Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	old_a	part_n	testament_n	2,968	5	7.9440	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91733	Rules for the government of the tongue: together, with directions in six particular cases. [brace] 1 Confession of our faults to men. 2 Confession of Christ before men. 3 Reprehension of faults in others. 4 Christian communication. [brace] Vrbanity and eloquence. 5 Consolation of the afflicted. 6 Self-commendation, and a disproof of perfection in this life. Added, as a supplement, to the Rules for governing [brace] 1 the thoughts, 2 the affections, in the Precepts for Christian practice, or, The rule of the new creature, new model'd. / By Edward Reyner, minister of the Gospel in Lincolne.	Reyner, Edward, 1600-1668.; Reyner, Edward, 1600-1668. Precepts for Christian practice.	1656 (1656)	Wing R1230; Thomason E1594_2; ESTC R208861	220,132	401

Christ out of Heaven as if they had no grace at all because at present they can see none in themselves or were not the Lords because they are so deeply distressed as none of his ever were 5 To follow Satans prescripts or take Physick of him for the cure of Soul-troubles which is to lay aside all thoughts or cares about Soul-affairs to go into merry company and to give themselves to the pleasures of the flesh which remedy is farre worse than the disease This is to leap out of the pan into the fire Satans receits are rank poyson To hearken to Satan in any of these suggestions or perswasions is to do his lusts and his works for him to carry on his designs which mainly oppose and strike at Gods glory and the salvation of souls 4 Caution That they do not satisfie their disquieted hearts 1 By taking offence at the Lords dealings with them or at their present troubled state to be angry at God or to bee froward and sullen 2 By giving way to sad perplexed thoughts sufficient to sink them which is to prepare a Chariot for Satan to ride in triumph over their heads and hearts and to tread them both down to the dust 3 By venting or justifying the discontents and distempers of the heart as Jonah did his Anger before God Ionah 4. that they do well to bee angry 4 By putting away comfort from them in a froward peevish humour when it is tendred to them as Children throw away their Butter and Bread when they are pettish or displeased lest the Lord deal with them according to their desert Psal 18.26 and with the froward shew himself froward and fill their souls with Wormwood and Gall. Third Direction In dealing with afflicted souls or with your own souls in such afflictions have special respect to Three Graces to nourish and cherish the same in them which are their vitals in such a condition The First is Repentance for their sins those especially which are the cause of their troubles that their sorrow may bee sound and deep enough and go to the root or bottom of their hearts and of their lusts that their souls may lye low in humiliation before God for them for that is a foundation to build strong and high consolation upon those that are not rightly or throughly humbled for their sins are not fit for or capable of comfort The Second Grace is Faith labour to cherish and strengthen that in them by all means to trust still in God and his Mercies and Promises in Christ and his Merits and Mediation to lay fast hold on them and to stay themselves by them which are strong refuges to fly unto and sure foundations impregnable rocks to relye and rest their weary souls upon what evils soever they either 1 Feel So did David Psal 42.5 Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me trust thou in God for I shall yet praise him 2 Or Fear So did Job Though he slay me Iob 13.15 Psal 56.3 yet will I trust in him And David What time I am afraid I will trust in thee Life is kept in poor souls and their heads above water that they shall neither faint nor sink though the sorrows of death compass them about so long as the actings of faith are maintained and incouraged in them for Faith is their life The just shall live by his faith they cannot be overcome of any evils Rom. 1.17 desertions tentations corruptions or of the evil one Satan so long as they beleeve for this is the victory that overcometh them all 1 Ioh. 5.4 even their faith When faith fails souls faint and dye away when Peter began to doubt he began to sink The Third Grace is Patience Perswade them to the constant Iam. 1.4 and continual exercise of Patience that it may have her perfect work in bearing his hand submitting to his will in waiting his leasure for refreshings from Gods presence for bringing their souls out of troubles for an answer of peace which will be life to their souls So long as Patience is kept in work Satan is kept out and they keep their souls in their own possession Tell them that by giving way to impatience they give place to the Devil who thereby gets within them and gets great advantage against them that heightens and greatens any affliction and makes it grievous to be born Let me adde labour to cherish good desires in them that the smoaking Flax or Wick may b● lighted and made to ●urn and shine and grow up to a flame When you see their poverty of spirit that they see their Soul-wants and breathe after supplies tell them from Jesus Christ Matth. 5.3 that upon this account they are blessed and theirs is the Kingdom of heaven Fourth Direction Take a right course for healing their distempers and troubles of Soul 1 By searching the Sore to the bottom to finde out the core and the cause thereof Till Physitians discover the cause of a Disease they cannot apply fit and proper Medicines for the Cure and by drawing the troubles of their heart to a head as their sorrow for sin in general to grieve for some one sin in special to let out the foul bloud or corruption of the Soul as a Chirurgion seeks to draw a tumour or swelling in the body to a head that the bad matter may issue out 2 By turning the stream of their passions into another Chanel as Physitians turn the course of their Patients bloud when they bleed much at the Nose by letting them bloud in the arm So labour you to turn their fear of Gods wrath and vengeance of Hell and Damnation into the chanel of holy fear of God and his goodness of offending God or sinning against him and their grief for paenal evils inward or outward into the chanel of godly sorrow for sin The fifth and last direction is this bear with their infirmities as ignorance frowardnesse Become all things to them for their refreshment and recovery like Paul 1 Cor. 9.20 who to the weak became as weak that hee might gain the weak stoop low in condescension to the lowest step of their dulness and dejection shew love to them with pitty and patience to bear all and hope all speak to them as sympathizing with them as having a fellow-feeling of their troubles and sorrows make it out to them that your words come more from your bowels than from your brains The sixth and last particular case is self-commendation Self-commendation It s lawfull for Gods people in some cases to commend themselves or to declare what God hath done for them and by them to speak of their graces God hath bestowed on them of their labours or works which God hath wrought by them yea also of their sufferings for God This hath been the practice of the most holy humble servants of God both in the old and new Testament some

of which have spent whole or the greatest part of chapters upon that subject As that good governour Nehemiah did the thirteenth chapter of his book as a Naerrative of the good deeds hee had done for the house of his God and for the offices thereof which hee intreats the Lord to remember vers 14. against the prophanation of the Sabbath and the marriages with strange wives and the fifth chapter in relating his pitty and bounty to the poor Jews in freeing them from their oppressions vers 1. to 14. and from their charge of provision which they were bound to bring in to their governour vers 14 15. hee forbore his own allowance yet kept hospitality and hee prayes in the close of the chapter Think upon me my God for good according to all that I have done for this people Job makes protestation of his innocency and integrity not only here and there often in his book but the 29. and 31. chapters contain his continued vindication thereof or a catalogue of his good works Paul spends many chapters in declaring what hee had received from God and what hee did and suffered for God and his people as Act. 20. Phil. 3.1 Thes 2.2 Cor. 11. and 12. chapters Quest In what cases is self-commendation allowed to Gods people Ans I shall name eleven First case is of afflictions from God wherein they have professed their faith in God First Case their patience obedience sincerity constancy notwithstanding the same so did Job when hee took his flesh in his teeth and put his life in his hand Though God slay mee saith he yet will I trust in him I will maintain mine own wayes before him and my foot hath held his steps Job 13.14 15. Chap. 23.10.11 12. his way have I kept and not declined neither have I gone back from the commandement of his lips no not when God laid a load of sorrows upon him And the Church in Psal 44.17 18 19 c. All this evil is come upon us from the Lord yet have wee not forgotten thee nor dealt falsly in thy Covenant our heart is not turned back c. And Jeremy when afflicted and humbled under the hand of God As for mee Jer. 17 1● I have not hasted from being a pastour to follow thee neither have I desired the woefull day thou knowest Vers 17. that which came out of my lips was right before thee bee not a terrour unto mee thou art ray hope in the day of evil The second Case is Second Case Injuries from men in word or deed 1 In word by scoffs or reproaches 2 Sam. 6 2● as David when Michal mocked him for dancing before the Ark hee justified his Act as done before the Lord out of zeal for his glory joy in him and thankfullness to him Vers 21. and if this make mee vile I will yet bee more vile than thus Or by slanders and false Accusations of our good conversation In this case it may bee needfull to make just Apologies for defence of our innocency and vindication of our good names as Paul did before the people of Jerusalem Act. 22.1 2 c. Act. 21.27 28. when the Jews of Asia cryed out against him that hee taught all men every where against the people and the law and the temple And when hee was brought before the Council in Act. 23.1 men and Brethren saith he I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day When Tertullus the Oratour accused him before Felix the governour wee have found this man a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition Act. 24.5 6. among all the Jews c. what a large Apologie did Paul then make for his faith Vers 10. to 22. life doctrin and conscience and afterwards before King Agrippa in the 26 of the Acts Thus wee may and ought to plead our cause and defend our innocency to wit the grace of God we have received and the work of God which wee have done when wee are called before Rulers and Governours for Christs sake Mic. 10.18 19 20. when wee are accused to them or examined by them of our faith holinesse or conversation Jacob made an Apologie for his faithfullness in Labans service Gen. 31.36 to 42. when Laban compelled him to commend himself and thereby to defend himself as Job did frequently when his friends charged him wrongfully David did the like to clear his slandered innocency and Paul to vindicate his person office and doctrin from the aspersions and calumniations of his emulous Adversaries the false Apostles whereby they laboured to cast an odium upon him which forced him into a commendation of himself as in the 11. and 12. chapters of the second Epistle to the Corinthians Yea Christ himself did commend himself to defend himself against the Jews which of you convinceth mee of sin saith he Joh. 8.46 48. and when they said to him say wee not well that thou art a Samaritan Vers 49. and hast a Devill Jesus answered I have not a Devil but I honour my Father and yee do dishonour mee 3 In case of Injuries from men in deed wee may protest our innocency to prove wee suffer wrongfully as Daniel did his before King Darius when hee was cast into the Lions den for calling upon his God My God hath sent his Angell and hath shut the Lions mouths that they have not hurt mee Dan. 6.22 for as much as before him innocency was found in mee and also before thee O King have I done no hurt When the Jews took up stones to stone Christ hee pleaded his innocency Joh. 10.31 32. many good works have I shewed you from my Father for which of those works do you stone mee and now yee seek to kill mee a man that hath told the truth Joh. 8.40 which I have heard of God The third Case Third Case wherein it is lawfull to commend our selves is this To shew forth the infinite riches of Gods free grace and mercy to such vile unworthy Creatures as wee are in giving us grace to bee what wee are and inabling us by grace to do what wee do to incourage weak beleevers unto dependence on God for grace and mercy and against despondency notwithstanding all their infirmities and unworthiness Upon this account Paul commended himself before the Corinthians and Timothy and all that read his Epistles to them that hee might commend the great love and kindness of God to him before them all and to propound himself as an example of Gods free and rich mercy to them all I persecuted saith hee to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 15.9 10. the Church of God but by the grace of God I am that I am and I laboured more abundantly than they all that is the rest of the Apostles and to Timothy he saith I was before a Persecuter a Blasphemer 1 Tim. 1 1● and injurious yea the chief of sinners Vers 15 16 but I