Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bear_v	die_v	live_v	5,060	5	5.3319	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07444	The iudge of heresies one God, one faith, one church, out of which there is no saluation. Excluding all infidells, Mahumetans, Iewes, obstinate papists, and other heretikes of all sorts, and consequently all newters, who conforme themselues onely externally to any religion, from hope of participation of the kingdome of heauen. If they finally persist therein, and returne not to the knowledge and zealous profession of the true faith. By Iohn Merideth, Sub-Deane of Chichester.	Meredith, John, b. 1579 or 80.	1624 (1624)	STC 17830; ESTC S112660	68,232	98

the light thereof Neither can they pretend feare of heresie Seeing the Scriptures cannot deceiue any one nor neuer did who did reade it to the end hee might serue God the more truly and demeane himselfe toward his neighbour the more charitably and order his owne person the more soberly and chastly Therefore it is to be feared that the State of those P●pists who liue in this kingdome and other countries where the Romish Inquisition is exauthorized is damnable for here Christ speaketh vnto you and you refuse to be acquainted with the knowledge of his wayes and therefore your good meaning cannot excuse and defend you but your Wilfull affected Ignorance will accuse and condemne you for no ignorance doth excuse in those things which a man is bound to beleeue and know But you will obiect why should we doubt of our selues liuing and dying in the Romish Religion seeing our Forefather● Ob●ect who departed this life in the same are as wee hope saued who had they beene Heretickes must necessarily haue perished And you say the Romish Religion is heresie For an answer let vs consider that not euery one that ●eleeueth some points of religion whereunto they are bound in an hereticall Church is presently censured to be an hereticke vnlesse he do● willingly assent to such particular Articles of their belee●e which doe derrogate from the vertue of Christ his Crosse which is the s●le hope of the Christian either directly or by consequent if he keepe the Foundation whole and hold no particular errour in matters of faith against the Truth manifested to his conscience There is no doubt of him but through Gods mercy he shall be safe But such were the farr● greater part of the Laity in the time of Popery of whom no more was required to be knowne in matters of faith but only the Lords Prayer the Creed the Decalogue the sal●uation of the blessed Virgin and a general● superficiall knowledge of the Sa●rament of Baptisme and the Eucharist and that of Pennance and obed●ence to the Church Though they neuer knew what other points the Church commanded or belee●ed Explicite they were prohibited from Inquisition into farther particula● subtilties of Diuinity which were to be deduced out of the precedent heads which was a great meanes through the mercifull prouidence of God for the preseruation of the people who by the knowledge and beliefe of these particulars might haue perished as well as their great Masters So that it pleased Gods goodnesse by that imposed ignorance to preserue them from fundamentall errors and by their simple credulity and implicite faith in the principall of the fore-named points to giue them saluation Whereas their subtill Schoole-men and learned Diuines who disputed and broached many blasphemous absurdities ranne headlong to hell For as that Ancient said Mel●us est ergo et vtilius Idyot as ●t parum scientes existere et per char●atem proximum fieri Deo ●●●us ●h ● 〈…〉 cap. 45 quam putare multum sc●re et multa expertos in suum Deum blas●h●mos ●uentri It is better and more prositable to be No●ices and haue but a little knowledge if by loue wee become nigh vnto God then to thinke you know much and are expert in many things if withall you be blasphemous against God Infinite such persons were saued in the primitiue Church They acknowledged one God onely and the same their Creator whom they were to worship and that they were redeemed by Id. ● l●b 3. cap. 4. the bloud of Iesus Christ in whom alone they reposed all their hope and confidence and renounced all that was against this doctrine Such was the faith of our fore-fathers in the dayes of Popery they were not acquainted with the heresies of their Doctors and Teachers but died in this confession Viz. That they reioyced that they dyed in the faith of Christ that they confessed that they did not leade their liues as they ought to haue done and that they liued so wickedly that they merited eternall death that they were penitent for the same that they resolued to amend if they did liue any longer that they beleeued that Iesus Christ the Sonne of God was borne of the glorious virgine Mary That he dyed for them and that they gaue him thankes for these benefits and that they beleeued that they could not be saued by any other meanes but onely by his death and passion and in this confession they commended their soules into the hands of Almighty God and died securely This Confession is annexed by a learned man vnto Roffensis his Booke De fide et miserecordi● Dei with a preface prefixed Im●ressus est J●te liber Co●on a●ud hared Ar. no● B●rckma●ni 1556. by the publisher wherein he doth thus censure it Certe hanc formulam legenti admiratio quaedam subijt diuinae bo●tatis ex qua sane perspicere licet doctr●am de meritis et intercessione Christi quamui● fortassis non nihil deformatam et obsc●ratam quod certe nenio inf●c●are pote●t non tamen penitus quod nonnulls falso putant oppressam atque extinctam fuisse cum diuina prouidentia fac●um sit vt tempore maxime necessario nempe sub exitum hu●●s vitae hoc exiguo interrogationum fasciculo totius Euangelicae et Aposto●cae doctrinae virtus et eff●catia pura sincera null●sque peregrinae doctrinae sordibus contam●ata proponerctur atque exhiberetur quo factum esse non dubito vt innumerae animae di●bolo creptae regno Dei sunt vindicatae In English thus Surely he that readeth the forme of Confession must needes wonder at the goodnesse of God out of which we may plainly perceiue that though the Doctrine of the Merites and Interce●sion of Christ was happily much depraued and obscured which surely no man can deny yet it was not wholy extinct and oppressed as many falsely imagine whereas God did so prouide that in a most necessary time namely immediatly before death the vertue and essicacie of the whole Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles should be propounded and exhibited pure sincere and voyd of the pollution of strange doctrine whereby it came to passe I doubt not that infinite soules were deliuered from the diuel and gayned to the Kingdome of God For father euidence hereof which may satisfie the most curious Read Sacerdotale Romanum Tract 5. part 1. cap. 13. in the Title Visitatio Infirmorum For a Summary of this point heare what Iohn Wickleffe saith hereof in his time being the height of Popery Now saith hee a fewe poore men and Ideots in Introduct scripturae cap. 10. comparison of Clarkis of Schole moune haue the trueth of holy Scripture ayens many Prelatis and religious that beene yeuen to worldly pride and couetis simony hypocrisie and other fleshly sinnes most sithen these poore men desire only the trueth and freedome of the holy Gospell and holy Scripture and accepten mans law and ordinancis only in as mych as they

prouing them to be traitors to Christ and no better then Atheists who communicate outwardly with the Papists in their Religious Rites and seeme also to bee Protestants in heart and affection with St. Augustine his Censure of the forenamed for a conclusion THere is a God and the same is the most Omnipotent Lord of hea●en and earth and all things therein contained and therefore he will be worshiped by man though Atheists deny him He is a Spirit and therefore he requireth true and vnfeigned deuotion though Hipocrites dissemble it Hee is holy and requir●th Sanct●ty in his seruants though Epicures neglect it He is Truth and therefore he will be Worshipped in truth though Hereti●ks depraue it Hee only is God and there is No other God beside him though Pagans doe multiply And therefore he claimeth all worship to be done vnto him alone though Idolaters translate it He is the Law-giuer and hath prescribed what worship he requireth of vs From which he will not haue vs to decline either to the right hand or to the left though Libertines Newters or to giue them their proper denomination Nullisidians doe diuersty vary who thinke God is satisfied with any kinde of worship and that man for this cause is safe in what Religion soeuer he liueth or dyeth and might shape himselfe vnto seuerall Religions though neuer so different if they did not directly deny God The which damnable opinion proceedeth from palpable and grosse ignorance in the true faith and is like vnto that error of the Pagans who by Symachus their Ambassadour required of Valeatinian the Emperour that their Idolatry might bee restored and maintained as well as Christ●anity for that worshiping of many Gods saith he is the best meanes to finde out the true God Thus he speaketh in the Christian Poet Secretum sed grande nequit rationis opertae Prudent lib. 2. contra Symachi●n Qu●ri aliter quam si sparsis via multiplicetur Tramitibus centenos terat orbita calles Qu● situra deum variata indage latentem The great secret of the hidden Mistery of the truth cannot be otherwise sought out then by diuiding the way into diuers pathes and without wheeling about seuerall courses thus is God best sought who lyeth hidden in variety of Mazes For as those Pagans not knowing the only true God did therefore addict themselues to worship many Gods that therby they might attaine to the knowledge of the great secret Mystery of the true Religion as they supposed So Newters being ignorant of the true saith betake themselues to sundry Sects and Religions and thinke that to be the safest meanes to become secure of Saluation But as the prudent Poet saith Longe aliud verum est c. The contrary is true for diuersity of wayes hath diuers creckes and causeth to goe astray more dangerously the plaine way only is without error being without turnings and doubtfull vnknowne by-wayes for as there is but one Maker and Gouernour of this world which is God and but one Truth So there can be but one simple Religion because whatsoeuer is true and good cannot be perfect vnlesse it be singular And in vaine doe Newters hope by their various practise to be saued for Dubius in fide Infidelis est Vacillation argueth Extrade Haeret cap. Dubi●s Symbol Infidelity Whosoeuer doth not beleeue the Catholike faith Fir●iter fideliterque saith Athanasius faithfully and constantly he cannot be saued The state of such persons who through doubt being perplexed in case of Religion and therefore embrace all and consequently are voyd of ●ny faith is most elegantly described by Vinc●ntiu● Lyrineusis as followeth Et rev●r● cum quaequ● Nouita● ebullit statim cernitur frumentorum gravitas Leuita● palearum c. Lib. cont h●r● cap. 25. And in very deed when any Nouelty ariseth the solid weighty corne is presently discerned from the light Chaffe then that is cast from the floore without any great labour which had no weighty substance to keepe it within the floore for some flye away wholly out of hand some are shooke off only and feare to perish and are ashamed to returne being wounded halfe dead and halfe aliue like those who haue dranke such a quantity of poyson which doth neither kill nor will be digested nor cause death nor suffer to liue O miserable condition with how great and furious stormes of cares are they touzed Sometimes they are rapt by an headlong error whither the winde will driue them sometime returning vnto themselues they slide backe againe like contrary waues one while through rash presumption they approue things vncertaine another while through foolish feare they are afraid at those things which are certaine They doubting which way to goe whither to returne what to desire what to shun what to hold what to let goe Hitherto Vincentius Such as these are too many who carry the Title of Christians in most Churches they will not approue the Religion of the Reformed Church nor that of the Papists neither will they reiect them but as a learned and religious Diuine of our Church Mr. White Epla dedica● ad lib. said They being ignorant and vnderstanding nothing but liuing voide of the knowledge and conscience of all Relgion are possible of his minde that Turonensis writeth of who said that it was best of all if both the one and the other were followed neither were it any hurt Si inter Gentilium aras Dei Ecclesiam quis transiens vtraque veneretur if going betweene the Alters of the Pagans and the Church of God a man should giue honour vnto both Whereas the saying of an Antient is most true concluding the contrary in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoder Pr●sbi●er lib. de Incar●●● Do● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For it is not possible that a meane betweene Truth and falsehood should be found or conceipted for the truth is alwaies in the middest and neuer declineth from thence and therefore is firme and euen on all sides and straite and doth not suffer any thing that is diuerse which may make it crooked or thrust it out of its owne state or constancy Such wauexers are no Bel●euers for Faith is Certitudo quaedam H●go de Sarcto Vict lib. 1. de Sa●r●●● art 8. ca● 1. an●m c. A kinde of certainty of the minde of things ab●ent about Opinion and b●neath Knowledg● it is called a Certainty Quia vbi est adbuc d●bitatio sides non est Becaus● where doubting remaineth there is no faith for Faith consisteth in two things Knowledge and Affection or Constancy or stability of beliefe The Substance o● Faith is in the Affection the matter is in Knowledge which knowledge may be wholly without Faith But ●aith cannot bee without some Knowledge because he that heareth any thing and doth not vnderstand doth not alwaies beleeue but he that doth vnderstand nothi●g doth beleeue nothing although he may sometime b●l●eue that which he doth not vnderstand