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	word_n	write_a	3,648	5	10.7659	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50400	The beauty and order of the creation together with natural and allegorical meditations on the six dayes works of the creation : with the addition of two compendious discourses : I. of the creation of man after the image of God, II. of the creation of angels, with a description of their several properties / by ... Mr. John Maynard ... ; published by William Gearing ...	Maynard, John, 1600-1665.; Gearing, William.	1668 (1668)	Wing M1448; ESTC R14885	107,977	226

Church yet he needed no Books no written Word to do it by witness those two thousand years and more from the beginning of the World till Moses wrote the Holy Text by inspiration of the Holy Ghost and then consider that as after the third Day the Sun was made to give light to the World which before was illightened without a Sun so after many hundred years the Lord placed the Books of Moses and then other Holy Writings as a Sun in the Firmament of his Church to give light unto the same And as after the Sun was made Men had no want of that light which was given without a Sun in the former three Days so you may consider that now the Books of Scripture are written and the light of Gods truth plentifully shining in them there is no need of unwritten Traditions to give light unto us in any way or work of God and therefore conclude that the dotage of the Papists in pleading for unwritten Traditions now we have the written Word is as gross as if a M●n should complain for want of that wandering light of the three first days now when ●he ligh● is fully seated and firmly fixed in the body of the Sun 3. Consider that as one Sun giveth light to the whole World so one Word to the whole Church scattered throughout the World And here see the absurdity of some unsound ones among us who being more than half Papists are not ashamed to condemn the study of those worthy writings of many forreign Divines upon this poor pretence because they lived in other Kingdomes and Common-wealths and so their Doctrine doth not so well suit with our State and Kingdome As if the same Sun could not serve all Nations with light but that we must have one in England and they another in France c. So if the Sun of holy truth do shine in the writings of these holy Men why cannot we see and walk by this light as well as out-landish Men 4. Consider that the light is still like it self that light which was before the Sun is of the same nature with that which now is in the Sun so the truth and word of God is still the same not contrary to it self The light of holy truth which was before the Word written and this which shineth in the holy Scriptures is the same and therefore the Papists are yet more shameless when under pretence of the unwritten Word they thrust upon the Church such idle forgeries as are contrary to the Word written as if light could be contrary to light or darkness might be called light If the light of the written Word doth shew us that marriage is honourable among all Men and therefore not only among the Laity then know it is no beam of this Heavenly light which makes Men think they see much sin and shame in it when it is used by the Ministers of the Word but that it is even a dark vapour of the bottomless Pit and so S. Paul saith it is a Doctrine of Devils If the Word written by its light do shew the worship performed to Images to be gross and shamefull Idolatry then that Doctrine which commendeth this as a special point of devotion and condemneth to the Fire those that refuse it cannot be any beam of light issuing from the Word of God unwritten but rather a dark shadow caused by the Prince of darkness so you may think of many other Popish fopperies The Seas the Trees Grass Herbs c. which were on the third Day appeared to be of the same colour by that light which then was without a Sun as th●● did afterwards by the Sun-light so those thin●● which by the word written are now 〈◊〉 to be white or black lawfull o●●●lawfull did appear so also by the light o●●he Word before it was written 5. Consider also that as the Lord could have given light without a Sun and yet being pleased to make a Sun doth also require that we should see by this Sun so the Lord who could have given us knowledge without a word preached and have taught us immediately by his spirit being pleased to set up the Ministry of the Word and to teach us by it doth req●ire that we should learn and profit by it And therefore we must not think that we may neglect the Word because God can teach us without it we must be taught as God will teach us and not as he can but will not God spake immediately to Saul from Heaven condemning his cruelty against the Church but yet sent him to a Man to learn what he should do The Lord striketh down a sinner with the apprehension of his wrath for sin but sendeth him to Men even to the Preachers of his Word to learn what he ought to do And therefore they who in regard of knowledge despise the preaching of the Word and think it needless may as well despise the Sun in regard of outward light for the eye of the Body and think it may well be spared 6. Again consider that as the Sun in his circuit passeth from East to West so the light of the Word issuing by the special providence of God from the East hath come toward the West It is probably thought that Adam was created in the Eastern parts of the World to whom the Word was at first delivered However it is certain that Ierusalem is Eastward whence the Law did issue and the Gospel proceed unto these Western parts and now toward the end of this great Day of the World this light is bending towards those poor Western Barbarians of America 7. Again as the rising Sun is most looked at being especially welcome after the dark Night and not so much regarded at Noon though then it shineth brighter so the Word Preached is most affected ordinarily by a People at its first coming but afterward● through their great corruption and unthankfulness it seemeth stale unto them although there be an encrease of gifts in the Preacher and the truth shining brighter to them in his Ministery than at the first If you finde this in your selves let your hearts smite you for it and be earnest with God to renew your affections to his Word that you may gather an appeti●e by feeding upon this Heavenly Manna and not like the carnal Israelites begin to loath it and to lust for grosser food because this hath been so common Consider that as any Man well in his wits accounteth it a blessing to have the Sun once in 24. hours so should any one who is wise unto salvation and taught of God account it a blessing to have the word twice in a week although it be the less regarded by earthly spirits because it is ordinary 8. Moreover think with thy self that as he that is stark blind cannot see the light when the Sun shineth most brightly so he that is in natural blindness cannot rightly see the divine vertue and saving excellency of the Word therefore call upon

thee CHAP VII Meditations on the fifth Days Work SECT 1. COme we now to the fifth day which with us is usually called Thursday the story of which days work we have laid down in Gen. 1.20 21 22 23. Wherein the waters were furnished with fishes and other Creatures that live there and the air with fouls and such creatures as live in it 1. Here consider that after those four days when the heavens were furnished with lights and the earth beautified with plants springing out of it by vertue of the word of God yet all this while there was not one creature throughout the whole Creation that had sense or power to move from place to place not one fly or the least thing moving in the air not one fish swimming throughout the seas rivers or other waters not one worm creeping on the earth here then admire the wonderful power and wisdom of God who on the fifth day by his All-commanding word filled the air with multitudes of Creatures flying there the waters with abundant of fish●s swimming there this was done even in a moment Consider what numberless swarms there were both of fouls and fishes brought forth on the fifth day whereas the very day before there was not one of any kind to be found in any part of the Creation And as the wisdom of God joined these two sorts of creatures together so he made in many respects a special affinity between them as the fouls are covered with feathers so the fishes with scales as the fouls move in the air so do the fishes in that element which cometh nearest the nature of the air as the fouls have wings to fly withall so the fishes have ●innes whereby they swimme and that is a motion very like to that of flying yea some of either kind do communicate with each other in their element for as we have water-fouls so there have been flying-fish in great abundance so that here you may magnifie the wisdome of God who in the day that these creatures were made did imprint upon them such properties and qualities as should be evidences to the end of the world in some sort that they were but the work of one and the same day 2. Consider here that as the Lord hath appointed the fouls to fly in the air and the fishes to swimme in the sea confining each to his own element for the general though some few particulars be suffered to live in both this should teach us to walk within the compass of our callings and not to think we shall mend our selves in a different element or another kind of course without some special cause Some few may have some special warrant to change their callings as Amos to leave his flock and teach the people and Peter to leave his nets and fish for men These had an immediate call from God and so I dare not deny but that in case of great necessity when the Church is destitute of able Ministers some well-studied in the Scriptures and experienced in the mysteries of grace may take upon them the office of the Ministry being lawfully separated unto that function yet this will prove no more that every one may at his pleasure run from the shop to the pulpit than it will follow that all the fishes in the sea may fly up into the air because some few do so And this should especially ●each Christians who are called unto holiness to take heed how they leave their element They are bidden to walk in the spirit even as birds fly in the air and in this element they must keep for as the air giveth breath unto the fouls that fly in it so the sanctifying spirit giveth the new life unto those that walk in him the waters would choak and drown the fouls if they should fall into them so sin is that which endangereth the spiritual life when a christian falleth into it The air giveth a speedy flight and motion to the Birds whereas the waters would wet their wings and cause them to move but slowly if they fall into it so the spirit when a Christian walketh in it carrieth him along with winged-affections and setteth his heart in a speedy motion upon the things of God making him ready unto every good work but if he fall into sin which is like the waters of the dead sea that Lake of Sodom his heart is like a bird drenched in water his affections are deaded his heart moveth but slowly yea many times he lieth for dead and there is scarce any motion of the spirit to be discerned in him And as in such cases a foul had need of more than ordinary means to help as to be held over a warm fire c. So a christian that he may recover his wings again and have his heart spiritually affected and enlarged toward God had need of special humiliation special meditation p●aier and other warming and quickening means to raise him up 3. As the air giveth breath and motion so also it giveth support to the birds and it carrieth them even as the earth doth the beasts which go up and down upon it so doth the spirit also give support unto all that are born of the spirit They are kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto salvation If it were not ordinary it might seem strange that the air which none can see being so thin a substance should carry so many millions of souls as there are in it flying up and down wonderful is the power of the blessed invisible spirit who supporteth so many thousand christians by his sanctifying vertue against all the powers of darkness 4. As these birds do now live in the air so were the fouls created in the air at the first so whosoever walketh in the spirit was also born of the spirit he had his begining in this element 5. Consider that as the Birds although they live and move in the air yet they come down to receive some refreshment from the earth so the Lord alloweth his children to receive some nourishment from the earth and to partake of its refreshments yet so as they must not delight in the earth as in their element nor in the things of the earth as their chiefest contentment but like the birds of heaven having supplied their necessities must be ready to soar aloft again and not in their affections be still groveling here below 6. You see how sparingly the birds take of the water a bird doth not drink like a beast it rather sippeth so should a christian sparingly use the pleasures of this life rather sipping like the bird than swilling like the swine As for those that give themselves to drink down iniquity like water and to commit sin with greediness they are none of those who have their conversation in heaven nay those that glut themselves with earthly pleasures knowing no better contentments than in such things as please the senses the appetite the eyes ears tast c. They