Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A77662
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A paradox usefull for the times.
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Browne, Edward.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing B5103; Thomason E126_21; ESTC R21739
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6,693
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10
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to my chin as is to be seen in my Annuall world so that I drowned all worldly things in a spirituall sence Yet these I passed over likewise and had many times the society of my Love But at the last these waters began to be rough and the winds blew and a great tempest arose as is to be seen in my Meteor so that I was in danger to be drowned yet these I passed over likewise and had hopes of my love But my Patterne of Justice and Mercy hath captivated my senses so that in these waters I am like to be drowned and have lost her who was never found by me in the way I sought her Yet in maintenance of these my labours of love I will hazzard my life and fortunes for first in my Annuall world I have not ascribed any inherent holinesse in one day above another but made a reverend Memorandum and divine meditation on every day through the year which I thinke is lawfull and am sure it is the duty of every Christian so to doe and though I doe borrow a better forme of prayer then I am able of my selfe to compose according to my matter though it be out of our Church Liturgy which some call the English Masse-booke I esteeme of my Booke never the worse for I had rather speak 4. or 5. words with understanding then a great deale of non-sense to no purpose In my sacred Poems I have used the assistance of learned Du Bartas and other Poets elegant expressions on the day in generall and all the dayes in the weeke for which I and so I hope all understanding people will love my Apothecaries Shop the better for such variety of expressions though some say this dead flie hath made all my Bookes of oyntment unsavoury Thirdly for my Patterne of justice and mercy and my Star there is few findes fault with but in my Meteor they thinke to have a great advantage against me beeause I compared my late honoured Master to Laban and Nabal who in bad qualities is as far unlike them as an Apple is like an Oyster but for riches and honour so it is true I did compare him like them and my unworthy self like Jacob and David for penury and poverty and my love to Rachel in her Christian name but otherwise as unlike them as Chalke is like Cheese If it can be proved that Rachel is as faire and amiable as her name-sake if I am as industrious as Jacob or as holy as David which is very well knowne to the contrary then I will affirme my Master to be as covetous as Laban and as churlish as Nabal Besides I thinke it no more presumption in me to use these comparisons nor dishonour to my Master or Rachel to be so compared then it was for Moses to compare himselfe like unto Christ Deut. 18. 15. for it is well knowne that Moses was borne in sin and committed many actuall crimes but Christ was free from â—â—ther Originall he was conceived by the Holy Ghost or actuall there was no guile found in his mouth but yet Moses as he was a Man a Prophet and deliverer â—f the Israelites out of Aegyptian bondage so he was like Christ a true man of the flesh of his Virgin mother The Prophet of the highest and deliverer of Mankinde out of Satans slavery Therefore now let the most Criticall Parasite joyne himselfe with the most holy that may be found and shew me in particular by writing under their hands and not in reviling termes with a big looke and loud voice for I cannot endure scolding wherein is my light with darknesse or my holy and vaine unprofitable things mixed which are altogether inconsistent and wherein I have dishonoured my Master in my Bookes and if I doe not satisfie them in the view of all the world I will endure the greatest punishment they can inflict upon me but if they faile to do this be they who they will that abused me to my late Master living and doe now endeavour to oversway my judicious loving friends good opinion of me and of my honest endeavours I doe here pronounce in the sight of God and before all the world that they are a company of malicious detractors wolves in sheeps clothing flattering Sycophants c. But I am not alone thus wronged for these kinde of people have abused Authority Therefore I will commend them to study how they may vindicate their reputations and give thankes to God that out of my folly hee hath taught me to be so wise as to make no more Bookes and that out of the most darkest sentence therein I can finde a great deale of light to comfort and cheare my soule after all her vexations in all places and at all times from this time forth for ever more Amen Soli Deo honor gloria Printed in that same Climacterian yeare When Gods wondrous workes in this Land did appeare In abasing the proud exalting the low As Christ and the Prophets foretold long agoe
we live Is it not reported for certaine That the Kings favourites and the Lordly Gentlemen did intend to bring up a Tyrannicall jurisdiction over the Commons of England Scotland and Ireland as it is in France did they not attempt it by Monopolies Projects exaction in Courts of justice and other wayes was this well done No sure it was very ill Did not the Lordly Bishops and imperious Clergy seek to Lord it over Gods Inheritance so to eat the honey of the poore labouring Bee to make themselves fat like idle Drones was this well done Surely no It was very ill Againe It is said That some would have an Aristocraticall government in this Island that hath been so many yeares a free Monarchy thereby to make the Prince a Subject to his Nobles and the Commons slaves to many imperious Lords will this bewell Surely no but very ill for I had rather be subject to one Royall King and his officers then be under so many distinct Lords and their favourites as I here it is beyond the Sea where they are inforced to pay for their owne meat and drinke and be exacted of all their labour which would be as grievous to an ingenuous spirit as the Aegyptian bondage Againe there is of late sprung up a strange kinde of Pharisaicall Teachers who though in words they despise the kingdome of Antichrist yet their deeds establish it And because they would make people beleeve that all they utter is by the Spirit they scorne the words of Christ at the close of their Sermons give God thanks that they have forgotten the Lords Prayer and because they would seeme to excell the Law and the Prophets they expunge the fifth Commandement out of the Decalogue and that you may see they have a Revelation above the Apostles they cancell the 5. Article in their Creed And thus they preach chusing a Text from whence they draw an observation as far from it as the East is from VVest Another he railes non-sense against the Booke of Common-Prayer for its well composed repetitions and never considers his own vain babling another is angry that Cheapside Crosse hath more gold than he hath in his purse another like Diogenes in a Tub bâ—bbles he knowes not what and because the Church hath been used by Papists he is afraid to come into it c. Are these things well done surely no. Wherein we shew our folly and contemning light we walk in darknesse so that we know not whether wee goe nor what to doe for these differences raised the bloody rebellion in Ireland and doth now threaten destruction to this Kingdome But God is the same God still hee can and will when he sees best bring out of all these evills much good in a well composed Monarchicall government By this all men may learne wisdome and grave Senators understanding and out of all this darknesse of error and blindnesse we may walke in the cleare light and so shine Brighter and brighter till it be perfect day that so the Lord may continue to be unto us a good and a gracious God and we may continue to be unto him a chosen generation a royall Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people even his own pleasant plant Thirdly and lastly That good doth daily spring out of evill I would prove by many Presidents but I will only instance in my selfe For I have lately made two Books the one entituled Annuall world and sacred Poems the other A rare pattern of justice and mercy with a Meteor a Star which I thought was a good work and is so approved in it selfe by many judicious and learned men but my ends was bad for I did them for by respects and not chiefly for the glory of God which I will illustrate in this fable following It is by Poets reported that Phaeton the too adventrous son of Sob and Clymene having with much intreaty obtained of his Father Phoebus the guiding of his Chariot for one day and being utterly unable to performe such an enterprise let the horses raines slip and had thereby almost set the whole world on fire scorching Aethiopia and many other places till at length Jupiter perceiving his boldnesse and fearing to be burnt himselfe struck him with a Thunderbolt and he fell into the River Eridanus now called Po or Padus which fable as it doth lively represent the picture of inconsiderate and ambitious men in generall so in particular it is verified in me for notwithstanding the grave advice of my late judicious loving Master Sir James Cambell and other my friends who wishâ— me to surcease my fruitlesse labour in making Bookes especially now in this paper-age wherein many strive to vent the froth of their inventions into the Presse so that lying and scandalous Pamphlets fly about the City in every corner and prove vendible ware whereas solid and learned mens workes are nothing regarded And for mee to trouble my selfe in making Bookes who never came within the view of double topt Parnassus I meane the two Universities of this Island and never proceeded beyond the Rudiments of learning I meane the Grammer it could not chuse but prove a fruitlesse labour Yet having for some small time conversed with Star-crowned Vrania that soul-ravishing and heavenly Muse I could not rest satisfied with a little taste of her divine Nactor till I had so intoxicated my sences that in a frantique humour I have set the frame of heaven in a combustion for I have stated the Sun Moon and Stars upon such improper objects as may cause amazement to the beholders Therefore it is no wonder if with the said Phaeton or rather with foolish Icarus if I with the wings of a vaine hope and as you may thinke an unadvised pride striving to ascend into a Bright firmament of favour am cast down into an ocean of contempt and disdaine Herein was my folly and thus to obtaine Bright I have walked in darknesse But yet to vindicate my reputation in this particular these Books may not unfitly be compared to those holy waters Ezekiel saw flow out of the Sanctuary which from a shallow Forde no deeper then his ancles became a River impassable and I my selfe may not unfitly be compared to kinde hearted Leander a young man in Abidos who for the love of Ero a beautifull Damsell of Sestos did oftentimes in the night swim over the narrow Sea of Hellespont it being between those two Townes to obtain the society of his Love But at length one night the Sea being rough he was drowned so I in like manner have oftentimes waded over these waters but at the first I only drencht my foot as is to be seen in Libro Amoris and by many chearefull perambulatious and loving welcomes I had free and easie accesse to my love at the next time those Poeticall waters flowed up to my ancles as appeareth in sacred Poems and with much alacrity I oft visited her but then these divine waters began to flow up