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A37598 The honey-combe of free justification by Christ alone collected out of the meere authorities of Scripture and common and unanimous consent of the faithfull interpreters and dispensers of Gods mysteries upon the same, especially as they expresse the excellency of free justification / preached and delivered by Iohn Eaton ... Eaton, John, 1574 or 5-1641. 1642 (1642) Wing E115 344,226 528

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hold contraries when in truth they do Two reasons of seeming contrarietie in mens writings and sermons not whereof there are two principall reasons first when by the reader the circumstances of the speaker or writer and of things spoken and written as of persons times and places and such like are not understood and marked and secondly because the Writers themselves consisting of two men of the old man and of the new man and both these men in them being ruled and guided by a twofold light the light of nature and the light of grace First wee must mark that the old man in them is ruled with the light of nature described Rom. 2. 14 15 16. Rom. 2. 14. 15. 16. Namely that the Gentiles which have not the Law doe by nature the works and things contained in the Law because they have the effect of the Law written in their hearts their thoughts and consciences accusing them with feare of procuring punishment when they doe evill but excusing them with hope of speeding well for the same when they doe well But on the other side the new man is ruled by the light of grace which is when a Christian seeing by the eye of faith that all his sinnes are washed away and abolished from before God only by the blood of Christ and he made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely doth by the power of sanctification flowing from the same abstaine from all sinne not for feare of punishment which is slavish and doth all good duties zealously not to procure reward for the same which is hyreling-like but because hee sees that all is too little that he doth and that hee cannot bee thankfull enough doe what hee can in glorifying God for his already blessed estate only by Free Justification Gal. 3. 8 9. And although the Gal. 3 8. 9. more that any child of God is endued with this light of Grace the more Spiritually and Divinely he both speaks and writes yet so strong like Goliah are the remnants of the old man in the best children of God The old man is strong i● the best and so busie is the foresaid light of nature in the best Writers excepting only the writings of the Prophets and Apostles that this old man will bee foysting in somewhat of the light of nature with the light of Grace and thereby except the Writer be exceeding wary corrupting the one with the other to the quite marring of both Which as it should teach Preachers and all others that which is too lamentably neglected now adaies how wary they should be to speak but much more to put penne to paper to write any thing in the Church especially in matters of Divinity and salvatition lest they give advantage to the Adversarie and forget that saying of Ierom Grande inquit periculum In Gal. 1. 10. Parcus ibid. in Ecclefia loqui ne forte interpretatione perversa de Evangelio Christi hominis fat Evangelium aut quod pejus est Diabol● That is it is saith he a great danger to speak in the Church lest peradventure by a wrong and preposterous interpretation it bee made of the Gospel of Christ the gospel of man or that which is worse the gospel of the Devill so also it must teach such as are readers of other mens books and writings especially Preachers and young Students in Divinitie to take heed that even in the best Writers A necessary caution in reading of Authors they doe not take all things hand over head but first to ground themselves in the perfect distinction between the Law and the Gospel faith and works as it is notably described upon Patricks-Places in the book of Acts and Monuments of Martyrs that so faith as Paul saith Gal. 3. 12. may not bee of works Gal. 3. 12. nor works made grace lest grace be no more grace Rom. 11. 6. And thereby to keep Free Iustification pure Rom. 11. 6. and in her true glory without any mixture as the alone soule-saving grace and only soule-saving glory of Christ that so where they finde in faithfull Writers the excellencie of Christs benefits by their light of grace worthily extolled and magnified that same they may embrace as evidences of the light of grace reigning in them but where some thing of the light of nature extolling and dignifying works so darkning grace and the glory of Christs free benefits drops from their pennes before they are aware yet to make a charitable exposition of the same ever trying all things and keeping only that which is good but ever preferring those things most that make most for the glorifying of Christ in the excellency of those benefits of the Gospel which he worketh upon us alone by himselfe without our working with him And ever in love and thankfulnesse accepting the Writers willing endeavours and covering by love such infirmities as by the remnants of the old man in them have as I said dropped from their pennes by the over-flowing of the light of nature in them before they were aware And to this end let us ever in reading remember that reproofe that Luther justly Luther A commo● error in reading the ground thereof gives of some saying thus So it happens unto imprudent and ill-disposed readers that those things that are of infirmitie in the Fathers and other holy Writers they make all to be of high authority Which is the fault not of the Authours but of the Readers who snatch up out of the Fathers that which they spake of infirmitie and hold them so fast that they doe oppose them also against that which in another place the same Fathers have spoken by the light and power of the Spirit and doe so urge and presse them that the better must give place to the worse whereby it comes to passe that they attribute authority to the worser sayings because they agree more to the sense of their flesh and reason and take away authority from the better sayings because they agree not to their sense and reason Therefore if we will not erre in reading good Authors wee must follow that notable rule that Luther gives in the same case saying This only I say of those holy Who magnifie f●ee grace are chiefly to bee followed men that when they vary among themselves th●se are rather to bee followed which have spoken the best things for free grace without works leaving them which by the infirmitie of the flesh have spoken rather after the flesh and reason than after the Spirit So likewise those Write●s that vary from themselves are in that part to be chosen and holden fast unto where they speak after the Spirit but to be relinquished where they savour of the flesh and naturall light of reason This is the duty of a Christian Reader and of the cleane beast that hath ●loven boofes and cheweth the Cud. But now setting aside judgement wee devoure all confusedly whatsoever a good man saith or