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	true_a	4,445	5	4.7126	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01210	The forbidden fruit· or A treatise of the tree of knovvledge of good & evill of which Adam at first, & as yet all mankind doe eate death. Moreover, how at this day it is forbidden to every one as well as to Adam; and how this tree, that is the wisedome of the serpent planted in Adam, is that great image, and that many headed beast, mentioned in Daniel and the Apocalyps, whom the whole world doth worship. Lastly, here is shewed what is the tree of life, contrary to the wisdome, righteousnesse, and knowledge of all mankind: with a description of the majestie and nature of Gods Word. By August: Eluthenius [sic]. Translated out of Latine into English.; De arbore scientiae boni et mali. English	Franck, Sebastian, 1499-1542.	1640 (1640)	STC 11324; ESTC S102619	62,776	198

God and these two Trees are as God and Satan so contrary one to another that the one brings Life unto us and the other death Therefore he that eates of the one its impossible he should eate of the other because they are divided by a flying Cherub and a flaming sword which I interpret sinne and disobedience which sometimes in the Scriptures is called a partition wall For hee that eates of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evill that is hee that is possessed with a Diabolicall wisdome of the Flesh he cannot eate the Tree of Life that is he is departed from divine knowledge and wisdome that proceeds from God For these two wisdomes are incompitable they cannot bee in one and the selfe-same heart being as contrary one to the other as heaven to hell He that eateth of the Tree of Life and is pertaker of divine knowledge hee cannot dye neither sinne For this Fruit eates the eater of it and changeth him into its owne nature into Life as the Scriptures doe testify of those that doe eate the flesh of Christ For it is one and the same thing to eate Christ to live in his word to eate of the Tree of Life to beleeve in God c. as it is also the same thing to be in Adam to live in Adam to eate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good Evill to obey the word of Satan and be God Therfore those that eate of this deadly Tree and adhere to the word and wisdome of the Serpent and are borne of Satan these cannot doe any thing that is pleasing unto God As on the contrary the other doth not any thing that is displeasing unto him Therefore he that would be the one must bidd adew to the other He must putt off the wisdome of the Serpent and vomitt up the Fruit of the Forbidden Tree who would eate of the Tree of Life Adam must dye in us and the witt of the Flesh must be unlearned of us if we would have Iesus Christ to live in us and obtaine the direction of the holy spirit For the death of the one is the life of the other the infirmity of the one is the strength of the other No man can serve two Masters neither is it possible to unite Adam God the Devill together CHAP. XII The praise of the Word of God on which alone man ought to build rest reside and it onely know if he will remain unshaken in adversity have his Faith manifest and approved and finde quietnesse to his Soule INdeed there be many arts profitable to the body which God the belly hath created and yet doth dayly finde out which truely bring much profit to the kitchin and onely serve worship obey their God the belly most zealously as it is expedient they should But as the cōmon proverbe is that which is profitable to the body doth often hurt the soule and that which is the bellies and flesh as life foode and plentie is often times the death of the soule and a meere poyson unto it because the spirit is contrary to the flesh Hence it comes to passe that table or belly arts because they be the Fruit off-spring and witt of the flesh are altogether vaine famine and death unto the soule And on the contrary that onely art the end whereof was not for God bellies advantage which the whole world doth so much sleight and litle regard that onely true wisdome and Theologie to witt God and the knowledge of his Word in him together with the knowledge of him divinely infused into our soules is the sole art onely necessary to mans salvation Therfore the true heavenly divine art the true tree of Life of which whosoever eateth hath everlasting life Furthermore I say this art is the Foode Wine Milke excellencie defence and all whether the profitt pleasure or advancement of Soules All other arts being vaine doubtfull and the poyson of the Soule hurtfull and deadly to the Spirit of Man if hee leane upon them rest in them glory in them or build his happinesse upon their sandy foundation In a word they are the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good evill of which whosoever eates as J have amply proved hee shall dye the death Therefore I desire that wee would not be to righteous nor wise in our owne eyes As Solomon Eccles. 8. as also Proverbs 3. doth faithfully instruct us that we should esteeme nothing to be our wisdome righteousnesse or any other vertue in us but onely to know God in and with himselfe and love praise worshipp feare honour and understand him as wee ought Which thing must necessarily proceede from God himselfe beeing the worke of his eternall and in it selfe everlasting and immutable word which without spokesman from him proceeds out of his mouth that hee speakes in our hearts teacheth himselfe in our soules imprinting and engraving his Image in us thereby enlightning so our understanding that to speake in a word he so teach love know understand pray unto heare guide governe and worshipp himselfe in us All other things whatsoever are to dull and all the vertue of things are to base that they should be able to teach us God and give us everlasting felicity or that God by them should give it unto us God will be himselfe teach himselfe give and convay himselfe into our hearts Neither will hee suffer his honour to bee given to any Creature that by it wee should be saved or sanctified but hee that heareth and learneth it of the Father commeth unto him He will himselfe be the Master of spirits and so a spirit shall be taught of a spirit And all those that are divinely instructed of the all-knowing and understanding God shall be said truely to be learned and wise The flesh hath teachers who belonging to the ould covenant have commerce with the flesh The new covenant because it is spirit and Life and in like manner hath a spirituall and new birth of God to be instructed hath also a spiritual word and Master to instruct it which is the word and spirit of Life Therefore if any man would know himselfe submitt himselfe quietly to the direction and permitt himselfe to bee spoken too sought and found in him He surely should be elevated to a wonderfull Light if any man I say doth follow the instruction and Doctrine of the Father in himselfe he verily should finde God in God and with God But the world busied and accupied in the Creatures passeth away in a confusion and not considering the hidden and secret treasure that is closed in his heart Neither seekes for this precious Pearle but covered all over with the earth of the Creatures remaineth in darknesse with the multitude of his arts and sciences weary ignorant and void of all true arts and sciences yet doth he in the meane space learne art after art further and further searcheth into the my fierie of knowledge And to use the words of Saint Paul is

old word beeing growen out of use And againe the old words are received the new being thrust out so farre forth that nothing is durable or constant in this life And if any man would observe he shall finde that our mother Tongue in England is dayly changed that at this day they speake otherwise then they did a few yeares since yea and such a curiositie nicenesses there is in the word and tongues that what men have a while made use off suddenly they cast away as disdaining the same Every man endevouring to bring out some new and rare thing that he seeme not to imitate the words of any other insomuch that the cheife inventour of words doe now obtaine the chief praise and estimation of Art And by this meanes all things are confounded in the earth and what now is new is presently growen old and anone become new againe and the hearts of men the Kingdomes peoples and Languages of the World like to the course of the yeare In times past France spoke the Dutch language as Beatus Rhenamis writing of the Germaine affaires most elegantly proves but now it hath gathered a proper speech to it selfe out of Italie Germaine Spaine but most specially from Italie which thing of the tongue was caused perhaps by their warre because divers people being mixed together they made and used a mixed kind of Speech Hence it came to passe that as yet they retaine some of the Germain words as Suppen Sacken kushen which they almost according to the Nether Germains pronounce after the bastard Germaine Souper Sacen Cuysten This I speake that we may see that nothing is constant or new in the earth and that is true which Terence writt Nothing is spoke now which was not spoke before So nothing is done which was not done before So that Cornelius Agrippa thinkes the invention of Gunpowder and ●uns was no new invention of which opinion in the Historian Volatiramis and this may be gathered out of the sixt of Virgils Eneads where thus he writes of Salmon I Salmon saw with paine torment late Who would loues flame thunder imitate For caried by foure steeds with torch in hand Through Elis Cittie all Grecian Land Did ride in triumph and command that all Sh●uld give him honour and a dietie call O mad man he who with his Chariots noyce Would imitate the mightie thunders voyce And Solomon shewes the same all along in the 3. chapt. of Eccles. as also to the first that what hath beene that shall bee what hath beene done the same shall be done neither is there any thing new under the Sunne There is something which is as if it were new yet was that in auncient times which hath beene before us There is no memory of former ages neither shall there be of those that are to come amongst who are to be and a little after things past and things to come are all forgotten and the wise together with the fool doe dye In which words what other thing would the preacher show then that all arts are subiect to oblivion and death Neither can they alwayes remaine in the soule but together with the body departs or perisheth by death For nothing I say can adhere unto the Image of God I meane the Soule which is like unto God and consist in death and fire but what is onely God and his word this is the onely endure able creature and the meate of Eternall Life Not that opinion and Art of Philosophers but the true good of the minde and Soule which can happen to no other thing but the word although I doe not denye but that word appeared to some of the Gentils and taught them because God is no respector of Persons but as a common Light of soules as the Sunne is the Light of the whole world neither is the hand of God shortned nor his eye envyous that he should not looke upon the whole VVorld With the same love eye and grace since we are all alike the same workmanshipp of God all of the same love estimation and authoritie with him Hence thou mayst collect that all arts invented by men are death and fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evill For assoone as Adam had eaten of that Tree the same day he dyed in the eyes of God as the historie declares although afterwards according to the flesh hee lived many yeares as from heavenly matters the same day was his eyes shutt up and he eat death although in his owne judgement his eyes were opened and he seemed to himselfe to be a living God knowing Good and Evill Then began he to exercise his art his cunning to expound dispute and seeke out a malitious sutle and captious meaning in all things and also to deale deceitfully with God and in all things to hide himselfe to cover himselfe with Figge leaves to kisse his owne hand in a word to worship himselfe by inventing many arts amongst his posterity And out of this Roote spring up all the precepts of men their expositions their arts and so excellent a foundation have they as both the inventour and the authour of them was the Devill and the first Scoller that learned them did eate death therefrom And this Science and Art is utterly to be abhorred being no other then a Diabolicall perswasion conceived in Adam formed and hid in the Seede of the Serpent And yet all the World as Adam did thinkes that Life is placed in it neither doth it receive any instruction from Adam neither indeed understand the historie of Adams fall or his rising againe and that whole matter at this day doth live yet accounting it but a Historie long since acted done and afterwards dare say the word of God endureth for ever Therefore wee must needs confesse that nothing is past which in its kinde is not yet extant Whole Moyses is urged upon Christians neither is one jott of the word of God lost which shall not be fulfilled in every moment in spirit truth Therefore the fall of Adam happeneth dayly dayly doth Adam in his posterity eate of the forbidden fruit And therfore his Sonnes in Adam as in the roote are damned dead Now this our fall as Adams is amended and repaired if we spirt out and vomitt up this knowledge of good and Evill as poyson and become as Adam was before his fall Children Fooles and innocent Turttles that wee may eate of the Tree of Life and suffer the Seed of the woman to be ingrafted in us This is not the Seede the art witt and counsell of the Serpent but the Seede word will the minde of God the Tree of Life which whosoever eateth and suffreth himselfe to be fedd therewith is indowed with Eternall Life Now in us there is a Medicine with poyson For as by sinne the Tree of knowledge of good and Evill was planted into the heart of Adam so by his conversion rising againe and Seede of the Woman the

and is so farre from bringing Life with it that it mortifies kills the Reader as Paul implies where he sayth the spirit quickens and not the Letter The Iewes in auncient times and so men in these dayes doe boast themselves of the word of God are strongly perswaded that out of it they are able to gather Life to their soules but they are farre deceived Wherefore Christ sayes In whom thinke ye to have Life As for the Scriptures his testimony of them is this that they are them which testify of him Therefore all arts and knowledges are no wayes the cause of Life but the knowledge of Life to know him in and with God wicked nature hath alwayes a perverse end proposed to it selfe and therefore it desires to know all things not for God but for its owne sake therefore all things are to the flesh as it is its self vaine and perverse if the learning of so many arts had beene necessary to salvation God had created and taught them in the beginning Neither would bee have suffered that men should so long have wanted that without which they were not able to attaine to Life but because they were formed out by men and still are found out by them though no man be any whitt the more unhappie if so be he never know any thing of them Yea hee were more happie if he could unlearne them though with greater difficulty then he learned them you may by the Tree conjecture what the Fruit is what humane arts and sciences are to witt the Fruit of the forbidden Tree How then can they conduce any thing unto Life being the only precepts in ventions of men Therefore very well in praise of that word of God doth Cornelius Agrippa call all arts and actions of men meere ignorant fables and foolishnes in his Booke de vanitate Scientiarum The beginning and end whereof wee have putt in this Booke that wee may not seeme alone with Ernestinus to contemne arts and praise folly Wherefore if thou leane unto arts please and boast thy selfe in them having any hope or accounting thy selfe any thing better for them they will prove death unto thee for they doe no more conduce to thy happines then garments time place or such like circumstances But as they are the inventions of the flesh so doe they produce no other thing in thee then the workes and Fruits of the flesh to witt selfe-love pride of spirit contempt disdaine security such like And this is verified by experience for no men are more perverse craftie covetous then these wordly wise and learned men bee being men drowned in their owne selfe-love esteemed of themselves worthy to be beloved and reverenced of all full of rash judgement lovers of all pleasures and so full of all vices that the whole world gives creditt to no men lesse speakes worse of no men more being full of taunting reproaching proverbs against them such as these the better learned the worser mannered the better Scoller the worser Christian No man scapes scotfree out of the clawes of a preist He that wil have an honest house must keepe it free from Preists Apes Doves A monk dare doe as much as he dare thinke These such like proverbs are common in every mans mouth which arise from this that they are so swollen with the poyson of the fruit of the forbidden tree so puft up with the false opinion of their owne wisdome and righteousnesse that no rich man is more insolent by reason of his riches then these perverse wise men are by reason of their arts knowledge So that it is as easie to remove Cyrus out of his Kingdome as one of these wise men out of his opinion and tenent And truely it cannot be but by how much a man is more wise in the art of the forbidden tree by so much hee is more miserable as Christ witnesseth in the gospell that the multitude of their arts and knowledge is an impediment why they come not into the Kingdome of God and publicans and harlots enter in before them Therfore these men are to perish with their arts to depart empty and so farr is any of them from leaving his art wisdome knowledge righteousnesse that he esteemeth these to be the good and riches of the soule which neither theevs can steale nor moathes corrupt when in very deed they are nothing but the inventions of Satan fruits of the forbidden tree and the death of the soule For the life of the soule is the true knowledge of God which himselfe doth work teach in us to wit the fruit of the Tree of life whose fruit is that it makes a man gentle loving humble lowly meeke c. By this let a man examine himselfe with what witt and righteouseesse hee is endued For if day by day he be lesse in his own eyes and in the judgement of the world if he seeme still more foolish in himselfe and a Child in his owne thoughts his knowledge is divine the Seede of the VVoman a Fruit of the Tree of Life but if hee finde contrary effects in himselfe then is all his wisdome Devilish the Seede of the Serpent and Fruit of the Forbidden Tree and so the death of the soule CHAP. XI Of the Tree of Life vvhat it is why Adam was excluded from it and not permitted to eate thereof I also grant thus much that this Tree was visible in Paradise and had this divine vertue bestowed upon it that whosoever eate thereof should live for ever But whereas Adam before had eaten of the Forbidden Tree and had incurred death therefore he should not eate of this Tree of Life least otherwise he should have lived for ever and in a word God should have beene false in his word which was that he should dye the death but God who is Life it selfe would not for ever be angrie with his Creature but was unwilling that man should for ever live in that misery into which he had cast himselfe and therefore drove him out of Paradise and afterwards shewed him the way by which he should returne into Paradise againe and eating of this Tree live for ever and then gaurded the Tree of Life with a Cherub and a flamming sword least man in his exile should have presumed to have come to this Tree and have eaten thereof The will and counsell of God was that it was better that man should dye in the flesh and so putt of this miserable life and change it for a better then live in it for ever Therefore God who cannot nor will not hate us delt every way most mercifull with us if so bee we would truely consider of it Now doe J think that the same also happened in the true Paradise of Adās heart the Tree of the Knowledge of Good Evill is the Seed Knowledge and wisdome of the Serpent And the tree of Life is the Seed of the Woman and the wisdome of

its owne pleasure and opinion of Good which is false To know much to finde out much to learne many sciences and finally to become a God Neither doe any consider that this was Adams estate and morsell that bitter morsel of death How doe we speake and talke of Adams misery and yet not marke that the same is fresh in us We can talke of his eating and wonderfully detest it when notwithstanding we doe the same that he did O man who art thou that thus preparest a staffe for thine owne shoulders and pronouncest a Sentence against thy selfe while thou condemnest thy Father Adam and yet considerest not that thou thy selfe art ensnared in his Nett Here propound and consider what our will is our knowledg is our wisdom is c. in which wee so insolently boast our selves yea and by which we imagine and suppose that we can come unto God when notwithstanding it is nothing nothing else but death it selfe and the bitter Fruit of the forbidden Tree Is there any amongst all men who understand this Who can away with this To deny put off fearefull to rest in their owne will wisdome knowledge c. No doe not most chuse and extoll them as true gold and Eternall Life when notwithstanding they are nothing but Eternall death CHAP. II. Why the Tree of knovvledge of good and Evill is mortall forbidden THIS may be easily answered by that which hath beene before related God as right it is would be in us both Lord and Master and in the same will worke doe love omitt thinke c. therfore should we be free from al these things of this kind so that we should know or doe nothing but what God himselfe would know and doe in us Which reason even against its will doth confesse to be equity to him that concludes and proves it by trueth for what is more equall then that the Potter have so full a Dominion over his pots that none of them challenge any the least authority to themselves since they were not their owne makers the same is our condition God alone is called the God of understanding knowledge wisdome c. wherefore hee alone will know all things in us and by consequence nothing but himselfe if therefore any man will taste of the Forbidden Fruit and so know himselfe be made a God be of himselfe stand upon his owne bottome and so be his owne God it is necessary that together with Lucifer he fall into the hell of death and like the Dragon be cast downe from Heaven because the Fruit of that Forbidden Tree is death Wherefore God would know onely himselfe in us and for that cause would have one to know no other science esteeming this only necessary to life and will teach the same to us it so be we will obediently attend him That is know onely God praise him pray to and heare him which things I say he himselfe would worke in the obedient For this cause the Wise Man saith Wisdom 5. Lord to know thee and understand thee is all righteousnesse In which hee justifies many and by consequence much more his owne Let not the Wise Man boast himself in his wisdom nor the strong Man in his strength but in this let every man boast that he knowes me Isay 53. Ier. 9. Which thing God by the mouth of his owne Christ Ioh. 17. calleth Eternall Life For from this knowledge roote and Tree of Life proceeds all whatsoever can be called good or is truely good This is the onely and true Key of David which so openeth that no man shutteth c. CHAP. III. Of the abuse of all things hovv all things are unclean to the unclean flesh yea those things which in themselves are cleane and wherfore that curious flesh desireth to know much and on the contrary how men ought to know nothing but God and for God and use all things in God THAT lost nature of man who in the Scripture is called the Flesh is an instrument so impotent to al things so vile obscure that it knows neither to have speak or doe any thing but abuseth and defileth it by touching because he converts all things which are from God in whom truely they are to himself as his proper owne although hee ought never to be his owne No not in that which is his owne but therein to bee subiect to God Neither ought he to challenge to himselfe that wisdome and knowledge that is in him but to have all things ●●se in his God as if he himselfe had them ●●●t But this he doth not but arrogates ●●mselfe to himselfe and will needs be ●●ve and know himselfe and this is the fall ●nd degeneration of Adam and his posteri●● in and with all things with them Againe the true and onely use with and ●n all things is thus God would that Adam ●hould know nothing but what hee would ●now in him should be nothing but what ●e would be in him should doe nothing but what he would doe in him should have nothing but what hee would have in him This would not Adam but all those things ●e arrogated to himselfe as his owne or ●ather he himself would be all these things This is the fall of Adam and the abuse of all ●hings in all things by all mankinde to the ●nd of the World The abuse is I say to arrogate any thing to mans selfe as his owne not to possesse the same freely as though he had them not but to steale and use them from God in and ●o himselfe As for Example if having Money Wife Children knowledge life ●t selfe yea my selfe I challenge these to my ●elfe as my owne But since God exacts them if followes the I would therfore detaine them and as mu●● as in me is not yeeld them unto God b● knitt my mind unto them that I may keep defend and never losse or forsake them when notwithstanding they are Gods an● not mine this is the Fall of Adam and b● theift being the abuse of al things inbred i● the flesh untill man be translated into ● new kinde of estate or condition wherefore it is behoovefull that we be borne a new● doe vomitt up the Fruit of the Tree o● Knowledge of Good and Evill And al● these things which wee having stolen from God as theeves doe challenge to our selves and so forgetting them restore them again● to God this truely is the resurrection and conversion of Adam and by this meanes alone shall the Fall of Adam be repaired amended Therefore the true and onely use of all things knowne alone to the regenerate and new man is this That I be altogether free from all things and alone subiect to God and being void of name will and knowledge c remaine nothing in my selfe no● vindicate deliver or claime any thing to my selfe because whatsoever I have am know doe c. all are of God no more then the Cow doth for her milke the Tree for it fruit