Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	world_n	year_n	young_a	108	3	5.6854	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03030	Meditations miscellaneous, holy and humane	Henshaw, Joseph, 1603-1679.	1637 (1637)	STC 13171; ESTC S122577	25,437	149

Meditations miscellaneous HOLY and Humane Horat. De Ar. Po. Quicquid praecipies esto brevis Lectorem delectando pariterque monendo LONDON Printed by R. B. and are to be sold by Thomas Andrewes in Smith-field 1637. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THOMAS Lord Coventry Baron of Alesborough Lord Keeper of the Great Seale of England and one of his Majesties most honourable Privie Councell Right Honourable NOt in expectation of future benefits or any thing to be receiv'd but in a thankfull acknowledgment of former favours already conferred do I present these short meditations to your Lordship and if we shal esteeme of Bookes which Erasmus doth in quibus argumenti utilitas commendat eloquentiam rather by the matter w ch it doth deliver than the strength or meannesse of the stile in which it is deliver'd there will not want that to commend this it is but short and such as will be rather a diversion than an imployment in which you wil happily finde somewhat that will please and somewhat that will profit so that the time will neither seeme tedious nor the paines altogether lost I desire your Lordship to weigh them not by their owne worth but by the devotion of the Author whom with many favours you have bound to be ever at Your Lordships Service to command To the Reader IT is not out of desire of being knowne nor out of a desire to bee thought to know that I doe commend this small tract to the world but to take up the roome of worse thoughts in thy head and of worse bookes in thy hands it is the worke of younger yeeres and the fruit of idle times not of a serious study and no otherwise doe I publish it to view though I am perswaded it would conduce much to the peace of the Church if bookes of this nature were more in use it were to be wish'd that inferiours would imploy their time rather in a holy meditation of those truths which are already receiv'd in the Church than in making themselves or shewing themselves able to defend them not that I would commend an ignorant devotion to any or desire men to know lesse good but more to practise that good which they know not turne Religion into disputation but turne their disputation into action and obedience they shall finde in the last day that it is holinesse not knowledge I doe not say holinesse without knowledge that must bring them to Heaven Supremo illi judici non scripta approbanda sed facta not the disputer but the doer of Gods will shall be justified men while they spend their time in disputing what they should doe they too often neglect to doe even those things which are without dispute in this book if there be little paines yet there is no hurt nay it is thy owne fault if there rise not some good to thee from it which if thou second with practise will bring thee to an eternall good which I wish thee Errata Pag. 21. l. 25. for mayest r. makest p. 57. l. 5 for workes r. words Imprimatur Thomas Weekes R. P. Episc. Lond. Cap. Domest Meditations MAke the word of GOD the Rule and God Himselfe the Paterne of all thy actions contemplate God and thy selfe what He is what Hee requires thee to be like him in a degree though not a perfection in a perfection of sincerity though not of degrees Doe nothing against thy word and let thy word be regulated by God's word doe not ill for company nor good only for company Let thy talke not bee much and that profitable bee sparing of oaths and promises and performe both shun jests in holy things and abhorre lyes though in jest speake to the capacities but not to the humours of men so frame thy talke as one that is going shortly to give an account of his words detract from no man but thy selfe speak well of all men till thou knowest otherwise and where thou canst not speake well be silent meditate often upon the shortnesse of thy life and be carefull so to employ it as that thou doest not make thy account long measure the length of it as the Scripture doth by a buble and a shadow and a flower light vanishing but yet to comfort thy self in this present state with the remembrance of the future that if this life w ch thou hast be short yet that which thou hopest for is eternall My life is like a bubble but a blast At first God breath'd into me and I live And like a bubble I doe daily waste And am like water powr'd into a sive Lord since I am thy bubble when I dye Like to a bubble let me ascend on high Or if you will my life is like a flower And like a flower for a while I stand I am and am not in another houre For I am gathered by the owners hand Since I am so why am I so corrupt That doe not know how soon I shall be pluckt But of all flowers most of all me thinks Resembled in the Marie gold am I And l●ke the Marie-gold that wakes and winkes Still as it sees the Sun am borne and dye But here 's my comfort with that flower when The Sun appeareth I shall blow agen Affect not to set out thy selfe to the World nor to thy selfe speak not thine owne praise nor greedily heare it from others nor too easily believe it spend thy time rather in pressing forward to what thou should'st be than in idely contemplating or contenting thy selfe with what thou art think meanly of thy selfe and that thought will both make thee modest for he that suspects himselfe is not bold and eager in the pursuit of that goodnesse or knowledge wherein thou supposest thy selfe defective be ready rather to give than to take an applause and if thou art apt to thinke thou deservest well check it with thinking how many deserve better Let thy thoughts bee such to thy selfe that if it should be suddenly ask'd what thou think'st on thou mightest not blush to tell stifle sin in the first warmth and quickning before it shape too far a twig may bee pluckt up with one hand which the whole body cannot wag when it is a tree even evill thoughts are evill and though yet they bee not yet cherished will spread into evill actions Be not easily provoked and easily be friends give no occasion of exceptions thy selfe and doe not easily take exceptions at others and bee ready to make satisfaction to those that have just exceptions against thee it is a greater vertue to forgive one injury than to doe many curtesies because it is harder and it is harder because more against nature for many a man will doe for another that wil not suffer for him therefore it is a greater perfection to bee contented to suffer than to be willing to doe unlesse it bee to doe for those of whom we have suffered for our enemies which is the highest Affect the company of those who are abler than thy selfe