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	life_n	nature_n	5,551	5	5.2232	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13250	The diuine eccho, or resounding voice from heauen moralized betwixt a Christian and his soule, with short and effectuall directions how to liue and die well. Whereby the effects of vertue and the defects of vice, mercy with miserie, heauenly felicitie with worldly vanity, the ioyes of heauen with the torments of hell, are familiarly expressed. Diuided into prayers and meditations for the ease and benefit of euerie Christian. The first part by Iohn Swift.; Divine eccho, or resounding voice from heaven.	Swift, John, fl. 1612.	1612 (1612)	STC 23545; ESTC S103247	62,765	254

for it euerie where too and this me thinkes is the best way to match subtill death But men in these daies who haue not this knowledge doe most shamefully complaine vpon God for the shortnesse of their liues when as they as short as it is doe throgh ryoting surfeiting drinking and bowsing and through malice murders make it more short both in themselues and also in others yet mee thinkes if men would duely consider of what molde they are made they wold not be so carelesse of their soules health and of Gods seruice one sillie flea in the night will soone breake their sleepe one small pricke with a thorn or pin will euen force teares to issue from their eyes if thy body were brasse or steele then O man thou mightest haue some cause to tryumph and glorie in thy selfe thou mightest haue some cause to think thy selfe able to resist all misfortune and to withstand all putrifaction but marke I pray thee the frailtie of thy flesh which if it lie in the graue but onely three or foure daies thy derest friend that thou leauest behinde thee will not be able by reason of the noysome smell of thy dead carkasse to come neere it or yet once indure the sight thereof Remember now that thou art but dust and wormes meate and beare therefore about thee the Anatomie of thy faults search into the botome of euery particular fin and goe into the house of fasting and not into the house of feasting for where sorrowing for sinnes and sadnesse is there is the heart of wisemen but where mirth is there is the heart of fooles SECT 26. The frailtie of our bodies MAny times haue I thought with my selfe how that it may one day so come to passe that this earthly bodie of ours now pampered vp kept from the winde and weather now honoured much respected may one day serue to make vp a mud-wall for a time may happen when some building may bee made neare vnto the graue bee it neuer so gay and sumptuous and that they might digge for some earth out of the same to make morter for a wall Omnes morimur et sicut aqua labimur in terram Eccl. and so shall thy feely bodie being now changed into earth become afterwards an earthen wall although it be at this present the most noble body and most delicately cherished of all bodies in the world and how many bodies of Kings and Emperours I wonder haue come already to these promotions Eccho Ocyons SECT 27. On the same O The basenesse and beastlinesse of the bodie when as the soule is departed out of it and O the continuall moouing and wasting of our life and hastning vnto this basenes what minute of an houre passeth but that we go one step forward towards our death what other thing thinke ye is the mouing of the Heauens but as it were a very swift wheele which is continually spinning and winding vp our liues for like as a rolle of wooll saith one father is spunne vpon a wheele of the which at euerie turning about some part is wound vp at the first turne a little at the second a little more and so forth at euerie turne vntill all be ended so doth the wheele of the heauens continually spinne and windc vp our life in that at euerie turning round that it maketh a peece of our life is spunne and wound vp and therfore holy Iob saith Iob. 9.25 that his daies were more swift then one that rideth in poste for hee that rideth in post though his message requireth neuer so much haste yet sometimes necessitie causeth him to stay but our life neuer staieth neither wil it giue vs so much libertie as the space of one houre of rest SECT 28. Why God will not haue vs to haue knowledge of things to come IN this as in all other things the wisdome of God is infinite who will not haue nor yet suffer men to haue knowledge of future things of things to come for if they had aprescience or foreknowledge of their prosperitie they would bee careles and negligent toward God their maker and againe vnderstanding of their aduersitie they wold be senceles as a male-factor who commonly is halfe dead so soone as the rope is cast about his necke man therefore hath only knowledge of things present and past of things present for that he may at all times behold the workes of God and presently betake himselfe vnto a new and holy life vnto heauenly meditations oft past for that he may giue God glory for his good deedes Iames. seeling that euery good perfect gift commeth from aboue and be sorie for his bad his corrupt and euill life SECT 29. What a good conscience is and the praise thereof THe best way for a man to promise his soule euerlasting life after death is to make much of a good conscience while he liues surely the wisest of kings king Solomon had thorowly tasted the delicacie of this daintie dish in that he calleth it a continuall feast a meat wherwith he could neuer be glutted by it the innocent smileth before the furiousnes of the feareful iudge when as in the meane space Prou. 15.13 17.22 the guiltie by inward gripings discouereth his offence though all men seeme to winke at it nay before he be suspected of any It is a bad conscience that pursues his master at the heeles and knoweth how to take vengeance in due time hee will not cease to post after him vntill hee hath pind him to the bar for let him be girded about with Irō garded with souldiers attended on by counsellers shut vp with wals of brasse in strong holds and castles yet will he be in a woefull case in a perplexed misery seeing that there is no salue for a sicke cōscience surely it is like vnto those mice which deuoured one Hatto a merciles bishop of Germanie Munster in Cosmo for if hee saile out vpon the seas it will swimme after the ship yea and be readie to drowne the puppe if he place himselfe in the center of a fietie circle it will leape ouer vnto him if hee ascend vp vnto the top of a castle it will climbe vp vnto him by the wals if hee descend downe into the earth it will dig him vp againe if he sleepeth he shall haue feare for his bedfellow if he awaketh walketh abroad he shal haue care for his companion and alwaies the sting of conscience for his torment there is no way to preuent it but by death and this also is vncertaine which maketh it the more grieuous for eyther hee shall bee presently healed or more grieuously hated SECT 30. We must make speed to amend THerefore when thou goest from home ponder with thy selfe what thou wilt doe abroade and when thou returnest home call to minde what thou hast done there when thou arisest in the morning determin to passe the day following as if at night they bed should be

for such cattell our pasture is not for them we need not the hornes nor yet the hide wee need not the hornes for to make vs a lanterne to light vs to heauen for he is the true light that lighteneth euery one which commeth into the world and his word is a lanterne vnto our feet and a light vnto our paths and we need not the hide for to make vs shoes for God wil giue his Angels charge ouer all true beleeuers to keepe them in all their waies Iohn 1.9 Psal 119.105 that they dash not their feet against a stone he wil keepe all the faithfull in their heauenly iourney Matth. 4.6 Psal 19.11 12. that they gaul not the soles of their soules with the grauell of the world and what now thinketh my soule concerning their prayers for the dead or what to be short doe they shew themselues by their mumming Masses Ecch. Asses SECT 59. Superstitions alwaies inuented by the Popes for lucre sake BVt tell me what the reason is that they giue pardons for an hundred yeere for two or for moe nay in generall what is the fruit and issue of euery popish ceremonie Ecch. Money SECT 60. What they worship and adore ANd finally what doe these blinde leaders of the blind what doe these blind bustards adore and worship in their masses and creeping pilgrimages Ecch. Images SECT 61. A meditation on Christs hiring labourers in his vineyard and agreeing with them for a pennie a day O Sweete Iesus thou hast taught vs in thy Gospell that the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a certaine housholder which went out at the dawning of the day Mat. 20.1.2 to hire labourers into his vineyard and when euen was come hee gaue euery man a pennie this day surely is the whole time of our life and when wee waxe old it begins then to waxe night for then the day with vs is euen at an end and therefore Christ himselfe when hee liued bodily here on the earth said I must worke the works of him that sent me while it is day Iohn 9.4 for the night commeth when no man can worke When our eyes are shut how can we then see to do good when our tongues cleaue to the roofe of our mouths how then can we cry Hosanna when our hands are dried vp how can we then stretch them foorth to giue while we haue time therfore let vs doe good Gal. 6. Let vs work let vs labour in the Lords vineyard that euery one may receiue a pennie For surely by this word a pennie is vnderstood the reward of eternal life for as a pennie is of a circular or round figure whose circumference hath no end so shall the reward of Gods labourers bee without end with out any limit or terme of yeeres God himselfe is this reward according vnto that which he spoke vnto Abraham Gen. 15.1 Mat. 13.44 Feare not Abraham for I am thy buckler and thine exceeding great reward thou O Lord art all goodnesse all richnesse thou art that pearle of great price which when a man hath found for ioy telleth no man but departeth and selleth all that he hath so that hee may buy the field wherein it is further he which hath this pennie after a certaine sort hath all things For as we see here in this world that whatsoeuer a man will haue hee must buy and so come by it by the pennie and for it he may haue what he will and in like manner that reward that pennie hath in it all things that may be desired that which neither the eye hath seene at any time nor the eare heard nor yet the heart of man euer conceiued And that a pennie hath the kings picture ingrauen vpon it what doth it signifie els but the perfect and pure Image of God in the elect when wee all behold as in a mirrour the glory of the Lord with open face and are changed into the same image from glorie to glorie as by the spirit of the Lord. 2. Cor. 3.18 Rom. 8.29 And again it is said that those which he knew before he did also predestinate to be made like to the image of his sonne Graunt therfore O sweet Sauiour O sweete Lord that wee may faithfully worke in thy vineyard and neuer be wearie of well doing so that when euen shall come when we shall depart this life we may receiue euery one of vs a pennie euerlasting life and eternal happines and so euer be refreshed with thy glorious image with the bright beams of thine euer-shining countenance SECT 62. The wicked and their reward I Marueile my soule into what monster the world is turned sinne and villany did neuer skul so much together as now it doth for the custome of this age is to paine and pine the bellie for to paint the backe all seeke honour renowne with a iustling vaine glorie and aspiring impudencie some vse to paint white their faces and colour black their soules of white lead is the complexion made which coueteth the center for that it is ponderous and heauie I meane not euery heauie and penitent soule but euery lumpish piece of lead assayes downward to the pit of hel the centre of all those that are worldlings that are of the world a pit without bottome a fier without light Arist Mat. 24.30 Mar. 9.43 and an heat without heat for there shal be cold cold and gnashing of teeth yet there shal those wretches burne in fier cōtinually they shall feele all torments whatsoeuer so that they shal haue a death without death and an end without an end and why for that with blacke vgly sinne they colour their soules sinne is the colour the diuel the painter and custome which is as Aristotle speaketh altera natura a second nature is the oyle which keepes that doolefull colour on still so that no stormes of the Lords wrath no thunder-claps against disobedience can beat it off ne yet can any smiles of his mercie once soken or loose it nor yet can any sunne-shine daies of ioy promised melt it away SECT 63. Not to be loftie but lowly PErhappes thou passing by some one of thine inferiors who regard not thy deserts nor yet respect thy worthines thou art therefore mal-content for a long time afterwards thinking with thy selfe that some dutie or reuerence might haue beene shewen thee if then thou wilt pacifie these inward broyles as he respects thee not so neither doe thou thy selfe respect thy selfe if he cannot cast his eye vp so high as vnto the flag of thine honour do thou therefore pluck it downe and humble thy selfe that all may behold it fret not thy selfe at his vnmannerly behauiour but rather smile therat smile at his grosse and vnseemly carriage SECT 64. The downefall of pride and the praise of humilitie SAthan doth with the vain-glorious who lift themselues aboue other men as the crowe doth hauing an hard nut in her bill the which she cannot