Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	sleep_v	sow_v	tare_n	1,022	5	12.2153	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42787	A sermon against corrupting the word of God preached at Christ Church in Manchester upon a publick occasion on the 11th day of July, 1696 / by Thomas Gipps.	Gipps, Thomas, d. 1709.	1697 (1697)	Wing G781; ESTC R26767	15,690	33

That no Prophesy of Scripture is of any private Interpretation That we have a more sure Word of Prophesy whereunto we do well to take heed Tho' he had the Spirit and Light within tho' he had the Honour and Advantage of seeing Christ Transfigur'd and hearing the Voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son Yet for the proof of that very Proposition himself relies and exhorts the Faithful to rely rather on the Word of Prophesy the Scripture as a more sure Testimony Surer than what Why surer than any private Spirit or private Interpretation tho' of the Infallible Peter himself Surer than seeing Christ's Transfiguration Surer than hearing the Voice from Heaven Surer than the Light within So that the Light within and all other Lights without were Darkness unless they took heed to that more sure Word the Light of Gods Word And yet the private Spirit and Light within forsooth or that Planetary and false Light of Peters Successors without must in these unhappy days of ours give check to the plain Testimony of Scripture and be preferr'd before it As in the use of the Lords Supper one Part whereof those of the Roman Communion are depriv'd of The Quakers reject both Sacraments And the Lords Prayer many Dissenters despise and other things might be instanced in In short what amounts all these spiritual Whymseys to But the setting up either that more dimn Light at Rome or the private Light of every Man 's own Breast at home above that more sure Word of Scripture whereunto we should do well to take heed This is just such another piece of folly as if a Man should take his Journey in the night time by the dimnLight of the Moon or by his own dark-Lanthorne in his hand refusing the Light of the Sun by Day which notwithstanding affords a much clearer Light and safer Conduct to the Traveller Lastly 4. We diminish from the Word even when we presume to add any thing to it For this is as it were to tax it with some suppos'd Defects and Imperfections which we forsooth would supply Now then as for adding to the Word in the first place 1. We add to it when any thing is tackt unto the Word not belonging to it Thus we reckon the Papists to have made bold with the Scripture thrusting the Apochryphal Books into the Canon of the Old Testament But I hasten 2. We both add to the Word and diminish from it when we alter it especially so as that it carries quite another Sense than what was intended by the Spirit of God And now I am at length come to the Point I chiefly aim'd to insist on It is to be bewail'd that so many various Readings have already been thrust into the Sacred Text no body knows certainly when nor where nor by whom nor on what Occasion nor upon what Motive and Design But I will not trouble you nor my self about this which is not now to be remedy'd I will rather advertise you of one of a fresher Date which yet indeed has not ought not to have the honour of pretending to a various Lection The case in short is this The Apostles ' emselves had from the beginning exercis'd the Offices of Preaching the Word of Administring the Sacraments and of Dispensing the Alms gather'd at the Lords Supper But the Church multiplying and business increasing upon their hands there happen'd some Occasion of Complaint about the unequal distribution of the said Publick Alms. Whereupon the Apostles order'd the multitude To seek out Seven Men of Honest report and full of the Holy Ghost and Wisdome whom We as some of our English Bibles have it or whom Ye as others may appoint over this business And hence a Question may be started whether the People or the Apostles did appoint those Seven unto the Offices aforesaid and by consequence whether the People or the Bishops have Authority to appoint the Parochial Ministers My business here is not to Argue that Point but to Examin into this various Reading which I shall do in resolving three Enquiries 1. Which of the two Readings is the true one The Resolution whereof is very easy The Place ought to run thus Whom We may appoint over the business In proof of this if any should doubt it I appeal to all the MSS and Printed Copies of the Greek Testament I appeal to all the Collections of various Readings I appeal to the Bibles into whatever Language Translated I appeal to all the English Versions and Impressions till of late and I appeal to the History of the whole Fact here laid down which supposes it of necessity The Apostles had had that Business of Distributing the publick Alms in their own hands from the beginning therefore they not the People delegated the Seven to it Therefore it 's not to be read Ye but We. But then the next Enquiry is 2. When did this Corruption steal first into the Text Answer I will not be peremptory in this But so far as my Diligence and Observation which has not been a little and mannaged with all Care Faithfulness is able to carry me I must say that it crept in first in the Year 1638. In that very Year there was a Fair Bible in Folio Printed at Cambridge with this Erralum and this is the first time I have yet been able to discover the Corruption By the way here I must beg your favourable Construction of this Remark It is with the greatest Aversion and infinite Regret that I am forced upon this occasion to bewray my own Nest and to speak out this great Truth to at least the seeming Dishonour of my own Mother University from whose Breasts I suckt in all that little Knowledge I pretend unto And this too in the Presence and the Hearing of some of the most Ingenious and Learned Children of her Rival Sister who has for ought I can learn been somewhat happier in this kind But however as to the Fact so it came to pass that while the chief Stewards of the Family were otherwise imploy'd and the inferiour Servants I think sleeping the Enemy sow'd these Tares which have been growing ever since until now This may suffice to point at the time when this Error first entr'd into our English Bibles sc in the Year 38. But Who then brought in this false Reading or what Party among us at least encourag'd and promoted it since It is an Enquiry worthy to be made and a clear and full discovery would deserve an Hecatomb And tho' I will not promise so much yet something I have to offer towards it which tho' it amounts not to a direct Proof against any Persons yet I think may pass for a good Circumstantial One. To my purpose then I will not be so Positive as to Averr that it was at first industriously done yet I must call into Question the Dissenters as Persons suspected to have secretly contributed to the Corruption of this Place