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
A80782	An abstract of some late characters. Or, how the principall means appointed for our reformation is become the maine fuell of our wickednes. Laid downe in sundry characters of L. Bishops. Dumb dogs. Non-residenciaries. Men-pleasers. Unpreaching ministers, that edify to damnation, by their scandalous living. false wresting. mis-applying the Scripture. So turning the truth of God into a lye, that they may discourage the godly; incourage the wicked. In which the blind world may see, to their shame, how Satan guls them with a multitude of misprisions, and false surmises against the godly; that so he may barricado [sic] their hearts against all good. Necessary to be knowne in these times of discovery.	Cranford, James, d. 1657, attributed name.; Craufurd, James, 17th cent, attributed name.	1643 (1643)	Wing C6851B; Thomason E67_35; ESTC R7704	68,958	47

then ever the Author meant it sometimes taking the words against the meaning Often making a meaning against the words Either suppressing some of the words or not expressing the true sense As if they would conveigh away the Gold and throw us the Bagge That to utter their Damned Commodities they deale as some Tradesmen about their badde Wares Put out the True lights and set up False in their stead That they wound the truth in her owne coat And as Jacob put on the garments of Esau his Brother to deceive Isaak his Father So these in the apparell of their Elder Brother CHRIST seek to beguile the Church their Mother That they have not the Scripture so much for a Text as for a Pretext In choosing whereof they e●re also by inverting the order For they first make their Sermons and then look for a Text which they take out too with the left hand Though indeed there is not a Text of Sacred truth which their Glosse corrupts not For as GOD brings Good out of Evill so these bring Evill out of Good Wherein they come so farre short of Paul who comparing himselfe with the false Apostles 2 Cor. 4. 2. saith We walke not in craftinesse neither handle we the word of God deceitfully But in declaration of the truth we approve our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of GOD. That they are worse then Balaam who when Balaak said What hast thou done I tooke thee to Curse mine enemies And behold Thou hast Blessed them altogether answered Though he had as good a minde to Curse the Children of Israel as these the people of GOD and said Must I not take heede to speake that which the LORD hath put in my mouth Numb 23. 11 12. Being such false teachers as Saint Peter foretels of that Bring upon themselves swift destruction 2 Pet. 2. 1 2. And Saint Jude Jud. vers 4. Being ungodly men crept in unawares who turne the Grace of GOD into Lasciviousnesse being before of old ordained to Condemnation It is said Revel 22. which is the Closing up of the Bible If any man shall adde unto these things GOD shall adde unto him the Plagues that are written in this booke And if any man shall take away from the words of this booke GOD shall take away his part out of the booke of life and out of the holy City and from the things that are written in this booke vers 18. 19. I wish these men would minde it and what a faire businesse they make of it so wresting the Book of Grace that they quite wrest themselves out of the Book of Life Yea Destruction is threatned to every Prophet that shall but Conceale the truth or forbeare to Reprove Sinne sharply Ezek. 3. 17. 18 19. 23 8. 1 Cor. 9. 16. and other places How much more in this Case For alleadging Scripture to maintaine thy sinne and to revile holinesse is to presume to wrest GODS weapons out of his hand and as it were to wound him with his owne Sword And I wonder how they dare climbe up into the Pulpit with such a purpose for feare lest Thunder should strike them downe againe But to speake to them who have sworne allegeance to the Prince of darknesse is labour in vaine 2. Another slight of theirs is this Knowing that if the Cup of their poyson were not rubd with Hony it would not downe And that their base Coine would not passe except they mixe it with a considerable quantity of good money They will not vent their devilish Doctrines without a mixture of some wholsome Truths like as Gardeners will sow among the herbs that are wholsome and pleasant others noysome and venomous Or rather Hannibal who to intrap his enemies mixed their Wine with Mandrakes whose operation is betwixt Sleepe and Poyson Or as Avicen was made away by Annoynting the booke with poyson which he was to read Or rather like the Devil who as Lactantius saith many times spake truth in Oracles to the intent he might shadow his falsehoods the more cunningly These men are the Servants of the most-high GOD which shew unto us the way of salvation Acts 16. 17. Who would look for the Devill under the habit of such good counsell But what 's his reason He makes a shew of under-propping the truth but he meant to undermine it This old Fox like the Fox in the Fable never praiseth the Law but when it may make away for his booty Wherefore Paul cast out the soule Spirit that confest him For though he spake true he knew to what hellish purpose he spake it And our Saviour another who worshipped him and confest him to be the Sonne of the most-high GOD. Mark 5. 7. 8. Deceit gets credit in small matters that it may cousen in things of greater weight The Dequoy will suffer the simple man to winne for a while till he hath whetted him on Then he foists in false Dice and after leaves him in the lurch If fraudulent Merchants had not some Good Wares their Base ones would not be saleable But the Good must help away with the Bad. So if these spake nothing but true they could not deceive us if nothing but false we would not beleeve them Therefore they mingle the one with the other as men mingle poyson with good and savory meat when they intend to destroy And this their crafty and deceitfull kind of wresting and mis-applying the Word they have immediately learnt from the Devil him selfe whose Chaplaines they are For he hath used this kind of handling the Scripture ever since Adam was in the state of Innocency as appeares by Gen. 3. 4 5. and many other instances 1 King 22. 21 22. 1 Sam. 28. 19. Psal 91. 11. Matth. 4. 6. Mar. 1. 24. c. Yet to give the Devil his due I doe not finde Satan in all the Scripture to be so injurious against GOD as these men For what is recorded of him worse then this uttering it by the month of that Assyrian Monarch I will Ascend and be like the most-High Isa 14. 13 14. It was great blasphemy for the Devil to say so But it is greater blasphemy to Personate GOD and bring him in saying I will Descend and be like the Prince of Darknesse And what is it better to make the Scripture GODS owne Oracles to Descend to the Disgracing of Verme and true Religion And to the Magnifying of Vice and Impiety The Discouraging of the Good and Incouraging of the Wicked Surely this is to make GOD like the Devill CHRIST like Anti Christ and to bring downe the Holy GHOST in stead of the Likenesse of a Dove in the shape of a Vulture or Raven So that however these Beasts like tha● other Beast Rev. 13. 11. have Hornes like the Lamb would seeme to deliver nothing but Scripture yet they Speake like the Dragon Yea worse then the Dragen And it is hard for ignorant people who are unacquainted with these kind of wiles not to