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	write_v	5,125	5	5.8373	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14386	Romphaiopheros = the sword-bearer. Or, The Byshop of Chichester's armes emblazoned in a sermon preached at a synod by T.V. B. of D. sometimes fellow of Queenes Colledge in Oxford, and now pastor of the church at Cockfield in Southsex.	Vicars, Thomas, d. 1638.	1627 (1627)	STC 24705; ESTC S119120	20,427	32

take it this is a difference between an Apostle and a Byshop or ordinarie Pastor that the Apostles were not confined to any set place but were appointed to goe into all the world and to preach the Gospell to every creature but Byshops and Pastors are confined to their owne Circuites and Churches To the Angell of the Church of Pergamos I haue done with the Superscription I come now to the Secretaries Commission in this word Write It is the voyce of Gods spirit to Saint Iohn A word much used in scripture but especially in this booke of Revelation very frequently Cap. 1. 19. Write the things that thou hast seene Cap. 14. 13. And I heard a voyce from heaven saying vnto mee Write And in this and the next chapter often Write Hence wee gather divers things The first thing wee gather hence is the divine authority of this booke ot Iohn is not the Author of it but the instrument onely to convey it unto vs. The holy Ghost is the inditer Iohn is but the writer of it So that what S. Paul saith of the whole Scripture we may truly affirme it of this booke that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given from God by inspiration Which I note against the errour of all such as haue either doubted or denyed this booke to be in the Canon of scripture or of authenticall authority Secondly Write I know and confesse that God might haue written this booke and the whole scripture with his owne finger as he did the ten commandements they were written with the finger of Gods owne hand or God might haue spoken these things himselfe to the Churches as he delt with Moses to whom he talked as one friend to another face to face but it hath not pleased him to deale with us after such an immediate manner least we might bee too much daunted with his glory And therefore because he would graciously descend to our weakenesse he hath used the Ministerie of his servants to deliver unto vs his holy Oracles not that he needed their helpe at all as Kings and great men neede their Secretaries but onely to remember us of these 2. short instructions 1. To let us see our owne weakenesse that we are not able to sustaine Gods immediate presence and 2. to teach vs a necessary and most excellent use of the ministerie which God hath established in the Church meerely for our benefit Thirdly Write And why must these things be written was it not enough to haue them delivered over by word of mouth from the father to the sonne and so haue remained as a Tradition perpetually in the Church but they must be written But who is this that calls Gods actions into question Wee see it was his will to haue these things written and let us rest in that and know that it was not expedient for vs that it should be otherwise If they had not beene written peradventure nay without all peradventure they would haue beene corrupted and received addition or diminution according either to the over-quick or over-dull capacities of men in the long line of succession but being once written that feare is past The text will not admit of any addition but it will plainely appeare to be interlined and their can nothing now be taken from the text but it will plainely appeare to be blotted out The Papists may tell us that the Canon of the Scripture is not perfect unlesse we adde thereunto unwritten Traditions But we know the Canon is perfect Adoroplenitudinem Scripturarum saies Tertullian I adore the perfection of the scripture and we dare not adde any thing to it Wee feare the curse denounced in the last of this booke which is set downe with earnestnesse a solemne protestation I protest unto every one that shall adde any thing to this booke God will also adde unto him the plagues that are written in this booke Revel 22. 18. They may tell vs of a twofold word of God Scriptum non Scriptum the one written the other unwritten But we cannot admit of this distinction If it be the the word of God it is written as Saint Ambrose saith excellently Quod non legi usurpare non debeo I dare not make use of any thing as authentique proofe that I read not written in the scriptures Write Fourthly Write Words you know are but a winde and they quickly vanish in the aire with the sound sed littera scripta manet if they be once put in writing then they stand upon a sure record both for our owne present use and the benefit of all posterity And therefore when the Lord had wrought a great deliverance for his people the Prophet saith This shall bee written for them that come after and the people which are yet unhorne shall praise the Lord. They are not content to praise God themselues for his deliverance but they will haue it written downe for them that come after that they also may haue occasion thereby to praise the Lord. These things then must be written both for their use that then lived and also for our benefit that by this excellent meanes they might the better be preserved in the Church to be read and learned of us For whatsoever was written afore time was written for our learning that we through patience c. Rom. 15. 4. And hath God taken such care to haue these things written for our learning What shall we thinke then of the folly shall I say or the madnesse of Popish Bishops and Prelates which strike the Bible out of Lay mens hands and will not suffer the common people to haue or use the holy Scriptures least forsooth they should turne heretiques and Apostates from the faith Was not the world trow you come to a faire passe when the Bible was not onely put into the Index of prohibited bookes and the people interdicted and debarred utterly from once peeping into it but when it was accounted a capitall crime for a man to haue the New Testament in his house or any English Scripture about him yea such a crime that Gods booke it selfe shall be cast into the fire to bee burnt and Gods Servant that used it shall fry at the stake for it as is happened in our forefathers dayes good Lord No wonder if thou Iohn Husse poore goose of Bohemia bee'st derided and thy Monuments blackt over with dust and cast behinde the screene to be meate for moathes when the Monuments of Gods sacred word are so sleighted and disgraced cast sub scamnum under the bench as Luther complained No wonder Luther if thou bee'st condemned for an heretique and thy workes burnt at Rome by the Pope when the sacred word of God is condemned for making men heretiques and burnt in England in the open market places was it now not high time thinke you for the Lord to lay to his hand for they had destroyed his law Yes the Lord arose and his enemies