Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	aaron_n	call_v	priest_n	82	3	6.1882	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34679	An exposition upon the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation by that reverend and eminent servant of the Lord, Mr. John Cotton ... ; taken from his mouth in short-writing, and some part of it corrected by himself soon after the preaching thereof ; and all of it since viewed over by a friend to him ... wherein some mistakes were amended, but nothing of the sense altered.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Allen, Thomas.	1656 (1656)	Wing C6432; ESTC R6199	216,496	285

day by day were fashioned c. In the providence of God there was a deliniation of all creatures and actions that should come to passe There is truly also the booke of conscience for also in that God registers all our actions according to which we shall be judged the conscience bearing witnesse about our persons and actions so farre as they are enlightned by God And you read also of another booke The word that I have spoken that shall judge them at the last day John 12. 48. he shall judge all the world by it Rom. 2. 16. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel These books will be opened the booke of Gods Providence the booke of the Scripture and the book of conscience by which we shall be judged But there is also the booke of Life by which wee shall be judged in Rev. 10. 12. Now for the book of life that hath a double exception in Scripture for sometimes it is put for the Church register in which all are registred as those that were the living in Jerusalem Isa 4. ● It is said Every one that remaineth in Hierusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Hierusalem Or as the word is in the margent or bigger Bibles written To life in Hierusalem In the Originall it is capable of both constructions Every man capable of life is written in Hierusalem There is a book written of them that live there of which it is said Psal 87. 6. the Lord will recount when he writteth up the people that this or that man was born there Of this book also you read in Ezek. 13. 9. where the Lord doth threaten the false Prophets that his hand shall be upon them that see vanity and devine lyes they shall not be as members of my people nor shall they be written in the writing of the house o● Israel they shall neither have fellowship with Church nor Common-wealth There is a writing therefore a Register a Record of them which in the Old Testament were counted Geneologies and very carefully did they keep them that if they could not shew their pedigree from this Geneology they were as polluted Ezra 2. 59. as also vers 62. where he tells you of sundry that came in among the people of Israel but because they could not find their names in the Register they were left aside till they could finde further proof of their pedigree they might be received as other Proselytes but not as native Israelites who were counted of the Church from the line of their Parents and some of the sonnes of Barzilli some of the Priests they thought it more honour to fetch their pedigree from their father Barzilli whom David had advanced to sit at his Table and they thought it more honour to be counted of the house of Barzilli then of the order of Aaron And they when they would have presented themselves to the Priests office they were not received why because they were not found in the Churches Register and they had no direction from the Word to take Noble mens sons to be Priests but only of the sons of Aaron So this is the book of Life it is called The writing of the living in Hierusalem This is the book of life the Church-book it is nothing but a counterpane of the book of life but not exactly agreeing to it sometimes we put in more then God doth and sometimes lesse There be that belong to life whom we do not receive Others they do not present themselves or we do not receive through some failings in them or us but if they belong to life they are written in the Lambs book of life they may not be written in the Church book but this is not the book here spoken of the book of the life o● the Lamb The Church is the body of the Lamb but they cannot discern who are his The Lord knows who are his so do not we nor the members of the Church therefore you heare here of a distinct booke of the Lambs book of life of which book it is expresly written Rev. 20. 15. That whosoever was not found written in the Lambs book of life was cast into the lake of fire All men therefore that are written in the book of Life or in the book of the Lamb they are written to life Now this we cannot say of the Church-book for as hath been observed of ancient time there are many wolves within and many sheep without Sometimes the Church hath cast out her most precious members both Officers and Members sad experience hath made it true in our times therefore that is not a certaine rule that if a man be left out of the Church he is left everlastingly unlesse there be such contempt of means of grace as in those whom the Lord hath branded for such whom he takes no pleasure in to eternity For it is said whoever was not found written in the Lambs book of life was cast into the lake of fire Therefore this is some other then that booke of the Church What book is that no other but the eternall record and register of Gods election that is the Lambs book whoever is not found he is indeed cast out into the lake of fire being shut out from salvation by Christ and then what hope of salvation is there in himselfe Now of this book it is of which Moses speaks Exo. 32. 33. If thou wilt not forgive the sin of thy people then blot me out of the book which thou hast written not which the Church hath written but which thou hast written which the Lord hath written of life in Christ in which the Lord hath written all the names of his Elect This is the book out of which hee desires to be blotted out of such was the extasie I cannot say of his zeale but he was filled with such ardent zeale that rather then such a reproach should be cast upon God that he was not able to bring them to the Land of Canaan let him be blotted out of the book which he had written let damnation it selfe fall upon him rather then the name of the Lord should be reproached by the uncircumcised Heathens and in that sence Paul wisheth himselfe separate from Christ for his brethren his kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9. 3. He doth not say he would be cast out of the Church but he found that zeale for the whole Church and for the Lord Jesus that rather then the Gospel of Christ should be hindered if it may stand with Gods liking he could rather wish such a wretch as he should be cut off then that the whole body of his people should be cast off This is the Lambs book of Life called the book of Life not because the Lord stands in need of a book but because those whom in his eternall purpose he hath decreed to save his unchangeable purpose doth fixe them as

of fire and brimstone But those that worship the Beast are not written in the Lambs booke of life that is in the Text Here are two propositions very evident All that are written in the Lambs booke of life doe not worship the Beast But those that worship the Beast are not written in the Lambs baok of life Then the conclusion is They shall be cost into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone That if it appear that this Beast is the Roman Catholick Church and the head of this Beast is the Pope The conclusion will be most evident that no man living and dying a Papist can go beyond a Reprobate I dare not say but some that are ignorant whom devotion hath carryed to that Religion it is possible some of them when they come to death may see the vanity of that Religion of worshipping Saints and of confining their Faith to them but that is not by their Religion but if they dye in that Religion and if their faith and worship be thrust upon them from the Roman Catholick Church and they worship Saints and Angels and believe in their owne merits for their justification I do pronounce to you that a Papist living and dying a Papist cannot go beyond a Reprobate I meane such an one was not written in the Lambs booke of life And they that are not are cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone that is the issue And therefore what a fearfull thing is it in such that do all they can to reconcile Nations to the Church of Rome and are mad upon Romish religion what desperate service do they undertake to bring men to such a religion as destroys many millions of soules It is true Those that are written in the Lambs booke of life God looseth none of his sheep but it is evident they are bloody Butchers of many Christians not chosen yet devout Christians many an one under pang of Conscience with sence of many sinfull passions and lusts are not able to get out but by a Priests absolution and if they be covered with a Fryars coule they hope they shall do well enough Such a conscience as can be opened and healed by such wooden keys as these if they know no more such cannot be saved I will not enlarge it but it were necessary to be pressed and urged in some places look not at it as a matter of curiosity and circumstance what Religion a man dyes in and think as some States-men doe that if it were not for hot-spur'd Jesuites on the one side and hot-spur'd Puritans as they call them on the other side Protestants and Papists might be easily reconciled These are the whisperings of flesh and blood but that which is written in the word doth bear expresse testimonie against such a conclusion For if Jesuites were removed and Puritans too yet if there were any left that thought they could worship the Church of Rome as they require that you must believe as they believe your faith is built upon the Church and upon the dispensation of the keyes of that Church such a faith and obedience as fals short of Christ Jesus that all salvation is to be expected from him if both Jesuites and those they call Puritans were removed if there were none but that take up their faith and obedience in that worship they hold forth I say there is not any one of them that so live and so dye knowing what they believe that can be saved Indeed you read in Rev. 3. many know not the depth of Satan and it is another matter what God may dispence to them in private but men that know what they do and believe according to the doctrine of that Church and worship according to the direction of it I say men living and so dying there is not one of them whose names are written in the Lambs book of life and therefore shall be cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone This may teach us a true ground of any mans preservation from the pollutions of the world bewitching pollutions sometimes a Catholick Strumpet carries all the world after her as in those times Sometimes the world swallows up the Church and every man thinkes him happy if hee may be clad with thick clay others are taken up with provisions for their belly and sensuall Epicurean lusts there be a world of such people Now what doth preserve the people of God that they are not carryed away either with the Catholick religion or with worldly ambition they are not taken with these but see the vanity of them what are any of us better then those that have been bewitched by these but what puts the difference The originall difference is God hath written them in the Lambs book of life and what hee hath written he hath written as Pilate sayd Hee hath written such to life and his decree is irrecoverable My counsell shall stand and I will do all my pleasure Isa 46. 9 10. Therefore there is the Originall from thence it flows the Lord Jesus Christ concurring with the Fathers counsell he hath given us redemption from the blood of Ancestors and redeemed us from the present evill world and will seek up every stragling Lamb and presents us spotlesse to his heavenly Father and then the spirit of God by which he works all in the hearts of his people that receives us for Christ and the spirit for Christ comes and takes possession of us and so thereby girds up our loyns to a dependance on him and his grace that we are preserved and saved from those fearfull temptations that overcome others and all the world are over-whelmed withall It may teach us the marvellous freedome of the love of God and therefore to admire the wonderfull love of God the cause of all this our preservation from such prevailing evills as swallow up the whole world how doth it appear why I pray you consider when the Lord wrote down thy name or mine or any mans name who stood by at his elbow if I may so speak to put him in mind of my name or thine he thought of us if our names be there and he set us downe and he delivered us to Christ Jesus by name what ever thy name is he took notice of thy name such a man in such a place he will live in this or that Countrey he is one take notice of him lay down a price for him in fulnesse of time send a spirit into this heart if he live in a Popish Countrey save him from Popery If in a worldly Countrey save him from the world where ever he lives save him from himself and bring him to my heavenly Kingdom but what was there in us that could commend us to God or what could there in us but what he appointed but what he should put into us he could not fore-see any thing but that hee must work it therefore it must certainly be his undeserved love that must

Ghost pitch upon sixe and the multiplication of sixe by ten Why you that are conversant in the Latine Bible look Junius his notes and he tells you whereas all the Catholique Church was formerly governed by five books of Decretalls Boniface he did compile a sixth book of Decretalls and called it Sextus you that have the book of Canons may finde it which being said the Pope a perfect number and therefore being added to the former books of Decretalls it maketh up a certain plat-form of direction for all matters of practice and manners in the discipline of the Church and so it is a perfect number of all things to be done in the Church both for doctrine worship and government so the Popes Canons are summed up in his Sextus there is the reason why he makes sixe the foundation all their Administrations are founded and measured out from their Canon●Lawes which are all wrapped up in six volumes and the sixth is the most compleat of them all Now if you will aske why this sixe comes to be multiplyed by ten If ye observe it all the government and maintenance of the Roman State is by tenths by tithes all the people must give the tenth to the Priest and the Priest to the Bishop for the mayntenance of the Catholicke Church and so the whole Government comes to be multiplyed maintained and established Thus you see what the number is and the reason why the Holy Ghost calls it so and how he doth oppose it to the contrary number of that which is delivered by the blessed Apostles and followed by the holy Saints of God from one generation to another Put then all these together and all will amount to this That whereas the number of Christ upon which both his followers are built and his Church and all the Dimentions and Administrations of it Their foundation their gates their length heighth and breadth all of them are founded in the Apostolicall doctrine For Christ prayed for his twelve Apostles and all that should believe in his name through their word John 17. 20. It is the comprehension of all Saints to the end of the world whereas they are built upon Apostolicall simplicity both for their State and Church-administrations they are all built upon twelve and multiplyed and enlarged by 12. On the contrary all the Roman Catholickes they are built upon the Popish Lawes and Decrees all which require subjection to the Popish Church and submission to that Church and to the Pope as the head of that Church receiving doctrine and worship and discipline from that Church and that was founded in sixe on the sixe books of their Decrees and it is multiplyed according to the same books to mayntayn all the Clergy from the Pope to the lowest Parish priest And it is wisdome to find this out and it requires heavenly wisdome to see the dangerous state of this and yet they that have wisdome may finde this out and when they search it out They will finde it but the number of a man not of the Angel or of the Apostles or of any messenger of God I remember the speech of one of the Saints of God That it is a most unworthy thing that the Church of Christ should be governed by the Lawes of Antichrist and such were all their sixe books and it is most unworthy that both the Church it selfe and all the Images of it that they are all governed by these sixe bookes and it is most unworthy that Antichrist should govern all the Administrations of the Church that if a man be cited it shall be by a Latine writ and if he appeare he shall be proceeded against according to Canon Lawes and if he be censured it shall be a Canon Law and in Latine and so shall his Absolution be and what pertayns to their whole government it is but founded in these sixe books of Decretals and count them and you shall find them but the number of a man nothing but meerly the wit and policy of men either to keep unity as they say but tyranny in government or to enrich men with fees or maintayne the honour of some Cathedrall person it is all but meer humane invention Now for a man to see not only the Roman Catholicke visible Church to be a Beast but that the Pope the head of it is a beast and the image of that Church is a beast Diocesan Provinciall Nationall and Metropolitan Churches are but images of this great beast and to see all the numbers and rights they thrust upon the Church by Canons they are but the number of the beast the number of a man humane inventions what is appointed by the Church whether Crosse or Surplice or kneeling at the Sacrament they are but the multiplication of Canons Canon multiplyed on Canon but it is still but the power of the Canon this is great wisdome to find it out And it behooves those that have wisdome to consider it and they that consider it shall find it but a meer humane device one as well as another and they will consider which way the State goes and which way the State leanes Though some poor hearts think they are bound to obey the Lawes of the Kingdom and some good souls many times will be tampering with them too much but he that shall observe it shall find it but the number of a man when he doth find it He shall find thus much that if he do believe as God is wont to teach to his people they shall not have the liberty of Commerce in buying and selling nor leave in spirituall or temporall occurrances and dealings with them For the use of it First let it be some word of encouragement and comfort unto all the servants of God that have got the victory over this number though with their losse not to look at their losses as an unexpected thing or new matter but prophecyed of above 1500. years agone John wro●e of it in his time what you lost in your liberties in the Church wherein you lived it is no more then what the Lord foretold you that you should not have liberty to buy and sell if you did beare witnesse against the beast and his mark and name and number of his name then there is no abiding for you in any Church in Christendome which is either Catholicke or framed after the image of it as Nationall Diocesan or Cathedral or Provincial it is not possible you should get the vict●over these things and have liberty of commerce It is not enough that we have cast off the Pope and what is an image of Popery which we sometimes have submitted unto and have born against it and it is not enough to abhor the name of a Papist so far as we have been corrupted It is well that ye have born witnesse against the Hierarchy and the papall government but may we not hearken to the Canon of the Church maintained by a whole National Councel and may we not