Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	enmity_n	seed_n	serpent_n	8,737	5	10.2957	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34789	Life & death offered to the choice of the sons and daughters of Adam, or, A doctrinal essay towards the discovery of the broad way that leadeth to destruction, and also the narrow path that leadeth unto life being the substance of several sermons preach'd on Matth. 7, 13, 14 : in the entrance of which discourse you have something spoken occasionally touching judging of others, and also touching the giving of holy things to dogs, and casting pearls before swine.	Carter, R., 17th cent.	1662 (1662)	Wing C663; ESTC R5924	50,195	64

be found undoubtedly true at the great day of Christ might well for the consideration and caution of all the Ministers of England be written over every Communion Table namely That to poison a man at the Lords Supper would be worse then to kill him in a Tavern Quest But what is the reason that some men are so general Why some Ministers are so general in admission to the Lords Supper in their admission to the Lords Supper and ready not onely to invite all but even to compel them had they power to come how unworthy soever they may be Ans I am not able to say why except for such reasons as these which I wish were not found too true Viz. 1. Because that should they make use but of the outworks of Discipline it would reach themselves as well as the people For if a Drunkard should be kept out from receiving then he deserves to be kickt out and not suffered to administer If a swearer be unworthy to receive he is much more unworthy to administer c. Rom. 2. 3. Thinkest thou this O man that judgest them which do such things and dost the same that thou shalt escape the Judgement of God Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thy self Thou that preachest a man should not steal commit adultery and dost thou do the very same things From the 17. to the 25. 2dly It 's possible they may either want money or love money so that the gain and profit that comes in by the multitude of Communicants may be another reason But 3dly It may be there may dwell some in the parish that do truly fear God or a ●●east lie under some convictions of Spirit and these persons having received light to the contrary dare not sit down in such corrupt Communions Now out of prejudice to these there being an old enmity between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent the parish Minister may not onely invite and perswade all to come but according to his power force and compel them or at the least threaten that if they come not they shall be indicted and so and so prosecuted and all this to torment and afflict the best in the parish Here we may consider into what a dilemma such Ministers do bring their people telling them on the one hand that if they eat and drink unworthily they eat and drink damnation to themselves and yet on the other hand do threaten that if they come not to the Communion they shall undergo such and such penalties So that now if a person doth judge himself unworthy he must either venture his own damnation or else the undergoing of what trouble and loss the Minister can put him to Oh horrible wickedness Quest Are there such Ministers in England Ans I am not able to say there are not but this I pray hear tily that if such there be God would be pleased either to convert them or else cast them forth as dung in the midst of the Land It 's possible some willing to justifie themselves in this practise may thus reply or at least we wil suppose they do so The reason or argument of this prohibition not to give that which is holy to dogs is lest they turn again and rent you Now we fear not by what we do the peoples rending of us our discoveries of truth are not so piercing but the people can bear them well enough especially since we do not trouble their Houses or Chambers with them We love not this preaching from House to House perswading men to purity it tends to Sedition and Faction And as for our reproofs of sin they are mostly publike and we know how to reprove sin in such a superficial manner that it shall not offend any Our people know we cannot preach but we must sometimes speak against exorbitant practises but then if at sometimes to please some whimsey-headed persons in our parishes we happen to speak more against sin then ordinary or then we can do freely we are sure by our plausible complying conversation to make up that offence quickly with the honest Orthodox party in our parishes that they shall not be offended with us or the Church for it And then as for the Lords Supper general admission is very pleasing it 's more likely if we should deny it they would rend us rend our tythes from us yea our very lives were it in their power Our way therefore is to please the people in the administration of the Seals and to hold a free conversation with them keeping up good fellowship among the elder sort and indulging the younger in their lawful recreation upon the Lords day letting them alone with their May-Poles and Whitsun-Ales c. And by this means we are perswaded we gain more ten to one then the Puritans can in their precise way This bein● duly considered we judge our selves not much concerned in this prohibition it being grounded upon the reason afore-mentioned Ans Thou hast spoken for thy self as much as well thou canst and I do grant that thou managing thy matters as thou hast said there is no visible cause of fear that thou shalt be rent by the prophane about thee though it may be they may rend better men then thy self a thousand fold But it will be thy wisdom not to provoke these Dogs and Swine for if thou shalt be too quick with them and call them to say before they have had time to con their Lessons and then whip them because they han't them perfect they 'l be ready to fall upon thee and if they be but once provoked they will out with all thy wickedness they 'l tell thee to thy face of thy Oaths Drunkenness Wantonness c. And what will they then say Thou a Minister Thou a Devil Thus will they speake though they themselves be as vile as may be But I would here mind thee of that which happily thou hadst forgot and that is that there is a double argument used by Christ why holy things should not be given to dogs c. 1. Lest they trample them under their feet And then 2dly Turn again and rent you Now thou hast taken that concerns thy self but mindes not that which concerns the glory of God and the honor of his Ordinances Christ would have his people be prudent and avoid rending if they may but upon their lives they must take care of his glory and honor So that when it comes once to this that either they must expose themselves to rending or the Ordinances of Christ to pollution and contempt a Minister of the Gospel ought in such a case to choose his own rending Thou oughtest therefore to consider whether by inviting and entertaining vile persons at the Lords Table thou dost not expose his Ordinance to very great contempt whether persons will not greatly undervalue it since they can have it upon such terms and also thou shouldst consider whether by thy free conversation