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	see_v	write_v	2,709	5	5.5275	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19270	A briefe homily wherein the most comfortable and right vse of the Lords Supper, is very plainly opened and deliuered, euen to the vnderstanding of the vnlearned and ignorant. Made to be vsed throughout the Diocesse of Lincolne, before euerie celebration of the Lordes Supper, in all such churches and parishes as haue not a sufficient hable preacher allowed vnder the hand and authentike seale of the Bishop there, and to be read by the minister of each such place, so distinctly and in such sorte, that all which shalbe then assembled, may well heare and marke the same.; Certaine sermons wherin is contained the defense of the gospell nowe preached	Cooper, Thomas, 1517?-1594.	1580 (1580)	STC 5684.5; ESTC S118236	7,401	16

acknowledge my selfe vnfaignedly to be of the nomber of them that hope to haue the fauour of God and to be saued by the mercie and passion of Christ onely The worde of God teacheth that sacraments are as it were seales to confirme the truth of Gods promises and to strengthē our faith Therfore by this seale of the Lords supper we assure our selues that we are partakers of all y e legacie which Christ our sauiour in his last wil bequeathed to vs that is that his bodie was broken vpon the crosse for our redemption his bloud shed for the remissiō of our sinnes The scriptures teach that in the vse of the sacramēts through faith we be vnited vnto Christ and ingraffed into his mysticall bodie so that we liue now onely by him whatsoeuer is his by the truth of his promise is ours also The word of God teacheth that the sacrament of the Lordes supper is a linke of vnitie that knitteth vs together as members of one misticall bodie and therefore that we ought to be ioyned in mutuall loue charitie among our selues and that it is a foule reproch both to Christ our head and to the whole bodie if we hate hurte or hinder one another For by the vse thereof we confesse that we are all members of one bodie all seruants of one Maister all children of one Father all subiectes vnder one Lord and king all partakers of one redemption all heires of one heritage and gift of eternall life And in so many linkes of vnitie to be at discorde among our selues is in Gods iudgement an heauie testimonie against vs in the day of his wrath Finally the word of God teacheth vs that the Sacrament of the Lordes supper is our heauenly feast in which the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world is offered vnto vs spiritually to feede vpon in our faith that by him as I haue before declared we may be nourished strengthened and preserued to eternall life And therfore that we ought to be very careful so to prepare our selues that we may be worthie guests for that blessed table Wherefore I thinke it necessarie in a word or two to teache you howe Christians should prepare themselues as worthy guestes to come to the Lordes Supper And how that may be done S. Paul in generall wordes briefely sheweth Let euerie man saith he proue himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. The meanes therefore to come worthily to it is to proue and trie our selues whether those thinges be in vs which the worthie guestes of that table should haue First therefore we must looke vnfaignedly into our selues whether we haue an appetite or desire to eate of that blessed foode for a loathing stomach neuer perfectly digesteth any meate that it receiueth but turneth it to the hurt of the bodie This appetite or desire cannot be in vs vnlesse it be wrought by the sharpe sauce of seuere repentance for our sinnes which we shall the better prepare if we examine our selues by the perfect rule of Gods iustice in his lawe and consider how farre we are from the same what daunger hangeth ouer our heads for the want thereof God saith in his lawe Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with al thy hart with all thy soule with all thy minde with all thy strength and thy neighbour as thy selfe that is we should loue we should hate we should feare we should hope for nothing but in God and to his glorie we should think and muse vpon nothing in our minde vnderstanding but that which may make to the honour and glorie of God we should imploy all the powers of our bodie and all our worldly gifts to the same end we should do nothing to any other man which we would not willingly be content should be done vnto vs. If we examine our selues by this rule we shall see we be so farre from that we should be that almoste we haue not one braunch thereof in vs whiche will more euidently appeare if we wil trie our selues by euery particular commandement rightly and truely vnderstanded Seeing then we be so farre from the iustice of Gods lawe the curse thereof must needes be due vnto vs. For God saith Cursed is he whosoeuer keepeth not all thinges written in the Booke of his law In this maner if we examine our selues sincerely we shall throughly knowe what we are in the sight of God as well by the corruption of our nature as by the course of our euill and naughtie life we shall haue sense of our owne sinne we shall hate and detest it we shal from the bottome of our heartes be sorie for it with trembling mindes we shal feare the heauie iudgement of God against vs and so will be stirred vp in vs that godly appetite greedy desire to eate of that spirituall meate whiche onely can satisfie our troubled conscience cure our repentant and broken heartes But though the appetite desire be neuer so great in vaine he commeth to any table that hath no mouth to eate nor strength of stomacke to digest A true and strong Christian faith is the mouth of the soule and the power wherewith we doe receiue and digest Christe Iesus crucified as the foode of our saluation We must looke therfore to our selues first whether we knowe and vnderstand the mistery of our redemption that is that the vnspeakeable mercie of God sent downe the seconde person in Trinitie to take fleshe of the blessed virgin to liue in the shape of a most contemptible man in this world and in the end to suffer cruel death for the redemption of mankinde Secondly whether we feele in our heartes a strong perswasion that we also through the merciful promises of God are partakers of the same worke of our redemption For a true Christian must not onely haue a generall knowledge but also by a firme faith he must haue a particular application of the same to him selfe Furthermore as it is necessarie to haue both a desire to eate stirred by a sense and feeling of true repentance and also an assured faith to receiue and digest this wholesome and comfortable medicine of our soule so because God bestoweth not his mercie by his Sonne Christ in vaine or to the end we should stil continew in sinne we must further trie our selues whether we feele an vnfained desire to rise to a newnesse of life and in earnest studie hereafter to amend our former faultes and to frame our selues to a godly and honest conuersation that God in vs may be glorified and the mouthes of the enemies stopped Lastly we must examine our consciences whether we haue a feruent great desire to call to our remembrance the vnestimable benefite of our redemption made by the price of his body and bloud and to acknowledge and confesse the same vnfainedly before God and the worlde and to yeelde