Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	humane_a	law_n	positive_a	2,470	5	10.9031	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17418	The doctrine of the Sabbath vindicated in a confutation of a treatise of the Sabbath, written by M. Edward Breerwood against M. Nic. Byfield, wherein these five things are maintained: first, that the fourth Commandement is given to the servant and not to the master onely. Seecondly, that the fourth Commandement is morall. Thirdly, that our owne light workes as well as gainefull and toilesome are forbidden on the Sabbath. Fourthly, that the Lords day is of divine institution. Fifthly, that the Sabbath was instituted from the beginning. By the industrie of an unworthy labourer in Gods vineyard, Richard Byfield, pastor in Long Ditton in Surrey.	Byfield, Richard, 1598?-1664.	1631 (1631)	STC 4238; ESTC S107155	139,589	186

care not to violate embassadours eleventhly marriages forbidden with them of another Nation Now that the imposing of this commandement of the Sabbath on servants also should occasion the breach of the Law of Nations is a meere pretence for the Law of Nations could never charge servants with such a subjection as should crosse and cast out the worship of God so that the servant should be so obliged to his master that of conscience and necessity the servant of a wicked master must bee left in a condition wherein he should never have power to frequent the solemne worship of God as will of necessity follow if he be alwayes absolutely as you teach his masters Shew me whether ever the Nations generally nay ever any one Nation well ordered gave such a Law If no such Law ordained it is no way of the Law of Nations if not ordained it is much more absonant from Natures instinct I say such a thing could never possibly be found among the Nations of men it is so abhorring to Nature but if men could so farre and so universally degenerate yet this without all controversie determines this case u Ius Gentium quum sit positivum non potest derogare juri naturae Ioh. de Salas tract de leg q. 91. disp 2. sect 5. the Law of Nations being a positive Law and humane though brought in by the custome of Nations cannot nor must derogate from a Law of Nature Now the Law of Nature binds all men even servants as servants to serve God solemnely on the times he shall call for their homage from them indispensably as on this day he doth and to this end to be vacant and free from bodily labours that are servile for that time The Decalogue is the Law of Nature it chargeth servants in the fourth and fifth Commandements the duties there required servants stand bound unto and to them first as the rules of the Law of Nature to other duties after under and in reference to them if any such be agreed upon and constituted by the Nations but if Nations should constitute any thing against any duty in the ten Commandements it is not a Law for that is no Law which is not just x Ius non est quod non est justum rectum non lex sed faex non lex sed labes non lex sed lis and right it is perversenesse no Law it is not Law but lees but strife but a destroyer but error but tiranny any thing rather than Law as all the learned conclude If you or any can shew such a Law or rather lees of Nations blessed be God in his wisedome justice and equity for ever who by his eternall Law freeth poore servants from such tyrannous exact on Secondly as our doctrine is wine that comes of the pure grape so yours is the poyson of Dragons pressed from the vine of Sodome for I affirme that it produceth all the former evils For this That the servant is left even the Sabbath day also meerely in his masters power to be obedient to his commands for servile works first it would occasion rebellion in the servant through bitternesse of soule arising from an unsupportable burden secondly and so from thence just punishment on the servant if the masters strength can reach them to inflict it or from superiour Magistrates and thirdly evert the Law of Nations by striking at the life of Religion and Societies in the first and fundamentall society viz. a family and in one of the most necessary props of that society viz. master and servant From this likewise it will follow that God shall be neglected by the servant through neglect of holinesse and that the servant of an unjust master shall no way be provided for in respect of his refreshing no not so well as the oxe or asse for God will be the avenger of that injustice his poore creature being mercilesly used but for this God you say provides that the servant must of conscience obey and so Gods justice wisedome goodnesse and the ends of giving the commandement in regard of the servant shall bee impeached and wholly frustrate Thirdly and lastly you overthrow your owne Tenet for if the execution of that power be bounded for that day as you rightly teach how is the servant to obey the unjust usage of their power For if hee have no power to command the servant may refuse to obey and must both because in this respect the servant is made a freeman and so under the obligation of Gods command by your owne confession and y Quisque ex tharitate propria tenetur non amittere libertatem sine gravi causa Ioh. de Sal. tract de leg q. 91. disp 2. Sect. 5. because every one of charity to himselfe is bound not to lose his liberty without some weighty cause but to enjoy and use it rather where he may be free z 1 Cor. 7. 21. and because the power the master in this case takes he usurpeth nor is it of God but is turned directly against him I say therefore if the masters power be determined the servant is freed but if he have power how is it notwithstanding herein determined Againe if the master must not only discharge the servant of worke but in stead thereof charge him to the exercises of holinesse the servant must needs in obeying his masters sinfull command of working flee off from his charge and power to charge him at that time of his so labouring in the duties of holinesse seeing no man can doe two things chiefly of this nature at once CHAP. 12. Breerwood Pag. 15 16 17. ANd was it not also to his goodnesse and compassion For say that the commandement touching servants vacation was given to themselves not to their Masters should not thereby poore servants to whom every where else the law of God appeareth milde and pittifull be intangled with inextricable perplexity For suppose his master injoyne him some worke on the Sabaoth day covetous masters may soone doe it especially if they thinke that precept touching their servants cessation not to touch them or else they may bee ignorant of the law of God as Christians and Jewes may happily serve Pagans Admit I say some Master commands his servant to work on the Sabaoth what should the servant doe should he worke God hath forbidden him should he not worke His master hath commanded him for the law of God is set at strife with the law of nations and that poore servant like the Sailor betweene Sylla and Charybdit standeth perplexed and afflicted in the midst betweene stripes and sinne for he must of necessity either disobey Gods commandement which is sinne or his Masters which is attended with stripes Besides it is absurd that the law of God should restraine the servant from obeying his Master and yet not restraine the Master from commanding his servant unlawfull things As it is also another absurdity that that day which by the law given

o Philo de mundi opificio After that this Vniverse was perfected according to the perfect nature of the number of sixe the Father added honour to the following seventh day which when he had praised presently he vouchsafed to call it holy For it is the feast not of one people or Region but of all universally which alone is worthy to be called a popular festivity and the birth-day of the world Broughton in his consent of Scriptures alleageth Ramban upon Gen. 26. fol. 46. And Aben Ezra upon Exodus the twentieth to prove that the Lord appointed the seventh day from creating to bee an holy rest and that the fathers observed it before Moses Peter Matyr alleadgeth p Pet. Mart. ●o● in Genes Rabbi Agnon for that same point Thomas Aquinas interpreteth it on this wise q he sanctified it that is he deputed it to sanctitie for he willeth that the Lords day be kept holy of us therefore that especially we be also vacant to Gods holy worship and in it and the memoriall therof we call to mind the continuall benefit of our creation and therefore in the old law it is commanded that on that day we cease from servile workes that we may intend more freely God and his divine worship whence that day is called Sabbath which is the same that rest it Selneccerus saith that r Nicol selnecceri Com. in Genes God would by this very sanctifying of the Sabbath institute a certaine worship in which mankind even in innocencie that is although Adam had not falled should publish the goodnesse of God and celebrate worship acceptable to God when as other things on other dayes were to be looked unto And then he giveth foure causes or ends of the institution of the Sabbath It was instituted First for rest Secondly for the excellencie of man Thirdly for the upholding of a certaine worship Fourthly and for the testimonie of immortalitie And here saith he Children may learne the answer of that Schoole argument the Apostle in Col. 2. bids that none judge in respect of the Sabbath dayes therefore we are not to keepe a Sabbath Answer the antecedent Paul speaketh of the ceremonie and the observation of externall circumstances he speaketh not of the generall or the principall meaning of the precept and the finall cause thereof which is naturall and unchangeable This Author calleth our Sabbath the Sabbath of Redemption Marius is full in this thing ſ Marius in Gen. 2. He blessed that is hee consecrated it to his blessing to bee kept of men and sanctified it not as if he estamped holinesse on it but because hee appointed it to his sanctification and praise and to the holy conversation of men Because with the Hebrewes to sanctifie is the same as to separate from pollution a day is said to be sanctified in which we ought to be separated from pollution It was made presently from that very day of the World as the letter sheweth a positive precept given to our first Parents concerning this thing which they passed over to posteritie by tradition as in the Church the celebration of the first or eight day is passed over for since it is of the Law of Nature that some time be peculiarly insinuated for the worship of God it was meete that that should be determined in the very beginning by a positive law whence even among the Gentiles the Religion on the Seventh day was famous Beza affirmeth t Beza paraph. in Iob 1. 5. of Iob That as oft as his children had made an end of feasting one another in their severall houses he sanctified them and offered burnt offerings according to their number but notwithstanding there is no doubt but that the dayly worship of God was diligently observed besides in this most holy family at least every seventh day was carefully sanctified as God from the beginning of the world had appointed This blessing saith reverend Calvin was nothing else but Calvin Com. in Gen. ca. 2. a solemne consecration whereby God claimes to himselfe the studies and imployments of men on the seventh day First God rested then hee blessed this rest that in all ages amongst men it might bee holy or he dedicated every seventh day to rest that his example might be a perpetuall rule Moreover we must know this exercise is not peculiar to one either age or people onely but common to all mankinde Wherefore when wee heare that by Christs comming the Sabbath was abrogated this distinction must be taken too What appertaines to the perpetuall ordering of humane life and what peculiarly agreeth to the old figures that the Sabbath figured the mortification of the flesh I say was temporall but that from the beginning it was commanded men that they should exercise themselves in the worship of God deservedly it ought to endure even to the end of the world Hereunto agree Zuinglius Iunius and Tremellius Vatablus Vrsin Catech. Bulling in Rom. 4 5. Decad. Danaeaeth Chri. l. 2 c. 10. Bertram pol. Iudaic. c. 2. Vrsinus Bullinger Danaeus Aretius Piscator Bertramus Hospinian Chemnitius and Zanchy who after this sense given upon the words of the Text in Genesis delivers his opinion of the manner of keeping the first Sabbath I doubt not saith he but that the Sonne of God Hospin de orig templ li. 2. c. 14. Chemnit loc Theo. de lege Dei Zanch. de hominis creat l. 1. c. 1 sub finem libri taking on him the shape of man was busied that whole seventh day in most holy colloquies with Adam and that he did also fully make himselfe knowne to Adam and Eve and did reveale the manner and order which hee had used in creating of all things and did exhort them both to meditate on these workes and in them to acknowledge their Creator and to prayse him and that by his owne example he did admonish them to imploy themselves in this exercise of godlinesse setting all other businesse aside and also that they would so instruct and teach their children To be short I doubtnot but that in that seventh day he taught them all Divinitie and did hold them busied in hearing of him and in praysing God their Creator for so many and so great benefits To this interpretation I am led by these two reasons The first taken from the Sanctification of the Sabbath which God hath prescribed in the Law the second because Adam ought to understand this sanctification of such a day therefore it is probable that the Sonne of God did open this unto Adam and Eve both in plaine words and by his owne example For even God also is said to rest upon that day and in Exodus hee doth exhort to the sanctification of the Sabbath by his owne example therefore he did sanctifie it with Adam and Eve Of this the Son of God gave us a shew for having finished the workes of our re-creating or Redemption being raised from the dead he conversed with his