Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A41990
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The voyce of truth or The high way leading to true peace composed in Latine by M.G. and translated into Inglish by F.G.
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M. G. (Martin Grene), 1616-1667.; F. G.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing G1826A; ESTC R215166
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33,580
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126
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been puffed vp with good successe some times contristated at evil events and never intirely cooperated with devine grace This I have been such does my memory represent mee and this and worse shall I bee for the future if thou Lord doest not prevent mee with thy grace Banisht poore ignorant inconstant feeble sick infirme in spirit and more infirme in flesh blind in the vnderstanding blinder in the will prone to sinne by nature proner by evil custome I live a scandall to my brethren a prejudice to Religion and dangerous to my selfe There is noe creature whose injuryes I am not exposed to there is noe member of my body that is not subject to innumerable miseryes noe sense but that eternal death may enter by not a day not an hower not a moment but that I am in great daunger of loosing an aeternity Lord whilst I consider these things I cannot chuse but bee much troubled and ceased with feare and trembling How then ô Lord doe you say that the knowledge of my selfe does contribute to peace of mind Loe how even this imperfect knowledge of my selfe makes mee a weary of my Life and have noe mind to any thing but to lament and weepe If then I did fully know my selfe and clearely see my basnesse what other should I find but most bitter bitternesse and vnconsolable griefe Sonne doe not thinke you loose your peace by the knowledge of your selfe This thought is not with out paine and griefe and therefore worldings fly it as a disturber of quiet The knowledge of ones selfe takes a way sloath and pusillanimity but not peace Peace cannot consist without security nor security without a feare that proceeds from the knowledge of ones selfe The feare of God is the beginning of wisdome and the knowledge of ones selfe the beginning of the feare of God Vnlesse all things bee rightly ordred in you you can have noe peace nor can you have any thing rightly ordered in or concerning vnlesse you know your selfe There are three chiefe principles or maximes conducing to peace to bee drawen from the knowledge of your selfe The first is not to place any confidence in your selfe but cast all your hopes in Allm God who soever confides in himselfe shall bee deceived and restlesse Doe not presume of your selfe neither in great little or even the least things for of your selfe you can doe nothing If in your dayly actions you doe relye on your owne forces you will necessarily fale when assaulted with a strong tentation For on the one side your forces are not sufficient and on the other not beeing vsed to make your recourse to God you will not bee able to hope for his helpe soe that you will come to bee left voyd of all helpe The affaire of your salvation must bee perfited by God and your selfe and as God will not doe any thing with out you soe can not you doe any thing at all with out God Doe not therefore confide in thy selfe least God leave thee to thy selfe but begg of God that hee will vouchsafe powerfully to prevent thee that soe thou mayst bee able to doe all things in him that strengthens thee The best counsaile you can follow is to enter into the abysse of your owne basenesse before you beginne any affaire even the least to see vnderstand and confesse that you can doe nothing without mee and when you have rightly considered the abysse of your nothing then ascend vnto the hight of my mercy which is above all my workes and soe let one abysse invoke another abisse and I le ' open the cataracts of heaven and powerforth my grace vpon you When you have thus humbled your selfe aske what you will and it shall bee done The exinanition of ones selfe is the most efficatious prayer Lessen first your pride and then bend your knee in prayer As often as you shall humble your selfe in any of your actions soe often shall I assist you with my omminipotency that you may want nothing Loe therefore Sonne what great good there is contained in the knowledge of your selfe If you know your selfe you will humble your selfe and make your recourse to mee and if you have recourse to mee I le ' help you and labour with you and what can you feare when you have the Omnipotent to assist you who can as easily doe great matters as the smalest things You ought to feare nothing but only confiding in your selfe for as long as you place your confidence in God you shall aequaly overcome all because you relye on him who can with the same case doe all things either alone or with you God therefore left man naked needy and vnable to rayse him selfe towards his end because hee would himselfe out of his infinite love allways assist him with his wisdome rule him with his power defend him and replenish him with grace â—mediately floeing from himelfe If you doe rightly vnderstand these things you have lay'd a solide foundation of true peace And if you are come to know your â—nperfections you have made a great steppe towards perfection and this is the first fruite you must reape from the knowledge of your selfe which being well vnderstood you will easily obtaine the two following The second fruite then is that this knowledge of your selfe cutts a way all vaine hopes by the rootes Why doe you beginne with vaine hopes what of your selfe you are not able to effect for whome doe you heape vp treasures who are but a passenger that must leave them all to morrow Eternity is at the dore which will force thee to bid a long adieu to thy desires what will then become of the honour you soe dearly bought and soe carefully cherished when you shall sleepe in dust and bee noe longer thought on but graunt that all did prayse you after death what then shall not the wormes stil feede in the same manner on thy corps shall not thy soule bee tormented a like perhappes many have praysed you in your life time which you knew not of what were you the better for this vnknowen prayse Many alfoe have disprayed you which you were ignorant of and what are you the worse It will bee just soe after death when neyther prayse nor disgrace shall move you absent now and insensible If you did know your selfe you would curbe your ambition and live in a most profound peace Doe not labour and take pains that others may know you but endeavour to bee fully knowen to your selfe and God You are what you are in the sight of God and not what men Iudge you Doe not compare your selfe with others but beholde your selfe in the presence of God that you may allwayes humble your selfe If you compare your selfe with others to bee sure your perfections of body or mind will not reach to a mediocrity and labour what thou will you shall find your selfe surpassed by a great many Bee therefore content that as many surpasse you in guifts of nature as God has preferred
peace in thee with out disturbance for though I doe seeke thee yet adversityes doe not cease to befale mee which destroy the peace of my mind Yea even when things fale out properously I am presently forgetfull of my selfe and insteede of the peace which I ought to have in thee I place it in creatures which peace is not sinsere and ends in grievous warre Sonne you would faine know how you may in all accidents proceed with such indifferency that you doe not over much rejoyce in prosperity or give way to bee vnprofitably contristated in adversity where in the summe of my peace does consist which that you may obtaine Consider thus with mee Man 's ' nature is such that what soe ever the vnderstanding represents as good the will presently embraces and what is represented vnto the vnderstanding as evil that the will presently avoyds shunnes and hates Soe that of necessity the affectiones of joy and sadnesse must vary as long as the vicissitude of good and evil last And by consequence the peace and indifferency of mind bee lost noe man can have a perfect or imperfectly happy peace but hee vnto whome always what is good happens Nor doe any sort of goods quiet and satisfy the mind but only those that are such as the will covets according to right reason How then shall you come to possesse peace of mind To the end you may always have what you wish you must have an indifferency to all things and it must bee all one what soever happens to you without your fault For seeing you cannot rule things as you will you must accomodate your will to things if you will have your will agree with them which you must obsolutly wish for to enjoy peace which consists in the wills acquiessing with content to what soe ever happens You must not therefore more covet pleasures then paine nor preferre ease to labour nor rather wish life then death but keepe your selfe in an aequal ballance of indifferency to all things Now you cannot bee indifferent to all things vnlesse they all appeare aequaly to bee desired For as long as you judge one thing more to bee desired then another soe long you shall rather incline to one thing then another and soe loose your indifferency Now to the end that all things may appeare aequaly to bee desired harken to an abbreviated word wherin the happinesse of Pilgrimmes is consummated and the content of all Saints consists and this is the word my sonne Consider all things in mee and not in themselves This is the art of arts the gate of the kingdome of heaven and the source of peace Consider all things in mee and not in themselves that thou mayst have peace in all things If you rightly Consider all things you shall see they proceed from mee and perceive that nothing happens vnto you but what the infinit goodnesle and wisdome has out of an aeternal love ordered for your greater good If you Consider all things in this love they shall all seeme good all aequaly to bee desired and soe by consequence you shall have an indifferency to all and shall wish most for what happens because you will not Consider things in themselves but in mee and judge it more fitting my will bee done then thine because it ought to bee soe and it is most expedient for thee Noe other consideration but this will afford thy soule peace For if you Consider poverty if contumely if labour if sicknesse if death or any thing that happens of adversity in it selfe you cannot beare them without great trouble and afflicion of mind because soe they are all contrary to nature If you doe consider these things as proceeding from your or their sinnes they will yet seeme more intollerable because the manner of punishment will torment the minde as much as the inflicted evil in like manner when you see the just persecuted and the wicked exalted you will bee enraged against triumphing impiety and will not bee able to containe your selfe from the desire of revenge But if you recale all these things to their first of spring you will bee able to behold them without disturbance You shall vnderstand all when you read all in the booke of devine providence where in the reasons of all things are And what weyghed in the ballance of humane reason appeares vnjust shall bee found in the scales of the devine wisdome just and most fitting All things serve for this only affaire of aeternity the salvation of the elect If the Turkes presse if Heriticks are multiplyed if the wicked domineere t is not for the Turks nor hereticks nor the wicked sake but for the elect that by patience they may enter into the Kingdome of heaven If there were any thing that did not conduce to the good of the elect God would have erred in his worke who only made or permitted all things that they should cooperate to the good of the elect This is Pauls minde All things cooperate vnto good to those that are caled according to purpose Saints What is given to one of the least of these whome God has chosen is of soe great moment that it is noe wayes to bee omitted and Kingdomes and empires are rather to perish and the whole earth and heaven it selfe rather to bee annihilated then that one of the elect should bee lost Soe great a thing it is to see the face of God Neyther will this seeme strange if thou Consider mee who when I was in the forme of God did robbe my selfe to the end that by my death I might open the way to heaven for each of these little ones Consider therefore Sonne all thingâ—… in mee and beholde mee in 〈◊〉 things working as I will to 〈◊〉 glory and thy salvation and of 〈◊〉 That will cooperate with my graâ—… and though you doe not perceiâ—… how I compasse this in all thingâ—… yet firmly beleeve I doe soe in eveâ—… thing and soe deliver your will inâ—… my hands most certainly know it that I shall wisely and forcibly peâ—fect my worke and that I le ' neithâ—… doe or permitt any thing thâ—… shall not bee for your good anâ— promote you towards the designeâ— Bravium if that you will but makâ— vse of my grace Who soever shall root this trutâ— well in his mind shall never beâ— uoyd of peace of mind and shalâ— looke adversity and prosperity vn davntedly in the face without any change of affection because the motive of his affection shall never vary Hee shall all ways rejoyce because hee shall ever finde the good which hee only seekes for and hee shall always rejoyce in the same manner because hee shall ever finde the same reason of good in all things to wit my glory joyned with his welfare Sonne I doe not say you shall ever as long as you live come not to feele the acrimony of griefe or allurement of pleasure But I say that the soule that is solidly settled in mee may soe commaund these