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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	call_v	testament_n	word_n	1,729	5	4.3260	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17319	Certaine questions and answeres, concerning the knovvledge of God vvhereunto are adioyned some questions and answeres, concerning the right vse of the law of God : taught publikely by vvay of catechising / by William Burton ...	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1591 (1591)	STC 4167; ESTC S260	79,192	160

infinite multitude a wonderfull varietie as amongst so manie millions of men neuer a one like another in the compasse of the face a most constant order a seemely agreement and an endlesse continuance or pleasant intercourse of thinges coming and going and what exceeding maiestie is in them we must needes attribute these things vnto a God 4 The opinion that man hath of God proueth it for man by nature doth desire to be exalted and in respect of him selfe despiseth all other creatures as wood and stone but when a peece of wood is framed out like a man and set in the temple and man conceauing an opinion that it is a God hee falleth downe and worshippeth it 5 The terror of conscience stricken into the mindes of the wicked after sinne cometh vpon them from a Iudge who detesteth dishonest thinges and exerciseth iudgement vpon the minde But in all the wicked is this torment therefore there is some Iudge who is God because this punishment can not come but from God 6 The punishment of the wicked besides the terror of their conscience with the rewardes of the godly do proue that there is a God and this argument is vsed by the Prophet Dauid when hee saith The righteous shall reioyce when hee seeth the vengeance he shall wash his footsteps in the bloud of the vngodlie so that a man shall say verily there is a rewarde for the righteous doubtles there is a God that iudgeth the earth Q. What is God A. There is but one definition of God in all the scriptures and that is this God is a Spirite Q. A spirite is limited and compassed with time and place therefore if God be a spirite he is so too is he not A. In deed certaine heretiques called Gnostici haue abused that place of Iohn to that effect but when it is said that God is a spirit the meaning is this God is spirituall that is not to bee seene of carnall eies but is inuisible not otherwise Q. How is God to be considered A. Two waies Either as he is in himself or as he is vnto vs. Q. Can God be knowne of vs as he is in him selfe A. No All nature is not able to teach vs what God is neither can man in nature comprehend him Q. How proue you that A. I proue it two waies first by plaine testimonie of scripture Secondly by common reason Q. How doth common reason proue it A. 1. That all nature is not able to teach vs what God is I proue it thus No worke is able perfectly to expresse the worker thereof but all nature is a thing wrought by God therefore it can not perfectlie teach vs what God is That man cannot cōprehēd him I proue it thus 2 The lesse can not comprehend the greater but euery man is lesse then God therefore no man can comprehend God 3 We can not knowe the thinges created much lesse can we know the Creator as for example wee know that euery man hath a soule but who knoweth what maner of thing it is Againe wee know that there be Angels and that they bee amongst vs but what maner of thinges they be we know not 4 The scripture saith the iudgements of God are past finding out therefore much more is God himselfe past finding out And againe the ioies of heauen which God hath prepared for the godly are vnspeakable much more therefore is God himselfe vnspeakable Q. Is there no knowledge to be had of God A. Yes for Paule saith the Gentiles knew God but did not honour him as God but euen as princes haue their secretes whereunto all their subiects are not made priuie neither is it lawfull for them to search into them and yet doe they so farre forth publish their commandements as is profitable for them to know So the prince of all princes hath his secretes vnto which wee are not priuie and into which we may not search yet he hath so farre reuealed himselfe vnto vs as is profitable for vs to know Therefore hee saide to Moses My face thou canst not see that is the glory of my maiestie hee doth not say thou maiest not or thou shalt not but thou canst not but thou shalt see my backe partes that is some small measure of my glory so farre as thou art able to apprehend it Q. Where is this knowledge of God to be had A. In the scriptures for they beare witnesse of God Ioh. 5.39 And therefore they are called his testimonies because they testifie of God what he is and how he will be serued of vs. Q. May we not learne more of God then the scriptures do teach A. No for Paul saith that no man must presume aboue that which is written but so much as is written in the worde of God is written for our learning and therefore wee being prepared by true prayer sanctified with faith and seasoned with the spirit of sobrietie and humilitie we may I say safely learne so much as is reuealed in the scriptures for our profiting in the knowledge of God for Moses saith Secret things belong to God but things reuealed belong to vs and to our children Q. Which call you the scriptures A. The bookes of the old Testament which begin with Genesis and end with the Prophets and the bookes of the new Testament which begin at Matthew end with Reuelation of Iohn Q. These were written by men which were subiect to errors and had their infirmities therfore why should we beleeue them A. Though they were men yet they were holie men set apart by God for that worke and spake as they were moued by the holie Ghost Q. When Ieremie brought the worde of God to the Iewes they said it was not the ward of the Lord but hee spake as Baruch the sonne of Neriah prouoked him and so some perhaps in our daies are so vngodly as to take the Iewes part against Ieremie and all his fellowes let me heare therfore some reasons to proue and make it manifest that they spake and wrote the verie word of God A. That the bookes of the olde and new Testament conteine the word of God and were written by the direction of the holy Ghost it may appeare by these twelue reasons following 1 Their antiquitie proueth it 2 Their faithfulnes without partialitie which appeareth by Iacobs dealing with Simeon and Leui his owne posteritie and by the dealing of Moses against Aaraon Miriam his brother sister 3 The miracles which did so often followe their doctrine 4 A continuance of wonderfull prophesies vttered long before come to passe iust in their times marked with their circumstances not doubtfull like Marlins prophesies but such as expressed the thinges and persons by their names and therefore vnto what may we attribute them but to the inspiration of God 5 The heauenly doctrine in euerie place and nothing sauouring of earthlinesse doth

the impudencie the theftes the whoredoms the filthie mouthes and vnnaturall affections of the wicked in the 21. verse he sets down the cause of al to be this Thou thoughtest saith God that I was like thy selfe to let vs see the fruites of such as know not the nature of God but make an idoll of him and thinke him to be as a man and a good fellow like vnto themselues When the Prophet Esai wold shew the cause of the Iewes idolatrie he saith that the ignorance of God is the cause therof and therfore labouring to draw them from their idolatrie he doth it by describing vnto them the true God Read from the 18. verse to the ende of the chapter When the lord shewed Ezechiel the abhominations of the auncients of Israel he vsed these words Sonne of man hast thou seene what the auncientes of the house of Israel do in the darke euerie one in the chamber of his imagerie for they say The The Lord seeth vs not The Lord hath forsaken the earth to shew that the cause of their iniquitie was their false perswasion and ignorance of God for although they knew that there was a God yet they tooke him to bee but as a man that could not see them in the dark and that he was in heauen idly not medling with the things vpon earth Thus you heare how the Prophets with one consent do crie out and tel vs if the ignorance of God is the cause of all impietie and vngodlinesse And that it bringeth eternall damnation in the end is plainly testified by the Apostle S. Paul who saith in 2. Thes. 1.7.8 That the Lorde Iesus shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels in flaming fire rendring vengeance vnto them that do not know God and obey not the gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ. Where the Apostle sheweth that disobedience to the gospell floweth from the ignorance of God because we cannot obey him whom we know not and the reward of both is the iust vengeance of God As this is plainly proued by the scriptures so it is no lesse euident by the light of naturall reason For when such a conceipt shal once come into our minds that God is as man and hath no more power then a man no more wisedome then a man no more iustice no more mercie no more truth no more goodnesse then a man hath we are far inough of from the true feare and seruice of God For then we feare him as a man wee serue him as a man then the which nothing can be more blasphemous nor intollerable For as an idle scholler lookes on his booke only when his maisters eye is vpon him so the wicked onelye feare God and that with a slauishe feare when they perceiue sensibly by some plague that gods hand is vpon them Whereas the godlie who know what manner of God they serue they feare to offend him at all times and in all places because they know him to be euerlasting and euery where c. The Papists haue thought do think God to be like a man and so they picture him and so they serue him so they feare him and so they loue him And therfore in their temples they prouide for his eyes goodly sights and glorious shewes of guilding and painting c. To delight his eares withall they haue curious piping and singing for his smelling they haue their censings and perfumes and so is al their whole seruice of God in outward shewes onelye as if god were a man in deede which filthy doctrine of theirs ariseth of their grosse vnderstanding of the Scriptures and word of God Then by this time beloued Christians I hope you see how needfull it was for me and how necessarie it shalbe for you to labour that wee maye bee instructed and builded vp in the true knowldge of God that so we may be the better able to make straight steppes vnto Godlines Otherwise if we be not instructed in the waies of God when we shalbe exhorted to serue him we wilbe ready to answere with the wicked of whom Iob speaketh Iob. 21.15 Who is the almightie that we should serue him and what profite should we haue if we should pray vnto him Throughout my booke for the most part I haue onelye quoted the places of scripture which I haue added for the profe of euery point and not expressed the words of the places themselues partely for the auoiding of tediousnes but speciallye because I would haue you take occasion by searching for them to be better acquainted with the scriptures then you haue bene hetherto And seeing as for your benefite beloued bretheren in the Lord Iesus and at the request of some of you which heard me I haue aduētured to make these my poore labours publique to the viewe of all and subiect to the censures of all I beseeche you that as at the first hearing of them you were generally desirous of them so now you would vouchsafe the reading of them to your further profit and encrease in the true sauing knowledge of god The lord almighty make our loue aboūd in all knowledge and iudgement and the same God sanctifie our knowledge and make our affections holye that we may discerne things that differ and that we may be sincere and without offence vnto the comming of the Lord Iesus that we may be filled with the fruites of righteousnes which are by Iesus Christ vnto the praise and glorye of GOD. Amen Your seruant for Christ his sake W. Burton That there is a God Question WHereof doth all diuinitie consist Answere All Diuinitie consisteth of knowledge and practise Q. Whereof is all knowledge A. All knowledge is either of the Creator or Creature Q. How may the Creator be knowne A. That we may know the Creator it is requisite that we consider First whether there be a God or no. Q. Why is this question first A. Because the scripture saith he that cometh to God must beleeue that God is Q. Haue any called this into question at any time A. Yea so saith the Prophet Dauid but hee sheweth also that it was by wicked proud and foolish men whose liues were nothing els but abhomination and corruption Q. But what say you to it whether do you thinke that there is a God or no A. Yea I am out of doubt thereof and that there is a God it may be proued many waies 1 First by his worke of creation for who could make the heauens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them but God 2. By the preseruing of thinges created as for example man is preserued by breade c. which is no better in it selfe then earth and yet if he eate earth he dieth the reason hereof is because God blesseth the one giuing it foison and power to nourish more then the other and this makes me thinke that there is a God 3 If we shall obserue in Gods workes an