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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
A87265	A sermon preached at the funerall of Mrs. Alice Bray, wife to Francis Bray of Farthingo, neere Brackley in the county of Northampton, Gent. Vpon Psalme 37. and vers. 37. March the 2. 1645. / By W.I. minister there.	W. I.	1646 (1646)	Wing I19; Thomason E345_6; ESTC R200985	15,414	34

the meaning of both Precepts both in the act and object Mark the perfect man and behold the upright Now let us see what may be observed from hence for our further instruction And first of all it is worthy our enquiry why we are so earnestly exhorted here and that by a double precept to mark the perfect man and behold the upright that is to take such a serious view of them to look so wishly upon them and with consideration surely there is weighty reasons why we should do so or else it would never be so earnestly pressed upon us And indeed many reasons might be rendred and time would faile to enlarge them I will only pitch upon one which I take to be most principall and that is this Marke the perfect man and behold the upright namely for your imitation mark and behold them that you may imitate and follow them in their perfect upright and religious conversation and this will direct us to this duty comprized in this Doctrine namely That we are thus to honour the Saints living and dead eminent in gracious practice by following their holy examples To this end therefore I say chiefly Mark the perfect man and behold the upright that we may make choice of them for our patternes and follow their good examples To this end St. Iames thus exhorteth chap. 5.10 Take my brethren the Prophets for an example of suffering affliction and of patience And S. Paul also claimes to himselfe this honour Phil. 3.17 Brethren be followers together of me and mark them which walk so Mark them why so as yee have us for an ensample saith hee namely that you may follow our example And so also he chargeth Gods people to afford the like to their Pastors Heb. 13.7 Remember them which have the rule over you c. whose Faith follow considering the end of their conversation Mark and behold that ye may follow their faith c. The Lord hath dealt very mercifully with us as in many other things so herein especially in providing us all helpes convenient for our salvation Two senses there are of learning sight and hearing they are neither of them without their meanes of instruction As to our hearing hee hath furnished us with Pastors according to his heart which shall feed us with knowledge and understanding Ier. 3.15 and hath given us in our congregations as formerly to the Jewes in the wildernesse the voyce of cryers Prepare the way of the Lord Matth. 3.3 to whom we ought to attend and hearken what the Lord God will say So to our sight he hath not onely laid open the Booke of Scriptures but also the great Booke of his creatures wherein the rudest may reade his power and wisdome in plain characters written as the Apostle shewes Rom. 1.20 the invisible things of him from the Creation of the world are clearely seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power c. Yea moreover to both these he hath set before us the practice of his Saints whose conversation we may see and whom we are here called upon to mark and behold by their perfection and uprightresse tracing out unto us the way that leadeth unto life therein providing not onely the honour of his eminent Saints but also our instruction and encouragement to sanctity perfection uprightnesse and integrity for these reasons especially 1. Knowing how naturally we are addicted to imitation and how examples move more then words as Bernard said Validior ect operis quam eris vox the voice of workes is of more force then of words In this he would not be wanting unto us that if we will needs be imitating we may have such patternes as shall not mislead us into errour but contrarily such as shall lead us on to perfection and uprightnesse and therefore to this end we must mark the perfect man and behold the upright and so honour them by following their holy examples 2. Besides lest any should be discouraged with the opinion of insuperable difficulty in the practice of the duties so to be imitated he hath sampled us with men of our owne mould subject to like infirmities that in the hardest and harshest of Christian offices have gone before us insomuch that the duty cannot be named so hard or harsh to flesh and blood wherein some of his Saints have not gone before us That I think may well be numbred amongst the most hard and difficult proposed by our Saviour Matth. 10.38 Namely to take up our crosse and follow after him And can we name the crosse that some of the Saints have not comfortably endured It is hard you will say to part with goods yet there were some that suffered that spoile with joy Heb. 10.34 It is hard to exchange hopes of advancement and preferment for rebukes yet is this chosen willingly by Moses and counted honourable Heb. 11.26 esteeming the reproach of Christs greater riches then the treasures in Egypt It were much yea too much for many to leave Country and Kindred and fathers house yet did not Abraham so Gen. 12.1 c. Hardest of all were it to leave life sith skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life Job 2.4 especially to leave it by violent torments yet what death can we think of so full of shame or torture but hath bin endured by the Saints of God as Heb. 11.37 c. they were stoned they were sawne asunder c. so fatherly hath the Lord provided for our benefit in providing this honour for his Saints whom we are to mark and observe that we may imitate and follow their godly and religious examples whether in doing or suffering This honor therefore we willingly afford the Saints to make them our presidents and patternes in holy practice or if there be any other of due praise and commemoration of their vertues warranted by that saying of our Saviour touching that fact of the woman powring ointment on his body for his buriall Verily saith hee wheresoever this Gospel shall bee preached in the whole world there also shall this that this woman hath done be told for a memoriall of her Matth. 26.12 13. and so also the author to the Hebr. chap. 11. doth commemorate at large the Faith and other vertues of the Saints to their perpetuall praise and commendation Yet this sufficeth not our adversaries the Papists to give this honour to the Saints but they censure us as sacrilegious because we give them not Gods honour namely the honour of invocation because we doe not pray unto them and make them our intercessours to God though Augustine long since delivered it for a rule Honorandi sunt propter imitationem non adorandi propter religionem the Saints are to be honoured for imitation not worshipped for Religion and can they be more dishonoured by any meanes then by being made Idols Judge in your selves whether doe more dishonour them we by denying them invocation or Papists by