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	speak_v	write_v	2,771	5	5.0404	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81376	Certaine observations concerning the duty of love, and of the contrary evill, vncharitablenesse. VVritten by Thomas Devenish.	Devenish, Thomas.	1642 (1642)	Wing D1213; Thomason E142_21; ESTC R8292	21,289	34

CERTAINE OBSERVATIONS Concerning the Duty OF LOVE AND OF THE CONTRARY EVILL Vncharitablenesse VVritten by Thomas Devenish 1 Cor. 13.1 Though I speake with the tongue of men and Angels and have not Charity I am become as a sounding Brasse or as a tinckling Cymball LONDON Printed by R. Oulton and G. Dexter for William Larnar 1641. TO THE HONOURABLE Denzil Hollis Esquire Brother to the Right Honourable the Earle of CLARE all Grace here and Glory hereafter RIght Noble Sir this Pamphlet is for the most part such notes as I had taken some five or six yeers sithence for mine owne private use but now have made it for the use of my friends also And howsoever for want of such a dresse as Learning might have set it forth in it hath lost that grace which otherwayes it might have had yet by reason of the matter I assure my selfe it will be of some account with so many as preferre substance before shadowes which hath made me adventure the publishing of it though no better furnished then you see and the sure knowledge of your noble disposition and former experience of your favour hath imboldened me to present this little Booke unto your Honour being well assured that by your Patronage it will finde the more favourable entertainment especially amongst some which otherwise perhaps would have scornfully rejected it and it may be will tax me of resumption that for the credit of a trifle shall crave the assistance of so eminent a person but my duty and true affection to your Honour and hope of your pardon hath made mee wilfully repell all reasons that might disswade me Accept therefore I beseech your Honour this small gift as King Artaxerxes did the water which a poore man brought in his hands and gave him who received it with a smiling and cheerefull countenance measuring the gift not according to the value but according to his good will that gave it and thought it no lesse an act of Kingly greatnesse to take small presents in good part then to give greater neither is any eminence disgraced by so doing I think it needlesse to trouble your Honour with many words of entreaty and therefore conclude wishing your Honour all happinesse here and hereafter Your Honours to be commanded THO. DEVENISH To the READER FRiendly Reader I know that great wisdome is requisit to write well and there is need of greater deliberation then in speaking because a rash word may be presently corrected but that which is set down in writing cannot be so easily amended yet this is chiefly to be observed by Schollers and great men who ought to consider well what they utter and to use words of another phrase than that of the vulgar sort but for such as my selfe may take more libertie not wronging so much our reputation so we speake the truth which hath imboldened me to publish this Booke for as it is lawfull and fit to aske such things as wee stand in need of so also to profit others what wee can by speaking or writing though wee want that sweete grave and eloquent speech which is not to be neglected by such as have it and for any to refuse a truth when it may be profitable because it comes in homely words were grosse folly I am sure men will not do so in the things of this life for I have often knowne wise men of this world and learned discourse long with a poore Countrey-man and have beene very readie to hearken to his advice when it may be profitable and you shall hardly finde any so madde as to refuse directions from the meanest Shepheard or Begger he meets withall in a way he knowes not But you will say it 's a shame for any man to be so ignorant as not to know the way to his owne home and that in the cleare light at noone day but such is the wilfull ignorance of the most that they know not or if they know they forget and walke not in this heavenly path of Charitie yea men of high esteeme for their great wisedome are not ashamed to declare their ignorance of this Royall Law of Love which ought to be the rule of all mens actions Witnesse that great man who at his triall made this excuse That he fell upon those evills with which hee was charged for want of Buoy to guide him if he had but looked on the law of Nature hee might have found Buoy enough for a Heathen could have told him by the light of that Law that it is injustice to take that which belongs to another man from him by force much more would the Law of God have been a perfect rule to have kept him from those uncharitable wayes and he could not misse directions there almost in every leafe which implyes not onely the necessitie and excellencie of this dutie but also our want of it and the great need we have still to be put in minde and this is also manifested by our Saviours speech to Simon Peter Ioh. 21.15 For as if this could never be sure enough rooted in the heart he asketh him three times together whether hee loved him sure Christ did not aske so often to informe himselfe of Peters love but to teach him and us all the necessitie of this dutie which is the summe of all for without it we can doe nothing well and with it and a right judgement we can doe nothing ill The best affected looke more to the truth then to the person or manner of delivery which leaves mee not altogether hopelesse but that this may doe some good and so I commit it to the charitable acceptance of all that reade it desiring to gaine so much intrust hereby in the affection of Gods children that I may have a part in their prayers which I hope they will not deny me and in that hope I rest Yours in the Lord THO. DEVENISH JOHN 13. VERS 34. A new Commandement I give you that yee love one another as I have loved you c. GAL. 6. VERS 2. Beare yee one anothers burthens c. BEfore wee learne our Duty it is good to set before our eyes the haynousnesse of our sinne and the best way for a man to come to the true sense and knowledge of the nature of sinne is first to consider the glorious Nature of God against whom we sinne his infinite essence and power his excellent wisedome his wonderfull goodnesse his free love his exact Justice his unspeakable Mercy and his infallible Truth with all the rest of his Attributes And in the second place consider what God hath done for us he created us of the dust of the earth and that in his owne Image Gen. 1.27 That is in the likenesse and exquisite resemblance of divine Essence or Deity Hence we may see the blasphemie of Papists in making an Image of God which cannot possibly have the least resemblance of Divine Nature Also in the first and second Chapter of Gen. wee may see at