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	testament_n	word_n	5,024	5	4.1361	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84893	Light vanquishing darknesse. Or a vindication of some truths formerly declared, from those aspersions which have been (by reason of some misapprehensions) cast upon them; now published for the satisfaction and benefit of others. With a preambular epistle to all sorts of men. As also a parcell of good counsell, if you can take it. / By Captain Francis Freeman, a late member of the army.	Freeman, Francis.; Fairfax, Thomas Fairfax, Baron, 1612-1671.	1650 (1650)	Wing F2129; Thomason E615_7; ESTC R206543	58,771	68

placed him and so we brake of our discourse for that time but it seemed to me that they were somewhat troubled at it Now the next time we met together we had some farther discourse touching ordinances and to my thinking before we parted they were very well satisfied for we parted upon very faire terms and I went up into my Chamber where I was not long before I had some thoughts of writing an Epistle to all sorts of men and so call'd for a Pen Ioke and Paper and began to write but before I had wrote three lines they came to me again and I told them what I was about and that I was writing an Epistle to all sorts of men that were under severall dispensations or Ministration and so fell into Discourse againe spent some time in it and all this time they were very merry and pleasant with me in so much that I could not conceive they had any prejudice against me or any design to advance their own interest which I shall referre to you to judge And so we parted for that night and went to bed and the next morning I wrote the former part of this Epistle and shewed it to them but it did appear to me that it was not well resented by them For in a very short time after they made some complaint to Colonel Okey of some strange points which I should hold as they said which occasioned some dispute amongst us in the presence of one Capt. Smith and others Now the Colonel meeting me at Bedford with some other officers of his Regiment told me that he had heard of some strange opinions I should hold but never had any discourse with me as to know what they were Therefore he desired to propound some questions unto me My answer was that I should be very free to answer to any question that he should propound unto me so that it might be done in a way of love which he promised it should So he propounded this questian first what I thought of the use of ordinances my answer was that all those that were under any of them or in the use of any of them that it was their duty to be obedient unto them till God call'd them to a higher ministration And that I liked them well that were zealous in the performance thereof for I did beleeve they had some comfort in the use of them The Second question was what I thought of the Scriptures and whether I did acknowledge the Scriptures to be the word of God my answer was that it is the written word of God the Prophets and Apostle were the Penmen and that it was my daily practise to make use of the Bible called the Scriptures when opportunity served and I told them that every Scripture is a mystery untill it be made known to us or revealed in us and so it comes to be above that Scripture without us for it is said to be a hidden mystery to them that perish but the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeves Then by this time they all came about me like Bees as the Psalmist saith they kept me up on every side they kept me up I say on every side c. one catcht at me and another catcht at me insomuch that I earnestly desired them to forbear any further discourse for I saw that they lay in wait for me and as it did appear to us afterwards that they had laid a snare to entrap me and katch me into their own Net which they cunningly had laid But I was very cautious and wary how to speak to them and for this reason which I gave them that I might speak something in answer to their questions that they might not well bear for said I that which may be a truth to me may not be a truth to you and yet a truth in it self The Word of God which is God in his Word written in me is more to me then the whole Book of the Scriptures both of the old and new Testament for what is it without it be unsealed and the Book opened and yet I can assure you I prise it at as high a rate as any of you all can doe but if so be you should ask a Child of seven years old what booke it is and lay it before him he will say it is the Bible or peradventure he will tell you t is the Scripture why because he hath been told so but if so be I know the word of God which is God in his word be written in me then I know assuredly that is the word of God because it is so manifested unto me But how shall we know this of a truth said Cornet Friend how may this appear to us My answer was that the witnesse of the spirit did bear witnesse with my spirit and that I had certain evidences and demonstrations of the spirit of God working in my spirit and that I saw a glorious change in me since I had past through all these formes or ministeations which I had formerly been under I told them likewise That I had bin a Papist Protestant Presbyterian Antinomian Independant Anabaptist Seeker c. But I gave God thanks I had past through them all and that Scripture was fulfilled in me which was a promise made by Christ that he would put his laws in our minds he would writ them in our hearts and he would be to us a God and we should be to him a people Which lawes are written in my heart and have made me conformable in obedience to his will and this law being written in my heart is far above any law without me As for example the Scriptures containe in them divers precepts as in the decalogue Thou shall do no murder Thou shalt not commit Adultery Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not beare false witnesse c. We see this law we reade it and yet we break it we cannot keep it Why because we see and reade no more but the bare literal expressions and is without us But if God comes in in power and commands me from within either to doe or not to doe then I cannot breake it but I must keepe it and that from a Principle of love from within Then came in Capt. Neale and one Mr. Easton who being no sooner in the Room but Col. Okey in a seeming merry way took Captain Neale by the shoulder and thrust him to me using these very expressions That he would be on my side for he was of my judgement To which Capt. Neale answered that he thought he should although we were the weaker side Then Lieut. Cheese spake something in reference to our former discourse Cap. Neal asked me whether I would answer him or whether he should So I desired him to answer being willing to be quit of any farther discourse for those reasons before mentioned in that I found them to lie in wait for me Then Capt. Neale ansvvered clearly to the point which