Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	book_n	divine_a	scripture_n	2,963	5	6.0860	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63127	Christian chymistrie extracting the honey of instruction from variety of objects. Being an handfull of observations historicall, occasionall, and out of scripture. With applications theologicall and morall. By Caleb Trenchfield, sometime minister of the church at Chipsted in Surrey.	Trenchfield, Caleb, 1624 or 5-1671.	1662 (1662)	Wing T2121; ESTC R219723	79,230	213

spoils of Amaleck for sacrifice because beside the rule find a curse instead of acceptance and is told Obedience is better than the fat of Rams 16 VVhen God sent Gideon to deliver Israel Judg. 6.12 he bespeaks him The Lord is with thee Thou mighty man of valour VVhat needed there mention of Gideons valour when the weapons of that warfare were to be spiritual rather then carnal a strong faith rather then a strong arm to blow with the Trumpets and cry The sword of the Lord and of Gideon required rather good Lungs then a valourous heart besides 't was Gods purpose to glorifie himself immediately in this delivery therefore chose the three hundred that lapped rather than the other thousands so that the veriest Coward had been rather for Gods turn then a man of courage But though the work was the Lords the enterprize was daring and required a well fortifyed mind to undertake it the exposing of three hundred in such a posture to an army that covered the earth like Grashoppers could not but stagger him who desired a sign that God would save Israel by his hand when he had thirty two thousand men following him therefore the Lord thus be speaks him questionably whether Indicatively or Imparatively to shew him so or make him so or at least more so therefore the Commission is Go in this thy might or thus Wade mighty but however if Gideon were high in valour he was low in humility though cryed up by the testimony of an Angel and so hard a matter to be a good Souldier and not a Braggard too yet not a word of his boasting through the whole story God can well allow us our portion when thereby we intrude not on his interest 17 In the 2 Same 13.5 we find Jonadab of counsel to Amnon in the ravishment of his sister Tamar and in the 32. verse either of counsel or conscious to his murder we read him indeed advising in the execution of the wickedness but not admonishing of the punishment Those Decoyes are frequent who cog us into danger but there leave us I have read of an evill spirit that was wont to entice men into mischief and then make himself sport with their troubles 't is the Devils play to laugh at those miseryes whereinto those things brought us to which he advised us 18 A charge is given by David to Ziba to till the Land for Mephibosheth and to bring him the fruits that his masters son might have food to eat and yet at the same time there is a promise made That he should eat bread continually at the Kings Table Surely Davids provision was not so short as that there needed a supply from Ziba there might have been mention made of Rent to his Coffers but it seems impertinent to provide food to eat where to talk of a supply had been a disparagement But Mephibosheth had a son and 't is probable store of Attendants and for these is the food intended reckoned as his because for his Dependants besides under the name of food other necessaries are understood though lesse necessary as bread promised to Mephibosheth at Davids Table because the staffe of mans life and therefore principally mentioned though only so excludes not the other delicacies which at the Kings Table were to be had When we pray to God for our daily bread we intend also the other conveniencies of life and that for us and ours and when God promiseth to give us food so that we need not take thought what we shall cat yet then he intends we should be provident for our own diet Davids courte sie must be accompanied with Ziba's industry 19 In the History of the Kings of Israel the Scripture refers us to the Books of Nathan Gad Jasher and others if these books were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is probable they were not yet being thus referred to they were of Divine Authority though not a priore by Divine Inspiration yet a posteriore by Divine approbation and like Leather money though no silver was yet currant being stampt even those words of the Heathen Poet being quoted by the Spirit are being so of like Authority but why are we referred to them for our confirmation or information Indeed God to establish our weakness repeats his Command that we be strengthned Be strong yea be strong we have the same things reiterated God thinks not much to shoot two Arrows out of his Quiver to strike the mark dead that like a Partridge kill'd by a Merlyn it may not so much as quiver a wing though the first did mortally woud it By two immutable things whereby it was impossible for God to lye could God have lyed had there been only a single asseveration and did that impossibility arise from the Duplication surely not to God who cannot deny himself and changeth not but as to us in condescension to whose weaknesse God makes that Bond double which before was so strong that Heaven and Earth should be dissolved first but why are these books then lost Even miracles that swadled the infant-truths of the Gospel were left off when by time they had gathered strength to stand alone yea God expects we should not be alwayes Babes and therefore reckons upon the time whereas for the time ye ought I have many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now which yet were said when they could bear them all things are not fit for all times those Books might be meet for the present Generations that were not so for those that followed John points with the finger Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world yet the Disciples are charged To tell no man that he was the Christ Besides as God will sometimes help our weaknesse so at other times try our faith Hence that universal silence or perversion in profane story of what the Divine makes mention how short a touch doth Josephus give of the Lord Christ who yet copiously handleth things even to common judgement far less memorable yet of those Books that were written and lost or Traditions hath God taken care to insert so much in the Scriptures as was pertinent for his Church for which cause those words of Enoch are recited by Jude whereas what was written or said by him besides is perished 20 Though God be often attested to be no respecter of persons yet we find him dealing differently with divers persons in divers cases Gideon requires a sign more than once and is favourably complyed with Zachary doth so but once and hath his own dumbnesse given him for an evidence But 't is no wonder if God who knows the thoughts deal diversly to our thoughts Gideons faith like a child newly come to its feet desires that it may be upheld by a signe and pity it should not be led that was willing to go Zachary stands at a gaze and seems not so much to desire confirmation as to dispute the possibility of the thing