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	ground_n	pillar_n	2,625	5	10.3132	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76705	A twofold catechism: the one simply called A Scripture-catechism; the other, A brief Scripture-catechism for children. Wherein the chiefest points of the Christian religion, being question-wise proposed, resolve themselves by pertinent answers taken word for word out of the Scripture, without either consequences or comments. Composed for their sakes that would fain be meer Christians, and not of this or that sect, inasmuch as all the sects of Christians, by what names soever distinguished, have either more or less departed from the simplicity and truth of the Scripture. By John Biddle, Master of Arts of the University of Oxford.	Biddle, John, 1615-1662.	1654 (1654)	Wing B2882; Thomason E1473_2; ESTC R209511	54,377	175

them that call upon him A. The Lord is nigh to all that call upon him Psal 145. 18. The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him Rom. 10. 12. Qu. Is he nigh unto all them that call upon him in whatsoever maner A. To all that call upon him in truth Psal 145. 18. The Lord is far from the wicked but he heareth the prayer of the righteous Prov. 15. 29. We know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth John 9. 31. Qu. Did not Christ himself prescribe a form of prayer to his disciples so that there remaineth no doubt touching the lawfulness of using a form A. It came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples And he said unto them when ye pray say Our Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done as in heaven so on earth Give us day by day our daily bread And forgive us our sins for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil Luke 11. 1 2 3 4. Qu. How must we make our addresses to the Father that we may receive whatsoever we pray for what saith Christ to his disciples A. Verily verily I say unto you Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you John 16. 23. Qu. Was it the custome during the time that Christ conversed on the earth much less before he came into the world to pray unto God in the name of Christ or through Christ or did it begin to be used after the resurrection and exaltation of Christ what saith Christ himself concerning this A. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full The time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in parables but I shall shew you plainly of the Father At that day ye shall ask in my name John 16. 24 25 26. Qu. Have ye any example of praying to God through Christ after his resurrection and exaltation A. Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant Make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Heb. 13. 20 21. CHAP. XX. Of the Church Qu. WHat is Christ in relation to the Church and the Church in relation to him A. He is the head of the body the Church Col. 1. 18. Qu. How many such bodyes hath Christ A. One body Eph. 4. 4. Qu. What kind of head is Christ A. From which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Col. 2. 19. Qu. Who are the Church A. They that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints 1 Cor. 1. 2. Qu. Upon what foundation is the Church built A. Upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone Eph. 2. 20. Qu. What other honourable titles doth the Scripture give unto the Church besides that of the body of Christ A. The bride the Lambs wife Rev. 22. 17. Rev. 19. 7 8. Rev. 21. 9. The temple of God 1 Cor. 3. 16. The house of God the pillar and ground of the truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. Q. What special promise hath Christ made to the Church A. the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. 18. Qu. What doth Christ elsewhere say of himself that may give assurance to the Church that this promise shall be made good A. Behold I live for ever and ever amen and have the keys of hell and death Rev. 1. 18. CHAP. XXI Of the Government and Discipline of the Church Qu. WHen Christ was ascended up on high after his death and resurrection and so ceased to be personally present with his Church whom did he set apart for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of his body A. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4. 11 12 13. Qu. What is the advice of the two great Apostles Paul and Peter to the elders and governors of the Church A. Take heed unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made your overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Acts 20. 28. The elders which are among you I exhort who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready minde Neither as being lords over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock 1 Pet. 5. 1 2 3. Q. What reward doth the apostle Peter tell them they shall have at the appearance of Christ if they do as he prescribeth A. When the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5. 4. Qu. What is the duty of the yonger or private sort in relation to the elders or publike officers of the Church A. Likewise ye yongers submit your selves unto the elders 1 Pet. 5. 5. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Heb. 13. 17. We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake 1 Thess 5. 12 13. Q. What saith the Scripture concorning the maintenance of them that instruct and oversee the Church A. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Gal. 6 6 7 8. If we have sown unto you spiritual things is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things Do ye

A Twofold CATECHISM The One simply called A Scripture-Catechism The Other A brief Scripture-Catechism for Children Wherein the chiefest points of the Christian Religion being Question-wise proposed resolve themselves by pertinent Answers taken word for word out of the Scripture without either Consequences or Comments Composed for their sakes that would fain be Meer Christians and not of this or that Sect inasmuch as all the Sects of Christians by what names soever distinguished have either more or less departed from the simplicity and truth of the Scripture By John Biddle Master of Arts of the University of Oxford Isai 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them LONDON Printed by J. Cottrel for Ri. Moone at the seven stars in Paul's Church-yard neer the great North-door 1654. The Preface I Have often wondered and complained that there was no Catechism yet extant that I could ever see or hear of from whence one might learn the true grounds of the Christian Religion as the same is delivered in the holy Scripture all Catechisms generally being so stuffed with the supposals and traditions of men that the least part of them is derived from the Word of God For when Councels Convocations Assemblies of Divines justling the Sacred Writers out of their place in the Church had once framed Articles Confessions of Faith according to their own fancies and interests and the Civil Magistrate had by his Authority ratified the same all Catechisms were afterwards fitted to those Articles Confessions the Scripture either wholly omitted or brought-in onely for a shew not one quotation amongst many being a whit to the purpose as will soon appear to any man of judgment who taking into his hand the said Catechisms shall examine the texts alleged in them for if he do this diligently impartially he will finde the Scripture and those Catechisms to be at so wide a distance one from another that he will begin to question whether the Catechists gave any heed at all to what they wrote and did not onely themselves refuse to make use of their Reason but presume that their Readers also would do the same In how miserable a condition then as to spiritual things must Christians generally needs be when thus trained up not as the Apostle adviseth in the nurture and admonition of the Lord but in the supposals traditions of men having little or no assurance touching the reality of their Religion Which some observing and not having the happiness to light upon the Truth have quite abandoned all Piety whatsoever thinking there is no firm ground whereon to build the same To prevent which mischief in time to come by bringing men to a certainty I mean such men as own the Divine Authority of the Scripture and withal to satisfie the just pious desires of many who would fain understand the truth of our religion to the end they might not onely be built-up themselvs but also instruct their children and families in the same I have here according to the understanding I have gotten by continual meditation on the word of God compiled a Scripture-Catechism wherein I bring the Reader to a sure and certain knowledg of the chiefest things pertaining both to belief and practice whilst I my self assert nothing as others have done before me but onely introduce the Scripture faithfully uttering its own assertions which all Christians confess to be of undoubted truth Take heed therefore whosoever thou art that lightest on this Book and there readest things quite contrary to the doctrines that pass currant amongst the generality of Christians for I confess most of the things here displayed have such a tendency that thou fall not foul upon them for thou canst not do so without falling foul upon the holy Scripture it self inasmuch as all the Answers throughout the whole Catechism are faithfully transcribed out of it and rightly applied to the Questions as thou thy self maist perceive if thou shalt make a diligent inspection into the several texts with all their circumstances Thou wilt perhaps here reply that the texts which I have cited do indeed in the letter hold forth such things as are contrary to the doctrines commonly received amongst Christians but they ought to have a mystical or figurative interpretation put upon them and then both the doctrines and the texts of Scripture will suit well enough To which I answer that if we once take this liberty to impose our mystical or figurative interpretations on the Scripture without express warrant of the Scripture it self we shall have no setled belief but be liable continually to be turned aside by any one that can invent a new mystical meaning of the Scripture there being no certain rule to judge of such meanings as there is of the literal ones nor is there any error how absurd and impious soever but may on such terms be accorded with the Scripture All the abominable Idolatries of the Papists all the superstitious Fopperies of the Turks all the licentious Opinions and Practices of the Ranters may by this means be not only palliated but defended by the Word of God Certainly might we of our own heads figuratively interpret the Scripture when the letter is neither repugnant to our senses nor to the scope of the respective texts nor to a greater number of plain texts to the contrary for in such cases we must of necessity admit figures in the sacred Volume as well as we do in profane ones otherwise both they and it will clash either with themselves or with our senses which the Scripture it self intimates to be of infallible certainty see 1 Joh. 1. 2 3. might we I say at our pleasure impose our Figures Allegories on the plain words of God the Scripture would in very deed be what some blasphemously affirm it to be a Nose of wax For instance it is frequently asserted in the Scripture that God hath a similitude or shape hath his place in the heavens hath also affections or passions as love hatred mercy anger and the like neither is any thing to the contrary delivered there unless seemingly in certain places which neither for number nor clearness are comparable unto those of the other side Why now should I depart from the letter of the Scripture in these particulars and boldly affirm with the generality of Christians or rather with the generality of such Christians only as being conversant with the false Philosophy that reigneth in the Schools have their understandings perverted with wrong notions that God is without a shape in no certain place and uncapable of affections Would not this be to use the Scripture like a nose of wax and when of it self it looketh any way to turn it aside at our pleasure And would not God be so far from speaking to our capacity in his Word which is the usual Refuge of the Adversaries when in these and the like