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	rest_v	sanctify_v	2,588	5	10.8708	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31058	A brief exposition of the Lord's prayer and the Decalogue to which is added the doctrine of the sacraments / by Isaac Barrow ...	Barrow, Isaac, 1630-1677.	1681 (1681)	Wing B928; ESTC R20292	77,455	270

condition and relation of servants to us that their lives may not by incessant care and toil be rendred over burthensome and grievous to them but so that they may with some comfort serve us that also they be not destituted of leasure and opportunity to serve God our common Master and to regard the welfare of their souls no less precious than our own that also we should shew some kindness and mercy even toward our beasts allowing them some ease from their painfull drudgeries in our behalf these are all of them things which reason evidently dictates which common sense must needs admit as duties of piety justice and humanity and to secure the performance of them both as to the substance due measure and fit manner of them common prudence would suggest that set times should be appointed in which they should be solemnly and notoriously discharged under the publick testimony and cognizance and accordingly we find that in all wise and civil Societies some provision ever hath been made by appointing Festival times for the practice of such duties in some kind or degree The founders of Laws saith Seneca did institute festival days that men should publickly be constrained to cheerfulness interposing as necessary a temperament of their pains Plato with a more admirable sagacity refers the invention or first institution of such times unto God himself The Gods saith he that is the divine providence administring affairs here by the ministery of inferiour invisible powers according to his notion and manner of speaking pitying mankind born to painfull labour appointed for an ease and cessation from their toils the recourses of festival seasons observed to the Gods Thus I say reason acknowledges the substance of these duties and approves the securing their performance as a good end or fit matter of Law both divine and humane But as to the circumstantial determination of measure and manner that a Seventh day precisely should be assigned that a total cessation from labour for man and beast should be prescribed this is above reason to discern a necessity of or a conveniency in comparison with other limitations in those respects deviseable and practicable nor can we assuredly resolve the obligation thereto into any other ground than the pleasure of 〈◊〉 most wise Author of this Law who did see what was most fit to be prescribed to those whom this Law concerned Here is indeed mentioned a reason why God specially did choose this day to bless and sanctifie it in this manner to such purposes namely his resting upon the Seventh day from his works of Creation the which yet doth not certainly import a natural conveniency toward accomplishing those purposes of this precise quantity of time or in this way of observing it in preference to any other that might have been appointed it onely seemeth to imply a fitness of these determinations as containing somewhat of profitable significancy that such a correspondency in circumstance of time and manner of practice might admonish us concerning the substance of our duty or a principal part thereof peculiarly designed in the Sanction of this Law the gratefull Commemoration of God's most glorious work the foundation as it were of all other his acts of beneficence the Creation of the World for thus in all ceremonial Institutions we may observe that some significant circumstance is selected on purpose to instruct or excite us to practice by representing to our fancy the nature and intention of the main duty required as in Circumcision in the Passover in Baptism and other ritual Constitutions it is not hard to perceive so it being God's design to enforce the performance of that excellent duty by appropriating a time thereto we may conceive that he therefore especially selected that day as most apt to mind them to whom this Law was given of the history of the Creation the reflecting upon and celebrating which was the main duty intended Seeing therefore the observation of the Sabbath is expressed to have a peculiar respect to the children of Israel as a sign of the Covenant made with them when he led them out of Egypt seeing in its own nature it differeth from the rest of the ten Laws the obligation thereto being not discernibly to natural light grounded in the reason of the thing we can no wise be assured that an universal and perpetual obligation thereto was intended or that its obligation did extend farther than to the Jews to whom it was as a formal Law delivered and upon special considerations severely inculcated to whose humour condition and circumstances it might also perhaps be particularly suted Justin M. was of opinion that this Law as many others was given to the Jews 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their iniquity and hardness of heart by way of concession and indulgence for because they by their natural disposition were apt to forget their maker to neglect the state of their soul being wholly intent on worldly affairs to exact intolerable pains from their brethren who served them to use cruelly the poor beasts employed in tilling their ground or bearing their burthens therefore God considering this incorrigible temper of theirs did indulge six days to them for the prosecution of those affairs to which they were so devoted contenting himself to exact from them no more than this part of time for his own service for the benefit of servants and ease of beasts if he had required more of them they could it seems or would hardly have endured it the command would perhaps not onely have been disobeyed it self but the dislike thereof might have rendred them averse from all Religion and service of God as it happeneth when commands very rigorous and exceeding mens strength are enjoined for we see the Prophets complain of them that they could hardly be induced to go thus far or to afford God this so moderate share of time but were impatient even for this one day in seven to abstain from their secular business to relax themselves or their servants or their cattel from their daily labours they impeach them for polluting profaning hiding their eyes from that is wholly overlooking neglecting and disregarding the Sabbath for doing their own pleasure and exacting their own labours upon it for not delighting therein or not willingly observing it Hear this saith the Prophet Amos O ye that swallow up the needy even to make the poor of the land to fail saying when will the new-moon be gone that we may sell corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat this being the disposition of that People not bearing a greater strictness they not being able to preserve within their hearts a perpetual remembrance of God's works and favours not to moderate their pursuits of temporal good things not to bear a due regard and tenderness toward their brethren and their fellow-creatures the performing which things in a constant uninterrupted tenour the said Holy Father and Blessed Martyr supposeth to be the Sabbatism

which Christians are bound to observe therefore God considering their infirmity and incapacity to comply with higher injunctions did use as in the cases of Divorce Revenge and the like an indulgence toward them permitting them on the other days to do their pleasure as the Prophet speaks reserving onely this day for a punctual and solemn performance of the duties specified thus discourses that good Ancient in his Dialogue with the Jew However that this Law as to its circumstantial parts was not intended to oblige generally and perpetually we have a most forcible ground to suppose S. Paul himself his express discharging Christians from the observation thereof yea his earnest reprehension of some persons for rigorously insisting thereon deeming themselves and urging it upon others as a necessary duty to observe it his conjoining it with other Ceremonial Observances whose nature was meerly symbolical and whose design was to continue no longer than till the real substance of that which they represented came into full force and practice Let no man saith he to the Colossians judge you for meat or drink or upon account of a festival day or new moon or sabbath which things are the shadow of future things but the body is of Christ that is they did onely prefigure and presignifie the real substance intended and represented by them is somewhat in the Law and Doctrine of Christ which coming immediately to appear and to oblige that shadow vanisheth and ceaseth to have any regard due thereto again more sharply to the Galatians whom some Judaizing Dogmatists had reduced or were reducing to the practice of legal Rites under conceit of needfull obligation to them How saith he do ye return again to those weak and beggerly elements to which back again you are pleased to be enslaved ye observe days and months and years which words that they relate generally to the Jewish Festivals the context doth plainly enough shew and there is good reason to think that they chiefly respect the Sabbath we treat on for which probably these men had the greatest respect and zeal Again in the 14th to the Romans the same great Patron and Champion of Christian Liberty not obscurely declareth his mind that Christians of strength in judgment did regard no day above another but esteemed all days he excepteth none alike as to any special obligation grounded upon divine Law and Right in subordination to which Doctrine we may add that this appears with great evidence to have been the common opinion of the wisest and most orthodox Christians in the Primitive Church the most constant and strict adherents to Catholick Tradition who from the Apostles instruction best understood the purport and limits of the liberty purchased by Christ that this Law as it was not known or practised before Moses so it ceased to oblige after Christ being one of the shadows which the Evangelical light dispelled one of the burthens which this Law of liberty did take off us Now although upon these accompts we cannot press the strict observation of this Law in all its parts according to its literal and direct intention yet we may learn much of our duty much of God's will from it all God's laws spiritually and wisely understood did tend to the promoting of piety and vertue and abstracting from the special circumstances of that People to whom they were consigned may so far as our case is like theirs and wherein a common reason doth appear pass for fit patterns for us to imitate suggesting proper means of exercising nourishing encreasing those qualities in us and so from this Law we may learn these duties 1. That we should frequently call to mind and consider the great and glorious works of God performed for the general good of his creatures and specially for mankind The Creation of the World the Redemption of mankind the Nativity Passion Resurrection and Exaltation of our Lord and Saviour and the like no less now considerable to us both in respect of glory due to God and of benefit accruing to us then was the Creation formerly to the Jews 2. That we are bound to restrain our selves in the prosecution of worldly business not distracting our minds with care not exhausting our bodies with toil about them but allowing our mind convenient and seasonable freedom affording our soul sufficient leisure with vigour and alacrity to enjoy its nobler entertainments and to pursue its higher interests 3. That we are obliged to use the same indulgence toward those whom divine providence hath disposed to be under our power care or governance to allow our children our subjects our servants a competent measure of rest and refreshment from their ordinary labours sufficient time and leisure undistractedly to serve God and quietly to mind their spiritual welfare we must so charitably tender their good as to permit and procure that their life may be easie and comfortable here and that also they may have means to obtain for themselves a happy immortality hereafter not being in these respects either harsh to their outward man or uncharitable to their souls 4. That we must no be unmercifull to any creature not onely abstaining from inflicting in wantonness of humour needless vexation upon them but also from wearying and grieving them too much for our emolument or convenience the advantage and preeminency bestowed upon us by God over them should be managed with moderation and clemency we should be gentle masters to them not cruel tyrants over them we should consider that God did make them as to help and serve us so to enjoy somewhat themselves of delight and satisfaction in their being which if we go to deprive them of rendring their condition intolerable and worse than if they had no being as we do abuse and injure them transgressing the bounds of our right over them so we encroach upon disappoint and wrong their maker and cannot therein but displease him doing thus is a point of injustice not enough considered by them who commit it they consider not how beastly they are themselves when they misuse poor beasts 5. We may hence farther learn that it is fit certain times should be allotted for the publick and solemn performance of the forenamed duties common reason prompteth that God upon whose protection and disposal the publick good depends should be publickly honoured and his benefits frequently acknowledged also that care should be taken in every society that all states of men should lead their lives in some competent degree of content that all objects of grievous pity should be removed from publick view also common sense will inform us that these things cannot effectually be executed without constituting definite periods of time and limiting circumstances according to which they shall be practised under publick inspection and censure And these dictates of ordinary prudence the divine wisedom hath ratified by his exemplary order the which in cases wherein he hath not interposed his direct authority by way of