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	write_v	2,679	5	6.0117	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26967	Now or never the holy, serious, diligent believer justified, encouraged, excited and directed, and the opposers and neglecters convinced by the light of Scripture and reason / by Richard Baxter ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1662 (1662)	Wing B1320; ESTC R11592	92,411	266

have found the way of applause and prosperity as well as they and that no man takes that for his misery which he chooseth If this kind of preaching or writing offend could not I have avoided it I am not in love with sufferings from men nor will I escape them at the rates of Gods displeasure I never think my self in the highest form of christians till I am more conform to the sufferings of Christ and have endured more then yet I have It is the Christians old Apology in Tertullian Quasi non totum quod in nos potestis nostrum si Arbitrium Certe si velim Christianus sum tunc ergo me damnabis si damnari velim Quum vero quod in me potes nisi velim non potes jam meae voluntatis est quod potes non tuae potestatis Proinde vulgus vane de nostra vexatione gaudet Proinde nostrum est gaudium quod sibi vendicant qui malumus damnari quam a Deo excidere Contra illi qui nos oderunt dolere non gaudere debebant consecutis nobis quod eligimus Tert. Apologet. cap. 39. That is As if all that you can do against us were not our own choice or will Certainly it is because I will that I am a Christian therefore if I will be condemned then thou wilt condemn me And when that which thou canst do against me thou canst not do unless I will it is not now from thy power that thou canst do it but from my will And therefore the vulgar do in vain rejoyce at our vexation And therefore it is our joy which they challenge to themselves while we had rather be condemned then fall from God On the contrary they that hate us should grieve and not rejoyce while we attain but what we choose For my part if the world will needs be mad I think both the laughing and the weeping Philosopher are more excusable then he that would be over-angry at them or over-busie in disputing with them saith Seneca Quare fers aegri rabiem phrenetici verba nempe quia videntur nescere quid faciunt Quid interest quo quisque vitio fiat imprudens Sen. de Ira. l. 3. c. 26. Anger and phrensie are but several wayes of a mans losing his wit and therefore he that can bear with one should somewhat bear with the other Though indeed voluntariness or involuntariness maketh a great difference It is not worth a man's time and labour and cost to be over solicitous in his own vindication let the world say of him what they please Multum temporis ultio absumit Multis se injuriis objicit dum unam dolet Diutius irascimur omnes quam laedimur Sen. de Ira. l. 3. c. 27. Revenge takes up a deal of time He that complaineth of one injury objects himself to many We are all angry longer th●n we a●e hurt I have truly given you now the Reasons why I rather choose to speak these common necessary things against the Devils party the ungodly the enemies or neglecters of serious Holiness agreeable to the subject of his Majesties Christian and excellent Declaration against Debauchery at his entrance upon his Royal Goverment then to meddle with any of the contending parties of these times who are so angry because in obedience to authority I once endeavoured to reconcile them or to be unseasonable in pleading any cause that is my own And now referring the Reader to this short Discourse I must first desire that he misunderstand me not in one or two passages 1. That my citation of the passage in the Homiles be not taken as if I spoke a word against it though I say I dare not my self subscribe it For though I think my self that seeing a persecutor like Saul may repent and be pardoned a mocker at Godliness may Repent and be forgiven also Yet I am resolved still to suspect my own understanding rather then to speak against the doctrine of the Church 2. Think it not strange that I reprehend even Ministers that are secret or open opposers of a holy diligence For our foresaid Homily telleth us as followeth Hom. for Inform c part 2. p. 150 251. Examples of such scorners we read in 2 Chron. When the good King Hezekiah in the beginning of his Reign had destroyed Idolatry purged the Temple and Reformed Religion in his Realm he sent Messengers into every City to gather the people to Jerusalem to solemnize the feast of Easter in such sort as God hath appointed The Posts went from City to City And what did the people think ye Did they laud and praise the name of the Lord that had given them so so good a King so zealous a Prince to abolish Idolatry and to restore again Gods true Religion No no the Scripture saith the people laughed them to scorn and mocked the Kings messengers And in the last Chap. of the same Book it is written that Almighty God having compassion on his people sent his Messengers the Prophets to them to call them from their abominable Idolatry and wicked kind of living But they mocked his Messengers they despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people and till there was no remedy The wicked people that were in the dayes of Noah made but a mock at the Word of God when Noah told them that God would take vengeance on them for their sins Lot preached to the Sodomites that except they repented both they and their City should be destroyed They thought his sayings impossible to be true they scorned and mocked his admonitions and reputed him as an old doting fool But God burnt up those scorners and mockers of his holy Word And what estimation had Christs doctrine among the Scribes and Pharisees What reward had he among them The Pharisees which were covetous did scorn him in his Doctrine O then you see that worldly rich men do scorn the doctrine of their salvation the worldly wise men scorn the Doctrine of Christ as foolishness to their understandings These scorners have ever been and ever shall be to the worlds end For St Peter prophesied that such scorners should be in the end before the latter day Take heed therefore my brethren take heed be ye not scorners of Gods most Holy Word provoke him not to pour out his wrath upon you as he did upon those Gibers and Mockers Be not wilful murderers of your own souls Thus far the Homily And no marvel if Priests may be guilty as well as people if it be true that is said by the Church in Hom. 3. against peril of idolatry p. 56 57. But a true Preacher to stay this mischief is in very many places scarcely heard once in the whole year and somewhere not once in seven year as is evident to be proved Further it appeareth not by any story of credit that true and sincere preaching hath endured in any one place above an hundred years But it is