Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	find_v	great_a	read_v	2,892	5	5.5522	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04324	A retrayt sounded to certaine brethren lately seduced by the schismaticall Brownists to forsake the church written by Edward Iames ...	James, Edward.	1607 (1607)	STC 14435.5; ESTC S4715	11,461	18

men As for example One congregation may teach that hell is in the center of the earth another that it is vpon the earth a third that it standeth in the ayre a fourth that it is compassed with fire that highest element and all these congregations may teach these opposit doctrines publikely and yet all of them may be Churches and true parts and parcels of the Catholike and Vniuersall Church The like may be said of the soules of Saints departed One congregation may maintaine that they be already in their full and perfect blisse another may be perswaded that they haue not as yet receiued the fulnesse of their ioy and a third may thinke it a point of rashnesse to define with the one or with the other and yet all three may be Gods assemblies yea in distant Churches there may be diuerse and disagreeing ceremonies in the administration of Baptisme and the Lords Supper yet as long as these are not contentiously maintained or enioyned to be obserued as things necessary vnto saluation God forbid that any Christian should for these seuer himselfe from any of them Seeing then my deare friends these things be thus and that you haue seuered your selues from our assemblies it standeth you vpon to shew in doctrine some grieuous and pernicious errors and in the ministration of the Sacraments some dangerous and damnable abuses which are maintained and publikely defended by vs or at least some small errours or abuses contentiously defended and violently thrust vpon men to be by them firmely beleeued and receiued as things necessary vnto saluation which you cannot doe or else you must acknowledge that your estate is dangerous as indeede it is as must needs be the estate of them that haue wilfully made a separation from that body whereof Christ is head out of the which there is no saluation which if once you could be induced to beleeue I doubt not but you would with as great alacritie ioyne your selues vnto vs as euer you went out from vs for I know full well that zeale hath made this separation but it was not a zeale grounded vpon knowledge and therefore if now you would receiue true instructions and to ioyne knowledge vnto your zeale then that very zeale which vnaduisedly did thrust you out would now being guided with vnderstanding bring you backe againe vnto the bosome of Christ his body mysticall which may be a ioy vnto men and Angels and a comfort vnto your very soules out of the which as long as obstinately you stand pardon me truth is truth and must be plainely told you cannot but vainely hope for the saluation of your soules it doth as much greeue me to vtter it as it greeueth any of you to heare it you may through your conuersions conuert and turne these grieues to ioy If you will stand in your owne defence and tell me that you liue within the bosome of that Catholike and vniuersall Church whereof Christ is head although you will not communicate with the members of the Church of England I must tell you that this defence doth mightily offend the Church of God God himselfe and you very soules for that the coniunction is so neere betweene the Catholike Church and all the parts parcels thereof I meane particular Churches that whosoeuer doth seuer himselfe from any of these branches he is become thereby no branch of Christ his Church If you say that our English Church is no Church at all and so no part of Christ his Church and therefore that you may and must seuer your selfe there-from it is soone said but hardly proued my good brethren neither can you euer proue it vntill you proue that this Church maintaineth some pernicious doctrine which ouerthroweth the foundation of the faith or that it doth so wickedly abuse the Sacraments or either of them that their force and efficacie is altogether weakened and become of no validitie If these things could be proued then might you peraduenture iustifie your doings but if all the world would ioyne in one and bend themselues against vs I know therefore I speake it these things could not be proued no not by all the world Be you not therefore obstinate neither hinder you your own saluation nor yet obiect that which by men of your sect is commonly obiected That the whole face of our Church is so ouerwhelmed with vices that in outward shew it seemeth rather to be the Synagogue of Sathan then the Church of God therefore that it is impietie in any Christian to ioyne himselfe vnto it Surely I must needs confesse vnto you that our liues are not answerable vnto our calling that from the highest to the lowest we haue in many things offended yet I would haue you to confesse (a) 2. Sam. 13. 24. Matt. 16. v 22. 26. ver 70 72 74. that the very worthiest members of Christes Church haue often most grieuously offended and therefore that in our Church there may be many euen great offenders who are true members of Christ his body neither should you doubt but that of those whom the contagion of sinne hath mightily infected there are very many who are grieued with the burthen of their iniquities and being strooke with true remorse of conscience aspire vnto innocencie of life and conuersation I confesse indeed that that generall iniquitie which couereth in a maner the whole earth hath often grieued me and troubled my conscience greatly and had almost thrust me rasbly into those mens company with whose company alone you seeme to be delighted but I thanke my God he opened the eyes of mine vnderstanding and I did in good time perceiue that there is greater efficacie in Gods word truely taught and his Sacramentes rightly administred to beget children vnto God then can be disanulled by the wickednesse of rebellious and disobedient children and therefore farre be it from me from euer seuering of my selfe from that company wherein this word is truely taught and these Sacraments rightly administred as in our assemblies I know they are Our sinnes are great indeede and our iniquities are many in number yet compare our Church with the olde assemblies of the Israelites before Christs birth and you shall finde that we are not gone beyond them nay as whicked as we are if you vouchsafe to read Gods booke with a single eye you shall find assuredly that they had gone beyond vs in iniquities Their Princes are called by the name of the (a) Esay 1 verse 9. Princes of Sodome and the people are called the people of Gomorha How saith he is (b) Ver. 21 23. the faithfull Citie become an harlot it was full of iudgement and iustice lodged therein but now they are murtherers thy siluer is become drosse thy wine is mixed with water thy Princes are rebellious and companions of theeues euery one loueth gifts followeth after rewards they iudge not the fatherlesse neither doth the widdowes cause come before them the Priests and Prophets of