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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	covenant_n	law_n	moral_a	3,209	5	10.1955	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73378	An exposition of the lawes of Moses Viz. Morall. Ceremoniall. Iudiciall. The second volume. Containing an explanation of diverse questions and positions for the right understanding thereof. Wherein also are opened divers ancient rites & customes of the Iewes, and also of the Gentiles, as they haue relation to the Iewish. Together with an explication of sundry difficult texts of Scripture, which depend upon, or belong unto every one of the Commandements, as also upon the ceremoniall and iudiciall lawes. Which texts are set downe in the tables before each particular booke. All which are cleered out of the originall languages, the Hebrew and Greeke, and out of the distinctions of the schoolemen and cases of the casuists. / By Iohn Weemse, of Lathocker in Scotland, preacher of Gods Word.; Works. v. 3	Weemes, John, 1579?-1636.	1632 (1632)	STC 25207.5; ESTC S112662	524,931	1,326

of the soule they answered That it might be well with them in this life we professe the immortality of the soule why study we not then to keepe the Law that it may goe well with us in the time to come Augustine said if he were perswaded that the soule were mortall then of all religions he would chuse to be the Epicure or Sadduce but seeing the soule is an immortall substance Let us detest these bruit beasts who imagine that death is the end both of soule and body the soule liveth for ever then the body must live for ever either in weale or woe Let us study therefore to feed the soule with that immortall food of the Word of God and not say with the rich man in the Gospell Luc. 12.19 Soule thou hast enough if we would have that happy conjunction betwixt the soule and the body againe Moses said if a man dye having no children Quest The question may be asked here how Moses could command such a thing for incest is condemned in the morall law and forbidden in the seventh Commandement Ans We must distinguish betwixt these lawes which are morall positive lawes and those which are divine positive lawes Morale positivum divinu● positivum Morall positive lawes are such as the very light of nature commandeth Divine positive are those which are accessory commandements added to the first Example this is a morall positive law that a man should not lye with his mother nor with his mother in law for this is a fornication that is not named amongst the Gentiles 1 Cor. 5.1 And it was for this sort of incest that the Canaanites were cast out of Canaan So this is primarium jus naturae or morale positivum that a man should not lye with his daughter nor his daughters daughter descendendo descending downeward but this againe is divinum positivum or secundarium jus naturae in the collaterall line that a man should not lye with his sister or his brothers wife No marriage in the collaterall line was forbidden at the first by the law of nature or morall positive law but it was forbidden afterwards by the divine positive law Levit. 18.16 When Lot lay with his daughters this was incest in the highest degree because it was contrary to Ius naturale the morall positive law but when Amram married Iochabed Dodatho his fathers sister Exod. 6 20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Amita It should not be translated Patrue●is cozin-german but his fathers sister see Num. 26.59 This was not against the morall positive or naturall part of the law because it was not in the right line but in the collaterall although in the neerest degree it was against the divine positive law and that the Church might be replenished with people God over-saw this sort of marriage at the first but God doth more here hee commanded the brother to raise up seede to his brother First This Commandement was not against the morall positive Law this is not contra primarium jus naturae because it was not in the right line Secondly it is an exception from secundarium ius naturae for when God commanded to doe this hee willed them not to doe this to satisfie lust for that were against primarium jus naturae the morall positive law but onely that the elder brother might be a tipe of Iesus CHRIST who should never want a seede in the Church If he dye having no children In the originall it is having no seede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should not be translated sonnes here for daughters succeeded likewise to the inheritance when the fathers had no sonnes therefore it should be translated haeving no children The women raised up seed to their parents which comprehends both the males and femals the women raised up seede to their parents as well as the males marrying within their owne tribe therefore that saying in the Talmud was not true qui masculam prolem non habuit etsi filias habuerit plurimas in eo genus est consummatum His brother shall marry his wife and raise up seede to him What brother had this priviledge The eldest brother was bound to raise up seed onely he that was the eldest brother and therefore Deut. 25.5 If brethren dwell together and one of them dye one of them Numerus Cardinali● pro ordinali that is the eldest of them Gen. 1.5 and the evening and the morning were one day that is the first day this is cardinalis numeru● pro ordinali if the third brother had raised up seede to the second brother then it had beene incest He that was the first borne in Israel What things the first borne did to the rest he was bound to do three things to his brethren kinsmen first he was bound to revenge his blood their was vindex sanguinis Secondly he was Goel and redeemed the morgaged lands of his neere kinsman and thirdly it was he that delivered him out of prison all these three he was bound to doe to him jure propinquitatis because hee was his neerest kinsman What things due to the eldest brother There were three things againe which were due to him First hee had a double portion of his fathers goods Secondly he had the whole inheritance and thirdly if he dyed without children his brother was to raise up seed unto him Christ our Goel revengeth our blood upon his enemies Now let us apply these to Christ First Christ is our Goel or vindex sanguinis the revenger of our blood upon that red Dragon who thristeth for the blood of man and upon all the enemies who thirst for the blood of his children the revenger of blood or Goel Deut. 19.6 when he pursued the killer his heart waxed hote in the pursuite Iesus Christ our Goel when hee doth see the blood of the Saints shed his heart waxeth hote and he furbisheth the sword to make it drunke with the blood of his enemies Iere. 51.35 The violence done to me to my flesh be upon thee Babylon shall Sion say and my blood be upon the Chaldeans shall Ierusalem say now marke what is said in the chapter preceding Iere. 30.50 How teares are said to offend Thy Goel or redeemer is strong and I will pleade thy cause See how the revenger of the blood makes Babylon and Chaldea answer for all Iob saith Cap. 17. My teares ascend before the Lord Teares naturally descend but as the Sunne drawes up the exhalations and they fall downe againe so the wrongs that are done to the Saints they come up before their Goel and then fall downe againe upon the enemies heads they shall answer for all the blood shed from Abel to Zachary and all this innocent blood which is shed now the Lord will require it at their hand Secondly he redeemed the morgaged land Ruth 4.4 and Ier. 32.7 when Hanameel the sonne of Shallum had morgaged his field that was in Anathoth the right of redemption belonged

marrie with a stranger what is that with a stranger That is with one who is not of the familie of him who is dead And first she was bound to marrie with the naturall brother who was not a stranger and if there had not beene a naturall brother then with the next of the kinsmen who was not a stranger Wherfore ijbbam and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are understood first of the naturall brother and then of the next kinsman Object But it is promised under the Law as a great blessing that he should leaue a posteritie behind him and that his name should not be blotted out in Israel But if the brother married his brothers wife then his children were not called his children but his eldest brothers children and so his name was blotted out in Israel and so he might haue set up a pillar as Absalon did for continuance of his name because he had no children of his owne Answ But to haue the name of Iesus Christ continued is a greater blessing Psal 72.19 To be the father of Iesus Christ according to the flesh a greater blessing to the second brother then to haue children of his owne coram sole filiabitur nomen ejus per successionem filiorum we see what befell Onan because he refused to doe this dutie hee said the seede should not be his therefore the Lord slew him Gen. 38.9.10 Object But God expresly forbad in his Law that a man should lie with his wives sister and by the same Law it is forbidden that a man should lie with his brothers wife this might seeme to bee incest and confusion Answ God indeed forbad in his law that a man should lie with his brothers wife but God who gaue that law God hath many exceptions from his owne Law hath given this law also And as the Iewes say qui observare jussit Sabbatum is etiam jussit profanare Sabbatum So the Lord who forbad a man to lie with his brothers wife hath reserved this priviledge to himselfe to make an exceptiō from the law The Lord commanded in his Law Deut 24.4 If a man put away his wife and shee goe from him and become another mans wife he may not take her againe to wife yet the Lord tooke his Church againe Ier. 3.1 he hath reserved sundry priviledges to himselfe and exceptions from the Law Morale positivum Divinum positivum Secondly we must distinguish here betwixt these lawes which are morall positiue lawes and these which are divine positiue lawes We must distinguish betwixt the morall positiue part of the Law and the divine positiue part Morall positiue lawes are such which the very light of nature commaundeth Divine positiue lawes are these which are accessory commaundements added to the first Example This is a morall positiue law that a man should not lie with his mother nor with his mother in-law for this is a fornication that is not named amongst the Gentils 1 Cor. 5.1 And it was for this sort of incest that the Cananites were cast out of Canaan So this is primarium jus naturae or morale positivum that a man should not lie with his daughter nor his daughters daughter descendendo descending downward What is primarium and what is secundarium ius naturae But this againe is divinum positivum or secundariū jus naturae in the collaterall line that a man should not lie with his sister or his brothers wife no marriage in the collaterall line was forbidden at the first by the law of nature or morall positiue law but it was forbidden afterwards by the divine positiue law Levit. 18.16 When Iuda lay with his daughter in-law this was incest in the highest degree because it was contrary to jus naturale or morale positivum So when the Corinthian lay with his mother in-law it was against morale positivum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Amita it should not be translated Patruclis his cousin german but his fathers sister See Num. 26.59 or jus naturale But when Amram married Iochabed his fathers sister Exod. 6.20 this was not against the morall positiue or naturall part of the Law because it was not in the right line but in the collaterall although in the neerest degree it was against the divine positiue law And for to replenish his Church with people God oversaw this sort of marriage at the first But God doth more here he commandeth the brother to raise up seed to his brother First this is not contra primarium jus naturae because it was not in the right line Secondly it is an exception from secundarium jus naturae for when God willed them to doe this he willed them not to doe this to satisfie lust for that was contrary to primarium jus naturae but onely that the elder brother might bee a type of Iesus Christ who should neuer want a seed in his Church If a woman were barren the Lord could not command another man to goe in unto her and beget children upon her for that were contra primarium jus naturae the Lord will not suffer now that a brother should marrie a sister as he did in the beginning of the world neither if a brother now should marrie his eldest brothers wife were it lawfull for now the eldest brother is not a type of Christ and it should not bee an exception from the Law but contra secundarium jus naturae Conclusion The conclusion of this is God who giveth the Law maketh not a Law to himselfe but he hath reserved to himselfe exception from the Law when and where it pleaseth him CHAPTER XXXV Of their prisons and places of punishment GEN. 39.20 And Iosephs Master tooke him and put him into the prison a place where the Kings prisoners were bound THey had sundry sorts of Prisons first they had Warding Of their place of punishment as Shimei was confined not to come over the brooke Kedron and Abiather in Anathoth and he who killed casually was confined in the Citie of Refuge Three sorts of Prisons among the Iewes this was a free sort of Prison at the first Carcer non erat pars paenae the Prison was not a part of the punishment Secondly they had another sort of Prison in which they were more restrained than in the Ward they were kept in Prison but others had accesse to them as when Iohn was in Prison his Disciples had accesse to him so Paul was in bonds but yet he begot Onesimus in his bonds Phil. 1. Thirdly they had a more straite Prison called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Custodia a close Prison And fourthly they had a deepe or a low pit the Greekes called it Barathrum in Athens and at Rome it was called Tullianum such was that Prison in which Ieremie was let downe with cords in a Dungeon where was no water but myre Allusion Iere. 38.6 And Zacharie alludeth to this Zach. 9.11 As for thee also by the bloud of thy Covenant I

14.23 Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne that is whatsoever he doth against his conscience in that he sinneth Conscientia recta Conscientia erronea Conscientia dubia Conscientia probabilis Conscientia scrupulosa This conscience is eyther a good conscience a bad conscience a doubting conscience a probable conscience or a scrupulous conscience A good conscience is that which is well informed and concludeth rightly A bad conscience is that which is wrongly informed and concludeth falsly A doubtfull conscience is that which neyther doth assent nor dissent and therefore concludeth nothing A probable conscience is that which concludeth as it thinketh upon probable and good reasons And a scrupulous conscience is that which concludeth but with some feare or doubting which troubleth the minde Let us take but this one example for all in the case of eating of meate A difference betweene these sorts of conscience The good conscience saith To the pure all things are pure and therefore I may eate of this meate the bad conscience of the Iew saith Touch not taste not handle not therefore I will eate none of this because it is uncleane The doubtfull conscience doubteth whether hee may eate of it Rom. 14.23 but doth not fully conclude with the Iew that he may not eate of it The probable conscience is this which upon probable grounds concludeth to eate of it In Corinth some doubted whether they might eate of flesh sold in the Shambles 1 Cor. 10. because perhaps they might light upon that in the Market whereof the other part was sacrificed to Idols but the probable conscience concludeth to eate of it because in the Shambles it hath no relation to the Idoll and it knoweth by all probability that the rest of it was not sacrificed to Idols but that the Priest got the rest for his portion he seeth others who are men of a good conscience eate of such and upon these probable grounds he eateth of it The scrupulous conscience is this which inclineth to eate but with feare and greefe to his minde when he eateth it The light in the conscience since the fall maketh not up this good conscience The light of nature since the fall maketh not up a good conscience but it maketh this ill conscience and it troubleth the scrupulous conscience and this doubtfull conscience When the bad conscience excuseth or accuseth falsely This bad conscience it excuseth or accuseth it excuseth an unregenerat man falsly when he heareth the curses of the Law and blesseth himselfe in the meanetime Deut. 29.19 Ioh. 16.2 Secondly it excuseth him falsely when he assenteth to the principles in generall but when he commeth to the particular application he concludeth not rightly When the Husbandmen killed the Lord of the Vineyard Christ asked of the Iewes what should become of these Husbandmen Matth. 21.41 they answered he will destroy these wicked men but Luk. 20.16 when they consider this that the matter touched them more nearely then they sayd God forebid The thing which they assented to in the generall they shune it in particular as if they should say we are no such men and wee hope that God will not so deale with us So when it accuseth for the breach of any superstitious ceremonie as it did the superstitious Philistims if they did but tread upon the Threshold of the Doore where Dagon breake his necke 1 Sam. 4.5 So a bad conscience accuseth a man truly sometimes as Eccles 7.22 for oftentimes also thine owne heart knoweth that thou thy selfe hast cursed others The conscience is Gods herauld The conscience bindeth as the Lords deputie the conscience may be compared to the Kings Herauld The Herauld intimateth to the Subjects the Kings lawes When they are intimated the Subjects are bound to obedience but if the Herauld should make intimation of that which were not the Kings Law unto the Subjects yet they are to give obedience to it untill they know the contrary so a man is bound to obey his conscience that is to doe nothing contrary to it although it intimate a falsehood unto him Quest How can an evill conscience binde a man to that which is evill it being Gods Deputie and God can binde no man to doe evill It bindeth him not simply to doe the evill Answ but it bindeth him to doe nothing against it God cannot bind a man so but he simply bindeth him alwayes to doe right because he cannot erre judging that to be done which is not to be done as the conscience doth When a good conscience doth bind a man Quest and when an evill conscience doth binde a man what is the difference betweene these two sorts of binding A good conscience bindeth a man for ever Answ but a bad conscience bindeth not for ever but onely so long as he taketh it to be a good conscience he is bound to doe nothing against his conscience albeit it be erroneous but he is bound to search the truth and then to lay aside this erroneous conscience So out of these principles naturally bred in the heart A difference betweene the law of nature and the lawes of nations arise all these lawes which are written in the heart and they differ from the lawes of nations or municipall lawes of countries Esay 24.5 saith they have transgressed the lawes changed the ordinances and broken the everlasting covenant they have transgressed the Lawes that is the municipall Lawes of the common-wealth they have changed the ordinances that is these things wherein all nations agree as not to doe wrong to strangers to embassadours and such A greater sinne to breake the law of nature than the law of nations and then he commeth to the greatest of all they have broken the everlasting covenant that is the law of nature it is lesse to breake a municipall law than the law of nations or it is lesse to transgresse the law of nations than to violate the Law of nature for this Law is that light which lightneth every man that commeth into the world Ioh. 1.9 A man by this naturall knowledge Naturall light cannot bring a man to the knowledge of his owne salvation cannot be brought to the knowledge of his salvattion therefore the Law must be written anew againe in his heart It is a strange position of Clemens Alexandrinus who holdeth that there was alia justitia secundùm legem naturae alia secundùm legem Mosis Strom. cap. 6. 7. et alia secundùm Christum and hee calleth these two first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or degrees to leade to Christ and as the Law led the Iewes to Christ so did philosophy leade the Greekes and hence he concludeth that the good men amongst the Heathen were saved or at least had some steps to salvation Conclusion The conclusion of this is seeing the conscience is so obscured and corrupted through the fall we must labour to reduce it to the first estate againe When a compasse is out of frame

my nurse but this is my nurse here his knowledge beginneth to be more distinct and he will sucke none but his owne nurse and his knowledge now resembleth the knowledge which we have by reason which ascendeth from the particular to the generall and the farther that it is from sense it is the more universall and lesse confused But faith the daughter of Divinity ascendeth higher than reason or sense and the further that it goes from sense and reason the more perfect it is and it goeth from minus universale to the supreame and highest cause God himselfe and the neerer that faith commeth to reason or sense the weaker it is and more indistinct Thomas his faith was an indistinct faith and weake and could not beleeve unlesse hee put his fingers in the wounds of Christ Iohn 20.28 here his faith leaned too much to sense but faith the higher that it goes from sense and reason the more perfect it is We have a notable example of this Gen. 49. when Ioseph tooke Ephraim and Manasse Ephraim in his right hand towards Israels left hand and brought him neere unto him and Manasse in his left hand toward Israels right hand Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraims head and his left hand upon Manasses head guiding his hands wittingly or as Onkelos the Chaldee Paraphrast hath it Prudenter egit manibus suis when he dealt wisely with his hands But when Ioseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim it displeased him and he held up his fathers hand and he said to his father not so my father for this is the first borne put thy right hand upon his head and his father refused and said I know it my sonne I know it truly the younger shall be greater than he Gen. 48.19 Ioseph thought because his father Iacob was blind that his faith was a confused and weake faith but Iacob knew that the farther his faith was from sence and the higher that it ascended from reason it was the more perfect and therefore he sayd jadanghti bene jadanghti I know it my sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know it that is certainely I know it This is then the excellencie of faith that the higher that it goes from sence and reason the more perfect it is which sheweth the excellency of Divinity above all other Sciences and Artes for if faith the daughter of Divinity surpasseth them all much more doth Divinity it selfe and it may bee said of faith as it was said of the vertuous woman Prov. 30. Many daughters in Israel have done vertuously but thou surpassest them all Differ 4 Last of all other Sciences and Artes are but handmaids to Divinity and as the Nethinims the posterity of the Gibionits were appointed by Iosuah to hew wood and draw water for the Sanctuary but never to meddle with the Sacrifices neyther to kill them nor offer them Iosh 9.23 so humane Sciences and Arts are appointed but to attend and serve Divinity they are but to hew the wood and draw the water onely to the Sanctuarie There are three principles from whence Sciences and Arts are derived the first is contemplation A comparison betwixt Divinity and other Sciences the second is action the third is operation For contemplation the metaphysicks are the most abstract considering ens ut ens onely the second are the mathematicks which considereth the quantity and the number of things geometry the quantity and arithmeticke the number Thirdly the Physicks consider onely naturall properties of the body These who are exercised in actions and morall philosophie are lawes and such Arts which are exercised in operation are rhetoricke and grammer A comparison betwixt Divinity and Metaphysicks Metaphysicke considereth God onely ut ens vuum verum et bonum as he hath a being as he is one as hee is truth and goodnesse but it considereth not God as Creator Christ as Redeemer it considereth not God in his attributes as Divinity doth therefore they say metaphysica parit scientiam tantum sed theologia fidem A comparison betwixt Divinity Mathematicks anp Physicks Secondly compare Divinity with physicke and the mathematicks the mathematician searcheth visible formes in visible things the Physition invisible formes in visible things but the Divine invisible formes in visible things A comparison betwixt the Divine the Lawyer and the Physition Thirdly let us compare the Divine the Lawyer and Physitian the Physitian est minister naturae the servant of nature the Lawyer est minister justitiae but the Divine est minister gratiae and looke how farre grace exceedeth nature or justice so as farre doth Divinity surpasse the Physitian or the Lawyer A comparison betwixt the Divine and morall Philosopher Fourthly let us compare Divinity and morall philosophy the Philosopher saith that Iuvenis non est idoneus auditor moralis Philosophiae that a young man is not fit to heare morall philosophy but David saith Psal 119.9 Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his wayes Chrysostome hath a good observatien to shew the force of Divinity above all morall philosophie when he compareth Plato the moralist and Paul the Apostle together Plato saith he that wise Philosopher came three times to Sicilie to convert Dionysius the tyrant to morall philosophy yet he went away without any successe but Paul a Tent-maker did not onely convert Sicilie but ran from Ierusalem to Illyricum Rom. 15.19 and converted thousands of soules by the preaching of the Gospel See how farre Divinity excelleth morall philosophie August de Civitate Dei lib. 6. cap. 11. And Augustine observeth how Seneca the most excellent of all the moralists mocked the Iewes because they spent as hee thought the seventh part of their life in idlenesse which was the Sabbath day Iustine Martyr being first a philosopher and after a martyr searched thorow all the sects of philosophy and could never find contentment to his soule till hee came to Divinity First he came to the sect of the Stoickes and gave himselfe to be a scholler in that schoole but hearing nothing of God in Stoa in that schoole he turned to be a Peripatetick but when he entred with the Peripateticks he perceived his master nundinantem sapientiam mercede as he speakes selling his wisedome for gaine then hee left that sect also Thirdly he came to the sect of the Pythagoreans but having no skill in geometrie which knowledge Pythagoras required of his Schollers before he taught them philosophy he left the Pythagoreans and fell into the society of the Platonickes at last he met with a Christian Divine Philosopher who perswaded him to cast aside all these circular disciplines and to studie Divinity which should give him greater contentment than all the philosophy in the world and he renouncing all gave himselfe to the studying of the holy Scriptures and of a Philosopher became both a Christian and a Martyr A comparison betwixt Divinity and Physicke