Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	new_a	old_a	testament_n	18,420	5	8.4579	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02796	A watch-word to all religious, and true hearted English-men. By Sir Francis Hastings, knight	Hastings, Francis, Sir, d. 1610.	1598 (1598)	STC 12927; ESTC S118429	32,499	130

A WATCH-WORD TO ALL religious and true hearted English-men By Sir Francis Hastings Knight Deuter. 31. vers 6. Plucke vp your hearts therefore and be strong Dread not nor bee afraide of them for the Lord thy God himselfe doth goe with thee he will not faile nor forsake thee AT LONDON Printed by Felix Kingston for Ralph Iackson 1598. To the Christian Reader THE raging hearts of Rome and Spaine being set on fire with all force and furie to set vpon England I hold it the part and dutie of euery true English-man to be prepared inwardly with loyaltie and courage and outwardly with all necessarie prouision and furniture as his bounden dutie is in the one and his abilitie purse will reach in the other And to this end J haue been caried in the true loyaltie of my heart to set my thoughts on worke not onely how to prepare my particular selfe in all readines to doe all seruices enioyned and commanded to me and to adde anything of my selfe that the strength of one poore man can affoord but also how I might incite and prouoke others to carrie the same minde To my selfe I haue set downe this law that shall neuer be repealed that for the libertie of my conscience the safetie of my deare Soueraigne and the peaceable prosperitie of my countrie if my wealth were millions if I could bring thousands of fighting hands to the field and if my life were ten thousand liues wealth strength life and all shall goe to be spent hazarded and ended for my God my Queene and my Countrie against that Antichrist of Rome the ambitious tyrant of Spayne and all forren forces and home-borne traytors whatsoeuer else should I thinke my selfe vnworthie to liue To stirre vp others I haue presumed to giue an attempt in these few leaues following wherein if I haue erred in any part of the matter let my want of experience excuse me if I haue erred in the forme let my ignorance excuse me and if I haue erred both in matter and forme yet let my faults in all be excused because my zeale to religion my loyaltie to my deare Soueraigne and my loue to my natiue Countrie hath enforced me to make this aduenture rather choosing to bewray my simplicitie wants than that I would defraude my countrymen from being put in minde of matter so needfull for them in my conceit not onely to thinke of but to be throughly resolued in that with confidence boldnes assurance of the goodnes of our cause we might with heart and hand be prest and readie to take our places and to march on to the field when our Soueraignes authoritie commaundeth and there to set forward with a swift foote against these enemies of God our Queene Elizabeth and our Countrie whensoeuer they shall dare to shew their faces against vs. F. H. A VVatch-word to all religious and true hearted English-men IF I should take vpon me to enter into the enumeratiō of all the benefits and blessings that from the almightie haue been powred vpon this little Island of England by and vnder the gouernment of our most gratious soueraigne Lady Queene Elizabeth I might both forgetfully lessen the number too farre and ignorantly passe ouer many things notable and worthie to be obserued and remembred And if I should aduenture to aime at the particular iniuries her Highnesse hath receiued from forraine malice and home disloyaltie and the particular daungers that haue followed her thereby to the hazard of her safetie in person and the good estate of her whole kingdome I might gesse at very many and come short of the number I might point at very great wrongs and dangers and yet misse those that bee farre greater And therefore for the benefits we haue receiued by her most happie entrance to sit in this regall seate as the annoynted of God to bee the soueraigne cōmander vnder him ouer vs his people of England I wil onely tye my selfe to one as the fountaine and well-spring whence all the rest being an infinite number doe issue and flow And for the iniuries and daungers depending thereupon to her person and kingdome I will tye my selfe to no number but aime at them as I can and they shall be such all as from which also doe spring whatsoeuer hath been offered or intended against her sacred person and this peaceable and flourishing Common-wealth It is not vnknowne to many yet liuing neither can it be altogether hidden from the yonger sort that liue with them what a darke mistie clowde of ignorance which brought in Popish idolatrie and al maner of superstition did ouer-shadow the whole land whereunto was added and wherewith was mixed all bloodie and sauage crueltie against those that desired knowledge and were any way inlightened by Gods grace with a glimmering or small insight into true religion For though it were but only a desire to reade vpon the holy booke of God either the old or new Testament then Heretike was his title heresie was his fault and for this was he called before the Romish Cleargie to receiue their censure and such neuer departed from their clutches till they had branded them to the slaughter But because the Romish synagogue persecuting Christ in his members may maske vnder the Iewish vaile persecuting Christ himselfe who thirsting after Christs blood yet would seeme to spill no blood crying It is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death therefore the ciuill Magistrate must be their butcher to execute their bloodie decree and to the stake they must goe to be consumed with fire Of this their blood-thirstie humour how many hundreds haue tasted stories doe record and many yet liuing can in parte remember In these dark and clowdy daies least the Sunne-shine of knowledge should disperse the mists of ignorance and giue light to the dimme of sight whereby they might be able to discouer the iugling and falshood which in that time of darknes they vsed this position was set down for their Maxime or rule infallible that Ignorance is the mother of deuotion And that sacred worde of God which was giuen from God to be a lanterne to all our feete and a light vnto all our steps was forbidden to the lay sort for so they called them as matter vnfit for them to looke into By which meanes they kept them blind-fold admitting them none other guides but themselues being as starke blinde as beetles in all Christian and true religion and when the blind doe leade the blind both are in hazard to fall into the ditch When they thus had setled this blinde course to keepe the people from knowledge and had deuised to fill their eyes with dumme showes to gaze vpon and their cares with bare sounds of wordes farre from their capacitie to reach vnto or profitably vnderstande much like to Caligula who bidding many guests caused to be set before them golden dishes and golden cups and bad them eate Then they offer another position that it was