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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	pain_n	soul_n	8,495	5	5.3269	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04930	A fort for the afflicted VVherin are ministred many notable & excellent remedies against the stormes of tribulation. Written chiefly for the comforte of Christes little flocke, which is the final number of the faithfull, by Iohn Knoxe.; Percel of the. vi. Psalme expounded	Knox, John, ca. 1514-1572.; Fleming, Abraham, 1552?-1607.	1580 (1580)	STC 15074.8; ESTC S121924	38,221	112

commeth vnto vs by Christ Iesus his sonne But they are causes by operation of the holy Ghost helping our weaknes to beleeue to trust that God who is the father of mercies wil not be angry for euer at the sore afflicted neither yet that hee wil punishe without mercy suche as cal for his helpe and comforte as also that GOD who hath alwaye declared him selfe enemie to pride wil not suffer the proude and obstinate cōtemners of his poore Saintes long to blaspheme his lenitie gentlenes but that he wil powre foorth his plagues vppon them according to his threatninges and so are our troubles and the tyrannie of our enemies in that behalfe fundaments wherupon our pray●rs may stande as here appeareth Dauid describeth his dolour and the continuance therof in these wordes I am consumed away with sicknesse al my bones are vexed my soule is in horrible feare But how long lord wilt thou thus intreat me I am weeried for sobbing I water my bed with my teares Let vs imagine that Dauid thus speaketh O Lord maiest thou who euer hast taken care for me from my mothers wombe nowe forget mee the woorke manship of thine owne hands Maiest thou that hast declared thy selfe so merciful vnto me in al my tribulatiōs nowe in the ende take thy mercies cleane from me Hast thou no pitie O Lord● Doest thou not beholde that I am pined and consumed by this greeuous torment wherein is not onely my tender flesh but also my verie bones the strōgest parte of my bodie so vexed that neither is there beautie nor strength left vnto mee If thy anguishes occupied the bodie onely yet were the paine almost intollerable but O Lord so horriblie is my soule tormented that albeit it be immortal yet it so quaketh and trēbleth as verie death should deuour it And thus doe I sustaine most grieuous tormentes both in bodie soule of so long continuance that it appeareth vnto me thou hast forgotten to be merciful O Lorde howe long wilt thou intreate me in this maner Hast thou forgotten thy louing mercies Or hast thou lost thy fatherly pitie I haue no lōger strength to cry yea and for sobbes and grones I am so weery that my breath faileth me the teares of mine eyes ● herewith nightly I haue wette my bed haue borne witnesse of my vnfained dolour but nowe my eyes are waxen dimme and my whole strength is dried vp In al these lamentable complaintes Dauid speaketh vnto God as he would speake vnto a man that were ignorant what an other man suffered whereof it may bee vnderstood howe the most prudent and the most spiritual man iudgeth of God in the time of troble assuredly he thoght that God taketh no care for him and therfore doeth hee as it were accuse God of vnmindfulnesse that he loketh not vpon him with the eyes of his accustomed mercie as clearely by these worodes may be espied And yet are Dauids troubles the first ground cause why he maketh his praiers claimeth to be heard not that troubles as before is noted are sufficient by them selues for Gods deliueraunce but in recounting his dolour Dauid hath a secret accesse to Gods mercie which chalengeth clameth of dutie to appertein to al his who in the time of trouble cal for his support help aide And it is the same ground that Iob taketh where he saith is it profitable vnto thee that thou violently oppresse me wilt thou despise the worke of thine own hands thou hast formed made me altogether and wilt thou now deuour me Remēber I beseech thee that thou hast fashioned me as a moulde and that thou shalt bring me to dust thou hast couered me with skin flesh with sinowes bones hast thou ioyned me with life gētlenes hast thou beautified me thy prudence hath kept my spirit Here may be espied vpō what groūd these two stood in this most grieuous paynes Their trouble mooued them to complain and to appeale to the great mercie of God which as they alledge euen so is it most sure he may deny to none that aske it for as the troubles of his creatures is none aduantage vnto God so to denie mercie when it is asked were to deny himself herein dearely beloued I hartily wish you to reioyce For I can be witnesse howe constantly yee haue called for grace in your anguishes and your owne conscience must testifie that oftētimes ye haue found release and comfort in suche measure that you haue bin bold to triumph against your aduersaries in Christ Iesus our sauior Be nothing afraid albeit presently ye feele not your accustomed consolation that shal hurt you no more then the trobles of Dauid Iob did hurt thē who in the time that they spake these former words found no more consolation then you do now in the most extremitie of your troble Neither yet did they hastily obtain cōfort for Dauid saith O Lord howe long wilt thou so cruelly punish me And yet we know most assuredly that they were heard that they obtained their own harts desire as no dout euery man shal that in time of troble be it spiritual or corporal appeareth only to Gods mercie The second ground and foundation wherupon the prayers of Dauid doe stande is the infinite goodnesse of God for thus hee saieth Saue me O God for thy goodnesse Dauid before had asked mercie and declared his complaintes but now searching reasoning with him selfe secretly in his conscience after this maner Why should God shewe mercie vnto him that so hainously had offended and that iustly was tormented by Gods hande for his transgression sin No other grounde that is alwayes sure permanent findeth he except Gods infinite goodnesse which he espieth to bee onely the staie which neither tempest of windes neither floodes of water are able to ouerthrow nor vndermind And oh how pearcing are the eyes of Faith that in so deepe a dungeon of desperation can yet espie in the midst of those troublesome darknesse goodnes to remaine in God yea and such goodnesse as is sufficient and able to ouercome deuour and swalow vp al the iniquities of his elect so that none of them are able to gainstande or hinder Gods infinite goodnesse to shewe his mercie to his troubled childrē Hereby are we taught beloued mother in the extremitie of our trobles to run to Gods only goodnesse there to seeke comfort by Iesus Christ and no where els I feare nothing the blasphemous voices of such nor their raging against God and against his onely eternal veritie that are not ashamed to affirme that this kinde of doctrine maketh men negligent to doe good workes against whom no otherwise wil I contend then doth the Apostle saying their damnation is iust For my purpose and minde is to edifie those whō God hath called from darknesse to light whose eyes it hath pleased his mercie so to open that euidētly they feele the fl●sh to rebel

last grounde of Dauids praiers was the glory and and praise of Gods name to be shewed and vttered in his life as in these wordes hee declareth For there is no remembrance of the● in death who landeth thee in the pitte As Dauid woulde say O Lorde howe shal I pray and declare thy goodnesse when I am dead and gone downe in to the graue I is not thy ordinary course to haue thy myracles and wonderous works preached vnto men by those that are buried and gone downe into the pit those that are dead make no mention of thee in the earth And therefore O Lorde spare thy seruant that yee for a time I may shewe and witnesse thy wonderous woorkes vnto mankinde These most godly affections in Dauid did ingender in him a vehement horror and feare of death besides that which is natural and common to al men bicause he perfectly vnderstood that by death hee shoulde be letted any further to aduance the glory of God Of this same he complaineth most vehemently in the 88. Psalm where apparauntly hee taketh from the dead sense remembrance feeling and vnderstanding aledging that God worketh no miracles by the dead that the goodnes of God cannot be preached in the graue nor his faith by perdition and that his meruellous workes are not knowne in darkenesse By which speache we may not vnderstand that Dauid taketh all sense and feeling from the dead ●either yet that they which are dead in Christ are in such estate that by God they haue not consolation and life no Christ him selfe doth witnesse the contrary but Dauid so vehemently expresseth their estate and condition because that after death they are depriued from al ordinatie ministration in the Church of God None of those that are departed are appointed to bee preachers of Gods glory vnto mankinde But after death they ceasse any more ●o aduannce Gods holy name heere amongest the liuing on earth and so shall euen they in that behalfe be vnprofitable to the congregation as touching any thing that they can do either in body or soule after death And therefore most earnestly Dauid desired to liue in Israel for the further manifestation of Gods glory Heere is to bee obserued a short but yet a most necessary note which is this what the thinges bee which wee ought principally to seeke in this transitorie life Not those for the which the blinde world contendeth and striueth but God and his louing kindnes to ward mankind his amiable promises and true religion to be aduanced and preached vnto others our brethren that be ignorant For if we doe not we may rather bee counted beastes then men dead stocks not liuing creatures yea rather thinges that bee not at al then substance hauing either being or life Seeing that the heauens declare the glory of God the earth with the whole contentes thereof what euer they bee doe geue praise to his holy name the Sea floods and fountaines with the wonders conteined in the same do not ceasse to make manifest the wisedome the power and the prouidence of their creator what then shalbe saide of man that neither seeketh neither regardeth Gods glory Yea what shal bee iudged of those that not onely hinder Gods glory but also declare them selues enimies to such as woulde promote it I must speake my conscience with a sorowful heart they are not onely dead but they are also of the nature of him by whose malice and enuie death entred into the worlde that is of the Diuel But them I omit at this present because their accusation doeth not muche apperteine to this our matter whereof nowe I must make an ende somewhat contrary to my minde For so I am compelled by some present troubles as wel of body as of Spirite The fourth part of this Psalm I omit til more opportunitie for it doth not much appertaine to the spiritual crosse but it is as it were a Prophesie spoken against all such as reioyce at the troubles of Gods elect who assuredly shalbe confounded and sodenly brought to shame when the Lord shal heare the voices of the sore afflicted Now dearely beloued in our Sauiour Christe Iesus seeing that the spiritual crosse is proper to the children of God seeing that it is geuen to vs as a most effectual medicine aswel to remome diseases as to plant in our soules most notable vertues such as is humilitie mercy contempt of our selues and continual remembrance of our owne weakenesse and imperfection And seeing that you haue had most euident signes that this same medicine hath wrought in you a part of al the promises receiue it thankfully of your fathers hand what trouble soeuer it bring with it and albeit that the fleshe grudge yet let the spirite reioyce stedfastly looking for deliuerance assuredly yee shall obteine according to the goodwil promise of him who cannot deceiue to whom bee glory for euer and euer before his congregation Amen Now seeing it is vncertaine beloued mother if euer we shal meete in this corporal life which wordes I wil not that yee take in any displeasure for if God continue you in life me in health I shal attempt to speake with you face to face within lesse time thē is passed since the one of vs last saw the other And be ye assured beloued mother that neither shal it be the feare of death nor the rage of the Diuel that shal let me therfore I beseech you take not my wordes in that part as though I were not minded to visite you againe no I assure you that onely Gods hande shal withholde mee But because our life doeth vanish as the smoke before the blast of wind my conscience moueth me to write vnto you as though I should ●●ke from you my last good night in earth The summe whereof is this to exhort and admonish you euen as that yee wil haue par● with Christ Iesus to co●tine we in the doctrine to the ende which before the world ye ha●e professed For before God before Christ Iesus his so●ne and before his holy angelles neither shame I ●o confesse neither doubt I to affirme that the doctrine which you and others haue hard not only of my mouth but also faithfully taught by the mouthes of many others of whom some are ex●l●d some cruelly cast into prison and the rest commanded to silence is the onely worde of life and that al doctrine repugning to the same is diabolical erronius which assuredly shal bring death and perpetual condemnation to al those which shal therto condiscend and agree And therefore Mother be not moued with any winde but sticke to Christe in the day of this his battel also I admonish you too auoide that abhomination which oft yee haue heard by me affirmed to be damnable idolatrie God I take to record in my conscience that neither then neither now I spake nor doe speake for pleasure or hatred of any liuing creature in erth whatsoeuer that it be but as my coscience

without al feeling of consolation and that they thinke themselues altogether destitute as may be seene in Dauid But it is chiefly to be noted that Dauid in this his anguish remembreth that God sometimes had bene familiar with him for he saieth Turne again O Lord signifying thereby that before he had felt the sweetenesse of Gods presence but now he was left to him selfe without feeling of comfort or consolation For thus appereth Dauid to complaine Hast thou not bene familiar with mee O Lorde thy vnprofitable seruaunt Diddest thou not cal me from keeping sheepe to be annointed King ouer thy people Israel Diddest thou not so incourage my minde that I feared not the fresh strēgth of the cruel Lion neither yet the deuouring teeth of the hungry Beare frō whose iawes I deliuered my sheepe Didst not thou once inflame my hart with the zeale of thy holie name that when al Israel were so afraid that none durst incoūter with that mōster Goliah yet thy spirit made me so bold and so valiant that without harnesse or weapons except my slingstaffe stones I durst enterprise singular battel against him was it not thy strength that gaue me victorie not only at that time but also of al other my enimies that haue sought my life since Hast not thou made mee so glad by the multitude of thy mercies thy most gracious fauor which thou from time to time most abūdantly hast powred vpō me that both soule body hath reioyced through the galdnes of thy countenāce hast thou not bin so effectually with me present in troubles and dangers that my very enemies haue known cōfessed that thy power was alwaies with me and that thou diddest take my defence vppon thy selfe and wilt thou now so leaue the habitation which thou hast chosen Shal it bee left desolate for euer can thy mercies haue an end and shal thy fatherly pitie neuer appeare more vnto me Shalt thou leaue me for euer thus to be tormēted whō thou hast afore so abundātly comforted O Lorde I am sure thy mercies wil not so entreat me and therfore turn again O Lorde and make mee glad with thy countenaunce whome of long time thou hast left voide of consolation comfort Aduert and consider dearely beloued in what estate was Dauid when that he had none other comfort except the only remembrāce of Gods former benefits shewed vnto him And therfore meruel ye not nor yet dispaire ye albeit that you find your self in the same case that Dauid was Sure I am that your owne heart must confesse that ye haue receiued like benefits at the hand of God as Dauid did He hath called you from a more vile office then from the keeping of sheepe to as great a dignitie touching the euerlasting inheritance as hee did Dauid For from the seruice of the Deuil and sin hee hath annointed vs Priestes and Kings by the blood of his onely Sonne Iesus hee hath giuen you courage and boldnesse to fight against more cruel more suttle more dangerous and against enemies that be more nigh vnto you then either was the Lyon the Beare or Goliah to Dauid against the Deuil I meane and his assaultes against your owne fleshe and most inwarde affections against the multitude of them that were and yet remaine enemies to Christes religion yea against some of your natural friendes which appeare to professe Christ with you and in that part the battel is the more vehement What boldnesse I haue seene with you in al suche conflictes it needeth not me to rehearse I write this to the praise of God I haue wondred at that bolde constancie which I haue found in you at such time as mine owne heart was fainte Sure I am that fleshe and blood coulde neuer haue persuaded you to haue contemned and set at naught those thinges that the worlde most esteemeth you haue tasted and felte of Gods goodnes and mercies in suche measure that not onely ye are able to reason and speake but also by the spirite of God working in you to giue comfort and consolation to such as were in trouble and therefore most deare mother thinke not that God wil leaue his own mansion for euer No impossible it is that the Deuil shal occupie Gods inheritance or yet that God shal so leaue and forsake his holie Temple that hee wil not sanctific the same Againe God sometimes suspendeth his own presence from his elected as heere by Dauid may be espied And verie often suffer●th he his elect to tast of bitternesse griefe for such causes as are before expres●ed but to suffer thē to bee at rest out of his hands he neither wil nor may permit for so were he a mutable God gaue his glorie to another if he permitted himself to be ouercome of his aduersarie which is as like impossible as it is that God shal cease to bee God Now lastly Dauid prayeth Deliuer my soule saue me In this praier no dout Dauid desired to bee deliuered from the verie corporal death at that time his soule to be saued frō those present plagues grieuous tormēts that he susteined In which it might appeare to some that he was more addict to this present life that he loued more the quietnes of the flesh then it became a spiritual man to do But as before is said God hath naturally ingraffed and planted in man this loue of life tranquilitie and rest the most spiritual man oft time desireth them because they are seales witnesses of that league and felowship that is betweene God and his elect And albeit that troble doth most commonly folow the friends of God yet is he nothing assured that earnestly we aske our quietnes neither is that our desire any declaration of carnalitie or of inordinate loue that we haue to the world considering that the final cause wherfore we desire to liue is not for inioying of worldly pleasures for many times in the midst of those we grāt and cōfesse that better it is to be absent from the body but the chi●fe cause why Gods elect do desire life or to haue rest in earth is for the maintenance of Gods glory that other may see that God taketh a care ouer his elected But now to the grounds foundatiōs of Dauids praiers wherupon his praiers do stand The first is taken from the vehement troble which he sustained from the long continuance of the same The second is takē from the goodnes of God And the third from Gods glorie and from the insolent rage of his enemies Here is to be obserued noted that neither is trouble neither long continuance of the same neither yet the proud hautie mindes of wicked men the chiefe mouing cause why God heareth our praiers declareth himselfe merciful vnto vs and therfore they may not be the sure and sound foundations of our praiers But only Gods infinit goodnes is the fountaine of al mercy grace which springeth

was certified by the infallible and plain word of God from which I praise my most merciful father I am not this day one iote remoued Neither 〈◊〉 I of that my blessed and most happie societie with the trueth of Christes Gospel vnto which it hath pleased God ●o ●alme the most wretched of others neither fore think I that God hath made me an open and manifest enemie to Papistrie superstition and to al that ●ilthie idolatrie which newly is erected in Gods hotte displeasure neither yet would I recāt as they terme it one sentence of my former doctrine for al the glory riches rest that is in earth And in conclusion I would not bowe my ●nee before that most abhominable idol for al the tormēts that earthly tyrantes can deuise God so assisting me as his holie spri●● presently moueth me to write vnfainedly And albei● that I haue in the beginning of this battel appered to play the fainte Hearted and feeble so●●●our the cause I remit to God yet my prayer is that I may be restored to the battel againe And blessed bee God the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ I am not left so bare without cōforte but my hope is to obtaine such mercie that if a sodaine ende be not made of all my miseries by final death which to mee were no smal aduantage that yet by him who neuer despised the sobbes of the sore afflicted I shalbe so incouraged to fight that England and Scotlande shal both knowe that I am readie to suffer more thē either pouertie or exile for the profession of the doctrine and that heauenly religion whereof it hath pleased his merciful prouidence to make me amongst others a simple souldiour and witnesse bearer vnto men And therfore mother let no feare enter into your hearte as that I escaping the furious rage of those rauening wolues that for our vnthankfulnes are lately loosed from their bondes doe repent any thing of my former feruencie no mother for a fewe Sermons by me to be made within England my heart at this houre coulde bee content to suffer more then nature were able to sustaine as by the grace of the most mightie and most merciful God who onelie is God of comfort and consolation through Iesus Christ one day shalbe knowē In the meane season yet once again as it were my final good night and last testament in this earth in the bowels of Christ Iesus I exhort and admonish you constantly to contine we with the veritie which yet shal triumph obtaine victorie in despite of Sa●●an and of his malice And auoid ydolatrie the ●aintainers obeyers where of shal not escape the sodaine vengeance of God which shalbe powred sorth vpon them according to the ripenesse of their iniquitie And when they shal cry quietnes peace which neuer remained of any continuance with the vngodly then shal their sodaine destruction come vpon them without prouision The God of peace and consolation who of his power infinite and inuincible hath called from death the true and great bishop of our soules and in him hath placed our flesh aboue principalities powers of what preheminence soeuer they bee in heauen or in earth assist you with his holie spirite in such constancie and strength that Sathan and his assaultes bee confounded now and euer in you and in the congregation by Christ Iesus our Lord. To whome with the Father with the ●oly Ghost be al praise and honour eternally Amen Yours with sorowful heart I. K. Watche and pray The Argument of the Epistle A comfortable Epistle sent to the afflicted Churche of Christ exhorting them to beare his crosse with patience looking euery houre for his comming againe to the greate comforte and consolation of his chosen with a prophecie of the destruction of the wicked Whereunto i● ioyned a most wholesome counsel howe to he haue our selues in the middest of this wicked generation touching the dayly exercise of Gods most holy and sacred word Written by the man of God I. K. Eze. 9. Passe through the citie and put a signe on the foreheads of those that mourne for the abhominations that are committed WHen I ponder with my self beloued in the Lord what the state was of Christes true Churche immediately after his death and passion and what were the changes great mutations in the common wealth of Iudea before the final desolation of the same as I cannot but feare that like Plagues for like offences shal strike the Realme of England and in fearing God knoweth I lament morne so can I not but reioice knowing that Gods most merciful prouidence is no lesse careful this day ouer his weake and feeble seruants in the Realme of Englande than it was that day ouer his weake and sore oppressed flocke in Iurie What was the state of Christes churche betweene his death and resurrection from his resurrection to the sending of the holy Ghost vppon his disciples and from that time also to the finall destruction of Hierusalem The plaine Scripture doeth witnesse that it was most afflicted without al comforte and worldly consolation and that it was so persecuted that hauock was made ouer the church of God And what were the mutations and troubles in Iudea and Hierusalem before the destruction of the same such as are expressed in histories and principally in Iosephus and Egesippus can not bee ignorant For they witnesse that ouer that vnthankeful people were pe●mitted to reigne cruel tyran●ous and most vngodly magistrates by whome the people were oppressed and spoyled of their liberties by which occasion was stirred vp sedition and therevpon followed so cruel tyrannie that vnder the name of iustice no smal number of the people were burned quicke After which crueltie followed such murder vniuersallie in the citie and in the fieldes that the fathers feared their sonnes and the brethren their brethren Which vnquietnesse ceased not vntil Gods seuere vengeance was once powred forth vppon such as obsti●ately refused and persecuted Christ Iesus and his doctrine But to returne to the entreatement and preseruation of Christes church at this time it is euident that most sharply it was persecuted and yet dayly did it increase and multiply It was compelled to flye from citie to citie from Realme to Realme and from one Nation to another and yet so wonderful was it preserued that a greate number of those whome the wicked Priestes by their blooddie tyranny exiled and banished from Hierusalem were kept aliue til Gods vengeance was powred forth vppon that most wicked generation The remembrance of this beloued in the Lorde is vnto my hearte such comforte and consolation that neither can my tongue nor penne expresse the same For this assuredlie is my hope and expectation that like as Christ Iesus appeared to his Disciples when there was nothing in their heartes but angu●she and desperation and like as hee preferred and multiplyed their number vnder the most extreeme persecution so shal hee doe to his afflicted