Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	king_n	law_n	majesty_n	3,064	5	5.9700	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39821	The manners of the Israelites in three parts. I Of the patriarchs. 2. Of the Israelites after their coming out of Egypt until the captivity of Babylon. 3 Of the Jews after their return from the captivity until the preaching of the Gospel. Shewing their customs secular and religious, their generous contempt of earthly grandeur. And the great benefit and advantage of a plain laborious, frugal, and contented life.; Moeurs des Israélites. English	Fleury, Claude, 1640-1723.	1683 (1683)	Wing F1364A; ESTC R218945	81,805	250

David prepared what ever was necessary for the Building of the Temple the Charges of which amounted to three thousand Millions of Gold Moreover he lay'd up great Treasures and caused much likewise to be shut up in his Sepulchre Solomon built several Palaces fortifyed diverse Cities and made a great number of Publick Works All his Vessels and the Moveables of his House of Lebanon were of pure Gold not to count his two hundred Targets of Gold six hundred shekels of Gold going to one Target His Revenues were likewise great Commerce and Traffick alone brought him every year six hundred sixty six Talents of Gold which make above Eleven Millions He made all Strangers under his Obedience to pay him Tribute the Hivites the Amorites and the other primitive Inhabitants of the Land of Israel the Idumeans a great part of Arabia and all Syria For his Empire extended from the entrance into Egypt as far as Euphrates And from all those Rich Countries they sent him every year Vessels of Gold and of Silver Stuffs Armes Perfumes Horses and Mules these Reflections may make us Comprehend from whence came the Riches of Cresus in a State much of the same extent with that of Solomon Gold and Silver were not yet so common in the World There was but little of those Metals in Greece none in Italy nor in the rest of Europe except in Spain where there were Mines 'T is fit we should spend a little time in considering this prosperity of Solomon the Survey whereof is extreamly delightful Let us peruse all Histories and we shall not find so perfect an Assembly of all the Blessings that can be enjoy'd on this side the Stars A Young Prince in the Flower of his Age of a God-like presence and most amiable in his Person of mighty Parts very Learned and very Active Master of great Dominions in a profound Peace of so great a Reputation that it caused a Queen to take a long and tedious Journey to come and see him inhabiting the finest Country in the World Magnificently Lodged well served crowned with Riches and Swimming in Pleasures respsing himself nothing as he himself confesses and applying all that great Wit to the contentment of his desires This is he whom we should call an Happy man according to our natural Ideas yet certain it is he was not so since he was not contented 'T is he himself that saies it Then I looked on all the works that my Hands had wrought and on the Labour that I had Laboured to do And behold all was vanity and vexation of Spirit and there was no profit under the Sun In this Prosperity of Solomon and of his People God has at the same time given to Man-kind two Important Instructions First he hath shewn his Veracity in accomplishing his promises so Liberally giving to the Israelites all the Blessings which he had promised to their Fore-fathers in the possession of that Land to the intent no body might thence-forward doubt of his well recompencing those who applyed themselves to him and observed his Commandments Men being entirely mu●●led up in the darkness of Sensible things had an hint from this Pledge to believe one day the Invisible favours and rewards of another life But moreover in granting to the Israelites the possession of those sensible goods and in profusely heaping upon them whatever might compose the felicity of this Life God has given to all mankind the means of being disabused and of conceiving much more Elevated hopes For who can pretend to be happy under the Sun if Solomon was not so Who can question but all that passes here is vanity after the Assertion he has made Does not this Example make us sufficiently see that Temporal goods are not only vain but dangerous not only unfit to fill the heart of man but proper to corrupt it What reason have we to flatter our selves that we shall make a better use of them than that People so cherished by God and so well instructed who seem to have more right to those kind of Blessings since they were proposed to 'em for a Reward What a madness would it be in us to believe our selves stronger than the wise Solomon He abandon'd himself so to the Love of Women that he had to the number of a Thousand contrary to the Prohibition of God's Law And the Complaisance he had for 'em carry'd him even to Idolatry His Subjects followed so great an Example and from this time the Manners of the Israelites fell more and more into Corruption The Division of the two Kingdomes of Israel and Judah did still Augment the Mischief The corruption was much greater in Israel where Idolatry reigned the source of all manner of Sins Revolts and Teasons were frequent there In Judah the Scepter departed not from the Family of David There were sundry pious Kings Priests and Levites who retired thither and kept up there the Observation of the Law much purer with the Tradition of the true Religion In those Later times when the Law was contemned Commerce and Intercourse with Strangers became very frequent and chiefly to procure Succours in War which is the foundation of the manifold Reproaches that the Prophets made 'em of the little Confidence they had in God The Strangers they most sought to were the Assyrians and the Egyptians two the most powerful Nations at that time And to please them they imitated their Manners and their Idolatry and the ruine of the Israelites followed the fortune of those Nations when Egypt fell and Assyria got the uppermost PART III. Captivity CAP. I. Of the Jews THis is what seemed to me most Remarkable in the Principles and Manners of the Israelites as long as they lived with full Liberty in their own Country without being mingled among Aliens or being the Subjects of Infidels Let us now take a prospect of their last estate from the Captivity of Babylon until their last Dispersion Tho they were still the same People and had still the same Maxims and Manners at the bottom yet we shall find considerable Differences And First they were only called Jews in those latter times for that indeed none but the Kingdom of Judah did then subsist Samaria was ruin'd and Salmanasser had carryed away the ten Tribes to whom was given the name of Israel above an Age before the Destruction of Jerusalem And altho the Kingdom of Judah did likewise include the entire Tribes of Benjamin and Levi with several particular Families of all the Rest whom Zeal for Religion had brought thither after the Schisme of Jeroboam all were jumbl●d together and confounded in the name of Judea and the Jews After the death of Josias as that Kingdom did evidently tend to it's ruine a great number of the Jews dispersed ●●emselves on all side and were harbour'd among the Ammonites the Moabites the Idumeans and other Neighbouring People Of them who stay'd at Jerusalem when it was taken the Chaldeans carryed the most

I believe indeed there were amongst them who only as it were mimicked Mourning did all these things without being much concern'd But at least those that were really so might freely satisfy themselves Now in general both the Israelites and all the Ancients were more natural than we are in these matters and constrained themselves much less as to the exteriour Demonstrations of their passions They Sang they Danc'd on occasions of Joy On those of grief they wept they groaned aloud When they were in fear they ingenuously confest they were so When they were in choler they vented it in reproaches Homer and the Tragick Poets afford us examples hereof on all occasions Philosophy and Christianity have since very much corrected that outside in all those who have had Education and Politeness They are exercised from their Youths to speak like Heroes or like Saints But the most part are never the better at the Bottom but only dissemble their Passions without striving against them Funerals will suit well with Mourning All the Ancients took a particular care of them and lookt upon it as a great Misfortune when the Bodies of Persons who had been near and dear to them remain'd expos'd to be torn and devour'd by Beasts or Birds or to be corrupted openly and infect the Living Whereas the Greeks burn● the corps to keep the ashes the Hebrews interred the common People and embalmed the most considerable Personages to put them into Sepulchers They embalmed much after the same fashion as the Egyptians surrounding the corps with a great quantity of drying drugs Then put them into Tombs which were little Caves or Closets cut out in Rocks whereof each had a Table of the same Stone on which they laid the Body Several of those Sepulchers still remain whereof we may see descriptions in the Relations of Travellers Altho Funerals were a pious Duty yet they were not attended with any Ceremony of Religion On the contrary it was a pro●ane action which rendred all those unclean who had any share therein untill they were purify'd Which proceeds from that Dead Bodies are either in a state of Corruption or in a Disposition approaching thereto Wherefore so far were they from having occasion for Priests at their Funerals that thy were forbidden to assist at them were it not at those of their near Kinsfolk When Josias fell to abolishing Idolatry he caus'd the Bones of the False Priests to be burnt upon the Altars to the intent those Altars might be had in the greater Detestation CAP. XVIII Religion THis is what concerns the Private life of the Israelites Let us now proceed to their Religion and their State Politick As to Religion I shall not enlarge much in explaining their Belief We ought to know it since 't is comprehended in ours I shall only shew that certain truths were clearly reveal'd to them while others were still obscure tho they were already revealed What they knew was That there was but one God who Created Heaven and Earth that he governs all things by his Providence that we ought to put no trust save in him nor hope for any good but from him that he sees all things even the very secrets of our hearts that he moves our wills within and turns them which way he pleases that all men are born in sin and naturally prone to evil that notwithstanding they may do well with the help of God that they are free and have the choice to do good or evil that God is very just and punishes or rewards according to merit that he is merciful and pardons those who have a sincere regret for their sins past that he judges all the actions of men after Death From whence it follows that the Soul is immortal and that there is another Life They knew however that God out of his meer goodness had chosen them amongst all men to be his faithful People that among them of the Tribe of Judah and of the race of David was a SAVIOUR to be born who should deliver them from all their Sufferings and draw all Nations to the knowledge of the true God This is what they distinctly knew and was the most ordinary Subject of their meditations and their prayers This is that high and most glorious Wisdom which distinguished them from all the Nations of the whole Earth For whereas among the rest of the World none there were but the wise men who knew any of these great Truths and that too very imperfectly and with a great Diversity of Opinions All the Israelites were taught these Doctrines even the very Women and Slaves All had the same Sentiments The Truths which were taught them more obscurely were that in God there are three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost that the Saviour whom they expected should be God and the Son of God that he should be both God and man that God gave to men his grace and necessary help for the accomplishing his Law only by that Saviour and in view of his merits that he should suffer death to expiate the Sins of Mankind That his Kingdom should be wholly Spiritual that all men should rise again that in the other life shall be the true Recompence of the good and Punishment of the Wicked All this is taught in the Scriptures of the Old Testament and in the Apocrypha but not so clearly as that all the People knew it Nor indeed were men yet capable of receiving such elevated truths But according to my Design I must only explain what their external practises of Religion had most different from our Principles and Manners They had but one Temple and one Altar where it was permitted them to offer Sacrifices to God which was a sensible mark of God's Unity And for the representing likewise his Sovereign Majesty that Building was the most magnificent in all that Country The Temple within the Veil was on the in-side adorned with Sculptures and all overlaid with Plates of Gold True it was not very large But the Courts Galleries and diverse Apartments which belong'd to it for the Lodging of Priests and Levites for the keeping Treasures and sacred Vessels the Magazines of Oblations the Kitchins the Rooms to eat in and the rest all this together made a great mass of buildings which being form'd in symmetry and rare Architecture gave a mighty Idea of that great King who was served in that sacred Palace And to render it's Sanctity the more sensilbe none but those who were pure were allowed to go upon the mount of the Temple The Women had their place apart The Gentiles were only in the outward Court The Israelites were plac'd in one more advanced That where the Altar was was only for the Priests They did not go into the

Which must be understood of Lawful and necessary Oaths Their vows did ordinarily consist in offering to God some part of their estates whether to serve for Sacrifices or to be kept in reserve Hence came those vast treasures in the Temple of Solomon which besides the offerings of David contain'd those of Solomon Saul Abner and Joab For those oblations principally consisted of Spoils taken from their enemies The like did the Pagans in the Temples of their Gods whether after Victories or on other occasions Whereof I will give no other example than the Temple of Delphos and the riches which Craesus sent thither to make the Oracle favour him The most considerable Vow was that of the Nazarites which for a time obliged it's votaries neither to drink Wine nor any thing that inebriates nor to cut their hair and to keep themselves very charily from all Legal Impurities particularly from the approach of Dead Bodies The rule of the Recabites seems to have had it's foundation from such kind of Vows The Author of that Rule was Jonadab the Son of Rachab who lived in the time of Jehu King of Israel and of Elisha the Prophet He forbad his Children to drink Wine to build houses to sow or have Lands or Vineyards So that they dwelt in Tents in all probability employing themselves as the Levites did in breeding Cattle and in perfectly imitating the Pastoral life of the Patriarchs They were marryed and inviolably kept that Rule in their Family during at least an hundred years for we do not find what became of them after the Captivity CAP. XX. Prophets ANother kind of the Religious and much more considerable were the Propmets There was a great number of them in the time of Samuel witness that company which Saul met with who prophecy'd at the sound of Instruments being Transported with the Spirit of God and that other troop which prophecy'd in the presence of Samuel and which seems to have been of his Disciples But it does not appear there were ever so many as from the time of Elias and Elishah until the Captivity of Babylon They lived sequestred from the World distinguished by their apparel and their way of Life They dwelt upon Mountains as Elias and Elisha on Mount Carmel and in Galgal The rich woman who took Elisha into her house when he went to Stunam as I have said made a Chamber to be built and furnished for him where he liv'd so retired that he did not so much as speak with his Hostess but gave her to understand what he had to say by his Servant Gehazi and when that Woman desir'd him to raise her Son from the Dead Gehazi would have hindred her from touching the feet of the Prophet When Nahaman General of the armies of Syria came to him to be cured of his Leprosie he sent him his Orders without showing himself Two other Miracles of that Prophet shew that his Disciples lived in Society that of the Pottage of herbs when he took away it's bitterness and that of the Barly-loaves which he multiplyed wherein we may likewise see the Frugality of their diet There were even an Hundred Prophets who lived in that Community and Fellow-ship They workt with their own hands For finding themselves too much crowded in their Lodgings they went themselves and cut wood to build withal and they were so poor that one of them was fain to Borrow an Ax. The apparel of the Prophets was Sack-cloath the habit of Mourning to notify they did penance for the sins of all the People So in the Description of Elijah 't is said He was an hairy man and girt with a girdle of Leather about his Loyns So when God commands Isaiah to strip himself he orders him to loose his Sack-cloth from off his Loyns The two great Prophets mention'd in the Revelations appear'd cloathed in Sackcloth The Prophets at least some of them were marryed and that widow whose oyl Elisha multiplyed was the widow of a Prophet It seems also their Children followed the same Profession For the Prophets are often called the Sons of the Prophets which made Amos say I was no Prophet neither was I a Prophets Son but I was a Herdsman for to show he did not Prophecy by profession but by an extraordinary call For altho most commonly God made use of those who led a Prophetical Life to make his will known yet he did not impose upon himself a Law of not making Revelations to others In the mean while they only accounted those for Prophets who lead their kind of life From whence it comes that the Books of David Solomon and Daniel are not placed in the rank of Prophecies by reason the two former were Kings living in great delights and splendour and the Latter was a Potentate Living likewise at Court and amidst great People These were the men who after the Patriarchs preserved the purest Tradition of the true Religion They spent their time in meditating on the Law of God in praying to him several times day and night for themselves and others and exercised ' emselves in the Practice of all Virtues They instructed their Disciples discovered to them the meaning of the Law and explained the divine sence which concerned the State of the Church after the coming of the Messias either upon Earth or in Heaven couched under Allegories of sensible things and low in appearance They also instructed the people who came to them on Sabbath-days and other Feasts They chid them for their Sins and exhorted 'em to Repentance and often in the name of God foretold what should befall them This Liberty of speaking the harshest truths even to Kings made them odious and cost several of them their Lives However there were many Impostors who counterfeited the out-side of true Prophets wore Sack-cloth as well as they and spoke in the same Style saying of themselves likewise that they were inspired by God But they took care not to make any Predictions but such as were acceptable to the Prince and his People The false Gods had also their Prophets as the 850 whom Elijah caused to be put to death Of the same Leven were those Sooth-sayers among the Grecians whom they call'd Manties as Calchas and Tiresias in the Heroical Times Such were those who uttered Oracles or who spread them abroad and the Poets who pretended to be in-blown by the Gods For they did not say it in a Poetical sense but to have it really believ'd And indeed those false Prophets whether by the Operation of the Devil or by artifice entred into a fury and spoke in an extraordinary Style to emulate the sensible effects which the Spirit of God made in the true Prophets Now the temptation was great to the Israelites so weak in virtue to consult those Sooth-sayers and false Oracles and it was a Branch of that Idolatry whereto they were very subject