Selected quad for the lemma: tradition_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
tradition_n	faith_n	scripture_n	write_v	3,423	5	6.0492	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73267	The dignitie of Gods children. Or An exposition of 1. Iohn 3. 1.2.3 Plentifully shewing the comfortable, happie, and most blessed state of all Gods children, and also on the contrarie, the base, fearefull, and most wofull condition of all other that are not the children of God.	Stoughton, Thomas.	1610 (1610)	STC 23315.5; ESTC S117855	406,069	519

state O singular priuiledge O honorable condition The wicked indeed make great mirth They laugh and shout in the midst of their wickednesse that all the place where they are rings of them But alas miserable men this is but painted ioy It is but like the cracking of thornes c. But of this more afterward And againe as touching ioy in any good thing they are so far from it that to heare any thing that way is a death vnto them yea when they are vrged by christian authority to do any thing that good is they do it so against the haire so murmuringly so grudgingly with such griefe moiling and fretting that their said worke is altogether abominable in the sight of God For if God loueth a cheerefull giuer or doer of any thing 2. Cor. 9. 7. then he must needs hate and abhor him that giueth or doeth any thing vnwillingly and grudgingly Thus much for this matter CHAP. XIX Of the dignity of Gods children by the word as it is a rule of faith and life and a speciall part of our christian armor IN the next place let vs consider the benefit of the children of God by the word and Sacraments The word indeed seemeth to be common to the wicked and to Gods children Notwithstanding it is effectuall to saluation only in the children of God If our Gospell be hid saith the Apostle it is hid to them that perish 2. Cor. 4. 3. As whatsoeuer euill we haue we haue it by Adam so whatsoeuer good we haue we haue it by Christ Therefore by Christ we enioy the benefit of the word which is likewise the more euident because by Adam and in Adam we were without the word Ephes 2. 12. They therefore that haue not Christ cannot claime any benefit by the word or any interest into the word Now although the word be the meanes of dying more and more vnto sinne as also of growing more and more in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ 2. Pet. 3. 18. yet because I haue spoken of the word before as of that mighty instrument whereby God beginneth our regeneration at the first and because that before spoken in that behalfe may be vnderstood of the word as a meanes of the things handled in the last former Chapter therefore I will not so speake of it here but in other considerations viz. first as it is a perfect rule of faith and manners containing all things necessary to saluation either to be known and beleeued or to be done and practised Secondly as it is a principall part of that christian armor whereby the children of God are to defend themselues against the enemies of their saluation Thirdly as it is their speciallest consolation and comfort in any affliction Concerning the word as it is a rule of faith and of life or manners two things are to be noted first the perfection of it secondly the perpetuity of it The perfection thereof is expresly commended and prooued by diuers effects viz. the conuersion of the soule the giuing wisedome to the simple c. The law of the Lord is perfect conuerting or restoring the soule c. Psal 19. 7. c. We are also forbidden either to adde any thing thereunto or to detract any thing therefrom Deut. 4. 2 ●● 12. 32. Pro. 30. 6. Reuel 22. 18 19. It is said to be the power of God to saluation Rom. 1. 16. to be able to saue the soule Iames 1. 21. And lest these things should be mistaken as spoken partly of the word written and partly of a word vnwritten deliuered by tradition from hand to hand as the Papists vrge and that the word only written were not so perfect or powerfull therefore the very Scriptures that is the word only written are said to be able to make a man wise to saluation and to make the man of God perfect vnto euery good worke 2. Tim. 3. 15. 16. 17. If the man of God that is the minister of the word so often times called for excellencies sake then euery child of God els For no child of God is bound to know to beleeue or practise more towards saluation then the minister of God is bound to teach Yea whatsoeuer is vrged more for saluation is abomination It is further said that those things that are before written are written that we might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ the sonne of God and that beleeuing they might haue life through his name Ioh. 20. 31. God giueth vs this faith and life by the scriptures and let the Papists take any thing els by their vnwritten verities and traditions Paul repeateth this twice If wee or an Angell from heauen should preach vnto you otherwise then that which we haue preached vnto you let him be accursed Galat. 1. 8. 9. But Paul preached or said no other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come Acts. 26. 22. and he preached no other Gospell then that which God had promised before by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures Rom. 1. 1. 2. So perfect is the word of God that when the learnedst man in the world by long study of any one sentence hath spoken all that he can yet another may come after and adde somewhat which the former neuer spake nor vnderstood concerning that place It is like a bottomlesse well that will neuer be drawn drie yea like the sea it selfe that will neuer be emptied As the Prophet speaketh of the righteousnesse and iudgements of God Thy righteousnesse is like the mighty mountaines and thy iudgements like a great deep Psal 36. 6. so may it be said of the scriptures for the height and depth of them The Apostle by exclamation speaketh thus of the wisdome knowledge iudgement and the way of God O the deepnesse of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God! How vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding out Rom. 11. 33. May not this be spoken of the word of God Where is that wisedome and knowledge of God Where are those his iudgements and waies declared but in the word All the writings of all men in the world are but shallow in respect of the word of God All the books in the world not handling the word of God and doctrine thereof do not containe so much and deep matter as is in one of the least canonicall Epistles An heathen man meeting with the Gospell written by Iohn and reading but the first verse thereof could say that that rude fellow so rudely he termed the Apostle had comprehended more matter in that one sentence then was in all the bookes of all Philosophers How much matter then is contained in that whole Gospell Especially in all the Scriptures All other books whatsoeuer are so much more excellent the more they agree with and the neerer they come to the word of God contained in holy scriptures How excellent then is the said word of God it selfe When all the chiefe wise men

were as well now if wee had no word written at all but that all were deliuered vnto vs only by tradition yet it is certain both that God himselfe commanded the word from time to time to be written and also that it was so written to very great purpose and for very great vse of the children of God That the word was written by Gods expresse commandement many places doe testifie Ier. 30. 2. and 36. 2. Reuel 2. 1. c. The speciall purposes of so writing the word of God are two First that the Church might the lesse erre touching the word for if all should haue beene by tradition men might haue deuised what they would and pretended a tradition who almost could haue controlled them That therefore the Church might haue a certain rule both of faith also of manners against which no exception might be taken it pleased God to command his word to bee written for the better examining of all other writings and preachings thereby Secondly it was so written that all men might the better haue the benefit thereof as well priuately to read as publikly to heare the same preached The rather because sometimes by persecution sometimes by sicknesse sometimes by extremitie of weather sometimes by imprisonment sometimes by some other meanes they be kept from the publike ministrie thereof Touching the preaching of it the Lord tooke order also in that behalfe for the better instruction of all by sound interpretation and by wise application of it according to persons and times and places For the preaching of the word is the right diuiding thereof as euerie one needeth the same in respect of age of sexe of calling of state and condition any manner of way 2. Tim. 2. 15. What a singular benefit is this that all men poore as well as rich base as well as honourable may haue the word and ought to haue the word as their seuerall necessitie requireth And truely though a man know neuer so much yea though a man be neuer so rich in faith and godlines yet the preaching of the word is necessary partly to increase his knowledge which is alwaies imperfect 1. Cor. 13. 9. and partly to helpe his memory in those things he knoweth yea to strengthen the same and as it were to stop the holes thereof for the time to come that the things which they shall heare may not at any time runne out Heb. 2. 1. and partly to quicken him both to obedience according to his knowledge and also to make vse of the word for his comfort for his humbling for his strengthning that he may not fall for his raising if hee shall fall and many other waies For alasse what is the best and most godly man that is but drousie and dull needing both to be awakened daily and also with the spurre as it were of the word to bee quickned yea what is the greatest measure of faith of loue of zeale of meeknesse of patience and of any piety in any man here vpon the earth but as a little fire a coale or two kindled vnder and in a great deale of greenewood which will easily bee quenched and goe out without continuall puffing and blowing for nourishing maintaining and encreasing thereof Neither is the word of God in this manner onely a great benefit for the children of GOD in respect of the writing and preaching thereof that so they may both heare it and read it but also because they may at all times both conferre thereof with other and also priuately meditate thereof by themselues yea this conference and meditation must goe with hearing and reading Otherwise all hearing and reading will bee to little purpose yea whatsoeuer wee learne by hearing and reading it will quickly vanish and come to nothing As the two disciples that were going to Emmaus did talke and conferre together of those things that had fallen out at Ierusalem concerning Christ Luk 24. 14. and as the men of Berea did not content themselues with hearing but conferred together of the things they had heard and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things viz. which they had heard were so or no Acts 17. 11. so may and must and will all the children of God do touching the things they heare The like is to be said of meditation Therefore as Ioshua is commanded to meditate in the law of God day and night Iosh 1. 8. and as it is commended to be the continuall exercise of the man that is blessed Psal 1. 2. to teach that he is none of the blessed company that doth not so meditate on the law so it was practised by Dauid himselfe who proueth his exceeding loue vnto the word of God euen such as wherof he was in a manner sick and the which he could not wel expresse by this argument saying Oh how loue I thy law it is my meditation continually Psal 119. 97. This is such a worke as wherin the children of God may euen in the night as they ly in their bed when they haue no light whereby they may read in the way as they walke or ride in their sicknesse lamenesse and in imprisonment when all other comforts doe faile them yea in their old age and when their eie-sight is either dim and weake not able to endure reading or none at all and when they shall be deafe not hearing any thing or at the least not able to endure the speech of any finally when all other things will be loathsome vnto them Euen then I say may the children of God exercise themselues to their great comfort and to a sweet passing away of the time in meditation of the word This is the more because the wicked not hauing this priuiledge do either spend their time in eating drinking swilling carding dicing dancing chambering wantonnesse and in all vanity or else they find all things more tedious vnto them then they can beare Aboue all things great is the benefit of the word for the former vses because it may be and must be locked vp in the chest of our hearts Iob. 22. 22. Pro. 2. 2. and 10. 3. 3. 4. so that when we fall into the hands of theeues that rob vs of al other things yet that cannot be taken away from vs yea though men take away our liues yet the benefit of the word shall continue with vs For this is that good part that Mary did chuse which our Sauiour saith should not be taken away from her Luk. 10. 42. This especially is proper to the children of God Many of the wicked heare the word read the word confer of the word no doubt also but do oft meditate of the word though somtimes rather for euil then for good as al Papists heretiks do study the word the more to maintaine their heresies contrary to the word but only the children of God doe lay and lock it vp in their hearts to their euerlasting good To conclude therefore this point If it were one of the greatest