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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	hear_v	lord_n	see_v	2,877	5	3.4356	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05280	The first step, towards heaven, or Anna the prophetesse sacred haunt, to the temple of God. Preached at Standish Church in the Countie of Lancaster. By VVilliam Leigh, Batchillor of Diuinity and paster there. With the second edition of great Brittaines deliuerance, newly corrected and enlarged by the author.	Leigh, William, 1550-1639.; Leigh, William, 1550-1639. Great Britaines, great deliverance, from the great danger of popish powder.	1609 (1609)	STC 15424; ESTC S103610	66,134	240

name is memorable Now of these three kindes of life to wit virginity marriage and widdowhead the Monkes make much adoe and such a difference in the sight of men and God too as doth no lesse argue thē of foule impietie then of iust hypocrisie preferring virginity and widdowhoode much before marriage euen in the sight of God for they attribute vnto virginity the fruite and merit of a hundred fold vnto widdowhoode of sixtie fold but vnto Matrimonie as a state more vile and beggerly only thirty fold Yea and yet some more superstitious thē these who left vnto mariage no place of fruit or blessing but that of an hundred fold they gaue vnto martyrdome that of sixtie fold to virginity and that of thirtie fold to widdowhoode reckoning mariage among those kindes of life which are nothing pleasing vnto God but onely of mercy suffred to bee and are not farre from fornication Whereupon this speech hath fallen from their filthy mouthes Nuptiae teram replent virginitas Caelum The married replenish the earth but virgins fill heauen as and if lawfull marriage had nought to doe with heauen O how truly are the foule frogs taxed in the froth of their fornication sin sodomie by Bale in his Votaries thus They frowne at marriage who laugh at letchery But leaue wee these hypocrites in their superstition and let vs see what the Scripture saith of these three states of life 1 First the scripture saith of a truth I perceiue that God is no respecter of persons but in euery nation he that feareth him worketh righteousnes is accepted of him Acts. 10.34 2 And Paule saith Circumcision auaileth nothing nor vncircumcision but the keeping of the commandements of God 3 And againe Gal. 3.28 There is neither Iewe nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Iesus And if ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams seede and heires by promise Out of all which I gather that God is no accepter of persons nor respecteth any mā place state or condition of men but as they respect him in true piety and godlinesse He respecteth no person place or state of life but in the cause blessed cause blessed person whether virgin wife or widdowe cursed cause cursed person whether widdowe wife or virgin Giue me a religious virgin and I will prefer her before an irreligious wife or widdowe giue me a religious wife or widdowe and I will preferre her before an irreligious virgin For if God respect not circūcision which was his owne ordinance and vnder the lawe nor reiecteth vncircumcisiō which was abominable by the Law but a new creature will he trow you regard virginity which was neuer enioyned by law but as a newe creature I gather againe that vpon the touch of Christ all states are sanctified and neuer till we haue dipped our stoles in the bloud of the Lamb If then ye be Christs yee are Abrahams seede and heires by promise not heires for that ye are Iewes rather then Grecians not heires for that ye are men rather then women virgins rather then wiues Kings rather thē peasants but ye are heires because of the promise euen of the promised seede which laid vp in your hearts by faith vnfolds the inheritance vnto you and maketh you heires of his heauenly kingdome In which sense I may say with Augustine Caelibatus Iohannis non praefertur coniugio Abrahae the single life of Iohn hath no prerogatiue aboue the marriage of Abraham and so to conclude with the Apostle 1. Cor. 7.20.21 c. Let euery man abide in the same vocation wherein he was called Art thou called beeing a seruant care not for it Art thou bound to a wife seeke not to bee loosed art thou loosed from a wife seeke not to be bound But if thou takest a wife thou sinnest not and if a virgin marry she sinneth not neuerthelesse such shall haue trouble in the flesh I say in the flesh not in the faith for it is no touch of faith for virgens ro marrie And therfore true it is Molestiae coniugij sunt paena peccati non matrimonij the troubles of marriage are punishments of sin not of matrimony But leaue we the comparison and come we to Anna how commendably shee passed these three states of life in all piety and godlinesse for it is euident by the text shee was a chaste virgine a chaste wife a chaste widdowe A rare thing in these vnchaste daies wherin fewe either virgins wiues or widdowes go vnspotted she liued with one husband seauen yeares frō her virginity Ergo she was a virgin vnspotted in the day of her espousals She liued seauen yeares with an husband she liued with him shee liued not from him she liued to loue him she liued to obey him him and no other for that had bin a death and not a life The text saith well shee liued with him which argued her patience as well as her chastity for if she had not beene peaceable it had beene no life but a death they led according to that of Siracides an euill wife is a yoke of Oxen that draweth diuerse waies hee that hath her is as though he held a Scorpion Lastly as the Lord guided her in her virginity honoured her in marriage so hee loued and protected her in her widdowhead an estate of life much respected of God as may appeare by the scriptures Wherein the Lord enioyneth from Horeb to which imperiall law all owe homage Ye shall not trouble any widdowe nor fatherlesse childe if thou vex or trouble such and so he crie and call vpon me I will surely heare his crie And it was a sinne with a vengeance laid vpon the rulers of Israel that they iudged not the fatherlesse neither did the widdows cause come before them Whom to relieue the Apostle maketh a part of pure religion vndefiled before God But Anna her widdowhead was pairlelesse both for prouidence pietie she saw the Lord Iesus presented in the Temple which she could not either in her virginity or when she was a wife to tell you that euē therin widdowhead had the prerogatiue aboue virg●nity by the Lords prouidence And the chastity of her widdowhoode appeared in this that she so cōtinued for the space of foure score and foure yeares Chambering and wantonnesse rotteth the bones and shorteneth the life but temperance euen in that giueth length of daies To liue fourescore and foure yeares was much and so long to liue in chaste widdowhoode was more but all that time to serue God in the Temple night and day with fasting and prayer was most of all farre from the practise of our wanton widdowes who ere they haue well finished the funerals of the first husband are ready to solēnize the Nuptials of a second Which though I dare not say it is vnlawfull yet may I say it is not seemely and charge them with this fault that

Asher which was of a great age after she had liued with an husband seuen yeares from her virginity 37 And she was widow about fourescore and foure yeares and went not out of the Temple but serued God with fastings and prayers night and day 38 She then comming at the same instant vpon them confessed likewise the Lord and spake of him to all that looked for redemption in Hierusalem 39. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord they returned into Galile to their owne city Nazareth AMbrose saith well Morale est vt qui fidem exigunt fidem astruant It standeth with all congruity that such should publish faith as languish after faith of which number I hold this Anna to be produced of the holy Ghost in this text as a worthy witnesse of Christ his blessed birth and incarnation and so to be preached in the high feast of this his solemnity In whom I obserue three things of speciall note for the practise and imitation of all such as loue the Lord Christ and his profession First the description of her person full of modestie Secondly the practise of her life full of pietie And lastly the profession and publishing of her Christ full of verity And with this threefold cable of modesty pietie and veritie is she haled vp to heauen and hauing powred this pretious balme vpon the head of Christ on earth why may not this Gospell be preached throughout all the world as a memoriall of her that she did it to bury him in her dearest thoughts And first for the person ye see here a woman described in your sight not wanton in her lookes garish in her apparell with painted face curled haire or naked brests prepared for the Theater of men but graue in countenance modest in behauiour and garnished with all religious vertues within fit for the temple of God Such saints are seemely to speak to the praise of our Sauiour to professe his name to witnesse his truth to swaddle the babe and to sing his Lullaby as this day in solace of their saued soules and full solemnity of his blessed birth and incarnation And now that a woman doth witnesse see the mercifull prouidence of our God who would haue the comming of his Christ to be declared by all sorts of people and sexe that all might be inexcuseable who did not beleeue him and all might be cleared who did professe him He took testimnoie frō the pure nature of Angels who sung to his praise Glory be to God on hie and in earth peace c. He took testimony frō the cleer nature of the heauens which shined to his praise when he said Vidimus stellam eius in oriente We haue seene his starre in the East Simple shepheards witnessed this truth when as it is in the text All that heard them wondred at those things which were told them of the shepheards Old Simeon lapped him in his armes and layd him in his heart with this profession of his praise Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word I haue seene enough I haue my loue I haue loued enough I haue my life Aged Anna here an holy widow confessed likewise the Lord and spake of him to all that looked for redemption in Ierusalem Yea Iohn in the wombe springing and children in Rama crying cōfessed Christ in their death ere they could speake of him in their life Finally Christ would be professed both of men women virgins wiues and widowes of old men and babes yong men and maids of holy Patriarches inspired Prophets renowned kings that all states and both sexes might exspect redemption by grace from which they were fallen by transgression Whereunto accorded Ambrose when hee sayd Prophetauerat Symeon prophetauerat copulata con●ugio prophetauerat virgo debuit etiam vidua prophetare nequa aut professio deesset aut sexus Simeon prophecied the maried wife prophecied a virgin prophecied yea and a widow must prophecie too lest Christ might seeme wanting to either sexe or to any profession And it is further to be obserued for the credit of the cause in hand that none must witnesse their Christ or publish his praise but such as liued to loue him according to that I haue beleeued therefore I haue spoken Abraham was glad to see my daye saith Christ and therefore he spake of him Moses longed after him that should come and therfore he sayd Mitte quem missurus es Dauid sighed after him and therefore he said I will not go into the tabernacle of mine house nor into my bed nor will I giue mine eyes sleepe or rest to the temples of my head vntill I find out the place that is appointed for my Lord the tabernacle of the mighty God of ●acob Now the mystery being reuealed vnto him he said presently Behold we haue heard it at Ephrata which is Bethleem and found it in the wood and we will enter into his tabernacle and worship before his footestoole Esay ioyed at the birth and therefore he spake of him said A child is borne and a sonne is giuen Ieremy of Anathoth in the land of Beniamin was full of the newes and therefore he spake and testified thus Behold I will create a new thing vpon the earth A virgin shall inuiron a man So was Ezechiel by the riuer Kebar and Daniel by the bankes of Vlay both Captiues in Babylon yet full of spirituall deliuerance by Christ and therefore they testified much of his blessed birth death and resurrection with full deliuerance of all the faithfull in and through the Messias What should I say more Simeon longed Anna expected Mary sighed Elizabeth languished after Israels consolation all liued to loue their Christ and for that were chosen to publish his praise and witnesse the truth of his blessed Natiuity The vse of the doctrine in respect of vs is this that if men will be Prophets to professe Christ and women with Anna wil be prophetesses to confesse the Lord to speake of him to all that looke for redemption in Israel they must both beleeue the Lord loue the Lord and liue in him Else will the Lord say as he did to the wicked Why takest thou my word in thy mouth and thou thy selfe hatest to be reformed Or else as he did to the damned diuell when he called him the holy one of God yet the Lord rebuked him saying Hold thy peace and come out of him as and if he should say Tush diuell though thou tell the truth yet will I not be witnessed o● by thee Like that of Paul to the Pythonesse when he was grieued to heare Satan witnesse of God his saints saluation Where you see that each mouth is not for all meate nor all apparell for euery backe each lambe is not for the sacrifice nor all trees are for the fabricke of the temple Christ will not