Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	authority_n	canonical_a	church_n	4,930	5	4.6276	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42920	The holy arbor, containing a body of divinity, or, The sum and substance of Christian religion collected from many orthodox laborers in the Lords vineyard, for the benefit and delight of such as thirst after righteousness / ... by John Godolphin ... vvherein also are fully resolved the questions of whatsoever points of moment have been, or are, now controverted in divinity : together with a large and full alphabetical table of such matters as are therein contained ...	Godolphin, John, 1617-1678.	1651 (1651)	Wing G943; ESTC R9148	471,915	454

viz. 1. The Father Createth but immediately by the Son and the Holy Ghost the Son from the Father and the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son 2. The Father and the Holy Ghost Redeem us but mediately by the Son but the Son immediately from the Father by the Holy Ghost 3. The Father and the Son Sanctifie us but mediately by the Holy Ghost but the Holy Ghost immediately from the Father and the Son In this deep Mystery of our Religion we must be guided wholly by Faith and endeavor to believe this Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity though we are not able to reason the truth thereof by Natural demonstrations Behold the sacred Riddle of Divinity One Godhead in a holy Trinity Of Persons or three Persons all in one Most undivided Deity alone Distinct in Persons not in Essence no The Godhead's not divided think not so For it 's not subject to division Nor admits of any Composition But distinction without seperation As is most evident by Mans Creation Gen. 1.26 §. 2. Gods Word THe Word of God is the Wisdom of God James 3.17 concerning the truth which is according to godliness being given by inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3.16 the original being from heaven not earth Joh. 3.27 and the Author thereof being God not man 1 Cor. 2.10 by which Word God alone doth onely binde the Conscience by causing it in every action to excuse for well-doing and accuse for sin Now this Word of God is the holy Scripture in which name are to be understood all and onely those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament of whose Authority was never any doubt in the Church which we receive as Canonical not so much because that the Church doth so receive and allow them as for that the holy Spirit in our hearts doth testifie that they are from God Touching which this is a Truth must be held of us That no part of the Canonical Scripture inspired of God such as was committed as the Lords Treasure to the Church for the perpetual instruction thereof in Faith and Obedience is lost and perished nor can be lost or perish so that no one Oracle or Sentence of God can fall away Indeed these sacred Books may be despitefully abused by men many ways but they can never be finally lost and wholly extinguished for the works of God remain for ever and ever And as for any sandy Supposition contrary to this Truth let the vain Supposer answer What Error more can be convinced what Comfort more can be received what Vice more can be corrected what Truth more can be published what Grace more can be commended to the Church out of those Books which he so fondly supposeth to be lost Beware therefore of doubting of Gods Providence herein shaking thereby the Faith of the Church Whosoever thus goes about to strike at the foundation thereof the least dust that falls from the Building will crush the presumptuous Underminer into bottomless destruction The Scripture is a Doctrine inspired by God to make us wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Rom. 1.16 and containeth all things necessary to be known and believed for the salvation of man Joh. 20.31 2 Tim. 3.16 17. the whole being as it were compendiously comprised in the Decalogue the sum of the Law and in the Creed the sum of the Gospel As for all the fundamental Points of Christian Religion necessary to salvation they notwithstanding the darkness of some Mysteries herein contained are clearly and plainly set down so as the humble and obedient heart may distinctly without wavering and gainsaying conceive and believe them Thus not unfitly is the Scripture compared in regard of the perspicuity thereof to a Foord over which a Lamb may wade and in regard of the difficulty thereof to a Sea wherein an Elephant may swim Now though all things necessary to be known are herein contained yet are not all literally expressed as the Baptism of Infants and Original Sin which notwithstanding are distinctly and demonstratively inferred thence and so are all things that belong to Faith and Obedience whatsoever we are to believe or to practice So that the letter of the Scripture may be alledged and yet the word of God missed as by all Hereticks and a man may swerve from the letter yet alledge the true word of God therefore it is nothing less then necessary that we be diligently familiar and well acquainted with this word of God Josephus tells us The Jews knew the Scriptures as well as their own names many of us may tell the Jews We scarce know the names of the Scriptures Most inexcuseable Ignorance sad and lamentable for we are bound to know the Scriptures themselves that by them we may come to knowledge by knowledge to faith by faith to obedience and by obedience to salvation Touching the Apocryphal Books to which the Imps of Rome as to their own Traditions give power equal to the Canonical Scriptures they were not penned by the Prophets the Lords Secretaries as the Scriptures were nor ever committed of trust to the Israelites They contain certain things disagreeing from the true Scriptures of God and no proof that they were penned by the Spirit of God therefore there is no warrant for the equalling them in Credit or Authority with the Scriptures Besides one main property of the Books of the Old Testament is That every one of them was written either by Moses or some other of the Prophets in the Hebrew tongue the native language of the Jews but the Apocryphal Books were penned by some other in the Greek tongue which was not the language of the old Prophets so that they are no part of the Law or of the Prophets And yet as the presumptuous Papists make the Apocryphal Books of equal Authority with the Canonical so others have more blasphemously long since obtruded for Canonical the fatherless brood of other Books unto these as The third and fourth of Esdras An Appendix of Job A Preface to the Lamentation The third and fourth of the Maccabees a Book called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Book of Enoch The Gospel of Thomas and of Matthias The Acts of Peter and in the year 1120 a certain new Gospel called Evangelium Aeternum was found out being full of Blasphemies All which and the like are damnable presumptions plainly forbidden by the Lord Deut. 4.2 and most fearfully threatned Rev. 22.18 19. So then to withstand the Devils suggestion against the Divine Authority of the true sacred Seriptures it is very necessary to have our judgements well informed therein to pray for the Spirit of Revelation or Inspiration which may inwardly testifie to our Spirits That God is the Author of the Scriptures which Principle we must hold undeniable and give no place to doubting about these uncontradictable Truths The Scripture is said to be the Word of God in regard of 1. The Author who is God himself 2 Tim. 3.16 2. The Matter which is Gods

giveth unto him the Spirit of revelation Eph. 1.17 4. In regard of the maner of searching them for if men cursorily carelesly reade the Scripture no marvel if they understand little or nothing thereof The Reasons why the Scripture is in some respects difficult 1. To declare unto man his natural blindeness and to suppress all self-conceit for by the Mystery of the Word the wisdom of man is found to be foolishness 2. To keep holy things from dogs and so to make a difference betwixt the childe of the kingdom and the wicked 3. To maintain the divine Ordinance of Preaching and Expounding the Scriptures 4. To raise up in us an appetite after the Word and an high esteem of it and to keep us from loathing it By the perspicuity of it we are kept from starving and by the difficulty of it from loathing it 5. To stir us up diligently to study and search the Scriptures and carefully to use the means whereby we may finde out the hidden treasure in it 6. To make us to call upon him who is the Author of the Scripture to give us the Spirit of Revelation and not to reade or hear the Word without faithful and earnest prayer For our help in the finding out of the true sense of the Scripture there are divers profitable means As 1. Understanding of the Original Tongues because divers Errors and Heresies have been drawn from Translations and every language hath some kindes of speech proper to it self 2. Skill in the Arts whereby proper and figurative speeches and phrases may be discerned and distinguished and the true construction of words with the just consequents of arguments may be discern'd 3. Knowledge of the Analogy of Faith that is of the fundamental points of our Christian Religion that no sense be made contrary to any of them 4. Observation of the scope of that place which is interpreted and of the circumstances going before and following after 5. Comparing one place with another as the obscure places with the perspicuous Thus the meaning of many Types and Prophesies in the Old Testament may be understood by the application of them in the New 6. Prayer for thereby the Spirit of Revelation is obtained Eph. 1.17 7. Faith and obedience in to Gods word so far as it is made known The four graces needful to use the Scriptures aright 1. Knowledge whereby in all things that we do we may be able to judge what is the good will of God what is pleasing and acceptable to him Rom. 12.2 Eph. 5.17 This knowledge is attained by diligent reading of the word by meditation on what we reade by a reverend conferring thereof and by a careful humble attention to the preaching thereof 2. Wisdom which teacheth us rightly to apply the word and that both in the true sense and meaning of that particular place which we alledge and also according to the present matter for which it is alledged otherwise we pervert the Scripture to our own destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 3. Faith whereto the power of the Scriptures is restrained for the Word is the power of God to every one that believeth Rom. 1.16 without this all knowledge all wisdom is in vain 4. Obedience for in Religion a man knoweth no more then he practiseth Happy onely which so know as to do what they know John 13.17 by neither carelesly neglecting that which is commanded nor by preposterously doing that which is forbidden The Scripture contains matter concerning all sorts of persons things which may be reduced to these 5 Heads 1. Touching Religion and the right worship of God they teach how to serve him and what to believe of God or Man 1. Touching God that he is one in Essence and three in persons 2. Touching our selves 1. That by Creation we were made good holy and righteous 2. That by our Fall we are become wretched by reason of sin and not able of our selves to think one good thought or to stir one foot forward toward the Kingdom of heaven 3. That by Regeneration we are born again and made the Sons of God by Adoption and by faith we lay hold on Christ our Wisdom our Sanctification our Righteousness our Redemption 3. Touching the Church That it is the company of the Faithful that have been from the beginning By them also are we led to know the two Sacraments and what to believe of the general Judgement that shall be of the godly and ungodly 2. Touching Kingdoms and Commonwealths and touching the Duties of Magistrates and Subjects they inform us how the one ought to rule and the other to obey and neither the one nor the other do their duties for conscience till the Word inform them 3. Touching Families and Houshold-affairs in which are Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants no duty required of them is omitted but all contained herein 4. Touching the private life of every particular person how to behave our selves in the whole course of our life 5. Touching the common life of all men we learn in them how to lead our lives in every estate whether we be rich or poor whether we be high or low we can be in no estate but we shall finde sufficient store of heavenly precepts and examples to teach us the way wherein we should walk The way to profit by the Scriptures 1. We must have recourse by prayer to God the Author of the Scriptures he onely is able to unlock them and so to bring us into the secret chamber of his presence 2. We must keep such order in the reading of them as may stand with our Calling and state of life and take all opportunity to do it redeeming this day what we omitted the last 3. We must understand to what ends uses they were written as 1. To teach that we may learn the Truth 2. To improve that we may be kept from error 3. To correct that we may be driven from vice 4. To instruct that we may be setled in the way of well-doing 5. To comfort that in trouble we may be confirmed in patience and hope of an happy issue 4. We are to remember that the Scriptures contain matter concerning all sorts of persons and things 5. We must have the Doctrine of the Scriptures plentifully dwelling in us not in the mouth but seated in the heart that we may be able to rise up being fallen to stand in the truth to continue unto the end The several kindes of neglecters of the Scriptures and consequently self-enemies to their own souls 1. Such as care not to reade it or hear it at all of all Books they least respect the Bible 2. Such as seldom reade it having fair bound Bibles onely to keep them company at Church 3. Such as reade much but do onely reade never search the Scripture to finde out the true sense and meaning thereof 4. Such as reade and seek out the true sense also but onely to understand the truth of the