A09376:996
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon…A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon…
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon the 11 chapter to the Hebrews preached in Cambridge by that godly, and judicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executors, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.
London: printed by Humphrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607London: printed by Humfrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And the like liberty is here taken also in another figure, as many as the sands by the shore of the sea: the word properly signifieth, and soundeth, the lip of the Sea. Now the sea hath no lip, but it is a speech taken or borrowed from man or beast who have lips, and the sea shore resembleth a lip. For, look what a lip is to them, the shores are to the sea: as the two lips do enclose the mouth: so the two shores on both sides do enclose the Sea, which lieth as in a mouth betwixt them. From hence we may learn profitable instructions:
And the like liberty is heere taken also in another figure, as many as the sands by the shore of the sea: the word properly signifieth, and soundeth, the lippe of the Sea. Now the sea hath no lippe, but it is a speech taken or borrowed from man or beast who haue lippes, and the sea shore resembleth a lippe. For, looke what a lippe is to them, the shores are to the sea: as the two lippes doe inclose the mouth: so the two shores on both sides doe inclose the Sea, which lieth as in a mouth betwixt them. From hence we may learne profitable instructions:
First, that therefore Rhetoric is a warrantable, good, and lawful Art; and it ariseth thus: That which the holy Ghost practiceth, must needs be not only not evil, but good and warrantable. But the holy Ghost useth and practiceth Rhetoric, here and in many places else of the Scripture. Therefore it is a good and lawful Art. The proposition is undoubted, the assumption is clear both by these places, and almost the whole body of the Scripture: many of Saint Pauls Epistles, many of Christs own Sermons, Saint Johns Gospel, many of the Prophets, especially Esayah have as much and as elegant Rhetoric in them, as any Writers in the world; and, beside all other virtue and Divine power in them, do even for figures and ornaments of Art, match any Orators, that have written in the Greeks or Latins. Nor would it be any hard task to undertake to prove, and illustrate every ⟨p. 264⟩approved rule of Rhetoric, out of some part of Scripture. Now if it be lawful to practice the rules of Rhetoric, then is it lawful also to collect those rules together, to pen them, and to make an Art of them. They therefore that holding the contrary, do say, or teach, or write, it is unlawful, go against the stream, and common practice of the Scripture, and rules of common reason.