Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	canonical_a	new_a	testament_n	5,320	5	8.3782	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50916	Of reformation touching chvrch-discipline in England, and the cavses that hitherto have hindred it two bookes, written to a freind [sic]	Milton, John, 1608-1674.	1641 (1641)	Wing M2134; ESTC R17896	44,575	96

preferre humane Tradition before divine ordinance And in the same Epist. If we shall return to the head and beginning of divine tradition which we all know he means the Bible humane error ceases and the reason of heavenly misteries unfolded whatsoever was obscure becomes leare And in the 14. Distinct of the same Epist directly against our modern fantasies of a still visible Church he teaches that succession of truth may fail to renew which we must have 〈◊〉 to the fonntaines using this excellent similitude if a Channel or Conduit pipe which brought in water plentifully before suddenly fail doe we not goe to the fountaine to know the cause whether the Spring affords no more or whether the vein be stopt or turn'd aside in the midcourse thus ought we to doe keeping Gods precepts that if in ought the truth shall be chang'd we may repaire to the Gospel and to the Apostles that thence may arise the reason of our doings from whence our order and beginning arose In the 75. he inveighs bitterly against Pope Stefanus for that he could boast his Succession from Peter and yet foist in Traditions that were not Apostolicall And in his Book of the unity of the Church he compares those that neglecting Gods Word follow the doctrines of men to Corch Dathan and Abiram The very first page of 〈◊〉 against the Gentiles averres the Scriptutes to be sufficient of themselves for the declaration of Truth and that if his friend Macarius read other Religious writers it was but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} come un virtuoso as the Italians say as a lover of elegance and in his 2d Tome the 39. pag after he hath rekon'd up the Canonicall Books In these only saith he is the doctrine of godlinesse 〈◊〉 let us man 〈◊〉 to these or take from these and in his 〈◊〉 having again set down all the Writers of the old new Testament these saith he be the anchors and props of our Faith besides these millions of other Books have bin written by great and wise men according to rule and agreement with these of which I will not now speak as being of infinite number and meer dependance on the canonical Books Basil in his 2d Tome writing of true Faith tells his auditors he is bound to teach them that which he hath learn't out of the Bible and in the same Treatise he saith That seeing the Commandments of the Lord are faithfull and sure for ever it is a plain falling from the Faith and a high pride either to make void any thing therin or ●…o introduce any thing not there to be found and he gives the reason for Christ saith My Sheep heare my voyce they will not follow another but fly from him because they know not his voyce But not to be endlesse in quotations it may chance to be objected that there be many opinions in the Fathers which have no ground in Scripture so much the lesse may I say should we follow them for their own words shall condemn them and acquit us that lean not on them otherwise these their words shall acquit them and condemn us But it will be reply'd the Scriptures are difficult to be understood and therfore require the explanation of the Fathers 't is true there be some Books and especially some places in those Books that remain clouded yet ever that which is most necessary to be known is most easie and that which is most difficult so farre expounds it selfe ever as to tell us how little it imports our saving knowledge Hence to inferre a generall obscurity over all the text is a meer suggestion of the Devil to disswade men from reading it and casts an aspersion of dishonour both upon the mercy truth and wisdome of God We count it no gentlenesse or fair dealing in a man of Power amongst us to require strict and punctual obedience and yet give out all his commands ambiguous and obscure we should think he had a plot upon us certainly such commands were no commands but ●…nares The very essence of Truth is plainnesse and brightnes the darknes and crookednesse is our own The wisdome of God created understanding fit and proportionable to Truth the object and end of it as the eye to the thing visible If our understanding have a film of ignorance over it or be blear with gazing on other false glisterings what is that to Truth If we will but purge with sovrain eyesalve that intellectual ray which God hath planted in us then we would beleeve the Scriptures protesting their own plainnes and perspicuity calling to them to be instructed not only the wise and learned but the simple the poor the babes foretelling an extraordinary effusion of Gods Spirit upon every age and sexe attributing to all men and requiring from them the ability of searching trying examining all things and by the Spirit discerning that which is good and as the Scriptures themselvs pronounce their own plainnes so doe the Fathers testifie of them I will not run into a paroxysm of citations again in this point only instance Athanasius in his fore-mention'd first page the knowledge of Truth saith he wants no humane lore as being evident in it selfe and by the preaching of Christ now opens brighter then the Sun If these Doctors who had scarse half the light that we enjoy who all except 2 or 3 were ignorant of the Hebrew tongue and many of the Greek blundring upon the dangerous and suspectfull translations of the Apostat Aquila the Heretical Theodotion the Judaiz'd Symmachus the erroneous Origen if these could yet find the Bible so easie why should we doubt that have all the helps of Learning and faithfull industry that man in this life can look for and the assistance of God as neer now to us as ever But let the Scriptures be hard are they more hard more crabbed more abstruse then the Fathers He that cannot understand the sober plain and unaffected stile of the Scriptures will be ten times more puzzl'd with the knotty Africanisms the pamper'd metafors the intricat and involv'd sentences of the Fathers besides the fantastick and declamatory flashes the crosse-jingling periods which cannot but disturb and come thwart a setl'd devotion worse then the din of bells and rattles Now Sir for the love of holy Reformation what can be said more against these importunat clients of Antiquity then she her selfe their patronesse hath said Whether think ye would she approve still to dote upon immeasurable innumerable and therfore unnecessary and unmercifull volumes choosing rather to erre with the specious name of the Fathers or to take a ●…ound Truth at the hand of a plain upright man that all his dayes hath bin diligently reading the holy Scriptures and therto imploring Gods grace while the admire●…s of Antiquity have bin beating their brains about their Ambones their Diptychs and Meniaia's Now he that cannot tell of Stations and Indictions nor has wasted his pretious howrs in the endles