Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	call_v	prophet_n	2,783	5	6.3476	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12260	A sacred septenarie, or, A godly and fruitful exposition on the seven Psalmes of repentance viz. the VI. XXV. XXXII. XXXVIII. LI. CXXX. CXLIII. the 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. of the penitentials. Seruing especially for the direction and comfort of all such, who are either troubled in minde, diseased in body, or persecuted by the wicked. The second impression. By Mr. A. Symson, pastor of the church at Dalkeeth in Scotland.	Simson, Archibald, 1564-1628.	1623 (1623)	STC 22568; ESTC S107775	256,267	548

by sharpe meanes to be wakened Ionah 1.6.17 that God is forced to vse sharpe remedies to awaken vs. Ionas lay sleeping in the shippe when the tempest of Gods wrath was pers●eing him God therefore threw him into the bellie of the whale and bottome of the deepe that from these deepe places he might cry to his God When therefore we are troubled either by heauie sicknesse Vse or pouertie or oppressed by the tirannie of men let vs make profit and vse thereof considering that God hath casten his best children in such dangers for their profite and that it is better to be in deepe dangers praying then on the high mountaines of vanity playing Nota. By the deepe places may be vnderstood also an heart deepely wounded with the consideration of sinne and Gods iustice for God will not accept such superficiall and scrufe praiers which come onely from the lippes and not from a contrite and broken heart 1. Sa. 1.16 Anna the mother of Samuel out of the bitternesse of her heart powred out her soule before the Lord. Exo. 14.15 Moses albeit he spoke not at all yet the Lord said vnto him Why criest thou for out of the deepe places of his heart he called on God Will not God cast backe the dung of those foolish prayers in their faces who thinke to be heard by their much babling and idle repetition of an vncouth language which they vnderstand not or numbering their beedes as though God could be pleased with such foolish and childish toies which come not from faith because they lacke knowledge nor yet from repentance or a sorrow for sinne Let not men thinke to find mines of gold or siluer in the streets Simil. no they must digge into the bowells of the earth for them So let vs not deceiue our selues thinking Gods fauour may be gotten euerie where for in the deepe places it is to be found I called vpon the Lord. The person vpon whom he calleth was the Lord Iehouah one who onely both might as omnipotent and would as most loujug heare him Psal 73.25 Whom haue I in heauen but thee and in earth none beside thee God is all sufficient therefore pray to him If Christ were not onely sufficient to whom and by whom we should pray we might seeke for others but seeing he is sufficient and none other what follie is it to pray to any but to him God differeth from kings kings are not able to doe all the duties of their office to their subiects Exo. 18.18 as Moses although indued with extraordinarie graces for his ease had seuentie ioyned to him to be iudges of the people and therefore we must addresse our selues to the kings officers to end our businesse But our God is infinite and willeth all men to come to him Mat. 11.28 Come to me all ye that are wearie and laden To adde to a thing perfect is to diminish it as to light a candle to the Sunne Simil. or poure a drop of water in the Ocean addition to things imperfect makes them the greater as the more waters the greater riuer the more men the greater armie more gold the greater treasure Then to adde to an infinite God To adde to a thing perfect is to make it imperfect a perfect Christ is nothing else but to dishonour him Search all the Scriptures if they yeeld one example or commanding of either Patriarkes Prophet or Apostle doing or commanding any to be prayed vnto but God onely Their apocrypha and vnwritten verities and their Legenda aurea must be all their warrand Let vs therefore with Dauid in all our prayers call vpon God 1. Kin. 18 29.37 and with Elias when Baal could not heare his priests pray to our God and with our Sauiour Christ say Our Father which art in heauen Mat. 6.9 I called He setteth downe the forme of his praier vnder the name of calling which sheweth his feruent intention not onely in calling vpon God but crying And this maner of feruent prayer is most necessarie albeit God doth as well heare vs when with Ezechias we mourne as a doue Pray vnto the Lord feruentlie Esa 38.14 and chatter as a swallow both to stirre vp our selues and others to call on God For we are more moued when we call and cry then when we speake with a lower voice Verse 2. Lord heare my voice and let thine cares be bowed to the voice of my prayer IN this verse he craueth attention that God would lay his care to his suite before he propoūd it Simil. For as a subiect whē he finds the kings eare prepared to heare him he thinketh that then he will be the more ready and willing to grant his suite So Dauid heere out of the aboundance of his heart vseth this repetition heare me not that he doubted but God heard for himselfe faith Psal 94.9 He that planted the eare d●●h not he heare But by hearing he desireth the grant of his suite As the king is then said to haue heard a supplication when he hath granted it Let vs with Dauid cry from a penitent heart and in faith Vse 1 and then we may be assured the care of the Lord is ready to hearken all requests Those are to be blamed who thinke that the Lord doth not heare them if immediatly he doth not grant their desire Vse 2 for his delay is for our best and it is our duty patiently to attend his pleasure and time This petition is often repeated in the Psalmes as Psal 16.2 5.4.17.7 c. Prepare your hearts to pray and his eare is euer open to heare you Read 2. Chron. 6. concerning Solomons dedi ation of the Temple there he prayeth that God would bow downe his eare so often as they called for grace Verse 3. If thou O Lord straightly markest iniquity O Lord who shall stand Verse 4. But mercy is with thee that thou maiest be feared These two verses are the summe of all the Scriptures THese two verses containe the summe of all the Scriptures In the third is the forme of repentance and in the fourth the mercies of the Lord. These are the two mountaines Gorazin and Ebal mentioned in Deut. 27.12.13 These are the two pillars in Salomons Temple 1. King 7.21 called Iachin and Boaz we must with Paul perswade our selues that we are come from mount Sinai to mount Sion where mercie is although some sowre grapes must be eaten by the way Ier. 24.1.2 Ieremie tasted in his vision first a bitter figge out of one basket then a sweet figge out of the other In the daies of Moses Exo 15.25 the waters were first bitter then sweetned by the sweet woode And Elizeus cast in salt in the pottage of the sonnes of the Prophets 2. Kin. 4.41 then they became wholsome If thou O Lord. Marke here that in this third verse he two times nameth God by the Lord as in all the other 8 verses he

his mercy is aboue all his works extending to a thousand generations Exo. 20.6 Psal 100.5 Hos 6.6 whose mercie endureth for euer With the Lord is mercie and great redemption I will haue mercie and not sacrifire His mercies are often repeated in the Scriptures as Psal 5.6.12.16.17.20.22.23.24 thrice 25.30 thrise 32. twise 35. thrise 39. twise 41. thrise 47.50.50.58 thrise 60.61.62.63.68 twice c. Ioel 2.13 Mica 7.18 M●th 12.7 rich in mercie ● Tim. 1.2 Eph. 2.4 c. The Apostles salutation is Grace mercie and peace Since so it is As a gardē is replenished with flowers so is the Scriptures with mercie that this herbe of mercie groweth in euery corner of the garden of holy Scriptures and all the Prophets and Euangelists by plucking thereof haue nourished themselues let vs also in our greatest distresses run vnto it perswading our selues that God will as soone denie himselfe vnto vs as he will denie his mercie if we come with penitent hearts and beg it with such humility as becometh supplicants such faith as beleeuers such hope and patience as becommeth the elect we need not doubt he is faithfull who hath promised The Papists Bellarmine and Larinus in their translations Lorinus Bellarmine adde to the Scriptures following the Septuagints and not Saint Ierome as they confesse do adde magnam great giuing greater credit to their owne translation then to S. Ierome who was knowne to haue bin a godly and learned translator or to the Hebrew veritie They confesse the Scriptures in the originall language to be the best and yet do not spare to adde or pare therefrom as pleaseth them and therefore that curse must fall vpon them in the 22 of the Reuelation that God will adde all the curses of the law vpon those who adde to the Scripture and the words of this book and put their name out of the booke of life who diminish any point of them What need haue they to put in magnam great as though the multitude which followeth did not include the greatnesse O God The person to whom he prayeth is God Obiect Against i●uocation of Saint● But in regard of his basenesse and vnworthinesse why doth he not make suite to Abraham Moses Samuel Iob or some other holy men onely contenting himselfe with God For I thinke the sinners of old time had as much need of the suppliment of the old Patriarkes and Fathers of the Church as we haue now of the helpe of our Apostles and Saints If they had not mind of such Mediators ●●●si● but fled onely to God I thinke we should follow their footsteps When God is deficient then let vs go to them and when the Sunne of righteousnes doth not shine it is time to light our halfe ●pennie candles Paul saith O foolish Galatians Gal. 4.3.1 who hath bewitched you and I say O foolish Papists when will you leaue off your folly If Christs intercession being God who knoweth all our necessities and pitieth them were not perfect then we might claime some subsidies but it is vaine to seeke other● when he hath all for that doth greatly derogate to his glorie as I haue spoken in another place He vseth the word Elohim representing the holy Trinitie He inuocateth the whole Trinitie of which some of the ancients haue this coniecture because he failed against the Fathers omnipotencie when he abused his regal power in slaying Vriah against the Sonne being the wisedome of the Father vsing deceitfulnesse and fraud in this murder against the Spirit when he by his filthinesse abused his holinesse who is the Spirit of sanctification Therefore say they he now prayeth to Elohim Iudge of this nomination as ye please Elohim representeth the Trinitie as Iehouah the vnitie of both which Saint Augustine in his Confessions admonisheth vs We should saith he ne●er remember the vnitie of the essence but we should as soone remember and dissolue our mind vpon the trinitie of the persons and not so soone thinke vpon the trinitie of the persons but to gather in our minds the vnitie of the nature which albeit they be vnspeakable and incomprehensible to vs it is enough that we speake with the Scriptures beleeue with the Scriptures and pray at the direction of the Scriptures whose direction if we follow we cannot erre in whose paths as being the vndoubted writs of God if we walke we cannot fall According to thy louing kindnesse The thing which he reposeth and resteth vpon Against merits is not his owne deserts but Gods good wil. Iudge ye if this ouerthroweth merit or no. For if any man might haue pretēded good works it was he Psal 16. I giue saith he my goodnesse to the Saints I am companion to all them that feare thee I wash my hands in innocencie and compasse thine altar Looke the 101. Psalme concerning the gouernment of his family and his owne person Of his vpright life he saith Iudge me according to my righteousnes While he hath to do with men there was no man more pure in life and religion but when he hath to do with God he renounceth all and taketh him to Gods kindnes and fauour While we looke downe to the earth our sight is sharp enough and we may see far and cleerly Simil. but when we looke to the Sunne then our sight is dazled and blinded so before men we may brag of our vprightnesse and honestie but when we looke vp to God we are ashamed of our selues yea of the least thought of our harts The Lord of his mercie keep vs from presumption that we presume not in any good thing we do seeing that it is Gods worke in vs let him take the honour of his owne worke and let vs say with Dauid Shame belongeth to vs but glorie to thee Out best actions are contaminate with such imperfections and spots that we haue cause to ●top our mouthes and blush and be ashamed of them we are conscious of the manifold faults and defects which are in them According to the multitude of thy compassions put away mine iniquities He exaggerateth the weight of his sin in that it hath need of many mercies whereby he testifieth that his sinnes were many passing the number of the heires of his head and like waters that had gone ouer his head So Gods mercies are more then mans miseries many sinnes require many mercies Men are greatly terrified at the multitude of their sinnes but here is a comfort our God hath multitude of mercies If our sinnes be in number as the heires of our head Gods mercies are as the starres of heauen and a● he is an infinite God so his mercies are infinite yea so far are his mercies aboue our sinnes as he himselfe is aboue vs poore sinners By this that he seeketh for multitude of mercies The godly account one sin t● be many he would shew how deeply he was wounded with his manifold sinnes that one seemed a hundred where

whereupon wee must walke euen Faith and Loue which two will carry vs to heauen without Faith thou art lame of thy right foot without Loue thou art lame of thy left foot let Faith worke through Loue. Beleeue in Iesus Christ and liue a Godly life and assure thy selfe thou art in the way to heauen Note If thou beleeue and liue euill thy one foot is in the way to heauen thy other to hell so if thou pretend a good life and casts away the word thy left foote is to heauen and thy right to hell 1 Thes 4. ● Concerning Loue yee need not that I write vnto you for ye are taught of God to loue one another Moreouer this way in the Scripture is surely set downe and the word is so called many times in the hundred and nineteenth Psalme Ioh. 5.39 Such great commendation hath Christ giuen to the word that hee desires vs diligently to search it Patres ex Scripturis didicerunt nos ex iis discamus viam the Fathers learned of the Scriptures A desire to be taught presupposeth an ignorance Simil. let vs learn of them the way Teach me thy pathes this presupposeth that men are ignorant by nature for euen as strangers put in a Wildernesse where there is no straight way could very hardly discerne vvhat vvay to take but vvould bee a prey to Beasts and Brigands so are men by nature ignorant of God Act. 8.31 The Eunuch said to Philip How can I vnderstand without an Interpreter Nature may teach thee vvayes to maintaine this life but the vvay to heauen there is no reason that can perswade or teach it commeth by diuine inspiration Mat. 16.17 Blessed art thou Simon sonne of Iona flesh and bloud hath not reuealed it vnto thee but my Father that is in heauen The Philosophers and Astrologians vvho vvere quicke in iudging things naturall were but blind in grace Mat. 11.25 I thanke thee Father thou hast hid it from wise men and reuealed it to babes The Scripture is as the Starre that leadeth vs to Bethleem Mat. 2.9 This is a great humility in Dauid that being a King and a Prophet yet he would learn this Lesson to serue God let Preachers euer bee learning S●crates said at his death Hoc vnum scio me nihil scire I know this one thing that I know nothing Note a conceit of knowledge is a m●rke of ignorance Hee repeats this vvord teach mee often vvhereby hee acknowledges that the chiefe lesson hee vvish●th to learne to make him wise is to know how to serue God by his word and of this wisedome in the 119. Psalm he affirmeth that it will make him wiser then his enemies then his masters then his ancients By the word teach Doctr. Preaching of the word of God is the ordinarie meane of Saluation Luk. 4.16 hee would teach vs that the ordinary meanes of Satuation and knowledge is the word preached How can they beleeue without preaching not by reading mumbling Masses c. but by liuely preaching Christ preached so in the Temple when he tooke the Booke from the Reader Brethren haue yee any word of exhortation for the people Preach in season and out of season Act. 13.15 The repetition of the words shew mee teach mee lead mee teach me declares the instancie that hee vsed to heare the word more sweet then honey Ps 119.103 Ps 88 1● yea better then his appointed foode so that hee desired that hee might bee but a doore-keeper in the house of the Lord. This his affection to the word hee declareth by repeating it in the 119. Psalme 175. times The great ignorance which is among vs springeth from a want of desire to heare Ignorance springeth from want of desire to be taught Luk. 24.31 The two Disciples said Did not our heart burne within vs all the time he spake to vs VERSE 5. Lead mee forth in thy truth and teach mee for thou art the God of my Saluation in thee doe I trust all the day Doct. It is not sufficient to bee taught the way vnlesse we be led into it HEe craues not onely to be taught the truth and the way but to bee led and directed in the way that God may not onely point it out to him but conuoy him thereunto and keepe him from going out of it for albeit we be entred in the way of grace if God would not perfect that worke wee would fall euery moment therefore hee worketh in vs to will and perfite and hee who began can crowne also the worke hee is the staffe to which wee must leane and of which wee must take hold knowledge is not sufficient without practice God must make vs to walke in the way wee know Our knowledge will bee a dittay against vs if wee walke not in the way wee know Luk 12.47 for hee that knowes the will of his master and doeth not the same shall haue double stripes For thou art the God of my saluation The Argument by which hee would moue God to teach him his wayes is taken from the person of God whom hee calleth the God of his saluation and his owne person who is saued in that hee beleeues in him and the adiunct of faith which is constancie and perseuerance all the day The Argument is taken from the Office of a Sauiour to guide them whom hee hath deliuered and saued but thou hast saued mee therefore guide me First Doct. All in condemnation without Christ Rom 11.32 Doct. No man or Angel can saue vs but God Psal 3.8 Psal 71.19 Psal 136.11.13 c. in that hee calleth him the God of his saluation hee would let vs see that we are all in condemnation without Christ all are inclosed vnder sinne that God might be mercifull to them And vvhere hee calleth him the God of his saluation hee importeth that it was not in the power of Man or Angell to saue him but in Gods who behoued to take it vpon himselfe to deliuer him from temporall and spirituall dangers Saluation onely belongeth to the Lord What God is like our God who deliuereth vs from our enemies as hee brought the Israelites out of Egypt led them through the red Sea fought all their battels rebuked Kings for their sakes What euer deliuery comes to vs comes by God whateuer instrument hee vseth in the same he saues vs and not wee our selues neither chariots nor horses Note The consideration of this should moue vs to be thankfull to him Moses Ioshua Sampson c. were typicall Sauiours but God was the great Sauiour who saued his people Next if God be the onely and sole Sauiour of our bodies in sauing them from diseases and of our liues in sauing them from our enemies should any seeke saluation to his soule but from him for if a temporary deliuery cannot come but by him what deuillish doctrine is it to teach that saluation can come by any other Seeing then

by the contrary so long as we are vnder Satans guiding a thousand seeme but one but if we betake our selues to Gods seruice one will seeme a thousand Againe we may admire the wonderfull largenesse of the mercies of God the bredth whereof extends ouer all the world the height to place vs in heauen the depth to draw vs from the lower hell the length betwixt hell and heauen O the bredth length deepnesse and height of the mercies of ou● God Admire the mercies of God the multitude of whose compassions neither man nor Angell is able to comprehend Why then doest thou despaire thereof O man though thy sins were neuer so many his mercies exceed them and although thou sinnest seuentie seuen times a day Mat. 7. he can pardon and forgiue thee Thy compassions the word in the original signifieth an ardent and earnest affection of the heart compassionating that which it pitieth as it were the commotion of the bowels as I noted before that his very bowels are moued toward his children Philem. 12 Luk. 15.20 2. Sa. 18.33 Psal 103. as Paul writeth to Philemon This compassion was demonstrate in the father of the prodigall sonne and in Dauid to Absolom much more in God toward his deare children Looke what pitie parents haue to their children greater hath God towards vs. Are not parents touched at the very heart when they behold the miseries of their children yea would they not hazard their liues and estates as many times they doe to deliuer them and will not God be moued towards vs if we considering his compassion and meeknesse would but pitie our selues by confessing our iniquities vnto him Put away He borroweth a similitude from Merchants who haue their debts written in their account-booke and at the paiment thereof they score out that which before they haue written Therefore since our sinnes are written with a pen of iron and a point of a diamond we must pray to God to blot them out that the hand-writ may be nailed to the crosse It is God that putteth away iniquities he can remoue them as a cloud Dan. 9.24 Daniel prophesying of the Messiah saith Seuentie weekes are determinate vpon thy people and vpon thy holy Citie to finish the wickednesses and to seale vp the sinnes and to reconcile the iniquitie All our sinnes shall be washed away by the streames of his blood so that they shall neuer be read or brought to an account either in this world or the world to come Mine iniquities He committed iniquitie against Vriah whom he killed for which he is so charged in his conscience being summoned before the bar of Gods iustice that he can get no rest vntill he get pardon and none could giue him pardon and rest in his mind but God whom he principally offended in killing and destroying one formed to Gods owne image So when we do wrong to men In wronging our neighbour we do most iniurie to God let vs not thinke it enough if we be reconciled to the partie wronged but by repentance and an humble confession of our sinnes let vs seeke to be at one with God who is the partie whom we do most wrong to Verse 2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquitie and c●eanse me from my sinne HE expresseth by similitudes taken from washing and cleansing the mercie which he craued in the former verse that is Similitudes are much vsed in the Scriptures remission of his sinnes Similitudes are very common in the Scriptures and in the ancient Fathers The Prophets spake by similitudes Christ spake by parables the Epistles of the holy Apostles and Sermons of the Fathers are full of them So earthly obiects should serue vs to this end that in them we may see heauenly things and there is no creature There is no earthly thing which may not be applied to some spirituall vse which doth not represent to thee the Creator and if we had spirituall eyes we would apply euery earthly thing to some spirituall vse The dust teacheth vs whereof we came and what we are euen dust The grasse admonisheth vs to seeke a dwelling elsewhere for here we are as grasse which soone fadeth The wormes will vs not to be proud for we are me●te prepared for them The Sunne when it beginneth to sh●ne putteth vs in minde to beg for the Sun of righteousnesse to shine in our soules Euery bird after his kinde praiseth God so should we When we behold bread we should remember that of our Sauiour Labour not for the meate that perisheth Ioh. 6.27 So God hath set all his creatures to be as so many masters to teach vs our dutie The Lord sanctifie our sight that we may looke attentiuely and consider God in his creatures and that they may be as steps of a ladder to draw vs vp to him Sin maketh man to appeare filthy before God Wash me throughly from mine iniquities There is nothing can make men appeare filthy before God but onely sinne as naturall Philosophers through the light of nature haue bin forced to confesse And therefore saith Seneca Seneca Si scirem homines ignoraturos deos ignoscituros non peccarem tamen propter peccati vtilitatem If I knew saith he that the gods would pardon me and men would not see me yet would I not sin because of the filthinesse of sin It blacketh the body with shamefull ignominie The en●● of sinne burdeneth the soule with an euill conscience disgraceth the gifts of the minde and defaceth them blotteth them out maketh them stinke and seeme nothing Vertue in a profane man is as a gold ring on a swines snout The vomit of a dog seemeth filthy to vs and a sow wallowing in the puddle is loathsome albeit not so in the sight of God A man polluted with sin of all creatures the most beastly but more loathsome is a man defiled with blood whoredome and drunkennesse and such like of all beasts he is the most beastly Man was in honour but became a beast and when he is drunken he is then inferiour to a beast which wil drink no more then is necessary and hauing drank can discerne the right way home Alas men now make no end of drunkennesse they adde drunkennesse to thirst The euils of drunkennesse whereby they weaken their nature exhaust their money impouerish their posteritie become infamous to the world make shipwrack of their conscience and so destroy bodie soule conscience riches name and all A woman though she were a Princesse and neuer so gallant a Ladie if she be knowne to be like Herodias Psal 15. she is to be contemned in all godly mens eyes and to be esteemed of as Mordecai esteemed Haman Let vs be ashamed of sinne in any and Blush at our owne filthinesse because of it But alas we are fallen in such a time when sinners are become shame●esse and women not of the meaner sort Nota. delight as much to be harlots