Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	day_n	mean_v	sabbath_n	3,442	5	10.6221	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29505	A treatise of prayer with several useful occasional observations and some larger digressions, concerning the Judaical observation of the Lord's Day, the external worship of God, &c. / by George Bright ...	G. B. (George Bright), d. 1696.	1678 (1678)	Wing B4677; ESTC R1010	210,247	475

mean ●● general their doing every thing they listed and pleased not only upon the day now ordinarily called their Sabbath but also upon other their holy days And that they made the rule of their actions on those days only their own will and pleasure not God's This they neglected and had no regard to and therefore they neglected and slighted those things that God had on those days commanded them Those words cannot mean their doing some things which might please themselves for eve● what God commanded might and ought to please them and they were to delight themselves in them Again The sense of the words shalt honour him not doing thine own ways c. is no other but that they should in general honour God by keeping his Commandments and preferring his Will before their own will and ways when inconsistent with or opposed thereto and particularly by keeping his Commands whatsoever they were concerning the observation of the Sabbath that by the Phrase of their own ways is meant their sinful ways in opposition to God's Will and Commands is manifest from Isa 66. Verse 3 and 4. Another mistake is That supposing the Jews were commanded by God for the 24 hours of the Sabbath to abstain from all words and thoughts which were not nearly at least relating to the immediate Worship of God that this Command obligeth all Christians For on the contrary it is most certain that no Commands given to the Jews by Moses oblige any Christians as given by him They were particularly directed to that particular people and no other If there be any of those Commands that are enjoyned from God by Christ who was the great Prophet and Messenger of God to all Mankind or by Reason and Natural Light so that they appear in all circumstances to have more good effects than bad ones then indeed they oblige all men Now the Judaical Observation of the Lord's day to all men howsoever particular that of their Sabbath was is not commanded neither by Christ nor by Reason There is not one word of it in the Scripture And for Reason it is not imaginable that it is possible for all Persons of all tempers in all Climates and places as the affairs of humane nature now are to observe it as the Jews did nor is it of more good effect that it should be so observed And as for the translation of the Jewish Sabbath-day from the Seventh to the First Day of the Week by Christ or his Apostles it is without any ground from any Testimony that I remember to have heard Nor is the Reason usually given more considerable viz. the Redemption of the World by Christ being a greater Mercy than the Creation For the Creation was of Millions more and that of ever blissful and happy and most perfect Creatures than the Redemption was And indeed if the minute circumstances with which the Jews observed their Sabbath be Moral and therefore not changed by Christ and his Apostles much more should the precise day be so Finally it is to be affirmed That only all those Precepts in the Mosaical Law are obligatory to all men at all times which concern the end of all our wills and actions namely the Universal Good consisting of pleasing God the greatest good of others and our own Salvation or most compleatly perfect and happy state and consequently the suppression of all selfish and immoderate Appetites or Lusts in us And moreover those few general Precepts of Prudence which perpetually to observe doth most obtain this our one ultimate end such as the material part of the Commands against Idolatry Prophaneness Irreligion Murder Adultery False-witness c. how many and which these are our own Reason and Prudence if we have them not repeated in our Christian Religion must only determine by the same ways they use in other matters In all that I have said concerning the Judaical Observation of the Lord's day I would not be thought as if I intended or desired in the least to undervalue and discourage the employment of our minds about spiritual things and consequently spirituality of Soul that is such a temper whereby a man is apt to apprehend and be affected with spiritual matters No I would have it introduced into the World as much as humane nature is capable of For although I do not think this employment and temper of Soul to be our absolute and greatest Perfection which I doubt is a mistake among some of the highest Religionists of all sorts and parties yet I know it to be a most excellent Instrument thereof viz. of Universal Love and Goodness in opposition to Selfishness It allays and calms all our bodily Passions and consequent bad Impressions and Inclinations it clears our Reason and Perception of all Perfection of the Nature of God of the Truth of Things and consequently of the Nature and Excellency of Virtue and its only instance Universal Charity and Goodness yea and causeth us to be deeply affected with it to admire and love it It immediately disposeth the Soul to a sweet and easie benignity and goodness c. Wherefore I say I would endeavour to introduce it as much still as humane nature shall be observed to be capable of that is so much as will be the cause of most good among men as their natures or affairs are necessarily constituted For it is certain The employment of a man's mind about spiritual matters may be too much so that it may wast or dull ones spirits and consequently render one less sufficient to apprehend well and be affected with either spiritual or sensible things it may weaken flatten and darken our apprehension and conception diminish and impair much all our natural parts it may render us fearful flattering of too mean an opinion of our selves compared with others superstitious pievish morose by too great an expense or contracting some certain ill Crasis of the Spirits in fine very little and mean minded persons dull afraid of and angry with every small thing beyond measure whereas a free and discreet use of bodily pleasures and converse with ordinary affairs may secure us from those Infirmities But thus much I think the Condition of men will very well generally bear 1. That there be some time set apart for the publick Worship of God to which all men except very rarely may resort which time may be once in the Week at least or oftner 2. Particularly to commemorate his Creation Preservation and Administration of the whole Universe and therein with all sutable affections to acknowledge his infinite Perfections displaied and more particularly to commemorate that part of his providence or administration or direction and government of the affairs of Mankind viz. Jesus's coming amongst us from him for our Redemption from a State of great Imperfection Wickedness Misery by his Doctrine Life gracious Influence procurement of Pardon c. all this also with agreeable affections of Soul for which the day of his Resurrection by his own Power

be remembred of their Wrath Revenge Pride Envy Conceit and Disobedience Fraud Deceit Injustice Violence Sacriledge Lust and Intemperance their neglect of God and their Duty towards him nay their aversation from hatred or contempt of Pious Performances they will either deny or excuse or justifie themselves therein These are the far greatest number But we may find some too on the other hand who are so melancholy fearful and timorous or angry and discontented with themselves that they are very apt to think those things sins in themselves and to accuse and condemn themselves for them which are not but only defects of knowledge or prudence when their principles were very right and innocent and they used as much or more care sometimes to do what they intended then they ought Nay some there may be who may think those things sins which are their material duty or they ought in prudence and wisdom to have done As when any person notwithstanding the stirring or tumultuating of any Lusts resisted disapproved comes to the Sacrament desirous heartily to be better and stronger against them and yet thinks he hath done amiss in coming before his heart was better when this was his duty These same ●●morous and discontented persons also are apt to think themselves guilty of some fa●lts when they are not or more then they are and to take notice of what 's bad and not what 's good in themselves They take notice of the frequent assaults of their excessive and immoderate Appetites and Lusts and sometimes of their being overcome and not at all of their disapprobation dislike resistance repelling and overcoming them the latter of which is as effectual a means of encouraging preserving and strengthening us in goodness as the former So also men may mistake in their Confession concerning Original Sin if not rightly informed as that we are guilty of Adam's personal Sin and so deserve Eternal Damnation therefore whereas the utmost that seems to be taught us by Scripture Reason and Experience which indeed is a great and a sad deal is that it may seem just to God or for the Universal Good to constitute such Laws of Nature that Children by the Mediation of their Bodys from their Parents may be born with inordinate and immoderate appetites or inclinations or with inclinations to some objects absolutely for themselves and stronger than that to holiness or righteousness in which is the nature of Sin These inordinate and immoderate appetites or inclinations being by Laws of Nature from certain temper or disposition of our bodys which is communicated from our Parents may very well be called Original or Birth-Sin as it is in our Church-Articles But all this though it be a very great Calamity to Children yet cannot be said to be their Punishment because no sin in them is supposed to have preceded but it is the Punishment of their Parents and of their First-Parents who have sinned to whom they are so related as to be looked upon by them and others as part of themselves and whom their Evil or Calamity seen or foreseen really doth affect Nay further These inordinate and immoderate Appetites or habitual Lusts or evil Concupiscences do certainly make it just for God to place such Souls in whom they are in some suitable state of imperfection and unhappiness sometime or in some degree or other best known to his infinite Wisdom if they be not removed or taken away as some think they are in Infants by Baptism But all this still is no Punishment to Children either for Adam's or any other 's personal Transgression The neglect of a Judaical observation of the Lord's day hath been and I suppose is still amongst some even very good person one of the most frequently or zealously confessed sins That they have spoke their own words and thought their own thoughts any time within the four and twenty hours that is as they interpet it any words or thoughts concerning any worldly Affair though it be hard to fix the bounds of worldly and religious which in it self might be hightly useful to ones self and to others and therefore lawful nay commanded on another day and this because they look upon the Jewish Sabbath only translated to another day by our Lord or his Apostles with the addition of the Commemoration of our Lord's Resurrection The Command concerning the Observation of which Jewish Sabbath they esteem Moral by which they mean that it is of perpetual obligation except where God himself hath altered it as they think he hath in respect of the day In all which I think there are many mistakes As 1. That the Jews themselves were forbidden for the entire space of twenty four hours of their Sabbath all thoughts and words nay actions themselves which were not the immediate worship of God internal or external or very nearly relating thereunto As for Actions it is not to be doubted but that first those which might be necessary to make them spend a greater part of that time in the immediate worship of God with more vigour and fervency were never forbidden and therefore those which were for the best refreshment of the body with food and those which were for diversion sometimes which to some persons might necessarily take up a good part of their time such as walking and talking about innocent or useful affairs of Life and interposing these so much as might make them fitter for the commanded Worship of God and that which their own prudence might add in publick private or secret Nor 2. Is it more to be doubted that those actions were never forbidden which were of greater good effect just at that time and in those circumstances and many such there may be which must be left to mens sincere prudence than the immediate Worship of God As for Example A Man's pulling his Neighbour's or his own Ox or Ass or Sheep out of a Ditch where they would certainly perish It is our Saviour's own Instance How much more to ride many miles Post more than many of their Sabbath days Journey to save a Man's Life ready to perish by some Disease or by violent assault of wicked Murtherers And as for words and thoughts they had in this respect still more liberty For abundance of actions and otherwise very useful and good would be inconsistent with and indispose a man to the immediate Worship of God the words or thoughts concerning which for a small time may not but clean contrary conveniently and fitly divert or refresh a man and be the cause of his better performance thereof The place in Isaiah the 58. which hath been usually quoted to this purpose is If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day an● call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own ways nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words Where fir●● the words from doing thy pleasure on my holy day signifie and