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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	author_n	part_n	write_v	2,284	5	5.4903	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52433	Reflections upon the conduct of human life with reference to the study of learning and knowledge : in a letter to the excellent lady, the Lady Masham / by John Norris ... ; to which is annex'd a visitation sermon, by the same author.	Norris, John, 1657-1711.; Masham, Damaris, Lady, 1658-1708.; Norris, John, 1657-1711. Sermon preach'd in the Abby Church of Bath ... July 30, 1689.	1690 (1690)	Wing N1267; Wing N1270_PARTIAL; ESTC R15880	61,350	204

deliver'd and Plutarch has got more Credit from the History he gives of their Opinions in the 2d Tome of his Works than from any of his Rational and Moral Discourses And were he not accounted Learned for the Former I question whether the Latter tho far more excellent than they are would ever have given him that Title XLII Now Madam what an hard and unreasonable imposition is this that tho I am able to Think and Write never so much like an Angel my self yet I must not be accounted a Man of Learning unless I can tell what every whimsical Writer has said before me And how hard will this fall upon those whose lot is to breathe in the last Ages of the World who must be accountable for all the Whims and Extravagancies of so many Centuries And yet this is made so great a part of Learning that the Learning of most Men lies in Books rather than in Things and among Authors where one writes upon Things there are twenty that writes upon Books Nay some have carried this odd humour on so far that 't is thought Learning to know the very Titles of Books and their several Editions with the time and place when and where they were Printed And I have met with several my self that have valued themselves not a little upon this Mechanical faculty tho they knew no more of what was in them than they do of what is written in the Rolls of Destiny XLIII From this placing of Learning in the Knowledge of Books proceeds that ridiculous Vanity of Multiplying Quotations which is also reckon'd another piece of Learning tho they are used so unseasonably and impertinently that there can be no other end in them but only to shew that the Author has read such a Book And yet 't is no such Convincing Evidence of that neither it being neither New nor Difficult for a Man that 's resolv'd upon it to quote such Authors as he never Read nor Saw And were it not too Odious as well as Obvious a Truth I could name to your Ladiship some of those Author-Mongers who yet pass for Men of shrewd Learning and vast Reading XLIV These and many other such things for 't were endless to reckon up all are by the Majority of the World Voted for Learning and in these we spend our Education our Study and our Time tho they are all of them Contingent Truths that are not Perfective of the Understanding nothing being so but only Necessary Truths or the Divine Ideas the Eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word and Wisdom of the Father and also most of them impertinent and unconcerning ones So that in short the Charge of this Reflection amounts to thus much That Learning is generally placed in the Knowledge of such things which neither the Intellectual Perfection nor any other Interest of Man is concern'd to know The End of the First Reflection The Second Reflection Wherein the General Conduct of Human Life is tax'd for using undue and irregular Methods in Prosecuting what is really Perfective of the Vnderstanding I. IN the preceding Reflection the Intellectual Conduct of Human Life was censured for the general Misplacing of Learning for placing it in such things as are not Perfective of the understanding In the Present Reflection supposing it to be Free from that Fault we shall consider it as Chargeable with another namely with an undue and irregular Method of prosecuting what is really perfective of it The First was an Errour about the End This Second is an Errour about the Means which are the two hinges upon which all Prudence and all Imprudence turns II. That the Truth of this Charge may appear we must here also propose a Measure whereby we may proceed as we did in the Former Reflection And as there we took upon us to determine what that is which is Objectively perfective of the Vnderstanding so we must here consider what is the Right Method of Prosecuting what is so Which being stated will be a Measure to us in this as the other was in the former Reflection III. I design not here a just and Particular Treatise concerning The Method of Study or Inquiry after Truth this Province being already Professedly undertaken and Excellently adorn'd by two as great Masters of Thinking as ever were or are like to be in the World Cartesius and Malebranche of both which your Ladyship is so much a Mistress that a further undertaking of this kind would be as needless to your better information as to the Argument it self after the Management of it under such Excellent hands However something I must say it being impossible to shew that wrong Methods are used in this Grand Inquest but by predefining which is the Right This therefore I shall do but briefly only and in General IV. Since therefore that Truth which is Perfective of the understanding is Necessary Truth and since this Necessary Truth is the same with the Divine Ideas both which being already proved are here supposed following the thred of the same Hypothesis I find it Necessary to affirm that the right and indeed only Method of Enquiry after that Truth which is perfective of the understanding is by Consulting the Ideal World where only it is or the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who says of himself that he is not only the Truth but also the way V. Here I suppose two things first that this Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ideal World is intimately united with and presential to the Mind Secondly that we see and understand all things in him That he is our Light and our Wisdom the Light by which we See and the Light which we See that he is the very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inward word and Substantial Conception of our Minds as he is of the Father and that in this Sense he inlightens every Man that comes into the World This I need not prove now because I have done it professedly elsewhere only I shall pass one necessary Remark upon the manner of our being inlighten'd by the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who may be said to inlighten us in a double respect either Fundamentally and Potentially by putting us into a Capacity of Illumination by his intimate Union and Presence with us or else Effectually and Actually when we attend to his Divine Light which is always present to us tho we are not so to it In the Former sense he inlightens every Man in the latter only those who duly consult him and attend to him VI. For I consider that the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an Inlighteness in the same Proportion as he is a Redeemer Now he redeems us either by putting us in a Salvable and Reconcilable State which is a Redemption Vniversal Incondionate and Antecedent or by actually reconciling and Saving us which depends upon and is consequent to certain conditions and is conferr'd only upon those who are qualify'd accordingly And as his Redemption is

the better inabled to think clearly and distinctly XXVIII And thus have I given a clear and distinct account how Purity of Heart serves to the acquirement of Knowledge by a Natural Efficacy This it does also secondly by the Divine Grace and Benediction Purity of Heart is that Heavenly Lure which invites not only the Holy Spirit but also the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to come and dwell in the Soul and to inrich it with his Ideal Communications This we may be assured of from his own mouth He that loveth me shall be lov'd of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self to him And again If a man love me my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him The pure chaste and good Soul shall not only be loved by the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but be also of his Council and Privacy For this is the Spouse of the Word Eternal who first assumed innocent Nature and then assumes innocent Persons the first by a Natural the second by a Mystic union This is the Beloved Disciple who has the priviledge to lean upon the Bosom of his Lord and to be admitted to his more secret Communications And therefore says the Psalmist The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant And says our Lord himself Blessed are the Pure in Heart for they shall see God And Concerning the Four Children that refused to defile themselves with the Portion of the Kings Meat it is said that God gave them Knowledge and skill in all Learning and Wisdom and that Daniel had understanding in all Visions and Dreams For they were not only Pure and Temperate but Religiously so in obedience to the Law of their God the God of Israel Which the said God rewarded with Knowledge and skill in all Learning and Wisdom in them all but in Daniel peculiarly with a faculty of interpreting Aenigmatical Dreams and Visions as the Learned Dr. More observes in his excellent Comment upon that place XXIX The third and last way of consulting the Ideal World is by Prayer This is a method which the Scripture also advises us to If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him And this we know was the Method whereby the Wisest of men attain'd his unparallel'd Wisdom For as Wisdom was his Choice so the Method of his seeking and gaining it was by Prayer And 't is further observable that he address'd himself to the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ideal World in particular as you may see in that solemn Prayer of his recorded in the Book of Wisdom give me Wisdom that sitteth by thy Throne c. Which I commend to your Ladyships perusal at leisure XXX And thus Madam have I Defined and by Scripture and Reason Proved what is the Right Method of prosecuting that Truth which is Perfective of the understanding This in general I have shewn to consist in Consulting the Ideal World The manner of doing which I have also shewn to be First by Thinking the Order of which is also defined Secondly by Purity of Heart and Life and lastly by Prayer This I take to be via Intelligentiae the Way and Method of Wisdom whose House I think is Now Built tho not upon Seven yet upon Three Substantial Pillars and I should be glad if any one would be so kind as to shew me the weakness of the Ground upon which they stand XXXI And now Madam I think I I need not use many words to shew that as Learning is generally placed in such things as are not Perfective of the understanding so that what is so is generally prosecuted by undue Methods For 't is but to compare the Methods in common use with that which we have premised and demonstrated and you will immediately perceive the falseness and irregularity of them For First whereas the First and general Method of Wisdom and knowledge is by consulting the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ideal World the World of Light that Light which inlightens every Man that comes into this World the generality of Students don 't so much as Dream of this nor make any such Application but apply themselves altogether to the Ectypal World to the World of Darkness and Obscurity So verifying that complaint of God by the Prophet My People have forsaken me the Fountain of Living Waters and have digg'd to themselves broken Cisterns that will hold no Water XXXII Then again whereas another more Particular Method is by Attention and Thinking this is generally so little regarded that no sort of Men think so little for the most part as they that are ingaged in the Profess Study of Learning and Knowledge This they don't reckon as any part of Study nor as any Progress in the Stage of Learning but only as a Graver way of being Idle 'T is then only they Study when they are hanging their Heads over an Old Musty Folio and are making huge Common-places and stuffing their Memories with Grey Sentences and Venerable sayings And thus they spend their Time and their Ink and having Scambl'd through a company of Books most of which perhaps were Written to as little purpose as they are Read they think themselves Learned Men and the World is too often of their Opinion tho they have not made themselves Masters of any Sense or Notion nor are able to demonstrate one single Truth upon solid Principles and in a Consequential Process XXXIII And this is the Method not only of those who Misplace Learning but also of the Most of those that place it aright For even those that place it in Ideal Truths do not generally Think for it but Read for it Seek it not in their Souls but in Books And this methinks I can never sufficiently Wonder at Indeed as for those that place Learning not in being able to frame Clear and Distinct Conceptions of ones Own but in Knowing the Opinions of Others 't is no wonder that they take this Method for tho it be Not a means to the End they should propose yet t is a Means to the End which they do propose But the wonder is how those that place Learning as they should in the Clear Conception of Ideal Truths should think to find this meerly by tumbling over Books XXXIV I deny not but that Reading is One way of Knowing otherwise I should not be at the Pains to write this to your Ladyship but then t is only by Accident that it is so as it gives hints and occasions for Thinking And therefore Thinking is the only thing to be regarded even in Reading for Reading as such is Nothing and then we Read to most purpose when we are thereby most enabled to Think So that Thinking is the End of Reading as Understanding is the End of Thinking We Ought