Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	church_n	faith_n	interpret_v	3,030	5	9.9078	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10740	A vvorkeman, that needeth not to be ashamed: or The faithfull steward of Gods house A sermon describing the duety of a godly minister, both in his doctrine and in his life. By Charles Richardson, preacher at S. Katharines, neere the Tower of London.	Richardson, Charles, fl. 1612-1617.	1616 (1616)	STC 21019; ESTC S115966	57,940	78

be vnprofitable to his owne soule And a little after he addeth They may be heard with profit to others which doe vnprofitably themselues Diuiding the Word of truth aright 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caictanus in locum Beza Piscator c. Leu. 1.6 7 8 12 c. The word here vsed is a borrowed speech taken as some expound it from Carpenters that cut their timber by a right line or as others interpret it from that cutting and diuiding of the sacrifices which the Priests vsed in the Law wherein the Aposile expresseth the chiefe and principall office of a Minister For seeing a Minister is implied in the most excellent profession of al others namely in propounding and deliuering the Word of truth vnto Gods people then which there is nothing greater nor more precious in all the world the Apostle here instructeth him how hee is rightly to handle the same Now this right diuiding of the Word consisteth first in the right interpreting of the Scripture Secondly in the right disposing of it in an apt and fit methode Thirdly in propounding and deliuering it in such plaine words and easie stile as the hearers may vnderstand it Fourthly in applying the same vnto the hearers as their capacity is able to beare and as their necessity doth require For the first of these the Minister must be carefull to interpret the place of Scripture which he handleth and to lay open the meaning of it especially if there bee any thing in it that is hard to be vnderstood Thus did Ezra that learned Seribe who was prompt in the Law of God Ezra 7.6 when he stood vp in the Pulpit which was made for the preaching Nebem 8.4 8. he read in the booke of the Law of God distinctly and gaue the sense Now the Scripture is best interpreted when it is interpreted according to the meaning of the author of it that is the Lord. 1. Cor. 2.16 And if any shall obiect who hath knowne the minde of the Lord I answere that if in interpreting the Scripture we follow the analogie of faith we cannot faile of the mind of the Lord. Rom. 12.6 As the Apostle saith If we prophesie that is if we expound the Scripture let vs prophesie according to the proportion of faith Where he sets downe the true Canon of discerning a true interpretation from a false Beza in Rom. 12 namely if it be examined according to the infallible maximes and principles of Christian faith contained in the Apostles Creede as it is commonly called which from the beginning of the preaching of the Gospell was written as an epitome and abridgement therof and was therfore worthily called the rule and square of faith Whereunto agreeth that saying of S. Augustine De Doct. Chr. lib. 3. When diligence applied shall perceiue it vncertaine how a thing must be distinguished or how it must be pronounced let a man consult with the rule of faith which he hath receiued from plainer places of Scripture and from the authoritie of the Church And indeede for the most part we shall find that the harder places of the Scripture are interpreted by some other that are plainer Nehem. 8.8 Exponendo sensum dabant intelligentiam per scripturam ipsam And therefore it is said of Ezra in the place before alleaged as Tremelius readeth it that when hee read the Law to the people he opened the sense and gaue the vnderstanding by the Scripture it selfe But I will dwell no longer in the amplifying of this point he that desireth to reade more hereof let him peruse the learned Treatise of that worthy and reuerend man Master Doctor Whittakers wherein hee disputeth the same at large against Bellarmine The vse of it in a word is to reprooue first all those who being sworne vassals to the Pope make him the onely interpreter of the Scriptures For howsoeuer they talke of the Fathers and of generall Councels to bee consulted withall in this case yet in the ende they bring all to the Pope and make him the vmpire in the whole businesse But the Apostle Paul hath taught vs 1. Cor. 2.11 that as no man knoweth the things of man but the spirit of man that is within him euen so no man knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God 2. Tim. 3.16 That same Spirit by whose inspiration the whole Scripture was giuen 2. Pet. 1.21 and by whom the holy men that penned the Scripture were mooued he must needes bee the best Interpreter of the Scripture Secondly it reprooueth those who when they come to handle the Scripture in the hearing of Gods people doe dwell onely in the rind or outward barke and leaue the marrow and inward life and soule of the Scripture vntouched For euen as the fruit of light metals Seneca epist 23. is aboue in the top of the earth but those are richest whose veine is hidden deepe and will euery day more fully satissie him that diggeth so there are many excellent things hid as it were in the bowels of the holy Scriptures which with a superficiall and ouerly kind of studie cannot be attained vnto And therefore if it bee the dutie of all that studie the Scriptures John 5.39 Prou. 2.4 to search them diligently as our Sauiour saith yea to seeke for the knowledge thereof as for siluer and digge for it as for hid treasure Much more is it the Ministers dutie who must open and explaine the same vnto the people In cap. 3 ad Ephes And the rather because as Saint Hierom saith There is no word no syllable no tittle or accent no little pricke in the holy Scriptures but it is full of knowledge Thirdly it reprooueth yet another sort who search too farre into the Scriptures and not contenting themselues with the naturall fense and meaning of the place draw all to Allegories and mysticall expositions Concerning whom I will onely set downe what Saint Augustine saith in this case De Ciu. Dei lib. 17. cap. 3. As saith he they seeme to be much deceiued which thinke there is nothing at all in the Scriptures that signifieth any thing else but that it was done after that manner so they seeme to bee very bold which auouch that all things there are wrapped vp and infolded in Allegories The second thing wherein the right diuiding of the Word consisteth is the right disposing of the things to be deliuered in an apt and fit method This is most necessary For hereby euery thing commeth to haue his due place that it may bee orderly and methodically vttered It is a true saying that Seneca hath to this purpose Epist 89. It is a profitable thing and very necessarie for him that would attaine to wisedome to haue Philosophy diuided and that great body to bee disposed into his members For we are more easily brought by the parts vnto the knowledge of the whole And a little after Whatsoeuer is growne somewhat great it

the storie and also to prepare them and fit them the better to the hearing of Sermons and therefore God forbid that any man should derogate from it But yet I must say withall that in an ordinarie time reading is not sufficient to bring the people to saluation without preaching And this the Apostle prooueth plaincly 2. Tim. 3.16 17. and 4.1 2. where hee saith that the whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousues that the man of Godmay be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes And then immediately he addeth that charge which we heard before I charge thee therefore 〈◊〉 preach the Word Whereupon Caluin giueth this note The inference that the Apostle maketh is diligently to be obserued because he doth plainely ioyne the Scriptures with preaching For hauing intreated of the profit of the Scriptures he doth not onely inferre that all men must therfore read them but that teachers must administer the same 1. Tim. 4.13 And the Apostle commandeth Timotheus to giue attendance not to reading onely but also to exhortation and doctrine And the Apostle Peter hauing taught vs 1. Pet. 1.23 25. that the Word of God is that immortall seede of our new birth he addeth and this is the Word which is preached among you Plainely giuing vs to vnderstand that for the effecting of this blessed work of regeneration it is necessarie that the Word of God be preached And therefore this was obserued in the Church of the Iewes from time to time In the time of Nehemiab before the comming of our Sauiour Christ it is said of Ezra Nebem 3.4 5 8. that hee stood vpon a Pulpit of wood which hee had made for the preaching and being aboue all the people hee opened the booke of the Law before them and hee and his assistants read in it distinctly and gaue the sense and caused them to vnderstand the reading What can be spoken more plainely then this It is euident then that as reading was by no meanes excluded so it was neuer vsed alone in the Church but was ioyned with preaching And this our Sauiour Christ practised Luke 4.16 17 18 19 20 21. who comming to Nazaret and entring into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day he stood vp to reade and hauing read a portion of Scripture he closed the booke and sate downe and preached vnto them out of that which hee had read Act. 15.21 Onus ipsis Angelis formidandum And the Apostle IAMES affirmeth that Moses was not onely read in their synagogues in euerie citie but also preached euery Sabbath day Furthermore the worke of a Minister is a worke of great difficultie Bernard calleth it a burden dreadfull to the very Angels And Caluin saith it is a businesse of rare and excellent vertue farre aboue the abilitie of man Yea the Apostle PAVL himselfe though he were extraordinarily furnished with gifts from heauen yet considering the waightinesse of the dutie hee cryeth out Who is sufficient for these things 2. Cor. 2.16 And where the Apostle calleth the worke of a Bishop a worthy worke 1. Tim. 3.1 Caluin vpon that place obserueth well that hee putteth vs in minde that it is no common or ordinarie worke For saith he when hee calleth it a worthy worke hee alludeth to that old prouerbe so often repeated of PLATO that excellent things are hard And so concludeth that it is a laborious and a difficult charge Now I hope it will easily bee granted that there can be no such difficulty in the bare reading of the Word But for further euidence of this point let vs see a little wherein this difficultie consisteth First then the very framing and compiling of a Sermon is a matter of no small labour It requireth great skill for a man to draw out of the bottomlesse Ocean of the holy Scriptures such instructions as may serue to the edification of the hearers then to dispose them in an apt and fit methode and last of all to vtter and deliuer the same in such manner as the people may vnderstand them wee may more truely say of this then the Heathen Orator said of his facultie in pleading It is a greater matter then men imaginc Againe that which the Minister must labour to effect and performe by his Ministery doth plainely prooue how hard and difficult a thing it is The Apostle deseribing the properties of a good Minister Tit. 1.9 he saith De doct Chr. lib. 4. he must bee able both to exhort with wholesome doctrine and to improoue them that say against it Whereunto agreeth that speech of S. Augustine where he calleth a Minister a maintainer of the truth and a subduer of falshood a defender of the right faith and a vanquisher of errour And Bernard De consider lib. 3. writing to Eugenius telleth him that it is his dutie to do his vttermost endeauour that the vnbeleeuers may bee conuerted to the faith that they that are conuerted may not bee turned away that they that are turned away may returne againe that they that are peruerted may be disposed to vertue and honesty and that they that are subuerted may bee called againe to the truth Now hee that shall goe about to doe any of these things shall finde to bee workes of greater difficultie then can be effected by bare reading Last of al if reading were sufficient and if there were no more required in a Minister to what purpose did our religious and deuoute forefathers found and erect so many famous Vniuersities to be nurseries of learning what vse is there of the knowledge of arts and tongues which cannot be attained without great paines and industrie and to what end serue the learned writings of so many worthy ancient fathers A man without any of these helpes may be sufficiently furnished Jsa 50.4 and inabled to reade the Word He needeth not the tongue of the learned which yet is requisite in him that would know to minister a word in time to him that is wearie that is would comfort an afflicted conscience which Luther saith is harder to do then to raise the dead if bare reading will serue the turne To conclude therefore let vs acknowledge that the Word preached and applied to the conscience is that ordinance of God which he hath sanctified for the conuersion and saluation of men As the Apostle saith It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching as profane men esteeme of it to saue them that beleeue 1. Cor. 1.21 And yet more plainely Rom. 10. 14 15. How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued and how shall they beleeue in him of whom they haue not heard and how shall they heare without a Preacher And how shall they preach except they be sent The vse of this is first for vs that be Ministers Secondly for the people For vs that be Ministers it serueth first for the reproofe of