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
A91415	The Jewes synagogue: or, A treatise concerning the ancient orders and manner of worship used by the Jewes in their synagogue-assemblies. Gathered out of the sacred scriptures, the Jewish Rabines, and such modern authors, which have been most conversant in the study of Jewish customes. Wherein, by comparing the scriptures in the Old and New Testament together, many truths are fully opened, and sundry controversies about church-government truly and plainly stated. By William Pinchion of Springfeild [sic] in N. England.	Pynchon, William, 1590-1662.	1652 (1652)	Wing P4309; Thomason E802_4; ESTC R207368	80,705	99

preserve the truth of Religion among them But their Synagogue worship was sufficient without National worship both when they lived in the Wildernes and when they lived in heathen countries in the land of Canaan three times a yeer Religion would have perished among them if it had not been for this command of Christ to observe those particular Church-Assemblies in all their dwellings And this is evident by considering the defects that were in their National Church-worship 1. In regard of Persons 2. Of Place 3. Of time First Consider the Persons that were enjoyned to be present at their National Church-Assemblies and they were but some part of those persons that were to be instructed in Faith and Holiness For neither bond-men nor women nor children were bound to be present at any of their National Church-meetings onely men that were free were commanded to meet three times a year vid. Ainsw on Exod. 23. 17. Therefore their National Church-Assemblies were never intended by Christ as the chief means to train up all sorts of Persons in faith and holines 2. Consider the place that the Son of God appointed for their National Church meetings and that was set but in one of their Tribes which the Lord would chuse therefore all sorts of persons could not come thither every sabbath day in regard of the length of the way for the place was a great way off from most of their dwellings Therefore the most men could not come thither every sabbath especially if any infirmity were upon them and if it had been possible for all sorts of persons to assemble every sabbath unto the Lords Temple yet so great a multitude could neither hear the voice of the Priests nor yet see the publike sacrifices with their eyes and in that regard every one that resorted to the National Church-Assembly were commanded by Christ to bring their own private sacrifice over and above the publike and not to come before the Lord emptie Deut. 12. Therefore the place of their National Church meetings was never intended by Christ as the onely Church meeting of the Israelites for the training up of all sorts of persons every seventh day in faith and holines 3. Consider the time of this National Church-worship and that was commanded to be done not every sabbath or seventh day but onely three times a yeer Exod. 23. 14. 17. Lev. 23. Therefore it must needs follow by necessary consequence that this National Church-Assembly was never intended by Christ as the onely Church-meeting for Israel and therefore Christ must needs establish some other particular Church-meetings for holy convocations in all their dwellings to be observed every seventh day as the most constant and familiar way and means for the education of all sorts of Gods people in faith and holines and what other particular convocations could Israel have in all their dwellings but their synagogue-assemblies whither all sorts of people might easily resort every sabbath Bondmen as well as Freemen Children as well as the most Ancient Women as well as Men Proselites as well as Israelites yea Heathens might come thither to be instructed though they might not come into the holy Temple And these holy convocations in all their dwelings were commanded to be observed in the Wildernes while they were in their travels as well as in the land of Canaan when they came thither Yea they observed these particular Church-Assemblies in all Heathen Countries when they were in dispersion Christ did not leave them in any place of their captivity free from the observation of the holy sabbath in the best manner they could attain but he did fully free them from all their National Church-worship when they were in captivity in heathen countries but he commanded them to observe his National Church-worship but only in that particular place which he had chosen in the land of Canaan and not in heathen Countries nor in the Wildernes From the due consideration of these three circumstances the Angel from whom Moses received lively Oracles doth plainly shew unto us that there was an absolute necessity why he must distribute the National Church of the Jews into particular Church-Assemblies in a convenient distance among all their dwellings for the better instruction of all sorts of people every sabbath or seventh day in faith and holines Scholar I confess you have given me good satisfaction in this point I do conceive that Christ did distribute the National Church of the Iews into sundry particular Churches in a convenient distance among all their dwellings for the better instructing of all sorts of people every sabbath in faith and holines not onely in Canaan but in the Wildernes and in all places of their dispersion by means whereof they did preserve the truth of Religion till the coming of Christ better then the Iews did in Canaan where they did for the most part enjoy the free use of their National Church-Worship And Christ did much honour these dispersed Synagogues with the conversion of many ten thousand souls both of Iews and Heathens by sending abroad his Apostles and Disciples to preach the glad tydings of the Gospel among them Teacher I am glad that you are now satisfied that the Iews synagogues were established by Christ as his particular Churches now seeing you grant their synagogues to be true Churches you must allow their Discipline to be according to the mind of Christ and indeed Christ did highly honour this point of Discipline among them in that their Officers did so freely give way to the Apostles and Disciples to preach in their synagogues This freedom and liberty was a commendable custom among them and it was well rewarded with plentiful preaching and conversion of souls all the world over Scholar In what parts of the world had the Iews liberty to have or build Synagogues Teacher The Iews were scattered abroad into the four winds of heaven by the just anger of Christ for their Apostasie but in the midst of wrath he remembred mercy for at last he gave them favour in the sight of all Nations to have and build synagogues for the free ex●rcise of their Religion As for example in the daies of Ahasuerus the Persian Emperour The antiquity of Synagogues in heathen Countries Haman did inform the King that there was a people which were dispersed in all his Dominions which was an hundred twenty and seven Provinces that had laws differing from all Nations and differing from the Kings laws and he perswaded the King it was not fit for him to suffer them to live Est 3. 8. Now if Haman had been asked what laws had the Iews differing from all Nations and differing from the Kings laws I believe he could have found no other laws peculiar to them and differing from other Nations but the laws and Ordinances of Iesus Christ which they publikely preached and taught in their synagogues every sabbath in all the said hundred twenty and seven Provinces From this accusation of Haman it may be

in one hundred twenty and seven Provinces Ester 3. 8. 1 Pet. 1. 1. Iam. 1. 1. Acts 2. 5. and 21. 20. And Christ did honour these dispersed Iews by sending his Apostles to preach in their Synagogues and by dedicating a great part of the New Testament to the faithfull that lived among them for Peter wrote two Epistles to them and Iames wrote an Epistle to the twelve Tribes that were in dispersion and Iohn wrote severall Epistles to them and Paul wrote an Epistle to the Hebrews in generall Scholar You have spoken much of the free liberty the Apostles had to preach in their Synagogues but they did often finde strong opposition also by the malignant part of the Synagogue What course then did the Apostles take to train up their young Converts in faith and holinesse Teacher In this case the Apostles were forced to separate the beleeving Christians from the malignant of the Synagogue and Those Christians that were first converted by the Apostles in the Iews synagogue did not presently separate themselves from the Iewes synagogue to make particular Churches by themselves until the synagogues did first persecute them for their faith in Christ crucified they app●inted them to meet together in some convenient place as a Christians Church upon every Lords day As for example when the malignant Synagogue of Corinth did persecute the beleeving Christians that were converted among them then the Apostles did separate them from the malignant Synagogue and then they kept Church-meetings in the house of one Iustus Act. 18. 7. But the greatest part of these Converts were the Proselites of that synagogue 1 Cor. 12. 2. Act. 18. 4. and many of them were Iews also for the incestuous person was a Iew 1 Cor. 5. 1. 2. The beleeving Christians of Ephesus did separate themselves from the malignant synagogue and they kept their Church-meetings in the Schole of one Tyrannus Act. 19. 9. 10. and these Converts were part Iews and part Gentiles 3. The beleeving Christians in Thessalonica did separate themselves from the persecuting synagogue and joyned themselves in company with Paul Act. 17. 4. 5. they kept their Church-meeting in the house of Iason and part of this Church were Iews but the greatest part were heathens 1 Thess 2. 14. and I think all the Iews synagogues in all the parts of their dispersion had many Gentiles that were joyned to their synagogues as Proselites Act. 17. 4. and 14. 1. and 13. 42. 43. But when the Apostles and Disciples did evidently evince by the Scriptures that Christ must die and rise again then it stirred up many Iews to envy which caused persecution and persecution caused the believing part of the synagogue to separate from the unbelieving and malignant part This separation was not made because the beleeving part held the unbeleeving part no true Church but because they could not be suffered to preach and teach those sundamental truths but must endure great opposition and persecution if they did still abide with them Scholar You said ere-while that the Lord Christ commanded them to order it so that the place of holy Convocations every sabbath must be placed in a convenient distance for their dwellings for the more easie and familiar accesse of all sorts of people every sabbath but how far off or how nigh this place of worship must be from every ones dwelling is not expressed in the Text Therefore how can this distance be determined Teacher The command of Christ in this and such like cases is contained or included within certain general rules As for example Christ saith thus every seventh day ye shall observe a convocation of holinesse in all your dwellings Levit. 23. 3. Hence Iesus Christ did ordain that the place of his particular Church-worship should bee conveniently seated for their dwellings it is evident that the place of their holy convocations must be so conveniently disposed that they might come to them without bodily toyl for the Text saith that no work must be done upon that day 2. There is another general rule which Christ gave them for the conveniencie of place in Exod. 16. 29. Let no man goe out of his place upon the seventh day by this limitation Christ doth not prohibit men to go out of their private dwellings upon the sabbath for the Text doth command holy convocations upon the sabbath Levit. 23. which cannot be done except men go out of their private houses to make a convocation But by this prohibition Let no man go out of his place upon the sabbath The Hebrew Doctors understand it as a general prohibition that no man should go far from his private dwelling to the publick place of Gods worship upon the sabbath But still the distance is not expressed therefore it is left to the wisdom of Godly superiours to set down some convenient order therein Therefore these commands of Christ doe contain as much in them as is contained in those other general commands in the New Testament Let all things be done to edification 1 Cor. 14. 26. And Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14. 40. Hence it is evident that there are many particular circumstances about the manner of Gods worship which are not expressed but are left only to the Godly wisdom of superiours to order and determine And in this respect the Hebrew Doctors took care to settle an order touching the distance of place how far off the synagogue must be set from every ones dwelling and by their order they did not allow men to go above two thousand cubits upon the sabbath Kimchi in his Annotations upon Ezekiel 48. 7. saith that two thousand cubits are a mile meaning an Italian or English mile and from this ancient Hebrew decree the speech of a sabbath dayes journey was common among the Jews and in this sense Luke doth Thalmudize saying that mount Olivet was a sabbath dayes journey from Jerusalem Act. 1. 12. vid. Ains on Exod. 16. 29. And by this Godly Hebrew decree we may see that the vast distance of some meeting-houses in England are so far off from some mens dwellings that they cannot come thither on the Lords day unlesse they travel and toil for it three or four miles together by means of which travel they are more fit to sleep at Gods worship then to attend it as they ought to do But in case no good preaching be to be had neer to every ones dwelling or in case there be far more excellent means to be had further off What then is to be done Then I conceive the point of conveniencie must give way to the point of necessity as in the dayes of Christ they flocked to his Ministery from their own synagogues and yet he did not rebuke them for it as a sin Scholar What would you have those men to do whose habitations are three or four miles distant from the place of Gods publique worship would you have them to forsake the place of their

habitation where their inheritance lies or where the means of their livelihood lies to dwell in a neer distance to the meeting-house Teacher Either they ought to remove neerer to the place of publike worship or else they ought to provide a place for publike worship neere unto their habitations The Hebrew Doctors If ten men of Israel did live remote from any synagogue they must prepare a New Synagogue nigh to their dwellings did wisely labour to stoppe this objection and therefore they decreed that where ever Ten men of Israel did live but above a mile from any synagogue they should prepare them another house for prayer wherein they might assemble at all times of prayer And in Cities they compelled the Citizens to build them a synagogue and to buy them a book of the Law Prophets and Scriptures And it is evident that the Jews built synagogues in every small place And it is recorded by the Hebrew Doctors that the Jews had of old four hundred Scholes and Synagogues within the City Jerusalem besides what they had in other Cities and Towns through all the Tribes in Canaan and through all heathen Countries whither-so-ever they were carried captive in all places they did exceedingly multiply synagogues and scholes of learning as the chiefest Nurseries of Religion See Ains in Levit. 26. 31. Scholar What kinde of worship did the Lord ordain to be used in their synagogues on the sabbath Teacher The Apostle Iames doth tell us that Moses had of old time in every City them that preached him being read in the synagogue every sabbath Act. 15. 31. and Paul doth tell us that That kind of worship which Christ ordained to bee used in their synagogue-Assemblies was Prayer and Preaching without any Levitical ceremonie the Gospel was preached to the Iews as it is unto us Heb. 4. 2. Gal. 3. 8. Maymony doth testifie that Moses did appoint a certain portion of scripture to be read in their synagogue every sabbath throughout the year and he doth tell us also that Ezra did renew this custom after their return from captivitie of Babel and that Lections of the Prophets were by him chosen out in number and matter agreeable to the Sections of Moses And the Rabbies do commonly make Ezra the Author of the Petaroths Distinctions not agreeing with Elias Levita which must needs be a long time before Antiochus Ephiphanes They began to read their Sections and Lections in the feast of Tabernacles and in a year they finished all And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets they that would having leave of the Ruler of the synagogue spake upon those scriptures And this custom was retained among them untill the dayes of the Apostles as Luke doth witnesse in Act. 13. 14 15 16. vid. H. Broughton in his lesser Concent before the Petaroth and Mr Ainsw in Gen. 6. 8. The place of their publique worship they called Beth Hacktensen The House of Doctrine and sometime they named it The Place of Prayer Act. 16. 13. by the terme Prayer they meant it was the place of Gods publike worship They comprehended Preaching under the term Prayer as we may see by Paul's action because he preached in this place of Prayer by whose preaching Lydia and her houshold were converted and afterwards as Paul and Sylas were going to this place of Prayer a certain maid having a spirit of Divination cryed out saying These are the servants of the most high God which shew unto you the way of salvation This Maid doth bear witnesse that Paul and Sylas did something else in this place more then bare Prayer for she doth affirme that they did shew unto the people the way of salvation by preaching Iesus Christ in that place Therefore this place was not only a place of bare Prayer only but it was a place of Preaching also and it is called The place where the women did meet but it appears by vers 40. that men also did meet in this place for they are called the brethren It is called the place where the women did meet in honour of Lydiaes conversion but it was not a place for women only for it appears by Neh. 8. 2. that men women and children and all that could understand did assemble themselves to the preaching of the word of God all sorts of people might and must resort to worship God in their synagogues even unclean persons as well as clean and therefore the very lepers which were the most contagious of all unclean persons had a place by themselves in their synagogues vid. Ainsw in Lev. 13. 46. but no unclean person might come to the publique worship of God into the holy Temple So then their Synagogues were called the place of Prayer by the figure Synocdoche because Prayer was a principal part of that worship which was used there Prayer was the beginning and ending of every duty When they read the Law and the Prophets they began and end with Prayer But now the Jews have sophisticated the ancient gravitie of this duty for the Jew that now reads in the synagogue begins with Praising God who chose Moses and the Prophets and delighteth in their most true words likewise endeth with praising of God who speaketh and performeth saith and establisheth so that no one word faileth then he prayes for the coming of Elias and for the restoring of the pompous Kingdom of David by the Messiah vid. H. Broughton after the Petaroth in the Concent But in the days of Ezra this manner was more pure for then they begun with solemne Prayer before they read the holy Scriptures Neh. 8. 5. 6. and the King himself when he read the Law publikely in the seventh year in the feast of Tabernacles he began with solemne Prayer Deut. 31. 10 to 14. And the Hebrew Doctors say that when the King was to read the Law publikely they blew Trumpets through all Jerusalem to assemble the people and they set up a Pulpit of wood and set it in the midst of the Court yard and the King went up and sate thereon that they might hear him read and all Israel that went up to the feast gathered round about him and the Minister of the synagogue took the book of the Law and gave it to the Ruler of the Synagogue and the Ruler of the synagogue gave it to the Sagan of the Temple and the Sagan of the Temple gave it to the high Priest and the high Priest gave it to the King to honour him before the multitude And the King took it standing and if he would he sate down and opened it and blessed God and after he had blessed God he read untill he had made an end then he folded it up and blessed God again after it as the manner was to blesse God in the synagogues Both the reading and the blessing was in the Holy tongue vid. Ains in Deut. 31. 11. This Hebrew record I bring for this purpose to shew their ancient practice in blessing God

Doctors of Ezraes Age gave another rule for the preservation of the Hebrew text They reckon how often every letter cometh in the Hebrew text how often words of short or full writing were diversly written and where and what strange text would seem corruptions to the unstayed and how often eth and vau little particles do come together in sort easie to deceive a Coppyer without a Table of Direction Such points are a Brazen wall to keep the Scriptures certainty vid. Mr. Bro. in Epist to the Nobil p. 7. From this provident care of God over the Hebrew text I conclude that neither book nor letter of the Hebrew text which was written by Gods Prophets for the use of all ages is lost onely those books are lost which some Prophets wrote in the nature of humane Chronicles for the present use of that Age and Nation and in that respect they took no more care to preserve them then they did of their humane Chronicles because they did nothing at all concerne other Nations in after Ages But every book and letter which the Prophets wrote as Divine Scripture for the use of all Nations and Ages Jesus Christ hath preserved by the diligence of the Massorites And their Tables of Direction are extant and kept safe with great care until this day one of those Tables is kept Naharden upon Euphrates and another is kept at Ierusalem Again the Hebrew Doctors from and after Ezra took special The Hebrew Doctors took care for the preservation of the truth of doctrine as well as for the preservation of the Hebrew Text. care to preserve the truth of Doctrine unto Posterity and for this end they made the ten Commandments to be the foundation of every point of Doctrine And our Saviour Christ saith that the whole Law and the Prophets doth hang upon the two Tables Matth. 22. 40. Therefore the ten Commandments must needs contain in them all matters concerning faith and manners and therefore the ancient Hebrew Doctors might well make the ten Commandments the foundation of every point of Doctrine And for the honour of the two Tables they did number up all the letters of the two Tables and found them to be six hundred and thirteen then they drew up all the Laws of Moses unto six hundred and thirteen They might have made them mo or fewer but by Gods spirit in honour of the two Tables they bring them just to the number of six hundred and thirteen they make two hundred forty and eight bidding Commandments telling us what we should believe or do and 365. forbidding evil vid. M. Brought in Apoc. 175. But after the Hebrew Doctors under this silver age of the Persian Monarchy were decayed then the Jews began to be more loose in Religion under the iron Dominion of the Seleucidae and Lagidae The cruel wars of those daies bred such profanes among the generality of the Jews especially under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes that many Jews became Atheistical Sadduces yet then in these evil daies God by his providence raised up some Schools of Learning wherein were some godly Doctors that took care to preserve the truth of Doctrine in opposition to those Atheistical Sadduces And this they did by enacting divers terms of Religion They called all the Books of the Old Testament The Law Because the Sadduces did now reject all the Books of the Old Testament except the five Books of Moses Law They also enacted divers termes wherein they professed the immortality of the soul in opposition to the said Sadduces as I have formerly noted it before at large After those daies they had still some care of godly learning for in the daies of our Saviour they did maintain Schools of Learning and our Lord was present among the Doctors hearing them and posing them with Questions Luke 2. 46. And in Jerusalem there were certain of the Synagogue called Lubartines which rose in opposition to Stephens Doctrine Acts 6. 9. These Lubartines must not be taken for Libertines as some unadvisedly do call them because of their opposition to Stephen but that is a great mistake I say they were called Lubartines because they belonged to some Lubar or Colledge Lubar saith M. Weemt signifies a high place● and on such high pieces of ground they used to build their Schools Again in another of these Schools Paul was brought up at the seet of Gamaliel and there he was taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the Fathers Acts 22. Again many such Schools were erected am●ng the dispersed Jews while they lived in Heathen Countries one of these Schools was governed by one Tyrannus and there the Disciples disputed daily Acts 19. And thus Iesus Christ by the means of these Schools hath in all ages nursed up many godly and able scholars fit to teach the Law in synagogues and fit to bear Office as Elders in the Sanhedrin Courts And these Schools of Learning were so highly set by among the Jews in ancient time neoterici nostrates effuciunt that they accounted it a great shame for any man of wealth or leisure if they did not frequent those Schools at the least three times a week except hand-labourers Maymony in Thal. Thora saith That all the Jews but hand-labourers did bring up their children from seven yeers old to fourteen in learning the plain tongue yea they studied the Tongue all their daies weekly for some few hours not minding gains thereby but delight to know God And our Saviour at twelvs yeers of Age delighted to sit in the midst of the Doctors hearing them posing them and asking them Questions and all that heard him were astonied at his understanding and answers Luke 2. 46 47. This place where Christ sate amongst the Doctors was such a Colledge or house of Doctrine as that was where Huldah the Prophetess lived 1 Kings 22. 14. Yea the Jews set a higher esteem upon their Schools of Learning then they did upon their Synagogues vid. Ainsw in Levit. 26. 31. and such priviledges did belong to Schools of learning as rewards of learning that if a Scholar at unawares committed man-slaughter and thereupon was exiled to a Citie of Refuge his master must go with him as it is written and live For the life of them that love and seek after Wisdom is counted as death without the Doctrine of the Law In like sort if the master were exiled his School goeth with him vid. Ains in Deut. 19. 4. This great priviledge Iesus Christ gave to Schools and Scholars as a reward of learning Scholar What rules of direction can you give for the well ordering of Schools of learning in these daies that so the Scholars thereof may speedily attain to the knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew Tongues and to the right understanding of the holy Scriptures Teacher No question but a better way of discipline may be found out then yet is practised as M. Broughton hath often warned and hath propounded sundry directions that way but it would be a two-handed labour for me to bring all particulars into a compendious method The Lord in mercy stir up others to take this work in hand for the advancement of Learning and Godlines Amen FINIS