Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	let_v	life_n	write_v	2,795	5	5.7299	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44665	An ansvver to Dr. Stillingfleet's Mischief of separation being a letter written out of the countrey to a person of quality in the city. Who took offence at the late sermon of Dr. Stillingfleet, Dean of S. Pauls; before the lord mayor.	Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1680 (1680)	Wing H3014A; ESTC R215389	34,952	57

of that judgement the Parochial Assemblies ought to be Communicated with so far as is alledged was declared As I know none of the dissenting Ministers that thought they ought always and only to be Communicated with so I see not with what pretence it can be said they keep up their judgment herein as a mighty secret If it be so how came this Author to have it revealed to him Is Printing it to the World keeping it secret Some have published it in that way as we see is known to the Doctor Others by their frequent discourses and their own practice And to my observation divers of them have in their Sermons made it much their business to dispose the minds of their hearers to a truly Catholick Christian Union as I have been much pleased to take notice some of the Conforming Clergy do also But if this be the Doctors quarrel with any of our Ministers who think such Communion Lawful that they do not constantly in every Sermon inculcate the business of Communicating in the Ceremonial way for my part I shall blame them as much as he when once he hath made it very evident that the Ceremonies are more profitable and likely to do more good to the souls of men than repentance the faith of the Gospel the fear of God a good life in this world and eternal life in the other which I confess are the more usual subjects so far as I have had opportunity to observe of their preaching And let me add that I can tell you of a secret which some might be apt to think as it is really so is industriously and much more unrighteously kept up in one mans breast that may be conscious of a great design in it The Author of the Book intitled the Weapon Salve or Irenicum seems to have found it some inconveniency to him to have been the Author of so good a Book whereupon in a certain Soliloquy though he is pleased to represent it as a tripartite Dialogue he askes himself his own opinion of it and gives himself this answer I will tell you freely as you know men use great liberty in talking with themselves though prudence would direct that to be done in some cases with great Caution and not to talk inconvenient things too loud lest they be too much overheard I beleive there are many things in it which if D. St. were to write now he would not have said for there are some things which shew his Youth and want of due consideration others in which he yielded too far c. Now here though I beleive he had begun to be inclin'd to throw away his Salve and use only the Weapon for the Wounding of sound parts not the cutting off the incurable yet I conceive one may safely enough take it for granted his intention was not to retract the whole Book But whereas he tells us not what he doth how would the Doctor take it if one should ask why is this kept up as such a mighty secret in his own breast Or say the tenderness of his mind might 't is likely out of meer shamefac'dness keeps him from declaring against what his own Conscience tells him is truth However his retractation cannot make that which was true become false The reason of things is sullen and will not alter to serve mens conveniences Perhaps indeed his judgment is really altered If therefore he would acquit himself like an honest and conscientious man let him tell the world plainly which be the pernicious principles of that Book that honest and consciencious men who have thought well of many things in it and perhaps the same things which he now disapproves may not always be deceived by the shews of Reason that deceived himself and by which he deceived them The same justice that obliges not to lay a stumbling block in the way of the blind doth also oblige him to remove it who hath laid it Which is to be done not by professing another opinion for we depend not on his authority which he hath himself so much diminished but on the reasons he alledged which if they were fallacious let him shew wherein and answer his own reasons To say the truth the gravity and seriousness wherewith that Book was written appears to have so little of the youth in it in comparison of the jocularity and sportful humor of some of his latter Writings when he hath been discussing the most weighty and important Cases of Conscience that it seems as a Prodigy in Nature and that he began his life at the wrong end that he was old in his youth and reserved his puerility to his more grown age But we hope there is a great residue behind wherein he may have opportunity and inclinatioa to shew the World that he did not repent the pious design of that Book Or at least with a repentance that can as well as that ought to be repented of 4. And whereas such of the dissenting Ministers as have most openly declared for communicating at some times with some of the Parochial Churches have also declared their judgment of the lawfulness and necessity of Preaching and Hearing and doing other Religious Duties in other Congregations also If now either the Doctor discern not the consistency of these things or they discern not their inconsistency is there nothing to be said or thought but that they acquit not themselves like honest and conscientious men Must it be taken for a demonstration of a mans want of honesty and conscience not be presently of the Doctors Opinion in every thing or not to see every consequence which he sees or thinks he sees But let us consider the goodness of this Consequence which it must be so great a piece of dishonesty not to discern If it be the duty of some to communicate sometimes with some Parish-Churches for this is the most the Doctor could make of that Relators Concession whom he cites p. 21 22. of his Sermon Therefore it is the duty of every one to communicate with any Parish-Church where his abode is so constantly and entirely as never to have any communion with any otherwise constituted Congregation This is the thing must be to his purpose infer'd yea and he would have it be from somewhat a lower premise For he tells us p. 37. That he dare say if most of the Preachers at this day in the separate Meetings were soberly askt their judgments whether it were lawful only for the people to joyn with us in the publick Assemblies they would not deny it He surely dare not say that their meaning was that it was lawful constantly to joyn with them in all their Parochial Assemblies unless he dare say what he hath not from any of them the least ground to think Now hereupon he collects p. 38. that our Ministers cannot declare so much in a separate Congregation but this truth must fly in their faces Because he supposeth it repugnant to it to preach at all in a separate