Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	good_a	know_v	knowledge_n	3,077	5	7.3450	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32847	A theological discourse of angels and their ministries wherein their existence, nature, number, order and offices are modestly treated of : with the character of those for whose benefit especially they are commissioned, and such practical inferences deduced as are most proper to the premises : also an appendix containing some reflections upon Mr. Webster's displaying supposed witchcraft / by Benjamin Camfield ...	Camfield, Benjamin, 1638-1693.; Webster, John, 1610-1682. Displaying of supposed witchcraft.	1678 (1678)	Wing C388; ESTC R18390	139,675	230

time they were made is somewhat dubious and uncertain That it was within the six dayes is concluded I think generally because in them as the Scripture saith God finished all his works and after rested upon the seventh creating no new Species of Beings Certain it is also that it was before the making of Man and some conceive before the visible Creation too the Apostasie of a great part of them preceding Man's fall in Paradise which they contrived Others place it upon the First days Creation when the highest Heavens are supposed to have been made with the Primogenial Light and with them these heavenly Inhabitants and Children of Light and this is conjectured the rather from that of Iob where the Morning Stars are said to have Sang together and the Sons of God to have shouted for joy at the laying of the foundations of the Earth which cannot be understood of the fixed Stars in the Firmament for they were created after the Foundations of the Earth were laid upon the fourth day but of the Angels who are call'd as was said before the Sons of God and resembled here to Morning Stars for their brightness and glory in such a metaphorical or borrowed sense as Christ is also call'd the bright morning Star The LXX indeed varies a little from our Reading but then for the Sons of God puts expresly the word Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the Stars were made all my Angels praised me with a loud voice which the Latin follows and therefore Saint Augustin infers upon it jam ergò erant Angeli quando facta sunt sidera That the Angels were certainly in being before them God most probably first made these Spirits and then bodily Beings and then after united both together in Man who is a complex of Spirit and Body according to that of the Lateran Council Deum ab initio temporis utramque ex nihilo condidisse creaturam Angelicam mundanam deinde humanam quasi communem ex Spiritu corpore constantem wherewith agrees the saying of Damascen That being not content with the contemplation of himself alone he made the Angels the World and Men to participate of his goodness and bounty and it was but meet as he argues out of Greg. Nazianz that the intellectual substance should first be created and then the sensible To which I will only annex that excellent passage of Seneca quoted by Lactantius out of his Exhortations Deus cum prima fundamenta molis pulcherrimae jaceret ut omnia sub ducibus suis irent quamvis ipse per totum se corpus intenderat tamen ministros Regni sui Deos genuit When God laid the first Foundation of this most beautiful Fabrique the World that all things might go under their respective Guides although he were every-where himself present yet he made the Gods i. e. Angels as Ministers of his Kingdom Moses it is confess'd in the History of the Creation takes not express notice of them by name Only they are thought by some included in Fiat Lux Gen. 1.3 Let there be Light So Saint Augustin who refers the Division too made there between the Light and Darkness Exodus 4. to the difference between the holy and impure Angels that is Angels of Light and Darkness But by others rather in that of Ch. 2.1 Thus the heavens and the Earth were finished and all the hosts of them And in like manner the Psalmist hath it By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth Now the Angels are elsewhere stiled The host of Heave● 1 Kings 22.19 or Heavenly host Saint Luke 2.13 and the Rabbies call the upper Heavens The World of Angels the World of Souls and the Spiritual World SECT III. Intellectual and Free Powerful Agile and Immortal Now what kind of Spirits the Angels are I will shew farther in these four particulars I. That they are intellectual Spirits endued with understanding and Free-will and of a vast knowledge II. Of great power and might III. Of extraordinary speed and agility IV. Immortal and such as cannot Die Of each of which succinctly First That they are intellectual Spirits call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Plato and Plotinus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Psellus and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by others and therefore also stiled intelligentiae endued with Understanding and Free-will being the off-spring of God as hath been said already and after his Divine Image in a more perfect manner and degree than we Men are An undoubted proof and evidence of their Intellectual Being and Freedom of Will or Choice together we have in the Law given them by God And that there was a Law prescribed them is undeniable in that we read of some of them that sinned and by so doing fell from their first estate and place of happiness of which I may have occasion possibly to speak further afterwards Now sin is evermore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the transgression of a Law and where there is no Law there c●● be no transgression And God is said not to have spared the Angels that sinned Both sin and punishment therefore suppose them Intellectual and Free-Agents none but such can take cognizance of a Law and none but such deserve a severe punishment as Iustin Martyr tells us giving an account of the most righteous doom both of Men and Angels from the liberty of Will wherewith God hath furnished them Again they are God's Messengers and Ministers by whom he gave his Laws to the Israelites of old and revealed many things to his Prophets as shall be declared in another place which argues them sufficiently to be as they are termed Intelligences that is understanding and spontaneous Beings And certain it is Their intellectuals are much beyond the most improved of humane kind ' According to the degree of immateriality say the Schools is the degree of knowledge They have both a more excellent quickness and subtlety of natural understanding and a greater improvement made of it This seems intimated in the first Temptation Gen. 3.5 Ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil The Chaldee there saith as Princes and Ionathan's Paraphrase as Angels And our blessed Saviour as I before suggested plainly supposeth a greater measure of knowledge in them than in Men when he saith Of that time knoweth no man no not the Angels Saint Matth. 24.36 And according to the wisdom of an Angel is a Standard of the highest elevation 2 Sam. 14.20 The Ancients call'd them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. from their knowledge Hence the Author of Hesiod's Allegories calls Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h. e. maximae sapientiae virum and Plutarch in his Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calls Plato by the same name whom others stiled Divine quasi quendam Philosophorum Deum Cicero 2. de nat

house They will be still praising hee A Day in thy Courts is better than a thousand Psal. 84. It should be our great delight as often as we can with Angels and Arch-Angels and all the Host of Heaven to laud and magnifie the glorious name of God in our Christian Assemblies as we are admirably instructed and trained up to do by the Service and Liturgie of our Church which I had almost said none can be offended at who are upon deliberate and mature thoughts throughly reconciled to the Angelical SECT V. Angels to be reverenced but not adored Fifthly Since the Angels are thus Ministring Spirits sent forth by God to minister unto us and for our good and happiness let us express an awful sense of their attendance and shew them all due regard and reverence It was I confess a speech of generous honesty which A. Gellius commends from Peregrinus the Philosopher whom he heard at Athens Virum quidem sapientem non peccaturum etiamsi peccâsse eum Dii atque homines ignoraturi forent That a wise man would not sin though the Gods and men should never know it because he forbears not out of the fear of punishment and infamy so much as from a sense and love of duty and goodness it self So the Poet describes his Golden Age Quae vindice nullo Sponte sua sine lege fidem rectumque colebat Paena metusque aberant c. 1. Metaph. But this is an Idea of such perfection as this state of ours on Earth affords very few if any instances of It is rare to find any who are got to this high improvement the greatest part need other motives and restraints yea and our very make and constitution is fitted to them The thoughts of secrecy and hopes of impunity tempt most men to transgress To such therefore the same Philosopher thought good to propound this consideration out of Sophocles and ot●ers That tim● wi●● 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 And i●●as 〈◊〉 a●v●ce to L●cil●●● 〈◊〉 we●pan● ●pan● good M●n 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 as 〈…〉 〈◊〉 he had learn't himself from 〈◊〉 w●ose precept t●erefore ●e a●●edge●● for it gre●●●word ●word of Mens s●n● and m●scar●iages saith he 〈…〉 ta●en away if 〈…〉 if a 〈…〉 they are 〈…〉 And 〈…〉 do w●●● to have in mind 〈…〉 Au●●●rity may render 〈…〉 Ha●●y that man as he 〈◊〉 w●● referres 〈◊〉 only his 〈◊〉 but his 〈◊〉 Happy he was 〈◊〉 learn's so to re●ere a●other as u●●n every remembrance of him to com●ese and 〈…〉 Such a man will quickly ●ecome ●●nerabl● 〈◊〉 therefore saith he a Cato or if he seem too ri●●s and severe ch●se a Lae●●●s to t●y self one whose life as well as 〈◊〉 is most approvea●le and having his very Soul and countena●ce before thee represents 〈◊〉 to thy self at all times as a Guardian and Exa●ple But we need not so much this wholsom cou●●el neither if we call but to mind those many invisible witnesses which are for certain continually about us and the heathen Moralists too have sometimes taken notice of There is first a Spirit within us which registers all our Actions in order unto judgment and from whose observance we can conceal nothing Never therefore do a base act with hopes of secrecy saith Isocrates for though thou keep it from others thou must needs be privy to it thy self My conscience saith Cicero is more to me than the words of all besides And What booteht it saith Seneca for none to know when thou thy self knoweth O wretched Soul if once thou despisest this Witness T●●●e 〈◊〉 a sacred Spirit within 〈…〉 is the observer ●f 〈◊〉 good and ev●● Agreea●ly w●ereto saith Saint Be●●●rd excellently Wheresoever I go my 〈◊〉 is with 〈…〉 it 〈◊〉 I 〈…〉 or evil 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 is a 〈◊〉 w●ile I ●ove and will 〈◊〉 it as 〈…〉 I am ●ead 〈◊〉 Secondly there is the great God our Creator Go●ernou● and Judg always with us Bef●re w●●se all-●eeing eye 〈◊〉 ●●ings are naked and 〈◊〉 c●jus 〈…〉 as H●●●d a●●o acknow●edgeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This saith Ep●●●erus is amo●g our first rudiments T●at there is a God and that ●is providence 〈◊〉 o●er all 〈…〉 that neither our doings nor 〈◊〉 can be c●●cealed ●rom ●im So live with men saith Seneca ●s under God's eye Nothing is ●idden from him he is present to our very Souls and thoughts Let us always 〈◊〉 ●aith Cicero 〈◊〉 those 〈…〉 we must give an account and consider that we are every 〈◊〉 not in some T●e●er of the World seen of Men but beheld from above by him who will be both Iudg and Witness And therefore as Boer●ius hath it If men would not dissemble they are under a great necessary of honesty as acting before the eyes of the All-seeing Iudg. Our very inwards should be such saith M. Anto●●●us that the Gods may see us vertuous And this is that we meet so often with in holy Writ to walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before ●od and righteous before God c. These two Rules I have now spoken of the Stoick excellently puts together Chuse saith he to please thy self and chuse to approve thy self unto God But then thirdly to say nothing of those many malignant Spirits that watch an occasion of doing us mischief to accuse tempt and ruine us there are also the holy Angels about us whom God commissions for our defence and welfare And that is the point which here I am to recommend that we shew an awful respect and due regard to these invisible Spectators Know ye O men saith Epictetus that every one of you is committed to a certain diligent and excellent keeper and observer such is every man's Genius or Daemon appointed by God When therefore you shall have shut the doors and made all dark about you remember that you never say you are alone for indeed you are not But God is within and your Genius or Daemon is within And they have no need of light to see your doings by And Apuleius having discoursed the Doctrine of Guardian-Angels out of Plato concludes it in this manner All you who have heard me expound this divine sentence of his so form and compose your minds to the devising and doing of all things as those that know th●re is nothing at all within or without secret and hidden from those Observers c. Thus Saint Bernard lessons us Since the Angels are present in all thy ways see that thou walk warily shew a reverence to thy Angel in every Inn in every Nook and Corner And do not thou presume to commit that in his presence which thou durst not v●nture on in mine Again saith he This word He hath given his Angels charge over thee O how great a rev●rence should it produce how great devotion how great assurance in regard of the presence of Angels awe and reverence for their good-will devotion with thanks-giving and upon the account of their safe-guard confidence and

about him for so it follows v. 16 17. And Elisha pray'd and said Lord I pray thee open h●● Eyes that he may see And the Lord opened the Eyes of the young Man and he saw and behold the Mountain was full of Horses and Chariots of Fire rou●d about Elisha Him therefore they pr●serv●d in this strait and danger smiting of the Syrians with blindness as we may read more at large This is supposed to be that Hedge the Devil complains of which God made about Job and about his House and about all that he had on every side ch 1. v. 10. And accordingly some expound that place of the Prophet Isaiah ch 5.5 I will take away the Hedge of my Vineyard and it shall be eaten up and break down the Wall thereof and it shall be trodden down Sepes maceria custodia Angelica as the ordinary gloss hath it This Hedge and Wall is the Guard or Custody of Angels And so we may conceive too That Promise of God's being a Wall of Fire round about Ierusalem Zec. 2.4 according to what we read ev'n now of the Mountain full of Horses and Chariots of Fire round about Elisha And agreeably to this we are informed that immediately before the D●struction of Ierusalem were heard the Voices of Angels in the Temple saying Let us hence Many good Men undoubtedly have owed their safety and preservation from impendent evils and ruine to the peculiar warning of Angels So our blessed Saviour as I have noted before was kept from the malice of Herod and his Emissaries by the Angel warning Ioseph in a Dream S. Mat. 2. Some memorable passages of this nature I will here insert out of History The first I take from Melanchton in his comment upon Daniel where he tells this Story of Grynaeus a Learned and Religious Divine This Grynaeus at the meeting at Spire Anno 1529. came to Melanchton from the University of Heidelberge and having heard Faber Bishop of Vienna defending some gross errors in a Sermon by him preached there went to him privately and expostulated with him a while about th●m Faber politickly dissembles his dislike pr●tends himself desirous of farther discourse with him and that he would return to him on the Morrow to that purpose appointing him then to meet him and begging his excuse for the present haste as having some urgent business with the King Grynaeus in the interim thinks him in good ●arnest whereas the Snare was now a-laying for his Life goes back to Melanchton in this persuasion and was just set down to Supper and telling part of what had pass'd when Melanchton was suddenly call'd by a certain Voice from Table to his Study where one he knew not in the appearance of a Grave old Man spake to him and told him there would be Officers presently at hand sent forth by the King at the instigation of Fab●r for the arrest and imprisonment of Grynaeus commanding him therefore to go immediately from the City and make no delays and so took his leave Upon this Melanchton forthwith goes back to the Company bids them to rise and declares what was said to him Whereupon they convey Grynaeus to the Rhine staying at the Banks but till they saw him safe over on the other side and returning back to his Lodgings found that the Officers had been there indeed to search for him This Relation Melanchton avers himself for certain and appeals to the Testimony of many good Men then alive to avouch it concluding of it devoutly to this effect Bless we God that he adds his Angels for our Keepers and let us upon that account perform the Offices of our Vocation with the more quiet and unconcerned Spirits A second I contract out of Dr. H. Mo●e who gives us this at large out of Bodinus An Holy and Pious Man as it should seem and Acquaintance of Bodinus's freely told him how he had a certain Spirit that did perpetually accompany him which he was first aware of in the 37. Year of his Age but conceived that the said Spirit had been present with him all his Life-time as he gather'd from certain Monitory Dreams and Visions whereby he was forewarn'd as well of several dangers as vices That this Spirit discover'd himself to him after he had for a whole Year together pray'd to God to send a good Angel to be the Guide and Governour of his Life and Actions That every day he would knock at the Door about three or four a-Clock in the Morning to rouze him up and a Voice would come while he was asleep saying Who gets first up to pray That by some sensible sign he did ever advertise him of things as by striking his right Ear if he did any thing amiss if otherwise his left and if any body came to circumvent him that his right Ear was struck but his left if a good Man and to good ends accosted him If he was about to eat or drink any thing that would hurt him or intended or purposed with himself to do any thing that would prove ill that he was inhibited by a sign and if he delay'd to follow his business that he was quickned by a sign giv'n him When he began to praise God in Psalms and to declare his marvelous Acts that he was presently raised and strengthned with a spiritual and supernatural Power That he was often admonished to give Alms and that the more charity he bestow'd the more prosperous he was And that on a time when his Enemies sought after his Life and knew that he was to go by Water that his Father in a Dream brought two Horses to him the one White the other Bay and that therefore he bid his Servant hire him two Horses and though he told him nothing of the colours that yet he brought him a White-one and a Bay-one That in all difficulties Journeys and what other Enterprizes soever he used to ask Counsel of God and that one Night when he had begg'd his Blessing while he slept he saw a Vision wherein his Father seem'd to bless him At another time when he was in very great danger and was newly gone to Bed he said that the Spirit would not l●t him alone till he had raised him again wherefore he watch'd and pray'd all that Night and the day after he escaped the hands of his Persecutors in a wonderful manner which being done in his next sleep he heard a Voice saving Now sing Qui sedet in latibulo Altissime A third I find in a late Discourse of Moses Amyraldus who tells it from Cameron a Divine of Name and Eminence in the Reformed Churches that he had from the Mouth of Monsieur Calignon Chancellor of Navar this notable passage which befel him in Bearn Being in a certain Town of that Country one Night as he was asleep he heard a Voice which call'd him by his Name Calignon whereupon awaking and hearing no more of it he fell to sleep

its Rest and Happines● Such a priviledg belongs unquestionably even to the poorest and meanest of God's Servants For so it is recorded of Lazarus for our encouragement The Begger died and was carried by Angels into Abraham ' s bosom Saint Luke 10.22 that is by them he was translated into the place of his refreshment in the Kingdom of God with that Father of the Faithful And such probably was Elias his Fiery Chariot and Horses wherein he mounted to Heav'n 2 Kings 2.11 They rejoice at the return and conversion of Sinners unto God as hath been said before from Saint Luke 15.7 10. and th●ir joy is increased by the receiving of them at last into their own number in the Regions of Bliss and Happiness as those per quos ruinae suae scissuras restaurari expectant saith Saint Augustin by whom they expect the Rents among themselves by the fall of so many to be made up again and restored Thus the Angels are all along and every-where ministring Spirits to the Elect to keep off evil from them and to supply them with all the good they stand in need of and God sees fitting for them watching all opportunities ●or the preservation health and safety both of their Bodies and Souls goods and good names guarding them from th● invasion of evil and hurt●ul Spirits making an ●edg about them and all that they have working ●●●ir p●osperity and su●cess in matters o● importance relating to the most considerable turns of their lives assisting them in their Vocations providing for their escape and deliverance in dan●er● extraordinary healing of their Sicknesses 〈…〉 com●orting and relieving of them in 〈◊〉 of the greatest perplexity and trouble never leaving them destitute in any condition encouraging and strengthning of them at their death yea and after death too waiting upon them till they have brought them safely to those Regions of Felicity where no hazard or danger can farther reach them These saith Saint Augustin are the Guardian-keepers upon the Walls of the N●w Jerusalem and the Mountains that encompass her about watching and observing the vigils of the night over her Flock that the old Serpent our Adversary the Devil may not as a Lion snatch our Souls whil'st there is none to deliver They are sent to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation to free them from their En●mies and keep them in all their ways to comfort them also and admonish them and offer up their Prayers to God For they love these th●ir fellow-Citizens and therefore with great care and a vigilant industry are present with them at all times and in all places ready to come in for their relief and provide for their necessities and solicite to and fro as ac●●ve Messengers between them and Heav'n They assist ●●em in their labours protect them in their rest hearten them in their Fights and crown them upon their Victories SECT V. An Objection touching the superfluousness of Angelic-Ministry removed Now lest any should object or say within their hearts That this Ministry of the good and holy Angels is altogether needless and superfluous since God himself is Omnipresent and Omnipotent every-where at hand and of Power unquestionably sufficient to do all that for us which we ●an desire and much more than we can look for or receive from them I will offer a few things here for the extirpating of this prejudice Far be it from any Christian to think or imagine such a necessity of the Angels interposure as those Heathens did who confining of their Gods to the upper Regions and looking on it as a diminution and disturbance of their ease and happiness to concern themselves with the vast variety of affairs in the sublunary World found out this expedient of certain middle natures as Agents and Messengers for dispatch between them and Mortals Inter terricolas coelicol●sque vectores hinc precum inde donorum qui ul●●● citróque portant hinc petitiones inde suppetias ceu quidam utriusque interpretes salutigeri Apul●ius de D●o Socr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato in Symposio The knowledg we have of God's ubiquity and in●inite perfection forbids to surmise thus of him as if he were pent and coop'd up any-where or as if any thing could be concealed at any time or in any place from his notice or as if the ef●ecting any th●ng were ● trouble disturbance or burden to him who created the Universe with a word speaking Ignoratio rerum aliena naturae Deorum est sustinendi muneris propter imbecillitatem difficultas m●●imè cadit in majestatem Deorum Balbus apud Ciceronem de Nat. Deorum l. ● But then the same knowledge forbids us also once to opine or imagine that any of his Constitutions and Appointments are in vain We are not 't is true competent Judges of his Works so as to give the full and adequate reason or account of them but yet both may and ought to conclude from his own Excellencies that in the greatest and exactest wisdom mensurâ numero pondere Wisd. 11. he hath contrived and made them all We cannot possibly tell the need or usefulness of sundry sorts of Beings nevertheless it is not for us hastily to pronounce that they might therefore be spared and serve not to any worthy purpose M. Antoninus I remember speaking of such things as are apt to offend and trouble us as Thorns and Bryars c. bids to decline them if we can for our own safety but not to start that bold and idle question of curiosity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why were these things at all in the world This were the way as he adds for us to be laugh'd at by those that understand Nature better than we do in like manner as he would deserve from an Artificer who should come into his Shop or Work-house and blame thi● and that Tool or Contrivance for superfluous and unnecessary which the Master well enough knew the design and use of That profound reverence we owe unto God as he instructs us else-where to pronounce even in things not only beyond our reach but contrary to our wills and inclinations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This hath a good and sufficient Reason though we ken it not nay and to conclude that he would have contrived otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if the matter required it or it were not best as it is This I premise in the general to silence all importunate and presumptuous Enquiries into the Reason and Account of God ●●mighty's Works and Providence It should su●●●ce at any time for us to be assured that ●hings are so and so though we are not able to reach the Quare or Quomodo the Grounds or Ends of them As Iustin Martyr said well abou● the Mysteries of our Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is a convi●tion of manifest unbelief to start the Question How of God But the case before us admits of a fair and equal satisfaction