Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	great_a	life_n	write_v	5,211	5	5.2860	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67361	Divine meditations upon several occasions with a dayly directory / by the excellent pen of Sir William Waller ...	Waller, William, Sir, 1597?-1668.	1680 (1680)	Wing W544; ESTC R39417	76,156	224

special note I would by the by allow my self a traffick with sundry authors as I happned to light upon them for my recreation and I would make the best advantage that I could of them but I would fix my study upon those only that are of most importance to fit me for action which is the true end of all learning and for the service of God which is the true end of all action Lord teach me so to study other mens works as not to neglect mine own and so to study thy word which is thy work that it may be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path my candle to work by Take me off from the curiosity of knowing only to know from the vanity of knowing only to be known and from the folly of pretending to know more then I do know and let it be my wisdome to study to know thee who art life eternal Write thy law in my heart and I shall be the best book here MEDITATION VI. Vpon an entertainment of Godly Friends WHat a deal of Heaven is there in in this company methinkes like Abraham I entertain Angels the comfort and illumination that I receive from them hath so much of that society in it Certainly there is no pleasure in this world comparable to the enjoyment of the Communion of Saints where good people are compacted and united together in affection and judgment and interest as fellow members of one body which though many have but one heart and one head and are so one another that they are members one of another that they are all one in Christ But in the name of wonder what is it that should be so taking in this company where is the wine and the strong drink where are the costly ointments and the Crownes of rosebuds the Musick dancing laughing the world understands the language of these jollities without the help of an interpreter But for people to meet only to talk one another into gravity and to spend time in speculative discourses of another world when they might give themselves the pleasure of this if this be mirth what doth it It may seem a strange and an impertinent advice of this great Moralist to his friend Lucilius that above all things he should be careful to learn● how to be merry one would think there should go no great matter of Philosophy to that But there is a mistake in it True mirth is Metaphysical and supernatural It is not the crackling of thornes under a pot a blaze and a noise and a nothing the laughter of a mad man is not mirth but it is a severe and I may say a Divine thing It is an anticipation of the joyes of Heaven in the delightful society of a good conscience when we are alone and together with that of conscientious friends when we are in company They are the merry hearts that keep the continual Feast It is one of the Devils lyes and that of which he hath made as great advantage as of any that Religion is a dull flat melancholy thing whereas in truth there is no such cleere defecate mirth as that which cometh from the Springs above The Prophet Isaiah speaking of the coming of our Saviour in the flesh gave this Character of him That he should not be sad so it is rendered in the vulgar translation that he should not be of a sullen retired disposition but amicable and free and it was verified in his conversation He was anointed with the oyle of gladness and we have that Spiritual unction from him Let the men of the world deride this heavenly mirth as the Covetous Pharisees derided the true riches which Christ spake of as a fantastical thing they do but like those that make themselves merry at the sight of a company dancing a farr off when they cannot hear the musick whereby their gestures and motions are directed and therefore judge them to be antick and ridiculous They take this mirth to be no other then a folly and laugh at they know not what because being at such a distance from the godly they cannot take notice of the heavenly harmony and accord that is between their orderly conversation and the aires of Gods spirit quickening and inlivening them with joyes unspeakable and full of glory Nothing but ignorance is the mother of this misopinion But what are these friends that are so wellcom are they persons of honour or interest is there any thing to be gotten by them the fashion of the world is to serve the Ball only to those that can return it and to bid those only that can bid againe It is a sad word Not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish weak base inconsiderable things of the world things that are nothings to route and confound all humane wisdome and might and to annul things that are The Lord seeth not as man seeth vainglorious fooles may pride themselves in that which is none of their own the vertue and generosity of their ancestors or in that which hath no being at all but in fancy riches and estate It is not flaggs and pedegree but a noble heart that makes a noble person true goodness is true greatness and Gods blessing the true riches he that hath that hath all ●s slight account as there is made of these good people and of such as these they are the Children of the King of heaven and though possibly their names may not be extant in the Heralds bookes they will be found written in the book of life Our little great ones of the world may think them only fit to stand at the lower end of the roome or to sit under the footstoole but with their good leave they that shall one day sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdome of Heaven are good enough now to be guests at the best table upon earth How happy are the hours that are spent in such company as this to speak more properly they are not spent but gaind So much time thus redeemed is so much life clearly gotten there is a prolongation of life in a holy Conversation it is one thing to be in the world and another to live in it They only live that live well Vitious persons that give themselves up to their pleasures are dead whilst they live and are but a kind of walking Ghosts but the living the living they praise God and they onely live that do praise him There is nothing that hath a greater influence upon our lives than the company we keep generally Men are like that Mercurial Planet good or bad according to their conjunction with others There is in all societies an attracting and assimilating quality and altho thorough the corruption that is predominant in our natures this is more apparent in the operation of evil rather than of Good Company yet there is true grace this Magnetick Vertue will shew it self