Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	know_v	think_v	write_v	2,490	5	4.9067	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10925	A sermon preached at the second trienniall visitation of the right honourable and right reuerend father in God, William Lord Bishop of London, holden at Keluedon in Essex: September. 3. 1631. By Nehemiah Rogers, pastor of Messing in Essex	Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660.	1632 (1632)	STC 21198; ESTC S116117	22,027	36

Cutting Riuing or Nibbing of the Penn that it may write hard or soft as Occasion requires Thus if we would write Well and Faire let vs not affect to be dealing with those Scriptures that are Obscure and Darke Of Ambiguous and Doubtfull meaning 2 Pet. 3.16 Of which kinde there are not a few in holy Writ and none more subiect to bee wrested and peruerted Wits making such places the Palaestra to proue masteries in You know the Antient Fathers did scarce touch the Booke of the Reuelation in all their writings thinking it farre safer with silence to admire then to aduenture to expound it Such then as fasten to choose vpon such darke Texts except they haue the better parts and helps seeme to write with the Ganders quill and while men seeke to get the praise of a nimble head and sharpe wit by tying knots to vntie againe they doe with the dog leaue soft meate to knawe vpon the bones But say in our ordinary lot and course Quest. we meete with such a Scripture what must then be done In such a Case Resp to keepe me still vnto the Metaphor doe as good Penmen doe with such a Quill scrape it and pare it till you get away the Teeth what may be I meane that you would Distinguish aptly that which is Confused And Illustrate plainely that which is Obscure You know the Helps the Vse of Tongues and Authors c. And Prayer in such a Case is the Best Booke in the Studie Enquire of him who is both the Author and Interpreter of Scripture The noise of Axe and Hammer would not bee heard ouer-loud within the Temple the worke would be framed in Lebanon To reckon vp all that wee haue read with their seuerall opinions vpon such a Text is in my poore conceit with Dauid A spice of Pride in numbering of the people As on the other side at no time to Quote an Author may be thought with Rhehoboam to despise the iudgement of the wise To bee briefe if after all our paines such places remaine to vs ambiguous and doubtfull it is enough if we acknowledge confesse and religiously admire Not peremptorily determining on either part shutting vp our discourse as the Iewes were wont euery doubtfull place they met withall with this Elias cum venerit soluet dubia Or if in Case we doe determine it shall bee our wisedome to walke in the beaten roade of the Church and not to run out into any single Paradoxes of our owne to trouble the common peace Better is it to bee last in the droue of good Expositors saith our Reuerend Arch-bishop in his Exposition vpon Ionah then to bee formost inventing our owne Conceits This is not all for after wee haue Chose our Quill With the good Pen-man we must be Carefull in Cutting of our Pen. This requires Skill that it may be neither too Soft nor ouer Hard Therefore the Apostle speaketh thus to Timothy Shew thy selfe approued vnto God a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly diuiding the Word of truth 2 Tim. 2.15 Gods Minister must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diuide and cut A speech borrowed from the Cutting vp of the Sacrifice in which there was great skill required the Liuer must be left hanging on the Right side the Heart and Lungs vpon the Channell bone the Milt vpon the left side and the Kidneys vpon the Rump Each Bungler can Chop a Text into Gobbets but so to Cut the word as to giue euery one their Portion and therein approue ones selfe to God is the propertie Of a Workeman that needeth not to bee ashamed Of this there are two parts Resolution and Application The Former is as the Slitting or Riuing of the Pen the Latter as the Nibbing of it Si Logica absit rationalis homo praeter rationem in linguae sono versatur Our Text must be vntwisted and vnloosed or as it were vnbowelled which cannot bee done without the helpe of Logicke the hand of Philosophie This would not bee Ouer-slight nor Ouer-curious for Aequè confusa est diuisio nimia nulla saith Fulgentius To make a long Analysis to a Short Text is with the Citizens of Mindus to build Great Gates to a Little Citie who were well flouted for their paines Or like the Boasting Traueller who comming to his Inne plucks out great store of coine and spends but two-pence And on the other side not to obserue Parts and Order is as bad A Burden well wrapped and pack't vp together wee carry with greater ease both Minister and Hearer is much help'd by Method As for the Applying part respect must bee had vnto the Auditory as the good Pen-man hath in nibbing of his Pen vnto the kinde of Paper he writes vpon that it agree with it Some hath a hard and crosse graine which soone takes off the edge of a Tender Penn here too much of the nib would not be left The Penn would bee Hard and Dry. Some paper againe hath a more fine and tender graine with which the Smaller Penn doth best agree Your Ordinarie Paper is Pot-paper of a middle nature and requires that the nib be neither too soft nor too hard but brought vnto a meane Gods Prophets must fit themselues to the Persons they haue to deale withall becomming all to all that they may saue some A Nathans tongue suits well with a Dauid's heart A Huldahs with Iosiah's And an Elijah's and Michajah's with Ahab's A Iohn Baptist with Herod's doth best of all It is worth our taking notice of how God in all ages hath proportioned men to the occasions A Mild Moses was for the low estate of Afflicted Jsrael mild in spirit saith one but mighty in wonders mild because hee had to do with a persecuted and yet a techie people mighty because he had to doe with a Pharaoh A Graue and a holy Samuel was for the quiet consistence of Israel And a fierie-spirited Elijah for the desperatest declinations of it If in later times of the depraued Condition of his Church God hath raised vp some spirits which haue beene more warme and stirring then those of common mould wee cannot censure the choise when we see the seruice As a Reuerend Prelate of our Church speakes worthily One thing more before I passe this be pleased to take notice of that how-euer you may seeme in the Nibbing of your Penn through the sloape holding of your knife in cutting it halfe way to make it thinne and then strait ouer-thwart to make Two-cuttings yet if it be not done at once it will not write Faire and Currantly So in all our Vses and Applications deriued and deducted from our Doctrines how euer they may seeme yet let them not be Two but One Syllogisme and ordinarily a Connexe Looke how many Vses we deduce from the Doctrine deliuered if they will make a Syllogisme the Doctrine being the Argument we misse not our Rule And then will our Application be more effectuall Nothing else

is vnciuill and rude Dauid as Bernard obserues could brooke it well enough that Nathan should tell him of his sin but he could not endure Shemei's rebukes though it was for the same offence And he saw God in it too The Reason he renders to be this Nathan did doe it with reuerence and respect vnto the person of the King But Shemei behaued himselfe vnreuerently and fell to downe right railing Thirdly the Paper we write vpon must be laid as nigh the breast as may be Those we Admonish Reproue Instruct c. must be neare our hearts All we doe must bee done in Loue. Thus Saint Paul with the same breath calleth the Galatians foolish and yet Brethren Gal. 4. and little children giuing signes of the greatest loue vnto them that could bee the like was his manner of dealing with the Corinthians 1 Cor. 3.2 A good conceit of the Physitian wee say is halfe the cure When our people are perswaded of our Affection towards them then it is likely our paines will be auaileable I perceiue I must hasten I come now to those Rules which concerne the worke it selfe And here three things are obserued by good Pen-men Ratio Modus Species the former doth concerne the Speculatiue part And the two later the Practique parts of Writing The Reason must bee found out and rendered why the letter is made thus not thus and being made this way is more gracefull then being made that way or that And so for the Coniunction knitting and ioyning together of them without the vnderstanding whereof hardly shall a man euer write well Thus must Gods Scribes bee able to shew Grounds for what they doe and teach 1. Ratio I do not meane that a Minister should be strictly tyed to render the Reason of euery Doctrine he doth deliuer A Course though Profitable and Vsefull yet not euer Necessary True it is there is Reason for all Gods Commandements if we could see it but we cannot alwaies conceiue that Reason And if wee should beleeue no more then we can giue Reason for wee shall not beleeue halfe that which a Christian is bound to beleeue to his soules saluation The Councell that Saint Austin giues to his Scholler Licentius concerning those things he heard of him would be remembred Nolo te causas rationesque rimari quae etiamsi reddi possint fidej tamen qua mihi credis non eas debeo If thus concerning those things he taught him then much more concerning those things which God teacheth vs. The Reasons and Grounds of them though they might be giuen which yet as I say concerning diuers Articles of our Faith cannot yet it suits not well with that credit and trust which we owe vnto God too curiously to search into or call into question But my meaning is we should be Grounded and Iudicious Textmen And be able to say as Iohn 3.11 we speake that we know And with Saint Paul 1 Thes 1.5 Our Gospell comes vnto you not in word onely but in power and in much assurance We are first exactly to know the truth and then deliuer it vnto Gods people The Sermons of the Prophet Nahum are called Nah. 1.1 Prooem in Nahū the booke of Visions the Reason Hierome giues and me thinkes it is a passing good one because saith he he well vnderstood and saw whatsoeuer he said Hence it is that Saint Paul cries Shame on them who desire to bee Teachers of the Law vnderstanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirme 1 Tim. 1.7 A great fault therefore it is in young Diuines to scorne the Catechisme affecting a profounder kinde of learning as they conceiue plodding in Postills and Controuersies and raw in Principles Taking the greatest mysteries of Religion fittest Arguments for the exercising of their wits In his Chryso passus As Eckius who discussing the question of Predestination in the very enterance of his discourse giues his Reason why he vndertooke that Argument for that he thought it to be the fittest question in which he might Iuueniles calores exercere When we know a wise man will choose to deale with Woodden wasters before he plaies at Sharpe An error in the Foundation puts the whole building in apparent hazard Therefore it shall be your wisedome who are sons of the Prophets first to aske Councell of Caluins or some others learned Institutions to peruse well the booke of the Articles of our Religion and the Bookes of Homilies as our Church enioyneth that what you deliuer for Doctrine may be comprehended in Essence Substance Effect or Naturall inference with some one of them But of all the Sheaues let the Bible haue preheminence and let the rest of the Shocke doe obeisance vnto it Nor let young Cockerills which newly begin to Crowe be setting vpon the great Cocks of Game billing at that Sophisticall Bellarmine or at that Iudicious Interpreter Caluin audaciously controuling him foolishly despising their great skill and learning Nor run rashly vpon the point of Discipline before they know it may bee what the name meaneth Better by many degrees it is to let these things alone till they be growne in Iudgement and able to speake of them to purpose 2. Modus without wronging either themselues or the Cause The Manner of making euery letter would be knowne as well as the Ground or Reason Let a Scribe begin to frame his letters after a Corrupt and Contrary way as to begin at the heele when hee should begin at the head will hee euer proue good Pen-man Would we be the Ornaments of our Pulpets and haue the praise of being good Ezra's apt and readie Scribes begin we then methodically The wise Preacher taught the people knowledge yea he gaue good heed and sought out and set in order many Prouerbs Eccles 12.9 God hath deuided his Word into fit parts and ordered it to our Capacitie and Vnderstanding It belongeth therefore vnto Gods Ministers to gather out of this treasure things both New and Old and like good Stewards set them forth before Gods family in the best order that they can beginning first with milke and spoone-meate after the Apostles practise 1 Cor. 3.2 Heb. 5.13 It is a preposterous course for any be they themselues neuer so learned comming to an ignorant people and superstitious for they are seldome seuered to begin with Controuersie Let vs first teach the Principles plainely and diligently and after a familiar manner by Question and Answer and spend one part of the Lords-day Commonly called Sunday in this Course for as much as there is still need New-commers on You know it was the practise of the Primitiue times the Apostles had their Catechisme Heb. 6. Where you haue the Name how it was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prima Christianismi principia as Beza renders it The Principles of the Doctrine of Christ as our Translation truly hath it And the Heads or Principles themselues therein contained and handled In number sixe after the