Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	holy_a	read_v	scripture_n	8,342	5	5.9261	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60205	A confession of faith of James Salgado, a Spaniard, and sometimes a priest in the Church of Rome dedicated to the University of Oxford : with an account of his life and sufferings by the Romish party, since he forsook the Romish religion.	Salgado, James, fl. 1680.	1681 (1681)	Wing S375; ESTC R13433	10,044	21

A CONFESSION OF FAITH OF James Salgado A SPANIARD and sometimes a Priest in the Church of Rome Dedicated to the University of Oxford With an Account of his Life and Sufferings by the Romish Party since he forsook the Romish Religion LONDON Printed for William Marshall at the Bible in Newgate-street 1681. To all and Singular Members of the University of OXFORD To the Reverend and most Excellent Mr. Vicechancellour To the Reverend and Eminent Heads of Colledges And to the Worthy Fellows of the same James Salgado A Spaniard wisheth Felicity both Temporal and Eternal I Should be very Injurious to your bounty Liberally bestowed upon me O ye Men every one famous according to his Title and Degree unless according to the Old Custom of the Romans I should Crown that Fountain with Laurel from whence I drew Water For 't is a great Sign of Inhumanity to receive a benefit and not to return it again The Heliotrope must conform it self according to the Suns motion because as it cannot avoid it's Light so it ought not to decline its influence But this acteth so effectually upon it that it is forced to turn its Head to the Course of the Sun You have relieved my Misery O ye Gentlemen of the University and that so effectually that you have invited me to a Publick acknowledgement of your benevolence toward me which I am now willing to do lest by any longer delay this good purpose of mine should lose its reward This little Book therefore I lay before your Feet expecting what Censure you 'll please to bestow upon it You 'l take my Endeavours I hope in good part and pardon this my temerity If taking a little pains in this exercse as Sylla the Roman Dictator was wont to carry a little Image of Jupiter in his bosom So I presume to bear your Portraicture in my heart and this I will do beyond the reach of all envy and shall account it among the Number of the greatest Vertues to be found guilty of such a fault neither because you have done me a kindness therefore shall it be lawful for me to be ungrateful With Cyrus therefore favourably receive me as a genuin and true Persian and do not disdain to enlighten me with the bright raies of your further Benevolence who desires to borrow some splendor from your shadow Fare ye well most worthy Gentlemen and be entirely favourable to one that admires your dignities and is Your Servant James Salgado A Converted Spaniard A CONFESSION of FAITH IN the Name of GOD Amen After I had been admitted to the Order of Priest-Hood in the Church of Rome and now perceived that I was to look after the Cure of other Mens Souls committed to my Charge as well as my own I very often consider'd with my self how I might safely enter upon the way of Salvation and so provide salutary supplies both for my self and also for the Flock committed to my Custody 'T is very true that the Romanists debar the Common People from reading the Holy Scriptures as from the Food of Life but yet those of the Clergy and that especially in Spain my Native Country as well as other Roman Catholicks are wont more Religiously to exercise themselves in Reading the Sacred Scriptures The same thing happened to me also and while I was Reading Gods Holy Book I lighted upon those words of the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Divine Inspiration and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction and for Instruction in Righteousness That the Man of GOD may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works In which Words the blessed Apostle seemed to me to have drawn a Presbyter in his lively Colours and not only to have shewn and prescribed a Method of Preaching the Gospel but also to have discover'd the matter and Fountain from whence 't is to be drawn and which is more to have open'd a way which might bring the Man of God that is the Mimister of CHRIST to an undoubted Consummation For he mentions the Scriptures which he acknowledgeth to contain in them the whole Treasure of Gods Divine Will seeing he has both expressed those four Fountains of Christian Morality and also denounced him accursed whosoever shall offer to Preach any other Gospel than that which he Preached and withall Pronounced Peace upon every one that walketh according to this Rule Gal. 1.9 and 6.16 When I had ponder'd these things with my self and perceived such great and Magnificent things to have been spoken by the Apostle concerning the Scriptures he being such a one as had affirmed to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus that he had made known unto them the whole Counsel of GOD Act. 20.27 and yet withall that he spake nothing but what Moses and the Prophets had said before him At last I came to this Conclusion That the Holy Scriptures are the only Writings wherein we may be instructed concerning the Method and means of our Salvation and that out of them only we are to instruct the People and to Convince the Gain sayers To this Rule therefore I applyed all those Controversial Questions which usually past between Divines as being very desirous to know the Internal parts of every Profession in Religion that by this means I might the safer adjoyn my self either to this or that party and with a good Conscience worship GOD and his Anointed JESUS CHRIST And truly I could not own any other to be the true Religion which might be weighed in the Ballance of Gods Divine Law and the Promises besides the Reformed Wherefore I made a Covenant with my Soul That I would forthwith adjoyn my self ●o the Reformed Church and forsake the Romish Idolatry which also I did in France and that in the Assembly of CHARENTON and with great joy of my mind I did there unite my self to the Mystical Body of my Saviour But as every Man must live by his own Faith and none can be judged before Gods Tribunal unless it be by his own Conscience there being no Mediator to intercede betwixt that and GOD. So also I might have been one of the Resormed Religion without making any External Profession of my Faith Notwithstanding because of the Commands of my Friends and common Custom so requiring therefore I was the more willing to testify unto the World my intimate and sincere Confession in these following particulars With GODS help therefore I. In the first place I Confess that the Holy Scriptures are sufficient for Salvation and that they are the Supreme Normal Judge of all Controversies 'T is very true that as GOD is the Author of the Scriptures so he is likewise the Supreme Judge of all Controversies but none is to be acknowledged for the subordinate and Normal Judge of them but the Scripture only Neither is the Heresie of the Papists to be admitted who make the Church to be the Supreme Judge of Controversies Which Church as they call it whether it consists