Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	adam_n	law_n	moral_a	4,944	5	10.5377	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52802	A Christians walk and work on earth, until he attain to heaven which may serve as a practical guide, and a plain direction in his pilgrimage thither, through his personal and relative duties : marvelously useful to all persons, and families of all ranks and qualities, both in city and country / by Christopher Nesse ...	Ness, Christopher, 1621-1705.	1678 (1678)	Wing N443; ESTC R3369	121,975	273

Divine Worship must have a Divine Warrant this is principium eternoe Veritatis a maxim of everlasting truth and will prevail against all contrary assertions And assuredly there is no duty next to Prayer that is more pressed both in the old and New Testament by the most holy God although it be so little practiced by Sinful Man But waving the old Testament precepts which are liable to more exceptions the New Testament precepts are most cogent and they are principally three Eph. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. and Jam. 5. 13. that in the mouth of three Witnesses this great truth might be established 3. The second Argument is taken from Divine presidents waving the Old-Testament in this also as before in Divine precepts and they are three likewise as Mat. 26. 30. Act. 16. 25. 1 Cor. 14. 15. The Example of Christ himself is the Regula Regulans rule ruling and the example of the Apostles is the regula Regulata rule ruled You cannot Write after a better Copy then after Christ and after his Apostles so far as they followed Christ His Pattern is for your Practice and he will not be a Saviour to you for happiness unless he be also a Samplar to you for Holiness you must either tread in his steps here in this world or you shall never lodge in his bosome in the World to come and you should follow them who through faith and patience do now Inherit the promises Heb. 6. 12. Follow the white-side though not the dark-side of this cloud of Witnesses Heb. 12. 1. 4. The third ground is Antiquity pure Antiquity This may give light when all other lights are out the laudable and comely customs of the primitive Church ought to be observed 1 Cor. 11. 16. as Water the neerer that it is to the Spring the purer doth it run in the stream so is Antiquity in customs the neerer to the Apostles times before the man of Sin arose to fowle them with his fowle foot Ezek. 34. 18. Rev. 13. 1. the purer they are and so are justly deserving a due esteem and diligent perusal in matters of fact which they must needs know better then others after them 'T is true the universal practice of Churches is no Rule for the word of God is the only rule and custom without truth is but a mouldy Errour and as a Cipher without a figure yet when the customes of the Church are backed with both Divine precepts and Divine presidents It should ever strike a Reverence upon the heart Gods word is truth Joh. 17. 17. and 't is that which must institute all Ordinances such customes as hold not a consonancy to the word are vain Jer. 10. 3. and ought to be abolished but in the duty of Singing custom and truth meets together 't was the practice of him that was truth it self and primum Cujusque Generis est mensura Reliquorum the first of the kind is a Rule to all the rest Christ was first in this Gospel-Ordinance and the Primitive Churches followed him herein as Justin Martyr Tertullian and others testify having their Cantus antelucanos Singing praises to God and Christ before day 5. The fourth Reason for reviving this Gospel Ordinance is the universal Obligation that lyeth upon all to performe it 'T is a natural duty as well as instituted and moral duty hence all lys under the Obligation of it Even all Creatures that receive mercy from God should return duty to God let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord Psal 150. last to wit in their kind and after their manner yea the whole Creation all the works of God whether Reptilia Aquatilia terrestria ceu Coelestia creeping things Fish Fowle Beasts below and Stars above shall praise God Psal 145. 10. all joins in consort with the Saints in praising work 'T is indeed chiefly Mans work as he is Gods Master-piece and endowed with both Speech and Reason above other Creatures Yet 't is not Mans duty only though it be his chiefly all Creatures do owe an Homage of praise to their Creator and all men may know either by the light of nature that this duty is natural or by the Law of God that it is moral besides what hath been said of ' its Institution in the Gospel 't is pitty that Man should rob God Or as the Hebr. is Mal. 3. 8. will Adam pillage Elohim to wit of his praise and 't is the greatest pitty that this should be done not only by Adam in general but also by any of the best of the Sons and Daughters of Adam 6. The fifth Argument is the Excellency of the duty above bare Reading Singing the word of God in meeter is fuller of Vigour and Spirit then Reading it in prose which of it self and in ' its own nature is a far more saint and seeble strain and hath not that sweet delectation in it to the Godly mind as frequent experience doth easily demonstrate how oft is a gracious Soul even elevated herein above it self thus David had his unspeakable ravishments in this Ordinance and therefore as being much vexed with his own natural dullness he stirs up himself as Deborah had done before him Judg. 5. 12. Awake Deborah Awake utter a Song So he awakes his tongue which he calls his glory his harp and his heart too for this duty wherein he found so much sweetness Psal 57. 7 8. 108. 1 2. 104. 33 34. 119. 103. 7 David did not only raise himself up from his indisposing drowsiness going out with Samson to shake it off from him Judg. 16. 20. but he reckons Gods statutes which he made his Songs in the House of his Pilgrimage to be better to him then thousands of Gold and Silver Psal 119. 52 54 and they were the rejoysing of his heart as his best inheritance Ver. 111. Thus should the word of Christ dwell in you Richly Col. 3. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indwell in you It must be in you and in you again well digested and turn'd into juice and blood and this cannot be so well effected by a bare and cursory Reading the Word as it may be by Singing it wherein there is a distinct and fixed Meditation upon it and upon every Syllable of it while 't is leisurely founded out by the voice the longer that you ponder it in your mind the more likely may it have a strong influence on your affections this pausing and pondering doth chafe supple and work the word into your Spirit and so makes it both a refreshing and a ravishing Ordinance to you having a more spriteful violence upon your heart then bare Reading for hereby Gods word takes a deeper Impression upon you and those things that you did know before come to be better known and more graciously understood the Spirit of God Sealing them upon your Soul then doth the word of Christ dwell in you Richly and you give rich and liberal entertainment to it and you will account all other but

Earthly Adam in your natural Estate If you belong to Christ and Salvation you must bear the Image of the Heavenly Adam Christianity being both the Imitation and the participation of the Divine nature is the reducing of the Image of the first and fallen Adam into the second 't is the bringing back of the Earthly Image of fallen Man into the Heavenly Image of the holy God wherein Man was first Created in Righteousness and true Holiness 1 Cor. 15. 48 49. Eph. 4. 24. This being done for you and in you you have the Right Picture of Christ your practice answering both your principles and profession 16. The true Christian is like a pair of compasses that keeps within compass the one foot to wit his principles standing fast in the Centre and the other foot to wit his practice walking round the circumference yet both feet do correspond sweetly together in paralel lines each with other Thus ought there to be a sweet Harmony betwixt your principles and your practice and your Conversation must not give the lie to your profession you must make straight your paths Heb. 12. 13. 1 Sam. 6. 12. The Kine held strait on their way to Bethshemesh So must you to the house of the Sun of Righteousness as the Word Bethshemesh signifies your Eyes must look Right on and your Eyelids look straight before you Prov. 4. 25. 'T is the crooked Serpent Esa 27. 1 that brought Man to crooked wayes Psal 125. 5. Corrupt Nature runneth in a Crooked channel but 't is Christs work to make things crooked straight Esa 40. 4. 17. Some creatures are commended for being comly in their goings Prov. 30 29 sure I am every true Christian should be so he should lead a convincing life and be of a comly and commendable conversation such an one as becomes the Gospel Phil. 1. 27 and as becometh Holiness Tit. 2. 3. both young and old Male and Female should be of a comly deportment you must walk worthy of God who hath called you to his Kingdom and glory 1 Thes 2. 12 his livery you must wear his Image you must bear and his Kingdom you are called unto and therefore you must carry as Children of a King Judg. 18. 18 and as Children of the Kingdom Remember saith Menedemus to Antigonus when he was to go to a Feast where a Famous Harlot was to be a guest that you are a Kings Son do nothing unworthy of such an Honourable Title Scipio African when solicited to filthiness by an Harlot Answered Vellem si non essem Imperator It is below an Emperor and Nehemiah said better shall such an one as I flee Neh. 6. 12. 18. A Godly conversation is very graceful to the Gospel and the Gospel gains much glory by you if you walk in the beauty of Holiness you are called not only to his Kingdom but also to his glory 1 Thes 2. 12. and therefore the Spirit of glory should rest upon you 1 Pet. 4. 14. This is the smooth bark that evidences the good Tree as well as the Root bole branches leaves and fruit to be a Tree of Righteousness the planting of the Lord Isa 61. 3 to be of Gods not of the Devils planting and watering a clear-skinn'd Tree not full of Bur-knots is the most hopeful for fruit So is the Man that hath a shining conversation as the shining of Moses face so the shining of your life doth evidence you have been with God in the Mount They took notice of the Apostles that they had been with Jesus Act. 4. 13. This makes even a Nebuchadnezzar confess these are the servants of the most high God Dan. 3. 26. Those Virgin-Souls that followed the lambe had their Fathers name Writ in their foreheads Revel 14. 1 4. though you shall be Judged according to Men in the flesh yet should you live according to God in the Spirit 1 Pet. 4. 6. and not do folly in Israel Gen. 34. 7. 19. The Levitical Law doth likewise tell you what beasts are clean and what unclean all which are a shadow of things to come Col. 2. 16 17. Whereby Israel was taught to study purity and to know that the very Creatures are all defilled with Mans Sin Those beasts were accounted clean that both chewed the Cud and divided the hoof Therefore the Camel was numbred amongst the unclean though he chewed the Cud becausehe divided not the hoof by all which you must understand in Levit. 11. 3. c. That it is not enough for you to ruminate upon the word of God in your most serious Meditations which is your Spiritual chewing of the Cud but you must part the hoof too in putting a difference betwixt good and bad Actions You must not only think on the Commandments of God but so think on them as to do them Psal 103. 18. Cleansing your self from all filthiness hoth of flesh and Spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. you must not only profess the word but you must practice it also you must add to your Faith Virtue Temperance c. 2 Pet. 1. 5. and then are you accounted a clean Sacrifice to the Lord. To practice Sermons you hear is the best kind of Repeating Sermons live Sermons as well as hear them 20. As the Law concerning clean beasts Levit. 11. 6 doth teach you that good Meditation should end in a good Conversation for a Copy is not only to be Read over by him that learns to Writ but it must be Written after also and Lessons of Musick must be practiced by those that would learn it So the Law concerning clean Fishes teachs you the same they must have Fins and Scales First Fins to steer their motion so must you have the Fins of knowledg Faith and Divine dispositions to direct you and to set you forward in the things of God And secondly Scales for smoothing their passage for their Ornaments and safety So your Scales of good works must be set so close and so neer one another that no Air of Temptation may come between them as Job 41. 15 16 17. Levit. 11. 9. You must have the Scales of Piety Patience and the Fins which are as Wings of Divine affections to carry you cheerfully end ways into Divine Actions that you may be holy as God is Ver. 44. which is the end of this Law and clean meat to Gods sight and palate Now of a Religious Godly and Christian Conversation in particular And first of Meditation CHAP. III. 1. HItherto of Conversation in General which is the Practick part of Religion Godliness and Christianity now of a Religious Godly and Christian Conversation in particular which is a large Field of discourse You have here a breviary thereof contracted into a narrow compass wherein you may View the whole Duty of Man to God and Man in Respect of the Conversation the Agenda or things to be done besides the Credenda or things to be believed I told you before there is the Conversation of your thoughts as to

3. or the Song of the Lamb Rev. 15. 3. For should a man Sing a good Song with his Voice and play a bad one upon his Instrument it would make but an ungrateful grating Noise So it is with them whose lips and lives are not Relatives and whose Actions contradict their sayings and singings yet every thing that hath breath should praise the Lord. Psal 150. last and such as cannot do what they ought they resolving to reform ought to do what they can Seeing the positive command for this duty is general and universal Sing to the Lord all the Earth Psal 96. 1. and make a joyful noise all ye Lands Psal 100. 12. and Sing to the Lord all ye Kingdoms of the World Psal 68. 32. The duty is grounded upon the Soveraignty of God as he is a great God and a great King above all Gods Psal 95. 3. and as his works of Creation and Providence extendeth to all the Sons and Daughters of Men Psal 145. 6. to 10. Therefore the Psalmist Infers and we with him O that All men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of Men. Psal 107. 8 15 21 31. 't is oft over again and again 14. The second Objection is we may not Sing with a mixt multitude that do but take the name of the Lord in vain hereby we do but partake of their Sin and so make it our own Answer the first when Moses and the Children of Israel Sang that Famous Song Exod. 15. 1. there was not only a mixt multitude among them at that time as is expresly mentioned Numb 11. 4. but also such of the Children of Israel that soon forgat the works of God and tempted Christ in the Wilderness even of those that Sang his praise Psal 106. 12 13 14. and 1 Cor. 10. 9. And the Song of Moses recorded in Deut. 34. was appointed to be Sung by the Children of Israel not only in their upright state but also in their state of Apostacy that it might testify against them as a standing Witness Deut. 31. 19 21 22 29. even by such it was to be Sung as Moses knew would after his death corrupt themselves utterly and the New Testament also Act. 13. 44. tells you that almost the whole City of Antioch the greatest part whereof were poor Pagans came together to hear the Word of God and though the Apostle managed the work both in praying to God and in praising of God yet may it not be cal'd confusion if the whole Assembly said Amen to all This saying Amen by the people gave their assent to both Prayers and Praises 1 Cor. 14. 16. And was an universal acting personally in Gods worship as well as personal singing is 15. The second Answer is though Sinners which drive the trade of Sin do Sin in the manner of singing because they do it not after a Spiritual manner yet they do not Sin in the matter of the duty which is plainly Obligatory to all though it be comely only in Saints he doth bonum though he doth it not bene and yet the Saints themselves may Sin in the manner of it too as well as sinners alas none of us know either how to pray or how to Sing but as the Spirit helps our Infirmities Rom. 8. 26. so as to sing after a gracious manner and to make Melody in our hearts to the Lord and no sufficient Reason can be rendred why Saints should discontinue their duties because sinners do own God and their own duty both by the light of Nature and the Law of God enjoined them Paul both prayed and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all Act. 27. 35. even among poor Pagans rude Mariners and Soldiers that trusted to their own wisdom more then to Gods word Ver. 11. and that would have kil'd Paul not withstanding all his kindness to them Ver. 42. he doth not discontinuc his Devotion and duty upon the account of a mixt multitude besides God delighteth that his will should be obeyed and abhorreth that his Law should be disobeyed even by sinful men as in Sauls case 1 Sam. 15. 22 23. and in Ahabs 1 King 21. 27 28 29. God knows how to allow yea and to reward that which is his own when yet he takes no pleasure in the sinful manner of the performance of a Divine duty 16. The third Answer is there is a parity of Reason put upon both praying and singing Jam. 5. 13. is any afflicted let him pray is any merry let him Sing Psalms The stress of both those duties lays not so much upon the qualification of man as upon the commandment of God and though sinners cannot sing with grace in their hearts yet this excuses them no more from singing then from praying both which are alike general duties to all mankind and not peculiar to Saints the very light of nature pressed Jonahs Mariners to pray in distress Jon. 1. 6. And the Moral precept that forbids Atheisme commands Prayer which is an owning of God He is Davids Atheistical fool that saith in his heart there is no God and that calls not upon God Psal 14. 1. 4. Hence it is inferred that though carnal Ignorant or prophane people cannot Sing as they ought no more can they pray as they ought yet as this excuses them not from praying work neither can it from singing work whatever is not done with Faith is Sin Rom. 14. 23. and without Faith there can be no pleasing of God Heb. 11. 6. as to pray so to Sing without Faith is Sin yet not to pray at all is a greater Sin for the former is formality but the latter is Atheisme which is the worse of the two 17. The third Objection is Singing is but Temple-worship and should be assisted with Instruments of Musick c. Answer the first Moses and Deborahs Song was long before the Temple 2. The Song of the Lamb Rev. 15. Is taken out of several Psalms 3. Praying was Temple-worship and was attended with Incense there as well as singing was with Musical Instruments there and so the Argument lays as strong and as Cogent for abolishing the duty of praying now as well as of singing 4. Singing to Instruments then used were only typical and so but temporary belonging to the Ceremonial worship and so is ceased 't was accommodated to the Church during her Minority Gal. 4. 1 2. but singing with heart and voice is Moral-worship and so to abide among the mature heirs the Ceremonial and Pompous part of Temple-worship is done away but the moral part in simplicity and gravity remaineth and now no voice should be heard in the Church but such as is significant and is edifying by signification which the noise of Instruments cannot be 1 Cor. 14. 10 11 26. and in that Prophecy of the Gentiles Conversion Psal 95. We are commanded to make a noise with Psalms but not with Instruments Ver. 1. 2. 18. Briefly the fourth Objection