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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	bring_v	year_n	yield_v	103	3	6.7912	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14708	Certaine godlie homelies or sermons vpon the prophets Abdias and Ionas conteyning a most fruitefull exposition of the same. Made by the excellent lerned man, Rodolph Gualter of Tigure. And translated into Englishe, by Robert Norton. Minister of the worde in Suffolke.	Gwalther, Rudolf, 1519-1586.; Norton, Robert, minister of the worde in Suffolke.	1573 (1573)	STC 25010; ESTC S103038	125,106	338

diligence in trauell and paines for their fidelitie in true handling and vttering their Embassage they bee well to bee thought of and worthy of their iust cōmendation by whose meanes we haue receyued the will of God the worde of eternall life But some thinke the Prophetes and the Bokes of the old Testamēt pertayned to the Iewes only and are now abolished and permine nothing to vs to what purpose should wee keepe thē or labor to vnderstand them Cōcerning the ceremonies of the olde Law we know that literally they be fulfilled by Christ and in him finished and vtterly abolyshed yet spiritually we are bound to obserue them still as the spirituall circumcision spirituall sacrifices spirituall sabboth or rest from sinne and such like the Moral law is the lawe of nature and the eternall lawe of God and therefore for euer to be kept of vs vnder the new Testament the Prophecie of Christ and his Churche c. as they were promised in the olde Testament so are they truely performed in the newe Therefore the olde Testament and the newe containe both one thing the times are changed he shall come and he is come the matter is one in this word come as the olde Testament is the fountaine where out of the new doth issue as the same liuely water of the spring so is the newe Testament the lighte and brighte shine of the olde What is the newe Testament but a plaine exposition of the olde we may not so expound the newe scripture that we take awaye the olde whereon the newe is grounded If the old scriptures are abolished why doe the Apostles apply them to the Gentiles whom they laboure by the scriptures to make the people of God why are the noble men of Thessalonica cōmended Act. 17. for searching the olde scriptures thereby proued Paules doctrine to be true If the olde scripture be abrogate why did Paule affirme before king Agrippa Act. 26. that he preached to serue their owne deuises and woulde seeme to see something that neuer man saw before them Concerning them that cauill the scriptures to be hard and obscure and therfore not to be studied the plaine contrarie is true For if a thing necessarie be difficult the more paine is to be taken for the obtaining of the same The scriptures are like vnto the sea whiche hath a shallowe shore where the lambe may drynke and refreshe him selfe and a bottomlesse depth where the Elephant and other great beastes may swimme and feele no bottome so hath the scriptures plaine lessons to nourish all men though they be but babes and deeper mysteries wherin greater learned men may bee occupied still and yet not in thys life come to the fulnesse of knowledge but euery one according to the measure that God hath giuen Euery art and science is hard to him that neuer studied for it No man is borne an artificer but by studie he commeth to knowledge of artes some difficultie there is in scriptures to thē which bee not conuersaunt therein by reason of straunge phrases figures tropes and vnacquaintance with the tongue wherin they were written And as Gregorie sayth the obscuritie of scripures bring vtilitie that a mans witte may bee exercised and being weried with labour may bee enlarged And he that so is exercised may perceyue and vnderstand that which an ydle man cannot vnderstande Yea and this difficultie hath yet a greater thing For if the vnderstanding of the scriptures in all things were plaine it woulde waxe vile and of no estimation but when the sense is founde in certaine obscure places it so much delighteth more with a greater sweetnesse as the seeking thereof did wearye the mynde wyth paynefull labour Christ therefore willeth as well for the knowledge of the worde as other necessaries aske and ye shal receiue seeke and ye shal find knock c. Aske by prayer seke by reding and studie knock by perseuerance and it shall be opened Psal. 119. Maruellous are thy testimonies O Lorde and therefore my soule searcheth them exceedingly Againe blessed are they that searche his testimonies and seeke him with their whole hearte Iohn 5. Searche the scriptures for in them c. He sayth not reade them or say them with lip labour or for a custome or negligently but search and seeke out the true vnderstanding of them Christ opened the scriptures to the two disciples whiche went to Emaus bycause they were talking conferring and searching the scripture Phillip was commaunded to teach the Chamberlaine by the spirite the true meaning of the Prophete Esay bycause he was diligēt in reading searching that which as yet then he vnderstode not wherefore the scriptures are not difficulte to the Children of God which praye laboure seeke and knock to God for the opening of them but to the wicked as Peter writeth that in Paules epistles some things are hard to be vnderstand but he sheweth to whome they be so for he addeth whiche they that be vnlearned and vnsteadfast do wreast as the other Scriptures to their owne destruction so that to the vnlearned the vnexercised the malicious the corrupted the slothfull and sluggish they be only harde and difficult and to such as loue not the truth for he that doth euill hateth the light and this is condemnation that lighte is come into the world and men loued darkenesse more thā light 2. Corinth 1. Jf our Gospell be hid yet c. loke the place the scriptures are not darknesse but light Psalm 119. 2. Peter 1. therefore they are not to be lightned of darknesse but to lighten the darkenesse Therefore the holy ghost that gaue the scriptures hathe his working in hys Church to open and make playne the same to his that in sinceritie search them But to come to the second sorte although the scriptures be playne vnto the elect yet are they so by laboure and studie and not by idlenesse and negligence Gregory compareth them to a stone in whiche there lyeth fire hid for the stone being holden in the hand is colde but being striken with iron it glistereth with fire which will burne the hand so the scriptures caried only in the hands or in the tong are but colde but beaten with exercise they kindle the harte and set it on fier with true loue Luke 24. did not our hart burne within vs while he talked with vs sayde the two disciples They are also like a treasure hid in the field as one said to his sonnes on his death bed my children there is a great treasure hid in this litle close if ye cā find it After his death they did plough vp the grounde thinking there to finde golde but when they found none they sewe the ground with wheat it yelded great increase and so continued from yeare to yeare till in deede they had thereout of greate treasure So the scriptures being trimmed bring greate frute which being neglected they will not doe There is fine flower in the corne but it must be thresht and

groūd before we come to the meale There is a swete cornell in the nutte but wee must break the shell before we come to the meat Men are not nowe called and taught immediatly from God as the olde prophets were but by meanes of praying reading meditating and conferring with others euery man is not a deuine which can say the letter without the booke and rehearse the words of the texte let euery man measure him selfe with his owne fote and be not ashamed to confesse his ignoraunce conferre with others and learne that he knew not before and giue God thankes for reuealing his word and thinke well of them by whose meanes he is made better learned When Moyses had giuen a lawe from God to the Jsraelites he made a commentarie or exposition of the same called Deutronomie for their easier vnderstanding Were not the writings and sermons of the prophets expositions and applications of Moyses lawe vnto the times and persons as occasion serued and to reproue wicked men to their faces for disobedience to the same Although some to flatter their feygned friends do lay pillowes vnder mens elbowes and as false prophets do dare vndertake that it is not lawful to reproue openly euill men the word of God and examples of true embassadours of God is to the contrarie Did not Esdras reade the lawe and the Leuites expound it did not Christ expound many places of the olde testament which else we had not rightly vnderstand as in the .12 of Mathew cōcerning Ionas Jn the .4 of Luke the place of Esay and in the .24 of Luke Who could haue gathered out of this place of Math. 22. the resurrection J am the God of Abraham Jsaac c. if Christ had not expounded it did not Peter Acts. 2. expound the .16 Psalme and the Psalme 110. of Christes resurrectiō and made a large and a learned sermon Did not Philippe preach and make exposition of the place of Esay to the chamberlayne Acts. 8. be not Paules epistles full of expositions and openings of the olde prophets It may be obiected that all these are scripture and now it is made so plaine one with another that there nedeth no further opening God hath lefte in his Churche prophetes such as do expound the old prophets 1 Cor. 14. pastours builders and suche like therefore the olde bishops and fathers of the Church haue alwayes taught and defended the Churche by interpreting these scriptures some haue written Apologies and defences of Christes religion some exhortations to constancie and martyrdome some haue confuted heresies whiche alwayes do growe when men are asleepe some wrote homelies for the people some made commentaries and expositions of one or moe of the bookes of the olde or newe testament I speake not of Papists and schole men whiche were all corruptours of the texte and that thorough ignorance but of the auncient fathers within foure or fiue hundreth yeares after Christes ascention though J must leaue vnto them their faults golde is to be digged out of rotten earth As Tertullian Ieremie Iustinus martyr Origene Hilarius Hipolitus Arnobius Lactantius Didimus Ciprian Ambrose Hierome Augustine Basill Gregorie Nazianzene and Gregorie Nycen c. all these and suche like were learned men and such as defended the Churche of God and refelled false and erronius opinions by declaring and expounding the word of god How naked and bare were many places of the old testament if some further sense were not rightly gathered of them than the bare letter J do not meane to bring all the scriptures to Allegories for that were to destroy the texte and to open a windowe for euery wandring spirite to flye out at and to range where he list without grounde as some of olde haue done and popish friers with their dreames haue folowed after that neyther they nor any man else wist whether But J meane beside the historie there may be other sense well gathered as of old fathers haue bene If a man did aske of him that doth superficiallie reade what is the meaning in the .10 of Ezechiel of this saying that one whele did roll and moue within an other the literall sense is bare Gregorie saithe that the newe testamente rolleth in the olde for that which the olde did signifie the newe doth exhibite As for example out of Adam sleeping Eue was formed so out of Christ dying the Church was formed As Isaac caried wood to the altar wher he should be sacrifised and yet escaped so Christ caried the wood of the crosse to be crucified in body and yet remayned immortall in diuinitie What meaneth it that the murtherer after the death of the high priest should be absolued and let go home but that after the death of our high priest Christ mankinde should be losed from their sinnes and sent into paradise againe What meaneth it that in the tabernacle was made a mercy stole ouer whiche were two cherubins of gold c. The mercie seate to be short is Christ the two cherubines be the two testamentes of golde for their purenesse they haue wings for that they flye swiftlie they loke each towardes the other for that they set forth both one thing with their faces towardes the mercie seate for they both haue respect to christ A great number of such misteries may be gathered withoute absurditie or superstition out of the olde testament and referred to the newe Wherefore let vs be thankefull to God for his word and for those that haue set it forth or by any meanes opened the true sense vnto vs Amongst others for this sound expositiō of these two Prophets Abdias and Ionas let vs commēd that worthy and learned man and chiefe writer of these dayes one of the chiefe preachers at Zurich or Tigury master Gualter who both by his continuall preaching and dayly writing hath much profited Christes Church It was translated by master Ro. Norton a godly and learned preaching minister in Suff. not to be published in print as you knowe best but only a thing of priuate exercise and giuen to you as a token of that good will which I haue herd him ofte testifie that he bare you not without your great desert towards him But comming to the hands of one my good friend and whom you seeme to loue well inough he desired me very earnestly and vrged me with most friendly request to set some Preface to it lest cōming barefaced it might seme somewhat defaced whiche yet it needeth not considering the good face it hath of it selfe the which he shal see and delight in who beholdeth it more nerely and narrowly But I coulde not denie his request bycause it was reasonable I would not for that it was friendly Nay I did it most gladly taking no small pleasure by this occasion in the sweete remembraunce of the godly and reformed housholds of good master Drue Druries and yours wherein your selues and your rightly and truely worshipfull Ladies do by your owne godly lyues and framing your childrē

we gaue warning in the beginning hereby is confuted that opinion full of desperation which the Nouatians bothe of auncienter time and of later continuance wold bring in who denie repentāce remission to such as haue once fallen if they fall again and if as it is prouerbially spoken they stumble at the same stone wherat they stūbled before They abuse certen places of the scripture but especially that which is conteined in the epistle to the Hebrues whereas the Apostle writes thus It cānot be that they vvhich vvere once lightned and haue tasted of the heauēly gifte vvere become partakers of the holy Ghost and haue tasted of the good vvorde of God of the povver of the vvorld to come if they fall avvay should be renevved againe by repētance as concerning themselues crucifying the sonne of God a freshe and making a mocke of him For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth ofte vpon it and bringeth foorth herbs meete for thē that dresse it receiueth blessing of god But that grounde vvhiche beareth thornes and briers is reproued and nigh vnto cursing vvhose end is to be burned These wordes in some parte mainteine their assertiō but to those that rightly looke vpon the matter the errour wil steightway appere For first of al the Apostle speaketh not of euery kinde of sin nor of euery denying of the faith but of the sinne against the holy Ghost which they cōmitte who after they haue bene lightened by the word of God and holy spirite and so haue layde holde vppon Christ and thorough him true saluation yet of purposed malicious mind cast him off bicause they preferre the worlde and the loue thereof before eternall life To such as these are euen Christe himselfe denieth that theyr sinne shall be remitted and of the same is it that Iohn speaketh saying There is a sinne for vvhiche say I not that a man should pray And that this is it whereof the Apostle to the Hebrues doth mean we are taughte by that diligent rehersall whiche he maketh of the enlightning of the heauenly gifte and of the powers of the world to come all whiche things are allotted vnto vs by the holy ghost whom also he expressely nameth So then without good aduisemente do they extend that to euery fall whiche the Apostle speaketh of this only kind of sin Again his words are not simply of repentaunce but of renewing or regeneration the efficiēt cause whereof is the holy Ghost and the ende repentance which newe birth cōprehendeth the whole life of man ordereth it according to the prescripte of Gods will. And such as sinne against the holy ghost he denieth that they cā be renued to this repentance so doth he both shew that the cause of this vncurable mischiefe is in thē selues and also acquiteth God of all blemishe of crueltie In prouing whereof he vseth two arguments The first is that they whiche of purposed impietie haue shaken Christ off haue no remedy lefte whereby to recouer saluation againe excepte God should afresh giue his sonne to be crucified and made a mocking stocke But bycause God will neuer do so neyther stādeth it with equitie that he shuld appointe a newe merite of saluation vnto such as haue reiected the former therfore is it vnpossible that the same men should be renewed and receiued into fauoure againe The other argumēt he fetcheth from their disposition and nature declaring that these kind of men are of their number from whom we can hope for nothing that good is And here he vseth a fine parable As the nature of the soile is knowne by the fruites that come thereof and most certeinly that is blessed of god whiche being watered with shoures becommeth fruteful but cōtrariwise it is a manifest tokē of cursed and desperate barennesse if neither by shoures it can be softned nor yet by laboure tilled to yelde encrease So if any be of such wilfull obstinacie as that there can be no good done amongst thē by those meanes of the holy ghost wherby God is wont to enlighten his children to draw them make them partakers of saluatiō what further hope may be cōceiued of thē by what meanes can they be repaired and wonne agayne For sith the holy ghost alone hath the iurisdictiō authoritie ouer our minds past all hope of necessitie must their malice be which either refuse to giue him place that he may enter or wickedly cast him off again hauing bene once admitted in Howbeit far otherwise is the conditiō of the elect to whome the same happeneth which by experiēce we sée in the good soile For as in it somtime through carelesnes of the husbandmen ther grow vp nettles briers yet abideth it tilling and these being once rooted out it receiueth good séed So also the godly elect being ouercome with the fantasies of the flesh neglecte the trauaile about their owne minds and by this occasion there spring vp of al sorts of vices in them yet when as afterwarde they are tilled a new by the word of god and made frutefull by the seede thereof they brīg forth frutes worthy of their calling And to this effect serue the examples whiche are euery where set foorthe in the scripturs Dauid being restored after his adulterie that he had committed yet falleth againe being become proud by nūbering of the people prouoketh gods wrath against himselfe yet being penitent God receiueth him into his fauour We réede also that the Apostle Peter whē as after his denying of Christ he was restored again to his function Apostolicall yet fell afterward into another errour went not the right way after the truth of the Gospell all this notwithstanding the Lord did not cast him away for that he was cōtēt to heare wholsom admonitians whereby he was called into the right way again What dothe not Ionas at this presente stumble at his olde stone while as nowe he excuseth his former euill done déede and heapeth vpon it both more and grieuouser offences But doth God I pray you depriue him of all hope of pardon No. He doth rather after he hath friendly reproued him teach him to be of a better iudgment Neither do we speake thus muche to that end that ther might be a window opened for wickednesse as though wée wold make a lawe to haue sinne vnpunished but to stay and hold vp weake cōsciences whiche being amazed with the outragious disputacions of certaine fantastical men incline euen to desperacion And this our iudgemente is not a litle confirmed to be true by this present description of God whiche Ionas here vnawares bringeth out of the lawe against himselfe and whiche alone mighte haue ben able to haue confuted his errour For if he knewe God to be suche a one what follie was it to blame him for the which he is accustomed to do by his own dispositiō nature Who being well in his wittes woulde be angry with the fire for that it