Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	see_v	word_n	3,163	5	3.9207	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58090	Religio laici, or, A lay-mans faith touching the supream head and infallible guide of the church : in two letters to a friend in the country / by J. R. a convert of Mr. Bays's.	J. R., Convert of Mr. Bays's.	1688 (1688)	Wing R30; ESTC R16164	20,013	32

Christian that believes in gross Plods on to Heaven and nere is at a loss For the strait Gate wou'd be made straiter yet Were none admitted there but Men of Wit. And Page the 22 23 and 24. The partial Papist wou'd infer from hence Their Church in last resort should judge the Sence But first they wou'd assume with wondrous Art Themselves to be the whole who are but part Of that vast Frame the Church but grant they were The Handers down wou'd they from thence infer A right to Interpret or wou'd they alone Who brought the Present claim it for their own The Book 's a common Largis to Mankind Not more for them than every Man design'd The welcome news is in the Letter found The Carrier's not Commission'd to expound It speaks it self and what it does contain In all things needful to be known is plain In times o're grown with Rust and Ignorance A gainful Trade their Clergy did advance When want of Learning made the Lay-man low And none but Priest was Authoriz'd to know When what small knowledge was in them did dwell And he a God that could but read or spell Then Mother Church did mightily prevail She parcell'd out the Bible by Retail But still Expounded what she sold or gave To keep it in her power to damn or save Scripture was scarce and as the Market went Poor Lay-men took Salvation on content As needy Men takes Money good or bad Gods word they had not but the Priests they had Yet what ere false Conveyances they made The Lawyer still was certain to be paid In those dark Times they learn'd their knack so well That by long use they grew Infallible A very short but fair and full account how and by what Methods if they will believe their Champion Bays they arriv'd to be the Infallible Church but he goes on At last a knowing age began to ' nquire Whether they the Book or that did them Inspire And making narrower search they found tho late That what they thought the Priect's was their Estate Taught by the will produc'd the written Word How long they had been Cheated on Record Then every Man who saw the Title fair Claims a Childs Part and puts in for a share Consulting soberly their private good So sav'd themselves as cheap as e're they cou'd That is to say Good buy Mr. Infallible Indulgences they did not care to be cheated any longer with such a chargable sort of Doctrine And now I 'll appeal to all unprejudic'd Persons whether Mr. Bays has prov'd the Infallibility of the Church of Rome in his Fable of the Hind and Panther better than he has the contrary in his much better Poem Religio Laici but it may be objected he was of another Judgment then which is easily granted and that possible the same Reasons that prevail'd with him to alter it now might oblige him not to part with it before for indeed Solomon which I presume was as Wise a Man as Mr. Bays says There is a time for all things and though Mr. Bays has for some Reasons best known to himself chang'd his Opinion in grace of God his Religion may be still the same it was when he writ his Religio Laici in the late Kings time nay for ought any body knows it may be still the same it was in his great Patron Cromwel's days for they two did much alike admire Priests for one made them like Jerehoam of the meanest of the People and Mr. Bays made them to be all alike Cheats and Impostors for his only Celebrated Poem of Absolom and Achitophel which chang'd his Principles from Wigism to Toryism he begins with his never failing kindness to the Priests Page 1. line 1. In Pious times e're Priest-Craft did begin c. So by a Penny we know how a Shilling is made for by Priest-Craft he makes no distinction but takes them all in from Dan to Bersheba as if no Religion could be good where a Priest was concern'd and he gives you partly a Reason for it in the same Poem and what it was that put The Priesthood in a flame For Priests of all Religions are the same Which compar'd with his Priest-craft in the first Line of that Poem is as much as to say they are all a company of Crafty K s which is a Note beyond Ela and possible Mr. Bays might hug himself in that copious Thought for by Priests of all Religions Infallibility it self is included which is very bold indeed but possible he may think 't is not so bold as brave because it shews a generous Temper and that he was not partial in his Estimation of the Priests c. And to let us see he was not in jeast he has to his Eternal Praise drawn the Picture of them all in one Piece that I question whether the fam'd Apelle's Picture of Venus which 't is said was Seven years a doing was more nice and lively Painted than Bays's Plump Spanish and most Catholick Fryer for any body that vews that Piece may very easily guess at his design of halling in by Head and Shoulders that unnecessary Character to compleat his double discovery c. Well Mr. Bays though you say in the Preface to your Medall Sign-post Painting will serve to remember a Friend by yet I must tell you you have neither spar'd cost nor pains but have been extravagantly lavish in Painting your beloved Priests but I presume the Reason was your Charity to your poor Brethren the Laity that they might beware of having any thing to do with them and that possible might induce you to publish your own Creed in 82 giving it the Title of the Lay-mans Faith in which you insinuate the unreasonableness of pinning our Faith upon the Priests Sleeves and truly as to that you have made an absolute Convert of me for I am much of your mind for these Priests have and still do make Bloody work amongst us by endeavouring to impose upon our Understandings yet I must needs confess I am not altogether of your Judgment for I am willing to believe there are Priests of some Religions that are very honest and have no ill designs But your Religio Laici has made me almost of your Perswasion and I am very apt to believe that Poem has gain'd you more Proselites than your Hind and Panther for it is not a little diverting to see how you have their maul'd and worried beyond any English Mastiff at the Bear-garden the poor Pope and his Bulls which puts me in mind of what you said in your Medall upon another occasion which with a little variation will serve here The Man who laught but once to see an Ass Mumbling to make the Cross-graind Thistle pass Might laugh again to see the Papist chaw The Prickles of unpallatable Law. And I am apt to believe were that Philosopher alive he wou'd as readily laugh to see Persons swallow so greedily some things now which but a little while ago none