Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	new_a	testament_n	write_v	6,542	5	5.9777	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80742	Gospel-libertie in the extensions limitations of it. Wherein is laid down an exact way to end the present dissentions, and to preserve future peace among the Saints. VVhereunto is added good newes from heaven; to the worst of sinners on earth. The former in nine sermons on 1 Cor. 10. 23. All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expeaient. The latter in three sermons on Luke 2. 10. Feare not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. By Walter Cradock late preacher at All-Hallows Great in London;	Cradock, Walter, 1606?-1659.; Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1648 (1648)	Wing C6762A; ESTC R204983	178,682	290

violent though they be ready to devoure one another and ready to set the Kingdom nation on fire and say we will have our way and you shall not have yours yet marke it they both agree in this all these contentions they come from the same principle I speake not of every particular man but of the generality of both wayes it comes from an old Testament spirit in the one and in the other And though they be contrary as light and darknes point blank enemies yet as I have sometimes seen two rivers run contrary wayes that have sprung from the same head and hill so the one and the other if I mistake not of the great controversies at this time it comes from an old Testament spirit in the one as well as in the other What is an old Testament spirit I speake not to make the breach wider Old Testament spirit what but desire that it may be healed therfore I say that you may take notice of it take heed of it an old Testament spirit is this that there is in both a disposition to make a curious externall peice of government as curious nay say they why not more curious than Moses made in the Old I say in externall things And out of this principle every one will have his brat and straine and squeeze the Scripture one this way and another that and make fine peices that will never stand Only with this difference that the one side that in this are the honester of the two they endlessely make lawes and ties for their own consciences and the other party they make lawes and ties upon the consciences of others The one party is alway scrupulous 1. Such as make laws to tie themselves And why should not the Lord be more honourable than the servant and Moses that was a servant was faithful in the house of God and he made a curious peice even to a snuff to aloope to an ilet hole and there must certainly be a curious peice if we could see it Not knowing that Gods purpose is to make his worship glorious in spiritualls and so they goe on a long and search the Scripture to every jot and tittle squeese blood out of it and so tie knots and will not stoop an ace to their bretheren for a Kingdome Thus they binde themselves as the silk-worme or the spider with their own web And when they have made lawes they lay such a stresse on them that if they misse in a nick they conclude there is no Church nor no Common-wealth c. I could give divers instances as in that of dipping over head and eares because the word bapto signifies over head and eares sometimes and because the preposition em signifies to go into from that they binde all the Saints all the world over to goe into rivers so that if a man be not dipped but only sprinkled because of the preposition em that makes a nullitie of the Church that it is no Church and so consequently there shall be no Church at all so from prepositions and particles they make rules that Christ hath not tied them to I speak not to disparage the least tittle of the Scripture for Heaven and earth shall passe before one jot or tittle of it shall passe But take this too it is not every tittle or affix nor every preposition nor every example nor every precept that can make an absolute rule to binde all the Saints all the world over therefore though there be no preposition nor no tittle in the word but there is use for it yet it is not to be put to that use that every thing there must binde all the Saints in all the world that is a mistake The other sort of people have the same principle also 2. Such as make laws to binde others they would have a curious externall peice in the new Testament but with this difference that they would not be so scrupulous to themselves for many of them walk large broad enough but their fingers itch to make lawes and ties to binde the consciences of others and so they look upon the old Testament and see that a compleat peice how the Passeover was prescribed how they must take the lamb and at what age and how long they must keep it and when they must kill it and what posture they must use and what sauce they must have they see it a curious peice and they look on the new Testament though they speak not so as if Christ had left it very darke and short and briefe And indeed to speak the truth if the designe of Christ had been to make a curious externall peice under the new Testament as under the old they did think right no man could disprove them but Christ of purpose left things briefe as I shewed before How moderately and spairingly and covertly the Lord mentions Ordinances in the new Testament now they concluding that the worship of God in the new Testament must be more glorious than in the old and in outward things there upon they make Canons and eech it out and in so doing they make such ties upon indifferent things and things that Christ hath not determined to the Saints that though the things be otherwise good in themselves yet they have this evill one of the greatest in any Church in the world they bring the glorious sonnes of Sion under the New-Testament back againe to the Old So it hath been alway from the beginning Popes practise for wee see the Popes heretofore they alway looked on the new Testament as a lame thing short and dark therefore they made Canon upon Canon and Article upon Article every Pope made Canons and lawes and decretalls till they were endlesse to determine things that are undetermined that are left to the wisdom of the Saints in their riper age all a long an old Testament spirit that they might make a curious outward peice And so the Bishops Bishops practise they looked on the new Testament as dark and lame and they would take it and digest it into a method and make other bookes instead of a new Testament that a man might be a protestant and never see the Bible and a man might be a good Catholik and never see the Bible So they made the thirtie-nine Articles and decrees and Canons to eech out the new Testament and the minister must say this with a loud voyce and that with a low voyce and now he must sit and now he must stand and hee must read one lesson here and another there and here he must read the first and there the second Service and if he were rich he must weare long clothes and if he were poore he must weare short What an abominable thing is it to tie the sonnes of God that are not babies now under tutors with paltrie things when the Spirit of God in the least Saint is better able to determine than all the Bishops

have occasion to mention all these sorts of people therefore they are pleased because every one hopes to get the other to his faction As if he be a Presbyterian it is nutts to him to heare any thing spoken against the Independents and if he be an Independent to heare the Presbyterians spoken against so I feare you are pleased because you are in faction and every one is glad to have the Preacher side with his faction This pleaseth corruption but doth the soule no good Others on the other side are offended exceedingly at what hath been said why so 2. Some offended because their party is spoken against because hearing any thing spoken of that patty they are of whatsoever it is by way of illustration to cleare and follow and hunt out this principle they take it hainously why so because religion I must tell you is all in faction among us therefore though you your selves acknowledge that there are some godly men that are Independents and some godly men that are Presbyterians yet it is so in faction that if a Preacher raile against Presbytery he is an excellent Preacher and on the other side if he be bitter against Independents he is a rare man and so you goe along in faction that no man living is able to doe your soules good I bewaile it and it will be your misery you in this City of all places in Christendome excepting none are miserable people Here is a populous place and abundance of Preachers and abundance of itching eares and greasie hearts as the Psalmist saith and you will not be tyed by the Magistrates to your Parishes and I desire not that but you will not be tied by the Ministers to suffer the word of exhortation but you make a trade of wandering from Minister to Minister to try their eares and as soone as you have heard a word that crosseth your corruption and your fancy you are gone As if a poore soldier should come with a wounded arme or a broken legg and desire a Chirurgeon to put on a plaister and when hee feeles it smart away he goes from that Chirurgeon to another and so to a third a fourth So you are miserable souls without Gods mercy like to perish for ever you have hearts as fat as brawne as fat as grease as some translate it VVhat is that Our work is upon your hearts we are Gods hammers the word is called so by Ieremiah Now take a greasie thing and put it under a hammer and it will slip on one side and on another and you can never strike it justly So you if there be any thing that crosses your humour it is a hard saying and away you goe and were it not for your own meserie it were no great losse Therefore let me tell you it is a principle that I am an enemie to wheresoever it is and it is that I have bin hunting out and let every one take his share to open it and labour to finde it out for his good I would begine with my selfe and I professe before you that there is no principle that hath mislead my soule to my greife as this principle Let me take my share and you yours and suffer not your hearts to be above the word of God and to run wild when any thing comes to do you good but suffer the word of exhortation for your good That is one thing Secondly this is another thing in all that I have said and I have spoken much concerning this I have not in all this woe to me if I should sought to innervate 2. nothing commanded by God weekned or weaken any jot or tittle of any absolute command of God concerning any good commanded or any evil forbidden Think not therefore as I said before here is a latitude Paul hath broken downe the hedge and wee may doe what we list No in all things that God hath determined I have carried it so that I would not have the good omitted that he hath commanded or the evil done that he hath forbidden For I know what the Spirit faith in the close of the booke of the Revelations He that adds to this booke God shall add to him all the plagues that are written in this booke and he that puts to any thing God shall put his name out of the booke of life and I know that he that breaks the least commandment and teacheth men so to doe shall be least in the Kingdome of heaven Mat. 5. Therefore I have not in all this sought to weaken any one tittle or thing absolutely determined 3. Not to abuse this doctrine to strife Thirdly and lastly the maine aime of all was peace therefore I would admonish you all of being like the Spider to draw poyson out of the sweetest flowers If wee studie to make peace thou pickest occasion of more warre to jangle and wrangle more woe to thee for if Christ say Blessed are the peace makers than Cursed are the peace breakers Those that any way give just occasion to break the peace of Gods people And I am affraide notwithstanding all that hath been said there are some among us that I may say of them as David saith of some in his time when I speak of peace they prepare for warre So when we speak of peace and use means to reconcile the Saints they pick occasion of jangling and wrangling This is but to cleare the way So now I proceed to that that remaines which consists in two things The one is to point out breifly some hindrances in the way of the Saints that must be remooved or else wee shall never walk according to this rule Seconly to shew some few meanes as we call them externall meanes that God hath directed me to how to come to square our hearts and lives according to this rule But before I come to that there are two objections in the way which I shall answer breifly The first is this Object you will say Sir for all you say you ayme at peace and you endeavour peace yet notwithstanding me thinks you seem to innervate the word of God you seem to make a great deale of the word of God unprofitable for if we must not make an absolute rule of every thing here what doe we with it There will be a great deale void for you told us that every example no not every precept doth not make an absolute rule to binde the Saints so it seemes there will be a great deale void and what shall wee doe with it To answer that briefly I deny that there is any thing in this blessed booke that is unprofitable Answ 1 Nothing in the Scripture but is of use but I deny this also that every thing in the new-New-Testament is profitable to make a rule of I will shew you two places of Scripture the first is in Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things were written afore time were written for our learning But not every thing a rule that we