Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	read_v	scripture_n	see_v	3,134	5	3.6292	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58143	Light sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart This is to go abroad among all people who are honest-hearted, especially amongst the inhabitants in Fourns Fells, in Lancashire, and among all who have known me after the flesh, that all honest people may see what I was in profession, and also what I now am by the grace of God. From him which hath come through great tribulations, who hath even left all for Christ, and hath not whereon to lay his head, but is forsaken of father and of mother, and of kinred also, even for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, whom the world calls, Thomas Rawlinson.	Rawlinson, Thomas.	1657 (1657)	Wing R369; ESTC R220567	29,951	42

LIGHT SOWN FOR THE RIGHTEOUS AND GLADNESS For the Upright in HEART This is to go abroad among all people who are honest-hearted especially amongst the Inhabitants in Fourns Fells in Lancashire and among all who have known me after the flesh that all honest people may see what I was in Profession and also what I now am by the Grace of God From him which hath come through great tribulations who hath even left all for Christ and hath not whereon to lay his head but is forsaken of Father and of Mother and of Kinred also even for the Testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God whom the world calls Thomas Rawlinson Luk. 14.26 27. If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple London Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth neer Aldersgate 1657. This is to go abroad into my Countrey amongst the Inhabitants in Fornes Fells and among all honest people that have known me after the flesh that all people may see what I was in profession and what I now am by the Grace of God FRiends and Neighbors ye know if ye will but testifie how that I walked from my youth upwards after the straitest Sect of Religion harmless and blameless insomuch that many did admire me and was as touching the rghteousness of the Law acording to the Letter blameless as ye know if ye will testifie without boasting I speak it for I exceeded many of my equals in profession with a shew of righteousness and was exceedingly zealous for the chiefest Priests in this Nation of England some of you have said Ye thought that ye needed never desire to have been in a better condition then I was in when I was where ye are without God and without Christ in the World with a profession of his Name in my mouth but did not know Christ in me the true Light who lightneth every man that cometh into the World so was ignorant of the Foundation of God which standeth sure the Light Christ who lightneth every man the sure Foundation-stone which is already laid for a Foundation that whosoever buildeth thereon shall never be ashamed and being ignorant of the Righteousness of God I went about to establish my own righteousness so did not submit to the Righteousness of God but got up into a profession of knowing the Lord and so became a fair sayer but not a doer of the will of God like unto the chief Priests for they say and doth not the things that they say Wo unto them blind guides who turn the innocent and the poor out of the way and causes the people to erre by their lyes and by their lightness and will not that any should turn from the darkness to the light Wo unto them who gather people into a profession of the knowledge of God but not into the light life and power ye all professing Christ to come and knows not that Christ is in you so ye know not where he is nor how he is in you I speak this to your shame people of all professions And though I had reformed in many things and had left off practicing many Idolatrous and Heathenish Customs which I saw to be evil in the sight of the Lord as my mind came to be turned to that of God in my conscience while I yet followed the Priests but being ignorant of that which did let me see my own unprofitableness and that all that is in the World is but vanity I came short did not follow on to know the Lord but chose rather to follow the Priests gave no heed to the Word of the Lord vvhich call d behind Return return thou art but a dead man in the Earth behold lo this is the way walk in it turn in hither to the Word which is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart this is the Way but while I followed the Priests they never directed me to this To the Word which is nigh in the mouth and in the heart nor never exhorted people to the light which Christ hath enlightned every man withal While I followed the Priests I say I never heard them bring this Doctrine to the people which the true Ministers of Christ bring and brought who turn people from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan unto God For in the light of the Lord which did shine into my conscience I came to see the deceit of the Priests the Messengers of Satan who labour to keep people in the darkness in blindness from the light who would perswade the people that the light which Christ hath enlightned every man withall is but a natural light and not sufficient to give the knowledge of God or to convince of all sin and so they wrest the Scriptures and adds thereto and sets up their own Traditions and makes the Commandments of God of no effect and void by their own Traditions and cryes against the Light vvith reproachful and sensual vvords lest the people should believe in the Light and come to the Light vvhich gives the Knovvledge of God and so long as I remained ignorant of that vvhich did convince me of sin and of unbelief which did let me see that I was also out of the vvay of God with the Priests in error and in the darkness so long I was ignorant of the living and true God and knevv not hovv he vvas in me so knew him not at all but by the hearing of the ear though I had got the Bible and Books and a large profession read the Scriptures often and Books many and followed the chiefest Priests dayly and vvould fain have gained the Knovvledge of God by them but could not find it while I follovved the Priests had thought that they should teach the people knovvledge but I novv see that it is not so and that the Lord hath cursed the Priests and their blessings and that no people upon the Face of the Earth shall ever profit by them the Lord hath said it mark it vvho cannot lye nor repent So let God be true and all men lyars for that vvhich may be knovvn of God is manifest in them and God hath shevved it to them so it is evident That no man knovvs the Father nor the Son but as he comes into obedience to that of God in him the Light for the Letter vvithout nor the Priests vvithout nor any thing vvithout can never make the comers thereunto perfect nor give any man the knovvledg of God though he may get the Scriptures into his Head and shall read them often for no man knovvs the Father but he to whom the Son reveals him Yea so desirous I vvas to find out the true knovvledge of the pure God that I ceased not to seek it night and day with Tears and cryed out How shall I come to the living knowledg

so God which is the way where Christ may be found that I may come to know him even as I am known of him and find him The Priests said That reading the Scriptures and godly Books as they called them and praying and following them and hearing them preach that this was the way where Christ is to be found So I did run from one Priest unto another to see if haply I could find Christ among any of them for several years together but did not vvhilst I followed the Priests so all my labour vvas in vain I spent my labour for that which is not Bread and my strength for that which could not satisfie yea I did read the Scriptures often bought the best books I could hear of and read them and prayed earnestly always but did not obtain nor prevail though I cryed and vvept much and the reason is because I sought unto a people that cannot profit for the Lord in a vvay vvhere he is not to be found in the vvay of the ungodly for God hears not sinners and the prayer of the vvicked is sin but the prayer of the righteoas is his delight and vvhile I remained servant to sin the Lord did not regard my prayer for it is his own that praises him unto whom his ears is opened alvvays vvhich he hears and hath regard unto So I see that the Priests are lyars vvho vvould be Teachers of others and yet knovvs not vvhat they say nor vvhereof they affirm vvho vvould perswade you to follow them and to uphold them in their covetous practises and tells people that hearing them is the right vvay and observing their traditions and customs is the right vvay and believing in a Christ vvithout you and looking for a Christ without you is the right vvay so are those vvhich Christ spake of should come in the last dayes saying Lo here is Christ and lo there is Christ but said he Believe them n●r nor go not after them for Friends that which may be knovvn of God is manifest in you so til you return to that of God in you the light ye are in the darkness out of the good vvay in an evil vvay in a vvay that is not good whatsoever ye and your Priests may say of it Neighbors and Friends I speak by experience what I have seen and known that speak I unto you in the Name of the Lord that ye may take warning betime for there is no other way to know Christ but in the light wherewith ye are enlightned so if you will own the right way where God dwells where he is to be found ye must then return in to the Light to that which may be known of God in you and be in love with the Light for God is Light he that loves the Light brings his deeds to the Light and comes to the light Christ Know ye not how that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates You that talk and prate and say ye believe in a Christ without you who are professing a God and a Christ without you and that he saves his people from their sins What is this to you who knows not that Christ is in you There shall ye find him if ever ye know him a Saviour to you who is come a light into the World that all men through him might believe This is he who suffered and dyed at Jerusalem and no other Christ I own I say What is this to you who are yet in your sins and doth not believe that ever ye shall be made free from sin while ye are here but that ye shall sin while ye live Have ye not learned this of your Priests for this is their Doctrine which they bring you from their Father the Devil and yet you be believe it and receives it So what is this to you for you to say Christ saves his people from their sins for ye bear vvitness against your selves that he is not your Saviour who are yet in your sins for ye deny the Work of God and resist it in your selves and denies the end of Christ coming into the World which is to save his people from their sins who is come into the World a light and is manifest to destroy the Works of the Devil and sin is the Work of the Devil which Christ comes to destroy and you that say ye must sin while ye live ye bear witness against your selves that Christ is not yet come to you so ye are the servants of sin and are free from righteousness so what is Christ to you and what is your profession vvorth So whilest I followed the Priests I never knew the way how to come to Christ therefore I had no rest in my spirit day nor night from God while I followed the Priests but Wrath and Horror and Judgement pursued me for disobedience to that of God in my conscience and trouble on every hand on the right hand and on the left was sorrovv and vexation of spirit and my heart within me did faint for fear I vvas even at my Wits-end and had almost despaired of hope and of comfort had not God preserved me though I knew him not for I could find no assurance of the love of God to my soul while I follovved the Priests though then I could vvith the Priests talk of high attainments and could also with them and with professors sometimes boast of experiences and also of joy and peace sometimes when I was lifted up into the airie imaginations with them and so for a while I gloried in the flesh with priests people and made merry over the Witness of God in me then was Satan exalted above all that was called God in me and then both Priests and people did love me and and spake well of me for the World loves its own and the Devil who fills his children with mirth and joy with sports and pleasures and with the glory of this World he will suffer his servants to have a profession of the truth and to boast of God to be their Father and of Christ to be their Saviour and also to talk of faith and of righteousness and the like so that he can but maintain his Works in them which is To lye and to swear to be angry to envy and to hate and to be proud and covetous and to oppress to dissemble and to deceive and to defraud and to cozen to fight to rail and to be drunk to be heady and to be high-minded being filled with all unrighteousness which be the Works of the Devil as lust murder back-biting evil-speaking and all deceit vvhich are the Works of the flesh So I say If the Devil have but the heart and can but keep his Seat there he cares not then vvhat profession they be of he knovvs them that they are his though they may say they defie the Devil and all his Works whose minds Satan hath blinded that they cannot see his Works in themselves brought forth which