Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	lord_n	name_n	write_v	5,698	5	5.8489	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77901	Poimēnopurgos. Pastorum propugnaculum. Or, The pulpits patronage against the force of un-ordained usurpation, and invasion. By Thomas Ball, sometimes Fellow of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, now minister of the Gospel in Northampton, at the request, and by the advice, of very many of his neighbour-ministers.	Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1656 (1656)	Wing B584; Thomason E863_10; ESTC R206670	204,465	356

these things we have written to you concerning those that seduce you We should not therefore be true unto our selves if we should in any thing intrench upon the peoples Interest oppose their good or interpose unto their prejudice and dammage What God alowes them the Lord forbid that we should disallow or any way diminish we shall therefore set down our sense in these succeeding propositions and particulars and be as we presume their Advoca●es and Patrons make out unto them what the Scripture doth in title them unto and barre them from presuming beyond their bounds unto their own and others ruine 1. People are under manifold capacities what ever was entailed upon them and they might challenge by creation they lost and were deprived of in Adams fall for that good was all conditional and a nomine poene annexed to the failing (c) Gen. 2. 17. for in the day that thou eatest theeof thou shalt surely die By which transgression of the first man all was forfeited that God hath offered in that Covenant And though its true and we acknowledge that there was another Covenant made in which there was a restitution yet that was limitted according to the will and wisdom of the maker for Adam and his issue in the second Covenant did not treat as parties but took such termes as the Lord was pleased to allow them who having forfeited did yield unto discretion and were willing and glad to take such Articles as an absolute offended Lord was now in mercy pleased to afford And they were not alike abundant in respect and favour unto all the Sons of Adam All had a freedom from that inevitable doom of perishing and dying presently denounced to them in the Covenant as we have shewed before and were reprieved and admitted unto an after-game and Heaven promised unto the winners in termes obscure and dark at the first publishing (d) Gen. 3. 15. but after expounded and known to be a promise of eternal life to such as should believe on Iesus Christ obscurely then expressed by the womans seed (e) Joh. 3. 16. for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have life everlasting Now a conditional Covenant becomes exclusive to the non-performers of the condition and therefore until men do either actually believe on Iesus Christ or become the Children of believing Parents whereby a Covenant or federall holiness is gotten as the Apostle shews (f) 1 Cor. 7. 14 they are excluded from any priviledge restored in the second Covenant and in this case were all the Nations but the Iews before our Saviours comming in the flesh who in times past suffered all Nations to walk in their own wayes (g) Act. 14. 16 and so at that time they were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world (h) Eph. 2. 12. and in this condition it will easily be granted they had no right no more then strangers have to make the Constables and Third-burrows in Towns and Parishes wherein they dwell not but when they do repent and turn to God and are baptised and admitted thereby members they have the right belonging unto Covenanters and visible Saints and members of the Church of Christ and that not only for themselves but for their issue and posterity according to the Covenant made with Abraham (i) Gen. 17 7 8. to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee and so baptised Infants come to have a right to whatsoever priviledge they have capacity for to enjoy and use and that is receptivity of what infusions and sprinklings of the grace of God he shall be pleased to bestow upon them (k) Ezek. 36. 25 26 27. but this will not inable them to chuse their Minister or act at all therein until they have the use of reason and it doth appear by their cariage and behaviour that their reason is mastered by the grace of God and they taught to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously soberly and godly in this present world (l) Tit. 2. 11 12. 2. When men are grown up and have reason to believe they are converted they may not only work out their own salvation as the Apostle speaks (m) Phil. ● 12. but also take to heart the good and welfare of the Church may mind the good of all their Christian friends and Brethren if I forget thee O Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning if I do not remember thee let my tongue cleave to the root of my mouth if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy (n) Psal 137. 5 6. and because they may quickly finde some places ill provided for they may be sory for them and wish them better if they see the harvest to be great and the Labourers to be few they may pray to the Lord of the Harvest that he would send forth Labourers into his Harvest (o) Mat. 9. 37 38. and if they be acquainted with any such as be designed and intended by inclination education purpose disposition or desire for that great work of ministerial administrations they may take more especial notice of them and inquire into them and by talking questioning discoursing with them may trie whether there be any work of grace upon their souls whereof they may be proper Iudges for savory speeches are good signes of grace (p) Eph. 4. 29. and there will quickly be a sympathy and sence between them as the Prophet (q) Mal. 3. 16. then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name and when they have searched and seen into them they may record their names if they please or make such other observation of them as may occasion them to speak of them and when any body doth enquire of a good Minister to recommend and offer them to those that want such for if we may and must mark those that cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine we have learned to avoid them (r) Rom. 16. 17. yea note them and set them down and have no company with them as the Apostle speaks (s) 2 Thes 3. 14. then may we note and mark them also that are apt and likely to do good that we find inclined and disposed to so good a work yea if we find them not so well provided and inclined we may incourage and perswade them to it we may read and study men as well as books ye are our Epistle written in our hearts known and read of all men (t) 2 Cor. 3. 2. and may put forward any good desire a duty expresly required of us (u) Heb. 10. 24 and let us consider one another to

but what 's essentiall and of absolute necessity can polish afterward and perfect but not begin the unborn Embryo or Infant hath all its necessaries and essentialls in the first draught (m) Psal 139. 16. Thine eyes did see my substance being yet imperfect and in thy Book were all my members written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them So in the Chaos or first confused heap which God created (n) Gen. 1. 1 2. there was the spawn and seed of all that goodly frame that afterwards appeared the first imperfect lines in every picture have the essentialls of the portraiture intended which afterwards are polished and filled up But in the youngest rudest most unpolisht new-born Church that ever was there were some that attended and did act in holy things There is no question but Adams Family was the rudest most unpolisht Church that ever was seeing he and his Wife were cast out from the holy and immediate presence and face of God into the cursed stubborn unsubdued earth that was inabled and encouraged to rebell and kick against him (o) Gen. 3 17 18 19. and was condemned and adjudged to an hard unusuall unwelcome state of toile and drudgery so bruised and distempered with this great Fall that it was not easie to retain his senses had something to distinguish him and make him differ from the devils and be a ground-work and foundation to build his Faith and Hope upon and that was a short obscure imperfect promise of salvation in the Womans Seed (p) Gen. 3. 15. which he had little leisure to consider so great was his confusion and distraction at the first and so full of terror and disappointment his arraignment and conviction Yet in Adams Family some did attend and act in holy things for in processe of time Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord and Abel brought of the first-lings of his flock and of the fat thereof this they could not have done if their Father Adam had not instructed them and taught them how to do it So Enoch is by the Apostle Jude (q) Jud. 14 15 acknowledged a Prophet and his Prophecy recorded and accounted a part of Holy Writ Noah is call'd by Peter a Preacher of righteousnesse (r) 2 Pet. 2. 5. So after the Flood we find Melchisedech a Priest (s) Gen. 14. 18 Abraham expresly call'd a Prophet (t) Gen. 20. 7 and by consequence the other patriarches and heads of Families by the Psalm●st saying Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harme (u) Psal 105. 15. and so along in all these rude unpolisht ages of the world some did attend and act in holy things and the Priesthood settled in the first born unless by some miscarriage they were deprived of it as Reuben was (w) Gen. 49. 4. so that at the last the first-born for that and other reasons were dedicated and given unto God (x) Exod. 13. 2 Exod. 22. 29. for there were Priests before that solemn consecration of the first-born or the separation of the Tribe of Levi to that imployment for before the giving of the Law there is mentiō made of Priests (y) Exod. 19. 22. and there are young men sent by Moses to offer sacrifice before the Tribe of Levi was assumed (z) Exod. 24. 5 which could be no other but the first-born of every Family Now if in these rude unpolisht and imperfect draughts of Churches there were some set a part to attend and act in holy things how much more ought such to be in perfect Modells if in a frame of Building that 's to be sold at Sturbridge Fair there be foundations walls and roof though all imperfect and unfurnisht how much more are there foundations walls and roof in White-Hall Hampton Court and such other stately and royal Fabricks CHAP. XII The sixt Argument THat ought to be in every setled well-ordered Arg. 6 Church that was not wanting in the Heathen Service of their Pagan Idols in the worship and attendance of those Idolatrous and Pagan Worshippers for when the Heathen knew not God they did service to them which by nature are no Gods (a) Gal. 4. 8. Whether we consider the Image or Picture they did adore and was the present immediate object of their worship for they knew that to be a peece of wood or stone or gold or silver as the Poet Olim truncus eram ficulnus inutile lignum Cum faber incertus scamnum faceretve Priapum Maluit esse Deum They knew that their gods had not their dwellings here below with men as they truly and wisely answered to that great King (b) Dan. 2. 11. but that they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Poet speaks in the beginning of his Illiades although they thought they sometimes came down in the shapes of men or other creatures as they speak (c) Act. 14 11 Or whether we consider the thing represented to them by the Image for that was either some puissant and famous man as Belus Jupiter Osyris Mercury or some evil spirit that deluded and misled them for howsoever the ancient Platon●sts as Porphyrie others thought they did worship good ones as well as bad ones and give Rules to know the good ones from the bad ones yet we know the good ones never would admit of worship (d) Rev. 19. 10 See thou do it not I am thy fellow-servant and the Apostle expresly sayes that they were devils and not Gods (e) 1 Cor. 10. 20 21. And as their object unto which their worship was designed was a creature so their light whereby they acted was a very dim light that would discover nothing but what was palpable and very obvious as that Adultery and Murther was a sin and such great characters and prin●s that were engraven on their hearts in the Creation and could not easily be blotted and defaced as the Apostle shews (f) Rom. 2. 14 15. Now what Pagans guided by this dim uncertain polluted and infected light of nature did unto their Images and Idol Gods must not be wanting and defective in the Religious Worship of the true God that 's guided and directed by the inspired and written Word of God for Idolaters and Heathens must not out-do us must not go farther and be more serviceable then pretenders to the highest and exactest straines of Christianity What blind men see and settle the seers must not stumble at and faile in But we find a Priest-hood and attendance upon holy things among the Heathen some persons set a part to attend and act in holy things among Idolaters this due was given to the Devil by those that in their Images did sacrifice to him for howsoever Noah were a Worshipper of God and had Religion in his Family as well after as before the Flood (g) Gen. 8. 20 21. yet his issue and posterity soon fell off and