Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	good_a	seed_n	sow_v	5,385	5	9.7863	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81551	A dispute betwixt an atheist and a Christian the atheist being a Flemming, the Christian an Englishman. Published according to order.	G. G.	1646 (1646)	Wing D1678; Thomason E1187_3; ESTC R15204	24,048	59

to me as the rest of the tales told of the greatnesse of their cities other unheard of things which seem as strange to me as tale of the world in the Moon But the reporters are Jesuites who speake for their profits as Demetrius did and therefore are not to be believed For to get Princes to maintaine them there is hope of their dominion over that place they heape to themselves masses of treasure for the allowance is very great that they have to build Colledges and for bribing officers to give way to them there to make converts and for their own maintenance which the Castillian and Portingall profits in all the East Indies could scarcely maintaine although very great besides the bounty of many a private person for their soules health in gaining a soule which they may doe in maintaining a Jesuite to preach to those Pagans And although you may say that the Pope is so good a husband that he will not let his disciples sow their seed in barren ground a Countrey that is poor and can produce no profit I answer that it must be a poore fish Saint Peter refuses to catch but if he can have from him that expects the draught when the net is drawn as much as if they were all Salmons what cares he if they prove all Menevves But for your quoting the opinion of my Countrymen who thinke that the neerer you goe to the Equinoctiall Line where is the greatest heat the riper you find the fruits and consequently the brayns of the men It is no strange thing in our populous Nation to find men of severall opinions and such as are not able to judge of things themselves therefore they depend upon the opinion of others as in this perticular The experience of every common Seaman that trades betwixt the Tropicks where the heat is most refulgent can answer for the ignorance of those mens fancies who knows there are none so barbarous and uncivill as those men are and I know it will be said that it is for want of conversation with the rest of the World But I say if they be naturally so wise why did they not teach and not learn of others But to the contrary they have converst with the Portingall Nation for these two hundred yeeres and yet are almost as ignorant as they were at their first acquaintance which shews their indocible natures to civility A. Why this opinion is generally mayntained by the Learned of your Countrymen C. Not by the truly knowing men but such as read much and know but little what 's eyther for their own honour or that of their Countrey but read and believe rather what is written by a Forreigner then search into the ends of his Writing For they interpret them to meane nothing but as they say as the Papists doe the Scripture when it says of Christ to the Bread This is my body without looking into the mysticall meaning of the word For by this very opinion many are drawne into all manner of beliefs which are enjoyned by the Catholicks of Rome before they are a ware For they or their Disciples write that the Italian is the wisest man of Europe as being borne the most Southerly And if it be so then it must follow that the Fope being that Countryman borne and bred up in the Centre of Italy and chosen from amongst the wifest of that Nation must be concluded the wisest of the Italians And therefore fittest to command in Temporall things as a Prince and in Spirituall as be is inspired above any other man as having the power of Saint Peter So that the divine Power meeting in the wisest naturall man makes him most capable for government of any living as a Prince and Priest and suppose him so For according unto this rule it must needs follow and then what man is there that desires not the wisest Prince to govern him and that had not rather take to the opinion of the wisest in point of Religion then of a man inferiour in judgment So that according to that rule he must be your Prince and Priest therefore true policy of State would forbid this opinion fearing the Worme under the leafe And take this for your Answer and Foole for the badge of my Country-men that are of this judgment A. Well then I stand not so much on those points you think you have answered But what say you was not Abraham as much in favour of God as man could be for so Moses tels us and yet hee writ no Scripture no nor told any thing of Paradise or of Adams eating the forbidden fruit And therefore why should you believe that these things were true the World being three thousand yeers old when Moses wrote the Law without beliefe in which and the Messias that was promised by Jacob should come of the Tribe of Juda for which we must take Moses word who wrote this many yeers after Jacob dyed no flesh can be saved according to Scripture For nothing will bring one to Heaven but the belief in him And then you must condemne all that dyed before Jacob in which number you must include many whom you accompt good men As Adam Abell Enoch Noah Nahor Abraham Lot Isaac c. For the Scripture never says they heard of his comming and then what correspondence hath this together and what encouragement have we to serve him who condemneth the righteous with the wicked and so many thousand Millions of men as were born and died before Jacob knowing not for what there never being a rule prescribed for them to walk by C. Well this hath discovered your rotten inside and declared by your prophane handling of the Scripture your proper name Atheist But yet I shall answer what you say A. I told you I would not argne without you would forbear passion For the name of Atheist that was used of old time by Plutarch of Chaerova and others unto such as believed in no God which you cannot say by me For I do and in his universall Providence and extoll him for his justice and mercy in making so many Creatures as they are to shew his power and then his mercy in saving them But for the tale of Moses and that of the New Testament I rather suppose them the act of some cunning Prince then of a godly Prophet And nothing doth so cleer it to me as the example that is evident in those Princes and people which are his Disciples who make the Scripture the colour of all their wicked Enterprizes as Moses and his Tribe did to get the command over the Iews C. Well I perceive then that you are an Atheist but a refined one one of the new stamp you believe in God but not in Christ his Son nor the holy Ghost but according to our opinion he that denyes the Son and holy Ghost denyes the Father and therefore is an Atheist But to answer your first opinion and question Why did not Abraham aswell write the