Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A25895
|
The Art of catechising, or, The compleat catechist in four parts ...
|
|
1691
(1691)
|
Wing A3786; ESTC R5214
|
104,546
|
218
|
If we now consider as we ought what 't is that is enjoined us in this Commandment and what 't is that is forbidden in it and then reflecting upon our own lives find any of the Duties of it neglected by us in Thought Word or Action how affectionately should we say with the Church Lord have Mercy upon us and incline our Hearts to keep this Law That is Lord pity and pardon all our past Breaches of this Commandment and so incline our Hearts to Love and Obedience for the future that by thy Grace we may very sincerely keep this Law of thine for the remainder of our Days But before we pass from this Fourth Commandment it may not be amiss to touch upon the Reasons of the Change of the Jewish Seventh Day into the Christian Lord's Day the First Day of the Week This Precept of keeping Holy the Seventh Day or Sabbath is partly Ceremonial and partly Moral Now the Ceremonial part of the Jewish Law is done away but the Moral part of it is confirmed perfected and compleated by the Gospel The Ceremonial part of this Commandment was that God be publickly worshipped precisely on the Jewish Sabbath or the Seventh Day The Moral part of it is That a certain and determined time be set out for the publick Worship of the Eternal God And divine Love and Gratitude in us Christians should engage us not to come behind the Jews in the return of our solemn Days of publick Worship Nay Equity requires we should set out One Day in the Week to the more immediate Glorification of God and our religious Duties So that the Jewish Sabbath being abolished as they kept the Seventh Day in memory of the Creation so the Apostles and the Primitive Church and all Ages of it since kept the First Day of the Week in memory of our Lord's Resurrection and our Redemption For as the Redemption of the World was a greater Mercy than the Creation of it and as God rested from his Labours of the Creation on the Seventh Day and our Saviour rested from his Laboure of the New Creation or his Labours of our Redemption on the First Day of the Week when he arose from the Dead so the Apostles and the Church in all Ages since have set apart the First Day of the Week as the Jews were to set apart the Seventh for the peculiar Worship and Service and Glorification of God That our Lord rose from the Dead upon the First Day of the Week we see St. John xx That the Disciples assembled together on the First Day of the Week we are told St. John xx 19. That St. Paul preached and the Disciples met to break Bread that is to receive the Sacrament on the First Day of the Week we read Acts xx 7. That the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles on the First Day of the Week is certain Acts ij 1. And that Saint John expresly calls it the lord's-Lord's-day we read Rev. i. 10. So that as the Moral Equity of the Commandment as well as divine Love and Gratitude obliges us to set apart One Day in Seven for a holy Rest and for religious Purposes so by the Practice of the Apostles and all following Ages of the Church the First Day of the Week was substituted in the room of the Jewish Sabbath which compared with the Scriptures before-mentioned is sufficient to warrant our Practice So that to sum up the whole They the Jews celebrated the Seventh Day by divine Command we the First Day by Apostolical Practice They the Seventh Day or last Day of the Week under the Law of Moses we the First Day of the Week by divine Law under the Gospel Their Seventh Day or Sabbath was Blessed and Sanctified by the Lord's command our First Day was Blessed and Sanctified by our Lord's Resurrection Their Seventh Day was Hallowed by God's resting on it from the Works of the Creation our First Day was Hallowed by our Lord 's resting on it from the Works of the New-Creation when he arose from the Grave Their Seventh Day was kept by them in memory of the great Work of the Creation of the World our First Day kept by us in memory of the greater work of its Redemption Their Seventh Day called the Lord's Sabbath Lev. xxiij 38. and elsewhere in the Old Testament our First Day called the Lord's Day in the New Rev. i. 10. As for any distinct Text in the Gospel for Christ's Abrogating the Judaical Sabbath there is no more reason to expect it than the like for Sacrifices or Circumcision or the Judaical Priesthood Vid. Dr. Hammond in St. Matthew xij 8. a. V. COMMANDMENT Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long c. THE meaning is Thou shalt pay a due Respect and Love Duties commanded and Reverence in Heart in outward Speech and Behaviour to all Superiors Thou shalt Reverence and Honour and Love and Pray for thy Natural Parents thy Father and Mother Thou shalt obey their lawful and just Commands and support them in their Needs if thou art able Thou shalt obey honour and love the King pray for him and pay him Tribute Thou shalt obey Magistrates If thou art a Servant thou shalt be faithful and obedient to thy Master and serve him with a conscionable care and diligence Thou shalt esteem respect and love and obey the Doctrines of thy Pastor which are faithfully tendred to thee from the Gospel and pay him his just Dues and Maintenance Thou shalt respect and honour the Aged thy Betters and those that are above thee in Learning Wisdom Goodness or any other Gifts and Graces It is here to be remembred too that all Superiors are to perform their Duties to their Inferiors Kings and those in Authority to protect defend and govern their Subjects Parents to nourish baptize provide for and instruct and bless their Children by their Example and their Prayers Husbands to be faithful to love to defend to protect the Wife as the Wife is to be obedient faithful and affectionate to the Husband Masters to be just to admonish to instruct to be examples to their Servants Ministers to feed the Flock faithfully and diligently by Life and Doctrine Sins forbidden These things are commanded in it and the contrary Vices are forbidden As Inferiors are forbidden to behave themselves proudly scornfully and rudely toward their Betters in Age Gifts or Estate Children forbidden to be undutiful stubborn disobedient and unkind to their Parents Subjects forbidden to rebel against dishonour disobey the King or those in Authority under him People forbidden to despise reject hate or defraud their lawful Pastor Servants forbidden to be stubborn negligent unfaithful or disobedient to their Masters And to encourage all to the Duties of this Commandment as well as to disswade them from the Sins forbidden in it here is added a Promise to the conscionable observers of it of a prosperous and peaceable living upon Earth a long and happy life
do this Use lawful means pray to God and trust him Yes Must we not trust in God for his Grace Yes But do we trust aright if we do not pray for it and do not carefully use and imploy that Grace which we have already No. Must we trust in God for a supply of our bodily wants Yes But do we trust aright if we do not use honest industry and labour No. Of Cares Is all carking vexatious distrustful and immoderate care unlawful Yes Is a prudent moderate Care unlawful No. Must we not therefore faithfully use our own endeavours and then look up to God for a Blessing on us Yes ¶ Sunday II. ¶ Of humility IS not humility towards God a Christian Duty Yes Is not this humility such a sense of our own meanness and his Excellency as may make us lowly and submissive to him Yes When God commands us any thing should not this humility make us chearfully set about it In respect of obedience Yes Is the proud Man apt to obey God No. Though we do sincerely obey God should not this humility keep us from any high conceits of our own performances Yes In respect of our own performancer If we do entertain any high and proud conceits of our own performances will they be acceptable to God No. Are not the best of our Works full of Infirmity and full of pollution Yes In respect of Patience Is Patience a duty towards God Yes Is Patience a willing and quiet yielding to whatever Affliction it pleases God to lay upon us Yes Can this Patience become easie to us without humility towards God No. Will the patient Man repine and grudge and murmur at that which God lays upon him No. When God afflicteth us doth he not aim at our good Yes Does not God correct and punish us to bring us to amendment of Life or for a trial of our Patience Yes And does not God often afflict and chastise us here Thankfulness for Afflictions that there may be nothing of evil left for another World Yes Well then should we not be thankful for Afflictions Yes Fruitfalness under them Should we be unfruitful under Afflictions No. Should we be so fruitful as to examine what Sin it might be that did provoke God to sinite us and to reform it Yes When any afflictions befal us from Man is it not by God's permission and sufferance Of Afflictions from Men. Yes Instead of looking upon them therefore with rage and revenge should we not look up to God and acknowledge his Justice in the Affliction Yes When God commands us to believe some things which seem impossible to us doth not Humility teach us to believe them Yes When God commands us to do any thing which is contrary to our fleshly reason and humour must we not do it Yes Submission to Divine Providence Is that Condition best for us whatever it be which God has put us in Yes Can we chuse better for our selves than God can for us No. When God denies us any thing of this world as Wealth Honour Beauty and the like is it not some way or other for our good Yes Is it not our Duty to Honour God Honour Yes That is are we not to have a very high esteem of God in our hearts Yes If we truly honour God should we do any unworthy Action in his Sight No. Of honouring God in his House Are we not to honour God in his House which is the Church Yes Should we not enter into his House with Awe and Reverence Yes in his Possession Must we not Honour God in his Possessions Yes What are these Possessions are they not Tithes and Offerings Yes Can we with-hold them from the Minister without sin No. in his Day Are we to Honour God in his Day Yes Is the Lord's Day to be spent in the Worship and Service of God Yes In Prayer Reading and Meditation Yes May any works except works of Necessity and Charity be done upon that day No. Should not a good Christian those of leisure especially besides the Lord's Day spend some other Days in the solemn Worship of God according as the Church has appointed Yes Should he not keep Christmas-Day Of Festivals with a thankful remembrance of the Nativity of our Saviour Yes Should he not keep Easter-Day with a thankful remembrance of Christ's rising from the Dead Yes Should he not keep White-Sunday with a solemn and thankful remembrance of the coming down of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles Yes Should not a good Christian if he have leisure keep other Holy-Days saints- of saints-Saints-days in memory of the Apostles and other Saints Yes Can any good Man desire to be excused from celebrating their Memory and blessing God for their Example and their Doctrine and desiring Grace to follow them No. Can any good Man blame the Church for setting apart and appointing these Days for this purpose No. Did not these Apostles and Saints reveal Christ and the way of Salvation to us Yes And should we not be thankful for this Yes Should we not at least upon these Holy-Days stir up our selves to the imitating their good Example Yes Fasts of the Church Are there not some Days of Fasting and Humiliation of our selves before God to be kept by the devout Christian Yes Are we not to miss a meal to give Alms to afflict our selves to confess and bewail our Sins before God upon these days Yes Are not Ash-Wednesday and Good-Friday two great Fasting-days Days of penitential Humiliation Yes Is there any Popery or Superstition in penitential Exercises Fastings and Humiliation on those days No. Of honouring God in his Word Are we not to Honour God in his Word Yes Is not this Word of God contained in the Scripture Yes Should we not read it study it and frame all the Actions of our lives by it Yes Should we perform those Duties which God commands us there to perform Yes Should we commit those things which God there forbids us No. Of Catechising Is the Word of God explained to us by the Catechizing and Preaching of God's Minister Yes Are Parents and Masters to Catechize and instruct their Children and Servants Yes If Persons have not been Catechized and Instructed when they were young should they be content to live ignorant when they come Elder No. of Preaching Should we frequently hear Sermons Yes But will hearing only make us good Christians No. Must we not labour to remember and practise what we hear Yes The Sacraments Are there any more Sacraments generally necessary than Two No. Do not these Sacrament convey great Blessings and Benefits to us Yes Of Baptism Did we not enter into Covenant with God when we were baptized Yes The Covenant of Grace What was the Covenant on God's Part was it not a promise of pardon of sin his sanctifying Grace and eternal Glory Yes