Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	judge_n	king_n	ruth_n	1,639	5	10.6479	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64622	A body of divinitie, or, The summe and substance of Christian religion catechistically propounded, and explained, by way of question and answer : methodically and familiarly handled / composed long since by James Vsher B. of Armagh, and at the earnest desires of divers godly Christians now printed and published ; whereunto is adjoyned a tract, intituled Immanvel, or, The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God heretofore writen [sic] and published by the same authour.; Body of divinity	Ussher, James, 1581-1656.; Downame, John, d. 1652.	1645 (1645)	Wing U151; ESTC R19025	516,207	504

of the people into the Land of promise that all strangers might reade and know what Religion the children of Israel professed and hee commanded that it should bee writen well and plainly or cleerly Deut. 27. 8. which could not bee performed except it were writen with the vowelling points vvhereunto also belong all those places of Scripture which testifie of the cleernesse and certainty of the Scripture which could not at all bee if it lacked vowels What are the books of the Old Testament The books of Moses otherwise called the Law and the Prophets for so are they oftentimes divided in the New Testament as Mat. 5. 17. 7. 12. 22. 40. Luk. 16. 29. 24. 27. Joh. 1. 45. Act. 13. 15. 24. 14. 26. 22. 28. 23. Where it is to bee understood that the Law is taken for the vvhole Doctrine of God delivered by Moses which containeth not only the Law but also promises of mercy in Christ as hee himself saith Joh. 5. 46. If yee did beleeve Moses you vvould also beleeve me for Moses wrote of me and vvhereas our Saviour Christ Luk. 24. 44. unto the Law and the Prophets addeth the Psalmes which are a part of the Prophets it is because they were most familiar to the godly and generally known of the people by the daily exercise of them the former division notwithstanding being perfect Which are the books of Moses Five in number vvhich are called Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomie How are the books of these Prophets distinguished Into Historicall and Doctrinall the former vvhereof contain the explication of the Law by practise principally the latter by Doctrine chiefely How many Historicall books bee there Twelve in number viz. the book of Joshua the book of Judges the book of Ruth the two books of Samuel the two books of Kings the two books of Chronicles the book of Ezra the book of Nehemiah and the book of Ester How are the Doctrinall books distinguished Into Poeticall and Prosaicall which distinction is thought of many to bee observed by our Saviour Christ Luk. 24. 44. where he under the name of Psalmes comprehendeth all those books that are writen in the holy Poeticall style Which are the Poeticall books Such as are writen in Meeter or poesie containing principally wise and holy sentences whence also they may bee called Sententiall and they are five in number viz. The book of Job the Psalmes and Solomons three books the Proverbs Ecclesiastes and the Canticles Which are the Prosaicall books Such as are for the most part writen in prose and foretell things to come whence also more especially they are termed Propheticall or vaticinall of which kinde are sixteen writers in number foure whereof are called the greater Prophets viz. Isaiah Jeremiah to whose prophesies is annexed his book of Lamentations though writen in Meeter Ezekiel and Daniel and twelve are called smaller Prophets viz. Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zacharie Malachi which twelve of old were reckoned for one book and therefore Act. 7 42. Stephen citing a place out of Amos 5. 25. useth this forme As it is writen in the book of the Prophets Bee there no other Canonicall books of the Scripture of the Old Testament besides these that you have named No for those other books which Papists would obtrude unto us for Canonicall are Apocryphall that is to say such as are to lye hid when there is proof to bee made of Religion How prove you that those Apocryphall books are no part of the Canonicall Scriptures First they are not writen first in Hebrew the Language of the Church before Christ which all the books of the Old Testament are originally writen in Secondly they were never received into the Canon of the Scripture by the Church of the Jews before Christ to whom alone in those times the Oracles of God were committed Rom. 3. 2. nor read and expounded in their Synagogues See Josephus contra Appion lib. 1. Eusebius lib. 3. cap. 10. Thirdly the Jews were so carefull to keep Scripture intire as they kept the number of the verses and letters within which is none of the Apocrypha Fourthly the Scripture of the Old Testament was writen by Prophets Luk. 24. 27. 2 Pet. 1. 19. But Malachi was the last Prophet after whom all the Apocrypha was vvriten Fifthly they are not authorised by Christ and his Apostles who doe give testimony unto the Scriptures Sixthly by the most ancient Fathers and Councels of the primitive Churches after the Apostles both Greek and Latine they have not been admitted for tryall of Truth though they have been read for instruction of manners as may appear by Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 18. out of Origen the Councell of Loadicea Can. 59. vvhich is also confirmed by the sixt generall Councell of Constantinople Can. 2. and many other Testimonies of the ancient Fathers Seventhly There is no such constant Truth in them as in the Canonicall Scriptures for every book of them hath falsehood in Doctrine or History Shew some of those errors in the particular books In the book of Tobie the Angel maketh a lie saying that hee is Azariah the son of Ananias Tob. 5. 12. which is farre from the Spirit of God and the nature of good Angels that cannot sin There is also the unchaste Devill Asmodeus the seven Angels which present the prayers of the Saints Tob. 12. 15. and the magicall toyes of the fishes heart liver and gall for driving away of Devils and restoring of sight not savouring of the Spirit of God Judith in her prayer commendeth the fact of Simeon Gen. 34. which the Holy Ghost condemneth Gen. 49. 5. and prayeth God to prosper her feigned tales and lies Jud. 9. 13. 18. Baruch saith hee wrote this book in Babylon Chap. 1. whereas it appeareth by Jeremiah 43. 6. that hee was with Jeremiah at Jerusalem and went not from him Likewise hee writeth for offerings and vessels after the Temple was burned and in the 6 Chapter v. 2. Jeremiah writeth that the continuance of the Jews in Babylon shall bee for seven Generations whereas the Canonicall Jeremiah Prophesieth but of 70. yeers Chap. 29. 10. For ten yeers cannot make a Generation neither is it ever so taken in the Canonicall Scriptures The story of Susanna maketh Daniel a young childe in the dayes of Astyages and to become famous among the people by the judgement of Susanna whereas Daniel himself writeth otherwise of his carriage into Babylon in the dayes of Jehoiakim under Nebuchadnezzar and of the means by which hee was known first to bee a Prophet Dan. 1. 2. The story of Bell and the Dragon speaks of Habakkuk the Prophet in the dayes of Cyrus who prophesied before the captivity of Babylon which was 70 yeers before Cyrus The first book of Maccabees writing an History of things said and done doth not much interlace his own judgement and therefore doth erre the

an eye-witnesse of many wonders by which the Ministery of Moses was confirmed testifieth his writings to bee the undoubted Word of God the same doe the Prophets which continued the History of the Church in the time of the Judges both of Moses Joshua Likewise all the Prophets which successively recorded the holy Story and Prophesies by divine Revelation from Samuel unto the Captivity and from the Captivity to the building again of the Temple and of the City and sometimes after receiving the same book of heavenly Doctrine from the former age delivered them to their posterity And Malachi the last of the Prophets closeth up the Old Testament with a charge and an Exhortation from the Lord to remember the Law of Moses delivered in Horeb and to use the same as a Schoole-master to direct them unto Christ untill hee came in person himself Mal. 4. 4. Finally from that time the Church of the Jews untill the comming of Christ in the flesh imbraced all the former writings of the Prophets as the book of God Christ himself appealeth unto them as a sufficient testimony of him Joh. 5. 39. The Apostles and the Evangelists prove the writings of the New Testament by them and the Catholike Church of Christ from the Apostles time untill this day hath acknowledged all the same writings both of the Old and New Testament to bee the undoubted Word of God Thus have wee the testimony both of the Old Church of the Jews Gods peculiar people and first-born to whom the Oracles of God were committed Act. 7. 38. Hos. 8. 12. Rom. 3. 2. 9. 4. and the view of Christians together with the generall account which all the godly have made at all times of the Scriptures when they have crossed their natures and courses as accounting it in their soules to bee of God and the speciall testimony of Martyrs who have sealed the certainty of the same by shedding their blood for them Thereunto also may bee added the testimony of those which are out of the Church Heathens out of whom many ancient testimonies are cited to this purpose by Josephus contra Appion Turks and Jews who to this day acknowledge all the books of the Old Testament and Hereticks who labour to shroud themselves under them c. Are there not some divine testimonies which may likewise bee added to this Yes first the known Miracles which the devill was never able to doe that did so often follow the writers and teachers of the Scriptures Secondly the manifold punishments and destruction of those that have reviled and persecuted the same Are these motives of themselves sufficient to work saving faith and perswade us fully to rest on Gods Word No besides all this it is required that wee have the Spirit of God as well to open our eyes to see the light as to seale up fully into our hearts that truth which wee see with our eyes for the same holy Spirit that inspired the Scripture 1 Cor. 2. 10. 14. 37. Ephes. 1. 13. inclineth the hearts of Gods children to beleeve what is revealed in them and inwardly assureth them above all reasons and arguments that these are the Scriptures of God therefore the Lord by the Prophet Isaiah promiseth to joyn his Spirit with his Word and that it shall remain with his children for ever Esa. 59. 21. The same promiseth our Saviour Christ unto his Disciples concerning the Comforter which hee would send to leade them into all truth and teach them all things and to put them in minde of all things which hee had said unto them Joh. 14. 26. 15. 26. The Lord by the Prophet Jeremiah also promiseth to give his Law into their mindes and to write them in the hearts of his children Jer. 31. 33. And S. John saith to the faithfull that by the anointing of the holy Spirit which is on them they know all things 1 Joh. 2. 20. This testimony of Gods Spirit in the hearts of his faithfull as it is proper to the Word of God so it is greater then any humane perswasions grounded upon reason or witnesses of men unto which it is unmeet that the Word of God should bee subject as Papists hold when they teach that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church for by thus hanging the credit and authority of the Scriptures on the Churches sentence they make the Churches work of greater credit then the Word of God whereas the Scriptures of God cannot bee judged or sentenced by any and God onely is a worthy witnesse himself in his Word and by his Spirit which give mutuall testimony one of the other and work that assurance of Faith in the Elect that no humane demonstrations can make nor any perswasions or inforcements of the world can remove Shew some further reasons that the authority of the Scriptures doth not depend upon the Church First because wee beleeve the Scriptures is a work of Faith but the Church cannot infuse Faith Secondly any authority that the Church hath it must prove it by the Scriptures therefore the Scripture dependeth not upon the Church Thirdly if an Infidell should ask the Church how they are sure that Christ dyed for them if they should answer because themselves say so it would be ridiculous when they should say because the Scripture teacheth so c. What books are the holy Scriptures and by whom were they writen First The books of the Old Testament in number nine and thirty which the Jews according to the number of their letters brought to two and twenty writen by Moses and the Prophets Rom. 3. 2. who delivered the same unto the Church of the Jews Secondly the books of the New Testament in number seven and twenty writen by the Apostles and Evangelists Rom. 1. 16. Rev. 1. 11. who delivered them to the Church of the Gentiles What language were the books of the Old Testament writen in In Hebrew which was the first tongue of the world and the most orderly speech in comparison of which all other languages may bee condemned of barbarous confusion but chosen especially because it was the language of that time best known unto the Church teaching that all men should understand the Scriptures onely some few portions by the later Prophets were left writen in the Chaldean tongue understood by Gods people after their carrying away into Babylon namely the 11 verse of the 10 chap. of Jer. six chapters in Daniel from the 4 ver of the 2 chap. to the end of the 7 chapter and three in Ezra the fourth fifth sixth Had the Hebrew Text vowels or points from the beginning as now it hath Our Saviour saith Matth. 5. 18. that not one jot or prick of the Law shall perish whereby it should appeare that the Law and the Prophets for of both hee speaketh immediately before had vowels and pricks God also by Moses commanded the Law to bee writen upon two great stones at the entrance