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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	people_n	read_v	scripture_n	3,073	5	5.7739	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93642	Groanes for liberty· Presented from the Presbyterian (formerly non-conforming) brethren, reputed the ablest and most learned among them, in some treatises called Smectymnuus, to the high and Honorable Court of Parliament in the yeare 1641, by reason of the prelates tyranny. Now awakened and presented to themselves in the behalf of their now non-conforming brethren. With a beam of light, discovering a way to peace. Also some quæres for the better understanding of Mr Edwards last book called Gangræna. With a parallel betweene the prelacy and presbytery. / By Iohn Saltmarsh preacher of the Gospel.	Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647.; Smectymnuus.	1646 (1646)	Wing S489; Thomason E327_20; ESTC R200661	20,628	47

be a friend be such an enemy to the State as to cut off like Nero the Tyrants wish so many thousand of their faithfull servants at a blow in such a juncture of time when they need so many Ought ye to work off so many choyce ones from this Cause till you have as many more of your way for their places and till as many Battels yeares experiments prove them as gloriously faithfull as these are is this faire dealing with the State You have brought forth before Israel and the Sunne many pretended sinnes and crimes of your Brethren Suppose they should write by your copy and bring forth the Assembly sins the crimes of all those of your way of all the Divines and others that you take in and rake back into the ashes of their unregenerate condition keep Almanacks for the yeares and dayes of their faylings watch their haltings in all things they say or do tell all the Stories of them they heare what would the next generation think of their Book and yours At this rate of writing they would not read one honest man of all their forefathers yet this is your course and method I have done for this time and I hope all that are not enchanted with the Gorgons head of Hereticks and Schismaticks and Church of England as your own Smectymnians say will read and judge I had said more to ye had you printed us more Reason and lesse Reviling and something more then Stories and Winter Tales And for our Licenser whom you so rayl at he is so much a friend to all the world of Beleevers as to give them the Scripture liberty of proving and trying all things and not to silence the Presse as some would and as the Prelates did silence the Pulpit And now let any age weighing all the differences excepting the Blasphemies c. and the nature of them nakedly without aggravations and fallacy of words bring forth a Book printed in such Letters of Blood as this Gangrena binde up all the Oxford Aulicusses the Mountagues the Pocklingtons and see if this Gangrena do not exceed them all this is Persecution and Prelacy sublimate And yet for all this I would not have the Civill power drawn against you if we had all the Magistrates on our side but rather that you may in the flowings of a more hevenly spirit with your head of waters and your eyes a fountain of teares write against your own Book and let the world see that Men in these times are not Infallible as you all conclude but may mistake their Brethren for Enemies some Truths for Errours and Zeal for Persecution as the very Iewes did when they crucified Christ as they thought for Blasphemy And some shall kill ye sayth Christ and think they do God good service A Parallel between the Prelacy and the Presbytery Quaere VVHether if we should reply to Mr Edwards in his own words and as Solomon saith answer him according to his c. we might not compare things as followeth and trace up their proceedings into the very mystery of Prelacy 1. The Prelates were ordained Ministers by the Bishops Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines that sit now are Ordained by the same power of Bishops to be Ministers and so by that power ordaine others 2. The Prelates when they had made Canons procured the power of the State to impose them upon all the Kingdome Quaere Whether may it not said the Divines now get the same power to what they decree and accordingly impose them upon the Kingdom 3. The Prelates composed one great service-Service-Book for direction to uniformity of worship according as they had ordered under penalties yet without the least word of Scripture to prove the truth of any thing in it Quaere Whether may it not be said Divines have composed one great book accordingly now for the like uniformity viz. the Directory to be observed under fines and penalties and yet without the least word or title of Scripture to prove the truth of any thing in it 4. The Prelates ordered that from that Book Prayers should be read to the people Quaere Whether may it not be said the Divines now have not east the Prayers of the Spirit into such Formes and Methods that a little invention will make them as stinted currant and legible Formes as before and accordingly read in divers places 5. The Prelates counted all that would not conforme to them Schismaticall and Hereticall Quaere Whether may it not be said the Divines now count not all so that will not be uniforme with them 6. The Prelates forbade all to Preach and Print that did not Preach and Print for their way of worship and Government Quaere Whether may it not be said the Divines now would not have all hindred from Pulpit and Presse that will not be of way of Worship and Government with them 7. The Prelates possessed themselves of the States power and favour Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines now wholly labour after the same interest both in Parliament and other Counsels 8. The Prelates had their Licensers to stop all that write against their power and pompe Quaere Whether may it not be said the Divines now labour to engrosse the power of licensing only to themselves 9. The Prelates had for part of their Government Fines Pillories Whips Imprisonment Quaere Whether may it not be said the Divines now have those very things for part of theirs 10. The Prelates had Parishes for their Churches and Tythes for their maintenance Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines now have the same Parishes now for Churches the same Tithes for maintenance 11. The Prelates called all other meetings but their Parish-meetings Conventicles Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines now call the Churches and people that meet now together apart from them Conventicles as formerly 12. The Prelates called the Non-conformists factious troublers of the State Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines now do accordingly call any that write or oppose their Presbytery factious and State-troublers 13. The Prelates ever accused their Non-conforming Brethren to the King and Councell Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines now accordingly accuse their Non-conforming Brethren to the Parliament and other Councels 14. The Prelates had a designe to send all their Non-conforming brethren to strange Kingdomes as New England Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines now endeavour to send their Non-conforming Brethren to other places out of the Kingdome 15. The Prelates ingrossed all the Preaching and preferring Divines to all places of honour and popularity in the Kingdom to themselves Quere Whether may it not be said the Divines now do accordingly preferre to all places of publique trust honour and employment as Vniversities Navy Armies Garrison-Towns Counties Cities c 16. The Prelates would not suffer men whom they called Lay-men to speak of the Scriptures Quere Whether may it not be

4. Whether so many Lettters as are in the Book called Grangrena where there is not one name subscribed may not be as well written from Mr Edwards as to him and whether the Authours of those Letters whose name are suppressed are not afraid to be questioned for their Relations and therefore have either concealed their names themselves or Mr Edwards for them 5. Whether the great reasonings and conflicts which Mr Edwards saith he had in his spirit in the writing of this book and sayes were only carnall conflicts were not rather conflicts with that spirit of God which breathed on him more love and charity to his Brethren then it seemes hee would receive at that time 6. Whether his accusing the Parliament and Army the one for tolerating as never Christian State or Magistrate were known to do the other for Antinomianism Independency Familisme Seraphinisme c. be not of high and dangerous insinuation to the people at such a juncture of time and of desperate irritation to our Brethren of Scotland and is against the Solemn League and Covenant one great Article of it 7. Whether this be a sufficient confutation of my Book called the Smoak in the Temple to call it a Book of errors as he doth in Page 3. Epist. and in Page 180. where he saith only this is an errour and that is an erour without the least particle of Reason or Scripture to prove it where if meere accusations may passe for crimes I wonder hee made his book so large and rather summed not all up into one grand affirmative viz. This is all heresie and so have spared the Reader much paines and himselfe much paper 8. Whether hath Mr Edwards delt faithfully and ingenuously as became a Brother pretending to so much clearnesse and integrity of spirit and which makes me suspect him in the rest viz. to charge me with positive errours which my Book can witnesse to the world I writ as exceptions to serve a design of Peace and reconciliation and not as my opinions 9. Whether the design which Mr Edwards pretends in setting forth his Book viz. to make the blasphemies and errours of the times as he calls them to be detested is not rather a farre contrary design viz. to spread poyson infect many souls who by this shall come to the knowledge of such things as they never heard before having provided no Antidote nor any Answer of Scripture or reason against them but meerely contradictions and ill words it was observed that some books set forth for the discovery of Witch-craft made many Witches and so who knows how many hereticks he may make by this his pretended design against them sure either some of the heresies or diseases were so above his cure or remedy or he had a counter design to make Hereticks or the wisdome of his design was turned into folly making Hereticks by writing against them Mr. EDVVARDS Designes AGAINST His Brethren that differ from him Gangrena p. 164. Let us fill all Presses and make all Pulpits ring and so possesse Parliament City and whole Kingdome against Sects Quaere Whether this be not according as the Priests and Elders did about Christs Resurrection saying to the Souldiers say you they stole him away and if any thing come to the governours eare wee will perswade him that is let us cry out they are all Hereticks and Schismaticks and we will perswade the Governours that it is so Mr. Edwards Book p. 172. Let the Magistrate put out some Declarations declaring they shall be proceeded against as Vagrants and Rogues Quaere Whether is this wisedome like that from above which is first pure then peaceable whether these be such words as the Angel give who would not give the very Divel himself ill language but The Lord rebuke thee O Satan Mr. Edwards Book Epist page 4. When I thinke of c. how many powerfull Sermons you have had preached before you about the Covenant against the Sects the many Petitions and yet how little is done c. God accounts all those Errors Heresies let alone and suffered to be the sins of those who have power Quaere Whether is not this a representing to the world and a publike insinuation that the Parliament are Sermon sleighters Covenant breakers hereticall unjust Petition sleighters and whether this ought not to have been rather represented by him in private papers then thus to arraign them before the people and to make themvile in the eyes of the world who have exceeded all their Predecessors in being tender of the blood and sufferings of Gods people and giving the Churches rest for which they have prospered more in the field in victories for this their peace at home then ever before Mr. Edwards p. 2 Epist. to Gangrena You have done worthily against Papists and Prelates c. but what have you done against other kinde of growing evils Heresies Libertines c. Quere Whether is not this to charge upon the Parliament all those things which hee so grosly aggravates to the world as Blasphemies c. and to bury all the Honour of the Good they have done in the Sepulcher of the Evill which he sayth they are now in doing Mr Edwards Epist. Noble Senatours be pleased to pardon the boldnesse I shall take c. not to impute it to my malignity c. I am one who out of choice and of judgement have embarqued my selfe with you Quere Whether doth it not clearly appear by this apology and insinuation of his own worth and good affections that he knew well to what a Crime and Transgression both against Parliament and Piety the Book he had writ would amount to and therefore bespake their just Indignation and Censure before hand with this story of his good affections and imbarquing himselfe for them Whether did Mr Edwards consider the Parliaments Honour Quality Capacity that durst entitle them to the Patronage of such immodest ridiculous Stories and Tales as he brings in his Gangraena AN EXPOSTVLATION With Mr EDVVARDS VPON His Book called GANGRAENA SIR THE uncharitable expressions of your Book against those who see not by your Light and write not by your Candles your binding up the Tares with the Wheat together and the pretious with the vile your trampling upon your Brethren as the mire in the streets have forced my Spirit into these few Queries for Sions sake I cannot hold my peace The Designes of your Book seem to be these 1 A Designe of Provocation to the Magistrate against your Brethren 2 Of Accusation under the old Project of Hereticks and Schismaticks 3 Of Historicall Recreation to the people that they may make themselves sport with the Beleevers that differ from ye as the Philistins with Sampson upon the Stage Can your wounded Brethren make yee good musick Can their faylings make ye more innocent Or their sinnes make ye more spirituall You would have all the Beleevers that are not of your minde banished c. will you who pretend your selfe to