Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	entertainment_n	find_v	great_a	71	3	2.1246	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40498	The Friendly monitor laying open the crying sins of cursing, swearing, drinking, gaming, detraction, and luxury or immodesty ... : in five short discourses ...		1692 (1692)	Wing F2225; ESTC R777	33,216	88

more to tolerate these designs against Heaven than Loyalty do's against the State And 't were to be wish'd that those who throughout Christendom superintend the spiritual Affairs would so far stand up for Vertue and maintain its Rights as not to see it overthrown by the permission of such Contraband Goods as these But however this be 't is certain as many as trade in them ought to look on themselves no better than the Devil's Factors for tho' they get so much per Cent in their Sale yet the Principal Gain is for Hell whether they help to pack off more Souls 't is likely than they have Pence come to their share But of this kind of Merchandise I think there 's none worse than that which is Book and Picture all in one lewd Ballads I mean which being every body's Mony seems contriv'd on purpose to convey filth into every Corner to teach Children to be Vicious as soon as they can read and furnish every Servant that has but an Half-penny to spare with Wickedness enough to become chargeable to their Masters and in the end to ruin themselves And that none may be depriv'd of this knowledge for want of Mony 't is but standing one half hour under a Wall and they may read half a dozen for nothing nay and for those too that cannot read they have ill luck if they meet not some of these in their walks set off with an excellent New Tune where they have Musick into the bargain to recommend and help down the Poyson Now to me it seems a thing altogether unwarrantable that when two or three debauched Rimers have over a Pot botch'd up a filthy Song which without Wit or Sense is just fitted to please nothing above the Beast in Man they should be permitted to publish these their Pestiferous Thoughts in Print and Picture and have them pass for Current as if enter'd according to order when they are fit to appear no where but in the region of Darkness to feed that Fire which will be their Torment who prepare such Fuel And then for others of the same leaven to go about streets and tune out these infernal Lays in the midst of unthinking Crowds and set up these Walking Bawdy-houses at every Corner nay and under the very Church Walls too in defiance of that Gospel which is there preach'd as if they meant nothing less than to undo all the Sunday Lectures with a Song is a thing intolerable and so opposite to all Religion and Goodness that till the Publick shall think fit to express its Zeal against it 't is but necessary every private Person should decline all such Assemblies where there 's no approaching but at the expence of Modesty and Shame and the Scandal of all that are Good who know that after all the Sport and Noise there 's nothing else meant but the Cheap Invitation of who 'll learn to go to Hell for a Halfpenny There 's too much of this sort of Infection too in Romances and Plays tho' set off here in a much better Dress which renders them still the more dangerous in as much as those Ingenious Covers of Wit with which the Poyson is there gilded helps to carry it down with more ease and delight and to sink it so deep in the Soul that 't is not in the power of time to work it out or make it be forgotten And 't is these Immodest Sprinklings these Indecent Suggestions which makes these Entertainments that would otherwise be in some sort justifiable to be many times prejudicial to Vertuous Inclinations to be the Corruption of Youth and to cast such ill Seed in the Minds of the most reserv'd that the Fruit it brings forth I fear is not so very Christian as it should be or as some pretend who say they go to those Diversions to be instructed in Goodness and Vertue For certainly their Eyes and Ears must be very great Chymists so entirely to separate the Good from the Evil as to let none of the Dross and Filth go down with what is pure and Spirit and prevent all the good Effects of it in the Soul But however they may be skill'd in this I cannot but think if they sincerely desire their own Good they might learn much more of this at home with a Good Book in a Corner at a cheaper rate and with more security But what must no Diversion then of a Play be allow'd to Younger People and others that have leisure they must expect many clamouring Adversaries that answer this in the Negative But this Caution then I give that they be careful to choose such as are Innocent and go but seldom For believe me those that go to all Plays indifferently and grow fond of this Entertainment must needs run a great hazard of defiling all that is good within them and betray in themselves a very Corrupt and Idle Inclination who can find no better Employment than living in a Play-house And I can think but little better of those who delight in no other Books but in reading Plays and Romances for besides this particular Mischief we here speak of they are apt to make vain airy and giddy Brains put people upon extravagancies keep Youth from ever setling and prepares them for Dreaming as long as they live Hitherto as to the Eyes but after this there is still a great care to be us'd in the Government of the Tongue in order to preserve the Soul Pure and Undefil'd so that whoever desires to make one of that Blessed Number of the Clean of heart must with David set a Guard over his Lips and by no means suffer any Indecent or Immodest Word to come out of his Mouth This is the Command of St. Paul who enjoyns all those that think of learning Christ To let no Corrupt Communicacation proceed out of their Mouths and that Vncleanness be not once nam'd amongst them Ephes 4. 29. 8. 3. This he repeats again Coloss 3. 8. Where his Command is Put off Anger Wrath Malice Blasphemy Filthy Communication out of your Mouth Is it not plain then that if this be one of the Conditions requir'd for the laying aside Insidelity and becoming a Christian that whoever permits in himself the habit of Corrupt Communication of Immodest Discourse or even Naming what is Filthy is so much of an infidel still so far an Enemy to Christ instead of being a Christian And is it not most surprizing then to see how frequent this is amongst those that profess this Name most abominable to hear them without any respect to God's Command or regard to their Souls talking like Heathens like Beasts nay like Evil Spirits for what else is this but the Language of Hell the Communication of Devils And who art thou Christian that pretendest to serve thy God and art bound by his Law to speak nothing but to Edification and art so often amongst thy Companions beginning and helping on these filthy Discourses as if thy business were not to