Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	ghost_n	holy_a	inspire_v	2,844	5	10.2489	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17054	A commentary upon the Canticle of Canticles, written first in Italian by Antonio Brucioli, and now translated into English by Th. Iames fellow of New colledge in Oxford; Annotationi sopra i proverbii di Salamo. English	Brucioli, Antonio, 1487-1566.; James, Thomas, 1573?-1629.	1598 (1598)	STC 3928; ESTC S118389	80,311	190

to say they say in word somewhat in effect nothing for either they take that for a salt which is not so indeed or els they knowe not how to distinguish the abuse frō the thing so speake against they know not what Translators haue their faults abuses as well as other men as when they translate foolish vnprofitable or wicked vngodly books or els mistranslate misinterpret books and then the abuse proceedeth either of malice or of ignorāce if of malice their reproofe is iust if of ignorance blame thē not vnles it be affected for the best that is may misse in a strāge language whē no man knoweth all in his owne tongue And thus far reacheth their complaint against the abuse of translations which may in no wise be excused As for the harme that cōmeth by making learning too cōmon mē of cōmon iudgement may by vulgar examples easily refute them The sunne moone fire and water are profitable yet common the Philosopher saith Bonum quò communius eò melius good the commoner it is the better it is if it bee true in philosophie it is true in diuinity therfore S. Paul wisheth that all men were learned as hee was and that all men could speak with diuers tongues as he did c. I would that these men which think they haue S. Paules learning had S Paules zeale so it were according to knowledge to seeke other mens good and not their own for now marchāts do not monopolize the goods of a citie more thē these do appropriate vnto thēselues the learning of whole vniuersities whē they haue it what do they with it but keep it vnto thēselues Because I wold not be of this odious sect of men most curteous Christian reader I haue at vacant times trāslated according to that measure of knowledge which God hath giuen me both this book and some others as the historie of the Iesuits Morall Philosophy of the Stoickes which with permissiō of my superiors I mean shortly to publish if God wil and health permit me so to do Take this booke in good part accept of my good wil fault pardon amend whether they be the Printers or the translators the preface is the Authors not mine it escaped both me the Printer before I was aware the rest read corrected in the latter end of the booke The Preface to the Booke THis booke of the Canticles is a holy and admirable booke very spirituall full of mysteries and most hidden senses whereby it is most euident that they haue bene not a litle deceiued which go about to diminish the credit and authoritie thereof for because herein are contained sundry enterchangeable discourses and dialogues of mutuall loue betweene the bride and the bridegrome therefore forsooth haue they thought it good to call this booke in questiō as if it were not an vsuall matter with the holy Ghost in the holy Scripture to set down the sincere and vnfained loue of God and the Church vnder the figure of chast and holy wedlocke as also to discouer the force of wickednesse and Idolatrie by the similitude of the adulterous woman as it is to be seene in the second and third of Ieremie and in the sixteenth Chapter of Ezechiel Besides all this there are certaine places in this booke whereby no otherwise then as it were by certaine beames and lights this point is made so cleare and manifest that we may very well say without any maner of doubt or wauering at all that this Treatise is not carnally and literally but spiritually and mystically to be vnderstood In such sort that I hold this for an vnfallible and certaine truth that there are comprehended and contained in this small booke the exceeding great affection and loue of our Lord Iesus Christ and the holy Church of the faithfull beleeuers the necessarie vse of the word of God the profite and pleasantnesse thereof the efficacie of faith and heat of charity Furthermore we learne to know what are the operations of the spirit and what are the works of the flesh briefly that which doth any maner of way cōcerne or respect the Church and all this vnder the figuratiue talk and communication betweene the Bridegroome and the Spouse Now Christ is the Bridegroome as it is in the 3. of Iohn verse 29. He that hath the bride is the bridegrome and the Church is his spouse Hosea Chapter 2. Thou shalt call me Ishi or my husband I wil marry thee vnto me for euer And this spouse is attended on with her young maidens that is to say with the particular soules of the faithfull which do follow after the odoriferous and sauery ointments of our Sauiour Iesus Christ And the bridegrome likewise hath his friends that do follow accōpany him to wit the true Bishops sincere Prechers of the word of God which he cals vnto him to eate drinke make merry with him These men heare the voyce of the Church that is to say the words of Christ Neuerthelesse this is not so to be vnderstood but that all the faithfull may rightly terme thēselues frēds of the bridegrome The title or inscriptiō is the Song of Songs as if therin were contained songs which did farre exceed all other songs in plenty of holy mysteries and they are called the songs of Salomon or Salomons songs because hee writ them being inspired by the holy Ghost of the true Salomon Iesus Christ VVe reade of many Canticles or songs in the scripture as the song of Moyses Deborah Iosua Anna Dauid Abacuck and others but this booke compriseth not one onely song which Salomon song but there are many songs herein contained all written in one book but concerning one matter and one argument wherin are expressed most truly the charitie faith loue ioy delights and diuerse kinds of benefits not without vehemēt earnest affections wherewith our most louing merciful redemer doth follow his elect with inexplicable graces by the grace fauor of the almighty God So that they being stirred vp by the holy Ghost do with certaine vnspeakeable affections of loue regard behold and approch neere vnto the diuine grace and bountie of God desiring most earnestly and deuoutly to be commended approoued and daily more and more esteemed and fauoured of him in such sort that if there be found any error or fault in their liues and conuersations as spots and blots or wennes in their forheads do sometimes happen yet that they may not be refused or reiected for this or the like things or have any cause to distrust his mercifull kindnesse or louing fauor but that the falling out of louers may be the renewing of loue For louers being iealous one of another are mutually and suddenly prouoked vnto wrath as suddēly reconciled and pacified and afterwards they become greater friends then they were before This then is the principall intent and purpose of this booke This is the song

A COMMENTARY VPON THE CANTICLE OF CANTICLES WRITten first in Italian by Antonio Brucioli and now translated into English by Th. Iames fellow of New colledge in Oxford Greater is he that prophecieth then he that speaketh diuers tongues except he expound it that the Church may receiue edification 1. Cor. 14. v. 4. Come and eate of my meate and drinke of the wine that I haue drawen Prov. 9. v. 5. LONDON Printed by R. F. for Tho. Man 1598. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR THOmas Egerton Knight Lord Keeper of the great seale of England Thomas Iames wisheth increase of health wealth and prosperitie in this life and endlesse ioy happinesse immortality in the life to come SAint Hierome complained of the multitude and abuse of writers in his time Salomon to shew the vanity of mē in writing of bookes beginneth one of his bookes with Vanitie Vanitie of vanities saith Salomon the Preacher vanitie of vanities and all is but vanitie and as he beginneth his booke so he endeth it as if from the beginning vnto the ending ●here were nothing but vanity in all other bookes the holy Scripture onely excepted no part or parcell whereof may be guilty of the least thought of vanitie in the world the holy Ghost being in the holy scripture as the soule is in the bodie all in all and all in euery part And therefore in the later ende of his booke to leade vs vnto the beginning of true wisedome he pricketh men forward and exhorteth them to the diligent reading of Gods words the words of truth by comparing them vnto prickes and nailes fastned by the masters of the assemblies To auoyd Saint Hieromes complaint follow Salomons godly exhortation the Author of this present treatise vpon the Canticles did exercise him self from his infancie in the studie of Gods word the which he read so earnestly and eagerly as if as Saint Austin saith he could neuer haue read it sufficiently though h● should haue begun neuer so soone and liued neuer so long But finding the scriptures by his owne experience so written in diuerse places though all Scripture be written for our instruction as if i● were not written as it was sayd of certaine bookes of Aristotle in so much that when the Eunuch readeth Philip had need to stand by interpret He thought it good for the good of the Church and glorie of God to bestow the greatest part of his time partly in translating the Bible into his mother tongue which he did most exactly partly in writing such a commentarie vpon the Bible as might in doubtfull and hard places fully satisfie and content the minde of the religious reader Now there are many which haue written vpon the Bible learned and godly commentaries in all tongues languages many more now thanks be to God in these later dayes thē in former times but of all late writers there is none for any that I haue seene or heard which may be compared with this Brucioli for absolute and exquisite knowledge in the tongues great reading in the Fathers shortnesse and plainnesse in deliuering of the meaning of the holy Ghost and last of all such soundnesse in Religion integritie of doctrine as may seeme admirable in any man but in Brucioli and Italian wonderfull beyond the degree of● admiratiō For surely as it seemed strāge● vnto the Iewes that out of Galile should come any good so it is no lesse stranges vnto some that Italie should affoord vs any good Italy being the cage of vncleannesse and seate of Antichrist But God the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Iewes the God of Italians as of Englishmen no accepter of persons or respecter of place hath euen in Italie many peraduenture thousands which haue not bowed their knees vnto Baal electing some out of each nation countrey to make vp the summe of his elect Now as God in his mercie hath stirred vp some to defende his glorie in other countreys so hath he raised vp this Brucioli to be a principall setter forth of his glorie in Italie which that man of sinne the Romane Antichrist perceiuing hath therefore laboured to suppresse and abolish his painfull labours but man purposeth and God disposeth For as they haue bene forbidden twise so twise haue they bene printed and that in no other place then Venice dedicated to men of the contrary religion which it should seem he professed and submitted to the censure of our holy mother the Church prouided that out of the Scriptures and Fathers they should be able to refute his doctrine which out of thē both he had most learnedly cōpiled The time wherin he liued I find not certainly set downe of any but this is most certaine that he liued about the time of Conradus Pellicanus some 70 or 80 yeares ago and that Pellican did verie much profite himselfe by Brucioli or Brucioli by Pellicans writings which is the more probable by how much the more Brucioli hath in his Cōmentary besides that which is out of Pellican translated into his books word for word in diuerse places The order method which he obserued in his Commentarie is such as deserueth to be imitated of all men that labour in this businesse in easie and facill places of the Bible either to be altogether silent or very short and briefe in harder places to be more plentifull and copious in no place spending paper and inke in idle and vnprofitable questions such as tend not to edification As to dispute the case in this Commentarie vpon the Canticles whether of the three bookes which Salomon wrote he wrote the Canticles in the first or second place as the Iewes imagine or last of all as all the Latine writers do consent Whether there be more persons then foure or whether this book be meant literally of Pharaohs daughter or mystically of the Church these questions being farre aboue the reach of the commō sort of people he omitteth purposely And because all writers with one voyce consent that the Church is meant by the Spouse he so taketh it without any further adoe instructing vs in these points of religion necessary to be taught of him and vnderstood of vs. That the Church here militant consisteth of two parts a visible and an inuisible that in the Church Christ must beare rule and not Peter that Gods word must be heard and not mens traditions finally he teacheth vs the necessitie of faith and fruite of good workes these are the principall points which he handleth in this booke euery where ioyning with them matter of comfort and exhortation and thus much for Brucioli and his Commentary Now for my selfe and my translation I could haue wished that others which haue the gift of interpretation wold haue taken the worke in hand but seeing they haue bene slacke in this businesse I haue for that exceeding great loue which I beare vnto t●● workes of this learned man a stranger but not from the faith translated this booke of

he calleth them twinnes because it is the selfe same God and father which is the author and father of both Testaments The Text. 4 Thy neeke is like a towre of iuorie thine eyes are like the fish pooles in Heshbon by the gate of Beth-rabbim thy nose is as the towre of Lebanon that looketh toward Damascus 5 Thine head vpon thee is as a skarlet and the bu●ke of thine head like purple the king is tyed in the rafters 6 How faire art thou and how pleasant art thou ô my pleasure 7 This thy stature is like a palme tr●e and thy breasts like clusters 8 I said I will go ●p into the palme tree I will take hold of her boughes thy breasts shall now be like the clusters of the vine and the sauour of thy nose like apples 9 And the roofe of thy mouth like good wine which goeth straight to my welbeloued and causeth the lips of the ancient to speake The Commentarie The necke is faith as it is euident out of the first and fourth Chapters and this place may be thus expounded as if a man had a towre of iuorie doubtlesse it would be a very precious and strong place so in like maner if a man haue faith hee hath a most firme strong and precious towre and rocke of defence against which the gates of hell shal neuer be able to preuaile but of this there hath bene sufficiently spoken in the places aboue mentioned Moreouer he commendeth her for her fine eyes which signifie nothing else but the iudgementes of the Church which are as cleare bright and pure as the most ●●eare waters in the fish-pooles of Hesebon which are the liuely fountaines of truth and pure waters of Gods word which the bridegroome hath in great abundance and of the aboundance of his goodnesse wee all receiue that belong vnto the faithfull churches And these fish-pooles are neare vnto the gate of Beth-rabbim that is if a man interpret it the gate of the daughter of a multitude that is wherein manie are contained or to whom manie belong according to the phrase and manner of speaking of the Hebrewes is the Church which may bee verie fitly called a daughter of multitudes begotten by the word of God whose gate is Christ In this gate is their great aboundance and plentie of fountaines fishpooles of liuing water that is to say of truth grace and Gods diuine iustice Furthermore he goeth onward in praising her for her nose which is a signification of vertue for thereby do we smell the sweete sauours of our Lord and sauior Iesus Christ wherefore as they which are situated vpon the top of a towre on the pleasant hill of Lebanon do partake the sweet sent of the spices which growe thereon so hee that standeth vpon the strong tower of the Church and hath sure footing on this rocke to wit of faith which is noted by the similitude of a rock or towre must needs be perfumed with the sweete smell of Christes ointments for because he is in the Church and the rest not so for the same reason and he saith that this tower of faith looketh toward Damascus Where he taketh Damascus for all the carnall minded men which are indeed nothing else but a sacke of bloud because this is the right signification of the word in the originall Against these doth the strong tower that is to say the faith of the Church looke most oppositely and directly because the iudgementes and affections of the Church are cleane contrarie vnto them and the heade of the Church as wee haue before prooued vnto you is the Bridegrome Christ a pleasant and worthy Bridegrome high as mount Carmel and fruitfull as mount Carmel for all these thinges haue bene truly spoken and may bee very well verified of Christ the head of the Church for hee is most high and statelie fruitfull and abounding in the corne of trueth or rather all manner of fruites spring from him and without him it is not possible for anie man to budde or bring foorth either fruite or leaues Finallie wee are sed with his corne that is to say with his Spirit and truth as often as we beleeue in him as it is in the sixt chapter of Iohn and 32. verse where hee commaunded the Iewes to eate and drinke him by faith And Christ here as in manie other places of the Canticles commendeth himselfe in the Church and the Church in him for when hee praiseth the head of the Spouse what doth hee else but commend himselfe by and by afterwardes he commendeth the Spouse in commending himselfe for otherwise the Spouse deserueth no commendarious vnlesse it be for his sake He proceedeth further yet to magnifie and extoll her haire now the haire is nothing els but the doctrine and deedes of Christ and the king which he talketh of is God the purple the holie Ghost and perfect charitie the watering places the writings of God the Prophets where all the flockes of the Christians are to be watered And the haire of Christ is compared and likened vnto the purple of some mightie Prince because all that which hee either did or taught was deriued from the source of the holy Ghost and fountaine of true charitie and the king is tyed to the watering places because Gods holy spirit is inserted and ingrafted within the writings of the holy scripture and bookes of the Prophets where he is alwayes present and by them he maketh knowne the loue of God vnto the godly mindes moreouer he continueth to prayse the Church by rehearsing the generall commendations thereof and confounding or huddeling the prayses therof together into one short sentence saying ô faire art thou O thou Church and congregation of the faithfull which art most louing and pleasurable vnto thy spouse and that in the pleasures of thy Christ whilest thou reioycest in him alone and none but him for otherwise thou sholdest be the most miserable distressed wretch in the world receiuing no helpe and succour from him for no man that walketh in strange pleasures from Christ can haue any comelinesse or beauty before the Lord. Again she is commended for her husband and for her stature in these words This thy stature is like a palme-tree and thy breasts like clusters The palme-tree is a tree that hath a sound trunke high and straight but the barke or rinde thereof is rugged hard and deformed being broad and equallie big at top bowing her head euerie way downward which yeeldeth plentie of a kind of sweet fruite called dates which growe so plentifully vpon this tree that they be like vnto the clusters of vines and this is the stature of Christes spouse for shee is sound because of the roote and strength of faith somewhat high and tall which is so streight in the toppe with faith and the consideration of heauenlie thinges that she boweth or swaggereth not at all neither to the right hande nor to the left from the word of God shee hath a hard