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	read_v	see_v	2,105	5	3.0627	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11882	A sermon against halting betweene two opinions preached at S. Martins in the fields, By Iohn Seller, Bacheler in Diuinitie	Seller, John, 1592 or 3-1648.	1611 (1611)	STC 22182; ESTC S113727	40,787	61

grounds of religion wherein both sides doe agree that the papist himselfe might resort vnto it without any scruple or scandall if faction more then reason did not preuaile A third difference betweene our forefathers and our Romish recusants is this our forefathers neuer for their part euer vnderstood the mysterie of popish iniquitie but in singlenesse of their hearts embraced the generall doctrine of the Gospel concerning saluation by faith in Christ those damnable and treasonable positions which the Church of Rome proposeth to be holden as verities of the Catholike faith were neuer knowne in the daies of our forefathers that is these fundamentall points of popish religion viz that the Pope is gods vicegerent here on earth and therefore superiour to the King of England That it is the Popes power to depose the King of England and depriue him of his crowne That the Pope may absolue his subiects from their oath of allegiance to him That at the Popes commandement the people are to take armes against him That it is both lawfull and meritorious before God to kill and to murther any Christian Prince if he fall into tyrannie or misbeliefe The secrets of this occupation were neuer so much as heard of in those daies I meane this king-killing and Queene-killing Doctrine of the papists for proofe wherof I will alleadge vnto you one famous and memorable example as I find it recorded In the wofull warres with the Barons when King Iohn was viewing of the Castell of Rochest held against him by the Earle of Arundel he was espied by a very good Arcubalaster who told the Earle thereof and said that he would soone dispatch that cruell tyrant if he would but say the word God forbid vile varlet quoth the Earle That we should proue the death of the holy one of God What said the Souldiour swearing a monstrous oath he would not spare you my Lord if he had you at the like aduantage No matter for that quoth the Earle Gods good will be done and he will dispose thereof and not the king an answere fitting and beseeming that most noble Earle far contrarie to the practise of our powder-Traitors and likewise contrarie to the practise of the late popes of Rome who haue beene so farre off from sauing and sparing the life of Christian Kings and Princes that as Pope Hildebrand gaue the first president they haue hired Assacinours to murther them to lay violent hands vpon them as it is plainely to be proued by the practise of Pius quintus Gregory the thirteēth Sixtus quintus who not onely resolued that parricide of Princes was lawfull but promised both earthly and heauenly recompence to such as would offer their seruice to kill and murther them The truth whereof is clearely to be iustified by the letters of Cardinal Como written to William Parrie wherein contrarie to the manifest voice of God himselfe Thou shalt not kill he encourageth him to the slaughter of his liege Ladie and Mistrisse as to an honourable and holy exploite The last difference and oddes which I obserue betweene our forefathers our Romish recusants is this that they as they were generally forward and very zealous in that religion which they professed so were they as carefull to seeke all the good meanes they could to come to the knowledge of the truth they fasted often they praied much they were most diligent resorters to the house of prayer knowing that it was the place that God himselfe had made choise of to haue his name called on they would reade all such good bookes as possible they could come by for their better instruction in the knowledge of God and as it is recorded and storied of many of them they would sit vp all night in reading and hearing not caring for any expenses or charges so they might attaine to come by such bookes in english as they descried they would not sticke some of them to giue fiue markes for a Bible to reade in and many of them most willingly would giue a loade of haie for some few Chapters of Saint Iames or Saint Paul in English And therefore wee conceiue this good hope of them euen of all such who sought so carefully to vse al the good meanes whereby they might attaine to the sauing knowledge of truth although deceiued in some points yet that they had mercy shewed vnto them and doe rest in peace with God and that the same God who gaue them some measure of knowledge and would require of them according to that which they had and not according to that which they had not did receiue them into the number of his blessed and elect But the case of our recusants is a cleane other case They refuse almost al manner of conference with learned men they will not nor in deed dare onely for the feare of displeasing the Popes holinesse resort to our Churches as for 11. yeares together in the raigne of the late Queene of most precious and worthie memorie all the papists of this kingdome did and that without any scruple of conscience vntill they had receiued a countermand from the Bishop of Rome commanding them vpon paine of the blacke curse to come no more to the Church they are forbidden to reade the Scriptures the Bishops in Queene Maries daies caused it not onely to be accounted heresie but to be proclaimed fellonie for any lay man to haue an English Bible in his house for his priuate solace and comfort the learned treatises written by our men they permit not their Disciples once to reade but interdict them euen to many of their Seminarie Priests no maruaile then if taking this course the Iesuites and Priests keepe their lay followers in a perpetuall ignorance of true religion hauing once framed them to this principle that it is a deadly sinne either to reade the bookes of the Protestants or to heare their sermons or to be present at their seruice or to communicate with them in any religious dutie whatsoeuer And let thus much be spoken touching the Prophets reprouing of the Israelites for wauering and halting betweene two opinions It followeth in the next part to make proofe vnto you that God and Baal cannot both be ioyned together in one seruice There is a speech of Socrates greatly commended by S. Augustine De consen Euang. Li. 1. cap. 18. vnumquemque deum sic coli oportere quomodo seipsum colend m praeceperat That is euery God was to be honoured as u he himselfe had giuen in commandement Vpon which principle the ancient Romanes in the time of Tiberius the Emperour grounding themselues albeit they did admit the religion of all other gods yet by no meanes they could be induced to receiue the religion of the God of the Hebrewse The reason was this they saw it necessarie that either all their idolls must be excluded and onely the true worship of God entertained or hee onely not admitted the rest to be honored For by the word of God they found

common people to imitate such vices as they see in their Princes vnder whom they liue And let this suffice to haue obserued in the person of Ahab Touching the people whom the Prophet reproueth in this for their halting consciences and doubling in matter of religion we may see the pronenesse and inclination of mans corrupt kind and nature to the most abominable vice of idolatrie True it is that mans nature at the first had vnderstanding graunted to the end that the truth might be learned by them and the true worship of the one God the onely Lord and maker of all But the diuels malice craftily came in place and caused men to forget their owne estate and the maiestie of God for their owne imaginations So that flesh delighting in her owne deuises hath made vs prone aboue all other faultes to superstition and wicked worshippings Sundrie lawes and ordinances almightie God deliuered to his people to be kept yet concerning none other matter did he giue either mo or more earnest and expresse lawes than those that concerned the true worshipping of him and flying of idolles and images and idolatrie and yet it is strange to consider how the Iewes the onely chosen people of God notwithstanding they were so often and earnestly warned so dreadfully threatned concerning images so many times and so extreamely punished therefore should yet for all this like blinde men without all knowledge and vnderstanding dishonour and diminish the high maiestie of the liuing God by the basenesse and vilenesse of sundrie and diuerse images of dead stones and stockes and mettalles to whom they bowed and gaue worship The meanes how the people of the Iewes fell to such grosse idolatrie was partly by the inclination of their owne corrupt nature and partly occasioned by the gentiles and heathen people dwelling round about them which were idolaters for thus the Prophet Ezechiel testifieth of them that they were wont to say Eze. 20.32 we will be as the heathen and as the families of the countries and we will serue wood and stone We see how the Iewes forced Aaaron afore his brother Moses could descend from the mount to make them a golden calfe Vp say they to Moses Exod. 32.1 and Aaron make vs goddes that may goe before vs. Ezechiel affirmeth that when the Israelites were yet in Egypt they had rebelled against the Lord and had not cast away the abominations of their eyes nor yet forsaken the idolles of the countrie Yea when they were in the land of Canaan they had no sooner tasted of the sweetnesse thereof but when they saw euery hie hill and all the thicke trees they offered there their sacrifices Eze. 20 28. and there they presented their offerings of prouocation there also they made their sweete sauour and powred out there their drinke offerings We may reade and see in the booke of Iudges that notwithstanding God sundrie times most grieuously plagued them for their idolatrie yet still they went a madding after their idolles We see that after the zealous kings Ezechias and Iosias had reformed religion and reduced it to his ancient puritie the people were so prone to the contrarie that immediately the people after their decease returned to their vomite againe Yea when the ten tribes were brought to Captiuitie for seruing God otherwise then he would the tribe of Iuda was not by this their brethrens plague amended nor when they were brought vnder yoke themselues they considered any whit the cause of their distresse which was the forsaking of the Lord their God When they were in Babylon they went as neere as they could to the rites of gentilitie and returning againe into the land of promise vnder Antiochus they fell againe Such is and such hath alwaies been the violent perswasion of errour and such is the force of superstition that assoone as euer occasion is ministred our corrupt nature inclineth to it desiring alwaies of our selues to attemper goddes seruice to our outward senses That blessed impe our late Iosias K. Edward the 6. was no sooner departed this life but the common people of the land as though they had neuer heard of God neuer heard any Preacher that shewed them the good and right way were mad after pilgrimages pardons c with other such idle toyes No maruaile then if al men generally being as wel inclined of their owne corrupt nature to spirituall fornication as to carnall and that the nature of man is no otherwise bent to worshipping of images if he may haue them and see them then to whoredome and fornication in the company of harlots no meruaile I say if so many occasions being ministred partly by the Priests and Iesuites remaining in prisons and lurking in diuerse parts of this kingdome and partly by the comming in of forraine Embassadours into this land which are in right permitted to haue the free vse and exercise of the present Romane Religion there are so many of our people specially of women a sex euer too credulous and apt to beleeue which are like the idolatrous Iewes euen mad in running to heare and see a Priest say Masse which Masse they are strongly borne in hand that it is the most precious treasure and inualuable iewell that euer Christ left to his Church that the want thereof is to be redeemed not onely with the losse of an 100 markes but with the losse of an 100. thousand liues But to speake of the Masse as the truth of the thing requireth and as hereafter I will more largely proue this I say that the popish Masse as now it is vsed in the Church of Rome is a very sea of abominations a gulfe a hel of iniquitie the vilest villaine that euer crept into the Church of God being so many waies derogatorie to the death and bloodshedding of Iesus Christ wherein poore simple soules are forced to attribute diuine honour to a peece of breade which the Papists teach them to call their Lord and their God and also made beleeue that the very hearing of a Masse is auailable vnto them ex opere operato that is onely because it is said and done and lastly that the Masse in all respects of power and vertue is as auailable and effectuall for the remission of sinnes as was the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse the absurditie of which positions shall receiue a iust confutation when I come to lay downe such arguments and proofes as may be produced out of the word of God for the disprouing of their daily Sacrifice of their Masse Hauing thus farre spoken of the person of Elias and of the person of Ahab and of the people whom the prophet Elias thus reproueth The thing hee reproueth it remaineth now that I speake of the speciall thing which hee reproueth in them that is their halting betweene two opinions not being resolued whether God were the Lord or Baal Which may seeme the more strange that this people which were the seede of Abraham the Lords owne