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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	day_n	holy_a	sabbath_n	11,447	5	10.0144	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41191	A sober enquiry into the nature, measure and principle of moral virtue, its distinction from gospel-holiness with reflections upon what occurs disserviceable to truth and religion in this matter : in three late books, viz. Ecclesiastical policy, Defence and continuation, and Reproof to The rehearsal transpos'd / by R.F.	Ferguson, Robert, d. 1714.	1673 (1673)	Wing F760; ESTC R15565	149,850	362

or services The other is the consideration of the Divine Goodness But the consideration of his Justice being as ponderous to the contrary this is as inept to beget an assurance of our acceptance with God as the former Conscience through being guilty being also suspicious will hinder us in our expecting any thing from the Divine Goodness by continually objecting his justice to us But supposing we were sufficiently furnished with Notices of the Divine placability and that he will accept a Homage from us yet it still remains to be proved that precluding a supernatural Revelation we have any rational ground of belief that he will approve our manner of approach to him by Sacrifices I know no perfection in the Divine Being to which they are Naturally suited It is true I find a Late Author insinuating that the Religion of Sacrifices flows from the Nature and the Attributes of God requiring no other discovery than the Light and no other determination than the choice of natural Reason def and continuat p. 427 428. But I would fain know what property in the Divine Nature the Religion of Sacrifices flows from God is not capable of being fed or refreshed by the scent and smoke of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 2. Sect. 24. Indeed Porphyry tells us that a great many thought so but I am sure it was a most foolish thought And besides what-ever flows from the Divine Nature and the Attributes of God the obligation to it is indissoluble nor can we be superceded the performance of it And by consequence the Worshipping of God by Sacrifices should both have obliged mankind in the state of innocencie and doth still indispensably oblige us Nor can the Christian Institution vacate any Duty that flows from the Nature of God Indeed the mysterious and gracious Counsels of Gods will in reference to our recovery from Wrath by the Sacrifice of his Son which he designed the bringing into light and the giving the world instruction about by this Medium render our being found in this Method of address to God while the end proposed in it continued very rational and justifiable but abstracting from that the mind of man can not entertain a more silly and ludicrous thought than that we should thereby honour God in a due and suitable way That we should adore and magnifie the Goodness and bounty of God in all the benefits we partake of and that we should use them soberly and discreetly improving them into motives of cheerfulness humility and advantages of service both in communicating to the wants of others and being the more alacrous in obedience our selves hath the authorisation of Reason for it and becomes that habitude we stand in to God as Rational Creatures But to reckon that the presenting God with slaughtered Animals is the most natural Symptome of Homage that Rational Creatures can express their thankfulness to him by Naturalis Ratio si recta esset sciret De●● t●libus non indigere neque ea à nobis requirere R●vet in cap. 4. Gen. Exercit. 22. Def. contin p. 431 I account it a sentiment only fit for them who never duly meditated what God is And in my conceit the missing of such an invention would have been so far from being flat stupidity that it would have argued a mind pregnant with generous thoughts of God The Second thing produced in proof that Sacrifices took their beginning from Humane Agreement is because there appears not any shadow of command for them when they were first practised and to say that the expression of worship by Sacrifices was commanded though ● is no where Recorded is to take the liberty of saying any thing without proof or evidence Eccl. Polit. p. 101. v. def contin p. 428. To this I reply that 't is not needful that every command relating to institutions be expresly and in terminis recorded 't is enough that it be colligible from the Scripture I know no Logick that will allow the sequel That because the command of a thing is not registred in so many words that therefore the thing it self is not of Divine Original The Reverend Person who reviewed and animadverted on the Ecclesiastical Polity told him that there was an Institution for the offering and burning Incense only with sacred fire taken from the Altar and that the Priests were consumed with fire from before the Lord for the neglect of it Yet there is no express command in the whole Scripture where that Institution is in terminis Recorded p. 272. This our late Author takes no Notice of in his Def. Contin but passeth it in deep silence as he doth all the most material things in the said Reply I shall only subjoyn one instance more to the same purpose The Observation of the Christian or First day-Sabbath will be allowed I suppose to have a Warrant in the Revelation of the Word yet there is not in the whole Gospel a Command in express Terms for the keeping of it There is indeed a precept in the Decalogue for the observance of one day in Seven as a Holy Sabbath to the Lord and there is an express determination founded on Gods Resting from his Works for the keeping the last day of the Hebdomadal Revolution during the Old Testament Oeconomy as a day of Sacred Rest. There are also various Arguments taken from the Creation of all things in and by Christ his Finishing and Resting from all the Works of the New Creation in and by his Resurrection his declaring that a Day of Rest accommodated to his own ceasing from his Works remains now for Believers Together with the Apostolical observation of the First Day of the week as a Sabbath to the Lord God's blessing his People in their attendance on him from time to time on that Day John Baptising it with the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord's Day c. All which do evince the change of the Day from the Seventh unto the First to be of Heavenly Original and founded in Divine Authority Yet there is not a Command 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the whole Sacred Code and Register for it In a matter of so great antiquity as Sacrifices when the Lord instructed his Church by Dreams Visions mental Impressions audible voice c. To affirm that there was no Divine Command for the Religion of Sacrifices because the Command is not expresly delivered is a very unwary and bold assertion It is enough for us if we can demonstrate that they acted not herein without a Divine Warrant though we cannot assign the manner in which it was prescribed and this we hope to make good to the satisfaction of all sober inquirers but to satisfie Scepticks and prejudic'd persons who have no mind to be convinced is more than any man can undertake The third Opinion then concerning the Original of Sacrifices is theirs who deduce them from the Institution of God himself And as this is the common sentiment

creatoris Comment in Epist. fathered but falsely on Ambrose The virtutum semina are asserted equally by both See Aug. de grat Christi cap. 18. And Jansenius his Augustinus lib. 4. de heres Pelag. cap. 7. After all the claim put in by any to right Reason and Seeds of Vertue there was not one of them but still discern'd a darkness to have benighted the mind and a feebleness to have arrested the Soul with respect to all vertuous operations This Plato called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evil in nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bad nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a natural evil c. It is true the source and real cause of this darkness of the Soul and its proneness to forbidden instances they rightly knew not and accordingly they generally imputed it to the Body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the Body was the fountain of the Souls misery is a noted saying of Pythagoras's Plato tells us how that the Soul by being thrust down into the body suffered a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lost its wings both in his Phaed. in his Timaeus Hence nothing more common with them than to call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Body the Sepulchre of the Soul The very Poet hath it Hinc metuunt cupiuntque dolent gaudentque nec auras Respiciunt clausae tenebris Carcere caeco Virg. Who hath a mind to it may see more in Plotinus lib. 8. Enneadis Hierocles in aurea carmina vers 56. However though they were ignorant of the true cause of mans blindness and proclivity to evil yet the thing it self they were sensible of It is a remarkable passage of Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What the Eies of Owls and Bats are with respect to the meridian Light such are our minds and understandings with reference to those things which even by nature are most manifest lib. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nature hath brought us forth not as a Mother but as a step-Mother animo prono ad libidines with our Souls bent upon Lusts. Cicer. apud August cont jul lib. 4. Now against this they sought relief from Philosophy Other means by which they might be assisted to answer the end and Law of their Creation they knew not Moralis Philosophia caput est ut scias quibus ad vitam beatam perveniri rationibus possit The sum and scope of moral Philosophy is that we may know how to obtain and arrive at blessedness Apul. de Philosoph Thus the Pythagoreans made the chief end of moral Philosophy to be the curing the Soul of its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 its sick diseased passions and to bring it to an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a healthy Complexion a perfect Temperament an athletick sound Constitution which consisted in vertuous Dispositions and Actions Socrates the great Author of moral Philosophy proposed to himself as its end the correcting and regulating of Manners and from him both the Stoicks and Platonists made the chief end of Philosophy to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to live according to Vertue Hence Seneca discoursing the fountains and causes of prevarication in manners and having reduced them to two Heads a natural proclivity in the mind to be tainted and led aside with false idea's and Images and a fixed aversation to Vertue contracted by false Opinions and corrupt Hypotheses He refer's us to Philosophy as that which can alone administer relief to us affirming that the Precepts of Philosophy do sufficiently assist us to cure and remedy both the former evils utrumque decreta Philosophiae faciunt Epist. 94. And a little after in the same Epistle he hath this expression Quid autem Philosophia nisi vitae lex What else is Philosophy but a law of Life Animae morbis medetur it cures the diseases of the Soul saith Apul. de Philosoph Facere docet Philosophia it teacheth us how to live Sen. Ep. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The end of Philosophy is assimilation to God Ammon on Arist. Categ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it advanceth the Soul into the Divine likeness Hierocl praefat in aurea Carmina 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philosophy is the purification and perfection of Humanity Hierocl ibid. Hoc mihi Philosophia promittat ut me Deo parem faciat Let Philosophy minister this to me that it render me equal to God Sen. Ep. 48 See more to this purpose in him passim and in Plato in his Euthyd Accordingly they defined Practical Philosophy in contra-distinction from Theoretical to be effective of Vertue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus the whole designe of moral Philosophy was to arrive at Vertue and thereby to attain happiness Other means of compassing both they neither know nor look'd after How insufficient it was for either of those will be hereafter declared I shall onely intimate at present that through this Philosophy became a snare to them as to the generality of them they proved of all men the greatest enemies to the righteousness and grace of God by Christ for being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vessels filled with arrogancy self-estimation and presumption as Timon said of them Enmity and aversation to the means appointed of God for the healing renewing our natures the pardoning and forgiving of us our sins fixed their roots in their very minds What lies in greater opposition to a meetness and idoneity for the Kingdom of God than the description given by themselves of a Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The constitution and image of a Philosopher is to expect good as well as fear evil only from himself Epict. Enchir. cap. 72. You may see Seneca to the same purpose Epist 111. § 4. The signification of vertue so far as the first Authors of that Term instruct us concerning it being sufficiently laid open The next Word whose sense we are to fix is Moral a Term that hath bred perplexities and occasioned mistakes in whatsoever controversie it hath been used We meet with it in the controversy of the Sabbaths in the disputations about converting grace in the question of humane power to good in the doctrine concerning the causality and efficacy of the Sacraments and in this question which we have now under debate in all which it is liable to ambiguity and so apt to breed confusion darkness and prevarication Concerning the meaning of it in other controversies we are not concerned at present to enquire it will be enough for us if we can clearly settle the import of it as it takes up a room in the question before us The word Moral hath as little in footing the Scripture yea less than the former 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manners whence Moral is derived if I mistake not occurs not at all in the 70. Nor do we meet with it but once in the whole N. T. viz. 1 Cor. 15.33 And there it is plainly borrowed from Menander the whole sentence being an Iambick verse out of a Comedy of his It proceeded out of