Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	call_v	church_n	holy_a	2,804	5	4.7314	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60805	Some modest reflections upon Mr. Stephens's late book, entituled, A plain relation of the late action at sea, between the English, Dutch, and French fleets, from June 22 to July 5 last with reflections thereupon, and upon the present state of the nation, &c. : with a vindication of the Church of England from what he has therein advanc'd against her / by a hearty lover of King William and Queen Mary.	Hearty lover of King William and Queen Mary.	1691 (1691)	Wing S4523; ESTC R17992	20,922	32

a word said on 't Where they are us'd every day Morning and Evening as well as Sundays Wednesdays and Fridays at such hours as are thought most convenient for an Auditory tho' what is so to one person is often the contrary to another when I say more can hardly be said by Man nor with more constancy and earnestness to press the people to this most solemn part of Christian Worship yet where there is seldom a Congregation large enough to make the Responses nor in such cases as these is it said to excuse their own neglect by falsly accusing their People and laying it upon them And the truth is tho' many more than do frequent such Prayers might be there if they pleas'd yet for the much larger part of the common people this is so far from being their Duty that they might perhaps rather sin in doing it God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice and they ought not to neglect their Families or providing for their own House tho' for the highest Acts of Devotion And after all there are very many places in the City and Suburbs where God's Service is decently and constantly perform'd every day and Morning and Evening-Sacrifice presented to Heaven a custom never practis'd by those better Men whom he so much admires He persists to charge us with as he calls it before greater abominations than these A Pharisaical Exaction Pharisaical Persecution and at the same time permitting notorious contempt of the Laws of God in our own members without check or controul or scarce serious Resentment He drives on yet more zealously calls us Fanaticks and Mad-men and so much worse Fanaticks than those we call so that he says 't is a truth too notorious to be deny'd that we have few Christian Assemblies besides those of the Dissenters which can properly be call'd Holy I wonder indeed and so wou'd any one who reads his Book that he do's not forsake such a Pharisaical nay Diabolical Communion and joyn himself to the Holy Ones he so much admires and were the Church of England such as he represents it I think it shou'd be one of the last I wou'd communicate with We have had all 't is too true our Sins and Follies and I hope are by this time of both sides pretty well convinc'd and asham'd of ' em There is not indeed that desire of Unity which wou'd be wish'd among Christians of either side but the Inclination to mischief one another which has stood still no-where nor ought to be fix'd on one Party since it has gone all round is sure pretty well work't off and only such things as these which have a direct tendency to revive the former Enmity and keen Animosities which every good Man wishes Eternally buried But the Nobility and Gentry meet with no kinder entertainment from his warm Zeal than the Church and Clergy Since even the Mob he assures us have more steadiness constancy and virtue than a great part of them can pretend to Contrary to which one may safely aver that take a proportion of both tho' I don't pretend to be so intimate with either of 'em as I find he is and I am pretty confident 't will be much harder to find a Man tollerable virtuous among the scum of the People whom he magnifies and admires than among those he vilifies and abuses And if he were no more fam'd for steadiness and constancy than that Mob he commends he wou'd not have the Reputation the World now gives him Which is so great that I can hardly think he really intends some things which he speaks a little too warmly without being examin'd by his calmer Judgment What account else shall we give of that passage Page 42. where he not only prefers the Mob before a great part of the Nobility and Gentry but one wou'd think intended to set 'em upon them as his Brother the Modest Inquirer do's upon the Clergy by telling 'em That wicked Men be they Gentlemen or Noblemen or what they will are ten thousand times worse than the dirt of the Streets and ought to be trod upon by the meanest of Humane race I thought there had been respect due to the publick Character of a person be his inward Qualifications what they wou'd however the Mob is but an ill Judge and if it once calls a Man wicked as they oft do when a person don't please 'em there are but a few steps more to their treading 'em under their feet For the King's Duty which he as freely lays down as if he were another Moses sent from Heaven for that very purpose did not his own Inclinations and Virtue sufficiently prompt him to the performance thereof he has I doubt not notwithstanding the squinting Censures scatter'd through the Book on their Policy and Divinity those about him who can represent all those things to his Majesty as faithfully and a little more mannerly than he do's and who wou'd both in publick and private occasions humbly recommend to his practice those Virtues for which he is already so eminent Fidelity to God Courage Vigor Faith Resignation and Righteousness Nor can I see any reason why they shou'd not Preach on all these Subjects at least as well as my Author Omitting all the Over-worn De Jure and De Facto business it ought to be remarkt to the Author's honour that he certainly has no respect of persons for after he has done with the King the Parliament next are to be taken to task but they are e'en so bad 't is in vain to preach to 'em there being no hopes of their Amendment and therefore he thinks it a good expedient to send 'em about their business or as he expresses to dissolve 'em and call another speedily unless they 'll mend their manners T is enough to say on this Head that we have had few Houses of Commons who have made more good Laws or more heartily espous'd the Interest of the Nation than this at present sitting which deserves sure a more gratefull treatment than some Mens Civility thinks fit to give ' em He 's got to Sea again Pag. 53. and tells us very ill news That our Men of War are generally fill'd with such Captains and Officers as few Merchants wou'd intrust with a Ship of 200 Tun and 't is the common opinion of most Seamen and Merchants that there are but few amongst 'em that are any way qualified for that service Yet the Blew Squadron by their own Relation or that part of it which cou'd get up fought as bravely as cou'd be expected from Men and made the French Fleet bend before ' em The Author as hot Men often do usually over-shoots the mark had he only complain'd that some nay that too many of of the Officers might not be so fit for their Places this had lookt with a face of probability but when he adds that they are generally such one may I hope take the Liberty to believe that either his Informations are faulty