish between points necessary to be believed and not necessary seem not to be sufficient do thou if thou canst produce a better one more sure firm and constant If thou wonderest that among such points which we have reckoned up as necessary to be known thou dost not find certain other points of Religion very highly accounted of Read over diligently the whole Old and New Testament and search throughly by what Texts thou canst prove that those points are so necessary to be known that he that understands them not cannot be saved Consider what knowledg the People of Israel could have of them from the Old Testament who were notwithstanding to be saved by the same faith that we are Consider again what the thief could know when it was said to him this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Or the Eunuch when Philip baptized him Or that woman to whom when she had washed our Lords feet it was said thy faith hath saved thee Or she that was wasted away by the bloody issue or the Palsied man with many others whose sins were forgiven them meerly upon their confessing the name of the Lord. It is also observable what the reason should be that whereas these points which we have set down as necessary are so frequently repeated in Scripture and required of necessity to be known those points which some men so highly account of are not in like manner required If those books had bin written by the wit of man which we account as indeed they are sacred we should say that honest Homer had took a nap and forgot himself But they are indicted by the Holy Spirit This therefore is not come to passe by chance but by the sure counsell of God who had he intended that those points should have been of like estimation he would at least in some one place plainly have signified his mind Which since he hath not done what is man that he should be able to conjecture Gods mind These things ought not to be measured by our wit or judgment but by the wisdom of God revealed unto us from heaven it alone must be regarded what ever reason may dictate But if so be any one shall erre in a point that ought necessarily to be known and cannot be reduced to a right judgment no man ought to question but that such a person may be justly condemned and cast out of the society of the godly And that not only if being admonished he shall go on to seduce others but also though he will be silent for what participation can the Church of God have with him unto whom eternal life is not promised But if the point about which some man erres be not in the number of those that must needs be known in this case I conceive we must use a distinction For if he that thinks amisse and cannot be reduced shall likewise endevour to seduce others having been often admonished to desist I see no reason but that he may and

baptism and the Supper were ordained by our Lord So was it commonly believed that all those other things termed Sacraments were in like maner by him instituted At length Bels began to be baptised which practise what else did it but occasion the simple peopl● to think that the baptisme of men was of the same importance with that baptisme they saw practised upon the Bels whereby the memory of the washing away of sins by the blood of Christ signified by the washing with water was abolished Now this makes much to hide the cousenage and deceit when there is a colourable pretence So as the innovators may seem not to bring in any new thing but to desire the preservation of doctrines received by some weak ceremony and observation Wherefore when the first Christians or rather those which succeeded the first growing very remiss in respect of their former heat of piety which is commonly seen when men cease to be exercised by afflictions and so growing less frequent in the exercise of breaking of bread some one peradventure there was who judged it a very good course that the Priest at least should frequently receive the bread and wine in the presence of the multitude and by so doing celebrate the memory of the Lords death for as much as it would be all one in a manner as if the by-standers had all of them communicated and participated thereof In which practise truly a man would not think there was any innovation but only a care shewed to preserve so wholesome an ordinance of our Lord from growing quite out of use which being grown into a custom forasmuch as it was done wholly to commemorate that sacrifice which our Lord offered for us upon the Cross and the term of Priest was not wanting it gave occasion to some to attribute the name of the thing signified to the thing signifying so as to call this performance now no longer the commemoration of a sacrifice but a sacrifice it self Afterward when it had obtained the name of sacrifice who will wonder that it began to be accounted a sacrifice And so whiles every day there was innovation made yet inasmuch as it was little which was changed and some very goodly pretext was ever in readiness the innovation could not be perceived so that at length the most plain and simple institution of our Lord concerning breaking of bread was by a wonderful metamorphosis changed into that most pompous and laborious business of the Mass And who so shall diligently consider will easily observe that the like hath happened touching all other points In those that are the Teachers in case they corrupt any point the main cause why such their corruption is not discerned is the great opinion which men have of their piety holiness and learning and their being thought to stand very much affected to the doctrine received Now such an opinion as this with the people a man attains either by giving some eminent proof of himself or by the testimony of such men as are of greatest repute or by right as it were of inheritance He gives a good proof of himself who does acutely and fluently discourse of matters divine and by often citing the Scriptures and to good purpose shews himself well versed in such studies but especially if he shew himself an eager opposer of such doctrines as the people abhor and a great honorer and reverencer of such persons as the people highly account of Now the testimonies of men approved beget a good opinion in the people because men are perswaded That in regard of their gravity and prudence they will witness nothing but that wherof they have a certain knowledg wheras notwithstanding it is very often seen that by simulation flattery and other arts the over-great facility of good men is so overcome and wrought upon as that they may be brought to commend such persons of whose piety and learning they have small knowledg In the mean time however their testimonies are drawn from them yet the simple common people do yeeld thereunto no less credit then if they were oracles Some men gain a good opinion of themselves as it were by right of inheritance when as they succeed in place such persons whose life and doctrine have been very much approved of For it seems a likely thing That none but good men should be put into the place of good men and so the reputation of honesty and learning is transfered from the one to the other even as inheritances pass from the Father to the children Nevertheless even as those who from a low and mean estate have by great labors and difficulties attained great wealth leave their children heirs of thei● goods indeed and all their possessions but not of their industry and wit forasmuch as being born in the midst of wealth they finde no need to exercise their wit even so those men who are at certain seasons stired up by the providence of God to purge the Church from errors since they cannot but be exercised with great and knotty difficulties they must be of necessity armed with very excellent vertues and so become famous whereas their successors matters being reduced into order and composed and Satan dealing now no longer by force but by craft and policy which they are not aware of they meet with no considerable occasions to exercise their piety and prudence Yet nevertheless though they be far inferior in vertue yet in outward appearance as they hold the place of their predecessors so do they retain their dignity and reputation and by how much the farther you descend from those first so much the more unlike shall you finde their successors and the more estranged from their vertues And forasmuch as the same or greater authority abides with very little piety prudence learning and hearty diligence who sees not how easily it may come to pass That they may daily through unskilfulness corrupt many points and no man discern the same by reason of their authority and reputation And to the end that such like Pastors may by little and little be brought into place by whose means Satan hopes to procure a greater and speedier corruption of doctrine it is a great furtherance if so be such things shall be annexed to Ecclesiastical Functions as shall make them much to be desired as for Pastors to be highly esteemed of to have all men rise unto them and give them place if they shall be well accommodated and live in abundance of wealth if they shall be accounted such as ought to censure all and themselves not to be questioned without impiety and wickedness For who is there that would not exceedingly desire to be in such a condition So that in case there be these allurements and the like as soon as any place shall be vacant take heed of thinking that some excellent person shall obtain the same he will soonest obtain it that does best know how to beat the bush that can sue for it with greatest art