Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	dead_a	sin_n	15,745	5	5.5153	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08269	A theatre wherein be represented as wel the miseries & calamities that follow the voluptuous worldlings as also the greate ioyes and plesures which the faithfull do enioy. An argument both profitable and delectable, to all that sincerely loue the word of God. Deuised by S. Iohn van-der Noodt. Seene and allowed according to the order appointed.; Theatre oft Toon-neel. English	Noot, Jan van der, ca. 1538-ca. 1596.; Spenser, Edmund, 1552?-1599.; Roest, Theodore.; Petrarca, Francesco, 1304-1374. Rime. English. Selections.; Du Bellay, Joachim, 1525 (ca.)-1560. Visions. English. Selections.	1569 (1569)	STC 18602; ESTC S110162	92,217	282

shall wax colde But so many as beare more loue to God and séeke more to please hym than the diuell they must take good heede to do that which pleaseth him according to his reuealed wil For whom it is not sufficient to know Antechri●t to blame him to speake and reporte of him as his doings deserue but it is requisit● for them most chiefly to confesse the name of the Lorde euen from their very hearts to honour feare him to beleue and put all confidēce in hym to loue hym and as neere as we can to expresse him in oure conuersation thorough loue vnfayned therby to shew oure selues to be hys Disciples For not euerye on● sayeth oure Sauioure Christe that sayeth Lorde Lorde shall enter into the Kyngdome of heauen but suche as doe the will of my father Again saythe Christe Whosoeuer louethe hys lyfe héere in thys worlde shall loose it and who so hateth his lyfe here for my names sake shal kéepe it to life euerlasting Againe he that will be my Disciple let hym folowe me and where I am he shal be also Who so serueth me my Father shall honoure hym The seruaunte is no better than hys maister and a messenger is no more than he that sente hym If we kéepe the commaundements of Christe we shall remaine in his loue euen as hée did the will of hys father and remayned in his loue Hys commaundement is that we loue one an other as he loued vs let vs therfore henceforth leade a good lyfe cōuersation according to the wyll of the Lorde and frame our lyfe to the doctrine and exaumple of our maister and Lorde Iesu Christ in kéeping the commaundementes of the Lorde Christe Lette vs not be wrathfull but loue one an other Praye sayeth the Lorde for them that persecute you and speake euyll of you and be ye perfect as I am perfecte That thys our sinful body might be destroyed and that henceforth wée serue sy●ne no more for he that is dead is frée from sinne Let vs then thinke that we are dead to sinne and liue not to our selues but to our Lorde and Sau●our Iesus Christ. Let not sinne saith the apostle S. Paule raigne in your mortall body that ye shoulde obey the lustes thereof but be ye true seruantes of righteousnesse vnto life not seruaunts of sinne of the fleshe or the world ●o death neyther gyue ye henceforth your mēbres as weapons of vnrighteousnesse vnto sinne but as weapons of righteousnesse vnto GOD. For when we were the seruauntes of synne we were not vnder righteousnesse what frute had we then in those things wherof we are nowe ashamed for the ende of those things is death but contrarywise the fruite of rightousnesse is euerlasting life Brethren it is now tyme to awake from sléepe forasmuche as the nyghte is passed and the day approcheth and is euen at hande God hath fréely sent his true and faithful ministers and giueth his woord plētifully to be preached let vs cast away then the workes of darkenesse and take vnto thée the armour of light walke honestly as in the daye time not in gluttonie dronkennesse nor in chambering wantonnesse nor in strife nor enuying but put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ take no thought for the fleshe to fulfill the lustes thereof but according to the good pleasure of God in al spiritual exercises The workes of the flesh are notorious manifest as adulterie fornication vncleanesse wantonnesse Idolatrie witchcraft hatred debate emulation wrathe contentions heresies enuie murthers dronkennesse gluttonie and suche like The workers whereof are y e most wretches and miserable slaues that euer wer yea they are threatned that who so euer cōmitteth such things shall not enherite the kingdom of heauē On the other side the fruit●s of y e spirit are loue ioy peace long suffering gētlenesse goodnesse faith méekenesse temperancie and suche like After this sort ought euery christian mā to walke being carefull to mortifie his own flesh exercising himself in these good works which God hath prepared for him to walke in casting of the old mā which is corrupt through deceiuable lusts be ye therfore renued in y e spirit of your mind and put ye on the new man which after god is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Wherfore cast of lying speak euery man true vnto his neighbour For we are members y e one of the other Be angrie but sinne not let not the Sunne goe down vpon your wrath neither giue place to the Diuell Let him that stole steale no more but let him rather labour and work with his hands the thing that is good that he may haue to giue him that néedeth Let not corrupt communication procéed out of your mouth but that which is good to edifie withal that it may minister grace vnto the hearers And gréeue not the holy spirite of God by whom ye are sealed vnto the day of redēption Let all bitternesse anger and wrath crying and euil speaking be put away from you with all maliciousnesse Be ye courteous one to an other and tēder hearted forgiuing one an other euē as god for Christs sake forgaue you Be ye then followers of god as dear children walk in loue euē as Christ hath loued vs hath giuen him self for vs to be an offring and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauor to god So then fornication and all vncleannesse or couetousnesse let it not be once named amōg you as it becometh sainctes Neither vse ye filthinesse nor foolish talking neyther iesting which are things not comely but rather giuing of thāks For this ye must know that no whoremonger neither vncleane persō nor couetous person which is an Idolatour hath any inheritaunce in the kingdom of Christ of God Let no man deceiue you with vaine wordes for by such things cometh the wrath of God vpon the children of disobedience Be not therefore companions wyth them for so much as ye were once in darknesse but are now light in the lord walk therfore as it becometh children of light for the fruite of the spirit is in all goodnesse righteousnesse and truthe Approue and assay that which is pleasing to the Lord and haue no fellowship with the vnfruitful works of darknesse but euen reproue them rather take ye heede that ye walke circumspectly and wisely not like the foolish but as the wise and redeeme y e time for euen these dayes are euill and dangerous days Therfore be ye not ignorant but replenished with knowledge and spirite Let the woord of God dwell in you plentuously in all wisdom teaching and admonishing your own selues in psalms spirituall songs synging

time many other realmes as of the Chaldes and great Cart●age and other ar likewyse perished So Rome neuer obtained the like estimation since as it had before being in his floure as it is to be séene yet by some auncient monuments buildings columnes walles which appere there as yet to beare witnesse of Gods vengeance which came vpon them for their sin and wickednesse to the ende that all godly and well disposed persons mighte perceiue that God can and will perfourme his promises the which he hath thretned in his worde Besides all this the Romaine Empire hath ben without an Emperour .iij. hundred twentie yeares nam●ly since Augustus vntill Charlemayn In the meane time the Bishop of Rome began to forget all maner of simplicitie humblenesse and pouertie and to neglect the seruice and administration of a true pastoure and to put his minde vpon temporall dominion and rule beginning so through the liberalitie of many great Princes as King Pepin and manye other great Lordes which he inchaunted vnder the pretence of holinesse to become so great that at length he hath set him selfe in the cha●re as soueraigne aboue all the rest that euen Emperoures were at his commaūdement elect and deposed For the feruent zeale deuotion was in many Christians already cold many of them were addicted and giuen to worldly quietnesse great estate and all maner of intēperancie and voluptuousnesse so that they had more mind to securitie and idlenesse than to labor and paine to sleepe than to work to take than to giue to banquet than to preache and had rather to take their pleasure in this wicked world than to enioy the heauenly pleasures in the world to come After this dissention rose amongst them for the supremacy then sought they ambitiously to rule and gouerne euer all the whole world They wold wel be confessors as they termed them but few or none woulde be Martirs for preachyng was cast aside and pride had occupied the roum of it wherupon did folow of necessitie as Scripture speaketh where as Gods word is not preached ther the people perish many and diu●rs heresies schismes and sects as Sabellians Arrians Emonians Macedonians Priscellians Nestorians and Eutichians which diuers and sundry wayes erred in the doctrine and faith cōcerning the diuinitie The Mani●hes contempned and made light of the olde Testament The Donatis●s did holde it necessary to be rebaptised again The Pelagians taught that men could deserue heauen by merits without grace other like to thē Amongst the Bishops was discorde in all places In the R●mish church were many mutations about their el●ction Betwene Liberius Feliciꝰ was great dis●ord about y ● popeship Likewise was it betwéen Damasiꝰ Vrcisiꝰ Boniface Aulatiꝰ Simache and Laurence Boniface and Dioscore Constātine and Philip Eugenius and Sisine Formosie and Stephē S●rgie and Christopher Benedict and Leo Gregorie and dyuers other Amongest which many were accused of heresies some of incest and some of other kyndes of euill of whiche some were banished some deposed some s●landred some had their eyes put out other some miserably slaine and murdered no practises fraudes guiles nor violence or oppression was left behind to none other ende than to attaine vnto promotion honor dignitie and great estate and to obtaine their malicious purpose After this sorte did the bishops procéede in al kindes of vanitie and idlenesse to become loytering prelates puffed vp in pride and presumption wherby veritie and truth was defaced and quite abolished The Sunne began nowe to be darkened and become blacke as a hairen cloath and the Moone like vnto bloud the starres of heauen to fall downe For they dayly practised to get newe and more dominions they attempted by al means possible to increase their aucthoritie and power all their whole study and labour was to aduaunce their h●nour and dignitie héere vpon the earth not without scattering of the commons and innumerable murthers of the people Iohn Archbishop of Constantinople debated to be Primate and soueraign of all other Patriarkes Boniface the third of that name Bishop of Rome tooke vpon him to raigne and rule ouer all and to be the lieuetenāt of God vpon earth Again Mahomet comming afterward would be adored as a great prophet and messanger of God So that by the meanes of couetousnesse ambition and carnall concupiscence the truth is darkened the church of Christ moste miserably scattered and dispearsed The I●wes by a craftie sleight wrested the scripture to maintaine their Talmuith the Sarazens their Alcorane and these prelates and Bishops their Decretals and all other errors and herisie● which were vnder that false prophet Mahomet in Asia and Affricke and vnder the Pope in Europe with all their curssed traditions and trifles They haue banished abolished Christe and his doctrine euery where preferryng their owne ambition profit cōmoditie ease Whervnto to obtain it the rather they haue brought in many superstitions traditions of men as Latin seruice bicause y e comon people should not vnderstād their doings bells organs play cymbales incense palmes candles tapers purgatori● masses for al soules diriges obsequies Pilgrimages indulgences to deliuer the soules out of purgatorie after thei haue gotten money inough Item church holy days Rogatiō dayes Relikes yea coales wherwith S. Laurence was broyled Iosephs ●osen the armes of S. Cornelis with many more trifles and other relikes They proc●ed further to the forbidding of mariage meate egges butter in lyke manner images and crucifixes were sette vp woorkyng thereby false miracles alwayes foreseing to their Mao●in that is great shops churches temples chapels and Altars where they might sell their trumperie fréely not without great gain yea so wel that they were mounted ●o hie in power riches and voluptuousnesse as we haue se●ne by experience and dayely is to be seene in places where they are that they rule aboue emperors kings princes all this vnder a shewe of pietie and holynesse as we heretofore haue say●e Of these S. Iohn in his reuelation doth warn vs in his sixte chapiter where he sayeth manifestly that whē the lambe had opened the seuēth seale he saw a pale horse and he whiche satte vpon it was named death for this cōgregation of hipocrites notwithstanding their copper faces and carbuncled noses through their vnmeasurable gluttony and dronkennesse are yet in their soule pale deadish black and blew as vnholsom dead bodies for th●i haue no true life within thē nor y e blessednesse that co●sistet● in Christ Iesu his holy word And he which sate on it was death Their doctrine and teaching is nothing but death and damnation For hypocrisie eng●ndreth nothing but des●ruction of saluatiō their f●uits are shame and confusion For hell foloweth them to destroy those that are seduced by them Daniel and Paule they haue foretold that Antechrist shoulde be borne of the subuersion of the Empire and

enuie dissimulation falshoode and inconstancie vaine glorie iniquitie sorcerie superstition and impietie than doth in this one dominion of Antechrist He alone hath more contaminated Gods holy Temple than all the infidels together that euer were they haue most shamefullye intreated and iudged the very electe people of God which are the vessels of his glory They haue most miserably and narowly kept vnder and as it were in prison the true Minister● of God by their Decrées and traditions The seueritie and rudenesse of Pharao Antioche and Caiphas is nothing in the comparison of theirs for in them is all kind of beastlinesse vncleanlinesse wantonnesse concupiscence and carnall securitie No reason or humanitie hath any place amongst them they are more lyke beasts than men The rigorous Proclamations against the Iewes at the request of wicked Ammon and of Antioche are nothing to speake of to the ordinaunces and statutes of the Antechrists for those were only against the body but theirs are against the soule and conscience of man also After this sort doth the Popedō which is the dominiō of Antechrist bear the Image of the Leopard of the Bear of the Liō bicause it is not only partaker of al y e wickednesses with oth●r realmes but it excéedeth and surmounteth al other vi● times double in all kinde of iniquitie idolatrie abhominations y t euer were cōmitted vnder heauen They haue the mouth of a Lyon always blasphemyng cursing and banning Their feete lyke a beare signifiyng their insatiab●e couetousnesse runnyng headlong to euery kinde of mischiefe very ready to sheade bloud as leopards are they polluted and spotted with dyuers and sundry inconstant mindes institutions obseruings neuer stedfast or constant but in al thinges chaungeable and foolishe for suche as receiue not Gods truthe are worthily forsaken of God Therfore God shall sende them strong delusions that they shoul● beleeue lies that all they might be damned which beleue not the truth but haue pleasure in vnrighteousnesse The D●agon sayth S. Iohn which is Sathan the Diuell● gaue to the beast or cursed generation of Antechrist his beastly membres his whole power his seate of blasphemie and his great authoritie To giue them his power is nothyng else than to make them perfect and skilfull by all maner of crafte subtiltie and dissimulation cunnyngly to seduce the simple silly soules and so forth to confirme and stablysh them in al kinde of wickednesse and falshods To gyue vn●o hym his seate is to leaue him he●e a glorious kingdome full of vain glory ●is●imulation other wickednesse To giue him hi● great authoritie is to worke by false miracles signes and wonders and by false and ●rr●nious do●●rine to allure the p●●ple and to draw the vnb●leuing infidels the rather to the p●t of perditiō and euerlasting torments On this maner is that greate Antechrist a king with Sathan ●uer all the children of pride and darknesse He occupieth and possesseth ●alsly with Lucifer the seat and ●oume of God taking vpon hym euen to search and créepe into mens consciences For he b●steth him self to stand in Gods stede to deceiue th●m that ●well on the earth to reigne and to beare rule ouer them for so much as they hauing a blind guide are l●d into the ditche of all errour and false doctrine the very way vnto euerlasting pe●dition Touchyng the seat euen as Christe our Lorde with his Father raigning eternally sitteth in heauen vpon the seate of his Maiestie in eternall glory felicitie euē so sitteth ●ntechrist the Pope of Rome I mean● with his ●ather the Deuil full of pride and blasphemie in the seat of cōdemnation in eternal darknesse ignomie and shame Cōcerning his power euen as Christ receiued his power of God his father euen so hath he rec●iued his authoritie of his father the Deuil Euen as Christ is full of mercy truthe euen so is this Antechrist ful of enuie and hate vntruthes and lies and al other mischiefs of whose abhominations errors the vnbeleuing and infidel hath tasted As the holy ghost and the sprite of Christ openeth the misteries of the truth in his elect euen so on the other side hath the spirit of erroure since the death and reuelation of Christ darkned truth and set forth the secretes of his malice in the ennimies of Christ. Cōcerning his aucthority as christ being man receiued his aucthority of god to doe such miracles as no man else could do Euen so doth this Antichrist by the Deuill and Gods permission amongs the infidels and vnbeleuers So that he in all power and aucthoritie vniustly vsurped foloweth yea passeth his father the deuil For as he robbed the godly man Iob and spoiled him of all his substance goods children seruaunts and cattel and tormēted him in his body with ●oils and Botches euen so doth this rauenous and greadye Leuiathan and cruell murtherer vexe consume and oppresse the poore people by his spoiling Grashoppers defrauding the poore of their sweat and bloud of theyr paines trauaile necessitie and liuing no not sparing the féeble and sicke neyther widow nor fatherlesse No kind of good be it neuer so vniustly gotten being brought to them in shriuing of some one burdened in conscience but that they are cōtented to receiue it and that by the way of restitution Yet neuerthelesse do they which is worst of all lead mennes mindes to dissimulatiō false belief and other diuelishnesse doubtfull desperate and comfortlesse Finally euen as in the body of Christ dwelleth fulnesse of the whole Deitie Euen so in this body of Sathan dwelleth the whole masse of impietie subtilitie fraud and malice with power to worke all maner of mischiefe mightely substantially and corporally And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death with the sword of his mouth that is through the anouncing and preaching of the Gospell Which thing is come to passe since the time of Iohn Hus in Boheme after that in Germanie and is since God be praised daily more and more that the head of the Beast is wounded in places where gods word is preached As in England Fraunce Scotland Poland and else where as euery one may wel perceiue except he will needes be blinde For it is euident to al men that in most places Buls and Pardones of the Pope are little set by hys power and might troden vnder féete hys name blotted out his Purgatory Masses Pilgrimages Idols and other like trumperies cried out vpon If this be not a deadly wound on the head of the beast I think it to haue none at all If this be not a manifest token of his fall to come there is none to be looked for But his deadly woundes were healed Although the Gospel hath ben preched in sundry and diuers places and the popes abhominations cast vpside downe yet remaineth in some places their false priesthood vows not to mary Sodomish chastitie auricular

him wa● called faith●ull and true This is the onely and true sonne of God which is called faithfull iust and true bicause h● is founde faithfull and vnfallible in hys promises and woorde for the Lord saith the Psalmist is very righteous in all his wayes true in his sayings p●rfect in all his doings He cannot but teach a right and speake a trouth for he is the truthe him selfe No more cannot those which are indued with his spirite who leadeth and conducteth them in all truthe He hath done according to iustice and equitie in condemning that wicked and abhominable whoore in destroying that filthie sinagoge of Sathan in d●liuering and exalting his poore afflicted Churche First of all he did fight in his owne persone as a worthy Champion against the deuill hel and damnation whom he hath ouercome conquered and vanquished by his owne death and glorious passion And now doth he ouerthrow the Deuill and all his adherēts by the meanes of his faithful seruaunts distributers of his holy woord and mysteries which he nowe graci●usly sendet● vnder the figure of the white horsse For his seruaunts as Abacuck testifieth are lustie and wel animated horsses whom the Lord condu●teth which ar as Ieremie calleth them whiter than snow by the meanes of their vnfained and vndefiled faith And his eyes were like as a flame of fire mightie and cleare Whereby is not only vnderstanded his godly wisdome and knowledge whereby he knoweth and iudgeth al things but also all the heauenly and spirituall giftes of the holy G●ost Behold sayth Zacharie vpon the only stone which S. Paule expoundeth to be Christ shal be .vij. eyes which are the .vij. spirites of god wherwith god doth lig●ten the hearts of his chosen and kindleth the fire of his loue in y e minde of his faithful His word is a lātern to their f●e●e hys law an● testimonies are pure and vndefiled giuing light to the eie And vpon his hea● were many crownes Euen as the same was séene being a figure of Christ vpon the head of Iesus the sonne of Iosedech the high Priest to signi●ie that Iesus Christ is the soueraigne and king aboue al kings which hath power in heauen and earth for euer He ruleth and gouerneth al nations with an ir●n rod. For he is the Lord of hostes the euerlasting king of glory He is a mightie and puissāt gouernoure setting ouer the Mount Sion his holy hil He giueth prosperitie and gouernment to Kings and his elect and chosen are crouned in him with grace and mercie for euermore For he reserueth in heauen for vs an inheritance immortall and vndefiled Againe he hath layed vp for them that keepe the faith a crowne of righteousnesse and wil giue a crowne of life to them that be faithfull vnto the death c. All warrefares and victories of the saincts depend vpon him only And he had a name written to wit almighty maruellous and feareful Adonai Emanuel a name aboue all names euen the holy one of Israell the Lorde of Sabaoth the Lord of hostes our redemer sauiour and righteousnesse No man knewe this name but hym selfe and them whiche he hathe reueled it vnto neither fleshe nor bloude nor Heathen Turke Iew or false Christian is able to cōprehend thys name ●right Albeit they haue good signes and tokens yet no man can say that Iesus is the Lord without the inspiration of the spirite of God who openeth the very truth of God The number of Gods elect are also signified or comprehended vnder this name which the world can not acknowledge nor vnderstand And he was clothed with a garment dipt in bloud His mortall bodie which he tooke vpon him for our redemption was so sore beaten and greuously wounded that from the soule of the féete to the very crowne of the head euen from top to toe nothing was lefte whole or sound This mighty Champion is he which came from Edom and Bos●a whose garmentes were sprinkled with bloud his clothes were rayed euen as of those that tread the wine presse For his manhoode suffred most shameful pain●full death He him selfe alone trode the wine presse of his wrath and had none to helpe him He his owne self was woūded for our sinnes and our infirmities were layd vpon him and by his stripes we are healed And his name was called the word of God Christ Iesu the sonne of god is that eternall and euerlasting word of God which was from the beginning by God by whom also heauen and earth are made and all that in them is the verye ●mage of his substance in whom the father is represented wherby also we vnderstand and know the wil of the father for the word of God is a true guid of the conscience This word was made flesh that is became mā for our sakes sauing ius●ifying and glorifying all those that beleeue on him And the warriers which were in heauen followed him vpō white horses These are the true faithfull ministers which follow their maister and c●ief captain Christ Iesu vpon white horsses that is in innocency of life and godly cōuersatiō which they professe These horsses are nothing else than their mortal bodies redy to battaile For true christiās mortifie their flesh y t concupiscence therof bring their carnal lusts vnder subiectiō their bodies obedient to y e spirit They become seruauntes to righteousnesse and not to sinne they are worthy Souldiers of God for they follow the Lord of ●ostes suche an armie saw the seruaūt of the Prophet Elizeus in Doathim in a vis●on They w●re clothed with fine linnen white and pure signifying the simplicitie and innocēcie which they haue in Christ Iesus their captaine and good and perfect gifts which the Lord giueth them As S. Iohn him selfe expounded them a little before where he sayeth that the fine linnen are the true iustifications which they haue of none other but from theyr head Christ. These are y e spirituall weapons wherof S. Paule speaketh saying Though we walke in the flesh yet we do not war after y e flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through god to cast down holds and out of his mouth wēt a sharp sword which is that wonderful iudgment of his word Through this sharpe sword are the faithful and beleuers saued to ●ife euerlasting and the wicked infidels iudged to euerlasting death and damnation For it is vnto some a sauior of life vnto life and to others a sauior of death vnto death With this sword shall be cut of the dead braunches which in him beare no fruicts and the rotted members from the body In like manner shal be the good from the bad and the Goates from the shéepe with this sword deuided and separated Oh how terrible fearefull and sharpe shal be the iudgement of the

by the Prophet Ezechiel saying I wil make a bond of peace with them which shall be vnto them an euerlasting couenaunt I will set my sanctuarie among them for euermore My dwelling shal be with them yea I wil be their God they shal be my people The same also he confirmeth heere in this place saying He will dwell with them and they shal be his people and God him s●lfe shal be their God In suche sorte that they shall neuer acknowledge any other than him only He shal alwayes comfort and strengthen thē heere by his holy spirit and heereafter by his presēce so mightely defend and surely kéepe them that they shall neuer faile him heere nether afterward be seperated from him And God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes so cleane that no kinde of trouble or feare shall make them afraid neither any aduersitie shrinke or make them heauie The same also saith the lor● by his Prophet I shall make a pleasant Ierusalem and I my selfe wil be glad with hir From that time forward shall there be heard within hir no more sorrow nor paine neither shall there be any death for death shall be destroyed for euermore The conscience of man shall not then be subiecte to any mistrustfulnesse or other infirmitie but shall haue ioy in the holy Ghost They shall through sinne not die any more but shall liue through faith in God That cruel whoore shal drink drōke no more in the bloud of the Martirs for she with al hir adherents and wicked tirantes shall be kept in that filthie lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for euermore So that no kinde of trouble persecution slaunder hatred malice anguish or pain or any kind of aduersity crueltie or wretchednesse which coulde be deuised can hurt or hinder them for sorowes wailing and wéeping shall be put farre from them The building of the frame and the situation of this citie was four square which signified not only vnto vs the sure grounde and stedfastnesse of the true Christian faith which God kéepeth tenderly nourisheth and augmēteth in his elect but also sheweth y t euerlasting certaintie of that mightie and inexpugnable kingdom of Christ and that hope which is neuer ashamed for who so euer beleueth and dependeth vpō Christ shall neuer be confounded Whatsoeuer is foure square abideth firme vnmoueable and is not subiect to rolling or vnstablenesse like a boule or speare or any thing that is roūd In like maner haue we to consider of the four squarenesse of 〈◊〉 new Ierusalē wherof material Ierus●●●● b●ing also square was a figure that none of what so euer kindred language or nation he be shall haue either preferment héere in this citie or be lesse regarded for whether he be frō the East or the West from the South or the North rich or poore Grecian or Barbarian if he be but a true beléeuer he shall be receiued and accepted of God Wherof we haue a manifest ensample in the Gospell where Christ teacheth by the Parable of a certaine housholder which hired labourers into his vineyard who calling them vnto him in y ● euening gaue as much to them that wrought but an hour as he did vnto them that wrought the whole day The walles of this Citie are strong and well furnished wherout we may cōclude and gather that the blessednesse of saluation or Gods promises are sure and strong in so much that hell gates can not preuaile against or withstand them These walls are of such a height that no enimie be he neuer so craftie subtile or wise by anye meanes of faire speach dissimulation or hipocri●ie is able to get ouer them onely must they enter through the gate which is Christ Iesu. This holy Ierusalem is glorious blessed heauenly and spiritual not made by mans hande but it is made and builded of God the heauēly father the father of light of whom all good●●nd perfect gifts onely do descend are sent down Therfore hath she a maruellous and incomprehensible light and wisdome of almightie God The Lambe Iesus Christ is hir light and his word the lanterne to his f●ete And hir shining light and spiritual wisdom was like an oriental stone most precious for his word is more costlier than golde yea than the moste finest golde This Citie hath twelue gates for to open and to shut with sundrie names bicause of the diuers natiōs and languages For from euery side of the worlde come the people to the churche of Christ yet passe they al through one gate which is Christ Iesu. None saith he cōmeth to the father but by me I am the doore to enter into the shéepe folde Who so euer entreth through me shall be saued Thys Ierusalem hath twelue gates And on euery gate was a very costlye and precious Pearle for the doctrine of the Gospell is precious and costly without comparison whereby so many as are ordained from all coastes of the earth enter into the kingdom of Christ. And at these gates were set twelue Angels In that respecte Dauid also did sing saying The Angels of the Lord are about the tents of them that feare him to kéepe them He did set a garde vpon the walles of Ierusalem sayth Esayas to annoūce his worthy name So that it is wel garded fenced round about The Diuel with all his bost haue no force against it No man is able to draw any one out of his hands And aboue these gates were written honorable names namely the names of the twelue tribes of Israell which are Iuda Ruben Gad Assur Nephthalim Manasle Simeon Leui Isachar Zabulon Ioseph and Beniamin These names were wrytten héere bicause the right inheritance was promised to the séede of Abraham and Christ Iesus was the true séede of Abraham and by him are we made children of the promise The walles of the Citie hath twelue foundations groūded vpon y ● strong and mightie stone Christ Iesu which is vnmoueable for so much that from the beginning the Church of God vpon hym hath bene builded and grounded Uppon him did Adam Noe Abraham Moyses Dauid Helias with the rest of the godly fathers that euer were build remaine stedfast although they were neuer so lōg before him or shall be after him for they beleued certainly on the promises which God had wrought to thē by Christ. They all being vnder the cloud did eate of one kinde of meat and dronke of one spirituall stone which is Christ Iesu which afterward is come into the flesh No man may lay any other foundation sayeth S. Paule than that which is layd alreadye which is Christ Iesu. Upon this one strong and euerlasting foundation were laid and builded these twelue foundatiōs agréeable vnto him Namely the twelue Apostles of the Lambe Peter Iohn Iames Andrewe Philip