Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	prayer_n	read_v	word_n	2,960	5	4.5557	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51410	The gaming-humor considered and reproved, or, The passion-pleasure and exposing money to hazard by play, lot or wager examined by a well-wisher to mankind.	Morton, Charles, 1627-1698.	1684 (1684)	Wing M2823; ESTC R42182	23,732	56

all that will take counsel That they put and keep every thing in its right channel Let Play be Play and Work be Work either Play for recreation only in order to business its proper end or let it alone for otherwise 't is good for nothing but to waste Time Let business only aim at Gain so is the order of Nature and Gods Ordination as is before Noted To let Play encroach upon the end of Labour is to cast a scorn upon that threat of God In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread until thou return unto the ground Gen. 3.19 Tho you see many extravagant in the Gaming-vanity yet follow not a multitude to do evil Exod. 23.2 Are those many of the better sort of Men Are they the best Moralists you know Is it the common practice of the generality of those that fear God and consider their ways Think of the way of good men commended to our imitation Prov. 2.20 yea rather think of the greatest and best example our Blessed Saviour who was wont to put Money to better uses We read of Money procured by a Miracle to pay Tribute to avoid offence tho nothing was due But our Gamesters by abuse of their Money care not if they offend either God or man These drive a Trade which pays neither Tax nor Toll Excise nor Custom and is no way useful to either King or Country Our Saviour had in his Society a Bag kept to Relieve the Poor and buy Necessaries And after him his Disciples were willing to impart what they had to the Poor that begged Alms silver and gold have I none else would I give it thee but such as I have give I unto thee Act. 3.6 What would a Gamester say Silver I have by heaps and Gold by handfuls but not one Mite for the Temple-Treasury Our Lord's stock was small in this World but there is not the least hint that either he or his used Gaming to increase it When Tully prosecuted Cataline and his Complices he chargeth them with Gaming Aleatores adulteri impuri impudicique omnes And when he would spit fire in Anthonies face he laieth to his charge That he was a Dicer himself and his House a common receptacle of such So certainly the Pharisees who from Christs innocent sociableness and moderate refreshment took occasion to reproach him as a wine-bibber and a glutton would doubtless have called him Gamster too if the least pretence could have been had to fasten it upon him Now he that saith he abideth in him ought to walk even as he walked 1 John 2.6 ought to act like him in what he is imitable and forbear like him every thing that is evil or hath the appearance thereof This is another kind of Argument than that weak one we read not that he laught ergo we must not which I could fully clear but that I love not to write long Books and Gamsters care as little to read them In a word think of the great Account we must render of all our Talents particularly of Time and Money to the Soveraign Lord and Judg of all Will it not sound well then to say I often wanted time for secret Prayer and as often found time for Gaming even from Noon to midnight My worldly business have frequently hindred my Devotions but I ordered it so they should never interrupt my Sports Such a Day I denied Pence to thy distressed Saints and the same Day among Rufflers adventured Shillings or Pounds to satisfy the Gaming-humor But if these glorious considerations do dazle your Bat-like Eyes so as I fear you cannot look towards them do but look a while on Temporary things and see the folly of this project to Thrive by Cannot the Gamsters observe That the God of this World has a running Cash a Gaming-stock in motion And how he Balances gain and loss only to uphold the Trade Many have Sold their Inheritances one foolish sinner destroyeth much good Eccl. 9.18 But who ever Purchased an Estate by Gaming The subtile Fiend is like the Butler's Box whoever loses he wins he gets mens Estates to be added to his stock he gets mens Time and which is worst he gets better hold of mens Souls and wrests out of them all manner of Conscience that should any way deter them from the vilest wickedness Have you never heard what was before noted That Robbings and Burglaries are most frequent towards the time of Bacchanals and Saturnals when Gaming Widgeons and Wood-cocks come most in season And why is it but that the Bullies may be furnished with a Trading-stock in hope of considerable Gains But alas after the time is over they must to their old Padding-Trade again even to repair their Losses Well but you will say Then surely some do get and give over Gaming to prevent their Loss again some Purchase Estates and so draw out of the Devils stock as you will have it call'd or else that Stock would exceed all Bounds The greatest part of the Sale mony of so many Estates and the Prey of so many Rohberies running still into it besides a considerable sum by Apprentices cheating their Masters and other by-ways Surely it must excessively encrease and even transcend a Kings Revenue I Answer It would so indeed had not the Great Master thereof some other Outlets for what is superfluous What the Gaming-House leaves the Tap-House Tavern and Whore-House receives for Gamesters seldom want other expensive Vices And according to that saying of some what is gotten over the Devils back is commonly spent under his belly And therefore tho the incomes be great yet the out-goings being answerable thereto the Gaming-stock is no farther encreased than Satan sees fit to carry on the business But perhaps our dull-ey'd Gamester cannot see Reason in this neither What shall I say farther If you cannot behold either God or Devil will you please a while to turn your Eye upon Men and consider how low your Reputation runs with them tho your Gains by Gaming are very great In all other ways of getting Riches mens Credit encreases as their Estates do but here 't is quite otherwise for let a Gamster get this Day a Thousand Pounds yet no Prudent man that knows it will trust him for a Groat for ere the next Morrow it is as probable he may be as many Pounds worse than nothing But alas too often a Credit is gotten before this vile humor is discovered whereby many an honest man goes Mourning by the loss Hence grievous complaints of some That they cannot carry on their honest Trades for that their Money is gotten into Hucksters hands Such upon inquest perhaps may find out their Debtors in Alsatia a Prison a Sanctuary under Protection but they shall find their Money I know not where nor when One Story I have Reason to remember of a young man that carried himself very Civilly and made a fair Profession of serious Religion he thereby got Friends and by their Credit a