Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	day_n	lord_n	word_n	2,869	5	3.9037	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01700	A sermon of ecclesiastical benediction preached at Oundle at a visitation, Apr. 14. 1619. by Master Samuel Gibson, minister at Burleigh in Rutland.	Gibson, Samuel.	1620 (1620)	STC 11838; ESTC S102994	23,459	44

this cup passe from me Nor to vrge that of the Apostles who could pray before after their manner and yet desired to be taught a prayer by Christ himselfe who vpon their request gaue them a forme as also Iohns Disciples were taught by their master From the Text in hand it may be maintained against all aduersaries that publike prayer in a set forme is well pleasing to God if other things be answerable for heere the Priests blessed the people according to the set forme giuen vnto them No iudicious Writer maketh doubt of this and it was a prayer which they vsed when they blest them so it is called in the Text and it was as publike as any prayer and yet of this publike prayer vsed by the Priest in a set forme it is said It went vp to his holy dwelling place euen to heauen to shew the singular acceptance it had with God Wherfore let no man depraue our Church for this because we vse set praiers in the Congregation nor let any despise such prayers as God himselfe despiseth not for we finde in the Scripture vse both of conceiued prayer and of set formes and both pleasing vnto God and in our Church as ordinarily we are appointed to vse common supplications so vpon extraordinary occasions the Preacher hath liberty to inlarge and to vse the best gift he hath as God shall inable him and his holy Spirit shall guide his hart tongue Let al make vse of both vnto the glory of God for pleasing vnto him are the publike prayers of the Church whether extraordinary or ordinary So long as the prayers be good and holy for the matter whether they be conceiued in a set forme or voluntary we are to make good account of them and vse thē reuerently religiously But whilest I speake thus in cōmendation of publike prayer I am far from falling into the other extreme as some haue done who are all for common prayer and care little for preaching For as the dignity of preaching is excellent that sufficiency being required to that part of Gods seruice specially which the vulgar cannot attaine to so the necessity thereof is exceeding great both to the esse of a Christian and the bene esse Necessary it is to the begetting of soules to God to call sinners to repentance to bring home the lost sheepe of the house of Israel And this hath euer bin the ordinary meanes of conuerting soules and therefore of necessary vse at all times and so in these times wherein iniquity aboundeth though there be an external profession of the true Christian faith necessary it is for those that are already the people of God Prophecying saith the Apostle is for them that beleeue And of old the Priests office was not only to pray but to teach and it is said of the Leuiticall Priests Deut. 33. 10. They shall teach Iacob thy iudgements and Israel thy law Presupposing that the Israelites themselues would alwaies need teaching Non minor est virtus quàm quaerere partatueri Preaching is necessary to the preseruation of those which are brought to the knowledge of the Truth and to make them grow in grace Therefore saith the Apostle Peter vnto the Christians of his time As newborne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that fraudlesse milke that ye may grow thereby 1. Pet. 2. 2. The Word read I confesse is of good vse and profitable but preaching is necessary to make it so for when that noble Eunuch of Ethiopia read the Scripture though he was a man of better parts and capacity then hundreds of our people yet he confessed his owne disability and said How can I vnderstand without a guide Necessary it is also to the due performance of other parts of Gods seruice as to the more worthy receiuing of the holy Sacrament Without the helpe of a Preacher or Catechizer the common sort goe to the Lords Table without preparation not discerning the Lords body nor knowing the end and right vse of the sacred mysteries but by a good Preachers labour Communicants are better taught and come better prepared to that holy Seruice and doe it more vnderstandingly comfortably What should I say more To good praying good preaching is necessary As poore people cannot vnderstand the Scripture without a guide nor vnderstand the mysterie of the Sacrament without a guide so they are as ignorant in prayer also the Lords Prayer they say often but vnderstand not and ignorantly they vse other prayers not knowing what they say sometimes they pray for that they hate as those that pray that the rest of their life may be pure and holy when as in heart they desire no such change in themselues but hate purity and holinesse and despise all that follow it and those that are no prayers they vse for prayers thinking them to be so not onely children but olde men thinke they pray and pray well when they say the Creed and ten Commandements There being therefore such necessity of preaching I can but wonder that vpon the best Day of the weeke many Country people are afraid to do nothing but to goe forth to heare a Sermon They dare ride abroad about their worldly businesses as often as they list they dare goe to all the prophane Wakes in the Country one Sunday after another but dare not goe to a Sermon so much as halfe a Sabbath dayes iourney though they haue none at home as they would make men beleeue for feare of Apparitors and Churchwardens I doe the more wonder at it because I perswade my selfe that our religious Fore-fathers which had a hand in setting foorth the Common prayer booke now established by authority held and would haue the people taught the necessity of hearing the Word of God for they haue appointed prayers to be vsed that the Lord would giue Ministers grace to preach diligently it is giuen in charge to the sureties at Baptisme that when the baptized come to yeeres they call vpon them to heare Sermons not thinking it sufficient for them to heare Seruice onely And none haue written more effectually of the excellency of preaching then those learned and worthy Doctors and Diuines which tooke paines lately in the translation of the Bible See what they haue written of this in their Epistle to his Maiestie Amongst all our ioyes say they there was no one that more filled our hearts then the blessed continuance of the preaching of Gods sacred Word amongst vs which is that inestimable treasure which excelleth all the riches of the earth because the fruit thereof extendeth it selfe not onely to the time spent in this transitory world but directeth and disposeth men vnto that eternall happinesse which is aboue in heauen c. Thus honourably haue they written of the preaching of the Word and these I am sure were no Puritans for they haue written against Puritans and