Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	good_a	word_n	1,776	5	3.7855	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10925	A sermon preached at the second trienniall visitation of the right honourable and right reuerend father in God, William Lord Bishop of London, holden at Keluedon in Essex: September. 3. 1631. By Nehemiah Rogers, pastor of Messing in Essex	Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660.	1632 (1632)	STC 21198; ESTC S116117	22,027	36

Cutting Riuing or Nibbing of the Penn that it may write hard or soft as Occasion requires Thus if we would write Well and Faire let vs not affect to be dealing with those Scriptures that are Obscure and Darke Of Ambiguous and Doubtfull meaning 2 Pet. 3.16 Of which kinde there are not a few in holy Writ and none more subiect to bee wrested and peruerted Wits making such places the Palaestra to proue masteries in You know the Antient Fathers did scarce touch the Booke of the Reuelation in all their writings thinking it farre safer with silence to admire then to aduenture to expound it Such then as fasten to choose vpon such darke Texts except they haue the better parts and helps seeme to write with the Ganders quill and while men seeke to get the praise of a nimble head and sharpe wit by tying knots to vntie againe they doe with the dog leaue soft meate to knawe vpon the bones But say in our ordinary lot and course Quest. we meete with such a Scripture what must then be done In such a Case Resp to keepe me still vnto the Metaphor doe as good Penmen doe with such a Quill scrape it and pare it till you get away the Teeth what may be I meane that you would Distinguish aptly that which is Confused And Illustrate plainely that which is Obscure You know the Helps the Vse of Tongues and Authors c. And Prayer in such a Case is the Best Booke in the Studie Enquire of him who is both the Author and Interpreter of Scripture The noise of Axe and Hammer would not bee heard ouer-loud within the Temple the worke would be framed in Lebanon To reckon vp all that wee haue read with their seuerall opinions vpon such a Text is in my poore conceit with Dauid A spice of Pride in numbering of the people As on the other side at no time to Quote an Author may be thought with Rhehoboam to despise the iudgement of the wise To bee briefe if after all our paines such places remaine to vs ambiguous and doubtfull it is enough if we acknowledge confesse and religiously admire Not peremptorily determining on either part shutting vp our discourse as the Iewes were wont euery doubtfull place they met withall with this Elias cum venerit soluet dubia Or if in Case we doe determine it shall bee our wisedome to walke in the beaten roade of the Church and not to run out into any single Paradoxes of our owne to trouble the common peace Better is it to bee last in the droue of good Expositors saith our Reuerend Arch-bishop in his Exposition vpon Ionah then to bee formost inventing our owne Conceits This is not all for after wee haue Chose our Quill With the good Pen-man we must be Carefull in Cutting of our Pen. This requires Skill that it may be neither too Soft nor ouer Hard Therefore the Apostle speaketh thus to Timothy Shew thy selfe approued vnto God a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly diuiding the Word of truth 2 Tim. 2.15 Gods Minister must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diuide and cut A speech borrowed from the Cutting vp of the Sacrifice in which there was great skill required the Liuer must be left hanging on the Right side the Heart and Lungs vpon the Channell bone the Milt vpon the left side and the Kidneys vpon the Rump Each Bungler can Chop a Text into Gobbets but so to Cut the word as to giue euery one their Portion and therein approue ones selfe to God is the propertie Of a Workeman that needeth not to bee ashamed Of this there are two parts Resolution and Application The Former is as the Slitting or Riuing of the Pen the Latter as the Nibbing of it Si Logica absit rationalis homo praeter rationem in linguae sono versatur Our Text must be vntwisted and vnloosed or as it were vnbowelled which cannot bee done without the helpe of Logicke the hand of Philosophie This would not bee Ouer-slight nor Ouer-curious for Aequè confusa est diuisio nimia nulla saith Fulgentius To make a long Analysis to a Short Text is with the Citizens of Mindus to build Great Gates to a Little Citie who were well flouted for their paines Or like the Boasting Traueller who comming to his Inne plucks out great store of coine and spends but two-pence And on the other side not to obserue Parts and Order is as bad A Burden well wrapped and pack't vp together wee carry with greater ease both Minister and Hearer is much help'd by Method As for the Applying part respect must bee had vnto the Auditory as the good Pen-man hath in nibbing of his Pen vnto the kinde of Paper he writes vpon that it agree with it Some hath a hard and crosse graine which soone takes off the edge of a Tender Penn here too much of the nib would not be left The Penn would bee Hard and Dry. Some paper againe hath a more fine and tender graine with which the Smaller Penn doth best agree Your Ordinarie Paper is Pot-paper of a middle nature and requires that the nib be neither too soft nor too hard but brought vnto a meane Gods Prophets must fit themselues to the Persons they haue to deale withall becomming all to all that they may saue some A Nathans tongue suits well with a Dauid's heart A Huldahs with Iosiah's And an Elijah's and Michajah's with Ahab's A Iohn Baptist with Herod's doth best of all It is worth our taking notice of how God in all ages hath proportioned men to the occasions A Mild Moses was for the low estate of Afflicted Jsrael mild in spirit saith one but mighty in wonders mild because hee had to do with a persecuted and yet a techie people mighty because he had to doe with a Pharaoh A Graue and a holy Samuel was for the quiet consistence of Israel And a fierie-spirited Elijah for the desperatest declinations of it If in later times of the depraued Condition of his Church God hath raised vp some spirits which haue beene more warme and stirring then those of common mould wee cannot censure the choise when we see the seruice As a Reuerend Prelate of our Church speakes worthily One thing more before I passe this be pleased to take notice of that how-euer you may seeme in the Nibbing of your Penn through the sloape holding of your knife in cutting it halfe way to make it thinne and then strait ouer-thwart to make Two-cuttings yet if it be not done at once it will not write Faire and Currantly So in all our Vses and Applications deriued and deducted from our Doctrines how euer they may seeme yet let them not be Two but One Syllogisme and ordinarily a Connexe Looke how many Vses we deduce from the Doctrine deliuered if they will make a Syllogisme the Doctrine being the Argument we misse not our Rule And then will our Application be more effectuall Nothing else

wittie disturber of the Churches peace And yet this is the onely praise that many doe affect who hauing once fastened vpon some Assertion though neuer so absurd think it their glory to defend it Conceiting all that they see or heare or reade Antiphorus Orietes makes for it Like him in Aristotle who where euer he went he thought he saw the picture of himselfe Thus wee reade of Adrian the Pope who when the Contentions were betwixt the seruices of Saint Ambrose and Saint Gregory Iacob de Vorag in vita Greg. which should take place by common consent both the masse-bookes were laid vpon Saint Peters Altar expecting the decision of that doubt by Reuelation The Church dores being opened in the morning Saint Gregories masse-booke was rent and torne in many pieces and lay scattered about the Church but Saint Ambrose's lay whole and open vpon the Altar which euent one would haue thought should haue signified thus much that the Masse of Gregory should be Cancelled and abolished and that of Ambrose authenticall and allowed But now Pope Adrian who was for Gregory expounds it thus that the renting and scattering of Gregories missal intended the dispersing of it ouer all the Christian world and that it should bee onely receiued as Canonicall Such another was that Fryar who finding out Maria in the Scripture vsed plurally for Seas cryed out that hee had found in the Old Testament the name of Maria for the Virgin Mary What is this but with the wicked sonnes of Eli to strike our flesh-hooke with yron teeth into the pot of Gods Sacrifice and to account all ours that it brings vp And if in case the Scripture hath not for vs so soone as wee desire to take by force as they did from the Sacrificers Yea what is this any other then with the Harlot in the Kings to lay the dead childe of our owne heads and braines in the bosome of the true mother the Holy Scriptures and say it is hers A sinne in the iudgement of some of the Antient so fowle as that in their esteeme it deserued to be ranged in the same ranke with the sin against the Holy Ghost Other sinnes seeme to be of weakenesse but this of wit and strength Besides he that seekes to fasten a new sense on Scripture indites another Scripture as it were and so after a sort makes himselfe a God A rule of speciall vse forget it not And yet while I speake of holding our Pen directly vpon the Full mistake me not For it is requisite sometimes as in the fetching of a Compasse that it should beare a little on the left side that it may the better giue full where it should and small also where it is required Thus did Nathan in propounding of the Parable of the poore man with his little Ewe Our Sauiour often by things feyned did set forth and expresse vnfeined truths Thus Saint Paul likewise fetch a compasse the better to take his keeper holding his pen a little on the left side as it were Beleeuest thou Agrippa I know that thou beleeuest If euer any knew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to change his voice and to attemper his stile that he might profit hee was the man Yet many esteeme this practise no better then flatterie and lying but I hasten We haue done with those Rules which Concerne the Ordering of our Pen Now for those which respect the Cariage of the Body which if it be seemely is a great grace to writing The Particulars are these 1. The Head must be held vpright and looke strait forward 2. The Arme laid right forth vpon the Paper 3. The Paper lie as neere to the midst of the Body as the strait holding forth of the Arme will permit and suffer For the First Be thou an ensample saith Saint Paul to Timothie in life in doctrine in holy Conuersation 1 Tim. 4.12 Exemplaris vita est concio optima It is the Example wherein the force of the Rule doth lie This our people especially looke vpon and accordingly conceiue as Labans Cattell did among the Rods that Iacob laid in the Gutters before their eyes Gen. 30. In which respect it was that God thus complained From the Prophets of Ierusalem wickednesse is gone forth into all the land Ier. 23.15 The sinnes of Teachers are the Teachers of sinnes and therefore no maruell if they be more odious vnto God then the sins of any of the people which appeares by this in that the Lord required in the old Law Leuit. 4.3.14 as much sacrifice for the Priests sin alone as he did for the sins of all the Congregation besides The best Schooleman seemes to giue the reason for when we sinne we doe peccare in quid essentialiter but others in quale accidentaliter therefore ours greater Be yee holy therefore Isay 52.11 you that doe beare the vessels of the Lord haue Feete to walke withall Psal 115.7 as well as Mouthes to speake withall least you bee found in the end Idols as well as dumbe ones You are here present with the ensignes of grauity vpon your backes Seeing these bushes hung forth see there be good wine within In a word let vs so liue as that we be Walking Sermons Epistles and Gospels to those amongst whom we liue Secondly the Arme must be laid right-forth vpon the Paper on which we write We may not haue respect of persons in the deliuering of our message The Preacher sought to finde out acceptable words and that which was written was vpright euen words of truth Eccles 12.10 For Manner it would doe well to take vp such words as may giue lawfull content and be best accepted But for Matter let them be words of truth that which is written let it be vpright without fauouring of any mans Corruptions or Vices The Poore may not be neglected seeing Christ's blood was shed as well for the Belfry as for the Chancell Nor may the Great be spared much lesse poysoned by Flatterie It was said of old Few great mens Confessors will get to heauen For how great soeuer the sins of great men are still they goe away with Absolution and it would doe well now if we would be faithfull and if at any time A Lord should aske his Chaplaine as Christ did his whom doe men say that I am Matth. 16.13 let the answer be according to the truth Some say you are thus my Lord and some say thus c. that if in Case they heare ill they may labour to cut off all iust occasions of such report If well endeauour to preserue and deserue the same to Gods and his Gospels honour But this I must tell you withall that Good manners must be obserued in speaking to our Betters 1 Tim. 5.1 2. Acts 26. notwithstanding that ciuill and well nurtured language be esteemed by some that are ouer-sowre and rigid to bee a daubing with vntempered morter and nothing thought to bee zealously spoken but what