Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	add_v	life_n	word_n	2,724	5	4.5602	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34182	The bishop of London's charge to the clergy of his diocese at his visitation begun Ann. 1693 and concluded Ann. 1694.	Compton, Henry, 1632-1713.	1696 (1696)	Wing C5663; ESTC R32775	23,015	41

alone that preserves the mutual Confidence between Churches far and wide For the Pursuit of which we have Two infallible Directions 1. Hold fast the form of sound words 2. Rightly dividing the word of truth I. From the first I suppose we are directed to keep to the Common Style of the Church without First Addition Secondly Subtraction or Thirdly Variation First The Papists are most notoriously Guilty of the first notwithstanding that they generally hold all the Fundamentals by superinducing so many false Articles of Faith Idolatrous Worship grievously Superstitious Practices and setting up their own Laws under greater Penalties if not above the very Law of God thus shamefully Defiling his Worship and with the Rubbish of their own Inventions and the Doctrines of Men Perverting and Smothering the Truth of the Gospel Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar Secondly They are likewise Guilty of a Sacrilegious Subtraction by withdrawing the Cup of Blessing entirely from the Laity and holding back the Word of Life the Holy Scripture from the People and deceitfully amusing them with Legends in its stead But they whose great Business it has been to Narrow the Word of God to Enervate the Power of Godliness and to Destroy the Efficacy of Saving Faith are the Pelagians the Socinians and their Harbingers These do it with a witness whilst they attack the Essential Foundations of our Hope by denying the Meritorious Purchase of Christs Death in our Redemption the Imputation of his Righteousness Seal'd to us by his Blood and Confirm'd to us by his Resurrection for our Justification shutting the Gates against the King of Glory and his Divine Majesty disowning the inward Assistance and Comfort of the Holy Ghost and the Blessed Effects of the Gospel Sacraments To such as these had the Author to the Hebrews an eye when he says He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who has trodden under foot the son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the spirit of grace Now both to the Superstitious and Prophane to him that would add and to him that would take away hath God given this Charge What thing soever I command you observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it And this is St. Iohn's Witness in God's Name I testifie unto every man that heareth the prophesie of this book if any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this bock And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the book of life c. Thirdly The Variation though in it self not so Malicious is yet of dangerous Consequence It may I confess proceed from a Luxuriant Fancy and a Heedless Affectation But there is a Fault even in this For it is an unmannerly Trespass upon our Governours and Superiours to pretend to correct their Style and in a Private Capacity to be wiser than the multitude of Counsellours Besides the Confusion and Uncertainty it creates in the Apprehension of the Sense of Doctrines thus delivered For every Art and Science has its peculiar Terms and Expressions confin'd to one peculiar Sense and Meaning so fixed by long Use and Experience and if that be once passed by and a Liberty taken by the several Professours to use the Various Words and Loose Expressions of Common Conversation and Entertainment or which may otherwise be the Original Propriety of the Language all Points and Cases will become Unintelligible through Ambiguities and Difference of Acceptation Should we put Coetus for Ecclesia in the different Senses apply'd in our Ecclesiastical Style what a Confusion would it make the former being never otherwise understood than for a Company of Men met together whereas the latter is extended to the utmost Meaning it can bear For sometimes it is taken for the Material Church sometimes for a Congregation and that either of one Parish or Collectively of many as the Church of England or farther for the whole Body of Christians throughout the World or yet more extensively for the Church Triumphant as well as Militant Should we Change the English Word Church into any other Expression what Work would it make For though it properly signifie the Material Edifice or Building as being Deriv'd from the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet by a most extended Metonymie is it used in as large a Sense as Ecclesia in the Latin Were Comitia apply'd instead of Concilium how uncoothly and strangely would it for want of Use suit with the Epithets of Provincial National Patriarchal Ecumenical and the like Castalio has Translated the Bible into a Ciceronian Style but he is blamed for it by all who have weighed the Inconvenience of such a Novelty And yet there would not be so much Hurt in this if the Mischief reached no farther than an Affected Singularity But they who stop here serve only for Blinds to give a more easie Introduction to Heresie For under New and Unusual Terms the Hereticks Equivocate their Meaning and are contented to Manage the Simple-hearted in the best Manner they can till they find a proper Season to speak out Thus did the Hereticks of old couch their Errors under Dubious Expressions and Colourable Words So did the Arians Pelagius Nestorius and Eutyches as may be seen in the Records of the Church II. I come now to the other Direction Rightly dividing the word of truth And I take this Translation of ours to come the fullest up to the Sense of the Original of any in what Language soever The Import of which Words I take to be 1. An Advice of Discretion to Administer the Word according to the Capacity and Strength of the Hearer 2. An Advice of Justice to make known the whole Mind of God concealing no Part but giving to every Portion its due Weight I. In the first Sense the Expression seems to have relation to the Distribution of a Sacrifice cut of divided into due Proportions For we know the Body of the Church is likened to the Body Natural which consists of several Members under different Dispositions according to their respective Uses Therefore as in the Natural so in the Politick Body there must be regard had to the different Office and Constitution of each Member Some are more of less Honouraable some more or less Necessary some more or less Powerful each is to be Treated in that way which is most suitable to its Disposition and if any Member be Sick or Weak proper Remedies must be apply'd And I am sure however it be Practised it is one of the most necessary Duties incumbent upon our Calling The Truth of it is where there is a