Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	nature_n	person_n	union_n	4,088	5	9.9328	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52433	Reflections upon the conduct of human life with reference to the study of learning and knowledge : in a letter to the excellent lady, the Lady Masham / by John Norris ... ; to which is annex'd a visitation sermon, by the same author.	Norris, John, 1657-1711.; Masham, Damaris, Lady, 1658-1708.; Norris, John, 1657-1711. Sermon preach'd in the Abby Church of Bath ... July 30, 1689.	1690 (1690)	Wing N1267; Wing N1270_PARTIAL; ESTC R15880	61,350	204

the better inabled to think clearly and distinctly XXVIII And thus have I given a clear and distinct account how Purity of Heart serves to the acquirement of Knowledge by a Natural Efficacy This it does also secondly by the Divine Grace and Benediction Purity of Heart is that Heavenly Lure which invites not only the Holy Spirit but also the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to come and dwell in the Soul and to inrich it with his Ideal Communications This we may be assured of from his own mouth He that loveth me shall be lov'd of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self to him And again If a man love me my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him The pure chaste and good Soul shall not only be loved by the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but be also of his Council and Privacy For this is the Spouse of the Word Eternal who first assumed innocent Nature and then assumes innocent Persons the first by a Natural the second by a Mystic union This is the Beloved Disciple who has the priviledge to lean upon the Bosom of his Lord and to be admitted to his more secret Communications And therefore says the Psalmist The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant And says our Lord himself Blessed are the Pure in Heart for they shall see God And Concerning the Four Children that refused to defile themselves with the Portion of the Kings Meat it is said that God gave them Knowledge and skill in all Learning and Wisdom and that Daniel had understanding in all Visions and Dreams For they were not only Pure and Temperate but Religiously so in obedience to the Law of their God the God of Israel Which the said God rewarded with Knowledge and skill in all Learning and Wisdom in them all but in Daniel peculiarly with a faculty of interpreting Aenigmatical Dreams and Visions as the Learned Dr. More observes in his excellent Comment upon that place XXIX The third and last way of consulting the Ideal World is by Prayer This is a method which the Scripture also advises us to If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him And this we know was the Method whereby the Wisest of men attain'd his unparallel'd Wisdom For as Wisdom was his Choice so the Method of his seeking and gaining it was by Prayer And 't is further observable that he address'd himself to the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ideal World in particular as you may see in that solemn Prayer of his recorded in the Book of Wisdom give me Wisdom that sitteth by thy Throne c. Which I commend to your Ladyships perusal at leisure XXX And thus Madam have I Defined and by Scripture and Reason Proved what is the Right Method of prosecuting that Truth which is Perfective of the understanding This in general I have shewn to consist in Consulting the Ideal World The manner of doing which I have also shewn to be First by Thinking the Order of which is also defined Secondly by Purity of Heart and Life and lastly by Prayer This I take to be via Intelligentiae the Way and Method of Wisdom whose House I think is Now Built tho not upon Seven yet upon Three Substantial Pillars and I should be glad if any one would be so kind as to shew me the weakness of the Ground upon which they stand XXXI And now Madam I think I I need not use many words to shew that as Learning is generally placed in such things as are not Perfective of the understanding so that what is so is generally prosecuted by undue Methods For 't is but to compare the Methods in common use with that which we have premised and demonstrated and you will immediately perceive the falseness and irregularity of them For First whereas the First and general Method of Wisdom and knowledge is by consulting the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ideal World the World of Light that Light which inlightens every Man that comes into this World the generality of Students don 't so much as Dream of this nor make any such Application but apply themselves altogether to the Ectypal World to the World of Darkness and Obscurity So verifying that complaint of God by the Prophet My People have forsaken me the Fountain of Living Waters and have digg'd to themselves broken Cisterns that will hold no Water XXXII Then again whereas another more Particular Method is by Attention and Thinking this is generally so little regarded that no sort of Men think so little for the most part as they that are ingaged in the Profess Study of Learning and Knowledge This they don't reckon as any part of Study nor as any Progress in the Stage of Learning but only as a Graver way of being Idle 'T is then only they Study when they are hanging their Heads over an Old Musty Folio and are making huge Common-places and stuffing their Memories with Grey Sentences and Venerable sayings And thus they spend their Time and their Ink and having Scambl'd through a company of Books most of which perhaps were Written to as little purpose as they are Read they think themselves Learned Men and the World is too often of their Opinion tho they have not made themselves Masters of any Sense or Notion nor are able to demonstrate one single Truth upon solid Principles and in a Consequential Process XXXIII And this is the Method not only of those who Misplace Learning but also of the Most of those that place it aright For even those that place it in Ideal Truths do not generally Think for it but Read for it Seek it not in their Souls but in Books And this methinks I can never sufficiently Wonder at Indeed as for those that place Learning not in being able to frame Clear and Distinct Conceptions of ones Own but in Knowing the Opinions of Others 't is no wonder that they take this Method for tho it be Not a means to the End they should propose yet t is a Means to the End which they do propose But the wonder is how those that place Learning as they should in the Clear Conception of Ideal Truths should think to find this meerly by tumbling over Books XXXIV I deny not but that Reading is One way of Knowing otherwise I should not be at the Pains to write this to your Ladyship but then t is only by Accident that it is so as it gives hints and occasions for Thinking And therefore Thinking is the only thing to be regarded even in Reading for Reading as such is Nothing and then we Read to most purpose when we are thereby most enabled to Think So that Thinking is the End of Reading as Understanding is the End of Thinking We Ought

place Learning and Knowledge in such things as are little or nothing perfective of the rational Part and then in the second place we will proceed directly to prove that they do so IX As to the first your Ladyship cannot be so little acquainted either with hidden Springs or outward Workings of humane Nature as not to have observ'd that however strong and uuiversal is the desire of Knowledge yet men are generally more in Love with the Fame and Reputation of it than with the thing it self There are indeed here and there a few humble retired Souls that are otherwise disposed and like your Ladyship are so far from loving the Fame and Credit of knowledge before knowledge it self that they don't love it at all but are content to court Wisdom privately and enjoy their own Light in the Dark For it may be they consider that be their Attainments what they will Fame is a thing of infinite uncertainty and contingency that it depends more upon the Humours of men or some more secret unaccountable Fate than upon real excellency and merit that some have the luck to be popular and cry'd up for nothing when in the mean while others that are really and highly deserving can scarce keep their Heads above Contempt that the World is seldom just to true Merit and that nothing is weigh'd in a falser Ballance than real excellency whether Moral or Intellectual and that there is little reason to expect it should ever be otherwise as long as Envy and Ignorance hold the Scales Then again it may be they consider with themselves that suppose true worth were secure of Reputation yet what a poor slender good is it For what is it to be talk'd of or pointed at Should a Man be never so Popular the Antipodes will never hear of him or if they do what is he the better for what is said of him there And should his Fame like the Sun Travael round the whole Globe besides that he is but Master of a Point when he has All he can enjoy no more of it but just what he hears which is inconsiderable And yet as inconsiderable as it is 't is like to be his whole Portion For as for Posthumous Glory it comes too late to be any thing valuable He will either not be sensible of it or despise it For certainly it must needs be mightily beneath the improvements of a separate state to put any value upon the injudicious praises of poor Mortals here below Or suppose that a Deceas'd Spirit could take any delight in reflecting upon the Fame he has left behind him yet 't is to be considered that the Fashion of this world passes away that those in whose praises he outlives himself must also shortly dye and that then his Fame will have a Funeral as well as himself These perhaps or such like Considerations may prevail with your Ladyship and a few more thinking Persons to have but a very cold and indifferent regard for the Reputation of Learning and Knowledge But as for the generality of mankind it must be own'd that they are fond of it to a strange degree and are more concern'd to be accounted Wise and Learned than really to be so Otherwise I question whether our Libraries would be so full as they are X. But now tho the generality of men be so passionately and keenly set upon the fame of being Learned and Knowing yet so little hath Nature design'd to gratify this ambitious humour there are but a very few that have either a Genius and inclination for Learning it self or a capacity of attaining to it Not an Inclination because there is a great variety in the Speculative as well as Moral inclinations of men one being naturally disposed to this sort of study and another to that whereas true Knowledge whatever it be which shall be consider'd in its due place is of one determinate kind or nature in general and consequently must require a certain peculiar frame and disposition of mind Not a capacity because the generality of men are known to have but indifferent Intellectuals suited to the exigencies of common life when as true knowledge what ever it be must be supposed to be a thing of uncommon difficulty and the study of it a work fit only for sublimer wits the more elevated and Awaken'd part of Mankind XI Now put these two things together that almost all men would fain be thought Learned and Knowing and that there is but here and there one that is Naturally made and fitted for true Knowledge and then consider what is like to be the result of this Complication Why the Latter Few may succeed well in the search of what they were naturally qualified for and having attain'd to a Competency of true Knowledge such as is Perfective of the Understanding they find themselves under no Temptation to place it in any thing else or to bring into Credit any other sort of knowledge Because having arrived so far they are either wise enough to undervalue the Fame of being Learned or else despair not of attaining it by their Proficiency in True Knowledge Here therefore they take up their rest XII But now what shall we do with the others Are they to be perswaded that they are not of a Make for the Study and attainment of Learning You 'll find it tough work to convince them of that But suppose it possible that they could be made sensible that they are not like to Commence very Learned and Knowing yet all the World shall never be able to perswade them to lay aside that Natural itch of being so accounted But you 'll say tho this Inclination be too Natural and inbred to be quite laid aside yet there 's hopes it may be Govern'd No nor that neither They must put in for the Prize and 't is in vain to disswade them from it But they must despair of ever winning it in a fair way being supposed not able to reach the Tree of Knowledge True They have therefore but one way left and that is to turn the Tables and cry up something or other for Learning which they are capable of No matter whether it deserve that name that is whether it be really perfective of the Rational Part or no 't is enough if they can reach it For those that can't compass true Riches and yet will have the Name and credit of it are put upon the Necessity of Coyning and Counterfeiting XIII And truly this Supposition seems to me so very reasonable that were experience altogether Silent in the Case and were I utterly unacquainted with the State of Learning in the World yet if I had a Draught given me of Human Nature and were told how much the Ambition of being esteem'd as Learned and Knowing exceeds both the Desire and the Ability to be so and were then ask'd what I thought would be the Intellectual Conduct of Human Life I should without any further enquiry conclude that in all probability Men