Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	sin_n	sin_v	13,883	5	9.2456	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95692	Theologia Germanica. Or, Mysticall divinitie : a little golden manuall briefly discovering the mysteries, sublimity, perfection and simplicity of Christianity, in belief and practise. Written above 250 years since in high Dutch, & for its worth translated into Latine, and printed at Antwarp, 1558. Whereto is added definitions theologicall and philosophicall. Also a treatise of the soul, and other additions not before printed.	Randall, Giles, translator.	1648 (1648)	Wing T858; Thomason E1162_2; ESTC R210095	77,165	196

God had rather live sin remaining or not to destroy sin by his death he would answer that he would rather dye for the sin of one man is more grievous to God and troubleth him more then the torment and death of God himself Then if the sin of one man grieve him so much what grief shall we think that he undergoeth through the sins of men in general Here we may perceive after what manner man troubleth God by sinning and where God is man or in a deified man there is no complaint of any thing but of sin neither doth any thing else cause grief for whatsoever is or is done without sin that God would have and that should be But the complaint of sorrow which is for sin that is meet and fitting that it should remain in a deified man until the death of the body though he should live to the last day and for ever From hence did and doth arise the hidden sorrow of Christ which no man can either utter or know but only Christ and therefore it is both called and indeed is a hidden sorrow And surely this is a thing proper to God who will have it so and delighted therewith in man and is certainly appertaining to God for it doth not belong to man neither is it in mans power and where God can attain to this he holdeth it most dear and acceptable to him but to man it is most bitter and grievous All things which are here set down of the propriety of God which he will have in man in whom they are erected and exercised this I say the true light teacheth and it doth therefore teach that man upon whom it is bestowed and in whom it is exercised to this end might no more challenge it as his own then if himself were not at all for by this means at the length it doth appear that man is not able to do this neither ought it to be attributed to him CHAP. XXXVI That the life of Christ is to be loved for it self and not for reward THerefore wheresoever such a kind of deified man should be or is there also may be and is the best and excellentest life and most acceptable unto God of any that ever was or shall be hereafter and out of the eternal love which loveth God as good and for good and doth also love that in all things which is best and most excellent only for good this true and worthy life is so much beloved that it is never forsaken of that man in whom it is although he should live even to the last day yea and further it is unpossible that it should be forsaken although that man should dye a thousand deaths and all evils should befall him which can befall all creatures he would I say be more willing to endure all these things then forsake this excellent life although he could in exchange thereof obtain the life of an Angel And here answer is made to the question Where it is asked if a man by a Christian life obtain nothing more nor can raise any other profit what need is there then that he should do any thing This life is not followed to this end that thence profit ought to arise or any other thing be gained but only in the behalf of love and the excellency thereof also because it is dear and acceptable to God Now if any man will say or think that he hath gotten enough of it or that he may give it over this man doth neither feel nor know it for where it is truly found and felt it can never be forsaken but he that hath the life of Christ to this end that thereby he may attain or deserve something this man hath it as an hireling and not for love or rather he hath it not at all He that hath it not in love hath it not and although he thinks he have it he is deceived Christ had this life not for reward but for love and love makes this life easie and not grievous causing it to pass away cheerfuly and to be willingly born But he that doth not keep it for love but supposeth that he hath it for reward to him it is most grievous and he desires to be soon rid of it and this is the property of every hireling to desire and wish an end of his labor whereas a true lover taketh neither pain time nor labor in ill part for this cause it is written To serve God and to live to him is easie to him that doth it this indeed is true to him that doth all things in love but to him that doth them for reward it is grievous the same is to be held of all vertues and good deeds and also of integrity equity and the like CHAP. XXXVII That God is above all order IT is said and it is true that God is above all custom measure and order and giveth custom order and measure to all things which must be thus understood God is willing to have all these things but notwithstanding he cannot have them in himself without the creature for in God without the creature there is neither order nor confusion Rite nor Ceremony for this cause his will is that these things should be and that they may and ought to be done for where word work or action is there is necessity that these should be done either according to order custom measure or reason or without order Now order and reason are better and more excellent then these things which are contrary to them But now we must observe that there are four sorts of men who do hold Order Ceremony and Law Some do it neither for God nor for any other cause but only by compulsion and these indeed do it as little as they can and that which they do is bitter and grievous to them 2. Others do it for reward these are they who know no other thing but the same and do that men may and ought to obtain and deserve the Kingdom of God and eternal life after this manner and by no other means and that he who performeth the most of these things is blessed and he that doth omit or neglect any of them is damned and belongeth to the Devil and these men use great pains and diligence herein yet it is a bitter thing unto them 3. The third sort are evil and false spirits who think and say that they are perfect and that they stand in no need of these things and therefore hold them in scorn and derision 4. The fourth sort are such who are filled with a true light and do not these things for reward for they desire not to obtain any thing by them or to attain any thing by their help But whatsoever thing they perform concerning these they do it out of love And these men are not so careful how many of these things or how soon they do these or the like things but how well and that they may be done in peace and

Kingdom of the Devil and these things are thus found to be truly there where God is man But where Christ and his true followers are there it is necessary that true inward spiritual humility and poverty should be and also a dejected and constant mind which mind it is meet should be full of close and hidden calamity and grief even to the death of the body And this I do truly avouch that he that thinketh otherwise is deceived and with himself deceiveth others as hath been said for this cause all nature and selfness doth depart from this kind of life and doth cleave to the false and free life as hath been said Now some Adam or Devil who desireth to excuse and defend himself would come upon me and say thus You would prove indeed that Christ was without himself and many other such like things yet notwithstanding he speaks often of himself and doth commend himself for this and that Unto which I thus answer When the truth ought and is willing to do or will there is no other cause of its will desire and action but that the truth might be known and manifested and this was in Christ and hither did all his works and actions tend and whatsoever was most profitable and behooful for that also whatsoever things were done by him from those he was free as likewise from all other things which were done You will say therefore there was in Christ some cause why he did every thing Unto which I thus answer If any man ask the Sun why it shineth it would answer it is necessary that I shine neither can I do otherwise for this is proper and belongeth to me and it is my freedom of nature to be endued with this property and to shine even so it is with God and Christ and all things that are divine and belonging unto God that they will do and desire no other thing nor no other good or for good neither can any other cause be alleaged CHAP. XXV How all things are to be left or lost AFter these things we must observe that it is said yea Christ himself saith that all things are to be left and lost which is not to be understood as if men should have nothing or have to do with nothing for it is necessary that man should have and do even something in this life wherein he may be employed so long as he liveth But this is thus to be understood Whatsoever any man or creature can do omit or know is not that thing wherein unition or uniting is placed And what is unition It is no other thing but that thy self be plainly singly and altogether simple in the truth together with the simple and eternal will of God And also that thou be wholly voyd of thy own will and that the created will flow into the eternal will and there dissolve and be turned into nothing so that the ettrnal will do there only will do or leave undone any thing And what is there that can help or further man to this matter that can neither words works nor other Ceremonies do nor finally any creature nor the work power knowledg action or omission of all the creatures Thus ought all things to be lost and l●ft which is as much as if you should say it is not to be supposed or thought that there is any work speech knowledg or learning or any other thing created which can help profit in this business but all these things whatsoever are to be lost and left and we must make our progress unto unition And yet it is necessary that these things should be and something there is which is to be done and left undone especially a man ought to sleep and wake and walk and stand to speak and be silent and many other things which must needs be so long as a man liveth CHAP. XXVI That the inner man is unmoveably joyned with God the outward man notwithstanding is moved THis also is truly to be observed that where unition befalleth and is truly made there immediatly the inner man remaineth unmoveable and suffereth his outward man to be moved hither and thither in those things and to those things which are convenient and necessary to be and come to pass So that the outward man may say yea and say truly I neither will be nor will not be neither live nor dye neither know nor be ignorant neither do nor leave undone or whatsoever of this kind but what is fit and ought to be done to that I am obedient whether it be to suffer or to act any thing Thus it comes to pass that the outward man hath no other cause nor any thing else which he seeketh but only to satisfie the eternal will for this we may truly perceive that the inward man ought to stand immoveable and the outward man ought and must move And although the inner man be some cause of the moving of the outward man yet this cause is no other thing but that it is necessary and must be done by the decree of the eternal will and where God himself would be or is there also the same thing is done as is to be perceived in Christ Also where this is in the divine and proceeding from the divine light there is not spiritual pride nor foolish liberty or a mind licentious but lowly submission and a depressed humbled and sorrowful soul and all order justice equality truth and whatsoever belongeth to all vertue There must also be peace and contentedness of estate and condition but if it be otherwise it is not right with man as is well else-where said more at large And as truly there is nothing which may help or further this unition so is there nothing which can hinder or avert it but only man himself through his own will CHAP. XXVII That no man in this life can be free from pain IT is both said and heard that man ought and may be without pain or grief in this life as Christ was after his Resurrection This they go about to confirm out of these words of Christ I will go before you into Galilee there you shall see me Also where he saith a spirit hath neither flesh nor bones as ye see me have which words they would thus expound As you have seen me and followed me when I was in a mortal body and in this life after the same manner you shall see me and I will go before you and you shall follow me in Galilee that is you shall both feel and taste being painless and immutable in what estate you shall live and remain before you dye the death of the body and suffer And as you see me have flesh and bones being notwithstanding free from pains after the self-same manner shall you be also in your corporality and your mortal humanity not harmed by the death of the body To this manner of reasoning it is thus answered Christ did not ordain that man should or could attain unto this

her for any treasure This is he who becometh and is a vertuous man and he that is truly endued with vertue would not for the whole world be bereaved of vertue Nay he had rather dye a miserable death We may speak the like of Justice most men know sufficiently what is justice yet do they not become just for they love not justice and therefore they exercise vice and injustice for if they loved justice they could do nothing which were unjust for they would hate and become such enemies to injustice as that if they should perceive it in any man they would willingly suffer and act great matters whereby injustice might he rooted out and man become just and had rather dye then do any unjust thing and all these they would do for no other cause nor end but the love of justice and justice should be their reward and sufficiently recompence them Such a one becometh and is a just man who had rather dye an hundred times then live unjustly The like may be said of truth Although a man know in many things what is true what is false and a lye yet if he love not the truth he is not a true man and if he do love it then that befalleth him which is said of justice Isaiah speaketh of justice when he saith Wo to them that are of a double spirit those are they who outwardly serve God but inwardly are full of lyes in whose mouth a lye is found Hence we may learn that knowledg and skill being voyd of love is of no moment The like is also understood of the devil who knoweth and understandeth evil and good just and unjust truth and falshood c. But because he loveth not the good which he knoweth he becometh not good which surely he would if he could love the truth and other good things and vertues which he knoweth It is true indeed that love and knowledg ought to be taught but if love do not follow knowledg and accompany it nothing is gained And such is the consideration of God and of his nature and of those things that appertain to him that if any man have great knowledg of God and of his nature and thinketh that he knoweth and understandeth what God is except he be endued with love he cannot become divine or deified But if he hath true love it is certain that such a man doth cleave unto God and forsaketh all such things as are not God nor appertaining to God and that he doth hate and is at enmity with all such things not enduring them being grievous to him and this love doth so joyn a man to God that he can never be separated from him CHAP. XL. Whether God may be known and yet not loved HEnce a question ariseth because it is said he that knoweth God not and loveth him not can never be blessed From this kind of knowledg there ariseth what kind of knowledg that is whereby God may be known and yet not loved seeing it is said elswheres that where God is known he there also is loved and that he that doth know God doth also necessarily love him how then can these contrary sayings agree together unto which I answer that here again something is to be observed We have formerly spoken of two lights whereof the one is true and the other false after the same manner we must discern that there is a double love a true one and a false one both which must be taught and brought unto us by some light or knowledg Now the true light worketh true love and the false light false love for that which the false light doth account to be best the same it doth propound and perswade to be loved as the best and love doth follow and obey what it commandeth Now it is formerly taught that the false light is natural and nature so as whatsoever is proper and belonging to nature is proper and belonging to it as I mine to me this that this mans c. It is necessary therefore it should be deceived and false in it self for I or mine never comes to the true light or knowledg undeceived except only one which is the divine persons And to the end we may come to the knowledg of the simple truth it is necessary that all these perish This also is one special property belonging to the natural false light that it desireth to know all things if it be possible and conceiveth much joy and pleasure boasting in its knowledg and learning desiring always to know more more and yet never resteth or is contented therewithall and the more or higher things that it knoweth the greater occasion it taketh of joy and boasting and when it is come to so great heighth that it supposeth it self to know all things and more then all then is it in the highest pleasure and triumphing accounting of that knowledg as the most best excellent thing and therefore it teacheth that knowledg and learning ought to be loved as the most best and excellent thing And thus it comes to pass that knowledg learning is more esteemed of then the thing it self which is known for the natural and false light doth better love its knowledg and learning id est it self then that self-same thing which is known as if it were possible that the same natural light could know God and the simple truth as it is in God and in truth yet notwithstanding it would not depart from its one property that is from it self and its own After this manner is knowledg without the love of that which is known or hath been known and thus it climbeth and creepeth to such an height that it supposeth it self to know God and the true and simple truth and so it loveth it self in it self Surely God is known of nothing but of God and because this light supposeth that it knows God it perswads it self also that it is God and boasteth it self as God and willing to be esteemed God thinking it self worthy of all things and to have right over all things and that it hath overcome and conquered all things c. Yea it scorneth Christ himself and the life of Christ and all other things for it would not be Christ but God eternal the reason of this is because that Christ and his life is contrary and burthensom to all nature and therefore nature cannot bear it but would be God for ever and not man yet would it willingly be Christ as he is now after his resurrection for all this is easie and pleasant and comfortable to nature therefore nature esteems it best because it seemeth best for her self Some thing is known but yet not loved of this false light and of this false and deceitful love but knowledg and learning is more loved then the thing it self which is known There is also knowledg which is called Science and yet is not Science and this is when a man supposeth by hearing reading and some singular knowledg and

help man and bring him to that which is best and of it self the best for man but that this should come to pass it is necessary that all self-will should cease as before hath been said and thus God would willingly help man but as long as man doth seek that which is best for himself he doth not seek that which should be best for him and therefore he never findeth it for it both is and were best for man neither to seek nor embrace himself nor that which is his which God both teacheth and saith If then any man desire to be helped by God to that which both in it self is best and also best for man let him follow the sayings Doctrines and Cōmandments of God so shall he receive help so is he now helped there is no other means Now God teacheth and saith That man ought to forsake himself and all that he hath and follow him for whosoever loveth his own soul that is himself and will be saved and defended id est he who hath a care of himself and his own in these matters he shall lose his soul but he who regardeth not his soul and loseth both himself and all things belonging to him he shall save his soul and preserve it to eternal life CHAP. XXXIII Of true humility and spiritual poverty ANd now that which is proper unto God in a deified man is a true inward and sincere humility and where that is not there is not a deified man this Christ both taught in his Word and Works and Life and hence proceeded this humility because such a man perceiveth by the true light that which indeed every thing is and that to be to live to know to be able and the like do belong only to the true God and not to the creatures For a creature as it is a creature is nothing and hath nothing of it self and as soon as it turneth it self aside from the true God by its own will works c. there is nothing but unrighteousness found in it and therefore this also is very truth indeed that a creature as it is a creature of it self is worthy of nothing and hath right 〈◊〉 nothing neither doth any ow it any thing either God or the creature but by right it ought to obey and be subject to God And this is the chiefest matter and especially to be regarded therefore that which ought and will be obedient and subject unto God ought also and must be subject to all creatures and that as I may briefly speak not in action but in sufferings or else it is false and from this last matter and from this last sentence proceedeth true humility which if it were not truly so and if this true and Divine Justice were not the best things Christ would never have either taught it by his Word or performed it by his Life And in this consisteth true confession and is true after this manner that the creatures ought in regard of divine grace and for justice sake become subject to God and all creatures and nothing ought to be subject or to obey the creature it self yea all the creatures have right and claim against it and unto it whereas it self hath right to nothing or against any thing and is indebted to all nothing being indebted to it and this by suffering and sometimes also by doing And from hence ariseth spiritual poverty of which Christ saith Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven All these things Christ taught in words and practised in life CHAP. XXXIV That sin only is contrary to God BUT here something is to be observed It is said that something is and may be done against God and that there is somewhat which doth grieve him and make him sorrowful we must know that there is no creature against God or which can procure his grief or sorrow in that it is or in that it liveth knoweth or can do any things whatsoever are of this kind are not contrary to God That the Devil or man liveth is and the like all this is good and proceeds from God for God is every way all these things essentially and originally God I say is the essence of all things which are the life of every thing that liveth and the wisdom of all that are wise for all things have their being their power their life and more truly in God then in themselves otherwise God were not all good and therefore all things are absolutely good Now that which is good is beloved of God and he will have it and therefore it is not contrary to him What then is grievous and contrary to God nothing but sin and what is sin no other thing but that the creature willeth otherwise then God willeth yea contrary to the will of God Every man may perceive this in himself after this manner he that willeth otherwise then I do or contrary to that which I do he is mine enemy and he that willeth the same that I do he is my friend and dear unto me After the same manner it is with God You have here what sin is and what is contrary to God and what doth grieve and make him sorrowful he therefore that willeth otherwise then I do or contrary to that which I do whatsoever he doth or leaveth undone whether he speak or hold his peace all that is contrary and grievous unto me and so in like manner it is with God he that willeth otherwise or contrary to God whatsoever he doth or doth not or whatsoever he taketh in hand is contrary to God and is sin and whatsoever willeth otherwise then God the same is contrary to the will of God For Christ saith He that is not with me is against me the meaning whereof is this he that willeth not the same thing and is not of the same mind with me he is of a will contrary to me By these things a man may perceive whether he doth commit sin or no and what sin is by what means or after what manner sin may or ought to be corrected or amended And this is that will which is said to be contrary to God and it is termed Disobedience Adam Egoity and Selfness our own will sin the old man to turn from God and to separate our selves from him all these are one and the same thing CHAP. XXXV That God in himself is impatiable in man he is patiable NOw this is to be observed That pain trouble and displeasure doth not fall upon God as he is God and yet God is troubled for the sin of man And because this cannot come to pass in God without the creature it is necessary that it be done where God is man id est in a deified man But here sin bringeth so great sorrow and grief unto God that God would willingly be tormented and endure corporal death so as by that means he might but extinguish the sin of one man And if it should be demanded whether