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	word_n	3,200	5	4.0993	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01703	A fruitful sermon preached at Occham in the county of Rutland, the second of Nouember, 1583 by Thomas Gybson.	Gybson, Thomas, fl. 1583.	1584 (1584)	STC 11840.5; ESTC S2130	26,976	78

prooue the necessitie of preaching and that euery Minister is bound to preach Thirdly I will shewe what they ought to preach The first point as in many other places so here it is named but not fully set downe what it is but in other places we may easily gather what it is The second is here named and prooued For Saint Paule being a Minister and saying VVoe bee vnto mee if I preach not the gospell doth plainely affirme as much The third is here set downe most plainly the matter that we must preach of namely the Gospell As touching the first let vs see how the scripture speaketh of it as it is particularly and specially applyed to the publique office of the Minister otherwise I knowe this worde preaching to haue a further and more general signification But I speake of it as Christ and the Apostles doe applying it to the Ministers Saint Paul sayth He that prophecieth speaketh vnto men to edifiyng to exhortation and to comfort The same Apostle charging Timothie in him euery minister to preach the word addeth immediatly Improoue rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine The blessed Apostle Peter as he receiued of his Master a charge to feed his flocke so he exhorteth al other to do the same The holy Euangelist Luke sayth that Christ taught or preached in Nazareth He first reade then shut the booke afterwarde he expounded that scripture which he read and so applyed it to the hearers By these and such like places we may gather that preaching properly as we speake of it is an exposition and application of the scriptures by the liuely voyce of the minister to the edifiyng of the people whereby it may easily appeare that reading is not preaching nor yet sufficient in a minister approued of God Saint Paul wil haue him apt to teach The Prophet Malachy affirmeth that the Priestes lips must preserue knowledge Christ after reading shut the booke and expounded and yet some are not ashamed to count simple reading sufficient saying it will serue the turne and there may be as much good done by it as by preaching As for reading wee speake not againste it wee disalowe it not but account it a holye lawfull necessarye and profitable meane whereby greate good and benefite is wrought to the Church of God but yet it doth not follow y t it is sufficient in a minister y t it will serue simply of it self in the publique congregation The Lorde hath set downe another order and requireth greater things at the handes of his speciall seruaunts But this matter shal appear more plain in the words following For my purpose in this part is only to shew you by some circumstances and discriptions what preaching is and that reading is not preaching or at least that kinde of preaching which the Lord requireth in his ministers as may appeare by comparing them together and by vsing some apt similitudes for the explanation of this matter The smell or sight of meat doth good to the hungry man but it will not feede him except he taste of it so by reading men may haue some smell of Religion but they shall neuer throughly taste of it without preaching and therefore it is called a feeding as we hearde before and Preachers are counted Pastors and feeders Again meate that is rawe and fat maye bee called good but it is not to bee eaten before it bee made readye and dressed so are the Scriptures reade good holy and pure but not sufficient foode for the people without preaching Againe bare reading is as thogh one should cast a whole loafe before them which want strength to cut it Preaching is a cutting and diuiding of the breade of life that euery one may haue his seueral portion Again bare reading without preaching is euen as the husbandman should cast whole strikes and bushels of Corne on his Land together on heapes not scattering of it Preaching is a spreading and a sowing of the seed Again bare reading is as though the Fisher should shuffle his nets on heapes not opening them Preaching is a wise opening laying and handling of the Net Bare reading is as one should offer good treasures and yet suche as were hid shut vp fast locked could not becōe by preching is an opening of the Treasures to the ioy of Gods Children Reading is like to fire couered with Ashes which doth smally profite them that stand by it Preaching is an opening and discouering of the fire Let vs consider one example amongst many for the further explaning of this matter The Chamberlaine that Noble Treasurer of Aethiopia going to Hierusalem to worship God as he went reade the scriptures if reading wold haue serued his turn Philip needed not to haue come to him but he vnderstoode not before be had a guide hee was not conuerted neyther had he sayth sufficient to saluation before hee hearde the preaching of the Worde which in deede is that especiall effectuall blessed and excellent ordinarye meane of fayth as it appeareth more plainly and fully in the next part of our text Which beeing rightly waighed confirmeth the greate necessitye of preaching and prooueth that euery Minister ought to preach Woe bee to me if I preach not the Gospell And why so because I am called to it because I am a Minister because the Lorde requireth it of me Although Saint Paule and the other Apostles had priuiledges and prerogatiues which we haue not although we haue not fullye so large a commission as hee and they had Although they did many thinges which we neither may nor can doe yet as touching the office of preaching it appertaineth as well to vs as to them And for the further proofe of this matter I will rehearse some argumentes which before I haue vsed in this place adding diuers others to them 1 It is the commandemēt of Christ and the holy Apostles therefore necessary Christ sayd to his Apostles Goe preach the Gospell The which cōmandement in this behalfe belongeth to all the ministers of God Saint Paule straightly chargeth the ministers of Ephesus Take heed vnto your selues and to all the flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers to feede the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own bloud And most weightily of al he requireth it in the place already alleadged he leaueth it not as a thing indifferent that may be done or vndone but speaketh with a wonderful and mighty protestation he ioyneth the Scripture and preaching togeather For hauing before in the former Chapiter set foorth the great profit of the scriptures straight waye hee necessarilye addeth this forecible exhortation I charge thee therefore before God and before the Lord Iesus Christ which shall iudge the quicke and the deade at his appearing and in his kingdome preach the worde be instant in season and out of season improoue rebuke exhort 2 It is an argument token of the loue the

none of these in truth doe make account of the Gospell And now let vs come to the third parte of our Text wherein is sett downe what euery Minister ought to preache namely the Gospell They are not bounde to deliuer the Counselles of men the Traditions of the Fathers the Statutes of earthly Princes or the authoritie of mort●ll men but as they are the seruauntes of Iesus Christ Prince of all Princes so are they bounde onely to preache his Gospell The true Prophetes neuer speake of them selues to the people but as they receiued warning from the Lorde They had no authoritie to speake their owne words nor the words of any mortal man The Apostles might not teach their own doctrine but onely that whiche they had receiued from their Maister who enioyneth them to teache all thinges what soeuer he had commaunded them Goe saieth he and preache the Gospell The holy Apostle writing to the Corinthians auoucheth that he receiued of the Lorde that which he deliuered to them whereby wee maie see all these Teachers confuted which stande vpon the authoritie of men whiche adde or diminishe any thing from the Scriptures whiche ioyne their owne fantasies and the traditions of men with the holy pure and perfect worde of God Woe be to those sonnes of vanities for in deede they preache not the Gospell they preache not Christ but themselues They deface and weaken the authoritie of the holy Scriptures The lawe of GOD is a perfect lawe conuerting soules The Scripture is able to make the man of God absolute and perfect to all good workes The Lord saith by his Prophet He that hath a dreame let him tell a dreame and he that hath my word let him speake my word faithfully and what is the chaffe to the wheate saith the Lorde Is not my worde euen like a fire saieth the Lorde and like a hammer that breaketh the stone Our Sauiour in the Gospel speaketh against such teachers saying In vaine they worshippe me teaching the doctrine and preceptes of men Let vs remēber that which is spoken in the last Chapter of the Reuelation I protest vnto euery man that heareth the prophesie of this booke if any man add vnto these thinges God shall add vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke And if any man shall diminishe of the wordes of this prophesie God shall take awaie his parte out of the booke of life and out of the holy Cittie and from these thinges which are written in this booke Woe be to them which preache and yet preach not the Gospell But that we may know the better howe the Gospell should bee preached let vs consider a little what it is and what it containeth The Euangelistes call it the Gospell of the Kingdome Sainct Paule accoumpteth it that whiche was promised before by the Prophetes in the holie Scriptures concerning Iesus Christe our Lorde And in the same Chapter he saieth It is the power of GOD vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth And in an other place he calleth it the worde and ministrie of Reconciliation Sainct Iohn calleth it the testimonie of Iesus Christ From these and suche like places maie bee easily gathered a full definition of the Gospell whiche I leaue to your godly consideration Onely this I adde that vnder the voyce of the Gospell is comprehended the whole historie of Iesus Christ in the fl●she and also the fruite and vse of the same Historie As touchyng the first namely the historie of Christe it is sommarily comprehended vnder his Passion and Resurrection the vse and ende of all is that wee should haue repentaunce and remission of sinnes in his name and this doeth Christe himselfe witnesse when as he laied to his Apostles after his Resurrection Thus it is written and thus it behooued Christ to suffer and to rise againe from the dead the third daie and that repentance and remission of sinnes should bee preached in his name among all Nations To this agreeth the holy Apostle Saint Peter when as he saieth with other the Apostles to the Counsel and chief Priestes The God of our Fathers hath raised vp Iesus whom ye slue and hanged on a tree Him hath God lift vp with his right hande to bee a Prince and a Sauiour to giue repentaunce vnto Israell and forgiuenesse of sinnes By this wee maie see how the Gospell must bee preached the people must bee taught what Christe hath done for them The whole Storie of his Incarnation Conception Birth Sufferinges Resurrection and Assention these thinges I saie must bee often tymes and effectually preached to the people as they are set downe by the holy Euangelistes and Apostles But yet this is not enough to shewe what Christ hath done to rehearse the Storie of his Incarnation but also the Minister must bee carefull to preache the vse the ende and fruite of the same Storie whiche is that the people maie repent bee tourned vnfainedly vnto God and so by faith made pertakers of remission of sinnes through Iesus Christe Repentaunce is a true tournyng to GOD a chaungyng of the outwarde and inwarde man a dying to sinne a liuing to righteousnesse and a mendement of the whole life which this doctrine wee must beginne this we must first of all and chiefly vrge This is that doctrine chiefly and most of all preached by the holy Prophetes This is the common and vsuall voyce O Israell returne to the Lorde Iohn the Baptist the Messenger and also Iesus Christe his Maister they crye both of them Repent for the kingdome of Heauen is at hande The Apostles also euery where exhorte men to repentaunce to amendement of life to mortification and regeneration This is an vsuall doctrine in all their Epistles Now they can neuer truly repent which knowe not the greatnesse of their sinnes and the punishment due to them And how shall they knowe this except their sinnes bee reproued and laied open by preaching the lawe of GOD for by the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne so that the doctrine of the lawe must not bee seperated from the preaching of the Gospell for it is a Schoolemaister to bring vs to Christ This then is necessarily required of euery Minister freely and boldly to reprooue sinne in all states and degrees whatsoeuer This is it that the Lorde saieth to his Prophete Crye aloude spare not lift vp thy voyce like a Trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and to the house of Iacob their sinnes Our Sauiour Christ accounteth it as an office duetie of the holy Ghost to reproue the worlde of sinne And in deede there is no doctrine more necessarie for this age wherein wee liue although fewe can away it but crie out against such as preache it And as in other places so in this place heretofore I haue had proofe in this matter For vpon iust occasion noting the certaintie of Gods