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	scripture_n	sense_n	2,756	5	6.8104	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16895	The preachers charge, and peoples duty about preaching and hearing of the Word : opened in a sermon, being the first fruits of a publike exercise, begun in the parish church of Lownd, for the benefit of the island of Louingland in Suffolke / by Iohn Brinsley ...	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1631 (1631)	STC 3790.5; ESTC S1527	26,069	42

There was a Necessity lay vpon him for the performance of it that Necessity backt with a Woe if hee should neglect it The like Necessity the like Woe lyeth vpon all the Ministers of the Gospell in their seuerall places and stations They must Preach the Word Woe is vnto them if they doe it not I must not dwell vpon confirmation This was the first and the last charge which our blessed Sauiour gaue to his Apostles when he was to send them forth into the world after hee had told them whither they should goe the first charge he giueth them is As ye goe Preach When hee himselfe was to leaue the world and to take his last farewell of them the last charge he giueth them is Goe ye into all the world and preach the Gospell to euery creature Preaching of the Gospell was the Alpha and the Omega in their Apostolicall Ministration and it is one of the maine businesses which the Ministers of the Gospell must attend vnto They must Preach the Word By way of explication and illustration I will here vnfold vnto you two things What is meant by Preaching what by the Word For the first To Preach in a generall and large acception of the Word is to declare or any wayes make knowne the will of God vnto man In this sense euery declaration of the will of God be it by any of his Mercies Chastisements Iudgements Creatures may improperly be called Preaching The heauens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy work Neuer a Creature in heauen and earth but readeth a Lecture preacheth to the eye of the beholder the mercie wisedome power and goodnesse of God And so in this generall sense Reading may also be called Preaching But more specially and properly in the ordinary phrase of the Scripture Preaching importeth a Ministeriall action wherein the will of God is made knowne to the Church after a speciall manner by the Ministers of the Gospell To speake distinctly The Ministers of the Word being Agents betwixt God and his people their office consisteth in two things 1. In dealing with God for the people 2. In dealing with the people for and from God First they are to deale with God for and on the behalfe of the people to be as it were their Mouthes vnto God in putting vp their suits and supplications and thanksgiuings vnto God in expressing their desires vnto God to pray for them God forbid that I should sinne against the Lord inceasing to pray for you saith Samuel vnto the people And secondly as they are to be the peoples mouth to God in praying for them so they are to bee Gods Mouth to the people in instructing them in declaring his will to them If thou take away the precious from the vile thou shalt be as it were my mouth saith the Lord to the Prophet Ieremy The Prophets of God the Ministers of the Word are Gods mouth whereby he speakes and makes knowne his will to his people The will of God is made knowne to the Church by the Ministers of the Gospell two wayes By Visible signes by Audible voyce By Visible signes The Sacraments which being presented to the Church by hands of the Ministers are as visible words to make knowne and ascertaine to euery beleeuer the eternall gracious purpose the euerlasting good will of God towards him in his Sonne But secondly and principally by Audible voyce By Audible voyce the will of God is declared to the Church by the Ministers of the Word in two Ministeriall actions In Reading in Preaching In Reading the Text the letter of the Scriptures in Preaching interpreting expounding applying them to the edification of the Church Both these Ministeriall actions you haue ioyned together in the practice of Ezra and the Leuites in Nehe. 8. 8. They read in the booke in the Law of God distinctly and gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand the reading That which we haue here to deale withall is the last of these Ministeriall actions Preaching properly so called which to speake shortly and fully is an action of the Minister of the Word soundly interpreting and opening the sense of the Scriptures by the Scriptures with Application of them to the vse of the Church by Doctrine Instruction Exhortation Reproofe Conuiction Comfort This is properly Preaching You now see the thing Looke we backe a little vpon the word that will afford vs something worthy our obseruation Preach the word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word borrowed from publike Cryers or Heralds sent from Kings Princes States to proclaime and make knowne their mindes edicts determinations vnto others The Metaphor is no lesse elegant than fruitfull it readeth vs the Ministers of the Gospel a double lesson First what our office is Secondly how we are to behaue our selues in the discharge and execution of that office It first putteth vs in minde what our office is We are Cryers Heralds sent from the Lord of Hoastes the King of heauen from God himselfe to declare and proclaime his will to the Church This was the office of Iohn the Baptist he was a Cryer The voyce of a Cryar in the wildernesse A Cryer sent to proclayme to the world the comming of the Messias to worke the redemption of his people This was the office of the Apostle Saint Paul he was ordayned to bee a Preacher and an Apostle as himselfe telleth vs 1 Tim. 2. 7. 2 Tim. 1. 11. a Preacher the word in both places is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Cryer a Herald one sent from God to proclaime and make knowne to the Gentiles the glad tidings of saluation by Christ. This is our office and secondly it putteth vs in minde How wee are to behaue our selues in the discharge and execution of this office in declaring the will of God to the Church and that in three particulars To whom we are to speake In whose name we are to speake and How we are to speake 1. To whom we are to speake generally to All Criers Heralds they make publike Proclamations that All the people may heare and vnderstand It is the speech of Babshakeh to Eliakim we may make vse of the actions of wicked men as our Sauiour doth of the vnrighteous Iudge in the parable when hee was sent by his Master the King of Ashur as an Herald to giue a summons vnto Hierusalem Hath my Master sent mee to thy Master and to thee to speake these words hath hee not sent me to the men which sit vpon the wall Heralds make Proclamations they speake to all the people Thus must the Ministers of the Gospell declare the will of God publish the glad tidings of saluation offer Christ to all so runs our Commission giuen to the Apostles by Christ himselfe Goe Preach the Gospell to euery Creature that is to Iewes and Gentiles to bond and free of what

state of what degree of what condition soeuer Thus the Prophet Esay maketh his Proclamation Esay 55. 1. Hoe euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters There are none excepted none excluded out of our Commission wee must tender Christ vnto all So must wee Preach to the Churches as S. Iohn writeth to them in his Reuelation He that hath an eare let him heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches Preach the Gospell to all 2. In whose name we must preach Heralds speake not in their owne names but in the names of them that send them Thus saith the great King the King of Ashur saith Rabshakeh to the Inhabitants of Hierusalem So must we speake to the Inhabitants of Iudah and Hierusalem in the phrase of Heralds not in our name but in the name of him whose messengers we are in the name of God Thus saith the King the great King of heauen and earth Thus spake the Prophets of old The Word of the Lord the burthen of the Lord Thus did our Sauiour himselfe as he was man come vnto his people Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord Thus were the Apostles to preach vnto the people it is our Sauiours owne charge to them a little before his ascension That Repentance and remission of sinnes should bee preached in his name And those outcasts in the Gospell when they would plead as they thought effectually for themselues they doe it in this phrase Lord Lord haue we not prophesied in thy name Ministers must speake to the Lords people not as Lords ouer them but as messengers as Heralds in the name in the authority of him that sendeth them in the name of God 3 How wee are to speake and deliuer the will of God to the people namely as Heralds should doe How is that Why 1. Boldly 2. Faithfully 3. Plainely Boldly as hauing authority as representing the person of the Prince that sends them Faithfully neither adding to nor detracting from what they haue receiued in instruction from their Masters Plainly that all they to whom they are sent may heare and vnderstand their message Thus should the Ministers of the Word behaue themselues in the dispensation of the Gospel in preaching of the Word Deliuer it 1. Boldly as standing in the place representing the person of God himselfe not fearing the faces of them to whom they are sent Behold I haue made thy face strong against their faces and thy fore-head strong against their fore-heads As an Adamant harder than Flint haue I made thy fore-head saith the Lord to the Prophet Ezekiel Such an vandaunted boldnesse such an inuincible resolution should there be in the Ministers of the Word in deliuering the will of God to the people in instructing exhorting conuincing reprouing they must doe it with boldnesse They that preach Christ must so preach him as Christ himselfe preached when hee was vpon the earth as hauing authority It is Saint Pauls charge in expresse words to Titus These things speake and exhort and rebuke with all authority 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is with a Ministeriall authority In this Christs preaching and our preaching of Christ differ He preached 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as hauing authority in himselfe from himselfe Wee must preach with authority too but not as hauing authority in our selues but with a deriued a Ministeriall authority deriued from him whose Ambassadours we are whose person we represent Preach with authority Boldly 2. Faithfully Deliuer the will of God his whole will nothing but his will neither adding to it nor detracting from it Thus did the Apostle Saint Paul preach and deliuer the will of God to the Churches What hee deliuered to others he first receiued himselfe I haue receiued of the Lord that which also I deliuered vnto you And as he receiued what he deliuered so hee deliuered what he receiued he kept nothing backe I haue not shunned to declare vnto you all the Counsell of God They are his owne words to the Elders of Ephesus at Miletum Thus must we deliuer the Counsell of God his reuealed Will for that is meant by Counsell in that place not his secret Decrees and Purposes but his reuealed Will specially his Counsell and Purpose touching the way and meanes of saluation by Christ and Christ alone we must deliuer it faithfully not adding to it nor baulking any thing necessary to be knowne Exemplary to vs is that resolution of the Prophet Michaia when hee was sent for to prophesie before King Ahab At the Lord liueth saith he whatsoeuer the Lord saith vnto me that will I speake Deliuer the will of God faithfully And thirdly deliuer it plainely Heralds speake distinctly with an audible voyce in a knowne language to the vnderstanding of those to whom they are sent Rabsaketh when he was sent as an Herald to the people of the Iewes he would not speake to them in the Aramites language as Eliakim would haue had him but in the Iewes language that the people might vnderstand his arrand Thus must Gods Heralds the Ministers of the Word in deliuering his Embassage in preaching of the Word they must speake plainely distinctly in a knowne language to the capacity of the hearers Thus did Ezra and the Leuites in that forenamed place They read in the booke in the Law of the Lord distinctly and gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand And it is noted of the Apostles at the day of Pentecost as an exemplary president to the Ministers of the Gospell for euer That Euery man heard them speake in his own language That is they spake to euery man in his own language not that the hearers heard that in diuers languages which they spake but in one as some haue not without some colour in the words coniectured for then as Mr. Caluin vpon the place well obserues the miracle had beene in the hearers not in the speakers whereas the clouen tongues rested vpon the Apostles not vpon the people Their tongues were clouen they spake to the people in their owne languages that they might vnderstand as well as heare For a Herald to deliuer a message of importance in a strange language which none vnderstand but himselfe he had as good bee silent They that take vpon them the preaching of Christ must speake in the language of Christ and the language of the people they must speake plainely This it is properly to Preach viz. To deliuer the will of God as Heralds doe the commands of their Masters to speake vnto all to speake in the name of God with boldnesse faithfulnesse plainenesse You now see the first question resolued and cleared What is meant by Preaching But what must we Preach The voyce saith to vs Cry but what shall wee cry That is the second thing to be vnfolded The text telleth vs The Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must Preach the Word This word 〈◊〉