Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	age_a	age_n	ancient_a	19	3	6.2067	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87095	The first general epistle of St. John the Apostle, unfolded & applied. The second part, in thirty and seven lectures on the second chapter, from the third to the last verse. Delivered in St. Dionys. Back-Church, by Nath: Hardy minister of the gospel, and preacher to that parish.; First general epistle of St. John the Apostle. Part 2.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing H723; Thomason E981_1; ESTC R207731	535,986	795

to thirty seaven and the fourth to the end of life and these foure ages they resemble by the foure Elements in the world the foure seasons in the year the foure h●mours of the body and the like and one upon my Text finding foure words in these Verses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fits them to those foure ages David seemeth to comprize them in two I have been young and now am old St Paul to Titus mentions only Aged and young Men. But the most received distinction of mans age is threefold as Beza well observeth correspondent to which was that song of the Lacedemonian quire placed in three orders whereof the first who were the little Children sang Quod estis erimus that which you young and old Men are we shall be the second who were the old Men sung Quod estis fuimus that which you young Men and little Children are we once were and the third which were the young Men sung Sumus quod alteri fuerunt alteri futuri sunt we are what you old Men have been and you little Children are to be According to this tripartite division of mans Age our Apostle reckoneth up Fathers young Men and little Children 1. He beginneth with Fathers by which he meaneth old Men for though the name Father is properly vox naturae a word betokening a naturall Father in which respect whosoever hath a Childe is a Father there are besides Patres religione Fathers in respect of Religion so Elisha called Elijah Father who was a Prophet● and it is usuall to call Bishops nay ordinary Priests and Ministers Fathers Patres dignitate Fathers in regard of honour and dignity upon this account Naamans servant call him being a great man Father Senatours in Rome were stiled Patres Fathers and Kings are called Patres Patriae the Fathers of the Country over which they rule Finally Patres aetate Fathers in respect of age and so all who are stricken in Years are wont to be called Fathers in this sense it is manifestly here used by St John and that honoris ergo by way of reverence whilst he thinketh it not fit in plain terms to call them old men but in testification of his respect to them Fathers nor would it be passed by what this expression teacheth us Namely That reverence is due from Young to old Men as from Children to their Fathers what the Apostle saith of marriage is no less true of old Age it is honourable among all men in Scripture-Heraldry the ancient and the honourable are put together yea the command is expresse Thou sha●t rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man It is not unfitly observed that in the Greek language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 old age and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an honorary reward differ nothing as to sound and only in a letter as to writing to intimate that honour is due to old age It was one of Chilons golden precepts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to reverence old age And Phocylides his phrase is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parents and old men are to have equall reverence To this purpose it is that Aulus Gellius relateth concerning the ancient Romans that they did not more honour wealth or birth then age and the younger did reverence the elder ad deum prope parentum vicem as if they were their parents nay Gods and this saith he they learn't of the Lacedemonians who by Ly●urgus his Laws were enjoyned great reverence to aged persons Accordingly it is that both Ovid and Juvenal tell us what great honour was of old given to the hoary head and how hainous a crime it was accounted as deserveing little less then death if a young man did not rise up before the ancient How justly will the Heathens of those ages rise up in judgement against the Christians of this wherein old age is become contemptible and youth malapert what more usuall then for green heads to contradict and vilifie gray hairs That brand which is set upon the nation God was resolved to send against rebellious Israel is verified in too many they respect not the person of the old Oh remember Antiquity is the image of eternity God is called the ancient of dayes and though it is idolatry in the Romanists to picture God as an old man yet we need not doubt to affirm that an old man is as it were the picture of the eternall God and therefore as in despising every man so especially an aged man we despise Gods image Learn we then how to account of old men namely as Fathers and accordingly to give them all due regard in words gestures and actions It is a good saying of Clemens Alexandrinus when a man by age draweth near his end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is so much the more highly to be honoured and Antiochus assureth us that to respect the ancient is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very acceptable in the ●ight both of God and man It is very considerable how St Paul adviseth Timothy though an elder in respect of office yet being young in years that he should entreat the elder to wit in age as Fathers And no less observable is this of St John who to manifest his respect to old age when he meaneth old men useth this honourable term of Fathers 2. By Fathers then he meaneth them who were about fifty years old or more in their declining age and had lived to see many dayes from them he descendeth to young men and though the word here used as P●llux affirmeth be especially meant of those who are in their fourth septenary from one to eight and twenty yet here the extent of it is as Estius well observeth a great deal larger and comprehends all qui exeunt ex ●phebis who are past fifteen till they come to the age of fifty From young men he cometh yet lower to little children and though the diminutive word take in all litle children whilest yet they cannot go nor sp●a● from their very birth yet here doubtless it must bear date from the time in which a child begins first to be capable of rational knowledge it being not probable that St John did write to them who were in no capacity of reading or understanding what he wrote and beginning at those years it comprizeth all who are in their nonage and are not come to the years of one and twenty That then which our Apostle here intimateth is that there were of all these ages among the Christians We read in the parable of the Vineyard that some labourers were hired to work at the third some at the sixth and others about the ninth and eleaventh hour Thus doth Christ call some little children with whom it is but the third some young men with whom it is the sixth hour some Fathers with whom it is the ninth nay eleaventh hour of the day God in the