Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	meditation_n	morning_n	night_n	6,381	5	10.0234	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01233	Tvvo spare keyes to the Iesuites cabinet· dropped accidentally by some Father of that societie and fallen into the hands of a Protestant. The first wherof, discovers their domestick doctrines for education of their novices. The second, openeth their atheisticall practises touching the present warres of Germany. Projected by them in the yeare 1608. and now so farre as their power could stretch, effected, till the comming of the most victorious King of Sweden into Germany. Both serving as a most necessary warning for these present times.; Colloquium Jesuiticum. English	Francke, Christian, b. 1549.; Freake, William.; Camilton, John. De studiis Jesuitarum abstrusioribus. English.	1632 (1632)	STC 11346.3; ESTC S102623	30,485	64

things had read not without astonishment that among them of Iapan being our Antipodes there are certaine religious men whom they call Iamam buxa or Souldiers of the Vallies who purposely to at taine an opinion of Sanctimony doe punish themselues grieuously doe watch very much doe Fast exceeding long and doe giue themselues wholly to certaine Meditations composed of their owne heads and that they preuaile so farre by these things that they are beleeued many times as inspired with an holy instinct to speake Oracles and are accounted by all to bee perfect and Holy men then especially when as they make no bones of it to kill themselues voluntarily for their Idoll When I had as I said vnderstood these and many other like passages out of Letters written not onely by men of our Order but also published in Print I assure you I was amazed and did so shake as if I had newly fallen from Heauen to Earth For vpon a sudden it came into my minde to thinke that nothing could bee deuised more like to our Religion and that therefore it was vehemently to be suspected least all this our Spirituall course of life should not proue Divine but Humaine onely and Pharisaicall Forasmuch as very Idolators and Heathens wanting the light of the Gospel doe attaine thereunto and indeed such Heathens as are said to be wondrous like both in Nature Manners and Disposition to our most ingenious Europians I meane our Italians and Spaniards so that now it is apparant that the like Religions haue bin devised and established by men of like natures and inclinations And what a strange thing is it that among those Ethnicks of Iapan not onely our profession of Iesuitisme but in a sort the very entire Gouernment of the Romane Hierarchy may be seene apparantly founded and established by an Heathen Spirit For in the same Letters it is related that one chiefe man throughout the whole Empire of Iapan doth hold the chiefe place of a supreame Iudge in matters Ecclesiasticall who is little lesse then worshipped as a God and generally reputed so Holy a man that hee may not be suffered to tread on the ground and Cōmandeth farre wide many times vpon occasion euen contesting with those heathen Princes Moreouer this man hath the ordering and making of all the Tundi among them who are in effect the Byshops of that Nation albeit the nomination of them as it is reported be in some places in the Gouernours power which Tundi are thereupon in great and singular esteeme both with high and low and doe conferre Priesthoods doe appoint Fasting dayes and grant Licences for eating of Flesh to such as vpon Holy dayes goe on Pilgrimage to the Chappels of theyr Saints and Idols Yea and further the sects of the Bontij which arise among them and are nothing else but the Monkes of Iapan haue no authority or estimation among the people vnlesse this great man haue approued him by his letters Patents and testimonials Furthermore these Bontij are said to inhabite very large and spacious Colledges after the manner of our Monkes to liue a single life to erect an Altar in the middest of their Chappell wherevpon they place a woodden representation of Amida sitting vpon a golden Rose very gallant to behold Also that they haue very great Libraries with places wherein they eate and drinke together after the manner of our Refectories and certaine Copper workes which serue them insteed of bels to cal them vp to their houres of prayer Againe euery euening their president or cheife man among them propoundeth to euery one his particular subiect for his meditations that night and presently after midnight they doe before the Altar in their Chappell dancing by turnes say ouer their deuotions out of the last booke of Xaca Also that euery morning each of them spendeth an houre in Meditations that they build faire Cloysters in their chappels for their Fotoquij who are a certaine sect of religious persons amongst them that are shauen vpon their heades and chinnes and doe obserue a great number of holy dayes in the yeere And yet for all this they write that these Bontij are most base fellowes in their liues and conuersations and as coueteous as any men liuing vpon Gods earth and as well acquainted with all deuises how to rake vp money That these Bontij doe make sale vnto the people of many writings vnder their hands by helpe whereof the common people are perswaded that they are protected from the Deuill Also that these Bontij haue a custome to borrow money in this world which they promise to restore with large interest in the world to come for which they giue the Creditor bils of their hands as security which he at the time of his death carrieth with him into the other world And lastly that these Bontij are for the most part the sonnes of Noblemen in regard that the Nobility of Iapan being full of Children do vsually take a Course to procure these sonnes of theirs entered into the Order of the Bontij for whom they are not able to prouide otherwise You might stile these men Christian Monkes or if you please hauing respect vnto their qualities Clergy men and Prelates of the Church of Rome if euer the light of the Gospell had in any measure shined vpon them before the comming of our men amongst them or if euer any Christian at all had gone so farre as vnto them whereby they might haue heard of these things and haue imitated them Neither is prayer for their dead wanting among these Iapanezes howbeit in that they are a little more superstitious then wee For in the moneth of August they are obserued to set aside 2. whole daies for Adoration of the Spirits of the Dead And that a little before Night they set vp a great number of Lampes and other Lights about the doores of their houses with much varieties of Paintings and trimmings That afterwards they walke round about the Citie all night long partly for Deuotion sake and partly to looke about them Also that towards the Euening a great sort of people doe walke out of the Citie to meet the Spirits of their Dead friends now comming towards them as they forsooth imagine When they are at a certaine set place where they suppose that the Ghosts of their deceased Friends doe meet them first they salute them kindly euen as if they saw them saying you are heartily welcome wee haue wanted your good Companie long I pray you sit downe a while and refresh your selues with some victuals for wee know you cannot chuse but be wearie Then they set vpon Tables as a banquet for the Ghosts to feed vpon Rice Fruits and other Viands and when they haue demurred about an houres space as if they thought it high time to make an end they invite and intreat them to come home to theyr houses saying wee will goe before and prouide some good cheere for you Also it is obserued that assoone