Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	law_n	new_a	old_a	2,576	5	5.7134	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60122	The master of the Temple as bad a lawyer as the Dean of Pauls is a divine in a letter from a gentleman of the Temple, to his (quondam) tutor in Oxford, about the law part of Dr. Sherlock's modest examiniation of the Oxford decree.	Shower, Bartholomew, Sir, 1658-1701.	1696 (1696)	Wing S3656; ESTC R24536	8,391	30

THE Master of the Temple A bad a LAWYER AS THE Dean of Pauls Is a DIVINE IN A Letter from a Gentleman of the Temple to his quondam Tutor in Oxford About the Law-Part of Dr. Sherlock's modest Examination of the Oxford Decree LONDON Printed and Sold by E. Whitlock near Stationers-Hall 1696. A Letter from a Lawyer in the Temple to his quondam Tutor in Oxford SIR THough it be some time since I left the Vniversity yet my Obligations to it continue fresh upon me I have still and ever shall have the same Concern for its Honour and Interest that I had when I was actually a Member there In Truth the Socinians the Tritheists and Latitudinarians both in Opinion and Practice increase so fast in this Town that they frequently provoke a Wish for my Return thither For notwithstanding the Calumny and Reproach which Hereticks and Dissenters have cast upon that Seminary of Learning and Vertue in Contempt of the Publick Opinion of the greatest part of the Christian World yet I must declare that I observ'd Probity Good manners and Religion more Visible and Exemplary in that Place than they can be pretended to be amongst Us here SIR I cannot but with great Concern Acknowledge that Your Pulpits are more earnest in Recommending Practical Piety than Ours notwithstanding the Youth of those who generally fill ' em Our Master entertains us of late with such Arguments and Concessions about Christianity that Infidels seem rather encourag'd than convinc'd by his Reasonings One while he confesses the Souls of Brutes to be Immaterial and anon he supposes some hidden unreveal'd Decree of the Deity for their Annihilation at Death and yet again argues from the Immateriality of an Human Soul that the same is necessarily Immortal and must endure to Eternity These and such like Discourses from the Pulpit fill the Coffee-houses about Us upon Sunday Evenings with many Wild Disputes concerning a future state And in truth the Deans Sermons together with three of his Old Friend's viz. One concerning the Temporary Duration of Hell-Torments and to prove that God is not oblig'd to fulfill his Threatnings but that on the contrary it may be for his Honour to be better than his Word A Second concerning the Concealment of a Man's Christianity under a Mahometan or Pagan Government rather than disturb it And a Third concerning the Perfection of True Wisdom if a Man can hit it in the Practice of an appearing freedom and openness with a Resolute Reservedness as little appearing as is possible These I say have given such Subjects of Discourse to the Youth of this Place that 't is scarce Imaginable how much the Number of the Pretended Wits and Atheists is of late encreased But Sir the informing you in these Particulars was not the Design of this Letter tho I could not forbear Complaining of the Decay of Religion to You whose Prayers may assist to stop it and to beg of God the Forgiveness and Reformation of those who occasion or promote it What I intend by this Paper is to shew my Duty and Filial Regards to my Mother University by making a short Observation or two upon the 7th Page of our Dean's Satyr on the Proceedings about Mr. Bingham's Sermon I shall not presume to venture upon any Argument about the Opinion Censur'd My Reverence for your Knowledge in these Matters and the Application of my Studies another way do expresly forbid it That which I here offer to your Consideration must be agreed proper to the Profession I am now engag'd in viz. An Essay to prove that the Vice-Chancelour Bp. of Oxford and Heads of Houses there have not incurr'd any Premunire or other danger to themselves or the University in their late procedure about the Sermon above-mention'd And to tell you my Opinion freely in this matter if the Dean's Divinity be no better than his Law I think him deeply engag'd to the Legislative Power which took away the Writ de Haeretico Comburendo He is pleas'd to insinuate That you ought to have advis'd with men of Skill how far your Irregular and Unstatutable Proceeding might affect you I take the thing to be so very plain that you needed no Consultation with Lawyers before-hand nor afterward neither But since the menaces pronounc'd have proceeded from a Person whose Station and Converse suppose him advis'd by men of Skill Some on your behalf have consider'd the matter and I find the Templars to smile at the Deans Presumption in pretending to impose on the World especially on his Neighbours the men of the Law a Proviso in an Act of Parliament which stands repeal'd by a subsequent Act and upon which Repeal the greatest miscarriages of the Last Reign are Founded For in truth the Suspension of the B. of London and the Business of Magdalen-Colledge were no miscarriages but upon that supposal viz. That the Act in the First of Elizabeth erecting an High-Commission-Court was a New Law and that therefore being repeal'd any the like Commission was Illegal Thus I am sure the Opinions and Complaints ran before and at the Arrival of his Present Majesty It is not easie to imagine from whence he could have receiv'd this Notion unless it were from Bp. Cartwright's Book who for his own Justification maintain'd that Law to be but Affirmative of the Old Common Law of England And yet even that Supposition were it true would not answer the Deans Purpose as will appear by and by I believe You Sir who are a good man will be apt to think that it Savors strongly of Prevarication to Print part of a Clause and omit the most material words in it which are plac'd in the midst of the Paragraph and could not well be overlook'd but by one that was resolv'd to overlook 'em because it was for his purpose to do so Yet this little Piece of Art the Dean has stoop'd to as you shall see presently which is the more remarkable because he has Printed the Words of the Act in a different Character which amongst ingenuous Persons I think supposes a Literal Recital This way of Dealing I confess as odd as it is is not wholly without a Precedent whether it will warrant or justify our Master I shall leave you to determine but he has the Honour of following the example of a Reverend Prelate who upon a certain occasion thought fit to launch out of his Profession and argue a Law-Point to prove his Argument he quoted a Charter but was pleas'd to repeat only half the words of the sentence and then stop't short omitting these Salva Persona nostra Regina nostra Liberis nostris donec emendatum fuerit quandocunque Emendatum esset intendent nobis sicut prius Matthew Paris can give you the whole in King John's Reign but the mischief is the latter words if inserted wou'd have spoil'd the force of that inference for which the Quotation was us'd and we are not to expect from either of 'em that they shou'd