Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	book_n	life_n	write_v	4,779	5	6.1891	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59621	Antapologia, or, A discourse of excuses setting forth the variety and vanity of them, the sin and misery brought in by them, as being the greatest bar in the way to heaven, and the ready high way to hell : being the common snare wherein most of the children of men are intangled and ruined / by Jo. Sheffield ...	Sheffeild, John, d. 1680.	1672 (1672)	Wing S3061; ESTC R11053	145,253	322

1. From Superiors Example are taken are Superiors and from such many are often taken As 1. From their Example If Parents Masters Ministers or Princes do so or so It is authority enough for Inferiors to do the same Man is a Creature much led by Example And Examples before our Eves have the same operation that Jacob's pilled Rods had upon the Sheep to produce a likeness in disposition and deportment Regis ad Exemplum If Jeroboam Sin he makes Israel to Sin If the Father say Sibboleth the Son will never frame to say Schibboleth If the Mother be an Ashdodite the Child Neh. 3. 24. will never learn to speak the Language of Canaan And challenge them for it Their answer is Thus did their Fathers before them 2. And much more if besides Example 2. Counsel there be encouragement given by Counsel and Advice The simple Vulgar made no scruple to cry out Crucifie Crucifie when set on by the Priests and Rulers upon whose Sleeves they had implicitely pinned their Faith and to whose Vote they had captivated their assent 3. And much more still if the Superior 3. Command add a peremptory Command Then will the Inferior run and go and do any thing commanded and thinks that is his warrant 2. Sam. 13. 28. Then when Absalom said Mark Amnon when his heart is merry Then set upon him slay him fear not I Command you so It is all done accordingly The Canonists have said If the Pope should command Evil and forbid Good and draw thousands of Souls with him to Hell yet all are to rest in his Determinations and Decrees not once saying Domine Papa quid ita facis Sir why do you so 4. And more again yet if those Commands 4. Promises 1 Sam. 22. 7. be backt either 1. With Promises of Favour and Reward When Saul spake of Vineyards and Olive-yards places of Command as Captains and Colonels and high Offices at his dispose the perfidious Ziphites to curry favour with an enraged Prince proffer their Service to deliver into his hand the best Subject the King had and the best Patriot the Kingdom had Is not David hid among us Let but the King 1 Sam. 23. 20. come down and we are ready for our part to deliver him into the King's hand And bloody Doeg is ready at the very Instant upon Command given when no other would execute it to fall upon the innocent Priests whom himself had first informed against and to sacrifice a whole City and Tribe of 1 Sam. 22. 18. them to the fury and lust of the enraged King in hope of a Reward 2. Or threats of Punishment Whether 2. Or threats pecuniary Pecuniary and in their Estates As when that Antichristian Beast did thunder out his Interdicts That none should buy or sell hold Office in Church or State but he that did receive the Name or Mark of the Beast Then did all the Inhabitants of the Earth worship the Beast save only the Lambs marked Ones whose Names were Rev. 13. 7 8. 17. written in the Book of Life 2. Or Corporal and Capital Punishment at which men do most tremble Then if a Nebuchadnezzar make it present death not to worship his gods and bow to his Image All People Nations and Tongues fall down Dan 3. 7. presently And in all these cases the Inferior is apt to flatter himself with this Caveant Principes Viderint Praelati Let the Prince the Prelate and Churchmen look to it they shall answer for me It is their sin if they command or lead amiss not mine to obey But remember what is said 1 Kings 14. 16. so oft of Jeroboam He sinned and made Israel to sin There was his sin and their sin too both sinned He first in enjoyning they in obeying yet were there some holy Priests Levites and People who understood better what was Sin what Duty what Obedience was due to Men and what to God that left their Places in the Ministry Livings Benefices Cities Suburbs and others after them that left their Habitations and States rather then they would 2 Chron. 11. 13 14 15 16. turn aside to Jeroboam's self-devised new Worship and Idolatry 2. Equals Towards whom some who 2. Equals know how to behave themselves with respect enough to their Superiors are often to blame in their carriage And are ready to excuse it with this I knew with whom I had to do I am as good a man as he c. Thus both Job and his Friends seem to be blame-worthy for some unhandsome Clashes and Reflections They begin with him Chap. 8. 2. and one word brought on another He tells them He was not inferior to them and knew as much as they Job 12. 2. 3. 13. 2. And they again to be even with him Tell him they are his betters Job 15. 9 10. What knowest thou that we know not with us are the gray headed and very aged men much elder then thy Father So that ere they parted they were not so good Friends as when they met How much better were it to remember those good Directions Be kindly affectionated one to another In honour preferring one another Rom. 12. 10. Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory provoking one an●ther but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better then Phil. 2. 3. themselves This wo●ld preserve Love 3. Towards Inferiors commonly men 3. Inferiors Gen. 4. 23. are most to blame A tyrannical Lamech will insult over his poor Wife and use her like a Slave not sparing to threaten her into awe and dread And a wicked Nabal so rugged to a Servant and to every man 1 Sam. 25. 17. puft up with his wicked Pelf that he knows not how to give any man a good word nor could any man tell how speak to him And how often do the Rich ill intreat the Poor who stands Cap-in-hand and Prov. 18. 23. useth Intreaties when the Rich answereth him roughly And excuse themselves with saying I knew with whom I had to do Should I stoop to a Thistle Thus did Abishai's blood rise at Shimei and calls him Dog dead Dog when David said Let 2 Sam. 1● 10. him alone I will leave him to God It may be he will require me good for his cursing I will not foul my hands with him nor let choler rise against choler There could not well be a worse Creature then Shimei nor a greater or better Person then David nor a worse affront offered yet he lets all fall That is the best flesh that heals of it self Yet we have a greater example then David having to do with a worse then Shemei even Michael the Arch-Angel when disputing with the Devil durst not bring in railing Accusation only said The Lord rebuke thee If an Angel did not give an unbecoming word if an Arch-Angel the highest of that Order durst not to Satan the vilest and most cursed

Garden This argues the height of the malignity of sin that it hath poysoned the Vitals as of that Infection under the Law which had taken Warp and Woofe and was therefore adjudged Lev. 13. 52 to the Fire David and other holy men have sadly lamented the corruption of their nature and shall any make that an excuse Holy St. Austin confesseth of himself That before his Conversion he was wont to please and flatter himself with some such excuse and fain would have Non mihi videhatur esse nos sed nescio quam etiam in nobi● naturam Excusare me amabam accusare nescio aliud quod mecum esset non ego essem Conf. l. 4. c. 10. charged his sin upon somewhat else his nature or any thing he saith he could not tell what But saith he my case was the more desperate and incurable because I thought not my self to be such a sinner And I went on saith he ad excusandas excusationes to make excuse upon excuse But yet this he said was his practice before he knew God but after sadly bewails it 5. Another is not ashamed to plead Custom 5. Custom to excuse himself It is an ill custom I have got I am sorry for it God forgive me but I know not how to help it Thus tell the Swearer of his Oaths the Drunkard of his Bruitishness the Prophane of his scurrilous Language all excuse it with this pretence Custom is a Tyrant and hath overmastered them But did ever Prisoner at the Bar plead thus for himself before the Judge My Lord I beg your pardon I was so brought up I have long used to cut a Purse It hath been my Trade many a day to set upon men in the High-way I know not how to leave it And shall this pass for a good excuse at Gods Bar do you think Our Laws do justly deny the Book to such as stand convicted of the second Offence And the Law of God did appoint of the dumb Beast That if the Ox had got a haunt of pushing with the Horn and the Owner knew of it and did not keep him in but he gored one to death Ox and Owner Ex. 21. 29. both should be put to death Or if the Leprosie should break out afresh in the House after two or three viewings of the Priest it was to be pulled down to the ground And Lev. 14. 45. shall any be so void of Reason as to think custom in sin may plead Prescription and obtain a License The vast Ocean is made up of Drops multiplied and the greatest sum of multiplied Units or Cyphers and the most desperate Estate of a sinners reiterated and repeated Acts which beget a custom and habit St. Bernard describes the steps by which a man comes to the height of sin saying At first hand sin is modest and ashamed and heavy then less heavy after not heavy at all but light then sweet at last natural and unavoidable So that at first what was intolerable to be done is impossible to be left undone And St. Austin tells us of his Mother Monica Conf. l. 9. That having once got a taste of the Wine by now a sip and then a sip she grew to such pass that she would take up her full Cups till she got the name of a Meribibula and was taunted for it as if she had been an unreasonable Tospot or wicked Gossip And speaking of himself When time was Satan saith he got me into his clutches when he had prevailed over my Will to yield then did he make of it an Iron Chain Conf. l. 8. c. 7. wherewith I was bound and this Iron Chain was no other but my ferrea voluntas made of no other Matter or Metal but my Iron and stiffnecked Will Give not way therefore at first and keep out of the Devils Circle For out of the Will saith the same Father once beginning to yield springs Lust out of whi●h when it hath conceived ariseth Custom out of Custom not resisted Necessity out of Necessity Death As much to this pu●pose the holy Apostle Jam. 1. 13. Custom is not such a Tyrant but if the fault were not in a Man 's own perverse Will it might be overmastered The Father once refuted this vain Argument of Customs Plea by a plain Demonstration The Common People saith he were wont time out of mind to wash in such a Bath the King sets out a Proclamation that none should come into it more there 's none so hardy as to attempt it We have seen in our time some who had been in Arms and wont constantly to go with Swords by their sides when commanded to depart the City or lay by their Swords present obedience was yielded So it would be if men had the like regard to God's Commands as they have to Man's Precepts this Plea of Custom would fall to the ground 6. Another comes and hath for his Excuse 6. It was in Drink That he was not himself he knew not what he did he was in Drink And is it not good reason he should be excused think ye and that one sin should excuse another This is so far from extenuating that it doth highly aggravate the sin Wine indeed is a mocker strong Drink is raging It is a Quarreller Fighter Dueller Murderer Adulterer what not any thing every thing that is naught But he that is deceived thereby is not wise saith Solomon nor guiltless but double guilty The Sword is also a bloody and mischievous Instrument hath taken away the life of thousands but must the Weapon or Metal be blamed or the Man that abused it Drunkenness is a great and big-bellied sin who knows what monstrous Births it may bring forth Eating was the Mother of Original sin but Drinking may go for the Mother of all Actual sins The Cup of Drunkenness is like the Harlots full of all abominations and filthiness of Fornication like Circe's Cup hath an inchanting Vertue to transform Men into Swine So that here you may see one Swine wallowing in the mire of his own Vomit another in the Streets another in the Bed of Uncleanness and another in the Blood of his Comrade It hath a strange operation even upon the most sober when once tasted of How did it expose the Holy Patriarch to the derision of Gen. 9 22. his wicked Son Another mortified Saint it turned for the present into an incestuous Sodomite Look not therefore on the Wine Gen. 9. 35. when it shews its colour and sparkles in the Glass remember at last it will bite and sting like an Adder and Serpent and thou knowest not what it may make thee see and say or do Thine eye shall behold P●ov 23. 31 32. strange Women and thy mouth will speak strange words and when Wine is in thou knowest not what strange things thou mayst be put upon Oh England England This is one of thy National and Crying Sins Drunkenness and the