Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	law_n	scripture_n	write_v	2,897	5	5.9324	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95657	Pseudeleutheria. Or Lawlesse liberty. Set forth in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Major of London, &c. in Pauls, Aug. 16. 1646. / By Edvvard Terry, Minister of the Word, and pastor of the church at Great-Greenford in the country of Middlesex. Sept. 11. 1646. Imprimatur. John Downame.	Terry, Edward, 1590-1660.	1646 (1646)	Wing T781; Thomason E356_11; ESTC R201136	37,931	42

thinke of them as the Crow their Bird most faire Woe unto them saith the Prophet that call evill good and good evill that put darkenesse for light and light for darkenesse and woe unto them that are wise in their owne eyes c. Isaiah 5. 20. 21. because wisedome presumed on and drawne from the broken cisterne of a mans owne braine is in the reputation of God and hath as great an woe before it in that Chapter as the sins of Covetousnesse or Oppression or Drunkennesse Thirdly take this for granted before hand that there is very much deceit in appearance if not our blessed Saviour had spared that precept in the seventh Chapter of Iohn v. 24 not to judge of things according to appearance but to judge righteous judgement Because many things that appeare are not what they appeare to be Because Satan that he may the more certainely deceive can transforme himselfe into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11. 14. Lastly in all thy undertakings before thou conclude of any thing order thy actions and thy resolutions by those words in the nineteenth of Judges the last verse first consider secondly take advice thirdly speake thy minde or resolve what to doe Or as that Scripture is rendred in the former translation 1 consider 2 consult 3 give sentence First seriously consider of the thing in question for Inconsideration and Prejudice were never made for competent Judges Consider of things whether they be true or false Now for the triall of truth Antiquity must ground and bottome it The un-erring word of God must balance and trie it And the lives and practises of all the holy men of God whom God hath proposed to us for examples must ratifie and confirme it and this scrutinie must be most impartially carried First truth is grounded upon Antiquity it was from the beginning for there are no new Divine truths quod verrum antiquum quod falsum recens Secondly the word of God must ballance and trie it and therefore trie before thou trust Beleeve not every spirit but trie the spirits whether they be of God 1 Ioh. 4. 1. Repaire to the Law and Testimonie c. Isaiah 8. 20 Prove all things hold fast that which is good 1 Thes. 5. 21. Loane not to thine owne understanding Pro. 3. 5. But beleeve how that others who labour to get the knowledge the right interpretation of Gods revealed will declared in his word First from God by prayer Secondly from men by conference Thirdly from Bookes by reading And are further able to reade the holy Scriptures in that language wherein they were first written may be able to speake no more to give the sense of a Scripture as well as thou that canst but or happily scarce reade it in the English For thy further and better instruction therefore Secondly consult not with men only of thine owne opinion but with others also for if we will see things aright we must sometimes make use of other mens eyes as well as of our owne for in our owne there may be some defect and we know that pore-blind and blood-shot and squint-eyes cannot see well the last looking over or besides the object and the other two cannot well discerne things as they are And thirdly when thou hast wisely considered and carefully consulted then resolve And that thou maiest so doe to the quiet and comfort both of thy selfe and others know that the wisedome which is from above is first pure then peaceable Jam. 3. 17. and therefore follow peace and holinesse Heb. 12. 14. Never think thou art too good too upright too holy too religious ever in the right use of all good meanes seeke labour strive study covet to be better for this is a justifiable covetousnesse 1 Cor. 12. 21. and follow peace too every one striving to exceed one another in love for this is a godly emulation Thus have I inserted something by way of Preface before these following meditations if this or they shall prove any way usefull I have my reward if otherwise my very hearty desires to cast in my mite by offering some word in season amongst those many by much more worthy that have made themselves publicke shall be my comfort Thine as far as thou art a friend to Truth and Peace Ed. Terry PSAL. 2. 3. Let us breake their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us THis Psalme is Davids for so the Apoostles tell us Acts 4. 25. that God by the mouth of his servant David said why doe the heathen rage and the people imagine a vaine thing c. And this Psalme was pen'd by David as is most probably conceived after his victory over the Philistines who gathered themselves against him when the people had made him King in the roome of Saul And now that we may make as much of this Psalme our owne this day as may help us to the cleerer understanding of this text I beseech you take notice that the three first verses in it are a narration of the attempts of many wicked men against the Kingdome of David as the Type and against Christ too as the Antitype or person typified in this Psalme The carriages projects attempts of these wicked unruly men who would cast off subjection are exprest here in the first verse by way of interrogation why doe the heathen rage and the people imagine a vaine thing c the Prophet admiring their folly in going about that which was impossible for them to effect why doe they rage Or come tumultuously together as men in an uproare for so the originall word implies noting their pride and fiercenesse as in horses from whom the Metaphor is taken which neigh and rage before they rush into the battel But why to what purpose is all this when God who can will maintaine Davids right as he most thankfully acknowledgeth Psal. 9. 4. thou hast maintained my right and my cause c. he must be King though he have many enemies not only amongst the meanest but mightiest to oppose him whose attempts studies power pollicies rage shall prove to be of none effect for when they conceive mischeife and travell with wickednesse they shall bring forth a lie as it is Psal. 7. 14. for Christ shall confound them he shall first scorne and laugh at their attempts v. 4. God speaking there after the manner of men for God will make them to know how that they which reckon without him must reckon againe He will speake to them in wrath vexe them in displeasure as it is verse 5. or he will handle them roughly for so t is in the originall breaking them in peeces like a potters vessell verse 9. their wound shall be incurable their ruine irrecoverable like the breaking of an earthen vessell once broken never to be repaired Yet notwithstanding this their associating and leaguing together their animating and encouraging one another in this evill way is positively laid downe in the 2 and 3 vers. of this Psal. in the 2

and an inferiority a command and a subjection a mastery and a Dominion in every order of men specially designed The body Politike is very fitly compared unto a naturall body which must not be all head or hand or foot but distinguished into superior and inferior parts for every member to doe its particular office The Heart or Soule sitting in the middest of the body as a King upon his Throne and according to the dictates of the heart the tongue speakes the eyes looke the feete move the hands stir c. Now a body Politike may most fitly be resembled to this Naturall body wherein there are parts as the Apostle speakes more and lesse honourable 1. Cor. 12. yet all tending to the mutuall decency service and succour of the fame body The Aegyptians made an Eie and a Scepter the Embleme by which they figured their government a Scepter for Jurisdiction and power an Eie for watchfulnesse and discretion And certainely a Kingdome without order and government is like the body of that fayned Giant Polyphemus without an eie or rather like a body without an head or which most fitly resembles it like that confused Chaos before the Creation where heighth and depth light and darkenesse were mingled together In the beginning therefore when heaven and earth were first made God established a superiority and rule in other creatures after their kinde and afterwards in man So Gen. 1. 16. God made two great lights the greater to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night he made the starres also And one starre to differ from another in glory 1. Cor. 15. 41. And presently after when he had created man he invested him immediately with imperiall authority to subduethe earth and to rule in it v. 28. And to what other end is it called the host of Heaven Gen. 2. 1. but to shew how that Metaphor is taken from an Army where there must be superiority and subordination command and obedience without both which it cannot subsist For if the spirit and soule of obedience be taken away what can follow but Ataxie and Confusion Reason 2. Secondly there must be Government and Discipline for necessities sake to curbe and restraine all tumultuous and heady spirits all offensive and disordered persons whether in Church or Common-wealth The Lawes of God were first written in the fleshy tables of mans heart but sin did either blot or wear them out thence Then the wisedome of God thought fit to write them upon tables of stone that they might be lasting durable permanent But these Lawes of God thus written and commended and commanded unto man where slighted and neglected and forsaken by him and therefore Irenaus well observes in his first booke against heresies that therefore God appointed Kingdomes and men to rule in them because man forsaking God did wax feirce lawlesse masterlesse and being not sufficiently awed by the feare of the Lord God therefore put upon them the feare of man that fearing humane Lawes they should not devoure destroy consume one another as the fishes of the Sea and the beasts of the wildernesse and the fowles of the aire doe And for this reason there is an absolute necessity of Lawes to curbe and restraine and to keepe people under obedience for were it not for these our beds would not be suffered to lie under us our meate would be pulled out of our mouths our clothes would be torne off our backes rapine and violence would destroy us Vse Now for application this being so as it must needs be granted to be truth What just cause have all people who live under good Lawes to blesse God for them To one who asked the question why the City Sparta had no wals t was answered that the Citizens had good weapons in their hands unanimity in their hearts and to both these good Lawes to order them We want no weapons and these sad times have made almost every one amongst us a man of war And would to God that we had just cause to boast of unity and mutuall agreement amongst our selves But for good Lawes certainly we of this Nation have as great cause to be thankfull as any people under the Cope of Heaven ever had And oh that we had as just cause to prayse God for their due execution likewise But alas we have not Oh justice how faintly doest thou draw thy breath while thou sufferest so many desperate sinners and so many dangerous seducing Schismaticks to march boldly by thee and not bidst them stand Alas how doth the whole Land stinke of that beastly sin of drunkennesse that sin which robs a man of himselfe and leaves a beast in the skin of a man That sin which is like the serpent that stings two waies for it kills the body and slaies the soule too yet how doe those Tents of wickednesse those Thrones wherein Satan dwells those unnecessary tipling houses which so multiply Transgressors and transgressions amongst men increase amongst us How doe Pride and Luxury strive for the upper end of the table How doth the very breath of most desperate swearers and blasphemers even poyson the very aire of the Kingdome wherein we live And how doth the stone out of the Wall and the Beame in the Chamber cry out aloud against oppression And how hath the Error of Religion made many amongst us so wanton that they know not what to have nor what to hold Surely as the Prophet Isaiah complaines Isai. 24. 20. The transgression of the earth of this earth whereon we live lies heavy upon it And now O justice how doest thou degenerate from thy selfe while thou sufferest thy sword for want of drawing to rust or else for feare or for some other ●ie respects to be lock't up in the scabbard I am not come hither to declame against the administration of justice in this honorable City this City so renowned for exemplary government the world over though I must tell you that if I knew any just cause to invite me hereunto I should not spare But this I am sure of that there is an intollerable an unanswerable fault some where when so much wickednesse goes unpunished when so many errors schismes heresies some of which destroy as the rest doe blast the profession of Religion are suffered amongst us though we have lifted up our hands unto the most high God in a solemne League and Covenant to the contrarie Or if they meet with any rebuke from some it is but such a one as that too-too much indulgent Ely who brought up his sonnes to bring downe his house gave his sonnes 1 Sam. 2. 23. saying why doe you so or such things A strange thing in Ely to punish the Thefts Rapines Sacriledge Adulters Incests of his sonnes with why doe you so what was this but to shave that head which deserved to be cut off Doubtles as I find it excellently observed to my hand it is with sins in the soule as with humors in the body a