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	flesh_n	life_n	6,515	5	4.6902	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34926	The judgment of Archbishop Cranmer concerning the peoples right to, and discreet use of the H. Scriptures	Cranmer, Thomas, 1489-1556.	1689 (1689)	Wing C6827; ESTC R7153	13,150	23

contemplation and such as before haue clensed themselues aswell in soule as bodie or at the least endeuored themselues to be made cleane For it is dangerous saith he for the vncleane to touch that thing which is most clean like as the sore eye taketh harme by looking vpon the Sunne Secondarily not at all times but when we be reposed and at rest from all outward dregs and trouble and when that our heades be not encombred with other worldly and wandring imaginations as if a man should mingle balme and dirt together For he that shall iudge and determine such matters and doubtes of Scriptures must take his time when he may applie his wittes therunto that he may thereby the better see and discerne what is trueth Thirdly where and in what audience There and among those that haue bene studious to learne and not among such as haue pleasure to trifle with such matters as with other thinges of pastime which repute for their chiefe delicates the disputation of high questions to shewe their wittes learning and eloquence in reasoning of high matters Fourthly it is to be considered how farre to wade in such matters of difficulty No further saith he but as euery mans owne capacity will serve him and againe no further then the weaknesse or intelligence of the other audience may beare For like as too great noyse hurteth the eare too much meate hurteth the mans body heauie burdens hurt the bearers of them too much raine doeth more hurt then good to the ground briefly in all things too much is noyous euen so weake wittes and weake consciences may soone be oppressed with ouer hard questions I say not this to disswade men from the knowledge of God and reading or studying of the Scripture for I say that it is as necessary for the life of mans soule as for the body to breathe And if it were possible so to liue I would thinke it good for a man to spend all his life in that and to doe none other thing I commend the Lawe which biddeth to meditate and studie the Scriptures alwayes both night and day and Sermons and preachings to be made both morning noone and euentide and God to be lauded and blessed in all times to bedward from bed in our iourneyes and in all other workes I forbid not to reade but I forbid to reason Neither forbid I to reason so farre as is good and godly but I allow not that is done out of season and out of measure and good order A man may eate too much honie be it neuer so sweete and there is time for euery thing and that thing that is good is not good if it be vngodly done Euen as a flower in winter is out of season and as a womans apparell becometh not a man neither contrarily the mans the woman neither is weeping conuenient at a bride ale neither laughing at a buriall Now if we can obserue and keepe that is comely timely in all other things shall not we then the rather do the same in the holy Scriptures Let vs not runne foorth as it were wilde horses that can suffer neither bridle in their mouthes nor sitter on their backes Let vs keepe vs in our bounds and neither let vs go too farre on the one side least we returne into Egypt neither too farre ouer the other least we be carried away to Babylon Let vs not sing the song of our Lord in a strange land that is to say let vs not dispute the word of God at all aduentures aswell where it is not to be reasoned as where it is and aswell in the eares of them that be not fit therefore as of them that be If we can in no wise forbeare but that we must needs dispute let vs forbeare thus much at the least to do it out of time and place convenient and let vs entreate of those things which be holy holily and vpon those things that be mystical mystically and not to vtter the Diuine mysteries in the eares vnworthie to hear them but let vs knowe what is comely aswell in our silence and talking as in our garments wearing in our feeding in our gesture in our goings in all our other behauing This contention and debates about Scriptures and doubtes thereof specially when such as do pretende to be the fauourers and students thereof cannot agree within themselues doth most hurt to ourselues and to the furthering of the cause and quarels that we should haue furthered aboue all other things And we in this saith he be not vnlike to them that being madde set their owne houses on fire and that slay their owne children or beate their own parents I marueile much saith he to recount whereof commeth all this desire of vainglorie whereof commeth all this tongue itche that we haue so much delight to talke and clatter And wherein is our communication Not in the commendation of vertuous and good deedes of hospitalitie of loue betweene Christian brother and brother of loue betweene man and wife of virginitie and chastitie and of almes towarde the poore not in Psalmes and godly songs not in lamenting for our sinnes not in repressing the affections of the body not in prayers to God. We talke of Scripture but in the meane time we subdue not our flesh by fasting watching and weeping we make not this life a meditation of death we do not striue to be lords over our appetites and affections wee goe not about to pull downe our proude and high mindes to abate our fumish and rancorous stomackes to restraine our lust and bodily delectations our vndiscrete sorowes out lasciuious mirth our inordinate looking our insatiable hearing of vanities our speaking without measure our inconuenient thoughts and briefly to reforme our life and maners but all our holinesse consisteth in talking And we pardon eche other from all good liuing so that we may sticke fast together in argumentation as though there were no mo wayes to heauen but this alone the way of speculation and knowledge as they take it but in very deede it is rather the way of superfluous contention and sophistication Hitherto haue I recited the minde of Gregorie Nazianzene in that Book which I spake of before The same Author saith also in another place that the learning of a Christian man ought to beginne of the feare of God to ende in matters of high speculation and not contrarily to beginne with speculation and to ende in feare For speculation saith hee either high cunning or knowledge if it be not stayed with the bridle of feare to offende God is dangerous and ynough to tumble a man headlong downe the hill Therefore saith he the feare of God must be the first beginning and as it were an A. B. C. or an introduction to all them that shall enter into the very true and most fruitefull knowledge of holy Scriptures Whereas is the feare of God there is saith he the keeping of the commaundements and where as is the keeping of the commaundements there is the cleansing of the flesh which flesh is a cloude before the soules eye and suffereth it not purely to see the beame of the heauenly light Where as is the cleansing of the flesh there is the illumination of the holy Ghost the ende of all our desires and the very light whereby the veritie of Scripture is seene and perceiued This is the minde and almost the wordes of Gregorie Nazianzene doctour of the Greeke Church of whome Saint Ierome saith that unto his time the Latine Church had no writer able to be compared and to make an euen match with him Therefore to conclude this latter part euery man that commeth to the reading of this holy Booke ought to bring with him first and formost this feare of Almightie God and then next a firme and stable purpose to reforme his owne selfe according thereunto and so to continue proceede and prosper from time to time shewing himselfe to be a sober and fruitefull hearer and learner which if he doe he shall proue at length well able to teach though not with his mouth yet with his liuing and good example which is sure the most liuely and effectuous forme and maner of teaching He that otherwise intermedleth withh this Booke let him be assured that once hee shall make account therefore when he shall haue said to him as it is written in the Prophet Davuid Peccatori dicit Deus c. Vnto the vngodly saide God Why doest thou preach my Lawes and takest my testament in thy mouth Whereas thou hatest to be reformed and hast bene partaker with adulterers Thou hast let thy mouth speake wickednesse and with thy tongue thou hast set forth deceit Thou satest and spakest against thy brother and hast slaundered thin owne mothers sonne These thinges hast thou done and I helde my tongue and thou thoughtest wickedly that I am euen such a one as thy selfe But I will reprooue thee and set before thee the things that thou hast done O consider this ye that forget God lest I plucke you away and there be none to deliuer you Who so offereth me thankes and praise he honoureth me and to him that ordereth his conuersation right will I shew the saluation of God. God be praised FINIS Psa. 119. 105. Matth. 4. 4. Luke 12.49 The Couclusion The Kings highnesse hath allowed the Scripture as necessarie for vs. There is nothing but may be abused Rom. 8.