Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	good_a	holy_a	scripture_n	3,042	5	5.5201	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43636	A speech without-doors, or, Some modest inquiries humbly proposed to the right honourable the Convention of Estates, assembled at Westminster, Jan. 22, 1688/9 concerning, I. Bigotism, or religious madness, II. Tests, and the present test in particular, III. Penal laws in matters of religion, IV. The necessity of changing and recanting our opinions in religion, V. Restraint of the press / by Edm. Hickeringill ...	Hickeringill, Edmund, 1631-1708.	1689 (1689)	Wing H1827; ESTC R20396	31,636	44

Company of Stationers no despicable nor mean Company or Hall in this splendid City one Stationer was enough for a City before Printing came up and of Book-sellers there were none but Scriveners But now they are become the Numerous Issue of the Press and enabled to make By-Laws for the Regulating their Trade which is their Lively-hood And the Question is Whether it be reasonable and lawful to hinder them of their Lively-hood of their Trade under pretence of Publique-good by shutting up the Press and stopping their Trade by excluding all that have not a Passe and some say you may with as much reason Exclude all men from the Kings-High-Way the Birth-light of every Englisk-man or stop their Mouths and starve them except they bring a Passe Sign'd by Sir Roger the Bishops Chaplain or the like to permit them to Earn their Livings There 's an Act of Parliament for it you 'll say and for that Trick I say I 'll determine nothing positively against it But Acts of Parliament are not like the Laws of the Medes and Persians which cannot be alter'd The Aegyptian Priests told Herodotus that the Sun had chang'd it's course four times within the last Preceding Eleven thousand and odd years an Aera as long before Adam as since But if the Sun change it's course sometimes and the Moon often times and Parliaments change their Acts sometimes twice in Ten Years as afore-said then surely this Act for Restraint of the Press without the License of the Bishops Chaplain or Sir Roger c. is not immutable The Arguments to keep the Press-doors shut center all in this That a Liberty thereof without the Pass of a License may prove pernicious not only to private men but to the Publique to the Church to the State. Libels will fly about to wound mens Reputations and which is a consideration of greater weight The Church and State may thus be shot at and mounded and yet like shooting with White Powder the Wound is felt but none knows whence the Bullets came This is an Inconvenience but if this be all the Argument is fallacious For as in other Trades things that are rare dear and hard to come by are the readiest Commodity so also in the Book-sellers Trade no Books vend so nimbly as those that are sold by Stealth as it were and want Imprimaturs This Restraint by Licensers will not prevent the flying Pamphlets and Reputation-Wounders we may well say it will not because by Experience 't is found it never did But if the By-Law already made by the Stationers Company were Enacted by Parliament with some additions all the Inconveniencies of Restraining the Press from Printing the best Books because it is perh●ps against the Diana of Mr. Licenser or the Craft by which he gets his Wealth will be prevented and all the Reputation-Wounders will be discovered and without further Proof brought to Cendign Punishment Namely A Law that every Author's and Printer's Name and their several places of Residence and the mans Name for whom they were Printed and who Publishes and Vends them be Printed in the Title-Page of every Book or Pamphlet And that such Printed Names shall be a sufficient Evidence as if under their own Hand-Writting provided it be proved by Witnesses and Writing that the Author gave order for it and that the Printer there named did really Print the same And that it shall be Felony or some Crime or Punishment to Print any Book or Pamphlet in other manner or to Print false Names Or with what other Proviso's the Wisdom of a Parliament shall think meet The Pope indeed has some Reason to Restrain all Printing without his Approbation License or Instruction because it is very meet and right so to do granting his Infallibility An Index Expurgatorius is a necessary and just Consequence thereof But Church of England that disclaims all such Impudent pretence what Reason can she give to be the only Door-keeper to the Press except she could also get an Act of Parliament that it shall not be Lawful hereafter for God Almighty to open any mans Understanding clearer nor to give him better Eyes then the Licenser For How many Excellent Books both in Divinity and Humanity are Suppress'd because they are excellent and too good to get an Imprimatur This made the Great Duke of Buckingham say That the Clergy have but one Vote for the Inseriour Clergy generally think themselves notably sharp-sighted in Affairs if they can but look up to the Top of the Church-Steeple and see how the Cock stands and as the Wind blows many of them sometimes Conform themselves Thus Haggards listen to the Huntsmans Halloo and Horn but seldome put their Noses to the Ground to examine the Scent For which the Huntsman Whips them smartly sometimes yet 't is all one No men are greater Vassals then small Clergy-men or at least more Oppress'd with unreasonable Assents and Consents in spight of Mathematicks and illegal Procurations Synodals c. even when there is no Synod no Visitation c. yet poor Hearts they out with their Purse and pay the Bishops Silver and the Rich Arch-Deacons Silver though some of them Pawa the Pewter-Dish for it and yet for all this V●ssallage some of them does not so much as Whimper Groan nor Complain nor Vote otherwise then as the Word is Ecchoed amongst them though at such a time as this when a Parliament can help us Thus have I seen a Step-Mother Whip the Child till it Roar again and then take it up again and Whip it for Roaring and then make it go down on its Knees ask Forgiveness Kiss the Rod threatning to give it twice as much if it tell it's Father But come on 't what will I will say God help the while Has any man in the World any other or better Commission to Preach then what Christ gave his Disciples Mat. 28.19 namely To go and teach and make all Nations Disciples by Baptizing them and he will be with such to the end of the World not with those Individual Apostles who are dead but their Successours Lawfully ordain'd to ●ue end of the World. Let any man show me a Reason if he can why a Presbyter Lawfully ordain'd and therefore Commissionated by Christ to Teach all Nations c. should need any other License And is not teaching in Print from the Press the same or better and of more general and universal benefit to all-men and all Nations then the narrow Pulpit though it stand aloft And dare any Christian prefer the Worth of an Act of Parliament before the Words of God and our Lord Jesus who has commanded all Men to let their Light so shine before Men that they may see their good Works in Print the most Excellent Universal and Charitable Good Works in the World if they be agreeable to Holy Scripture and right Reason and glorifie their Father which is in Heaven without leave or License Does not our law-Law-Books say That all Statutes