Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	cause_n	great_a	sin_n	4,172	5	4.8426	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02553	Meditations and vowes, diuine and morall. Seruing for direction in Christian and ciuill practise. Deuided into two bookes. By Ios. Hall.	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1605 (1605)	STC 12679.5; ESTC S103712	37,803	238

of the misteries of godlines because he vtterly ●ants the eye of faith Though my in-sight into matters of the world bee so shallow that my simplicitie moueth pity or maketh sport vnto others it shal bee contentment happines that I see further into better matters That which I see not is worthlesse and deserues little better then contempt that which I see is vnspeakeable inestimable for comfort for glory 83 It is not possible for an inferiour to liue at peace vnlesse hee haue learn'd to be cōtemned For the pride of his Superiours and the malice of his equals inferiors shal offer him continual● and ineuitable occasions of vnquietnes As contentatiō is the mother of inward peace with our selues so is humility the mother of peace with others for if thou be vile in thine owne eyes first it shall the lesse trouble thee to bee accounted vile of others So that a man of an high hart in a low place cannot want discontentment wheras a man of a lowly●stomak can swallow digest cōtempt without any distēper For wherein can he be the worse for being contemned who out of his owne knowledge of his deserts did most of all contemn himself● I shold bee very improuident if in this cal●ing I did not look for daily contempt wherein we are made a spectacle to the world to Angels men when it comes I wil either embrace it or contemne it Embrace it when it is within my measure whē aboue contemne it so embrace it that I may more humble my self vnder it so contemne it that I may not giue hart to him that offers it nor disgrace him for whose cause I am contemned 14 Christ raised three dead men to life One newly departed another on the Beere a third smelling in the graue to showe vs that no degree of death is so desperate that it is past helpe My sinns are many great yet if they were more they are farre below the mercy of him that hath remitted them● the value of his ransome that hath payde for them A man hurts himselfe most by presumption ●ut we cannot do God a greater wrong then to despaire of forg●uenes It is a do●ble iniurie to God first that we offend his iustice by sinning then that we wrong his mercy with despairing c. 85 For a man to bee wearie of the worlde through miseries that he meets with and for that cause to couet death is neither difficult nor cōmendable but rather argues a base weakenes of minde So it may be a cowardly part to contemne the vtmost of all terrible things in a feare of lingring miserie But for a man either liuing happily heere on earth or resoluing to liue miserably yet to desire his remoouall to Heauen doth well become a true Christian courage and argues a notable mixture of patience faith ●f patience for that he can and dare abide to liue sorrowfully of faith for that hee is assured of his better Being otherwhere and therefore prefers the absent ioyes hee lookes for to those he feeles in present No sorrow shall make mee wish my selfe dead that I may not bee at all No contentment shal hinder me frō wishing my selfe with Christ that I may be happier 89 It was not for nothing that the wise Creator of all thinges hath placed gold ●iluer and all precious minerals vnder our feete to bee trod vpon and hath hid them low in the bowels of the earth that they cannot without great labour be either found or gotten whereas he hath placed the noblest part of his creatiō aboue our heads and that so open to our view that wee cannot chuse but euery moment behold them wherein what did he else intend but to drawe away our minds frō these worthlesse yet hidden treasures to which hee foresawe wee would be too much addicted to ca●l thē vnto the contemplatiō of those better things which besides their beauty are more ob●iuious to vs that in thē we might see admire the glory of their Maker and withall seeke our owne Howe doo those men wrong thēselues misconstrue God who as if hee had hidden these things because he would haue them sought and layd the other open for neglect bend themselues wholly to the seeking of these earthly cōmodities do no more mind heauē thē if there were non If wee could imagine a beast to haue reaso how could he be more absurd in his choice How easie is it to obserue that still the higher wee goe the more purity perfectiō we finde So earth is the very drosse dregs of all the elements water somwhat more pure then it yet also more ●eculent thē the aire aboue it the lower aire lesse pure thē his vppermost regions yet they as far inferior to the lowest heauens which againe are more exceeded by the glorious and empireall seat of God which is the heauen of the iust Yet they brutish men take vp their rest and place their felicity in the lowest and worst of all Gods workmanship not regarding that which with it owne glory can make them happie Heauen is the proper place of my soule I will sende it vp thither continually in my thoughts whiles it soiournes with mee before it goe to dwell there for euer 87 A man neede not to care for more knowledge then to know him selfe he needes no more pleasure then to content himse●fe no more victory then to ouercome himselfe no more riches then to enioy himselfe What fooles are they that seeke to know all other things are strangers in themselues that seeke altogether to satisfie others humors with their owne displeasure that seeke to vanquish Kingdoms Countries when they are not Maisters of themselues that haue no holde of their owne harts yet seeke to bee possessed of all outward commodi●ies Goe home to thy selfe first vaine hart when thou hast made sure worke there in knowing contenting ouercomming enioying thy selfe spend all the superfluity of thy time labor vpō others 88 It was an excellent rule that fel frō Epicure whose name is odi●us to vs for the father of loosnes That if a man wold be rich honorable aged hee should not striue so much to ad to his welth reputation yeares as to detract from his desires For certainly in these things which stand most vpon conceite hee hath the most that desireth least A poore man that hath little and desires no more is in truth richer then the greatest monarch that thinkes hee hath not what he should or what hee might or that grieues there is no more to haue It is not necessitie but ambition that settes mens hearts on the racke If I haue meate drinke apparell I will learne therewith to bee content If I had the world full of wealth beside I could enioy no more then I vse the rest could please mee no otherwise but by looking on and why can I not thus solace my self while it is others 89 An inconstant wauering mind as it makes a man vnfit for Societie for that there can be no assurance of his words or purposes neither can we build on them without deceite so besides that it makes a man ridiculous it hinders him from euer attaining any perfectiō in himself● For a roling stone gathers no mosse and the minde whi●st it would be euery thing proues nothing oft changes cannot bee without losse yea it keepes him from enioying that which hee hath attayned for it keepes him euer in worke building● pulling downe selling changing buying commaunding forbidding so whiles hee can be no other mans frend he is the least his owne It is the safest course for a mans profit credit and ●●se to deliberate long to resolue surely hardly to alter Not to enter vpon that whose end hee fore-sees not aunswerable and when he is once entred not to surcease till he haue attayned the end he fore-saw so may he to good purpose begin a new worke when he hath well finished the olde 90 The way to Heauen is like that which ●onathan and his armour bearer passed betwixt two rockes one Bozez the other Sene● that is foule and thornie wherto we must make shift to climbe on our hands and knees but when we are comne vp there is victorie and triumph Gods children haue three sutes of apparel whereof two are worn dail●y on earth the third layd vp for the in the wardrobe of Heauen They are euer either in black mourning in red persecuted or in white glorious Anie way shall be pleasant to me that leade● vnto such an end It matters not what ragges or what colours I weare with men so I may walke with my Sauiour in white and raigne with him in glorie Amen FINIS Pro. ●9● 22 1 Cor. 120● Math. 23. 28. Coloss● 3● 2●

because hee is infinite can admit of no diminution Therefore are men niggardly because the more they giue the lesse they haue but thou Lord maist giue what thou wilt without abatement of thy store Good prayers neuer came weeping home I am sure I shall receiue either what I aske or what I should aske 50 I see that a fit Bootie many times makes a thiese and many would be proud if they had but the common causes of their neighbours I account this none of the least fauours of GOD That the world goes no better forward with me for I feare if my estate were better to the world it might bee woorse to God As it is an happie necessitie that inforces to good so is that next happy that hinders from euill 51 It is the basest loue of all others that is for a benefit for heerein wee loue not another so much as our selues Though there were no Heauen O Lord I would loue thee Now there is one I wi●l esteeme it I will desire it yet still will loue thee for thy goodnesse sake Thy selfe is reward enough though thou broughtest no more 52 I see men point the fielde and desperatelie ieopard their lyues as prodigall of their blood in the reuenge of a disgracefu●l word against themselues while they can be content to heare GOD pulled out of Heauen with blasphemie and not feele so much as a rysing of theyr blood Which argues our colde loue to God and our ouer-seruent affection to our selues In my owne wrongs I will hold patience laudable but in Gods iniuries impious 53 It is an hard thing to speake well but it is harder to be well silent so as it may bee free from suspition of affectation or ●ullennes or ignorance Else loquasitie and not silence would be a note of wisedome Heerein I will not care how little but how well Hee said well for this Not that which is much is we●l but that which is well is much 54 There is nothing more odious then fruitlesse olde age Now for that no Tree beares fruite in Autumne vnlesse it blossome in the spring to the end that my age may be profitable and laden with ripe fruit I will endeuour that my youth may be studious floured with the blossomes of learning and obseruation 55 Reuenge commonly hurts both the offerer and sufferer as we see in the foolish Bee though in a ● other things commendable yet heerein the patterne of fonde spightfulnesse which in her anger inuenometh the flesh and looseth hersting and so liues a Drone euer after I account it the onely valour to remit a wrong and will applaude it to my selfe as right noble and Christian that I might hurt and will not 56 Hee that liues well cannot choose but die well for if hee die suddainly yet hee dies not vnpreparedly if by leasure the conscience of his well-led life makes his death more comfortable But it is seldome seene that hee which liues i● dy●th well for the cōscience of his former euils his present paine and the expectation and feare of greater so take vp his heart that he cannot seek God and now it is iust with God not to be sought or not to bee found because hee sought to him in his life time and was repulsed Whereas therfore there are vsually two maine cares of good men to liue well die well I will haue but this one To liue well 57 With God there is no free-man but his Seruant though in the Gallies no slaue but the sinner though in a Pallace none noble but the vertuous if neuer so basely discended none rich but hee that possesseth God euen in rags none wise but hee that is a foole to himselfe and the world none happy bu● him whom the world pities Let mee bee free noble rich wise happy to God I passe not what I am to the world 58 Whē the mouth praieth man heareth when the heart God heareth euerie good prayer knockes at Heauen for a blessing but an importunate prayer pierces it thogh as hard as brasse makes way for it selfe into the eares of the Almighty and as it ascends lightly vp caried with the winges of Faith so it comes euer laden down againe vpon our heads In my prayers my thoughts shall not bee guided by my wordes but my wordes shall follow my thoughts 59 If that seruaunt were condemned for euill that gaue God no more then his owne which he had receiued what shall become of them that rob God of his owne If God gaine a little glory by mee I shall gaine more by him I will labour so to husband the stock that God hath left in my hands that I may returne my soule better then I receiued it and that hee may make it better then I returne it 60 Heauen is compared to an hill and therefore is figured by Olympus among the Heathen by mount Sion in GODS Booke Hell contrariwise to a Pit● The ascent to the one is hard therefore and the descent of the other easie and headlong and so as if wee once beginne to fall the recouerie is most difficult and not one of manie stayes till hee comes to the bottome I will be content to pant and blow and sweat in climbing vp to Heauen as contrarily I will bee warie of setting the first step downward towards the Pit For as there is a I●cobs Ladder into heauen so there are blind stayres that goe winding down into death wherof each makes way for other From the obiect is raysed an ill suggestion suggestion drawes on delight delight consent consent endeuour endeuour practise practise custome custome excuse excuse defence defence obstinacie obstinacie boasting of sinne boasting a reprobate sence I will watch ouer my wayes and do thou Lord watch ouer mee that I may auoyd the first degrees of sinne and if those ouer-take my frailtie yet keepe mee that presumptuous sinns preuaile not ouer mee Beginnings are with more ease and safety declined when wee are free then proceedings when wee haue begun 61 It is fitter for youth to learne then teach and for age to teach then learne and yet fitter for an olde man to learne then bee ignorant I know I shall neuer know so much that I cannot learne more and I hope I shall neuer liue so long as till I bee too olde to learne 62 I neuer loued those Salamanders that ar● neuer well but when they are in the fire of contention I will rather suffer a thousand wrongs then offer one I will suffer an hundreth rather then returne one I will suffer many ere I will complaine of one● and endeuour to right it by contending I haue euer found that to striue with my superiour is furious with ●y equall doubtfull with my inferiour sordid base with any full of vnquietnes 63 The praise of a good speech stādeth in words matter Matter which is as a faire and well featur'd body Elegance of words which is as a neat and well fashioned garment