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	prophet_n	word_n	1,753	5	4.0699	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81785	Johannes Becoldus redivivus or, The English Quaker, the German enthusiast revived : visible in this narrative. / Translated into English, for the use of his countrey-men, by J.S. ; Written long since in French by Guy du Brez.	Brès, Guy de, 1522-1567.; Scottow, Joshua, 1618-1698.	1659 (1659)	Wing D2413; Thomason E2137_3; ESTC R208359	48,581	94

affirm that the sense of these words written and spoken by the mouth of the Minister is the true and indubitable word of God as it more plainly appeareth Jer. 36.4 6 8. where the Prophet Jeremiah commandeth Baruch to write from his mouth all the words of the Lord. The words of Jeremiah written with ink in a Book are called the word of the Lord. How often do we hear in the Prophets Thus saith the Lord read these Scriptures Jer. 25.15 Jer. 20.33 1 Pet. 1.23 Isa 40.6 1 Thes. 2.13 Deut. 10.18 Acts 4.31 Acts 6.2 Acts 8.14 25. Acts 11.1 Acts 13.5 7 25. Acts 17.13 Acts 18.11 Heb. 13.7 Ephes 1.13 We ought rather to give credit to so many evident testimonies of Scripture then unto such Ravers who do nothing but rave and dream Muntzer careth not for that but dareth give the Apostle Peter the lye Now they which thus leave the Scriptures finding out another means to come unto God through pride they are deprived of their senses They pretend unto Revelations of the Spirit and despising all reading they mock at the simpleness of those which yet follow the dead and killing Letter as they call it By what spirit is it by inspiration whereof they are so highly rapt as that they dare reject all the Doctrine of the Scriptures as a babish and childish thing they say It is the Spirit of God but it is plain mockery so to speak For they must needs grant us that the Apostles and the faithful in the Primitive Church were inspired by the Spirit of Christ yet none of them durst contemn the word of God and the holy Scriptures but rather each of them had them in very great reverence as we may see it by their writings which are furnished with many testimonies from the Old Testament and certainly thus was it promised by God through the mouth of the Prophet Isa 59.21 where we see that the Lord joyned these two together his Word and his Spirit wherefore should we separate what God hath by an inviolable bond conjoyned Moreover 2 Cor. 12.4 Paul who was rapt up into the third heaven and there heard things unlawful for man to utter notwithstanding gave not over diligent reading nor profiting by the Books of the Old Testament Commanding Timothy to bring with him the Books which he had left at Troas with Carpus 2 Tim. 4.13 2 Tim. 3.15 1 Tim. 4.13 Yea he exhorts Timothy who though he was an excellent Teacher and well instructed in the holy Scriptures to give himself to reading and what praise doth he put upon the Scripture 2 Tim. 3.16 I would ask these men whether they have received another spirit then our Saviour promised to give his Disciples they will not dare to vaunt of another spirit now what Spirit our Saviour promised to send unto his Disciples he sheweth plainly when he saith Joh. 14.26 This Spirit shall not speake of himself but should bring to their remembrance what they had formerly heard of him It is not the Office of the holy Spirit that which Christ promised to dream of dreams of new and unknown revelations or to hold forth new doctrine but it is the work of the Spirit of God to confirm us in that which he hath already spoken by the Prophets and Apostles seeing also that the Lord promiseth not to send us another doctrine saying Hold fast that which thou hast until I come Revel 2.24 Gal. 1.8 9. whereby it appeareth that we ought diligently to travel as well in the hearing as in the reading of the holy Scripture if we will feel the benefit and fruit of the Spirit of God Luke acknowledgeth the diligence of those of Baerca in searching the Scriptures Acts 17.11 To this purpose tend these Scriptures 2 Pet. 1.19 Joh. 5.39 Luk. 4.21 Mat. 4.4 Ephes 6.16 Mat. 22.19 Luk. 24.27 Joh. 2.22 And Paul would have a Bishop to hold fast the faithful word Tit. 1.9 c. Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures c. Acts 14.24 28. If it were otherwise how could we take heed of the deceits of Satan who daily transformeth himself into an Angel of light whereupon should our faith rest we should be carried to and fro without any stability But they do alleadge Object it were a great absurdity to subject the holy Spirit unto the Scriptures to whom all things are to be subjected As if it were a shame and ignominy to the Holy Ghost Answ to be alway like unto himself and to be constant in the same word without wavering at all if any should reduce the Spirit to an Humane or any other Rule it were debased yea brought into servitude but when we say That the Holy Ghost having once spoken is not mutable and changeth not discourse now speaking one thing and then another as men are wont to do who will say that we offer any injury to the Holy Ghost But they say Object He is by this means examined which belongeth not unto men to do Is is very clear Answ that it is such an examination as he hath pleased to establish in the Church that we may not receive the spirit of Satan instead of him wherefore it must needs be that the Spirit abide for ever such as once he hath revealed and manifested himself to be in the holy Scriptures It is no shame nor opprobry to the Spirit for any to say of him That it is no dishonour for him not to be mutable nor to renounce himself As for that which they tax the Ministers to be Ministers of the dead letter one may plainly see the Lords taking vengeance upon the outrage offred unto his holy Word smiting them with a spirit of giddiness for having despised the true and only means of coming unto God which is the Scripture and the Word of God In that passage of the Corinthians where Paul saith 2 Cor. 3.6 The letter killeth and the Spirit quickeneth let any closely consider against whom the Apostle disputeth and they will understand his drift It is very evident that Paul in this place had to do with false Apostles who preached and extolled the Law without Christ caused the people to recoil from Salvation purchased by Christ and the grace of the new Covenant whereunto the Lord had promised to write his Law in the heart of the faithful the Law then being separated from Christ as a body without a soul Jer. 31.33 Ezek. 11.19 Ezek. 36. Heb. 8.10 and nothing cometh from it but death to those that are under it it doth nothing but beat and strike the ears without any quickning the soul until by faith we are sent from it unto Christ as from the Usher unto the Master and then the Law will be found such as David sings it Psal 19.8 The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is faithful making wise the simple the commandments of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart c. Thus must we

teach no more saying Know the Lord as if he should say Ignorance shall not possesse the judgements and understandings of men as formerly when they knew not who the Lord was yea in this restauration of the Church the true knowledge of God should become so common and vulgar that all should know how that the Son of God who is the lively image of the Father is descended here below upon earth to be united unto us being made our brother to guide us unto eternal life We know there is a double us● of teaching one is for those who are altogether ignorant to whom the first rudiments as points of Catechism are to be held forth there be others who being entred in must make further progress seeing then that none hath so profited but that he hath need farther to be taught so it is the greatest part of our wisdom to become teachable Paul sheweth how we should profit by teaching Eph. 4.11 if we would be Christs Disciples saying That God hath constituted Pastors and Teachers c. that we be not unstable children tossed to and fro with all winds of strange doctrine c. whereby it appeareth that the Prophet never intended to bereave their Church of an ornament so precious and necessary The Prophet onely would tell us Joel 2.2 that God would manifest himself both to small and great Isa 54.13 Jer. 31.34 and that the Church should have children instructed and taught of God as was promised by Isaiah This passage then is very clear behold the Prophet saith That they shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord and why because saith he I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their inward parts he doth not reject the external Ministry of the word but he sheweth that the knowledge of God cometh not properly by the labour and travel of men but it is because the Lord engraveth the Law of his Word in the understanding Ministers by their preaching strike upon mens ears and God by engraving his Law worketh upon and teacheth their hearts as he dealt with Lydia at Pauls preaching Acts 16.14 Therefore it is that Jesus Christ Joh. 6.45 seeing the Jews to murmure and storm against the external Ministry of the word saith None can come unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him it is written in the Prophets And they shall all be taught of God whosoever then hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Christ thereby sheweth that those who have heard and learned of the Father do not disdain and reject the Ministry but they come unto it and receive profit thereby and all this sheweth that we are of our selves altogether indisposed to come unto this knowledge of God for otherwise God would not promise to cause us to walk in his statutes and if it were in our own power so to do and that neither great ones by their wisdom nor little ones by reason of their ignorance can mount so high unless by the holy Ghost they be drawn Behold the true sense of the place so wofully corrupted by these first Anabaptists and all they pretend unto tends not but after they have deprived the Church of the Ministry and the preaching of the Word to open the door unto Visions and Dreams as they already have shewn at Munster and Amsterdam as Munzter their first father had begun unto them Was it not a pleasing thing to hear this alwaies sounding from their mouths The Spirit hath revealed it unto me The Father hath commanded me and when any brought a testimony of Scripture contrary to their dreams and visions suddainly they replyed What have we to do with the dead Letter seeing we have the lively word of God imprinted in a living spirit as if the holy Ghost who is the author of the holy Scriptures could contradict himfelf The Apostle Paul foreseeing that such Sects would rise up who would despise the preaching of the Word he adjureth his Disciple Timothy before God and the Lord Jesus who shall judge both quick dead to preach the word to be instant in season c. Satan knoweth that he must take off men from the Ministry of the word when he will have them at his beck to put into their heads what shall seem good unto him therefore his labour is to bring men unto this that they might hold nothing certain but that they finally being disturbed and uncertain he might make them despair Thus in the beginning he wrought with our Mother Eve denying the express word of God the Lord had said In the day that you eat thereof you shall die the death The Devil on the contrary denyeth it and saith No no you shall not die so now he laboureth to take from our eyes the word of God but what may we look for afterwards but that we may be confounded not knowing what side to turn unto for if we acknowledge no more the Scriptures to be the true word of God which as the Apostle Paul saith Was before time written for us that we through patience and consolation of the Scriptures might have hope what will our estate be certainly we shall be more miserable then the beasts and we must give up our selves to Dreams and Fables as those who have rejected this light and must perish wofully Of the Dreams of the Anabaptists and how they are condemned by the Word of God Muntzer preacheth dreams and revelations Muntzer having thus prophaned and rejected the word of God he preached dreams very goodly revelations which he at his pleasure forged as did the false Prophet Mahomet saying That he had seen Angels and gloried that he had talked with them by this means to cheat and deceive the poor ignorant people but all was feigned and counterfeit to make musique unto poor and inconstant fools and the Apostle Paul giveth warning of such gallants that we should take heed of them saying Col. 2.18 Let no man beguile you of your reward c. Yea the Scripture forbids us lending ear to such dreamers the Lord of Hosts speaking in the book of Jeremiah saith thus Hearken not unto the words of the prophets which prophecie unto you Jer. 23.16 21 22 26 27 28. c. we shall have intelligence of this in these last daies are they not in a dead sleep who Will not be awakened by the noise of this strong hammer of the word of God which breaketh the stones in pieces who can be cleansed by such dung and what truth can come forth out of a lye dreams have deceived many and those have fallen who have trusted to them These words of God are true and sufficient to entangle all our dreamers and ravers with all their celestial visions whereof they do falsely and out of a certain malice vaunt Let us then reject such cheaters and follow the counsel of God in his word and we shall alwaies finde it to