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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	work_v	world_n	write_v	64	3	4.6951	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93917	A learned and very usefull commentary upon the whole prophesie of Malachy, by that late Reverend, Godly and Learned Divine, Mr. Richard Stock, sometime Rector of Alhallowes Breadstreet, London, and now according to the originall copy left by him, published for the common good. Whereunto is added, An exercitation vpon the same prophesie of Malachy / by Samuel Torshell.	Stock, Richard, 1569?-1626.; Torshell, Samuel, 1604-1650. Exercitation upon the prophecie of Malachy.	1641 (1641)	Wing S5692A; ESTC R184700	652,388	677

are Gods not certaine because men may doe it in hypocrisie being wrung from them by their extremities and do it in some sinister respect as did Indas and Pharaoh But on the contrary do men justifie themselves or extenuate their sinnes I say not only to men or to an enemy when it may be lawfull for a man to stand on his integrity and ever to cover his infirmities but to God to his Ministers as these here And as many men lie sicke and for ought they know upon their death beds and the Minister shall presse them with their former lives and their sinfulnesse and not their friends only seek to lessen them and speake of their orderly and good cariage and shew themselves to be discontented they should be disquieted with any such thing it is a very fearfull thing being a signe that in themselves they justifie themselves and thinke God deals but hardly with them and they have deserved no such thing but to these we may say as Christ to the Pharisees Luke 16.15 Ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God This may let us see the necessity of the word of God as at all times Vse 2 so especially in time of affliction and judgements when men in their hypocrisie are naturally prone to justifie themselves because their sinne is dead and their conscience laid asleep But when the Law commeth it is quickned Rom. 7.9 Yea and not onely made living but strengthened 1. Cor. 15.56 So that it not only accuseth him in his conscience but presseth him amaine to accuse himself before Gods judgement seat whereas without it they will be so far from humbling themselves that they still will justifie themselves till they be consumed as drosse in the fire and with their drosse their sinne Therefore was it not for nothing that it was said Psal 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest O Lord and teachest him in thy Law Because of verse 13. They shall escape when the other who want it shall perish And so the best time for Ministers to worke and the best opportunity is when the affliction is upon them Job 33.16 Then he openeth the cares of men even by their corrections which he hath sealed and they being as mettall heated and softened the hammer will best worke upon them and then may they be best bended and applied to good VERS XV. Therefore we count the proud blessed even they that work wickednesse are set up and they that tempt God yea they are delivered THerefore we accounted the proud blessed These had denied the providence of God and his government of the world by the small profit that came to such as had care to keepe his commandments and walke in his waies now they assay to deny it by the prosperity of such as transgresse and contemne him yea by this they would not onely disgrace piety but prefer iniquity before it For now they make the study and indeavour in impiety to be honest and profitable when of piety it was unfruitfull for the one neither brought honour nor profit to them who imbraced it the other brought both Therefore we account As some and now we or we also i. out of our owne experience we who have been diligent in our duties forward in piety followers of modesty imbracers of temperance and al other vertues have only got this by it that we cannot without envie speak of the happinesse and prosperity of those who have taken a cleane contrary course for our obediencè piety and humility hath made us but base and contemptible in the eies of men whereas others by their pride and arrogancy have gotten a name and renowne unto themselves Even they that work wickednesse are set up or are built up The meaning is they are increased in wealth and abundance They who had nothing while they lived in upright and just courses and could get nothing by plaine and honest dealing now that they are growne corrupt and fallen into wicked lewd courses and used cunning and deceit they have gained unspeakable wealth and from nothing are so risen that they are equall to any in wealth and dignity for this sense is by the phrase of the Scripture to be built up Psal 127.1 And they who tempt God they are delivered Not onely they who injure and oppresse men and commit wickednesse by fraud and deceit and such like but they who contemne God also are happy such as set light by his power and judgements and of set purpose committed and undertooke heinous sinnes to trie whether he was so just and severe a Judge and revenger as he was accounted to be and yet for all this boldnesse and contempt we see they go free without any punishment which if God were such a one as he is accounted a severe Judge and revenger of the injuries against men and indignities against himselfe he ought not to have overpast but to have shewed it in this And thus these wicked men thinke they have sufficiently proved that God hath not a care of the things done upon the earth Their second ground on which they deny Gods providence is the prosperity of the wicked or making him to love them Vide doctr 2. in verse ult C. 2. They that work wickednesse are set up Many wicked men prosper and increase in the world these men speak so here out of their observation as a truth though it be evilly applied and used against God as Iobs friends wrested many generall things against him which were true in the generall but corrupted in the application Oftentimes it falls out Doctrine that wicked men do increase and grow great in the world by their wicked means and impious crafts which is not true onely because these have said it but that it is so shewed us by others Psal 73.12 Loe these are the wicked yet prosper they alway and increase in riches Job 21.7 Wherefore do the wicked wax old and grow in wealth Jer. 12.1.2 O Lord if I dispute with thee thou art righteous yet let me talke with thee of thy judgements Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper Why are all they in wealth that rebelliously transgresse Thou hast planted them and they have taken roote they grow and bring forth fruit Thou art neer in their mouth and far from their reines Psal 17.14 Men of this world who have their portion in this life whose bellies thou fillest with thine hid treasure their children have enough and leave the rest of their substance for their children Because God doth use them to punish and correct his Reason 1 * Vtitur in salut em suorum irrationali insensibili c. Bern. degr lib. arbit for the good safety of his people he useth the irrationall and insensible creature as a labouring beast or an instrument which when the worke is done is of no further use he useth

corrupt affections then theirs which know not Now the knowledge here spoken of is of two things of their dutie and what they ought to do and of their dignity and what God had bestowed upon them And both makes their sinne the greater because they have gone against their owne knowledge and Gods kindnesse That though God had bestowed great blessings upon them they had forgot it though they knew it and were unthankfull unto him Unthankfulnesse is a sinne Doctrine 2 when men do not answer Gods love as he hath had care and dealt liberally with them vide Chap. 1. verse 2. I send this commandment unto you that my covenant might stand They must performe that is their parts or else he would performe no covenant with them God will not Doctrine 3 neither is bound to performe covenant with man to give him any thing he hath promised whether spirituall or temporall of this life or that is to come unlesse he performe his covenant and conditions The covenant of God is either generall or speciall The generall either legall or Evangelicall All which requires the conditions to be performed on mans part if he would have God performe or else c. Levit. 18.5 Gal. 3.11 Mark 16.16 1 Sam. 2.30 2 Chron. 15.2 Because their not performing Reason 1 frees him from his promise and binds him not to performe it to give such good things to such unworthy fedifragies covenant breakers not to give as it were the childrens bread to dogs When they performe Reason 2 he will because he is most faithfull that hath promised and can neither lye nor deceive he being true and Truth it selfe Rom. 3.3.4 Object For what though some did not beleeve shall their unbeliefe make the faith of God without effect God forbid yea let God be true and every man a lyer as it is written That thou mightest be justified in thy words and overcome when thou art judged Then will he performe when man doth not That will not follow from this Answer which is manifest thus The Apostle asketh the question Whereas many of the Jewes were unfaithfull and covenant breakers whether their infidelity should abrogate and make void the covenant of God that he should shew no fruit of it among them and as man should break his promise and performe to none that which was promised to all He answereth that cannot be but howsoever the greater part of them had broken covenant with whom he might justly breake and would yet his covenant should have his full force and efficacie though not in all yet in the Nation because there was ever some good men among that people who believed the promises and lived uncorruptly and holily therefore in them and to them should that be performed which was promised Shewing that the wickednesse of a multitude shall not make the promise of God void and of none effect but he will perform them to the beleevers and they who performe conditions though they be but a very few And so the place makes for the point not against it Many enjoy Gods blessings Object and never perform the condition but live wickedly and prophanely They enjoy not the blessing of eternity Answer neither ever shall and as for temporall things they may enjoy them but not any blessing by them it were better for them to be without them for they increase their sinne and are but fed and sustained by them for the slaughter as the damned are by Gods power to endure his wrath and punishment If in our observation we finde Vse 1 that many promises God hath made are not performed to our selves or others As there are many other things which may be answered for clearing and acquitting the truth and fidelity of God in this kinde especially in temporall things he gives spirituall an ounce of which is better then many a pound of the other And if he breaks not that promiseth silver and gives the greater summe in gold so not God If he promise deliverance and gives patience under the crosse which is better for the sufferer he still performes because such things had those exceptions And so in many other things but this especially when the good things promised are not performed the cause is in our selves and other men why they are not performed and not in God because we performe not conditions And this being makes us not him covenant-breakers who have made our selves uncapable and unworthy of his blessings and so have freed him from his promise by our breaking with him Now he that is freed cannot breake covenant though he do not the thing before covenanted To let us see the folly of those men who thinke to have Gods promises performed unto them Vse 2 and him to keep covenant with them and in many things makeno doubt but he hath done and in future times assure themselves he will when they neither have done nor yet endevour to keep any covenant with him If the former be true do they not deceive themselves and are they not though how wise soever in other things yet in this stark fools For if he be a foole that because he hath the word or the bond of a good man one able and that never broke for the payment of a thousand pounds at such a time and such a place but upon condition he performe such a service or effect such a worke to lay his whole state and his whole condition upon thta that it will be performed in the same time and place and yet he never go about to perform the conditions at all or as it should be performed were he not a foole Sure in all your judgements he were very unwise And yet alas how many fools and unwise men have we who deale thus lay all upon Gods fidelitie and performe nothing themselves at all As if God must needs performe because he had promised and could not be faithfull unlesse he did perform when they keep no condition Many a man deluded by Satan and his owne secure heart perswades himselfe God hath been mercifull unto him and forgiven him his sins though he never came truly to see sinne nor to sorrow for sinne nor forsake and reforme his corruptions wherein true repentance consisteth and which is the condition on mans part if ever he would have God take away his sinne and put them out of his remembrance Many one thinkes God had performed his covenant of temporall things because he is in the middest of abundance and hath his barnes full and his bagges full and every where findes he increaseth though he never made any conscience of his wayes and the workes of God but at best lived but civilly and kept his credit with men and sees not that he is deceived sees that these are but things that are common things wherewith he is but fatted for the shambles and such as are reserved for his evill And for time to come many doubt not but they shall obtaine great things in this life and that God will

goe for currant servants will not abide with me if I instruct correct and restraine them as duty and reason requireth First see whether thou art not the cause why they are so untractable either not seeking by prayer a blessing upon thy government or dealing hardly and passionately in thy government as if thou hated them rather then loved good things or thy servants see thee doe contrary to that thou directs them for if none of these God will perswade them to be tractable and bend their hearts or else know that he would have thee purge thy house of them as David said and did his of his said lewd servants lest as God prospers a bad houshold for a good servant so he curse a good houshold for a bad servant Ministers excuses of the untractablenesse and unwillingnesse of their people which may happily come from their former negligence or indiscretion or if God doe not blesse his labours to them his reward shall be never a whit the lesse nor he lesse acceptable so he doe his duty Magistrates and Officers that they shall be accounted busie officious and pragmaticall and it may be when they are out of their office they shall have actions against them for this and that usage they may happily be justly so accounted because they follow and doe things in humour not in conscience If they doe not they neede not doubt of Gods protection and of good successe and should rather feare an action from God then men besides the losse of the good they may have by doing it But to all I say as she said to the Heathen King doe me justice or else cease to be my King So let them either doe the duties of their places or else never take them or speedily give them over and leave to be masters c. Or else they must know that if God will not justifie he will condemne The law of truth was in his mouth He taught the truth and word of God and nothing but that and that wholly The Minister of God must deliver to his people Doctrine the law of truth and it onely onely the word of God and nothing else Rev. 2.7 heare what the spirit saith The law of truth was in his mouth He taught the truth and nothing else but the truth and the whole truth all the truth not keeping any thing from them The Minister must deliver to his people the whole truth of God Doctrine all his will and counsell whatsoever he hath commanded and revealed Levit. 10.11 Deut. 5.27 Mat. 28.20 Acts 10.33 and 20.27.35 Because else he cannot be free from the blood of his flocke Reason 1 that is the perishing or slaughtering of them sanguinis i. caedis saith Chrysostome upon Acts 20.26 For if Paul be free from their blood and from their murther because as he said Acts 20.26.27 I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men For I have kept nothing backe but have shewed you all the counsell of God Then will this by the contrary follow Because else they should not be faithfull neither to him that sent them nor to them over whom they are set Reason 2 for what fidelity can there be when for their owne pleasures or respects they shall not deliver the whole he commanded and might be profitable to them 1 Cor. 4.2 And as for the rest it is required of the disposers that every one be found faithfull This will crosse their opinion who affirme many things in the word are unfit to be delivered and taught to the people Vse 1 and are ready to scandall and stumble at it when at any time they are But if the Minister must deliver the whole truth If Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things are written aforetime are written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope If Deuter. 29.29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever that we may doe all the words of this law Why should they not be taught It is certaine that many things ought to be spoken wisely discreetely in their fit and due times but yet all things must be delivered That which Hierom counselled Laeta for her daughter that the booke of Canticles she should read last of all the Scriptures when without danger she might lest in reading it in the first place she should be wounded when she was not able to discerne spirituall things and spirituall love under carnall words It may be a rule for all things of the like kind for as Hilar. Psa 134. As an unskilfull man comming into a field abounding with wholsome hearbs passes by all as of no more use then the grasse but a skilfull one otherwise So of the Scriptures * Vt imperitus in agrum salubribus herbis divitem venerit omnia inutilia promiscuè genita existimans praeteribit peritus contra Ita de Scripturis Hilar. Psal 134. And as Bernard Why may I not draw a sweet and wholesome repast of the Spirit out of the sterile and insipide letter as grain from out the huskes as the nut from out the shell as the marrow from out the bone And as Basil * Quidni dulce eruam ac salutare epulum spiritus de sterili insipidâ literâ tanquam granum de palea de testa nucleum de osse medullam Bernard in Cant. serm 73. All bread affoords nourishment for health but of no use oft-times to the sicke or queamish * Omnis panis nutrimentum affert ad salutem aegris autem saepè inutilis sic omnis Scriptura mundis munda Basil ad Chyl de solita vita so is the Scripture pure unto the pure And if any seeme unclean and uncomely it is to those that are such in themselves For other things that men thinke unfit to be taught because of the greatnesse of the mystery and the depth of them I say as to the former If Paul have written of election and reprobation and hath said All things that are written are profitable and are for learning in the same Epistle where he specially handles those things why should they not be taught but with wisedome in their place That which S. Chrysostome speaks in another case we may apply to this * Magister literarum puerulum de gremio matris acceptum ignarum omnium primis tantummodo imbuit elementis quem rursus alius magister accipiens perfectioribus instruit disciplinis Chryl Hom. 9. in Gen. A petty School-master that takes a young childe from his mothers lap ignorant yet of all things onely teacheth him his first letters whom another master takes and instructs after in higher learning so in the knowledge of the Scriptures For as all men cannot dive and fetch pretious stones from the deepe but he that is cunning and hath the Art of it so not all but the wise can either teach or conceive the

marvell when most parents care onely for their owne bodies and not for their soules How should they care for the soules of their children seeing charity ever begins at home To them the Prophet speaketh at least by way of allusion as it is applyed by some of the learned Haggai 1.2.4 They say it is not yet time to looke to Gods house and his worke that when they are old they are afraid to be young Saints they or theirs they let Gods house lye waste and his field grow over with weeds the soules of themselves and their children If they would consider their wayes in their hearts they should finde God plagues us for this sinne as for others verse 6.7 If any man should hang thy house and adorne it with cloath of gold and hanging of Arras and should compell thee to sit naked in ashes wouldst thou take it well thou wouldst not Now not another but thou thy selfe adornest the house of thy soule with gold and pearles and suffers thy soule to sit in filthinesse and corruption so of thy children How shall God take it at thy hands Knowest thou not that the Prince of the Citie ought to be magnifically deckt Chrysost de diversis hom 70. Let every man then remit off his care for the one and increase it for the other And let it not be true in this that the Kings work and the Church worke is most negligently looked to But as Kish Sauls father ceased earing for the Asses and cared for Saul who must be King so for the soule seeke to have it nourished and decked and adorned And wherefore one Because he sought a godly seed The end of marriage noted and the reason why still God appoints but one for one and hath not allowed Bygamy or Polygamy but codemnes it Of which then first Polygamy is simply wicked impious and unlawfull this is Doctrine for a man to have two or moe wives or one woman two or moe husbands The learned make two kinds of Polygamy first when a man hath two wives but successively one after the death of the other touching which now there is no controversie neither ever was it sinne in the Court of Conscience how heretically soever Tertullian after his fall disputeth against it or how hotly soever Hierom opposeth it under the name of Bygamy against Iovinian and others Secondly when one man hath two or many wives and è contra of which is here spoken and condemned Further it is condemned by the Scripture Gen. 2.24 Cleave to his wife not wives Hier they one flesh one cannot be so with many And if any except that two is not there expressed he may finde it Matth. 19.5 Further vers 9. And if he that puts her away may not doe it what he that keeps her If adultery in the one how not in the other Prov. 5.18.19 None of which can be if many wives be taken 1 Cor. 7.2 To avoid fornication let every man have his wife and let every woman have her owne husband His wife saith the Apostle not wives and her owne or proper husband not such an one as is common to her and another Ephes 5.25 Christ had and hath but one Church So Ierome reasoneth against Iovinian inveighing against Lamech the first Polygamist who as he saith had divided one rib into two Reasons against this besides that the Spirit of God hath here set downe we adde these First no man may take that which is anothers and give it to another without the knowledge and consent of him that is owner of it Now the man hath not power over his owne body but his wife 1 Cor. 7.4 And if it may be supposed she may remit her right besides that she hath no power to it for God gave it her but for herselfe and not to translate it whither she will In God himselfe remaines the full right who will not remit it if she will Secondly they must not defraud one another of their company fellowship and due benevolence 1 Cor. 7. But this they must needs doe if they have many So we may see it Gen. 30.15 Thirdly because the love betwixt them ought to be in the highest degree being one flesh and one bone In respect of her he ought to love none else Now friendship and love in the highest degree saith S. Augustine by the light of reason cannot be betwixt many for the more it is extended to many there must needs be remission of it towards every one And in Polygamy it is manifest that for the love of one the rest are contemned and made as hand-maids to her and she onely ruleth Fourthly because heathen men by the light of nature have condemned it though some of them did practise it as Laban Gen. 31.50 If thou shalt vex my daughters or shalt take wives besides my daughters there is no man with us behold God is witnesse between thee and me Also the Roman Emperours Dioclesian and Maximian decreed that none under the power of the Romanes should have two wives seeing that in the edict of the Pretor such a man is to be accounted infamous Divers such lawes there are so that Arcadius and Honorius would not permit the Jewes their Polygamy Socrat. hist lib. 4. cap. 26. edit Christopher p. 672. onely Socrates reporteth in his Eccles hist lib. 4.31 that Valentinian having Severa married Iustina And to cover his filthinesse made an Act that it might be lawfull for a man to have two wives but that law was rejected and condemned afterwards and that very shortly This being a truth Vse 1 serves to confute all of the contrary minde as sometime was that Apostata Bernard Ochin who hath written certaine dialogues and laboured to establish this against the word of God Infinite it were to trouble you with all yet some The greatest is the examples of many of the holy Fathers as recorded in the Scripture who had many wives and are no where reproved I answer First it followes not Their reproofe is not set downe therefore it was not for seeing the Prophet Malachy reproves it why may it not be supposed others did so Besides many things were done that we never finde reproved which argues not the lawfulnesse of them The incest of Iacob and Lot Davids judgement against Mephibosheth and with Siba and such like Thirdly if it were not yet we live by precept not example Fourthly the multitude nor the greatnesse of offenders will excuse neither can antiquity prescribe against the word of God But as for the Fathers it is answered by the learned First that God remitted his law to them which appeares say they because he neither reproved it by his Prophets neither did he at the publishing of the Law expressely condemne it as he did some others as incest Levit. 19. before they thinke Iacobs marriage of two sisters was lawfull therefore he remitted his law yet so as they were not without all sinne in it For sinne they consider either as an aberration