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	read_v	word_n	3,211	5	4.1636	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96693	An humble request, to the ministers of both Universities, and to all lawyers in every Inns-a-Court To consider of the scriptures and points of law herein mentioned, and to give a rational and christian answer, whereby the difference may be composed in peace, between the poor men of England, who have begun to digge, plow, and build upon the common land, claiming it their own, by right of creation. And the lords of mannours that trouble them, who have no other claiming to Commons, then the Kings will, or from the power of the conquest, and if neither minister nor lawyer, will undertake a reconciliation in this case, for the beauty of our Common-Wealth. Then we appeale, to the stones, timber, and dust of the earth you tread upon, to hold forth the light of this business, questioning not, but that power that dwells every where, will cause light to spring out of darkness, and freedom out of bondage. By Gerard Winstanley.	Winstanley, Gerrard, b. 1609.	1650 (1650)	Wing W3044; ESTC R233004	13,389	20

them Jesus Christ was slandred beaten reviled and at last put to death for no cause yet hee reviled not againe but suffered all patiently that he might honour his Father The spirit of Righteousness this shewes the resurrection of the spirit from under darknesse and a growing up of freedome and light This spirit of Love Patience Humility and Righteousnesse is called the light of the world and the salt of the earth which brings mankind into a moderate meeke Loving and seasonable condition It is the restoring spirit teaching all men to doe as they would be done by He that hath this spirit will never strive to be a Lord of Mannor or a divider of Land for he will quietly suffer every one to enjoy the freedome of his creation This spirit destroyes all enmitie This is the Gospel This is Christ appearing to be the joy of all Nations which the Ministers of Christ must preach if they be faithfull to Christ This is the spirit of poverty that hath been a servant in the world a long time but now is appearing and rising up to draw all men after him This poore man is hee that saves Man-kinde from utter ruine and yet he is despised by Ignorance This poore man spread abroad in sonnes and daughters shall inherit the Earth This is he that will give Man-kind a full freedome in the earth and take off all bondages therefore he is called the blessing of the earth But the power of covetousnesse which is the divider of land is called the curse of the Earth and murtherer Jesus Christ bid the young man sell all that hee had and give to the poore This speech extends to all men as well as to that selfe-conceited young man When Christ appeares in glory in the day of his power hee will make crooked wayes streight and ruffe wayes smooth throw downe the Mountaines and fill up the Valleyes This declares the universall restoration of Man-kind to the law of righteousness from whence he fell for when once the Law of Love and truth is written in the heart of Man-kinde they will never quarrell one with another about the earth who shall have it and who not for it is the birth-right and Inheritance of all For saith Christ though the Gentles seeke Dominion and Lordship one over another yet saith Christ it shall not be so among you who are my followers Now these of the Parliament Armie Clergy Lawyers and people of England that professes to follow Christ and yet exercises Lord-ship over their brethren not suffering their brethren quietly to live by them on the Earth they doe deceive themselves and are hypocrites Therefore woe woe woe to you Rich men and Lords of Mannors howle and weepe The oppressor shall fall and he that takes the sword and rules by it over brethren shall perish by it He that hedges himselfe into the earth and hedges out his brother not suffering his brother to enjoy the benefit of his creation That man is a Thiefe and a Murtherer and an Enemie to Christ And here I conclude that these fore-mentioned Scriptures being but a gleaning of the Bible gives a full warrant to all poore men to build them houses and plant corne upon the Commons and unnurtured land for their comfortable livelihood as they are part of Man-kind being the right of their creation And whosoever denies or hinders them of this freedome doth deny God Christ and Scriptures and overthrows true and pure undefiled religion True Religion and undefiled is to let every one quietly have earth to manure that they may live in freedome by their labours for it is earth that every one seekes after that they may liue in peace let them say what they will The practise of the Gentry is to have the Earth to themselves It is that the Armie fights for It is that the Clergy preaches for for if you deny him Tithes or a Maintenance you shall not heare of him Nay is it not the bottome of all National lawes to dispose of the Earth and does not this appear to be true by the practise of Lords of Mannors and the Gentrie that cannot be at rest for vexing and fretting because poore men begins to see their creation-freedome and begins to build upon and plant the Commons And men that in other cases are mild and seemingly loving are like Lions and Devils ready to kill and destroy these poore diggers and not only the Gentry but the Clergy generally are mad against this worke Well the power of darknesse and the fall rules in these men for if the restoring spirit Christ were in them they would doe as they would be done by And seeing the Scriptures confirms this creation Right to whole man-kind then in the next place it followes That all the Title and Power which Lords of Mannors have to the Common land whereby they beate the people off from this their freedome Is no other but the will of Kings who were Conquerours and ruled successively by swordly power inslaving the creation Man-kind in England First then consider That King CHASLES and his Lawes was the Successor of the person and power of William the Conquerour for he did not rule by the law of creation suffering every one to enjoy their creation-right on the earth But by the lawes of a Conquest which intitles some to the earth and shuts out others Secondly That K. Charles and that Kingly Lordly conquering government is cast out of England by the victory of the Armie over him and by words and Acts of Parliament If they doe not againe lose this their honour and peace too by their selfe-love and covetousnesse suffering the enemie to cheate them by policy and thereby being in Kingly power again who could not overcome them in the Field And seeing Kingly and Lordly power is declared against both by Army and Parliament the people wants nothing now but possession of the Common-wealths freedome for our freedome must not lye within the clasps of a Booke in words that may be read nor in the bare title of a Victory but it must be freedome really enjoyed or else it will do us no good The first Parliament law which encourages the poore Commoners of England to plant the Commons and wast land is this wherein they declare England to be a free Common-wealth This Law breakes in pieces the Kingly yoake and the lawes of the Conquerour and gives a common freedome to every English-man to have a comfortable livelihood in this their own Land or else it cannot be a common-wealth Secondly The Parliament did make this law presently after the Kings head was cut off That they would establish all the old ancient fundamentall lawes wherein the Lives Liberties persons and estates of the people of England without exception were concerned By this they give a common freedome to every English-man to have and enjoy the land for their comfortable livelihood by their labours without restraint of any For