Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	old_a	testament_n	6,574	5	8.1314	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02785	A discourse concerning the soule and spirit of man Wherein is described the essence and dignity thereof, the gifts and graces wherewith God hath endued it, and the estate thereof, aswell present as future. And thereunto is annexed in the end a bipartite instruction, or exhortation, concerning the duties of our thankfulnesse towards God. Written by Simon Harvvard.	Harward, Simon, fl. 1572-1614.	1604 (1604)	STC 12917; ESTC S116608	106,518	282

conceit of Purgatory or temporall punishments endured by the soules departed but as hauing an eye to the resurrection which was yet to ensue and neyther to be hastened nor to be deferred by any prayers and yet they prayed to testifie their hope as S. Paul praied for Onesiphorus 2. Tim. 1.18 that the Lorde would graunt vnto him that hee may find mercy with the Lord in that day meaning as some expound it the day of resurrection hee had a further respect in his praier then eyther to his life or to his death and so had the fathers a further respect then to the present estate of the soules for as for their present estate they did not doubt of their happy rest Augustine when hee prayed for his mother said Credo quodiam feceris quod te rogo Aug. confess lib. 9 cap. 12 sed voluntaria oris mei approbo Domine non respondebit illa se nihil delere sed respondebit demissa debita sua ab eo cui nemo reddet quod pro nobis no debens reddidit I beleeue that thou hast already graunted what I request but good Lord accept the voluntary wordes of my mouth shee shall not say that she oweth nothing but shee will answere that her debtes are forgiuen of him to whome no man can recompence that which hee hath freely done for vs. And so likewise although Ambrose prayed for Theodosius yet hee doubted not but that he was in eternal glory Ambros de obitu Theod. for so he affirmed Absolutus crimine fruitur nunc Theodosius luce perpetua tranquilitate diuturna sanctorumque caetibus gloriatur Theodosius hauing his sinne remitted doth euen now enioy perpetuall light and a lasting rest and doth triumph in the company of the saints by the name of prayers were oftē signified thanksgiuings 2. Tim. 2.22 psal 14.4 as indeed calling vpon the name of God is taken often in the scriptures for the whole seruice of God They had their commemoration of the dead especially at the ministration of the Lords supper which they tooke to bee Eucharistia a sacrament of thanksgiuing and as Chrysostome noteth what was done for the dead was done most in Hymnes doe testifie their ioy and thankfulnesse Quid sibi volunt Hymni nonne glorificamus Deum Chrysost ad popul Antioch hom 70 gratias illi agimus quia iam defunctum coronauit haec omnia sunt gaudentium What meaneth Hymnes or songes doe wee not glorifie God and giue thankes vnto him that hee hath already crowned a soule departed Al these are effectes of hearts reioycing And further in the commemoration of the dead there was especially a rehearsing of the resurrection of our Sauiour by himselfe and all the Saints by him to shew that that was the time which they most respected and if they praied for forgiuenes of the sinnes of the departed the meaning of their petition was that their sinnes should not be imputed vnto them in the resurrection Vide August in Io. tract 49 How lawfully they might make that praier I will not now dispute It sufficeth here to haue shewed that they did not acknowledge any temporall tormentes after this life appertaining to such as haue ended their dayes in the faith of Christ and that the secret rest which they placed in Abrahams bosome did not signifie vnto them a sleepe or idle rest but a place of ioy and happinesse Ioh 8 56 that as it was Abraham his ioy in this world to see the dayes of Christ so it is a farre more infinite felicity to him and his faithfull seede this transitory life being ended to behold and fully to enioy the presence of our Redeemer in the eternall kingdome of heauen S. Augustine sayth that hee doth fully belieue that his sweet friend Nebridius is in Abrahams bosome Aug. confess lib. 9. hee sheweth presently what that is Pomt spirituale os adfontem tuum bibit quantum potest sapientiam pro auiditate sua sine fine foelix He setteth his spirituall mouth to thy fountain O Lord and drinketh wisedome to the full according to his chiefest desire being happy without end This happy estate of the soules of Gods saintes is at large laid open by the manifold testimonies of the holy scriptures in the beginning of my tenth Chapter as likewise in the whole course of that and the chapter following By the word of God as by the touchstone of all truth the ancient fathers doe desire that their writings should bee examined what is agreeable thereto to be receiued and what not to be reiected Augustine sayeth Aug. in psal 57. Auferantur é medio chartae nostrae prodeat in medium codex Dei Let our writings bee laide aside and let place bee giuen to the booke of God Hee also nameth the olde and new Testament Duo vbera Ecclesiae The two breastes of the Church out of which all sound and perfect truth must bee drawne and deriued vnto vs. In them wee finde but onely these two places or habitation for the soules once separated from the bodies to wit for them which dye in carnall security as did the rich glutton hell torments those which are spoken of in Deuteronomie fire is kindled in my wrath Deut. 32.24 and my wrath doth burne to the bottome of hell those which are called by Salomon the Chambers of death by Esay a tophet prepared deepe and large Esay 30.33 the burning whereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord a fire of brimstome to kindle it and by our Sauiour vnquenchable fire where the worme neuer dyeth Mar. 9.44 the flame neuer goeth out And in the Reuelation A lake burning with fire and brimstone which is the second death of those torments Apoc. 21. ● Abraham said to the rich man Luke 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is such a gulfe and distance placed betwixt them and the ioyes of the godly that there is no hope of passage from one to an other whereby is signified that the paines are vnrecouerable easelesse endlesse and hopelesse But for them which close vppe their eyes in a true faith vnfained repentāce Iohn 16.22 there are prepared eternall ioyes in the kingdome of heauen where the knowledge will integrity and all the powers of the soule Luke 20.36 shall haue such a correspondencie and conformity to the wil of God that they shall bee equall with the blessed Angels and where wee shall haue the fruition of Gods presence wherein doth consist the fulnesse of ioy For as the Apostle doth make this as greatly to augment the vengeance that is shewed on them which shall bee punished with euerlasting perdition 2. Thes 1.9 because it shall bee from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power so on the other side this is named as a high degree in our heauenly felicity that as here we see in a glasse 1. Cor. 13 12.

sayth Auferantur de medio chartae nostiae prodeat in medium codex Dei Away with our writings and let the booke of God be brought forth Aug. contra Petilianum Donat cap. 16. Vtrum ipsi Ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinarum Scripturarum canonicis libris ostendant Whether we or they haue the true Church let it be shewed no other way but by the Canonicall bookes of the diuine Scriptures We must imitate the people in Beraea Act. 17 11 who did search out and examine the Scriptures alleaged In the interpretations of the Scriptures the Apostle liddeth vs 1. Thes 5.21 to try all and to hold that which is good That is best which best agreeth with the grounds of faith and with the general course of God his holy word To condemne that which we neither heare nor know must needs be within the compasse of rash iudgement Thus our intent in frequenting the Church must be to obey the ordinance of God who hath appointed a publicke place for prayer and thankesgiuing for the Sacramēts for the hearing of his holy word Our intent must be so to worship God that God may be publickely glorified and our brethren by our ensample edified Our intent must be to obey God his Vicegerent vpon earth our Christian gouernour Our intent must be to iudge our selues to amend our selues and to humble our selues Otherwise if we attribute a holinesse to the soule or stone or timber as though our prayers should be better accepted for them then do we incurre a manifest idolatry So likewise in fasting if it be vndertaken as making one meate more holy then another as though fish were more holy or more meritorious then flesh or the egge more holy then the Pullet or the milke more holy then the Heyfar or as though wines fruits and iunkets were more holy then other kinds of nourishmēts what is it else but a dānable superstition 1. Tim. 4.1 as the Apostle doth call it the doctrine of diuels But to fast Psal 33.14 to subdue our corrupt nature and to humble our soules as is not done by those fasting meates or to fast to make vs more fit for prayer Act. 13.3 Act. 14.23 2. Chro. 20.3 2. Sam. 12.22 when we would either craue some great blessing of God or diuert some heauy iudgement it is an exercise very acceptable and agreeable to the will of God And in politicall orders for the sustenance of a Common wealth a good subiect is boūden to order his diet according to the lawes vnder which he liueth But either in fasting or in altering of diet to accompt our meate more holy or more meritorious then another it is a very euident and detestable superstition So is it with the places of God his seruice If we ascribe holinesse or merite to the earth stones timber or to any forme or fashion of building it is a plaine derogating from the merites of the passion of Christ and to trauell to them with that mind is a kind of Idolatry The place wherein God spake to Moses Exod. 3.5 is called holy earth the place sayth God wherein thou standest is holy ground But this holinesse was by meanes of the presence of God who vouchsafed at that time there to be present Psal 99.5 The footestoole of God that is the very pauement of the Temple is called by the Psalmist holy according to the interpretation of some yet was it holy in respect of the presence of God by his Arke and Testament Many things in the old Testament were named holy as Sacraments and types and figures of Christ and his Church Heb. 10.1 Col. 2.16 But the truth being come and those types and shadowes being vanished away we acknowledge now no other Sacraments then those which our Sauiour Christ himselfe hath ordained neither do we attribute any merite to any thing but onely to the obedience and satisfaction of Christ Iesus If our Temples were as gloriously furnished as was that Temple at Hierusalem or our meates as good as that Manna which fell from heauen or our garments as holy Exod. 25.7 and as pretious as was Aaron his Ephod yet neither our buildings nor our foode nor our vestiments can set one foote into our saluation but all must be ascribed wholly and entirely to that free iustification Rom 3 24 1. Ioh. 1.7 Heb 9 14 which we haue by the redemption of Christ Iesus Our comming to the Church must be to humble our selues in it and not to seeke merite or ransome by it We must obey God his holy ordinance and yet when we haue done all we can do we must say still we are vnprofitable seruants Luc. 17.10 When our Sauiour Christ doth commaund vs to shut the doore of our closet Math. 6 6 and to pray in secret his meaning is not to oppose priuate prayer against his publicke ordinance but he doth oppose it against the pride of the Pharisies who by praying in the sinagogues and in the corners of the streetes sought to exalt themselues and therefore were iustly reiected of God And yet did the proud Pharisie not refuse to pray in the same Temple with the sinfull Publican Luc. 18.10 And therefore they which refuse to come to our publicke place of prayer must needs acknowledge that either in want of charity they make vs worse then Publicans or else that in abundance of pride they are themselues worse then Pharisies For the Pharisie and Publican came both together to the Temple to pray He would not eate with him nor conuerse with him priuately and yet he would not forsake the Temple because the other came to it This action had bene no doubt acceptable vnto God If the Pharisie had not had a proud conceipt of his owne merit and a scornefull contempt of his neighbour Nothing is more requisite for the composing of this controuersie then that we be first throughly prepared with that true humility of heart whereof the Apostle speaketh euery man to thinke another better then himselfe Phil. 2.3 which God graunt vs all to whose grace and protection I commit you now and euer From Tanridge this 31 of December 1603. Your assured S. H. FIFIS