Selected quad for the lemma: body_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	person_n	soul_n	unite_v	6,577	5	10.2741	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09502	Spirituall exercyses and goostly meditacions and a neare waye to come to perfection and lyfe contemplatyue, very profytable for religyous, and generally for al other that desyre to come to the perfecte loue of god, and to the contempte of the worlde. Collected and set foorthe by the helpe of god, and diligente laboure of F. Wyllyam Peryn bacheler of diuinitie and pryor of the friers preachers of greate Sayncte Bartholomes in Smythfyelde.	Peryn, William.; Essche, Nicolas van, 1507-1578. Exercitia.	1557 (1557)	STC 19784; ESTC S114592	137,241	328

my Lorde god perfectly and profoundlye is the synguler gyfte of thee whiche I cannot come vnto without thy speciall grace which I most hertely and most mekely beseche thee to graunt me that therby I may perfectly know thee and thy holy wyl and moost blessed and acceptable pleasure ¶ Graunt me good lorde now at thys present and oftentymes to consider profoundly perfectly to knowe that thou my lorde god art moste higheste and moost excellent aboue al thynges moost blessed wysedom euerlasting and vnchaungeable goodnes A very incomprehensible and sempiternal substaunce an infinite and mooste blessed bryghtnes and an euerlasting and incomparable lyghte of blysse whiche in thy selfe arte so myghtye so gloryous so good and so perfecte that there canne nothynge be thought so good so perfecte so worthye so excellent so gloryous but thy goodnes thy perfeccion thy wysedome thy power and thy incomprehensible loue surmounteth and excelleth it infinitely and incomparably For if al power vertue goodnes wysedome the perfeccions of all the creatures in heauen and in earth and in al the whole worlde were knytte in one it weere not so muche in comparison of thy blessed and most excellent maiestie as is one lytle drop of water in cōparison of the vnmesurable maine sea Yea what soeuer the thoughtes of al men the vnderstandyng of al aungels good and bad be able to thynke or vnderstande of anye goodnesse or perfection thy blessed goodnes vnmeasurable might and infinite perfeccion passeth it without comparison ¶ O moost blessed holy and glorious trinitie most myghtyful father euerlastyng ineffable incomprehensible goodnes which of thyne owne substance sēpiternally doest brynge forth an euerlastyng ineffable and incomprehensible goodnes coequal consubstanciall wyth thy selfe which is thy sēpiternal onely son And both you father sonne equally the one louyng the other infinitely in a charitie delighte infinite are knyt together in one holy gost the third persō For this infinyte charytye is none other then the holy goost proceding incogitably of the father and of the sonne ¶ Thus art thou my Lorde God thre dystincte persons in one very God thre persons in one godhede and one very godhed in thre persones ¶ Most dredfull mayestye I moste lowlye and most deuoutly as I can I adore the worshype the with all myght and powers of my body and my soule moste swete and blissed vnite most blessed holy Trynitye ¶ Oh my deare and mercyfull lorde and my god shew thy selfe vnto me and I aske no more ¶ Oh most myghty maker and most swete Lorde God infunde powre into my hart and my vnderstanding thy heauenly light and blessed charitie that I may know and loue the aboue al thynge comforte the wekenes and infyrmytie of my frayle nature wyth thy blessed presence fyll my harte my delyght with the loue of the and wyth the goostly influēce of thy synguler grace that I maye knowe how louyng how gracious how good howe mercifull a Lorde God thou arte and hast bene vnto me specially and vnto all creatures ¶ Graunte me grace most mercyfull lorde ofte tymes louyngly and verye delectably to remembre how so myghtyful so dredfull a lorde god hast created and made my soule most nobly vnto thyne owne likenes and ymage and hast geuen vnto my soule thre excellent powers or myghtes that I myght and should not only in the worlde to come but also in this presente lyfe by wit and vnderstandinge in constant fayth knowe the by wyll I myght and ought to chose and loue the aboue all thinge and by memorye I myght rest in the and beyng knytte fast vnto the I myght so faythfully remayne and cleue vnto the that for the pure delyght and loue of the I myght contempne and forget all thynge ¶ Graunte me good Lorde that I may be so rauyshed in the loue and the delyght of thy blessed essence goodhed that for Ioy gladnes and admyracion I may forgette my selfe I maye feele nether prosperytie neyther aduersite of this worlde and that I maye not feare to suffer all the payne in this world rather then to be pullyd or parted away from the whiche arte of infinite power wysedome Iustice goodnes charytie swetnes lyberalitie and of infynite pytie clemencye and mercy whose perfeccions excedyth infinitely all thought and vnderstandynge ¶ Graunte me most mercifull and louing Lorde grace to perceaue and remember alwaye wyth gostly Ioy and thankefulnes that thou so gloryous and gracious lorde god of Infinite charitie of godly myght mercy doest offer thy selfe vnto me euery where specially in my soule more verylye present then I am with my selfe beyng alwaye and euery where redye to conserue to gouerne to saue me and to brynge me to thy blysse ¶ Wherfore most dredfull Lorde I haue a great cause yf I wyll do my dewty to be circumspecte and take greate hede how I do vse my selfe in the presēce of the my lord whiche seist and lokest vpon al my wordes dedes and thoughtes ¶ Graunte me therfore moost mercyfull Lorde grace to walke and conuersant my selfe before thy blessed presens like a chaist and an holy spouse with al reuerēce feare shamfastnes mekenes obedyence and pacience contynually preparing my selfe with al dilygence to please the sight of thy dredfull maiestie and wyth al my hearte and wyl to loue the aboue al thyng wherby al grace and vertu may encrease in me ¶ Graunt me o merciful sauiour alwaye in euery place to remember that thou so myghty a Lorde God berest towarde me vyle wretched worme of the erthe an euer lastinge vnmesurable most constant fre loue and charitie which passeth al thoughtes and desire so greate is thy goodnes towarde me moost vyle wretche whiche am but sinne and claye that thou doest vouchsafe to tende and to take so great hede and care vpon me as though thou haddest no mo creatures in heauen or earth and hast and doest deliuer me and defend me from innumerable perels dedly dangers bothe of body and soule and hast and doest frely adorne me indewe me and multyplye in me most vnthankeful and vnworthy with so many gyftes and benefytes at al tymes that I am not able to reken the least parte of them and of thy Infinite loue and charyte moost lyberally I maye at all tyme yea euery minute of an houre come vnto the in so muche that with one godly thought and desyre I maye optayne and haue the whiche art euerlastyng felicitie and to the as vnto my most nearest derest most faithfull and trusty frende in heuen or earth I maye safely open all my griefes necessytyes and be certayne and sure to haue such help of the as shal be most for my soule helth Wherfore most merciful lord god which arte the sempyternal lyght of heauen vochsafe for thy mercy sake to lyghten the darkenes of my synfull soule and the blindnes of my harte with the blessed beme of grace that I may come to the perfecte

fautes and venials that ye dayly do cōmit neyther for that ye can not do as ye reade that other holy persons hath done neyther for that ye are weake or sycke in bodye Ye shall take no discorage nor feare for anye of thes whiche the deuyll oft tyme is wont to suggeste and to put in to the mynde and the memorye of the simple yong begynner eyther to discorage them either to trouble thē with fearful scrupulousnes or to wery them wyth tediousenes and al to hinder or to let theire gostly and holy purpose Only haue and hold stedfastly a good wyll and a ful and ferent desyre to haue such perfecciō in vertue as it might please the goodnes of god of his mercyful lyberalite to geue you Yet shal ye hope euermore the best and aske the best but commyt it to the high pleasure of god to geue what he wyl And yf ye hold this good wyll and do labour and do what your weke frayltie wyll suffer beyng sory that ye can do no better thoughe you feale no deuocion no comfort in thes your goostly trauel and exercyses yet are they a most acceptable sacryfice in the sight of god for whose only sake and desyre you do paynefully occupie your selfe without any goostlye comforte Obserue these instruccions as muche and as nyghe as ye can but not to scrupulously thynkyng your labour lost yf ye do not kepe them exactly and streytely but kepe them as well as ye may And when ye forget any of them intend to kepe it better here after and purpose euermore by godes grace and blessyd helpe to better your selfe and all shall be well And with peace and quietnes do as god shall geue you grace Vnto hym be geuen al honour and glorye Amē ¶ The firste exercise to come to knoweledge of almyghty god FYrste thou shalt exercyse thy selfe in the perfect and deepe knowlege of our lorde thy god callynge humbly to remembraunce how excellent and incomprehensyble he is as well as the grace that thou canst optayne of god shal assist the this knowlege thou shalt indeuer thy self to optayne rather by feruent desire and deuoute prayer then with highe studye and outeward laboure It is the syngular gyfte of god and very precyus Wherfore thou shalte wyth most humble and lowly hart very oftentyme desyre the same lorde god that thou myghtest possesse him most deuoutly praynge that he vochsafe to manifest and shew hym selfe vnto the that thou mayst know him and hys hygh pleasure and perfect wyl saying in this maner or lyke in thy hert secrete mynd with all desire and gostly affeccyon MOst gloryous maiestie of my lord god whom to knowe is the very blysse and felicitie of mans soule and there can no manne knowe thee as thou art without thou wylt open and shew thy selfe vnto hym Moost humbly I be seke the moost gracyus god and moste mercyful lorde vouchesafe of thy infynite mercy and goodnes to lyghten at thys present and euer my hart my mynd and knowelege with the very true and perfect knowelege of thyne owne selfe and of thy moost holy and perfect wyll and godly pleasure to thy moost honor and glory Amen ¶ Then shalt thou lyfte vppe thy heart and thoughte and consyder not with to greate vyolence but soberly the eternall euerlastynge and the infynite power and myght of god whiche hath creatyd al thynge consyder hys moost excellent wysedome hys vnmeasurable goodnes and his incomprehensible loue Consyder what thy lord god is who he is what maner and how great he is not in body but in might power goodnes wisedome mercy For he is very and only god most gloryus most blessed moost excellent and mooste hyghest aboue all thyng the excellent and hyghe verytie and truthe it self the euerlastyng and vnchangable goodnes a very and sempyternall substance a charytie infynite whiche is so great so excellent and ineffable in hym self that all dignitie perfeccyon and goodnes that is possible to be spoken by word can not suffycyently expresse any parte of hys moost inconprehensible nobilytie dignitie perfecciō and goodnes Way and consider well also that god is the very true propre and natural place rest and centre of thy sole in whom thi soule from the beginning fyrst restyd by the perfect resemblance and symilitude of hyr in the blessyd mynd of god from whens in the time of her creacion she came in to the bodie whyther shee must returne agayne and in whome she must by hym rest or els she shall perishe for euer and looseth that blysse that she was creatyde to and Iustly shall be caste in to the vnrestefull myserie and turmente of hell After thys thought then turne thy thought vnto the mooste holy and blessyd trinitie Not musing to much theron with most deuout and obedient faith most mekely and lowly adoure and worshyppe laude and prayse it with all the myghtes of bodie and soule saing in thy hert thus or lyke O Moost blessyd and moost holy trynitie of persons and moost swete and most gloryus vnitie in one godhed I most humbly beseche thy myghtyfull and moost mercyfull maiestie that the blessyd vnitie which thou art in godhed may flowe and runne by most feruent loue in to my soule and in to all creatures that be able to laude and prayse the. Amen THen consyder the blessed parsonage of god the father howe he is the euerlasting ineffable and incomprehensible goodnes which bryngyth forth incogytably of him self and substance an euerlasting goodnes coequall and of one godhead and substance with hym selfe which is his only son Whych two that is to say god the father with hys sempeternall son loue together the one the other in a charytie infinite and with an vnmeasurable and euerlastynge delight and this charitie or delight is god the holy goost ¶ Aspyracions to come to the blessed knowlege of god the holy trinitie thou shalt fynd at the end of these excersies Thou shalte also consider in this meditacion how al thynges are of thys blessed trinitie thy lord god and remayne and abyde by hym thorowe hys myght that vpholdeth them and are in hym more perfectly thē in their owne nature therfore to hym be all honoure and glorye of creatures worldes without end ¶ Of the knowlege of god commeth and groweth in the soule of manne all vertue and goodnes And of the ignorance of god aryseth all temptacyon all bytternes and dampnacion therefore thou owghteste to geue the more dylygence and to trauel the more earnestly to haue alway in thy memorie swetely louyngly delectably these thre if thou canst that is to say His essence or goodnes His presence and his loue ¶ Fyrst attendynge and consyderyng his infynite nobilytie his hyghnes his rightwisenes his swetenes liberalitie and mercy and other his innumerable perfeccions the whiche verely so farre passe and excede so incomparably al wyt and vnderstāding of any creature that what so euer of any of all these perfeccyons all the creatures

lackyd thys inordynate loue feare The affection of natural loue vnto their kinred The affection of the loue that they beare for the greate benefytes of fryndes do ingender in them moch vagacyon of mynd and causyth them ofte tyme be dystracted dysquyetyd when they feare the losse of their fauour or desyreth to please and to contynew or increase their loue towardes them Ye some tyme yt makith thē to dyssemble and to flatter their friendes and suche as they loue or fear in their vicyous condycious and dedes Ye to fauoure that in them that they shoulde hate and ought wythout respect or accepcion of person purely and only to loue in them god hys Image grace vertew so that they shoulde not supporte dissemble flatter nor wynke at any mans faute or mysdoynge sinne but they shoulde desyre with al their harte the soule helth of euery man Wherfore thou must abolysh from thy harte all inordinate loue affection whiche might cause in the any vnquietnes distraction or occupie thy fansye wyth imagynacions specyally of the desyre that thou hayst ether of frendshype or cōpany if thou wylt come to the pure loue of god For this is a very poyson and venome of the loue of god infectyng and poysoning thy harte Thou shalte therfore vtterly sley it and mortifie it in thy selfe al that thou can ¶ The syxt impedyment THe sixt impediment are the passions sensual as loue hate with othere the naturaly floweth oute of these passyons as immoderat myrth or gladnes sorow or heuynes hope feare loue hate shamefastnes To say the trewthe inordinate loue is mother and parent of al thes and of al other natural passyons Thes passions are redy at euery chance good or bad to dysqueet and moue the hart and mynde of man And when the inner eye is troblyd or dymmed with thes and suche lyke then can yt not iudge nor dyscerne nether him self nether what is right nether resonable Wherefore yf thou desyre to haue peace of hart thou must kepe thine hart clene pure free from the loue of creatures and from al suche passions Thou must also commit vnto the hyghe wyl and prouidence of god al thinges that shal fortune vpon the good or bad castynge al thy thoughtes and care vpon hym takynge alway good hede that ther nothynge reste in the nothynge enter thy hart saue only god Al thynges in the earth be but vyle yea and to vyle that thou shuldest so loue or set by thē that thou take any care haue any desyre inordynately to haue them or to be sory heauy or a shamed to lacke them or to trouble thy noble harte thy immortal and heauenly minde for any such vyle drosse Let them loke for these temporal thynges loue and take care ioy and be merie glad to haue these thynges of this worlde that are al worldly and of the world for whom Christ wold not pray Thou canst not please nor serue two masters at on s Thou canst not loue .ij. diuers and contrary thynges Yf thou wilt know what thou louyst Marke well what thing thou thynkyst moost on Leaue thou the world and the earth vnto the worldly and the earthly and thou shalt find heuen Leaue the world and haue god Geue vp the earth with al his pleasure and treasure and thou shalt haue god and fynde heauen and the blysse euerlastyng ¶ The seuenth Impedyment THE seuenth Impedymente is the bytternes of hart of melancoly and as it were a testines or frowardnes whereby many be very and ofte prone and redie vnto impacience angrines melancoly hatred and to reuenge Ye and to dispise other and take al thynge to the worst very vneasy to cōtent or please redy to murmur and gruge Suche commenly do murmur agaynst their superiors and prelates they iudge and cōdempne their neighbors they report euyl and slander with venomous eyes of malicie with which they thē selues are infectyd beholdynge al thynges they iudge al thing peruersly to the worst This arysyth in some of nature and sometyme or much studie and then it is so muche the lesse fawte But it muste be mortyfied by grace And in some it arysyth of a certeyne secreate presūpcyon and consyderacion of theire owne merytes and dedes grace or estymacion whereby many are very redy to iudge rashely other and to dispise them preferryng them selfes and their lyfe and their false ryghtwysenes gettyng indygnacyon and not compassyon Some tyme this bytternes arysyth of in mortyfyed desyres Whan they may not haue that they wold then thes passyons inflamyth them to murmure and grudge agaynste theire superiors and those that wyl not folow or graunt thier vnresonable desyres or do resyste them Sometyme it arysith of hate or rancor for offences and greffes past for the whiche cause the desyre to peruerte and mistake the deedes of thē that they thus hate and sekes in theire dedes somewhat to put them to rebuke Some tyme it arysyth of Enuy wherby they desyre to obscure or to hyde the vertues of other bycause they thēselfes lacke them lest that the other should be lyke estemyd before them Some tyme it arisith of a wickidnes bycause they enuy the vertues and graces that they se in another Therfore they of mere malyce wherof they are full repleate interprete and take al thynge to the worst and so offende they the holy gost But this bytternes of hart and al other thou must ful mortyfie consume and ouercome with the swetnes of godly loue and charytie that thou maist fynde in thy harte as hartely to loue thy very ennimes and persecutors as thoughe they wher thi dere fryndes as in very dede they be for they bryng the and promote the vnto greate merytes Wherefore yf thou wylt euer profyt in perfeccyon thou must nedes loue thyne euen chrysten in god Thou must honour the ymage of god in euery parsō thou must suffer no bitternes nor dyspleasure to rest in thy hart agaynst any man but thou muste beare a mery cheare and countynance swete charytie mekenes of hart gentilnes in speach vnto al persōs redy to beare the burdens and infyrmities of al men to helpe the nede of euery man to suffer and forgeue the offences of al to take interpret all thynges to the best to iudge no parsō to greue no mā but glad to do good to al persons to cōfort al generally wtout acceptiō of persons indifferētly to shew vnto al euery one pytie compassiō ¶ The .viii. Impedimente THe Eyght impedimente is impacience and as it were a grudge or secreate murmurynge agaynst god a discontentacion of mind in outward aduersite infamy scorne rebuke cōtumely losse of thinges sicknes payne of the body persecuciō dereliccion and desolaciō of mynde which may fortune vnto a mā by the permissiō of god with the which god almighty is wont to trye proue his dere belouid chosen and that of most exceding charitie for ther euerlasting saluacion Such