Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	darkness_n	light_n	see_v	5,466	5	4.4126	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33542	Bourignianism detected, or, The delusions and errors of Antonia Bourignon, and her growing sect which may also serve for a discovery of all other enthusiastical impostures / by John Cockburn.	Cockburn, John, 1652-1729.	1698 (1698)	Wing C4804; ESTC R17688	48,522	82

secret Thoughts of Men's Hearts and Things to come and did not foretell them by way of Supposition or related them as if she had dreamt them We found also diverse times that she could tell what past in her absence and how our Souls behaved themselves towards God In short This Divine Soul told us so many Secrets of the Mystical and Inward Life that all our Theology was too short and insufficient to answer her to so high Questions not only in Matters of Theology but also in all other Matters according to the various Rencounters and Occurrences which fell out so that one would have thought that though a Man had perused all sorts of Histories and grown old in the study of all sorts of Sciences he could not know with such Understanding all the things which this Pilgrimess told us It is impossible to write in particular the admirable things which we have heard of this Pilgrimess so that We may say of her Discourses what St. Paul said of his Rapture That he had seen and heard things which eyes had not seen nor ear heard and that it has not entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for his elect Now lest any should think that this extraordinary Knowledge came to her by Natural Means or that it was the effect of some Art and Industry which others had not the happiness to know neither were capable to undergo we are told That she never read nor learn'd of any body That she was without Study even without Reading and which is more without Meditation Years and Experience make others Wise and Knowing but she had her vast Knowledge from the beginning she was not wiser in her Old Age than in her Youth for she was infallible in both neither was there any occasion for correcting or amending that which she spoke or wrote in her first years For if you peruse her Writings impartially you will meet with many remarkable Characters that are not ordinarily to be found in many Writings A clear and distinct Account of the Essential Truths of Christianity with a constant urging of them as the one thing necessary and distinguishing them from the accessory Truths which are not necessary to Salvation an inimitable simplicity of Expression which a Child may understand with as singular a sublimity of Thoughts a convincing power and force going along with them a plain unfolding in a few Lines the Difficulties about which the Learned write many Volumes a constant harmony and uniformity of Sentiments in the Writings of a course of forty years from about the Twenty third to the Sixty fifth year of her age in which she died with an evidence and clearness to the conviction of our Natural Reason And all this by one who never read any Books never conversed with the Learned to be instructed by them never premeditated what she wrote never blotted out nor mended what was once written but being attentive to the Love of God in the calm and inward recollection of her Spirit wrote as fast as her hand could guide the Pen and when some Writings were laid by unfinish'd for some years returned to them and finish'd them after the same manner without reading any more of what had been written than some few of the immediately foregoing Lines to make a due connexion Thus Memory and those Rational discussive Faculties which help others to the knowledge of Truth were of no use to her because they make her to have had an immediate intuition of all things in God with whom she had inward Conversation from her Childhood She neither did nor would learn any thing from the Scriptures though they were given by Inspiration and were designed to make every Man of God perfect and throughly instructed to every good word and work She would take nothing from the second-hand but would have all things immediately from God himself and therefore she asked Him Questions and received Answers from Him about the smallest matters In a word the design of these three Prefaces is to prove That all her Words and Thoughts are God's and that the Spirit was not given to her by measure no more than it was to Iesus Christ and that there was the same reason for both For as God had chosen a Virgin for his Mother so he had chosen another Virgin to be the Organ of his Light and Spirit by whom he designed to renew his Church and to give the last Blow and Overthrow to Satan's Kingdom for which cause she is called the Light of the World and these words of Isaiah are applied unto her The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined And upon this account Monsieur de Cort says I look upon her Acquaintance as a greater favour than all the Graces and Favours which God hath bestowed on me in this World yea even than my Creation it self for that would serve me in little stead without the working out of my Salvation which would have been in great danger if I had not attained to the knowledge of my self and of the Designs and Marvels of God which I have learned and discovered by the means of this Creature and she has certainly been sent me as the only Means of the Perfection of my Soul and of all those who will profit by the recital of this Narrative which I find my self obliged to publish for the profit of many This is the true treasure hid in the earth he who shall find it ought to sell all that he has to by this Ground to the end he may find and discover this Treasure and take it up with Joy as the most precious thing in the World I have insisted the longer upon the Character of Madamoiselle Bourignon her personal Endowments and Qualifications her Divine Mission and Authority as they are declared and set forth by her Disciples because they are Material Points in our Enquiry about her And for the same reason I have chose to give these things in their own words that it may appear to all that I do not charge them with things which they do not neither will own And now I may have liberty to add That if Madamoiselle Bourignon deserves the Character which is here given to her if it be true what these Authors I have quoted do say of her if their Commendations and Praises are not rash and groundless but built upon a solid Foundation then she is not only a very Singular and Extraordinary Person but without exception the greatest that ever was Born of a Woman She is above all the Ancient Patriarchs she is to be preferred to Moses and the Prophets to Iohn the Baptist and the Apostles and at least she ought to be honoured equally with Jesus Christ who is said to be God blessed for ever She was as much without Sin as he was and her Body was of

Christ. She was of a middle Stature slender and delicate her Countenance was agreeable her Complexion brown her Forehead broad and without Wrinkles and her Eyes were a little bluish She had an ingenious Air and such an exquisite Sight that she never used Glasses Her Nose was well made and proportionable She was Out-mouthed having Lips and Teeth somewhat big Age had whiten'd her Hairs Sickness had made her Face lean and she was hollow about the Eyes Her Mien her Speech her Address and way of receiving Persons were very taking and agreeable Her Gate was grave bearing her Head a little high and she did not appear to be above Forty Years old All her Senses except Tasting were strong and lively She was of a quick and active Disposition She was never sad but always of an even Temper She would never suffer her Picture to be drawn not only because she did not approve of this sort of Vanity but also because it very much concern'd her not to be known upon the account of her Persecutors As to the Gifts and Qualities of her Spirit her Writings do partly shew them but none is capable to know the greatness of them save He who bestowed them This same Person tells us That from her Infancy she had the gift of Chastity in so high a degree that she often said That in all her life she never had not even upon a Temptation or Surprize the least Thought which might be unbecoming the Chastity of the purest Virgin-state St. Teresa writes of her self That God sometimes favour'd her with the same Grace But as for Madamoiselle Bourignon she possess'd it to that degree that it overflowed if one may have leave to speak so upon those who conversed with her Her Presence and Conversation did send forth such an Odour of Continence as made others forget the Pleasures of the Flesh And I leave it saith he to the Experience of those who read her Books with attention to judge whether they do not feel some Impressions of and whether they be not drawn with Inclinations to this Vertue that is so acceptable to God Though this Character of Madamoiselle Bourignon be very great and declares the great Affection of him who gives it yet it is very far short of what is furthen said of her for this only respects her private Personal state and sets her forth as a Woman singularly Good and Vertuous in this corrupt Age But if we will take the Word of this anonymous Author and some others this Woman was above all that is Humane she was inhabited by the Spirit of God and all she did or spoke was to be ascribed to Him and to be reckon'd not so much hers as His who design'd that she should be the greatest Blessing that ever was conferr'd on Mankind therefore they are not either afraid or ashamed to bestow upon her the Epithets that are given to Iesus Christ they set her on the same Level with Him they honour her with his Titles they apply to her the Prophecies which the Church hath always believed to be meant of Him they draw a Parallel betwixt Him and Her and do make Him the Type of Her and not Him but Her the last and highest Expression of God's Love to Mankind To intimate which God sent a Comet when she was born another when she first began to write and a third at her death which was greater and more dreadful than any that was ever seen before She is the Divine Sun of Righteousness she is Truth pure Truth and the only Truth that can guide one to Heaven and Eternal Life There is no other way of Life Eternal says he but what is in the Mouth in the Writings and in the Life of the most holy Antonia Bourignon And again If ever the Church of God be edified upon Earth it cannot be by any other means but by the Remonstrances the Rules Doctrine Spirit and Example of Madamoiselle Bourignon He calls her the Woman spoken of in the Revelation who was shewn to St. Iohn in a Vision whom saith he our Eyes have seen and by whom our Ears have heard and our Hands have handled the Word of Life And as he renders unto God Thanks for the Grace of knowing her and of being acquainted with her so he most passionately expostulates with God for suffering her to die who was the only Just the only Holy the only Person who had the Spirit of God Where Lord where is now your Holy Church Alas it is altogether destroyed and subsists only in ruined Houses in some scatter'd Stones which as the Stones of the ancient Sanctuary are poured out upon the top of every street broken defaced and unpolish'd and there is none to gather them together nor to set about the building of your New Ierusalem for you have taken away the holy Instrument of your Spirit whom you had called and filled with the Treasures of your Grace to labour in that Work You have extinguish'd the Light which you sent to the World for guiding well-disposed Souls Where is now Lord the Truth of your Promises Where are now your ancient Mercies which never suffer'd the World to be destitute of living Witnesses How have you suffer'd the time to come in which it may be said without exception that the righteous is perished there is no more a prophet amongst us nor have we any who knows how long I might bring many other Passages out of this Author to this purpose but I judge these are sufficient to prove his Sentiments of Antonia Bourignon And they are not peculiar to him for all who have taken this Woman's part are of the same mind He who writes the Apologetick Preface to her Works employs all the Rhetorick which Passion and a strong-heated Passion can inspire in defence of this Woman to remove the Prejudices which are entertain'd against her Person and Doctrine and to convince the World that she was filled with the Holy Ghost and sent to renew the Church and to bring it to its utmost Perfection If this Author ought to be believed all the Words and Writings of this Woman are Sacred as Scripture it self they ought to have the same Authority and should be as devoutly read yea much rather read for if it be true what he says they are more profitable and do discover more fully the hidden Mysteries of God As the Author of the Leipsick Transactions observes he makes the New Scripture of Madam Bourignon either to confirm the Old or to explain them or to correct them In this Preface the Author considers the several ways by which God may and doth communicate himself to Men and he asserts confidently of Madamoiselle Bourignon That God used all these several ways with her as Visions external Voices intimate Impressions upon the Soul and such ineffable Communications as made her to know and understand the Mind of God and all Truths as they are in him Her whole Life saith