Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	holy_a	read_v	scripture_n	8,342	5	5.9261	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50836	The Christian pattern paraphras'd, or, The book of the Imitation of Christ commonly ascrib'd to Thomas à Kempis ; made English by Luke Milbourn ...	Milbourne, Luke, 1649-1720.; Thomas, à Kempis, 1380-1471.	1696 (1696)	Wing M2030A; ESTC R16611	104,301	344

long'd-for Bliss which never never dies Think then on what the wisest Man reply'd The Eyes and Ears are never satisfi'd What er'e the longing Appetite receives Only a sickly Wish and tedious Longings leaves Turn then thy Soul from wretched Earth below And all thy Thoughts on heavenly Joys bestow So shall a spotless Conscience warm thy Breast And thou securely on thy Saviour's Bosom rest II. Know thy Self WOuldst thou know much my Soul and wouldst thou be From thy great Master's Service free Wouldst thou by curious Rules of Art descry The various Motions of the Sky Fond Wretch the Clown who but himself can read By that short Lesson will thy soaring Art exceed Know but thy Self thy Self thou'lt soon despise Nor to the World's Applauses rise Thy Works not Arts shall be severely scann'd When all the World in Judgment stand Cease then thy Pains and never court thy Woes Deceit and Madness still with mighty Learning goes Men pufft with Learning love the pointing Hand And much on swelling Titles stand And spend their careless Hours in empty Toys Which ne're advance their sober Joys But sure He 's mad who wondrous Knowledg gains Yet never knows the means to scape infernal Pains Great Words can never fill thy Appetite Great Actions only bring Delight Purge but thy self then boldly lift thy Face To the bright Throne of heavenly Grace Great Sense and Knowledg where the Practice fails Only the heavier Woes on wretched Souls entails Fear then thy flowing Parts thy matchless Sense And all thy vast Intelligence Know what thou wilt thou'lt but the sooner find A thousand things have slipt thy Mind A thousand Men whose Names are scarcely known Beyond thy Learning far and utmost Reach have gone Study thy Self with all exactness know How all Affairs within thee go Examin all thy Ways and soon to thee Thy Self the noblest Theme shall be If others thou before thy self prefer Such humble Thoughts express true Wisdom's Character Thou mayst perhaps another's Failures see His Crimes may lie expos'd to thee Yet scorn him not nor think thy self secure Our Steps on Earth are rarely sure Thou standst consider lest thy self should fall All Men are frail indeed but thou more frail than all III. TRVTH HAppy the Man whom Truth securely guides By secret Ways and powerful Influence Happy the Man in whose weak Head resides No false Opinion from deceitful Sense But Ignorance would rather chuse Than Time in vain Designs abuse We 're mad in Arts obscure to spend our Days To shun the Light and Intricacies chase Where God's Eternal Word the Truth displays We all at once may know and all embrace Where that once speaks we safely rest With Peace and Faith unfading blest O thou essential Truth my Soul unite To thee by all the Bonds of sacred Love O thou my Saviour O my Soul's Delight To whom alone my Passions fiercely move Let Earthly Teachers silent be But speak O speak dear Lord to me The more within our selves our Thoughts descend The more we see by God's superiour Light Pure Souls to Holy Works more strongly bend To raise God's Honour and his Acts recite Only our Lusts unconquer'd curb Our Motions and our Thoughts disturb The pious Soul those inward Lusts restrains Nor bows to them but them to Reason bows The brightest Crown the great Self-conqueror gains And by his Conquest daily stronger grows All other Skill's an empty Show And all 's imperfect here below Wouldst thou then go to God not glaring Parts But humble Thoughts can reach his glorious Seat Arts made by God are good but vertuous Hearts Pure Lives and lowly Thoughts more truly great And all in fruitless Error die Who more to know than practise try O would a foolish World at last improve As much in Goodness as in vain Disputes But thro what Gloom that subtle Head must move Whose Practice all his godly Talk refutes Who falls and leaves no Name behind Put out of Sight is out of Mind He 's truly great who 's great in Charity He 's great who 's humble and can Greatness scorn He 's wise who Worth in none but Christ can see He 's learn'd who 's to Divine Obedience born Tho all inferior Glories fly His balmy Name shall never die IV. PRVDENCE WHAT e're we read what e're we hear Let Holy Care with Patience weigh for Truth alas we weakly bear But Falshood gains a mighty Sway. The Wise Man knows our faulty State To loose Discourse and Guilt inclin'd And always measures things by Weight To no uncertain Tales resign'd He 'll ne're run headlong on nor will he be Stiff in his own Conceit and sensless Bigotry Receive not then each idle Tale Nor all thou hear'st to all relate But let a wise Man's Words prevail Above thy own his Counsels rate A Holy Life a Life refin'd Owners Godlike Wisdom proves And with Experience fills the Mind And with Divine Contentment moves Where God a lowly Heart a Subject gains There only Prudence thrives and inward Calmness reigns V. Search the Scriptures SEE Read these Sacred Volumes o're This wondrous Book survey Truth in its antient Springs explore Thy Studies on the mighty Subject stay Perhaps no modish Stuff no milky Phrase Thy sickly Sense may gratify Yet there blest Truth her Beams displays And all her Treasures lie See read again to clear thy Mind The Spirit 's Help implore That God's who first the Book design'd Whose Badg the well instructed Penmen wore Instructive Truth in common Language lies In plain and easy Words exprest But Falshood off like Vapour flies Tho ne're so gayly drest Shouldst thou mysterious Language love Or lofty Flights admire Thou 'lt meet with Raptures here above What e're thy own presuming Thoughts inspire Don't yet Devotions humble Stile despise But read with calm Attention there Brook the thirsty Lamb supplies Whose Streams are soft and clear Perhaps thou'lt find a Shepherd write A Herdsman prophesy But if the Spirit all indite Where can the Prejudice against them lie Authority and Learning only He On all that Holy Tribe bestows And all thy Studies there should be Where Truth sincerely flows If Truth in every Sentence shine And give thee certain Light Thou know'st Truth 's Words are all Divine Tho meanest Men her sacred Dictates write The mortal Penmen soon are past and gone To Dust from whence at first they came Truth claims Eternity alone And still remains the same Thy Wit thy Learning and thy Parts Perhaps are more than mine But God who reads our inmost Hearts May on my Soul with greater Favours shine Be thou impartial too with careful Eyes Examine all the Sacred Roll Th' inestimableTreasure prize As thy immortal Soul Wouldst thou in Holy Sense improve Then lay thy self aside All vain and curious Thoughts remove And Self-Conceit and unbelieving Pride Ask oft and with submissive Silence weigh What Holy Men declar'd of old Thy Judgments on their Dictates stay And their Directions hold VI. 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