Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	aaron_n	calf_n	peter_n	28	3	7.1715	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59621	Antapologia, or, A discourse of excuses setting forth the variety and vanity of them, the sin and misery brought in by them, as being the greatest bar in the way to heaven, and the ready high way to hell : being the common snare wherein most of the children of men are intangled and ruined / by Jo. Sheffield ...	Sheffeild, John, d. 1680.	1672 (1672)	Wing S3061; ESTC R11053	145,253	322

Staiv● I must not of necessity I must strike in with my Masters Debtors though to his prejudice and make sure of somewhat to take to A necessity of his own making There is never any necessity of sinning Sin often brings men into necessities no necessity can ever bring a man out of sin 13. Among other frivolous Excuses 13. Besides my intention this is one also It was besides my intention little did I dream this or that would have followed I was drawn in But we should remember those frequent Items Come not Prov. 5. 8. near her corner Shun occasions Abstain from appearance of evil 1 Thess 5. 21. Keep to thy Calling and ways and so keep thee off the Devils ground as he said once of a Maid that he took possession of finding her at a Stage-play and out of his Circle We find by experience the coldest Water becomes hot being a while over the Fire and the hardest Ice soon begins to thaw being near the Heat The beginning of many Evils as well as Contention is like the letting out of Water out of the Banks or kindling of a Fire who knows where either may stay Therefore the Wise mans Counsel is Cease before it be Prov. 17. 14. medled with q. d. Make an end before thou begin Full little did Dinah think Gen. 34. 1 16 27. her Visit in Civility or Curiosity would have occasioned her deflowring And a● little did Shechem think that deflowring would have cost so much Blood And it is like Aaron never thought of making the Calf when he asked their Earings But undoubtedly it was the furthest end of St. Peter's thought to deny his Master when he entred the High Priests Palace which he had so solemnly protested against But we may see we are no more our own when once out of our way Yet is this observable to our present Case This holy man never went about to excuse his crime by saying it was besides his intention but he went out and wept bitterly Matth. 26. 75. 14. Nor are they a few who think to come off with this My fear betrayed me 14. I was surprised with fear that I knew not what I said or did The fear of man as Solomon observes causeth many a snare Prov. 29. 25. And a cruel Tyrant it is and too like that false Harlot spoken of in another place that hath cast Prov. 7. 26. down many wounded yea many strong ones have fallen under her hands Witness Abraham Isaac David Peter Cranmer c. Saints all of the first Magnitude Yet this is nevertheless a sin and to be bewailed Nor do such Examples excuse but condemn us the more if we think to have our sin Patronized by their Example Bis peccat qui exemplo peccat He sins twice that sins by anothers exampl● We should guard our hearts against this base fear of Man with the awful dread of him who is able to destroy Soul and Body in Hell and consider whether it be not a more fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God than of a Man that shall die and the Son of Man which is but a Worm Then would this Divine fear quite destroy those false fears as Aaron's Rod devoured those false and imaginary Rods and prevent those Storms and Floods or Flames of horrour which the over-prevailing fear of Man hath betrayed us unto witness those notable Examples and Champions of Christ Peter and Cranmer and many other shrinking Professors who not till after much bitter Repentance flying to Christ obtained mercy And that of miserable Spira is never to be forgotten who though he so repented and bewailed this sin that he was swallowed up of sorrow yet never gained peace or so much as the least glimpse of hope but died in extreme despair 15. Sometimes this is given in for Excuse 15. It was for a matter of moment It was not for a trifle but for a matter of moment my Livelihood depends on it as Demetrius pleaded for his Silver Shrines It was for a Prize saith another that which might make me and mine for ever I saw said Achan a Wedge of Gold a rich Babylonish Garment and two hundred Shekels of Silver and none was by to discover it and who would not put the Curse to the venture on such terms But Gold may be bought too dear as our Proverb saith It proved as all such Cheats do Aurum Tholosanum accursed Gold it consumed Achan and all his house Si violandum est Jus Regni Causa violandum est c. was the saying of an elder than Machiavel If a Kingdom lie at stake there can be no foul play to win it A Crown wipes off all blots and excuseth all Crimes tam patrata quam patranda already committed or to be committed as Alexander thought when he trussed up a pedling Pyrate that took now and then a Barque when himself as he was told by the same Pyrate exercised an universal Pyracy and Robbery by Sea and Land and cri●d Have at all yet did he reckon his Name should be recorded in the Books of Fame O tandem major parcas Insane minori And of this Religion was Jeroboam who to get and keep the Crown thinks Conscience must not be too strait l●ced Rem si possis recte si non quocunque modo rem or regnum rather Kingdoms are to be gotten governed kept by other Arts than other private States are Therefore to get the Crown he waits the opportunity of a Rupture then makes his advantage of it to set his Master aside And when got the Crown he sets Religion to sale erects a new Model of Worship substitutes another sort of Clergy-men such as should throughly comply and outs all of their Ministerial Employment that were of Gods appointment But it is a Golden Saying of Solomon and worthy of a Christian Princes Motto in his Coin Justitia Prov. 16. 12. firmat Thronum The Throne is established by Righteousness This turned to the utter ruine of Jeroboam and his whole House So likewise those wise Master-Builders to make the House stand the surer must needs pull out the Head Corner-stone lest the Romans should come and take away their Place Dignity and Nation all lay then at stake as they then thought But did they not thereby pull an old House on their own Heads or rather as our Saviour said pull a Stone upon them which hath ground them and their Nation to Powder This brought on those very Romans which they feared and hastned on the Abomination of Desolation which they never feared 16. Another makes this his Excuse It was to cover his shame This was that 16. To cover shame set the Son of Jesse awork after that foul Act with Bathsheba Vriah must be sent for home if that will not do made drunk if that and nothing else he must be sent to his long home Alas poor Bethleemite Thou saidst thou wast once in a great

Creature in the Universe that only lives to it self The Sun communicates his light the Springs are free of their waters to every thirsty Passenger God's direction is to thee to drink the waters of thy own Cistern to Prov. 9. 15 16. take part of what he hath given thee thy self and that thy Fountain should be dispersed abroad to the relief and benefit of others God the Church State the Poor thy Family and Friends challenge a share in thy State The Prodigal thinks he can answer it as well or better I have not been base or sordid keeping and hoarding up I have lived on what I had and like a man I count him next door to a mad man that is too saving for his next heir Parcus ob haeredis curam nimiumque severus Assidet insano And him to be stark mad that Horat. spares all his life to die rich Est furor haud dubius est manifesta Phrenesis Juvenal Vt locuples moriaris egenti vivere fato But how hast thou spent upon thy Lusts what is the account thou wilt make to God to thy Ancestors or Posterity I had some thousands left me some may say One part spent on my Back and Belly another in Gaming a third on Pleasures Hawks Hounds Harlots a fourth in Taverns Plays Entertainments Thus what the Palmer-worm hath left the Locust hath eaten what the Locust the Caterpillar Joel 1. 4. what the Caterpillar the Canker-worm hath eaten Thus at last all is gone where is Christ's part all the while what hath been laid out on pious and charitable Uses Here is a sad account a State ruined and a Soul ruined This man is as sad a monster as the other and as to his House and Posterity worse Thou shouldst have followed the same direction of the wise man Drink water out of thy own Cistern Prov. 5. 15. and let streams run to others yet let them be only thy own saith he that is retain the principal still The Sun indeed gives light to others but withall preserves the principal and wasts not his stock It were prodigious if in a prodigal Vain it threw it self out of its Orb The Springs water the Earth yet so as to keep a stock still going If Naboth said God forbid I should 1 Kings 21. 3. sell the Inheritance of my Fathers Let sober men say God forbid I should make away the Inheritance of my Fathers by Riot and Luxury We are but Stewards remember that And all good men know it is their duty to honour God with their Purses as well as with their Persons A David would say What shall I do for the Name and House and Service of God A Nehemiah What shall I do for the Publick and my Country A Zacheus What shall I do for the Poor All good men How shall I give account of my Talent with joy and not with grief 13. Others think they make a lawful What I do is in it self lawful excuse when they say What I do is in it self lawful But Licitis perimus omnes There may be danger in the use abuse rather of lawful things Poyson is often given in a golden Cup or wholsome Dish sometimes in a Nosegay Be not too bold with things lawful there may be a snare in Company Employments Mirth Recreations Pastimes yea in thy very Calling To swear in it self is lawful but unnecessarily and frequently sinful The old World and Sodom perisht in these Licitis these lawfuls They eat they drank bought sold Luke 17. 26 27. built planted But minded nothing else Lawful and sinful are near Neighbours If we go to the utmost of lawfuls ground we tread ere aware on sinfuls Our Saviour gives an Item against worldly cares which are sometimes commanded sometimes Luke 21. 34. commended yet a surfeit and over-plus of them is as dangerous as of eating and drinking when immoderate though all lawful in their measure though few consider it There is somewhat more necessary which must be observed above lawful e. g. To rest on the Lord's day and forbear work lawful but the sanctifying the day is the necessary To read a good Book very lawful and commendable that day but if nothing hinder to forbear coming to the Publick Worship is sinful and scandalous So in many other cases Sacrifice sometimes best sometimes Mercy better In the use of things lawful therefore the Apostle gives three good Cautions 1. All 1 Cor. 6. 12. 10. 23. things are lawful that is things indifferent and not sinful in their nature but all things are not expedient profitable convenient Here I must have regard to my self saith learned Paraeus how much how far how long expedient 2. All things are lawful but all things edifie not though lawful to me here I must have regard to my Neighbour The third is All Turpe est esse servus gulae aut ventri Par in locum things are lawful to me but I will not be brought under the power of any I must see I be not enslaved to my Belly Pleasure Recreation c. but that I can as well forbear as use them As St. Austin said of Alipius he having been once at the Play grew mad of them Abstulit secum insaniam quastimularetur redire c. That he could not for his life keep from them till he was afterwards changed 14. There be many that will plead Christian liberty Christian liberty and think that may excuse many things which savour rankly of unchristian Libertinism rather then of Christian Liberty They can travell or work on the Lord's day sit up Night by Night at Cards and Dice frequent Taverns and Plays day by day drink Health after Health go to Mass be present at Idol-worship and cover all with the Veil of Christian liberty while they understand not well what Christian liberty meaneth It is a pretious and costly Jewel purchased with the blood of Christ And as all pretious Jewels are to be charily looked to so this as much as any I shall therefore 1. Briefly tell you wherein it stands not 2. Wherein it stands 1. It frees us not from the observation of the holy Laws of God 2. Nor from Civil subjection to the just Laws of Authority over us or Servants to the command of their Masters c. as St. Peter at large declares 3. Nor doth 1 Pet. 2. 13 14 c. it set us free from the Bonds and Rules of Sobriety Temperance Modesty Chastity c. to give scope to Riot Excess Luxury or any Misdemeanour 1. But it stands in freeing us from the Bondage of the old Ceremonial Law Gal. 5. 1. 2. Frees Believers from the Curse of the Moral Law Gal. 3. 13. 3. From our Sins 1. As to the Guilt 1 John 1. 7. 2. As to the Dominion and Power Rom. 6. 14. 8. 2. 3. As to the Condemnation of Sin Rom. 8. 1. 4. Believers are freed from the Wrath of God