Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
cause_n body_n life_n soul_n 5,160 5 5.5664 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A00378 An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture, made by Erasmus Roterodamus. And tra[n]slated in to inglissh. An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the first pistle to the Corinthians; Paraclesis. English Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536.; Roy, William, fl. 1527-1531, attributed name.; Luther, Martin, 1483-1546. aut 1529 (1529) STC 10493; ESTC S109910 70,722 156

There are 4 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

which departe hence yf they have leved well be cause they are gone in to a more prosperous liffe Finally he taught ād exhorted all men to subdue the affections of their bodyes And to applye their soules to the contemplacyon of those thinges whiche truly are immortall all though they be not sene with these bodelye eyes Aristotle writeth in hys politikes that there can nothinge be so swete and delycyous to man But that at somtyme yt doth displease hym only vertue excepte The Epicure graunteth that there can be nothinge delectable and pleasante in this liffe except the mynde and conscience frō whence all pleasure springe be clere and with out grutche of sinne besydes that there have bene some that have fulfylled a great parte of thys doctrine And che●ly of all Gocrates Siogenes ād Epictetus how be it sith Christ him silfe hath both taught and also done these thinges more consummatly then eny other ys yt not a mervelous thinge that these thinges are not onlye vnknowen of them which professe the name of Christ. But also to be despised of them yee and to be made a laughinge stocke Yf there be eny thinge that goethe more nere to Christianite let vs then disanulle these thinges ād folow them But sith there is no nother thinge that can make a true Christen man Why then do we recounte this immortall doctrine more abrogate and out of vse then the bokes of Moyses The first poynte of Christianite is to knowe what Christ hath taught The next is to do there after and to fulfyll it as nygh as god g●veth vs grace Nether thynke I that eny man wyll counte hym silfe a faythfull Chrysten because he can despute wyth a craftye and tedious perplexite of wordes of relatyons quiddityes and formalites But in that he knowledgeth and expresseth in dede● those thinges which Christ both taught and accomplisshed Nether speake I thy● to discommende their studye labour whiche have exercysed their wittes in these sotle invencyons for I wold offend no man But rather be cause I beleve as the matter is in deade that the very pure and naturall phylosoph●e of Christ can be gathered out so frutefully of no place as out of the Gostpels and epistles of the apostle● in whiche yf a man will studye devoutelye attendinge m ore to prayer thē arguinge desynnge rather to be made a new mā then to be armed with scriptures vnto contentiō he with out doute shall finde that there is nothinge pertayninge vnto mannes felicyte other clles vnto eny operacion ex●edient vnto thi● presente liffe But it is declared discussed and absolutely touched Yf we go aboute to lerne eny thinge werfore shall an other master and instructor more please vs then christ him silf Yf we requyre a rule and forme to lyve after why do we rather embrace an other example then the very first copy and pa●trone whyche is christe hymsilfe If we desyre an holesome medycyne agaynst the grevous and noysome lustes or app●tytes of oure myndes Why seake we not here the most fr●tefull remedye If we appe●e to quycken and refresshe with readinge oure dull and fayntinge mynde I pray the where shall we fynde soch quycke and firye sparkyls If we covete to withdrawe oure mindes frō the redious cares of this liffe why seake we eny other delectable pastymes why had we lever lerne the wisdom of Christes doctryne out of mēnes bokes then of christ him silfe Whyche in thys scripture doth chefly performe that thinge whiche he promysed vnto ●s when he sayd that he wold con●ynew with vs vnto the ende of worlde For in thys hys testament he speaketh bretheth ād lyveth amōge vs in a maner more effectuallye then when hys bodye wa● presently conversante in this worlde The Iewes nether sawe n● hearde so moch As thou mayst dayly both here and se in the scripture of Christe there wanteth nothynge but that thou bringe the heares and eyes of fayth where with he maye be harde and perceaved What a mervelous worlde ys thys We kepe the letters which are written from oure frynde We kysse them and ●ere them aboute with vs. We reade them over twyse or thryse And how many thousandes are there amonge the Christen whyche are extemed of greate litterature And yet have not once in their lyv●s Read ove●●he Gosple● and Epistles of the Apostle● Mahumete● adherētes are all well instructe in their awne secte And the Iewes vnto this daye even from their tender age studye diligently their Moses Why do not we soch honour vnto Christe embrasinge his preceptes which bringe eternall liffe They that professe saynt Benedictes institution which is a rule both made of a mā that was but of small learninge and also wryten vnto the seculare rude ād vnlearned observe their example lerne it by harte and drinke it in to their hartes Saynt Austyns adherentes are not ignorant in their rule Saynt Franciskes fryers do know observe and avaunce their patrones preceptes yee and carye them aboute with them whether so ever they go Insomoche that they thinke not them selves in savete excepte their boke be with them Why set they more by their rule which was writen of a man then the hole Christente by the holy scripture which Christ did equallye preach vnto all men which we have all professed in baptime And to conclude which is most holy amo●ge all other doctrines and none to be compared with it all though thou hepe sex hundreth to gedder and I wold to god y ● as Paule did write that the lawe of Moses had no glorye in comparison to the glorye of the gospell that succeded after it that even so the evangelyes ād epistles were extemed of the Christen so holy or hadde in soch reverence that the doctrynes o● men in respecte of them might scame nothinge holye I am cōtēte that everye mā avaunce his doctor at his awne pleasure let thē extolle Albarte Alexander Saynt Thomas Aegidius Richarde and Occam I will diminysshe no manes fame no glorye Nother yet resiste and reprove the olde maner of studye Let them be wittye sotle And in a maner above capacyte or angelic all yet trulye must they nedes knowledge that these are most true vndouted and frutefull Paule and saynte Iohan will that we iudge the spretes of prophetes whether they are of god or not and Saynt Augustyne readinge all other mennes bokes with iudgement requirethe none nother authoryte to his bokys Only in the scripture when he can not attayne a thinge he submitteth him sylf vnto it And oure doctor which is Christ was not alowed by the scoles of devines but of the hevenly father his awne and goodly voyce beringe wytnes and that twyse first at Iodane as he was baptised after in his trāsfiguratiō on the mounte thabor sayeinge This is my welbeloved sonne in whom I am pleased heare you him O this sure au●horyte which as they saye hath no cōtradictiō what signifieth this heare you him Trulye that he
is only the true teacher and instructore and that we ought only to be his disciples Now let every man with their hole affectiō prayse their authores as moch as they will yet was this voyce with out● naye only spoken of Christ oure savyoure vpon whom descended the holy gost in lykenesse of a dove which did confirme the testimonye of the hevenly father Wyth this ●prete was Peter endued vnto whom the high shepard Christ committed his shepe once twyse yee thryse to be fed noryss●ed meaninge trulye no nother thinge but that he shuld instructe them with the hevenly fode of Christian doctrine In Paule Christ semed in a maner new borne agayne whom he him silf called a chosen wessel ād a pure p●eacher of his name and glorye Saynt Iohan expressed in his learninge that thinge whiche he had souked or dronke out of the holye fontayne of Christ●s boosome What like thinke is there in dun● I wold not you shuld thinke that I speake it of ennye what like thinge is there in saynt Th●mas how be it I commende this mannes ●olinesse Ind mervell at the so●le wit and iudgement of the other Why do we not all applye oure diligente studye in these greate authors I meane Christ Peter Paule and Iohan Why bere we not aboute these in oure bosomes Why have we them not ever in oure handes Why do we not hūte seke ād serch oute these thinges with a curious diligence Why geve we a greater portion of oure liffe to the studye of Averrois then to the Evāgely of Christ why do we in a maner consvine al oure age in the decrees of men and vayne opinions which are so contrarye and dissentinge amōge them selves Be it in case they be greate devines that made soche const●●utions yet notwithstādinge only in Christes worde consisteth the exercyse and invrance of him which before god is reputed for a greate devine It is mete that we all which have professed the name of Christ at the leste if we have promised with mind ād harte that we be instructe with ●the doc●ryne of Christ beinge yet tender infantes in oure parentes armes and wanton child●●n at oure nurses tete for it is emprēted most depe And cleveth most surely which the rude and vnformed shelle of oure soule do the first receave and learne I wold oure first and vnformed speache shuld soun de of Christe I wolde oure ignorāte childhed shuld be enformed with Christes evā●elye and to thē I wold Christ shuld be so swetely taught y e they might be enflamed to love him And that after they shuld procede by a litle and a litle crepinge by the grovnde vntyll that by insensible incrementes they springe vp to be strōge in Christ. Other mēnes traditions are soche that many repente them selves because they have spente so moch studye and labour vpon them And often it chaunceth that they which have moste manfully fought thorow all their liffe even vnto the death to defende mennes doctrines and decrees Yet in the poynte of dethe have caste awaye their shilde and have clene dissented from their authors secte But blissed is he whom death assayleth if his harte be hole occupied in this holesome doctrine Let vs therfore all with fervent desyre thriste after these sprituall spriges Let vs embrace them Let vs be studiously conversante with thē Let vs kysse these swete wordes of Christ with a pure affection Let vs be new tranformed in●to them for soche are oure maners as oure studyes be yee and to be shorte let vs dye in them he that can not attayne them but who is he that can not if he will him silf yet at the leste let him submitte him silfe vnto thē recountinge thē very holy as y e storehouse or tresurye of goddes awne mide frō whēce cometh furthe all goodnes If a mā wold shew vs a steppe of Christes foote Good lorde how wold we knele and worshuppe it And why do we nor rather honoure his qwycke and lyvelye image which is most expresslye contayned in these bokes If a man wold bringe vnto vs Christes coo●e whether wold we not runne hedlynge that we might once kisse it How be it if thou bringe oute his coote sherte shoes ād all his hous olde stuffe yet is there nothinge that doth more truly and expressly represente Christe then the gospels and epistles We garnisshe or adorne an image of wod or stone with gold and precious stones for the love of Christe But why are not these thinges rather garnisshed with gold and gemmes yce and more preciously yf so eny thinge can be more precious then they syth they represent moch more presentlye Christ vnto vs then eny ymage cā do As for ymages what thinge can they expresse but the figure of his bodye yf they expresse that But the evangely doth represent and expresse the qwicke and levinge ymage of his most holy minde yee and Christe him silf speakinge healinge deyenge rysinge agayne and to conclude all partes of him In so moch that thou couldeste not so playne and frutefullye see him All though he were presente before thy bodlye eyes Amen THe cause why the apostle did write this presente chapter was this The Corinthiās whiche dyd receave the doctrine of Christe ād so did become his servantes and specyally they whiche before had folowed y e Iewes wayes did observe both the Euangely and also the lawe of Moses Now hadde Moses commaunded that every man shulde be maried So that a man by the lawe of matrimony shulde be associate and kepe company with a womā ād the womā with a man● To lyve severall or single was thē cōdempned as a state baren and vnfrutefull The cause was this God hadde promysed in the olde testamente that Christe shulde descende of the seede of Abrahā Now did no body yet knowe what parsones were the seede that shulde begette him It was therfore necessaryly required that the Hebrues all which were Iewes shulde be coniugate in mariage for honore ād love of this seede and to engendre children vntill the advente and cominge of Christe For this cause didde the Corinthyans demaunde whether they were bounde to kepe the aforesayde lawe And whethere yt was ●efulle for them to abyde ād lyve vnmaryed when they had love and desyer vnto chastite And moste specially for so moche as by reasone of the euangely many other lawes were cassate and anulled and put vnto mānes libertie to kepe them or elles not to kepe them Their feble and weyke consciences cowde vnnethes leave the lawe of Moses where vnto they hadde so longe time ād many ages bene accustomed Vnto this doth sainte Paule here make them answeare saing that this is not only lefulle but also good and profitable yf so a man mindeth to lyve chaste and hath love and delyte to the same Not with standinge he doth here intr●ate of this mater both diligently and also warely ●●xtynge and intermedlinge all wayes matrimony It is good for a
man not tō touche a woman Neverthelesse to avoyde fornicacyon Let every mā have his wife And let every woman have her husbande ¶ Consider well the wordes and beholde howe shortly he breaketh of making digression from his firste sentence Yt is sayeth he good yf a man do not touche a woman But in this he doth nother bydde ne forbidde eny man so for to do but incontinent he hyeth hym vnto matrimony As yf he dyd feare soche a good thinge to be rare ād vnwonte and that in tyme cominge wolde turne and be chaunged into fornicacyon Afferminge that for love of avoydinge fornicacyon every man ought to have his wife Therfore this is his firste sentence or conclusion That whosoever in him silfe doth not fele this godly ād good thinge I meane chastite but doth fele and perceave incontinency Vnto him I saye is here commaundemente gyven that he be maryed And this commaundemēte oughteste thou to rec●ave as the commaundement of God and not of man Then here of doth folowe that no parsone may make a vowe or promyse to lyve chaste and single And that no parson is bounde to kepe and performe eny suche vowe once made but rather to fordo vnkepe and breake them When in him silfe he doth not fynde nor fele this precyous and goodly gyfte of chastite but knoweth him sil●e prone to luste and incontinencye For suche a vowe is playnly made againste this commaundemente But againste the commaundemente of God may no vowe be made therfore yf eny suche vowe be made he that shall observe and k●pe ●t ys damnabyll yee and by the lawe of god all redye condemned This thouchynge of women have some parsones diffined ād compased moche straytly So y t they dare not touche a womans hande nor skynne Moreover they have founde and imagined many both statutes ād ceremonyes by whiche they might kepe thē selves from the company of women So y t they shulde nother s●e nor heare them supposinge that by suche meanys they have made royall provision to lyve chaste ād vnmaryed And thus they that fyrste dydde byld● monasteryes and abbyes thought that yonge men myght be kepte pure chaste yf they ware absente from yonge women and lykewyse yonge womē from mē But vnto what prefe and how fortunatly that thynge hath come to passe and what place th●rby hath bene geven to Sathan it were horrible both to be spoken and also to be hearde of Suche parsones be as men are wonte to saye comonly more blinde then a betle They wene that chastyte maye be dryvē in to a mā by outwarde meanes When not whithstāding this hygh and hevenly gifte muste springe out from the inner partes of the harte For all yf yt be manifestly knowne that luste is inflammed when man and woman do come to gether Yet have they therfore not made all gates so royall a provision agaynste luste as they pretende in that they are kepte separate from women ād the women from men for what avayleth me to see no woman ne heare nother yet touche hyr yf my herte swymme fulle of them yf in thought it cleveth vn to them both daye and nyght Yf it ymagine and purpose more fylthines then eny man is bolde to do And what doth it profite to sperre and close in a yonge woman that she can have no liberte nother to see ne heare a yonge man when hyr harte with out ceasinge doth morne and sygh after suche one both dayes and nyghtes The harte muste be geven vnto chastite Elles all our enforsemente labour and diligence shall be vnto vs grevous and paynfull as helle and other like tormētes Wherfore this saying of Paule muste nedes be vnderstande in sorete and in harte on this wise That he shall be sayed not to touche a woman which with desyre of his harte and with his awne p●oper wille doth outwardly kepe his body from women And not he that is compelled outwardly to abstaine or kepe from women inwardly in harte being fulle of luste and love towardes them But suche are dissembl●rs ād hypocrites whose clennes and chastite glistereth before the worlde but afore god it is loste and damnable yee it is doble lecherye for saynte paules saynge is frely spretuall Wherfore it requireth a fre sprete ād in a fre sprete it muste be takē receaved But hypocrytes receave yt grudginly making therof a dedde letter a grevous lawe that d●yveth ād cōpelleth thē And so they make dānable fayned chastite by outwarde shunnīge avoidīge frō womē dolorous paynfulle Marke now whatkyn soulesleers they be wh●ch so entise and provoke folisshe youth to vowe outwarde chasti●e causinge and compellinge them to norisshe with in them inwardly hydden malyce and evyll takinge no cōsyderaciō with them selves whether the parsones whom they thus do entyse and move be lyke wise with harte and desyer sturred vnto the same that ys to wytt vnto chastite or single livinge But the more harde and paynfull yt ys to man the more noble and precious do they wene that yt ys before god lyke wyse as yt ys wonte to be in other exterio hurtes dāmages and vexaciōs of y e body And they do not see y t this evill of strayned and vnwill full cōtinēcy exterior payne or grefe of the body be no lesse differente then heven and erthe For as touchinge other evilles and gresis they may be endured and suffered wyth a meri conscience wyth out synne and they do payne the body only But this evill and troble ys subiecte and in dawnger of sinne Be cause yt can in no wyse be endured with a mery conscience For yt ys synne and vnright wisnes in yt selfe● Wherfore this evill of vnwilfull chastite can by no medicine be holpen and healed onles when a man ys ridde from dawnger ofsinne Whiche can be by no nother waies then by the healpe and remedy of mariage But other exterior grefes or trobles concerninge mānes body maye be holpen by pacience allthough a man be never ridde from them And in this maner willeth sainte Paule that saieng to be vnderstande Yt ys good for a man not to touche a woman c. So that this worde good be not vnderstande ne spoken of merite and deservinge before god As though an vnmaried bodye were better a fore hym thā one y t ys maried lyke as before time sainte Hierome hath this texte expowned For yt concerneth only faith and no dede or worke And yt ys spoken of temporalle tranquillite and quietnesse of this life Whiche a single or vnmaried parsone hath before one that ys wedded and maried● For one that ys single shall be quite and free from all miseries vexacion and drudgery that befalle in wedloke or mariage And for to telle yow shortly yt ys a ioyfulle lovely precious and goodly gifte yf so a man hath yt verily given him to ●yve wyth a gladde harte and mynde syngle and chaste But Paule hym sylfe shall here after excellētly
vnto an other and taketh also a waye a lively bodye wher apon he lyke wyse hath no power More over Paules wordes be here manyfeste and do not nede moche exposicion Nother dare I now here serche y e pryvetyes of maryage to wryte of thē●ny vnhonest or vnclene thynge A ryght Christian shall here knowe by him sylfe how yt shall become hym to ordre behaue hym sylfe measurably Nother maketh it eny matter how so ever a wicked vng●dly body be enflamed rage Some olde men have vsed this Paganes by worde He that burneth overmoche in love is made an adoutrer in his awne wyfe But by cawse it is a paganes sayenge carnall and lecherous parsones careth not moche therfore And I saye verely that it is contrary vn to the truthe for no man doth committe advoutry in his awne wyfe excepte he other refuse to have hyr or elles to vse hir as his wife And I thinke that this matter can not be better discussed ād entrated of then it is here of Paule whiche affirmeth that mariage is only savegarde and remedy againe lecherye Wherfore that parsone which vseth it to avoyde and do awaye fornication I dare suerly saye that he hath Paule for his advocate and defender Her●of may I iustly gather that it standeth not well to gehter nother is it Christes learninge that the mā and the wife lyke as we see vsed in some places shulde abide separate ne come to gether after the example of Toby vntill the thirde night I do admitte that every man maye vse ●e same maner if so he please with the assent of his wife but to thinke that he is bounde therto So that yf he do folowe it he doth a meritorious dede or elles if he leave it vndone or do contrary wyse that ys to saye if he do vse his wyfe before that thyrde night he shulde therfore synne and do amisse Then I saye this man in very dede thinketh evyll and doth amisse Not bycause he dyd vse hys wyfe contrary to suche a folishe gyse as ys before shewed but for that he hath a wronge enformed conscience And finally soche thoughtes and opinions or y●●ginacyons or scrupulous and voyde of ryght beleve and coming of a conscience evyll encombred or as Paule sayeth in the first pistle to Timothe .uij. Marked with an hote yeron For yf the example of Thoby be of suche greate authorite and power why shall not the example of Iacob the Patriarke be of more whyche did touche and knowe Lya his wife in y e firste nyght This ought therfore to be fre and in mannys lyberty They dote and playe the foles that in these matters do laye snarys and make lawes or bondes The wyfe hath power over the husbande but over hyr awne body she hath none And lyke wyse ys yt of the husbande Here ought men therfore to stinte of their statutes ordināces makīge for a better ordināce thē this can none be brought y e mē with out eny respecte of soche time shall vse ther wifes lyke as god permitteth accordīge as they like and have necessite forthermore they have exempte certen dayes as those whiche we do calle vygilles ād holy evyns also women conceaved with childe I grawnte well that yt were moche profitable and necessary that in all thinges were none excesse or eny thinge done vnmesurably Yet nevertelesse ought he●● not to be made eny vrgente lawe that shulde binde men of necessyte to refrayne And these wordes of Paule ought to be lefte true which doth afferme that nother partye hath power over their awne bodye other in this or yet in eny other daye how so ever god sendeth it And by this waye hath sainte Paule entēded to oppresse put downe fornicatiō and to cut awaye all occasions of the same O what a multitude of lawes doth this litle sayenge of Paule fordo and anulle when he sayeth that nother party hath power over their awne bodyes Yee I saye to you more over that it can not suffer nor abyde any lawe For how shall eny man by eny lawe forbidde me from that body that is geven me both by the lawe ād also by power divine The graunte of god is more than the commaundementes or lawes of all men That whiche he hath geven graunted me ought not sainte Peter pulle fro me ād moche lesse oure holy father which I put it to youre iudgemēt how rightewesly he reioyseth ād clepeth him selfe Peters successor ād vicar and how directly he foloweth his steppes or learninge With drawe not your selves one from an other excepte it be by cōsente for a time for to geve your selves vnto fastinge and prayer and afterwarde come a gayne vnto the same thinge leste Sathan tempte yow for your incontinēcy ¶ That Paule had ●ut lytell truste at all in the Corinthians that they shulde lyve chaste the cause was this he did knowe the devill his snaris and sculkewatche and also the weakenesse or frailte of the flesshe Here you se that maryed folkes are so mightely knitte and coniugate to gether that one ought not to absente or wythdrawe thē selves frō the other with out they both consente No not for cause of fastinge nor of prayer So y t he had rather prayer and fastinge to be lette passe and vndone then one of then shulde absente their bodyes from the other Prayer vndowetedly is an hygh and a precyous dede Neverthelesse it muste of dutye geve place vnto this which as it doth seame is so ●●le a dede And al this doth cause y e lawe of love in whiche they be coupled and ioyned fastinge and prayer owght to be here vnderstande of fastinge and prayer that are taken ordrely and distinctely after dutye requyred in maryage as when the husbande and the wyfe after they have ben conversante the one with the other and have had to do to gether accordinge after the covrse of nature then do ordeyne with agreabille consente to geve them selves iij.iiij.vj or .xiiij. dayes vnto prayer and abstihence Like as also e●very parsone maye for himselve take apō thē suche fastinge for to chastyse y ● body Ellys ●hey that ar maryed as well as other chri●tian people be bounde by the tenor of the Euangely vnto fastinge to prayer for Christe spake indifferently vnto all people That they shulde praye continually with out cessinge This fastinge is mesurabyll vsage of meates ād drinkes And prayer is a criyng sigh desyer and morninge That in our englisshe texte we do here rede withdrawe not yowe selves one from an other it sowndeth rather after the Greke and laten examples if it shulde be translate worde for worde defraude you not or deceave you not one an other Neverthelesse our englisshe texte doth right well and expressely shewe the sense and meaninge of this place lyke as it doth excellently well of all other poyntes For a man or a woman that is maryed for avoyding of fornicacyon hath no power over their awne