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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	believe_v	hear_v	preacher_n	2,737	5	9.9162	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28194	Ostenta Carolina, or, The late calamities of England with the authors of them the great happiness and happy government of K. Charles II ensuing, miraculously foreshewn by the finger of God in two wonderful diseases, the rekets and kings-evil : wherein is also shewen and proved (I.) that the rekets after a while shall seize on no more children but quite vanish through the mercy of God and by means of K. Charles II., (II.) that K. Charles II is the last of kings which shall so heal the kings-evil / discovered by the hand of the Lord upon his unworthy servant and His Majesties subject, John Bird ...	Bird, John, 17th cent.	1661 (1661)	Wing B2954; ESTC R5738	69,269	100

Revelations whether the man be honest which is the relator and also not distempered in his mind the third in his Treatise De Successione Ecclesiarum where he maketh mention of the Prodigies which happened about the year M. after our Saviour But the ancient Heathen did make such an account of Prodigies that they instituted certain Officers which were named for their number at first Quinque viri afterward Decemviri last of all Quindecimviri that is the Five Ten Fifteen Men whose office was to perform Rites and Ceremonies and they were as Livy shews to look after those Portents by consulting their ritual books for the finding out such Rites and Expiations as might divert the anger of their gods which they judged those Portents did foreshew If the Heathen by the light of naturall reason had so much knowledge as to judge such strange things must contain mysteries within them pertaining to their Gods it is a great folly unbeseeming Christians so to be deluded with the Philosophy of Aristotles School as to attribute all wonderful works whether in heaven or on earth either to the workmanship of Nature or to the errors thereof that School being more athiest then the unlearned and barbarous nations To which sort of men Professors of that false-named science called wisedom as the name Philosophy soundeth but as S. Paul truly speaketh unduly so called in sundry matters If you shall shew a Signe in Heaven or earth which hath formerly appeared as Comets Haloes Suns c. they will render you an imaginary and naturall reason If such a Meteor appear as was not heard of before they have recourse forthwith unto phansy and frame a cause in their own brains of that of which before they never had sight nor experience concluding it must be so because they think it so Thus do they make Gods Signes called by Heathen men monstra ostenta portenta and prodigia which Cicero well observes because according to their names they point at something to be useless things and of no effect at all Others there are many which do acknowledge that the Lord doth now adays by wonderful Signes premonish us of things to come and doth point at also as with the finger such things as we too much neglect as to bid us regard them which will hardly consent that it is in the power of any man since the days of the Prophets and Apostles to open the mysteries and untye the riddles of such Divine Tokens Whose reason is because the Infallible Spirit hath long since departed from the children of men It will not be sufficient to return unto their reason the Observations of all Nations before-mentioned gathered from Presagers nor yet the Observation of Machiavil which I related yet let them consider what is spoken by Cicero in his 2. Book de Divinatione Qualis autem ista mens est deorum si neque ea nobis significant in somnis quae ipsi per nos intelligamus neque ea quorum interpretes habere possimus similes enim sunt dii si ea nobis objiciunt quorum neque scientiam neque explanationem habeamus tanquam si Poeni aut Hispani in Senatu nostro sine interprete loquerentur that is What I pray mean the gods by this if they shew such things to us in our dreams which we can neither understand of our selves nor any else make us to understand for if the gods shew us such matters which neither we our selves can know what they are nor any other can declare unto us they do just as if Carthaginians or Spaniards should speak in the Romane Senate without an interpreter The reason which the Philosopher giveth why Visions sent by a Divine Power cannot but be of the nature of things which may be understood tends to this purpose to shew that otherwise the labor of sending them such messages were wholly vain which indeed is true it being repugnant to the wisedom of the Almighty to do any thing much more great and extraordinary things to no purpose But it is clear from Holy Scripture that such extraordinary Divine admonitions as Visions are were therefore sent from God unto men on purpose that they might be understood and that they might learn by them somewhat they knew not or disregarded before These are the words of Elihu Jobs best friend Job 33. 14. For God speaketh once yeatwise yet man perceiveth it not v. 15. In a dream in a Vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men in slumberings upon the bed Wherefore it is to be concluded that it is the fault of men that Gods Signes and wonders are disregarded To the reason which was objected the Departure of the Infallible Spirit from the children of men so as if for that cause we cannot now be assured of Gods secret Counsils I answer Although we have not at this time as of old it was with the Prophets and Apostles a full and clear light like unto theirs there is yet light enough given to men that will pray for and search after it for a sufficient understanding of such Signes and Visions as the Lord sends in these times The Ministers of the Gospel in these ages are not indued with that light of knowledge in the waies of God as the Prophets and Apostles were who were promised that they should be led into all truth as befitting such rules as were to be delivered by them for all posterity to be perfect yet is there sufficient knowledge given unto them to the begetting of faith and salvation of mens souls and this above other men Rom. 10. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher Which Preachers of Gods Word therefore have sufficient knowledge for the work of the Ministry and building up of the Church their appointed work as the Prophets and Apostles had more light and infallibility in them befitting their businesse Even so although the infallible Spirit remain not among the Sons of men in all parts of Gods Word yet is there enough to be obtained for the sufficient understanding of his Mysteries whether written or sent miraculously that is of his word and wonders For if this be not so to what purpose is the accounting of the Number of the Beast commended to our search although shewn to John alone precisely Rev. 13. 18. Here is wisedom let him that hath understanding count the Number of the Beast All in vain were this Admonirion if we must despair by any means to attain the knowledge of the Beasts Number Although we must acknowledge the difference betwixt the knowledge which the Apostle had of it and ours by him it was presently seen and understood by us after much search and hardly yet to perfection Moreover it will undoubtedly be objected and in favour of the former Reason That there are at this day none to be found which can presage

all this scarcely did they then beleeve the Prophets For how soon had they forgotten the miracles which Moses did before them when being told more then once that God had promised to bring them into the land of Canaan to give it them for a possession after that he had performed his promise in bringing them out of the land of Egypt had led them by a pillar of fire and a cloud yet being pursued by the Egyptians they murmured against the Lord beleeved not his servant Moses concluding they should be then slain by the Egyptians Exo. 14. 12. Isaiah who was so far acquainted with the Lords mind that he expresly told King Hezekiah as a signe which was required by the king by the going back of the shade of the Sun on the Diall of Ahaz ten degrees the recovery of the king and the lengthening of his life fifteen years 2 King 20. yet complaineth the Prophet that what he prophesied was neither understood nor beleeved Isa 53. 1. Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed Likewise when Jeremiah prophesied to the Jews and what he foretold of their captivity came fully to pass then false Prophets which prophesied of their sudden return were more credited by the People For that remnant of the People which was left behind by Nebuchadnezzar in Jerusalem after thrise carrying them away into Chaldea the first in the third year of Jehojakim Dan. 1. 2. the next in Jehojakims the third in Jehojachins reign and with him plainly did not beleeve Jeremiah nor Ezekiel prophesying unto them the destruction and burning of their City and Temple boasting notwithstanding that they should not be nor the City any more taken calling Jerusalem the Caldron and themselves the flesh Ezek. 11. 3. concluding thereby that the City was made for them and they for the City so as that they should not be parted So for the Necessity of the work that the children of God might have a firm foundation on which their faith should be built the Holy Pen-men of Scripture were fully inspired by God so as no word in Holy Scripture written by the Prophets and Apostles is there found which God did not miraculously inspire into the mindes of those Holy men Concerning his Apostles and Evangelists Christ promised that they should be guided into all truth Joh. 16. 13. and Peter saith 2 Pet. 1. 20. That no Prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation whose meaning is not as the Papists pretend That no private or single person may expound the Scripture nor as it is by us commonly expounded That every Pen-man of the Books of God was inspired by Gods Spirit and wrote not his own private conceits but this No Prophecy of the Scripture so called because it contains the Almighty's counsel is of any private interpretation not only as it is free from the mixture of humane inventions which are contrary to the mind of God but there is not one word therein nor syllable which was not dictated unto them by the holy Ghost And this is fully to my purpose For we know that the Scripture is the Word of God and he that expoundeth and applieth it as he ought preacheth nothing but the Word of God but the first is of no private but the other is of private interpretation But for the times which followed the Lord promised they should be such as that in them old men should dream dreams and young men should see Visions and that their Sons and their Daughters should prophesie Act. 21. 17. and that their servants and handmaids should have Gods Spirit poured upon them Joel 12. 29. signifying that in those times which began sooner after our Lords Ascension and now are very ordinary and mean persons should have such an extraordinary measure of Divine knowledge exceeding the foregoing ages as that they may be accounted all Prophets and Prophetesses But Daniel declareth in what manner and by what means this great knowledge shall be attained thereby expounding what the Prophet Joel and out of him S. Luke speaketh Dan. 12. 4. Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be encreased Where by running to and fro is to be understood Labour and Search that is Study So for that these times are within the ages of great light which as it was promised so we have by experience found it fullfilled that common people which are bred up under able Teachers and Prophets and which give themselves to search into the written Mysteries of Salvation are not so fat-hearted and stupid as not to understand and not to beleeve the Word of God preached unto them but are able by Gods Spirit to search the Scriptures and to discern whether those things which are delivered unto them from their Prophets be true or not And therefore for this cause there is no need of a fully illuminated Prophet to be among us either lest we should want sure guides or be deluded with errors having both the Old and New Testament for our direction which sure word of Prophecy the ancients were partly or wholly without As for the foreknowledge of things which are to come there is neverthelesse still and will be a profitable use and necessity thereof and a part thereof contained in the Visions which are written in Holy Scripture and the searching of them commended unto us by the Spirit of God saying Whatsoever was written in former time was written for our learning another part in those Signes which God hath sent and will send into the world as miracles to be considered by us For the words of our Saviour fully declare that there should be Signes of things which were to follow in the heavens on the earth and in the waters Luk. 21. 25. And there shall be Signes saith he in the Sun and in the Moon and in the Stars and upon the earth distress of Nations with perplexity the Sea and waters roaring v. 26. Mens hearts failing them for fear and looking after those things which are coming on the earth But to what purpose had the Prophecies and Visions of Daniel and Ezekiel and the most mystical Vision of the Canticles and those of the Revelation of S. John with others been as they are left unto us unexpounded if God had denied wholly unto us a Prophetical Spirit to presage what was to be afterward and what was contained in the Holy Visions For there is little difference whether the Lord sends the Vision to us at first or by them unto us what he intends to do Therefore it is to be gathered from the fore-named Scriptures by diligently weighing and comparing them one with another that the distinction of the Old Prophets which lived and prophesied before our Saviours Incarnation I understand Prophets or Seers most properly so called for the other were their ordinary Preachers as may be collected from sundry Scriptures especially from Neh. 6. 7. from those which have since and now live under the Gospel doth