Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	call_v	holy_a	word_n	2,845	5	3.9924	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29096	The good old way, or, An excellent and profitable treatise of repentance made by John Bradford in the yeare 1553. Now published with two prefaces relating the life of the author, and the excellencey of the worke.	Bradford, John, 1510?-1555.; Harris, Robert, 1581-1658.; Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.	1652 (1652)	Wing B4106; ESTC R25287	35,398	95

The Good Old Way OR An Excellent and Profitable Treatise of REPENTANCE MADE By that Pretious man of God and faithfull Martyr of Jesus Christ Mr. JOHN BRADFORD in the yeare 1553. Now published with two Prefaces relating the life of the Author and the excellency of the WORKE Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Luke 13.5 The times of this Ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to Repent Act. 17.30 OXFORD Printed by LEON LICHFIELD Printer to the Vniversity 1652. To all faithfull Mnasons old Disciples and all those who desire and endeavour to walk in the good old Gospel-way of Faith and Repentance Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord JESUS CHRIST IT is a common Proverb that good Wine needs no Ivy bush No more doth this good old Wine this excellent Treatise of that Saint of God Mr Bradford need any letters of commendation Yet it will be requisite to speak something and I hope it will be interpreted a deed of charity if I interpose as an Advocate for the truth of this Orphan Tract whose Father was a Saint on earth and now reignes as a glorious Saint in heaven The work is legitimate transcribed after an exact Copy and it 's sutable to the stile and savours of the Authors spirit The many choyce breathings in his letters and this Treatise are all of a peece good old gold more pretious then that of Ophir Something I shall briefely speake of the Author and then of this Tract For the Author what his learning was is upon Record how solid and sinuous his disputations were with the Popish Prelates Spanish Friars and others that visited him in prison and how dextrously he managed all his Disputations with Wisdome judgement and zeale you may read largely in Mr Foxes Martyrology He was a man of an acute witt penetrating judgement and had the approbation and advice of Martin Bucer to enter into the Ministery His piety was rare and eminent As was the man so was his communication holy and usefull Who so reads his spirituall breathings I might almost call it a transcendent style in his Epistles must needs confesse that he was one of the holiest men that ever lived since the Apostles time Take a tast of him in these few characters 1. He was a zealous plaine profitable Preacher of Gods word He knew how to divide the word aright and walke accordingly He had those two rare Qualifications of a Preacher {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} He was a Boanerges a sonne of Thunder to impenitent obdurate sinners but a Barnabas a sonne of consolation to the children of God 2. He was of an humble selfe-denying spirit I never read of any that had a meaner opinion of himselfe then he had You shall finde the subscription of his letters Miserrimus peccator a very hypocrite the most hard-hearted unthankefull sinner a very painted hypocrite John Bradford So cheap an esteeme had he of himselfe This humility is an adorning grace next to the garment of Christs righteousnesse none like to it wherefore the Apostles phrase is Emphaticall 1 Pet. 5. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Be ye cloathed with humility Let it be your uppermost garment Cyprian saith Fundamentum sanctitatis est humilitas This holy man's example is worthy of our imitation 3. He was much acquainted with God and enjoyed a holy communion and familiarity with him in Prayer Meditation He meditated much and Meditation is the spirituall digestion of the soule It 's a divine ruminating upon the word read or Preached when we meditate seriously on the Promises Attributs or such choyce subjects we are up in the Mount with Moses we soare aloft even to heaven being carryed by the wings of holy meditation This meditation is an uphill duty Isaack Moses Paul and other Saints of God have found sweet consolation flowing from it And he joyned prayer to Meditation he was frequently upon his knees and he would not rise up till he felt something coming in some spirituall illapse darted upon his soule His practice was sutable to Bernard's resolution Nunquam Domine discedam a te sine te He studied usually upon his knees and prayed much in his study and indeed he studies well who praies well And he can take the most comfort of his study who reaps the fruits of his paines as Returnes of his prayers 4. He was of a melting tender heart He wept much and mourned that he could not bring his dull heart to love Jesus Christ more At table as he sate at meat he usually pulled his hat down before his eyes and poured forth abundance of teares upon his trencher He had a tender heart bowells opened to the Prisoners he had a tender care both of their bodies and soules When he was in Prison he visited frequently his Fellow-Prisoners and spent much time in praying for them exhorting of them and contributing liberally out of his purse unto them I need adde no more for what I can say is too little beneath the Authors worth of whom the World was not worthy He lived a Saint and died a Martyr Now for this worke which I here present to the Reader I am assured that it s not spurious but the genuine issue of this worthy Author Herein is handled The Doctrine of Repentance with many moving considerations thereunto Perhaps his plaine Phrase may not suite this curious age which is too too much given to affectation of words Sed distinguenda sunt tempora Those times were not used to set forth or garnish their dishes as now they are yet the food is wholsome plaine and profitable And if our palates cannot relish such food I feare there 's some distemper in them and it 's our duty to pray for the removall thereof I shall not make a Panegyrick on the Treatise The work will abundantly commend it selfe Here 's Evangelicall Repentance prest home unto the Conscience with many cogent convincing Arguments It was then spoken in season and it 's a Doctrine that can never be prest our of season These are Gospel daies The Kingdome of heaven is at hand and of all times Gospel times are peculiar times of Repentance The Lord calls upon all rankes of men Magistrates Ministers People Repent Repent Various dispensations call on us to repent some times God speaks in the Thunder of judgement sometimes in the Musick of mercy Both by mercies and judgements we are called to Repentance The last words of this holy Martyr were Repent England And truly the words of a dying man should be much set by Especially of a dying Saint who bequeaths this Legacy to England in his last breath Now whoever thou art that readest this book and art hereby won to think on thy waies and turne unto God give God the glory and look on it as a speciall hand of providence in bringing this book to thy sight I will not detaine thee longer from reading this