Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	wisdom_n	young_a	youth_n	47	3	8.0869	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01518	The droomme of Doomes day VVherin the frailties and miseries of mans lyfe, are lyuely portrayed, and learnedly set forth. Deuided, as appeareth in the page next following. Translated and collected by George Gascoigne Esquyer.	Gascoigne, George, 1542?-1577.; Innocent III, Pope, 1160 or 61-1216. De contemptu mundi. English.	1576 (1576)	STC 11641; ESTC S102877	200,832	291

mercyfull God to graunt mée such a delight in searching of his true wysedome that thou mayest say with the auctor of the booke of wysdome Hir haue I loued and searched for euen frō my youth and I wooed hir to be my wyfe and my spouse And I became in loue with hir bewtye so that entryng into my house I will lye downe by hir and take my rest with her For hir conuersation doth not weary me neyther is there any bittern●…sse in hir company but ioye and gladnesse dwell with hir for euer And herevpon also it is sayd Wisdome is more pretious then any ryches and all that m●…n desire is not thervnto to be compared God forbyd then that thou my welbeloued shouldest set thy mynde or occupy thy thoughtes in thinges that are lower and of vyler estymation THe path of the iust cōmeth forthwards like vnto a bright shyning lamp it in creaseth vntill it be brod dai but y wa●…es of y wicked are dark they know not wher they fall As y holy Euangelist Iohn doth witnesse in his first Epistle saying God is light and in him there is no maner of darkenesse Also Dyonisius wryteth that God is the pure full and infinite light the lyuely intellectuall originall and most cleare brightnesse Since he then is the end and vttermost bound of our way and perigrinage we ought to walke towardes him by the bright shyning pathes and fayre wayes that the whole way may bée lyke vnto the ende of our iourney and the middest vnto the vttermost bo●…ndes thereof For otherwyse we can neuer attayne vnto him Now this pathe of the iust is vertuous déeds good lyfe and conuersation togither with a warie obseruation of Gods lawes and commaundements Wherv●…on Salomon sayeth The wayes of the Lorde are fayre wayes and all the pathes thereof are peaceable For the wayes whereby wée iourneye vnto God and the heauenly kingdome are good thoughtes holye medytations fruytefull talke and déedes of charitie acceptable vnto God in Christ Iesus These are iustly called the paths or wayes of the iust for as much as they be the certayne fruites and tokens whereby we passe and make way the grace of God helping vs from this exyle vnto the heauenly habitation The which wayes and pathes are by good reason tearmed bright and shinyng sithens they haue their originall beginning of Gods grace and charitie which are the supernaturall lightes of the soule Yea bicause with their brightnesse they chase darkenesse from the myndes of men they vnite and knit togither our hartes to the vncreated and heauenly light and make him which exerciseth himselfe therein to s●…eme cleane holy and acceptable vnto God and a good example vnto men Wherevpon the Apostle sayth That the iust doe shine as Lanternes amongest the wicked And agayne vnto sinners conuerted he sayeth You were once darknesse but now you are light in the lord Furthermore this pathe and way of the iust doeth procéede from good to better from imperfection to perfection from one vertue to another from the way vnto the ende of the iourney yea and it increaseth vntill it be broad day That is to say vntill the euerlastyng day appeare For as much as it ryseth by fayth to the speciall kynde of the thing sought for Euen vnto the euerlasting and most blessed fruition and visien of the highest and most reuerend Trinitie and Godheade This is the way of the chosen the vnspotted way the way of all vertue leading by the trauayle of repentance vnto euerlasting rest and quyet And of this way the Psalmist sayth Blessed are they whose wayes are vncorrupted and which walke in the lawes of the Lord their god And therevpon Iob sayde I kepte the way of the lord and did not decline from it As also Ieremie sayde Aske which is the good way and walke therein and you shall fynde a refreshing for your soule But now there is another way of the reprobate a darkesome way that is to say a wicked and vngodly way which lacketh the light of true vnderstanding is not guyded with the light of grace But is obfuscate and darkened with the cloudes of passions and concupisēces peruerting ouerthrowing all iust iudgements leadeth to the dungeon of infernal darknesse This way is séene by vitious qualities vnbrydeled appetites cōcupiscence of the flesh wicked thoughts euil déedes vnséemely and vnlawful talke and neclecting of tyme The which doe so ouershadow and darken the eyesight of the mynde chat it can not sée the spirituall ruyne and ouerthrow into the which it dayly falleth headlonges For in this slippery and damnable way which séemeth good vnto the wicked although the end thereof doe leade vnto death men fal from the highest vnchaungeable and moste blessed God vnto a chaungeable frayle and vayne apparaunce of goodnesse from the state of grace and saluation vnto the state of gylte and condempnation from a spirituall lyfe to a carnall lyfe and in the ende from the right waye to the infernall pryson Of the which way or wayes being wicked as aforesayde it is written you blushe and be ashamed of your wayes And therefore my beloued goe not into the waye of ruyne and perdition neyther followe the libertie of worldlye vanities and thyne owne desires but doe thou diligently followe and imitate the waye of the blessed and chosen For whosoeuer followeth the things which delight the fleshe and the outwarde sences whosoeuer doeth imbrace the loosenesse of his hearte and the ioyes of this world hée doubtlesse walketh in a darke and daungerous way But hée that walketh accordyng to the preceptes and lessons of the Gospell hée chuseth vnto him the brighte way of the electe and may saye with the Psalmist I haue kepte my féete from all euill wayes that I might kéepe thy wordes For the worthie and perfect fulfillyng whereof let vs praye dayly or rather hourely with deuout mynde saying Dyrecte my steppes accordyng to thy worde and no vnrightuousnesse shall haue the vpper hande of mée The Apostle Paule in his seconde Chapiter to the Galathyans sayeth I am fastened to the Crosse in christ Yet liue I not I but Christ liueth in mée And whereas I now lyue in the fleshe I liue in the fayth of the sonne of God which loued mée and gaue himselfe for mée And surely this is the holesome doctrine of christian religion That for the transgression of our forefathers all mākind was depryued of their pleasant habitation in the terrestiall Paradyce and throwne out into this world as into a vale of miserie into a place of banishment and a countrey far from our natiue residence To the end that through the bloud of Christ Iesu we might in this worlde shewe the fruites of true repentaunce and incessantly bewayle our owne calamitie vntil we may be thought worthie after this life to enter into the place of rest or euerlasting kingdome prepared for the elect children of God. Wherevpon

my welbeloued in Christ Iesu att●…d and marke the word of god with good affectiō heare it humbly and reuerently reade it and peruse it as an Epistle sent thée from the holy ghost Neyther yet is it sufficient to know the will of God or to haue it in reuerence but we must also fulfill the same As the Psalmist sayth I haue layed vp thy wordes in my harte to the end that I might not offend thée And the Euangelist sath The seruaunt which knoweth his Lords will doth it not shal be beatē with many stripes And the Apostle Iames in his Canonicall Epistle sayth He that doth knowe the good and doth it not offendeth gréeuously And here vpon Augustine doth conclud that the word of god is of no lesse worthynesse then the body of christ Neyther is he lesse gyltye which heareth the word of God neclygently then he which receyueth his body vnworthyly And therfore since I writ these things vnto thée for the health of thy soule by the helpe and grace of God without wh●…se provydence and helpe no trée groweth nor leafe falleth I require that thou read these thinges with no lesse dillygence and earnest affection then they are feruently and zealously wrytten for thyne instruction For so the natureall goodnesse of thy quick capacytie doth requyre As it is written A good eare will harken vnto wisdome with earnest desire And how acceptable and well pleasing that were vnto god appeareth by the wyseman saying The earnest desire of wysdome shall guid a man to the perpetuall kyngedome But what wisdome Not the wysdome of this world Not the wysdome of Phylosophers Poets or Rethorycians For by the 〈◊〉 of ●…he Apostle God estéemeth the wisdome of this worlde for méere folly And Saint Hierome that holy father doth call Aristotle who was Prince of Philosophers a father of fooles or Prince of ignoraunce But the wordes before rehearced are ment by the wisdome and perfect knowledge which is conteyned in holy scriptures And are not they to be accoumpted vayne and foolishe who settinge a side such thinges as are requisite for the soules health And omitting ●…he obseruaunce of gods holy cōmaundementes and the holesome knowledge conteyned in his holy word are earnestly and contynewally occupyed in thinges altogether vayne and superfluous yea things which god doth not by any meanes requyre at their handes And therevpon we sée such men most comōly blynded with infinite vanyties vnfearefully vnwarely conuersant and delighted in playes pastimes and ouermitting greater offences in méere tryfels and fantasies Is this thinkest thou the streyght waye leading to lyfe euerlasting the which as Christ himselfe doth witnesse few can fynde out No But doo thou as the holy word teacheth thée séeke not thinges aboue thy reach Nor search not thinges beyonde thy strength But looke what god cūmaundeth and therevpon doo thou alwayes medytate And as for these superfluous toyes of prophaine mystries doo neuer troble thy braynes therewith Agayne what pros●…teth it to haue knowledge of thinges created without a dew reuerence and worship of the creator Nothing at all But rather it hyndereth much and maketh such smatterers as gesse thereby to fal into daunger of cōdempnatiō Wherfore let not the study of naturall Phylosophy more delight thée then the study of true morallytie which is deuynity But let the cheife delight consist in the study vnderstanding of holy scriptures That thou mayest say O how swéete are thy wordes vnto my mouth more swéete then fine hony And agayne I haue delyghted in the wayes of thy testimonyes as in much rytches And lykewyse The lawe of thy mouth is profitable vnto me yea more then thowsandes of gold siluer By experience thereof one of the Fathers in holy churche did say Nothing in this lyfe is tasted more swéetely nor swallowed more gréedely nothinge doth so seperate mans mynd from the world nothing so str●…gthen it against temptation nor any thing more help and styrre him to all goodnesse then the study of the holy scriptures And agayne hée sayth Whatsouer is written in holy scriptures is veritie Whatsoeuer is therein commaunded is honesty and whatsoeuer is therin promised is true and perfect felicitye This is then the most holesome and profitable study which teacheth a man to know himselfe to correct his lyfe and to procéed in all goodnesse by the grace of the holy spirite And therevpon Augustine warneth vs saying Use reading of holy scriptures for thy glasse whereby thou mayest moue any blott or blemishe that thou findest in thy selfe Yea theu mayest therein learne to preserue whatsoeuer thou perceiuest to be fayre in thée by doing that which is fayerer then it séemeth to be For the worde of god is most plentyfull conteyning in it all delights And therin as in a myrrour when we doo looke and gaze with the eyes of our inward mynde we doo also sée and behold the secret shape of our soules Yea we may thereby perceiue how much we haue profited or how much we are gone a straye frō perfection Wherevpon Isodorus sayth The reading of holy scriptures doth yéeld prosit For it doth not onely teath instruct a mans mynde but it bringeth backe to the loue of god such as are by vanyties abstract and caryed into concupiscence Can any study then be compared to y study of this wysdome No surely For as Gregorie sayth Euen as the holy scriptures doo excell aboue all other knowledge learning without cōparisō teaching vs the perfect trueth calling vs to the heauēly habitatiō inuyting and prouoking y readers hart frō worldly desirs to thēbraceing of high heauēly treasurs being neither so darke that they are to be dred nor yet so plaine y they are to be dispised euē so doth the vse and exercise thereof take away all wearinesse and the more they are red the more they delight surpassinge all other scyences euen in the maner of writing and handlynge Wherevpon Hyerome also sayth Loue the studie of the holy scryptures and thou shalt not passe vpon the vitious desires of the fleshe So that I doe greatly desire welbeloued to decke and bewty●…e thy soule with this diuyne and supernaturall knowledge of the holy scripturs the which shyneth as a certayne blase or bryght b●…ame of the euerlastinge vncreated and highest wysdome And the very reading thereof by the testimony of Hyerome doth sharpen y sence encrease y vnderstanding warme the will shake of ●…owth quench lust prouoke swéet sighes distyll plesant teares and maketh vs as it were néeare neighbours vnto God himselfe Wherein when we bestowe our tyme and study the holy ghost doth talke and common with vs euen famylyarely as Isodr sayth And surely thou art singulerly endewed with capacity towardes thatteyning thereof synce thou art bewtified with a naturall sharpenesse of vnderstanding in such sort that thou mayest by Gods grace say being yet but a yong scoller I haue enclyned my soule vnto goodnesse And I besech thée most