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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	death_n	life_n	savour_n	4,493	5	11.6470	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15655	The schollers purgatory discouered in the Stationers common-wealth, and discribed in a discourse apologeticall, asvvell for the publike aduantage of the Church, the state & vvhole common-vvealth of England, as for the remedy of priuate iniuryes. By Geo: VVither.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1624 (1624)	STC 25919; ESTC S120316	70,447	142

that Song and my Argumentes before each perticuler Canto shall finde how necessary it is to bee presented to an vniuersall consideration and perceiue whether I haue spiritually or carnally meditated thereon and whether I haue beene guided by the interpretations of the Catholike Church or by myne owne fancy If I haue any way ●…rred I am hartily sory for yt and humbly desireing pardon am ready to giue satisfaction both by publik acknowledgment of my ouersight and in takeinge away or reforming what is amisse If I haue don wel God forgiue them whose fleshly vnderstandinges haue abused my good intentions and I wish them the spirite of true charitye that they may beecome more capeable of that celestiall Loue Song For the sweete contentmentes which I tasted in contemplateinge the mysteryes therein contayned were somwhat interrupted through the care I had of them whose ignorance or wilfull blindnesse would depriue both themselues and others of those comfortes And I pray God those that speake irreuerently of that Song or hinder the publycation thereof in such wise as may best rouze vp the spiritual affections may repent thēselues thereof least they come within danger of that curse those are lieable vnto whoe add or take away from the booke of God For though some foolish Verse-haters who are wise men in their owne opinions haue vndiscreetly passed their censures against translating the Canonicall Hymnes into our English Numbers I shall bee able not onely to make proofe vpon good occasion that they may be as truely converted into our meeter as into Prose and that our English measures are capable of expressing them with as much power and grauity but to demonstrat also that Verse was first inuented and vsed altogether in setting forth the prayses of God and that those thinges which were originally penned in measured word●…s cannot be so properly nor so vsefully expressed in Prose as in our Verse It would too much ●…nlarge this hasty discourse if I should deliuer heere all I could inferr to that purpose or insist vpon all the reasons which I could giue in defence of giuing way to the free vse of the Song of Solomon in our English meeter But vnder correction and submitting my opiniōs to your better Iudgmēts I will in briefe answere some of those reasons which I haue heard brought against the common vse thereof that it may appeare I am not altogether without consideration in what I haue done The principall causes obiected for restrayning of that Song are three First least it should be abused by prophane or indis●…reet people Secondly because the Iewish Rabbines haue restrayned it from their Laicty as vnfit for the vulger and lastly by reason the Christian Church as they thinke hath neither by command nor by practise warranted the same It is true that the Canticles may be and are often abused yea and the rest of the holy scriptures euen by those who by restrayning them seeke to preuent their abuse as well as by others But God forbid that such as would rightly apply them should be depriued of their most comfortable vse because sensuall men will turne that grace of God into wantonnesse By that rule the vse of most thinges should be taken away for many men abuse their liberty in that which is most lawfull yea the whole booke of holy scriptures should be sealed vp because many haue heritically applyed them seeing the same may be alleadged for denyinge the vse of both Testamentes which is obiected for restrayning the Canticles The word of God looseth no worth by any mans abusing of it but he that abuseth the same harmeth himselfe onely and them whose owne corruptions haue made that the sauour of death vnto thē which is lyfe in it owne nature and whose power if it bee hidden is hidden to those onely that perish Seeinge we permitt the rest of Gods booke to be read of all without exception and euen this songe in the Prose why should it be more offensiue in the meeter since Diuinity and the prayses of God may be prooued as I haue sayd before to be the most auncient and most proper subiects of Verse If I haue not exprest the meaning of the Originall soe truely or soe grauely as the prose hath don let it be declared in what pertituler and I cann amend the ouersight as easily as it may be found For whatsoeuer sence is giuen mee in prose I can as fully and as playnely expresse againe in measured words Yea I doubt not but I shall be able to iustifie that my Metricall Version of the Canticles is as proper as modest and as perspicuous as most prose Translations and that those who accuse it of Obscenity haueing vncleane thoughtes themselues doe rather accuse God then me and blasphemously disparage the wisedome of the holy ghost But noe wonder to the fylthy all thinges are filthy euen the purity of God seemes vncleannes to them and their preposterous discretion is ashamed of his prudence But some obiect it is vnfitting that Mystery should be exposed to the viewe and perusall of children and I say also that it is as vnseemely the childrens bread should be deuoured of doggs or that pearles should be cast before swine Neuerthelesse these thinges do often fall out soe without remedy and pitty it were that bread should be kept altogether from the children because they somtyme spoyle or play childishly with that which shoulde feede and norrish them The story of the incest of that Lot of Thamer diuers other passages in holy scripture are more subiect to abuse then the Canticles yet clildren are permitted to reade them because we knowe not by what warrant wee may diuide them from the booke of God The best course therefore is to instruct them with what mynde to pervse them or to prefixe such warnings before those places as I set before my Versiō of Solomons song For there I haue adiured al Readers vnder payne of Gods heauy indignation to be wary with what mind and to what end they shall make vse of those excellent Hymns which I am perswaded will be a meanes to make them lesse abused hereafter The truth is they cannot be more prophaned by children then the whole Booke of God is by those that peruse it negligently nor soe much as the most easie and most vsefull passages thereof are by those presumptious Libertynes and scoffing Atheists who make application of them accordinge to their owne humors For though an ignorant simplicity makes children sometyme misunderstand such thinges as they read or frutlesly passe them ouer yet they doe not wilfully peruert them to wicked purposes And therefore God doth many times giue such a blessing euen to that which in their childhood they pervsed without vnderstanding as that many tymes it is a meanes of bringing it the better into memory to their great profit and comfort in riper yeares No holy scripture or canon of our Church hath commaunded the keepeing of this or that parte of Gods Booke