Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	day_n	holy_a	lord_n	5,913	5	4.1120	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25212	Melius inquirendum, or, A sober inquirie into the reasonings of the Serious inquirie wherein the inquirers cavils against the principles, his calumnies against the preachings and practises of the non-conformists are examined, and refelled, and St. Augustine, the synod of Dort and the Articles of the Church of England in the Quinquarticular points, vindicated.	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.; G. W.	1678 (1678)	Wing A2914; ESTC R10483	348,872	332

this precise qualm over our Enquirers heart that he is so skittish at the word Sabbath because forsooth it 's not given the Day in the New Testament They have some singular priviledge and prerogative surely that may institute what Officers what Offices they please though neither Name nor Thing be found there nor print nor mark of the least Foot-step when the poor Non-conformists may not use indifferently an innocent word which signifies no more in it self then he will acknowledge to be found there But how is this a point of Judaism or how one of the nearer causes of separation If it be we may confidently say we have imbibed both from the Liturgy of the Church which teaches the Minister to rehearse the Fourth Commandment Remember the sabbath-Sabbath-day to keep it Holy and then enjoins us all to pray Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law but if this Word this Dactrine be of such pernicious a contagion as to insect us with Judaism and Non-conformity we have need of another miserere ●…i Deus for keeping it That this name Sabbath applyed to the Christian Holy-day of Rest is found in Ancient Writers I shall not urge Ignat. Epist. ad Magnes Let every one of us keep the Sabbath spiritually not in bodily case only but in the study of the Law Not the Author of the Sermons de Tempore none of Austins for any mans word will go further then his for so we rightly sanctifie the Lords Sabbath as the Lord hath said In it thou shalt do no manner of work but this I shall say that he that denies it to be a Day of Holy Rest it 's no great matter what he calls it And he that owns it such must be most rediculously obstinate that denies it may properly be so called 2 We come to the dispute De Re. And first he charges the N. C. That the Lords-day amongst them must have all the Nicety of Observation that the Iewish Sabbath had and which is yet worse such Observation thereof is made one of the principal parts of Religion What the Non-conformists hold and practise in this point is so well known from their Writings and Conversations that no man can possibly slander them but he must do it against his Conscience which had the Enquirer attended to it would have tought him other Language what was the practice of the best Christians who lived up in any good measure to the Holiness of their Profession that is the practice of the Non-conformists and wherein they come short have cause to be humbled in the sight of God If any Ind●…viduals have added any Jewish Austeri●…ies or invented any Superstitious severities to make the day a Legal Yoke we wish they may be no more favoura●…ly dealt with then those other Additions that have been made to Religion For the publick Service of the day I shall give the Reader a piece of Clemens Rom. lib. 2. cap. 59. On the Lords-day frequent more carefully the Temple of the Lord that ye may praise God who made all things by Iesus Christ whom he sent unto us and suffered him to dye for us and raised him from the dead for what can excuse him with God who meets not to hear the saving Word of God concerning the Resurrection On which day we pray thrice standing remembring him who after three days rose again For the private observation of the day the same Author lib. 5. cap. 9. thus We admonish you Brethren and Fellow-Servants that you fly vain words and filthiness pleasant jests 〈◊〉 for on the Lords days which are our days of Rejoicings we do not permit you to do or speak any thing not savoury for the Scripture s●…h serve the Lord with fear St. Hierom commends the Aegyptian Monks that they designed the Lords days wholly to Prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures The Author of the Sermons De tempore This day is called the Lords-day that in it abstaining from all earthly works and worldly pleasures we should only give our selves to the service of the Lord Let us therefore Brethren observe the Lords day and sanctifie it as it was commanded them of old concerning the Sabbath If our Enquirer had the trimming up of this Author he had dressed him up for a Marane a baptized Jew Chrysost. on Gen. 2. God from the beginning did insinuate unto us this instruction to set apart and separate one whole day in the Circle of every Week for spiritual exercises And in Homil. 5. on Math. Let us prescribe this as an unmoveable Law to our selves to our Wives and Children to set aside one day of the Week and that wholly to hearing and laying up of things heard Isidore Hispalensis The Apostles therefore ordained the Lords-day to be kept with Religious Solemnities because in it our Redeemer rose from the Dead which was therefore called the Lords-day that resting on the same from all Earthly ●…ts and temptations of the World we might intend Gods holy Worship giving this day due Honour for the hope of the Resurrection we have therein But because our Enquirer admires the Piety of former Ages in this our Britain I shall come a little home and see what were the publick Constitutions of our own Nation Leg. Inae cap. 〈◊〉 An. 692. Si servus operetur die Dominied per praecep●… domine sui sit liber Dominus emendet 308. ad Witam si●…servus sine testimonio Domini sui operetur Corium perdat i. e. vapulet si liber operetur ipso die sine iussu Domini sui perdat libertatem If a Servant work on the Lords-day at his Masters Command let him be free and his Master be fined thirty shillings If a Servant without his Masters Order do any work let him be whipped If a freed Man work on that day without the Command of his Master let him lose his Freedom Concil Bergham cap. 10. An. 697. Si in vesperâ praecedente Diem solis postquam sol occubuit autin vesperâ praecedente Diem Lunae post occasum solis servus ex mandato Domini sui opus aliquod servile egerit Dominus factum octaginta solidis Luito If a Servant on the Evening before Sunday after Sun-set or on the Evening before Monday after Sunset shall do any servile work by Order of his Master let his Master pay for his fault 4 pounds c. 11. If a Servant on those days shall travel let him pay to his Master si●… shillings or be whipped c. 12. If a Free-man be guilty of the same offence let him be liable to the Pillory Excerpt Egb. Archiepiscopi Eborac An. Chr. 750 c. 36. God the Creatour of all things made Man on the sixth d'ay and upon the Sabbath he rested from all his Labours and sanctified the Sabbath for the future signification of the sufferings of Christ and his rest in the Grave He did not rest because he was weary who made all things without Labour whose Omnipotency cannot be wearied and

for you do your duty you are very deligent in them God slights not Sacrifice but he requires a better Sacrifice that of righteousness 2. By way of Commination And there is no greater argument of Gods Displeasure then when he threatens to leave a people without reproof for their Neglect of duty Thus. 4. Hos. 17. Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone God 's not reproving for omission of a duty or commission of a sin is a sorry Reason that God lays little stress either upon the duty or the sin Thus again 14. Acts. 16. God is said to have suffer'd all Nations to walk in their own ways Gods keeping silence at and non-reproof of sin when once it shall be interpreted an indulgence of sin his future rebuke in Thunder and Lightning shall convince mistaken Sinners of the folly of their comment upon the Text of Gods forbearance And this seems the true sense of the place we are upon For v. 21. God uses parrallel language These things hast thou done and I kept silence but I will reproove thee 2 I blame his gloss of blasphemy He puts words in to Gods mouth which are the abhorrence of his soul. Let me have these latter and I shall not much complain for defect of the former Strange Doctrine this What God not Complain for want of obedience to his Commands He told us in the beginning that God was not a Captions Deity And now he would prove him one He tells us that God Instituted Sacrifices with great solemnity as the means of propitiating his Divine Majesty and now he introduces God of another mind let them use the means or not for averting his displeasure God will not much complain § 4. Another Instance is that mentioned Math. 12. Whereupon the occasion of the Disciples rubbing the ears of cor●… on the Sabbath day and Christs justifying their fact from the example of David who ate the shew-bread in a case of extremity Christ tells the superstitious Pharisees I will have mercy and not Sacrifice But this will not do his work For. 1. The plucking of the ears of corn in a case of extremity was not forbidden by the Law so Grotius Neque negat Christus opus esse famulam sed ex circumstantiis ostendit factum hoc Discipulorum Legis sententiâ non comprehendi est ergo Questio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 statús scripti voluntatis Christ denies not that it was a servile work but from the due Consideration of circumstances he proves that this fact of his Disciples was not included in the meaning of the Law So that the Question is between the Letter and the Equitable construction of the Law 2. The same Answer to the other instance of Davids eating the shew-bread A nnon Legistis si legistis hoc licitum esse didicissetis si non legistis pudent vos ignaviae vestra Have you not read says Christ If you have read it you must needs have learned that this fact is Lawful If you have not read it you may be ashamed of sloathfulness David ejusque Comites pars necessitate pressi quā nunc premuntur Discipuli mei secerunt contra 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Legis De Panibus neque tamen secisse censentur contra 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sequitur ergò nec Discipulos meos quicquam hoc facto adversus legis sententiam committere i. e. David and his Companions being urged with the same Exigence wherewith my Disciples are now urged Acted against the Letter of the Law concerning the shew-bread yet are they not to be thought to have transgressed the true intent and meaning thereof It follows therefore that my Disciples by their fact have not violated the intendment of the Law 3. That our Saviour tells them he will have mercy and not Sacrifice has no difficulty in it because 1. Negatives are often put for Comparatives I will have mercy and not Sacrifice is no more then I will have mercy rather then Sacrifice when I cannot have them both There 's no Question but if an Act of Mercy and an Act of instituted worship should stand in Competition all Circumstances concurring the Act of instituted Worship ought to give place we will suppose a Congregation assembled for the publick Worship of God and at the same time a fire breaks out the Church is not only Allowed but obliged to omit the publick worship at present and to employ their endeavours towards the quenching of the fire And he will render himself somewhat more then rediculous that would infer from hence that God lays little stress upon publick Worship or that God lays less stress upon the Churches Worshipping him in publick then upon the preserving of a House but only that the work of mercy must be now performed or the season is lost for ever whereas the Worship of God may be reassumed So that all the business is That a circumstance of undetermined time is of less weight in Gods Account then an Act of Mercy or Charity 1. Cor. 1. The Apostle tells them That Christ sent him not to baptise but to preach the Gospel that is not so much to baptise as to preach which yet will never inforce that Christ lays little stress upon the Ordinance of Baptism our B. Saviour 4. Luke 26. acquaints his Disciples That he that Hates not Father and Mother cannot be his Disciple And yet it 's true too that he that Hates his Father or Mother cannot be his Disciple But by hating is meant only less loving He that loves not Father and Mother less then me cannot be my Disciple Now let the Reader judge how absurd it would sound in his ears to hear such Doctrine That God lays very little stress upon our filial affection and duty to Parents A Doctrine worth it's weight in gold to such a Jew that would plead Carban against Commandment and evacuate the precept of God by his own Traditions And sometimes that duty which God lays the greater stress upon may give place pro hie nunc to that which he lays less weight upon a Father commands his Son to discharge such a service as he is addressing himself to his duty he finds his enemies Oxe or Asse ready to perish in this case I conceive the Son ought to suspend the execution of his Fathers command to save the life of a beast And yet the Debt of Iustice which I owe my Father is greater then the Debe of Charity which I owe an Enemy And thus much of his Old Testament instances 2 He proceeds now to those in the New which must prove that God lays little stress upon Circumstantials under the Gospel which he will first prove by this Argument If this says he was the case and condition of things under the old Testament where God seemed so punctual in his prescriptions so rigorous in his Animadversions and where he danger of ●…rring Capitally from the design of those institutions by the least Deviation from the line of