Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	new_a	old_a	testament_n	3,965	5	8.0680	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39287	Some observations upon the Answer to an enquiry into the grounds & occasions of the contempt of the clergy, with some additions in a second letter to R. L. / by the same author.	Eachard, John, 1636?-1697.	1671 (1671)	Wing E60; ESTC R821	82,238	210

people in that Faith which they had received and to strengthen them to all good Works which they did by preaching against such Heresies and Errours as they found the people were apt to be carried into and by fortifying them against such Vices as they perceived the time and place was most inclinable And that this was the manner of their Holy Employment is very plain by St. Basil and St. Chrysostome and many of the rest where one may read a great many go●…d Sermons but very few Texts or peculiar Sentences of the Bible pi●…ch'd upon much less so Logically and Metaphorically dress'd as some affect I believe there were very few Texts that melt●…d and dropt asunder for the first five hundred years Notwithstanding as the Answerer observes the Scripture tells us My Doctrine shall drop as the Rain for they had the Bible as well as we and knew the meaning of that place as well as the Answerer But yet for my part I never was nor yet am against a Text being taken or being divided there being as may be by and by mentioned considerable conveniences in both but yet one may presume to think that it is much better only to say Good people we are met together this day in the Name of God and I do intend to exhort you to Charity or Temperance or to convince you of the Providence of God and this I shall do by Gods help according to the Scriptures than to take formally and solemnly some place of Scripture where the word Charity Temperance or Providence is and spend the whole time in Logical Cuts Metaphysi●…al Curiosities and Learned Impertinences And hereupon 〈◊〉 may not be amiss to take notice of what a very Worthy Clergy-man observed There be says he two sorts of Mi●…sters that occasion their own contempt the idle negligent and careless the other those who over-do or do more than enough such I mean as affect nothing else but quaint and cur●…ous Phrases or are unmeasurable in their Quotations out of all Authors Ecclesiastical and Prophane or sore aloft in unnecessary Speculations far above the capacity of their Auditors These over-do magno conatu magnas nugas take great pains and eviscerate themselves as it were to weave a Web which when it is ended is fit for no other use but only as an unprofitable thing to be swept away The Answerer perhaps would be apt to say that this was some pert and self-conceited Divine that admiring his own Stile and way of Preaching talks thus were it not that a very Learned and Reverend Bishop did much admire and solemnly commend his Ingenuity Learning Worth and Integrity But to return I say it is much better of the two to follow the way of the Homilies of our Church which are plain practical and may be understood by most than to be so nice critical and s●…holastical as few or no body shall be the b●…ter But yet notwithstanding I am not of their mind who thinking themselves the profound Reasoners of the Age and the deep Enterers into Truth do thereupon despise all taking of Texts and dividing thereof those I mean that for fashion sake shall take you indeed Text after Text as if they would explain to you all the considerable Mysteries of Religion and acquaint you with all the Enc●…uragements that tend to a good Life that are to be found in the Bible and carry you thorough such a body of Divinity but the Sermon I thank you except it be just the beginning shall be very near the same for a new Text may be taken with that prudence and wariness that the same Sermon shall serve a man many a day as suppose this Sunday he takes that of St. Matthew My Yoke is easie and my Burthen is light about a Month after it is time possibly to take forth and then he i●… for that of St. Paul to the Romans viz. Which is your reasonable Service and a while after for that in the first Epis●…le of John A●…d his Commandments are not grievo●…s Now Sir here is the craft of it if they take Texts sutable to the occasion and divide them accordingly they could not then for shame and Conscience but meddle with one word or other that is there to be found But if they read the Text only in the whole and take it between finger and thumb and shew it plainly to the people that it is a good Text a fair Text and that there is no deceit in the business after the Parish have had this general view he may privately pocket it up again and then for Christian Religion and the Excellencies thereof only this Caution is to be observed that if the Text be in the New Testament any where between St. Matthew and the Revelations then it is to be shewn that Christian Religion is much beyond the Mosaical Doctrine and Dispensation but for variety if the Text be in the Old Testament then the case is altered and you are to shew that the Mosaical Doctrine is very far short of the Christian Nay Sir some there be that are so daring that shall venture to take a Text about Swearing or Adultery as plain as can be pick'd and as hopeful to bring forth a Discourse of those Subjects as could be wished and yet for all that with a little sly Preface shall draw you before you aware of it into the old business of Christian Religion Now Sir the next thing that the Answerer has to do is to take notice that this looks like a disingeniou●… Squint upon Christian Religion Yes Sir he may so and go on and tell people that it is my whole Design to bring in the Turk he may do it with as much Conscience as to report that I was against the whole method of Preaching And as some are so bent upon Preaching nothing but Christian Religion as if Joseph of Arimathea was just newly come o●…er So others there be that have their particular and darling Notions which they will force to be intended in almost every Verse of the Bible for instance one suppose having spent some considerable time i●… studying the Nature of Original Sin and finding as he thinks such wonderful things as were never plainly discovered before hence is he presently so full of the Secrets of Original Sin that if the Parish should joyn and add six pence more in the Pound to his present Tithes they would scarce get a Sermon about any thing else You may set him to preach about the Birth of our Saviour his Life Death Resurrection Ascension or what you will Original Sin is still the word for all that and this calls to miud what my Lord Bacon reckons a great hinderance to the advancement of Learning and of doing good in the world viz. people addicting themselves to some one peculiar and beloved opinion and so making all things of that and bringing all things to that they will suffer nothing else to be in the whole world and thus Gilbertus