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	write_v	3,024	5	5.2192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49520	Some dialogues between Mr. G. and others with reflections upon a book called Pax vobis.	Lynford, Thomas, 1650-1724.; Griffith, Evan, A.M., Minister of Alderly. Pax vobis.	1687 (1687)	Wing L3570; ESTC R218147	15,451	61

different Persons do put different Interpretations upon the Scripture nay since the same Persons do interpret it at one time one way and at another time another it must necessarily follow that the Principle upon which the Reformation is built is very uncertain For one Man may be of one Perswasion another of another a third of one different from both Nay the same Person may change his Perswasion twice or thrice in a day and yet continue still a true Son of the Reformation Esq F. I do now guess what you would be at and perceive that you are well acquainted with a Book called Pax Vobis Mr. G. That is a notable Book Esq F. I allow it to have a great deal of Wit more of Malice but nothing of Argument Mr. G. The Book has sold wonderfully which is a sign that it has Argument in it Esq F. It is no sign amongst us of the Reformation for we read Books of all sorts and are pleased with every thing that is well done in its kind whether with Argument or without it whether written by an Enemy or a Friend And this is such a freedom that I would not part with it for all the World. So that if I had no other Argument against your Religion this to me would seem sufficient that if I had once embraced it and such a sort of Book as Pax Vobis should come out against it I should not dare without a License to peep into it but should think it a Book as much to be avoided as Chillingworth Dr. Stillingfleet's Rational Grounds of the Protestant Religion or the Bible it self Mr. G. Nay the Reformation gives you freedom enough for it allows you not only to read any Books but to be of any Perswasion if you judg it to be agreeable to Scripture Esq F. You have expressed in short the whole design of that Book in which altho there are seven Dialogues yet is there no more said in all of them to prove his Conclusion than in any one of them Mr. G. May not a Man use different Arguments to prove the same thing Esq F. Yes he may But this Author has not done it for to prove his Conclusion he makes use of the same Argument in every Dialogue with variety of Reflections upon several Persons and Things Mr. G. Is he not to be commended for it Esq F. He is to be commended for his variety of Reflections for this makes his Book pleasant But when he would pretend to make out so material an Objection against the Reformation it cannot sure be so very commendable to make use of the same Argument over and over again But this seems to be an allowed Practice amongst you for altho all your most considerable Objections have been answer'd an hundred times yet are we daily troubled with them as if they had never been heard of before and almost every Fortnight out comes that astonishing Question Where was your Church before Luther Mr. G. If he makes use but of one Argument it is however such an Argument as ought to perswade every honest Man to forsake the Reformation which is founded upon a Principle that gives a Man leave to be in England a Protestant in Germany a Lutheran in Hungary a Socinian and to change his Religion as often as he pleases Esq F. This is all out of Pax Vobis But how does it appear that a Man may thus change his Religion from that Principle That the Scriptures as any Man of sound Judgment interprets them are the Rule of Faith Mr. G. Because a Man may alter his Judgment and interpret Scripture otherwise than he did and since he may lawfully stick to that Interpretation which he himself puts upon it he may change his Religion as often as he thinks fit to alter his Judgment Esq F. That does not always follow for a Man may perhaps think fit to profess an alteration of his Judgment without any just Reason or without having made any inquiry whether he may safely do it or no and if he does so the alteration of his Judgment is so far from being a Reason why he should change his Religion that it is in it self a great fault Mr. G. But suppose he does find Reason to alter his Judgment may he not then change his Religion Esq F. Yes he is bound to do it altho he should change Truth for Error Mr. G. And so he may turn from one thing unto another until he has turn'd as often as there are Points in the Compass and be a true Child of the Reformation all the while Esq F. He is bound to alter his Perswasion as oft as he meets with sufficien● Arguments to convince him that he ought to do so But there is a great deal of difference between what is Truth and what a Man believes to be so A Man is bound to act according to an erroneous Conscience until he is better informed but it does not therefore follow that his Conscience is not erroneous or that if he has had opportunities of undeceiving himself he is not in a very dangerours Condition Now the Author of Pax Vobis would insinuate that those of the Reformation do believe that to be true which any Church or particular Persons judg to be so and that there is a Liberty allowed amongst them to profess or deny any Tenets whatsoever Mr. G. How can it be otherwise since there are such different Opinions amongst them 〈◊〉 some of them have so often changed their minds and yet have still continued true Members of the Reformation Esq F. The Reformation is a word which denotes all those whether Churches or Persons which have left the Communion of the Church of Rome Now it may happen that some of those which have left that Communion may separate from it by degrees others all at once that some of them may maintain some of that Church's Errors and others may maintain Errors as bad as any which she holds But does it therefore follow because all these are stiled Members of the Reformation upon the account of their not living in Communion with the Church of Rome that they are all in the right and that a man may lawfully hold whatever is maintained by any of them Mr. G. They all pretend to soundness of judgment and their common Rule of Faith is Scripture as interpreted by men of sound judgment Esq F. The Rule is good but their pretences are not For a man may think his judgment to be sound when it really is not and although he is bound to adhere to that interpretation which for want of soundness of judgment he puts upon Scripture yet the interpretation is not therefore at all the truer nor can it be an indifferent thing for me or any one else to approve or not to approve of it Mr. G. One would think that it were an indifferent thing when there are and have been so many great men amongst you who maintain Opinions contrary the one