Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	bitter_a	good_a	light_n	2,289	5	8.2364	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14642	Ionahs sermon, and Ninivehs repentance A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse Jun. 20. 1602. and now thought fit to be published for our meditations in these times. By Ro. Wakeman Master of Arts and fellow of Balioll Colledge in Oxford.; Jonahs sermon, and Ninivehs repentance.	Wakeman, Robert, 1575 or 6-1629.	1606 (1606)	STC 24948; ESTC S104651	37,818	114

from being to forward in reproving of sinne that they dare not take in their mouths but that cold rehrehension of olde Ely vnto his sonns Do so no more my sons do no more so 1. Sam. 2.24 But as deceiptfull Embassadours either for feare of punishmēt or for hope of gaine they forbeare to deliver the Lords Embassage vnto his people Soothing them in their sins and flattering them in their sollies and furthering thē in their iniquities Those are our temporizing preachers our time seruing Prophets our trēcher Chaplaines who either to satisfy the lust of their humorous Lord or to delight the itching eares of their vaine auditors speake nothing but placētia court phrases sweet and pleasing words that sow pillowes vnder mens elbowes and build vp their sinnes as a wall and daub vp their filthy corruptions with the vntempered morter of palpable adulatiō Whom I may iustly brand with the same name as Crates the Thebane did those parasites of his time whō hee called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because sitting at great mēs tables they were ready with that cunning dissēbler in the comody to say Ais aio negas nego Whatsoever they affirmed they would affirme the same and whatsoever they denyed they would bee as ready to deny though never so vntruly right so beloved I am afraid our church hath to many such fawning and flattering Ministers who sitting at noble mēs tables if happely they be thervnto admitted for feare of displeasing will say as they say although their owne conscience I doubt not many times tels them they haue said amisse Speaking good of evill and evil of good putting darkenesse for light and light for darkenesse bitter for sweet and sweet for sower to vse the words of the Prophet Esa 5.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Making marchandise of the vvord of God as the Apostle speaketh 2. Cor. 2. vlt. and selling the cause of the Lord for a meales meat or as the Prophet tels vs for handfulls of barly and peeces of bread Ezech. 13.19 J cānot more fitly resemble such false Prophets to any then to that flattering and dissembling Priest of Iuppiter who whē Alexander the great as Plutarch in his life testifieth came to the oracle saluted him by the name of Iuppiters sonne all to get some great present large-reward frō him so they to procure the sooner vnto themselues some promotion Ecclesiastical wil make the Alexanders of the world beleeue that they are Demy Gods or at the lestwise a degree aboue the natural conditiō of the sonnes of men They are fit chaplaines for such radies as the mother of Cyrus was who as Plutarch reporteth cōmanded that whosoever spake to the king he should vse soft silken words for surely in their preaching and reaching before such great ons of the world they vse noe other but such soft phrases silken speeches as shal befit their humours And as the natural bistorian in his 2. lib. 41. ca. of his history reporteth of the hearb called Heliotropium that it regardeth looketh towards the sunne ever as hee goeth turning with him at all howers yea even also when he is shadowed vnder a cloude so doe they in the whole course of their ministery regard consider their Lords and Ladies humours and thervnto do they apply themselves at all times yea evē then also whē they are covered with the cloudes of many grosse and crying sinnes So that I may truly say of such as the Philosopher did of the like who as Nicephorus reporteth in the 10. lib. 42. cap. of his Ecclesiastical historie comming into an Emperours court there seeing many sooth vp great men in their sins said of them purpurā ipsos magis quam Deum colere that they did more reverence purple robes then God himselfe and J am perswaded beloved in Christ Jesus that they who thus sooth vp the mighty potentants of the world in their transgressions quod purpuram ipsimagis quam deum colant that they more respecte the coūtenance of man then the favour of the everliving God For otherwise they would never as many times they doe conceale the councel wil of God to gaine a little commodity preferment at the hands of a mortal man And if it happen beloued that these men come abroad at any time to preach amonge the vulgar sorte in meaner places they haue so vsed themselves to a smooth pleasing vaine that even then J may say of them as Diogenes the Cynicke said of orators as it is in the 9. lib. and 19. cap. Elian. de varia histor that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very slaues vassals of the common people For to win their least favours they wil be favourable to their greatest sins And as Pliny in his 5. lib. 15. chap. saith that the river Iordan is a pleasant river winding turning in out seeking as it were for loue favour and applying it selfe to please the neighbour coūtries So do these time-serving preachers turne winde themselves in their sermons to the multitude seeking rather to win their favours by flatering them in their sinnes then to discharge their owne duties to God by revealing his wil vnto thē But let these men consider howe much the Lorde is offended with such deceitful hādling of his word Let them cōsider the grievous cōplaint of the Lord against such false Prophets who healed the hurt of the daughter of his people with sweete wordes saying peace where there was no peace Jer. 6.13 Let them cōsider how much he was moued with them that taught vanities spake the vision of their owne hearts not out of the mouth of the Lord. Saying to every one that vvalked after the stubbornes of his owne hart no evil shal come vpon you prophecying false dreames causing the people of the Lord to erre by their lies and by their flatteries Ier. 23. Finally let thē cōsider the severe iudgmēt of the Lord pronoūced against such faithlesse messēgers in the same Prophet Behold they that flatter the people in their sinnes sar that the sword famine shal not bee in the land by sword famine shal these Prophets be consumed Jer. 14.15 Wherfore to conclude this point let vs beloved I speake this to al my brethren and fellow-labourers in this holie busines let vs I say as trustie Embasadours boldly deliuer our Lordes Embassage not fearing him that can kill the body only but him that can cast both body and soule into hell fire Matt. 10.28 And yet let vs not seeke to gal greeue the woūded conscience of our weake auditors by to rash indiscreete doubling redoubling woes vpon them alvvaies killing thē vvith the killing letter of the law Let vs take heede least if we thus alwaies preach to others iudgmēt without mercy wee our selues bee iudged of the Lord without mercy Let vs rather by our Prophets example keeping the golden meane temper them both togither Let vs