Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	life_n	read_v	write_v	3,333	5	5.3999	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94096	Manifest truth: or An inversion of truth's manifest Containing, a vindication of a Church of Christ in their proceedings on March the 8. 1657, against Mrs Mary Allein, from the false and injurious aspersions of her husband Mr. Toby Allein. By Lewis Stucley, pastor of a congregation in Exeter.	Stuckley, Lewis, 1621 or 2-1687.	1658 (1658)	Wing S6090; ESTC R230380	41,764	60

MANIFEST TRUTH OR AN INVERSION OF TRVTH' 's MANIFEST Containing A VINDICATION of a Church of Christ in their Proceedings on March the 8. 1657 against Mrs Mary Allein from the false and injurious Aspersions of her husband Mr. Toby Allein By LEWIS STUCLEY Pastor of a Congregation in Exeter Matth. 5.22 But I say unto you That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment and whosoever shall say to his brother Rach● shall be in danger of the Counsel but whosoever shall say Thou fool shall be in danger of Hell fire Luk. 19.22 Out of thine own mouth will I condemn thee Eadem possunt alicui videri manifestè vera quae alteri videntur manifestè falsa Quisquis à criminibus vitam suam custodit sibi benefacit quisquis etiam famam in alios misericors est nobis necessaria est vita nostra aliis fama Aug. de bono Viduitatis c. 22 London Printed by D. M. for M. Keinton at the Fountain in S. Pauls Church Yard 1658. TO THE READER THat Ink hath Poyson and Gall in it the Historian as well as Naturalist will confesse and a late Pamphleter hath exemplified We need not impannel a Jury of Inquest for this hereby it happens that no quarter is given to paper and as little to many mens names as thou canst witnesse if thou hast perused a book of Mr Alleins falsly called Truths Manifest I must confess I have had some conflicts in my own spirit whether I should silently pass by the falshood of the report or returne some answer to it Eloquar an sileam First I shall give thee the workings of my thoughts for my silence and then Secondly give thee an account of the praeponderating considerations that have had the greatest influence upon me to come thus into the view of the world First I shall consider what may lye in the ballance against my printing 1. I blesse the Lord I am in some good measure made sensible of my want of parts to contribute to the good of souls by my penn or tongue 2. There are many choice practical Tracts that concerne the eternal welfare of souls published within the last twentie years that according to the conviction of my own conscience must needs promote the great ends of Creation and Redemption more then I can hope my answer to a Scurrilous pamphlet may conduce and if Luther that Phaenix of the world would condemn his excellent writings to the fire rather then by the publication of them the Scriptures should be laid by Ego odi meos libros et saepe opto eos interire Luther in Gen. 14. And if Augustin cryes out away with our writings that roome may be made for the Book of God how much rather may I cry out and others Auferantur de medio chartae nostrae away with our scriblings I must profess to all the world That I am heartily sorry I must trouble the press or thee with any thing but what may be useful and practical for thy furtherance in Grace 3. I was even resolved to say as Bernard Premat Corpus tremat mundus fremat Diabolus conscientia semper ecit secura or rather with Paul My rejoyecing is this the Testimony of my Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity I have had my conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1.12 And with Job Job 16.19 my witness is in heaven and my record is on high I was thinking to relieve my self with my own innocency as to things laid to my charge I could even have resolved not to make Hue and Cry after my self abroad in this mis-judging age but to become careless what the vulgar think or say of me so it be not deservedly ill I was loath to buy their good opinion so dearly as by the expence of much time and many spirits how sweet have such thoughts as these been to me It is not the breath of mens praise that I can live by if I have credit with God what if I have none with man God and conscience are my Compurgatours to whom I dare appeal from mans bar if God and a good Conscience feast me within no matter for the Haile of mans reproaches that rattle without my God doth not doe by me as man doth he doth not throw dirt but rather washeth it away in his Sons blood c. and therefore in the midst of all the clamours misapprehensions and misjudgings of men why should not this content me that there sits one in heaven that will cleare me one day 4. When I veiw the generality of the nation I fancy them so overgrowne with misprision that I have hardly hopes they will believe truths further then they suit their particular parties and interests One justly complaines of the times that mens words or reports of their actions have fared hard since envy as Peter with Malchus hath cut off their right eares affections alwayes cut off one and too oft the right we seldom reserve one care for the strangers much lesse the enemies relation 5. I might hope that a Ministers yea or nay might be of as much credit as Mr. T. A. his yea and nay and though he hath got a certificate to gain him some credit yet he knows well how easily I could procure hundreds of Ministers to do me such an office if I thought I needed them 6. I have considered that some mens malice is best born by silence and malice slighted looseth as the Bee with its sting its life I have known some scolds soonest silenced by turning the deaf eare answers and replyes doe not so soone strike detractours dumbe as a contemning and disliking deafness It stands with some mens credit to dispise poore accusations and their best answer is with Alexander in Lucian unto Hannibal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to answer nothing at all And might not I hope that those mists that were cast upon my person might in a few weeks scatter and vanish without speaking a word for my self or cause 7. I thought I might venture upon the Testimony of the Consciences of many who know me to vindicate me from the Aspersions of this pamphleter 8. Besides all that know me can beare me witness how little pleasure I take in a Salamander life books of this nature can hardly be writ nor read without many heats and Commotions in spirits These times already have beene too fruitful in disputes and controversies I have from my heart wished that all our swords of Contention were beaten into plough-shares of more use and fruitfulness for the Lords field Would it not be better if Abners Language were in every mans mouth and heart 2. Sam. 2.26 How long shall it be ere thou bid the people returne from pursueing their Brethren 9. Is it not a known experimented truth that when the head is Intoxicated with empty jejune controversies and notions the heart becomes Consumptive in the solid parts of Godliness And therefore I had rather

about this no farther I take it for granted among other ends you hope to be looked on as an honest man by the help of these Prolocutors and I hope to be so owned without them I commend this policy you will not venture into the field without your Seconds Defendit numerus junctaeque umbone phalanges But this I shall tell you You have made so many accessories that I cannot see how with Justice on your part and Safety on Mine your Action on the Case may be tryed in Exon But what if you had a Legion of men to certifie for you nay and all good yet they cannot assure us that your Narrative is full and true There was a time that Judas might have had a Certificate for his good Conversation and Stewardship from all the Saints in the world yet afterwards he betrayed his Master upon a Money account And yet me thinks I can fancy with what confidence you now appear in open field guarded with the Company and now if simple people must believe all your reports to be Oracles for fear of displeasing the Chamber if Credit must be given to your words I warrant you we shall see confidence enough in what follows Well Sir We will venture pace tantorum virorum to examine that which comes next in order III. The Epistle to the Reader Here the man seemes so grieved that he cannot but vent his sorrows to the world troubled he is 1. At the censure of his wife which he calls unrighteous for this I refer you to the Notes of my Sermon printed lately where you will find that scandal and contumacy was proved against her pag. 19 21. 2. He complains of hard measure that my Notes were printed the ends whereof he saith was to spread false reports raised by our selves as far as we can No Reader there he mistakes our end was to satisfie and silence them who pretended we had censured her for joyning with a Congregation of different principles from us And the end of the Postscript was to shew how much I suffered in my reputation by abominably false copies of my prayer And whereas he condemnes us of spreading false reports if any such shall be represented or made knowne to me there is no man I hope shall be found more ready and pliable to make strait that which is crooked or to make his pen do pennance in any sheets for any error or delinquency in this kind so willing am I to expose my selfe to the hazard of any discovery he can make 3. He can hardly digest Mr. Malls quotations because of their impertinency What if I should tell this Pamphleter that he understands not what the impertinency of a quotation meaneth or wherein it consists Sure I am that if they attain this end to satisfie the consciences of the Reader That Excommunication is a delivery of an offender to Satan and that a particular Church may excommunicate and that not only great and notorious sins deserve this correction but also lesser crimes increased with contumacy and contempt of the Churches admonition become worthy of the same castigation then are they pertinent quotations with respect to his wifes case And if these learned and Reverend Men as he is pleased to stile them though poor man I think he never saw one of them do satisfie the Reader that in dealing with a private offender he is first brotherly to be admonished alone if that prevail not to call one or two witnesses and if that do not profit then to declare it to the Officers of that particular Church and if their admonition be succeslesse then the original crime and his contempt is to be declared before the whole Congregation and upon remaining obstinacy the offender is to be excommunicated Surely this is not Impertinent with reference to Mr. T. A. though he is willing to wave such questions referring his Reader to the learned Surely it concerned him to have studied those questions and not to content himself with an implicit faith in the learned There is one thing more that I shall take notice of in his Epistle he can hardly forbear challenging me and the Church to answer what we have done before the tribunall of him who shall judg the world in Righteousnesse Mr. A. I bless God I can think of that day without any feare or horror upon my spirits that may arise from any malice I have borne you or yours I know the Lord will wittness for me in that day that you and your wife and my selfe had nor been at this distance wherein we now stand but by her and your miscarriage then it will be known that your wife was not censured by us for joyning in other Congregations beside her own and this book which you have writ for vindication will be brought forth as a wittness against you unless that the Lord give you timely repentance which I beg daily for you But to come to his Narrative It is the unhappiness of this traveller to stumble at his first setting forth p. 1. He would make the world believe as if he and his wife were members of Mr. Mark Downs Church in 1648. whereas Mr. Nicholas Eveliegh and my self are ready to witness upon our Oaths that he told us he only desired that he and his wife might receive the Sacrament at times with them until there was a Congregation constituted according to his own different judgment elsewhere to which he and his wife would then joyn And another of the Church will witness that Mrs. Allein did say she did joyn with Mr. Down on the same terms A Crazy conscience and a Brickle memory are very ill companions but why do I blame his memory in this he lately averr'd the same before Mr. Ford Minister in Exon as he confessed to me and Mr. Eveleigh and I have some cause to believe this for that since my coming to Exon which was in 1651. he and his wife were my constant auditors and afterward joyned in Church-fellowship with us But I never heard that Mr. Downs dealt with them for separating from him having prepossessed his Reader with his actual membership under Mr. Downs inspection he gives us an account when the Church to which I stand related was gathered viz. 1650. Here he trips again the man will be angry if I say he lye and so will his Prolocutors too it was about the middle of the year 1651. After he gives the reason of their proposing themselves to this Church namely the report of what purity of Ordinances and excellent administrations we had amongst us even to admiration which great report he saith even rapt them up to a fools paradise Here Reader take notice upon what slender grounds this couple desire communion of Saints had they consulted with the Oracles of God to know his will and how he could be worshiped they had given the world a better account of their holy and tender consciences then to ingage so far and so long in a fools paradise