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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	apostle_n	law_n	write_v	1,780	5	6.1497	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03589	A learned sermon of the nature of pride, by Richard Hooker, sometimes fellow of Corpus Christi College in Oxford	Hooker, Richard, 1553 or 4-1600.; Jackson, Henry, 1586-1662.; Spenser, John, 1559-1614.	1612 (1612)	STC 13711; ESTC S121048	9,720	22

which never had bookes but heaven and earth to looke vpon be convicted of perversenesse But the Gentiles which had not the law in bookes had saith the Apostle the effect of the law written in their harts Then seeing that the heart of man is not right exactly vnlesse it be found in all parts such that God examining and calling it vnto account with all severity of rigor be not able once to charge it with declining or suar ving aside which absolute perfection when did God ever find in the sons of meer mortall men Doth it not follow that all flesh must of necessity fall downe and confesse wee are not dust and ashes but worse our mindes from the highest to the lowest are not right If not right then vndoubtedly not capable of that blessednes which wee naturally seeke but subiect vnto that which wee most abhorre anguish tribulation death woe endlesse misery For whatsoeuer misseth the waie of life the issue thereof cannot bee but perdition By which reason all being wrapped vp in sinne and made thereby the children of death the mindes of all men being plainely convicted not to be right shall we thinke that God hath indued them with so many excellencies mo not only then any but then all the creatures in the world besides to leaue them in such estate that they had beene happier if they had never beene Here commeth necessarily in a new waie vnto salvation so that they which were in the other perverse may in this be found straight and righteous That the way of nature this the way of grace The end of that waie salvation merited presupposing the righteousnesse of mens works their righteousnesse a naturall habilitie to do them that habilitie the goodnes of God which created them in such perfection But the end of this way salvation bestowed vpon men as a gifte presupposing not their righteousnesse but the forgiuenesse of their vnrighteousnesse iustification their iustification not their naturall habilitie to do good but their hearty sorrow for not doing vnfained beliefe in him for whose sake not doers are accepted which is their vocation their vocation the election of God taking them out from the number of lost children their election a mediator in whom to be elect this mediation inexplicable mercie his mercie their miserie for whom he vouchsafed to make himselfe a mediator The want of exact distinguishing between these two waies and observing what they haue common what peculiar hath been the cause of the greatest part of that confusion whereof christianity at this day laboureth The lacke of diligence in searching laying downe and invring mens minds with those hidden grounds of reason wherevpon the least particulars in each of these are most firmely and strongly builded is the only reason of all those scruples and vncertainties wherewith wee are in such sort intāgled that a number despaire of ever discerning what is right or wrong in any thing But we will let this matter rest whereinto wee stepped to search out away how some minds may be and are right truly even in the sight of God though they be simplie in themselues not right Howbeit there is not only this difference betweene the iust and impious that the mind of the one is right in the sight of God because his obliquitie is imputed the other perverse because his sinne is vnrepented of but even as lines that are drawn with a trembling hand but yet to the point which they should are thought ragged and vneven neverthelesse direct in comparison of them which run cleane another way so there is no incongruitie in tearming them right minded men whō though God may charge with many things amisse yet they are not as those hideous and ougly monsters in whom because there is nothing but wilfull opposition of mind against God a more then tolerable deformitie is noted in them by saying that their mindes are not right The Angell of the Church of Thyatira vnto whō the sonne of God sendeth this greeting I know thy works and thy loue and service and faith Notwithstanding I haue a few things against thee was not as he vnto whom St Peter Thou hast no fellowship in this businesse for thy heart is not right in the sight of God So that whereas the orderly dispositiō of the mind of man should be this perturbations and sensuall appetities all kept in aw by a moderate and sober will will in all things framed by reason reason directed by the law of God and nature this Babyloman had his mind as it were turned vpside downe In him vnreasonable cecitie and blindnesse trampled al lawes both of God and nature vnder feet wilfulnesse tyrannized over reason brutish sensualitie over will An evident token that his outrage would worke his overthrow and procure his speedie ruine The mother whereof was that which the Prophet in these wordes signifieth His mind doth swell Immoderate swelling a token of verie eminent breach and of inevitable destruction Pride a vice which cleaveth so fast vnto the hearts of men that if we were to strippe our selues of all faultes one by one wee should vndoubtedly finde it the very last and hardest to put of But J am not here to touch the secret itching humor of vanitie wherewith men are generally touched It was a thing more then meanely inordinat wherewith the Babylonian did swell Which that we may both the better conceaue and the more easily reape profite by the nature of this vice which sett●th the whole world out of course and hath put so many even of the wisest besides themselues is first of all to be inquired into secōdly the dangers to be discovered which it draweth inevitable after it being not cured and last of al the waies to cure it Whether we looke vpon the gifts of nature or of grace or whatsoever is in the worlde admired as a part of mans excellency adorning his body beutifying his mind or externally any way commending him in the account and opinion of men there is in every kinde somewhat possible which no man hath and somewhat had which few men can attaine vnto By occasiō wherof there groweth disparagement necessarily and by occasion of disparagement pride through mens ignorance First therfore although men be not proud of any thing which is not at the least in opinion good yet every good thing they are not proud of but only of that which neither is common vnto many and being desired of all causeth them which haue it to be honored aboue the rest Now there is no man so void of braine as to suppose that pride consisteth in the bare possession of such things for then to haue vertue were a vice and they should be the happiest men who are most wretched because they haue least of that which they would haue And though in speech wee doe intimate a kind of vanitie to be in them of whom we say They are wise mē and they know it yet this doth not proue that everywise man is

false conceit of mens excellencie in things honored which accordingly frameth also their deeds and behaviour vnlesse there bee cunning to conceale it For a foule scarre may be covered with a faire cloath And as proud as Lucifer may be in outward appearance lowly No man expecteth grapes of thistles nor from a thing of so bad a nature can other then sutable fruites be looked for What harme soever in private families there groweth by disobedience of children stubbornes of servants vntractablenesse in thē who although they otherwise may rule yet should in consideration of the imparitie of their sex bee also subiect whatsoever by strife amongst mē combined in the fellowship of greater societies by tyrannie of potentates ambition of nobles rebellion of subiects in civill states by heresies schismes divisions in the Church naming pride wee name the mother which brought them forth and the only nurse that feedeth them Giue me the harts of all men humbled and what is there that can overthrew or disturbe the peace of th● world Wherein many things are the cause of much evill but pride of all To declaime of the swarmes of evils issuing out of pride is an easie labour I rather wish that I could exactly prescribe and perswade effectually the remedies whereby a so are so grievous might bee cured and the meanes how the pride of swelling mindes might be taken downe Wherevnto so much we haue already gained that the evidence of the cause which breedeth it pointeth directly vnto the likeliest and fittest helpes to take it away diseases that come of fulnesse emptinesse must remoue Pride is not cured but by abating the error which causeth the minde to swell Then seeing that they swel by misconceit of their own excellēcy for this cause al which tend to the beating down of their pride whether it be advertisemēt from men or frō God himselfe chastisment it then maketh thē cease to be prowd when it causeth them to see their errour in overseeing the thing they were prowd of At this marke Iob in his apologie vnto his eloquent friends aimeth For perceiving how much they delighted to heare themselues talke as if they had given their poore afflicted familiar a schooling of marvelous deepe and rare instruction as if they had taught him more then all the world besides could acquaint him with his answer was to this effect Yee swell as though yee had conceaued some greater matter but as for that which yee are delivered of who knoweth it not Is any man ignorant of these things At the same marke the blessed Apostle driveth yee abound in all things yee are rich yee raigne and would to Christ we did raigne with you But boast not For what haue yee or are yee of your selues To this marke all those humble confessions are referred which haue beene alwaies frequent in the mouthes of Saints truely wading in the triall of themselues as that of the Prophet we are nothing but soarenesse and festered corruption our very light is darknesse and our righteousnes it selfe vnrighteousnes that of Gregory Let no man ever put confidence in his owne deserts Sordet in conspectu indicis quod fulget in conspectu operantis In the fight of that dreadful Iudge it is noysome which in the dooers iudgement maketh a beautifull shew That of Anselm I adore thee I blesse thee Lord God of heaven and redeemer of the worlde with all the power abilitie and strength of my heart and soule for thy goodnesse so vnmeasurably extended not in regard of my merits wherevnto only torments were due but of thy meere vnprocured benignity If these fathers should be raised againe from the dust and haue the bookes laid open before them wherein such sentences are found as this Workes no other then the value desert price and worth of the ioyes of the kingdome of heaven Heaven in relation to our workes as the very stipend which the hired labourer covenanteth to haue of him whose workes he doth a thing equally and tustly answering vnto the time and waight of his travailes rather then to a voluntarie or bountifull gift If I say those reverend fore-rehearsed fathers whose books are so full of sentences witnessing their Christian humilitie should be raised from the dead and behold with their eies such things written would they not plainely pronounce of the authors of such writ that they were fuller of Lucifer then of Christ that they were proud-hearted men and carried more swelling minds then sincerely and feelingly knowne Christianitie can tolerate But as vnruly children with whom wholsome admonition prevaileth little are notwithstanding brought to feare that ever after which they haue once well smarted for so the mind which falleth not with instruction yet vnder the rod of divine chastisement ceaseth to swell If therefore the Prophet David instructed by good experiēce haue acknowledged Lord I was even at the point of cleane forgetting my selfe and so straying from my right mind but thy rod hath beene my reformer it hath beene good for me even as much as my foule is worth that I haue beene with sorrow troubled if the blessed Apostle did neede the corrosiue of sharpe and bitter strokes least his heart should swell with too great abundance of heavenly revelations surely vpon vs whatsoever God in this world doth or shall inflict it cannot seeme more then our pride doth exact not only by way of revenge but of remedy So hard it is to cure a fore of such qualitie as pride is in as much as that which rooteth out other vices causeth this and which is even aboue all conceit if we were cleane from all spot blemish both of other faults and of pride the fall of Angels doth make it almost a question whether we might not need a preservatiue stil least we should happily wax proud that we are not proud What is virtue but a medicine and vice but a wound Yet wee haue so often deeply wounded our selues with medicines that God hath beene faine to make wounds medicinable to cure by vice where vertue hath striken to suffer the iust man to fall that being raised he may be taught what power it was which vpheld him standing I am not afraid to affirme it boldly with S. Augustine that men puffed vp through a proud opinion of their owne sanctitie and holinesse receaue a benefit at the hands of God and are assisted with his grace whē with his grace they are not assisted but permitted that greevously to transgresse whereby as they were in over great liking of themselus supplanted so the dislike of that which did supplant them may establish them afterwards the surer Aske the very soule of Peter and it shall vndoubtedly make you it selfe this answer my eger protestations made in the glorie of my ghostly strength I am ashamed of but those christ all teares wherewith my sinne and weaknes was bewailed haue procured my endles ioy my strēgth hath beene my ruine and my fall my stay FINIS Luk. 22 28. Annot. ●he● in 1. Cor. 3.