Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	prophet_n	scripture_n	write_v	3,727	5	6.1725	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12473	Essex doue, presenting the vvorld vvith a fevv of her oliue branches: or, A taste of the workes of that reuerend, faithfull, iudicious, learned, and holy minister of the Word, Mr. Iohn Smith, late preacher of the Word at Clauering in Essex Deliuered in three seuerall treatises, viz. 1 His grounds of religion. 2 An exposition on the Lords Prayer. 3 A treatise of repentance.	Smith, John, 1563-1616.; Hart, John, D.D.	1629 (1629)	STC 22798; ESTC S117569	350,088	544

our owne feeling that the Scriptures are the very arme and power of God Qu. Why are they tearmed the old and new Testament A. Because as a man by his Will and Testament disposeth those lands and goods which he hath So God in the Scriptures hath bequeathed many blessings as it were a number of legacies to the sonnes of men Qu. What did God bequeath in the Old Testament A. Saluation and eternall Peace to those that fulfill the Law Miserie and hell and eternall death to those that breake the Law Deut. 28. 15. Qu. What did God bequeath in the New Testament A. Saluation and eternall Peace to those that beleeue in Christ and contrariwise Condemnation and Eternall death to those that beleeue not in him By the Old Testament none inherite but those that fulfill the Law By the New Testament all those inherite who beleeue in Christ Mark 16. 16. Qu. Are all the Bookes in the Bible to be receiued alike A. No for the Apocryphall are no further to bee receiued then they consent with the Canonicall bookes or with sound reason Qu. What Bookes are Canonicall A. All in the New Testament and so many in the Old as were written by Moses or any of the Prophets so that all are Canonicall from Genesis to Malachy who was the last Prophet Qu. Why are they called Canonicall A. Because they are the rule to direct our faith and our life for Canon in Greek signifieth a Rule or a square which a Mason or a Carpenter vseth for his direction in his worke So that as they worke all by Rule and line so wee must square out both our Faith and our life by these holy Bookes Q. What Books are Apocryphall A. All in the Old Testament that were written after the time of the Prophets as the first of Esdras and the second of Tobith Iudeth Wisedome Ecclesiasticus or Iesus Sirach certaine peeces of Esther and Daniel with the Prayer of Manasses the 1. of Maccabeus and the second Q. Why are not these Canonicall as well as the rest A. Because they were not written by Moses or the Prophets who were the penne-men of the Holy Ghost but by other godly men who hauing not so great a measure of the Spirit could not write all things so heauenly and so purely as the Prophets did Q. Why are they called Apocryphall A. Because they come not forth with publike authoritie from God but crept in closely and by stelth into the Church for Apocryphall in Greeke signifieth a thing lurking in a hole or a corner to shew that these Bookes are not nobly borne And therefore howsoeuer they may be profitable yet they ought not to speake with equall authoritie in the congregation of the Lord Deut. 23. 2. Q. Had wee not need of good warrant to strike off so many Bookes from the Canon A. So wee haue Christ himselfe who interpreting all the Scriptures interpreted no more but Moses and the Prophets And therefore seeing these Bookes of Tobith Iudeth and the rest belong neither to Moses nor the Prophets as being written after their time It is manifest that our Sauiour Christ hath shut them out from the Canon of the Scriptures Luke 24. 27. Q. What is the drift and scope of all the Scriptures A. To teach vs how to be saued and to chalke out the way that leadeth vnto true happinesse and eternall life 2. Tim. 3. 15. Iohn 20. 31. Q. How may a man be saued A. There are three things required of him that will be saued First he must know and bee perswaded of his owne miserable estate by nature and be humbled for it Secondly hee must bee perswaded of his happie estate in Christ. Thirdly he must practise that godly and Christian kinde of life which euery one is commanded to liue that beleeues in Christ. Q What is the first thing required of him that will be saued A. Hee must know his miserable estate in himselfe how wretched and how wofull hee were if God should not looke vpon him with fauour and mercie in the face of Christ. Q. Why is it needfull to know our miserable estate A. Because the sight of it will send vs more speedily to Christ. Secondly it will make vs set greater price on the benefit which we haue by him Q. How doth this appeare A. For when we see how deeply we are indebted and indangered to God that it is no dribling summe that we owe him but so huge a matter that neither wee nor all the friends we haue are able to discharge it This will make vs seeke more carefully to Christ to discharge it for vs and offer occasion to thinke more highly of him who hath brought vs a full discharge for so great a debt Q. What is our Estate in our selues A. Wee are dead in sinnes like a Corse that is layed out and waites but the buriall to be cast into the graue Q. How are wee falne into this estate A. Two wayes Partly by Adams sinnes And partly by our owne sinnes Q. What was Adams sinne A. The eating of the forbidden fruit whereby he wrapt vp himselfe and all his Posteritie in the wrath of God as wee see a Noble man by committing Treason not onely hurts himselfe but staines his blood doth hurt to his children too Rom. 5. 12. Q. What gather wee of this A. That he that will stand off from Christ had need haue a good purse when he shall not onely pay that which himselfe owes but that also wherein Adam his father was indebted to God Q. What is our owne sinne A. Our owne sinne is of two sorts 1. Originall Sinne 2. Actuall sinne Rom. 5. 24. Q. What is originall sinne A. Originall sinne is that backwardnesse and vntowardnesse of our nature whereby we stand not indifferently affected but vtter enemies to all the duties of obedience and holinesse required of vs Rom. 7. 23. Q. In what part is originall sinne A. It hath stricken like a poyson through all our parts so that they are all bent against God like a sort of Rebells that haue put themselues in armes against their King Gal. 5. 27. Qu How is the Understanding corrupted A. It is blinde and ignorant in the things of God and thèrefore euen they that are wise and wittie in the matters of the world in the matters of God are of no capacitie and of no conceite 1. Cor. 2. 14. Q. How is the will corrupted A. It onely willeth and lusteth after euill like a sicke man that cares not for wholsome meate but his stomacke onely stands to sluppersauce and that which is naught Iames 4. 5. Q. What is Actuall sinne A. That which ariseth from the corruption of our nature like sparkes from a Furnace Galat. 5. 19. Q. How many sorts are there of it A. Three sorts 1. Euill thoughts in the minde 2. Euill desires in the heart 3. Euill words and workes arising thence Math. 15. 19. Q. What gather wee of this A.

renewed by repentance but it will the more hardly be done and it will cost much terrour labour and sorrow Wee may then see that in this case recouery is possible and that vpon three grounds The first is taken From the generality of the Promise which in generall is made to pardon of all sinnes except the sinne against the Holy Ghost as Math. 12. Uerily verily I say vnto you that all sinne and blasphemie shall be forgiuen a man except the blasphemie against the Holy Ghost But a man may fall into Relapses through weaknesse which is not the sinne against the Holy Ghost and therefore may be forgiuen The second ground is taken A comparatis From the condition of the Promise Luk. 17. 4. Where Christ hath giuen vs a commandement that wee should forgiue our brother seuentie times seuen times a day so often as hee repenteth and is sorrowfull and Math. 6. Christ threatneth If you doe not forgiue your brother his trespasses no more will your beauenly Father forgiue you your trespasses So then if a man must forgiue his trespasses that his brother trespasseth against him so often all which is not a drop of mercie compared with Gods mercie how much more wil God forgiue them that sinne against him againe and againe if they doe repent seeing hee is the Ocean of mercie and goodnesse The third ground is ab Exemplis from sanctified examples of holy Scripture for wee see in the booke of Iudges when there were any bad Iudges in Israel the people fell away from God vnto Idolatrie and when there came good Iudges the Prophets came and exhorted the people to returne againe vnto God and repent and so they did recouer againe So in the Booke of Kings wee see that when bad Kings came they fell away from God and yet when good Kings came againe the Prophets preached and exhorted them and they repented and were receiued into fauour againe Here therefore we haue to acknowledge the kindnesse and mercy of God It is his mercie to forgiue vs if wee doe sinne but once in our lifetime against him But great and exceeding great is his mercie that when wee haue sinned and sinned so exceeding oft against him that euen then vpon repentance hee will receiue vs. Wee reade the Lord declares this much Ier. 3. If a man put away his wife and she become another mans If shee returne againe to her husband shall not this land bee polluted but thou hast played the harlot with many louers yet returne againe to me saith the Lord. Thus there may bee forgiuenesse euen after many relapses It is the charitie of the Popish Church if a man relapse into Heresie though he doe repent hee cannot bee forgiuen The Pope and his Cardinals will not may not forgiue him but the kindnesse and tendernesse of God is such that though a man doe fall into the same sinne hee hath repented of hee may bee forgiuen and shall vpon Repentance bee forgiuen Oh then shall not the despisers of Gods kindenesse bee iudged of him Answ. 2 But yet I say Though Repentance be possible yet it will bee very hard and difficult and that in two respects First in respect of God 1. God will not bee so easily intreated to forgiue I do not say that he will not forgiue but that hee more hardly remits these sinnes then others 2. In respect of our selues we shall not finde our selues so readie nor our hearts so apt to repent in this Relapse as otherwise wee might haue done This then I say that if wee prouoke the Lord too often with some sinnes wee shall not finde him so readie to forgiue as at other times nor so easie to bee intreated So saith our Sauiour Christ Iohn 5. 14. Behold thou art made whole sinne no more left a worse thing come vnto thee And so if we doe sinne Deterius accidet a worse thing may befall vs. Looke into the tenth of Iudges and there you shall finde how the children of Israel had fallen into Apostasie concerning their Idolatrie which they repented of and so prayed vnto the Lord but the Lord would not heare their prayers but turned them off with scorne deriding them the words are these Yet yee haue for saken mee and serued other gods therefore I will deliuer you no more goe and crie vnto the gods whom yee haue chosen let them deliuer you in the time of your Tribulation So then if wee make no conscience to fall into a sinne often which wee haue repented of let vs not maruell if God doe not heare vs at the first for if wee stand vpon tearmes with God for the hearing and helping of vs by and by take heed hee say not vnto vs goe away I will not helpe you goe vnto your sinnes and the worldly pleasures profites honours that you haue serued let them helpe you It is true indeed that all the Scriptures declare God to be a mercifull God to bee full of compassion and very ready to forgiue but when wee shall therefore imbolden our selues to sinne and desperately come to aske Almighty God how often wee may sinne if it bee but once or twice it is too much but say it bee once or twice and the Lord forbeares vs with patience then let vs beware wee doe not prouoke the Lord by falling backe vnto the same sinnes after wee haue repented for when it comes to Quoties peccavtmus how often haue wee offended in the same sinne the Lord no question will bee much displeased hardly drawne to forgiue and not easily appeased towards such offenders for hee complaines of such Psal. 78. 40. How often did they prouoke him in the wildernesse and grieue him in the Desert And Psal. 95. 8. To day if you will heare his voice harden not your hearts as in the Prouocation of the wildernesse when your fathers tempted mee And Iob 40. 5. hee sayes Once haue I spoken but I will speak no more yea twice but I will proceed no further Math. 25. How often saith God would I haue gathered thee together as a henne gathereth her chickens but yee would not Fortie yeares long saith hee of his owne people was I vexed with you in the wildernesse If it had beene but for some few yeares hee could haue borne the matter but it was fortie yeares together God is indeed very readie and mercifull to forgiue but when it is so often committed this makes Gods eares bee heauie and stopt to our cries yea and our selues to bee so much the more vnfit for the businesse I speake not this to cut off any man from the hope of pardon God forbid that wee should take away mercy from the Lord but to shew that men which fall into the Relapse of the same sinnes are in greater danger then before and it makes God the lesse readie to forgiue them and to bee intreated of them Secondly In regard of our selues it workes a difficultie in vs wee being