Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	life_n	name_n	write_v	18,504	5	6.4426	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68815	The imitation or following of Christ, and the contemning of worldly vanities wherevnto, as springing out of the same roote, we haue adioyned another pretie treatise, entituled, The perpetuall reioyce of the godly, euen in this lyfe.; Imitatio Christi. English. 1568.	Thomas, à Kempis, 1380-1471.; Castellion, Sébastien, 1515-1563.; Hake, Edward, fl. 1560-1604.	1568 (1568)	STC 23971; ESTC S118357	145,208	331

and the Lorde hath taken awaye blessed be the name of the Lorde Is he kept vnder with pouertie and néede He aunswereth himselfe out of the Apostle Hauing foode and wherewith to be couered let vs content our selues with the same Is he taunted or taken vp without his desert He remembreth Christ who being rayled at did not reply euill for euill agayne as saint Peter sayeth Doth he receyue some grieuous notorious iniurie He remembreth that saying of Paule to the Romaines Not reuenging your owne quarrels beloued And agayne Leaue reuenge vnto mee and I will requite sayth the Lorde Is he afflicted with intollerable tormentes of some disease or sickenesse or with some other euilles He cryeth with Dauid Thou art iust O Lord and thy iudgement is right Is he forsaken of his acquaintance or friends He calleth to remembraunce that saying out of the Psalmes My father and my mother haue forsaken mee but yet the Lorde hath receyued me Briefly in all troubles miseries and calamities the godly man hath verye great cōfortes set before him in the frée goodnesse mercy and clemencie of God and from hence alway hath vnspeakable ioy doth aske in prayer looke for the mitigation or asswaging of them or if it shall so please God full deliueraunce from those euils wherwith he is laden and kept downe He knoweth that God both hath commaunded himselfe to be prayed vnto in the tyme of trouble and calamitie and that he hath promysed his aide and helpe and that also he looketh for a thankefull hart of such as are deliuered Trusting vnto these things he cryeth with Abacuch O Lorde in thy wrath remember thy mercy And with Hieremye Correct vs O Lorde but in thy iudgement not in thy furie And thus in very good hope of the goodnesse of God he reioyceth woonderfully and doth not onely betake himselfe vnto Gods mercy but also yéeldeth himself vnto Gods will as one ready both to doe also to suffer whatsoeuer God will haue him But as the trust of Gods mercy for Christes sake cannot stand or ioyne togither with a naughtie and corrupt conscience so cannot that ioy neither wherof the Apostle speaketh be at any tyme remayning in a minde guilty of fault or sinne Therfore wheresoeuer there is a bent determination or purpose to committe sinne there is there no maner of ioy at all in the Lorde And truely is that sayde of Plautus the Comicall Poet There is sayeth he nothing more wretched and miserable thā is an euill conscience Hereby it is plaine that the Apostles admonition or warning euermore to reioyce in the Lorde doth belong onlye to the godly sorte which with feare and trembling doe trauayle to their saluatiō For these men bycause they put all their trust in Gods mercy are fully perswaded that God is fauorable and pleased with them for Christes sake and that not onelye their sinnes are forgiuen and remitted them of the heauenly father but that they also are receiued into the fauour and friendship of God and that more is into kinred and cōsanguinitie are made the sonnes of God by adoption the heyres I saye of God and the bretherne and fellowe heires with Christ bycause the godlye I say doe stedfastly beléeue they doe alway reioyce in the Lorde euen in the midst of their troubles and calamities what euer they be that chance eyther common or priuate specially séeing they are not ignorant that God hath a care ouer them as Saint Peter doth witnesse This reioyce in the Lorde séemeth to be the chiefest portion of felicitie and happynesse in this lyfe the very chiefe or principall goodnesse which the godly sort alone do enioy and take fruition of The heathen Philosophers dreamed vpō an Euthumie or happinesse of mynde but touching this ioy of the godly mindes they were not able so much as to suspect or thinke of any such thing For of what sort that is the onely Christians being taught by Gods worde doe know and those especially which are ordayned as Luke saith to euerlasting life whose names are written in the booke of lyfe of the Lambe which was slayne from the beginning of the world as it is sayd in the Apocalips For whyle these doe alway reioyce in the Lorde they haue euen in this mortall lyfe also a certayne taste féeling smacke of the blessed state that shall be in the life to come whereby it happeneth that they being rauished as it were besides themselues do séeme in a maner to the world through euermuch ioye to be pieuish or melancholike to wéete whyle they be mute at the reprochfull checkes and taunts of other men doe pray for them that curse them doe loue and beare good will to their enymies whyles they doe good to them that hate them pray for them that hurt and persecute them to such as strike one side offer the other whiles to one taking away the cloake they leaue him their coate also and giue to euerye one that asketh and lende to one another hoping for no commoditie therby whyles many times they refrayne from wine doe fast sigh are sory wéepe continue all night in prayer by lying on the grounde by watch by studie and by other meanes doe tame their flesh and doe kepe their body occupyed after a seruile sort as the Apostle sayeth and who can well rehearse or recken vp all the other tokens of a certayne foolishnesse as it were or brayne sickenesse in them For the worlde can not iudge otherwyse of such men but that they altogither are besides themselues and out of their right wittes that thus demeane themselues And surely it cānot be denyed but that such men they are most commonly that doe alwaye reioyce in the Lorde The same doe neither desire riches nor séeke for honors and promotions nor folow pleasures They neglect their owne commodities they procure the commodities of other men being in maner lesse carefull for themselues than for others They embrace modestie for stoutnesse basenesse or ignobilitie for glorie austeritie of life for dainties They despise those things that the worlde setteth great store by and set great store by that which it despiseth maketh no accompt off They in maner giue all that euer they haue to the poore that which is giuen to the poore they thinke it giuen to Christ himselfe Such are they therfore that reioyce alway in the Lorde And in déede by the iudgement of the worlde as I haue sayd they séeme almost foolish whyles they so doe but if thou behold the iudgement of God himselfe in his worde thou shalt finde that they alone are the wysest of all other men The thoughts of such mē are alway not on earthly but heauenly things not vpon temporall things but on things euerlasting not vpon humaine affaires but about Gods hestes and cōmaundements For out of these doth arise that continuall ioye in the Lorde Therefore whyle other men are tormented with the cares of this lyfe they doe

happen euen so doth he apply himself vnto the same Hée that is ordered and framed inwardely aright the same passeth not vpon the woonderfull and preposterous maners of men Euery man is so much hindred and distracted as hée draweth businesse vnto himselfe If thou were rightly fashioned and purged substancially all thinges shoulde be profitable and commodious vnto thée Therefore doe many thynges myslike thée and doe oftentimes disquiet thée bycause thou art not yet fullye mortified vnto thy selfe nor seperated from all earthly and transitorye thyngs Nothing doth so much stayne and entangle the soule of man as the impure loue of the creatures If thou shalt despise the comforts of the externall or outwarde things it wyll come to passe that thou mayst the better beholde heauenly thinges and oftentymes reioyce triumphantly within thy selfe Of Modestie and obedience The .ij. Chapter MAke no great accounte who is on thy side or against thée but be occupied and carefull in this point how God maye be wyth thée in all thy dooings and how thou mayest haue a good and an vpright conscience so shall it come to passe that GOD will sufficiently defende thée For no mans frowardnesse shall bée able to doe him anye hurt whome he shall be willing to defend If thou shalt skill to hold thy peace and to suffer or beare paciently vndoubtedly to shalt beholde the ayde and succour of the Lorde Hée knoweth when it is time to deliuer thee and therefore oughtest thou wholly to commit thy selfe vnto him It belongeth to God to helpe and to deliuer man from all rebuke shame It doth manye times much good to kéepe vs vnder the better that our vices shoulde bée knowne and reprooued of other men Whilst that a man doth humble himself for his faults hée doth soone pacifie other men and satisfieth them that are offended with him wyth little adooe GOD doth defende and deliuer the humble person He humbleth himself to him that is humble he bountifullye giueth manye thinges to the humble and aduaunceth him vnto glorie after his thrusting downe To the humble he openeth his secretes and draweth and allureth the same swéetely vnto him Though the humble person be spitefully vsed and slaundered or brought into an euill name yet is he of quiet and pacient mind bicause he stayeth himselfe vpon God and not vpon the worlde Thinke not that thou hast profited any thing at all vnlesse thou take thy self for the veryest abiect of all other men Of the good and quiet person The .iij. Chapter PUrchase and procure peace vnto thy selfe first of all so shalt thou be abie at the length to set peace among other A quyet person doth more good than one well learned But the vnquiet and contencyous brawler doth drawe euen that which is good into the euill part and quickly beléeueth euill A good and quiet man interpreteth all to the best Hée that is of quiet minde the same hath no euill suspicion of any man but he that is not content with his state or condition but is tossed wyth diuers suspicions the same partye is neyther quyet hymselfe nor yet suffereth other to bée quiet by him Many times he speaketh that which hée ought not and letteth passe that which were expedient to be done Hée considereth what is another mans duetie and yet his owne dutie he passeth not vppon Wherefore looke thou speciallye to thine owne dutie and so shalt thou best looke vnto the duty of another man Thou hast good skyll to excuse and beare wyth thyne owne dooynges and yet thou admittest not the excuses of others More reasonable it were that accusing thyne owne selfe thou shouldest excuse another If thou wilt be borne with doe thou likewise beare with another And behold how farre off thou art yet from perfite loue and modestie which can tell how to take displeasure and be angry with no body but onely wyth himselfe If is no great matter to deale with good and quiet persons bicause that thing is naturally pleasaunt vnto all men and euery body wysheth for peace and loueth them aboue the rest that are agréeable vnto him But to bée able to liue quietly with the rigorous and frowarde with those that withstande vs or men of euill nature crooked condicions thys is in déede the point of a ioly valiant fellowe and one worthy of high prayse commendation And some there be that both liue at peace with thēselues and also with other men Some other that neyther enioy peace themselues nor yet suffer other to enioy the same Troublesome surely are they to other but yet to thēselues they are alwaies more troubesome Some againe there be that doe kéepe still themselues in peace also endeuor to reduce other men to peace Howbeit oure whole peace in thys wretched life is rather to be placed in modest pacience than it is in not féelng of aduersity The more a man knoweth howe to suffer aduersitie paciently the greater peace doth he enioye and is likewise both conquerour of himselfe and Lord of the worlde and friende of Christ and heire of Heauen Of the sinceritie of minde and plainnesse of meaning The .iiij. Chapter MAn is raysed aboue earthlye thinges with two winges to wéete with simplicitie and sinceritie Simplicitie is in meaning or witte Sinceritie is in affection The first applieth it selfe to god This other taketh hold of him tasteth what he is No good déede shall hinder thée if thou wilt haue thy soule free from al inordinate affections If thou wilt intend séeke after nothing else than the wyll of God the profite of another thou shalt enioy liberty of mynd If thy Soule were right syncere the whole Worlde shoulde be a glasse to thy lyfe and a booke of godly doctrine For there is no creature so small and so vile that doth not represent vnto vs the goodnesse of god Nowe if thou haddest a good and pure soule thou shouldest sée all things without any impediment and shouldest vnderstande them throughly For the pure soule doth pierce both Heauen and Hell and such as euery mans soule is euen so doth it iudge of outwarde things If there be gladnesse any where the mā of pure heart doth enioy the same Againe if there be calamitie and anguishe any where no bodye knoweth it better than hée that hath an euill conscience Like as yron being cast into the fyre is rid from his rust and is made glowing hote altogither euen so the person turning himselfe wholy vnto God doth put off his dulnesse and is chaunged into a new man He that is but warme flyeth from so small paines and procureth outward comfort but if the same haue begun once earnestly to maister himselfe like a man to treade the path of Godlynesse it happeneth that the thynges which before he felt heauye he doth now recken but for flight and easie Of the consideration of a mans selfe The .v. Chapter WE ought not to much to credit our selues for