Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A11261
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An hundred heauenly thoughts And resolutions, tending to draw the minde from euill to good. Written by W. S. preacher of Gods worde in S. Iohns of Mathermarket in Norwich.
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Stinnet, William.
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1616
(1616)
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STC 21527; ESTC S112134
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22,139
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174
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out euery thing in most gorgeous manner to the dignifying of their honour But where bee the men whose excellency of minde hath taken vp a well chosen course in vertue where be the men that haue well trained and long exercised their minds in more excellent and heauenly contemplations that haue apparelled deckt their mind with grace A man might shew thousands to these things smaly enclyned whiles they omitte no toyle nor seruice in the other Vnhappy men so to diuert their thoughts from the wayes of goodnes and to loose nay to abuse their time I beare great honour to the names of these But Lord let me be bedded in my graue rather then wedded to such iniquity as should cause my affections to bee estranged from thee 45 RIch men are counted the richest Iuels although they bee neither well formed by nature nor framed by education to the true exercise of vertue These haue the largest prayses the most earme intreaties the highest Titles the most humble seruice and the lowest reuerence These be reckned the onely blessed the high Cedars the rich Rubies the only shining suns But if God haue any skill in painting out mens conditions mens markes bee taken amisse for hee will tel vs ritches without vertue is nothing gratefull and some that haue been acquainted with ritch mens priuate sorrowes will constantly affirme that their muddy abundance is full of carking agonies Kings Crownes cannot help them from the cruell head-ach nor shooes of gold preserue from the painfull gout I wil neuer therfore plunge my thoughts into ritches bondage but looke after and long for my heauenly inheritage 46 I Maruaile much why men should bee trans with such ouer-vehement affection to tast so greedily of the worlds vanities and so much to let loose the raines of their desires to such fickle moueables What conceit is it they build vppon do they thinke such onely fauored and aduanced of God No the eternall spring of vertue testifies he hath such men in eternall hatefulnes doe they thinke to be honoured of men Oh yes with Churle and Carle and Cormorant and such deformed titles So then I will seeke no better wealth then a quiet Conscience nor greater pleasures then heauens excellencies Stand far then filthy Couetousnes from me I le be no Carle no Kite no Cormorant but a liberall Christian a liberal Christian is my name and a liberall Christian is my title Christianity which loues liberallity shall be the onely hope of my aduancement For my names sake I cannot loue thee and for my makers sake I must and wil detest thee 47 I Haue often thought eating drinking and stuffing the carcasse a shrewd burden and intollerable yoke it dulls the cheerfull limbs and hales the body to vnworthy seruitude to long and strong diseases to ouerpressing pangs and after to vntimely deathes it bemires the thoughts of the soule deepely in the trade of vncleannesse it hinders the vigorous minde from feeding on higher thoughts The eternal God forbid then that I should so bee fettered Let mighty beasts be stalled and fatted with their dainty variety I will take a more happy resolution and strike such fast friendship with sober moderation as my minde shall bee a free maister to entertaine whole armies of heauenly thoughts and my body a ready seruant forth-with to welcome such noble guests I will thinke it foule scorne to yeeld my sanctified body to such iniquity And I will not bee such an enemy to my selfe as to imprison my selfe or to defile my selfe with grosse impurity 48 SOme Vertues among foule Vices are like Pearles in a dunghill I haue knowne some of exceeding good parts full of wittinesse admirable for tongue delight indued with cleere vnderstandings and hony-flowing speech and almost euery way so excellent as if a man would make a discription of them a man might set such a note vppon them as might make them very notable vnto you yet their exceeding worldlinesse with their close hypocrisie hath altogether disgraced the other assembly of their most commendable vertues no otherwise then ragged penurie oft ouerthrowes a louely beauty I will labour therefore that euery part of my life may be an ornament to me And as I loue not a ragged rayment for decency nor a patcht payment for mony so neither like I to tender a torne life to Gods diuine excellency but bearing shewes in my countenance of honesty and well mindednesse I will resolue in all things to be blamelesse 49 IF cruell and fierce beasts did range in dangerous sort anongst vs wee would carefully prouide good defences against such mischiefes giuing those beasts many mortall and manfull wounds how maruellous a matter is it then that when the horrible foule Diuell like a ramping and roaring Lyon furiously prosecutes vs wee imploy not our endeauors to his ouerthrow but suffer him to fasten his clawes most cruell impressions of wonderfull passions vpon vs. Oh thou in whom all power and defence is harboured teach me thy truth a sufficient bulwarke against such mischiefes 50 VVHat hath man that may make him so lickerous of commendation his stout and couragious heart alas as it is sometime valiant so often it is ouerpressed with mighty passions of griefe and feare his iudgement why the deepest iudgement is oft mistaken and grossly erres reason being growne a seruant to passions his sharpe wit why the best wits are often troubled with vnperswadable melancholly yea many their wittes crackt with violent affections his wisdome what need he when he hath many Paragons his braue beauty why the state of the mind is better then the state of the body and we know that aged wrinckles deface fairest faces Lastly his ritches or pleasures why outward delights and fertill grounds are but halting helpes to decaying soules Lo then I will count my selfe vile and know my weaknes to be vnfit for any worthinesse and if my friends in their speeches giue me any commendation I will thinke they speake not so much of iudgement as blinded with affection 51 I Haue often seene a poore man inritching his cloathes and a wealthy man whose cloathes haue inritched him In the former his best part is inward in the latter his best outward But truly I had rather bee in rude rayment with an vnspotted simplicity then to bee set in highest dignity with folly 52 IT is great indiscretion to bandy against a power inuincible and matchlesse such power hath GOD the valiantest of men that dare oppose him shall finde dismaydnesse They can no more auaile then the Emmot pull downe a Cedar I am resolued then to put my hand to euery painfull office that I may please my GOD but I will neuer dare to fortifie wickednesse to the prouoking of him 53 OFt haue I mused what monster wrought my harme in blunting if not breaking the loue of my deerest neerest friends At length I found that suspition and facility to beleeue all things ruins friendship and batters the walls of the sweetest