Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	day_n	lord_n	sanctify_v	2,918	5	10.6613	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71231	Enter into thy closet, or A method and order for private devotion A treatise endeavouring a plain discovery of the most spiritual and edifying course of reading, meditation, and prayer; and so, of self examination, humiliation, mortification, and such most necessary Christian duties, by which we sue out the pardon of our sins from Heaven, and maintain an holy converse with God. Together with particular perswasives thereunto, and helps therein.	Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.	1666 (1666)	Wing W1495B; ESTC R217163	97,436	340

keep all his life as a perpetual Sabbatism Hebr. 4. 10. or holy rest unto God it must needs be an argument of a very profane worldly and unchristian spirit not to afford God this day free from sensual pleasures and worldly cares or labours Wherefore I say the keeping holy of the Lords day I put out of all question and would have no man flatter himself that he is a devout Christian who useth either by idleness or pleasures or unnecessary worldly business to profane what the Church and being that the Church hath done it by good warrant and power transmitted to her by Christ God himself hath allowed Profanation I call it for if the spending it to holy purposes be to sanctifie it then the spending it contrarily upon ordinary or unworthy practices is to profane it And if we may not give that which is holy unto dogs it is then surely most intolerable to take that time which by divine Law ought to be holy unto God and give it to his enemies the devil this world and our own lusts which we do when we spend the Lords day either in idleness pleasures or needless worldly matters Works of charity or mercy are acts of holiness and works of necessity so far forth as they are works of necessity are acts of mercy and consequently the doing of either of these that is works of Charity or Necessity when due occasion calls me thereto is rather sanctifying than unhallowing the Lords day especially if I do them out of duty towards God and in his fear and for this I have his warrant who tels Mat. 9. 13. me that he better accepts Mercy than Sacrifice Chap. VII Of Preparation for the Lords day A preparatory Prayer thereto SEeing then that the Lords day is to be kept holy that is to be spent in the worship and service of God for which it is set apart it concerns me to consider how I may spend it in a way most complying with this its design or intendment And I shall easily upon the very consideration of the nature of Gods worship be convinced that it is in a manner impossible for me duely to sanctifie it if I come unto it hot and wreaking from my worldly business For being I am to worship God in spirit and in truth with all my mind soul and strength and in a word with my whole man evident it is that I am unable so to do while my heart yet remains unemptied of the world and being unfit to worship God I am not while so in a due state to sanctifie this day Wherefore the right sanctification of the Lords day is to begin with Preparation And it is a right wholsome institution that upon the Evening before it there should be Prayers in every Parish Church which is grown now too much into disuse by reason onely that I can imagine of the degeneracy of the age If there be such custome kept up in my Parish I would not but upon necessity be absent from those preparatory prayers At which though I should be supposed to have been present yet would I not content my self therewith but whether I have been imployed publickly in preparations or not in my course of devotion on Saturday night take so much more time than I do ordinarily as might serve for some preparatory Meditations and Prayers The least which I can do to this purpose in my Meditations is First To examine whether there be not some sin or sad miscarriage of the week past which lies unrepented of and so may blast my next daies performances And if any there be secondly to consider of it more particularly its aggravations its nature whether it be not such an one part of the Repentance for which must be Reconciliation Restitution or somewhat like and accordingly to apply my self to what I in my conscience and in the fear of God do judge due repentance Thirdly to endeavour the emptying my head of worldly at least distracting cares to bid them be gone now till a day for them return And lastly so to contrive as neer as I can all my affairs for the next day that both I and my family may have as little avocations or matters to call away our minds from holy duties as may be This by way of Meditation My Prayers must be suitable to my condition If any such sin as before mentioned be found that must be confessed bewailed and pardon craved together with grace for the future against it which may be done by putting in the mention of that sin in the proper space left for such purpose But besides this it will be necessary to add some particular petitions for due preparation or disposition of heart for the duties of the next day First for a quiet setled and composed mind so that I may attend with all my soul my holy concerns or business Secondly for enlivened affections that I may not be dull and heartless but of a tender and melting spirit Thirdly for a pliable ductile yielding and easie mind that I may mix the word with faith and render the obedience of faith Lastly because both my own and the Congregations benefit and edification much depends upon the Ministers due and affectionate discharge of his office it is therefore fit I forget not him but commend him to the assistance of the Spirit To which purpose the following prayer may be either inserted in some fit place towards the end of my prayers or added to them O Lord from whom the preparations of the heart are The day now approacheth which being holy unto thee I am to spend in thy more solemn worship Many sins there are by me not duely repented of which may justly bring upon me a curse instead of a blessing Especially my * Here insert the mention of such particular sinnes which thou hast found thy self guilty of c. may make my very prayers an abomination to thee But accept thou I beseech thee of this my confession of them and at least desired sorrow for them Turn my heart from them for the future and through the bloud of my Saviour so remove the guilt of them that they may not hinder good things from me Let the effusions of thy grace both upon me and all the Congregations of thy people be plentifull Let my heart be fixed and none either vain or worldly thoughts lodge within me this night Quicken me by thy Holy Spirit that I may draw neer unto thee with a true heart and be fervent in Spirit in thy service and with a good and honest heart receiving thy word may understand and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience and unto perfection Remember thou thy servants who are to dispense thy Mysteries unto thy people and especially him upon whose teaching I am to wait Pardon their sins and frailties Open their mouths guide their minds and tongues that they may deliver thy truths in the demonstration of thy Spirit and let thy work so prosper

name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear beseeching thee to giue us grace to follow their good examples c. which prayer we know is one part of the Service of the Church upon every Festival and both this and the formentioned Collects expresly prosess as much as we affirm Now these as they cannot be rejected by any sober men and so the end being right and the power just and the thing it self as just which two last because I see no reason for the questioning them I let pass without any other proof than the evidence which they carry with them it cannot be seen how the institution should be amiss wherefore the factious have an answer so they are directly frustrated by those who look upon Festivals as meerly a time of liberty and so many daies devoted to pleasure or idleness I will not say but that both the Church and State in setling their institutions by Law might have some aime at allowing servants and those who live a servile life some rest and time for lawful recreations which sometimes the covetousness of some Masters sometimes some persons own covetousness would not allow them And this is justifiable even by the practise of God himself in the fourth Commandement that thy servant may rest c. but that it was never either the Churches or States intention that they should wholy be spent to this purpose I do affirm and for proof hereof at home alledge our Laws which enjoyn all on such daies to resort to places of publick worship for the service of God and abroad that ●mperial Constitution We will not that Holydaies which are consecrate to the supreme Majesty be imployed or spent upon pleasures And it would be a right pious work and as much for the vindication of Festivals as any other if Magistrates would according as I am sure they may punish those who use to spend whole Holydaies in their pleasures dauncing hunting runnings footballs c. by the legal mulct for absence from Divine Service But may no recreation then be taken upon Holydaies I do not say nor intend that nor doth I presume the Law neither new or old But the rest and if by the rest we will understand any thing but a dull idleness the refreshment of labouring persons being one thing which by the way was designed in their institution plain it is that lawful recreations as they are exercises of refreshment may on them be used But as to such recreations which shall supplant or thrust out the service of God which is the main end to which the Festivals were ordained I see not how they can without sin be frequented practised or tolerated I am sure our Ecclesiastical Laws tolerate them not Further I presume the genuine sense of the fourth Commandement enforceth as much as I press For that enjoyning a Jew to sanctifie the seventh day that is the time which by their Law was set apart to the worship of God will also at least in equity and reason enjoyn a Christian to sanctifie such times as their Laws have consecrated to the Divine worship which Laws touching the particular setting apart of times to the worship of God though they are not all extant in Scripture nor immediately delivered by the mouth of God yet being made by them whom he to whom all power both in Heaven and Earth was given hath commissionated and made his delegates to wit his Apostles and their successours the governours of the Church cannot be looked upon as altogether humane but have a certain stamp of Divinity according as ordinarily we interpret the commands of the Kings officers in such things wherein they are commissionated to be the Kings commands Now that Holydaies were ordained by the lawful governours of the Church is too evident to be denied And I should not fear to say that some of our present Feasts were at the least observed by some of the Apostles our Saviours immediate Substitutes How therefore can we neglect to sanctifie such times which are thus confecrated to God that is not imploy them to those separate uses to which they were appointed which is the meaning of sanctifying in this regard in Scripture without the unhallowing holy or devoted things or withour the evident breach of this Commandement I will add no more to this purpose bnt that every one being bound to proportion his time for his devotion according to the opportunities and leisure which he hath and it being unlawful by the very municipal law or law of the Land for such is the Ecclesiastical law in this case totally to follow the work of my calliug on Festivals or Holy-daies I cannot but have more leisure on them for the service of God and therefore consequently a greater portion of it is to be spent in my devotions Which being concluded as most lawfully and rightfully it may in general what hath been said holds as well concerning private as publick devotions I ought therefore to think my self bound on every Holyday to somewhat more of devotion in private than what every day calls for Chap. II. What there should be of Nero in our Private devotions upon Holy daies THe question now will be what that is of new which Festivals may seem properly to require of a Christian in his Closet devotions To which it must be said that as to the general substance of my devotions it can scarce be other at any time than what hath been already delivered to wit Reading Meditation and Prayer But yet each of these may be imployed a while upon some new specialty or particular matter which that daies occasion and solemnity directs unto● to wit upon the life or vertues of that particular Saint or Martyr whose memory the day celebrates or if the day be such which was intended onely to praise God for some particular transaction relating to our redemption as the Nativity of our Lord his Circumcision c. to bend my devotions hitherward To this purpose it may be proper besides what I read in Holy Scripture that day by my constant course which should not at any time except upon evident necessity or very considerable business be broken to read those particular portions of Scripture which are by the Church appointed for that day I mean the Epistle and Gospel for the day And these being read over with such care as is before prescribed to spend some time according to former rules in Meditation upon them and then either to my own prayers to take in the Collect of the day or to add some other petitions and praises as my Christian discretion shall judge seasonable To this imployment if I allot an hour or if need so require half an hour besides what I ordinarily on other daies spend on my devotions the work may in some good measure be done And it cannot be thought but so much time may well be spared by reason of that leisure and rest which the Law on that day enjoyns me Chap.

many are already gone Perhaps one Moyety perhaps more So then all those things which my other time seeks are of a pitifull short and transient concernment But the graces of Gods spirit an holy heart a good conscience reconciliation with my heavenly Father these and such like are not only of concernment for my present happiness but for my eternall The richest honorablest and most worldly-happy Man if devoid of grace an enemy unto God conscious to himself of villany cannot in all his abundance here enjoy or like himself much less either account himself or be accounted an happy person For what can that Man acquiesce in whose own heart calling him a rogue laye● a fatall necessity upon him to hate and to be ever and anon ready to execrate himself Certainly there is no present possible happinesse which is comparable to that blessed calm and quiet which ariseth from the sense of a Mans one upright heart heart and discharged duty Insomuch that were there no such thing as an heaven to come I should not fear to pronounce that that man neglects those things which are of greatest conducement to his present happinesse who neglects to seek unto God to commune with his own heart to set all straight and to reclaim himself to an holy life the great means by which such peace the most reall felicity in the world can be had But suppose we such a person ready to die and it said unto Luk. xii 20. him Thou fool this night shall thy soule be taken from thee his peace being unmade with God himself unacquainted with heaven his conscience telling him that all his time hath been spent on what he must now leave and no provision made but of a treasure of wrath again the day of wrath for that etern● slate into which death is his entrance Rom. 11. 12. is he not now a most unhappy wretch Is it not to him a pa●equal to the paines of death to thi● he must leave all Hath he 〈◊〉 therefore by devoting himself to this world and scraping togeth●● such an ample portion thereof o● made himself more miserable a● that in this present life For is th● any misery here like to that ●●guish which racks such a soul up his now instant departure A●● would I then so spend my time that I might by the spending of become more miserable than a● save those who have lived as Would I so spend it as that the v●● thinking or reflecting how I spent it should then most torm● me when I have most need of co●fort to wit in my dying hour 〈◊〉 yet thus do all men spend their d● who neglect their devotions ot●●ies of daily addresse unto God But further suppose we such a person dead and we have him stript of all even his imaginary happinesse naked of every thing save his sins Of these his bones are full and they shall lye down with him in the dust Job 10. 11. His workes follow him and his wayes meet him Evident therefore it is that what he hath spent his life upon is now of no concernment or moment to him at all any otherwise than to render him for ever as miserable as he can be And is this a desirable end for a man all his dayes to be driving at to be miserable in life by reason of an evill conscience or an impossibility of liking and loving himself to be miserable in death by the advancing of that disquiet his former torment and most miserable after death by the perfection of that and all other mischiefs Whereas if some of those dayes which the world employed been taken up in seeking unto God how might that portion have sanctified all the rest have led him to a right improvement of what he got and that improvement of all been an unspeakable pleasure and content to him here and hereafter have wrought him an eternity of blessedness Not to mention that unspeakable satisfaction which the hearty performance of such devotions through the bloud of Christ would have filled him with which we may hereafter consider Whoso therefore truly loves himself will love his Closet and his Prayers Secondly Let me weigh the Reasonablenesse hereof that God should have a considerable part of my Time who hath given me so much for my self and the unreasonablenesse of the contrary Let me deal ingeniously may not God well expect more of my time than what is by any law set apart or consecrate to this worship And it being the genuine Evangelicall sense of the fourth commandement Keep all thy life an holy rest from doing thy own workes delighting thy self and acquiescing ever in the Lord will it not in a good measure hold thus Rest as much as thou canst to thy devotions spend Isai 58. 13 14. as many houres as thou canst with God Or suppose that this law would not in equity bind me hereunto which yet it seems to do is it not reasonable that there should be free will offerings of our time as well as of our estates And will there be any better way found for the imploying of what we can spare thereof than the thus sanctifiing and devoting it unto God I am confident whatever mens practices may be their consciences cannot gainsay but do highly approve and commend to them what is pressed We may complain fondly of the shortnesse of time but evident it is that we spend much upon this world much upon our games much upon our pleasures much upon our ambitions much also upon those necessary acts of life Eating Drinking Sleeping and much to upon God knowes we know not what Now let those who account themselves to have least leisure find but time enough to consider when they go to bed every night how much time they have lost or trifled away that day and setting it down every night reckon at the weeks end and see to how many hours it will amount Do so but one week o● two and see if you do not blush at the ordinary excuse for neglect of prayer that you have not time Fo● the issue will be of these two the own either my whole time hath been really imployed and that upon my common affaires and necessary care of my body or else some part of it to wit so much as hath not been imployed hath been trifled away Now utrum horum Let me take which I please If it be supposed all to have been imployed is it not most unreasonable that worldly businesse and my body should have all and God and my soul have none or next to none Did God make me for himself and allot me such a measure of time for his glory and for provision for my soul and are they only some few minutes which I can find either for him or it Was I say every day given me for these ends and can I spend all without considerable seeking either as I do if I allow nothing to private devotion Ought I not therefore to lessen my