Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	glory_n	life_n	sin_n	8,915	5	4.4862	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05093	A treatise of the excellencie of a christian man, and how he may be knowen. Written in French by Master Peter de la Place, one of the Kings counsel, and chiefe president of his court of aides in Paris. Whereunto is adioyned a briefe description of the life and death of the said authour, to the end that euerie one may knowe what he was. Translated into English by L. Tomson; Traité de l'excellence de l'homme chrestien et manière de cognoistre. English	La Place, Pierre de, 1520-1572.; Tomson, Laurence, 1539-1608.; Farnace, Pierre de. aut	1576 (1576)	STC 15231; ESTC S106746	64,194	137

all creatures are susteined and haue their mouing by a generall strength and vertue which is common to all liuing creatures neither that spirit whereby we haue diuers and sundrie giftes bestowed seuerally vpon eche of vs but the spirit of adoption and sanctification which the Lorde giueth to none but to the Christian man when he receiueth him into the number of his children and separateth him from all other and sundreth him from the world to bring him to the hope of the euerlasting inheritance This Spirit is for this cause called the Spirit of sanctificatiō whereby the image of God is imprinted in a Christian and serueth him for an earnest pēny of his saluation and in deede putteth him in possession and a certaine enioying of his adoption whiche is giuen him by a speciall grace of God to bring that to passe by a secret working which he determined in his secret counsel to bring to passe in him by his mightie hand shewing him selfe to be a most gracious and louing father by his testimony a greater then which and more certaine we can not desire because the light and knoweledge which he giueth is accompanied with such a persuasion and certaintie of spirit and with so stedfast and assured trust of heart in his goodnes that it maketh our vnderstanding surmount all thinges clenseth lifteth vp our hearts to heauen and causeth vs to feele a spirituall tast of heauenly riches And to be short causeth a new birth in him and transformeth him for this light which is in a Christiā mans soule differeth very much frō all other light of knowledge and from that kinde of faith which procedeth from the persuasion of man For it is impossible for mās wit to giue man such vnderstāding of knowledge and faith as this is which is wrought in him by the mightie working of the spirit of God and is this in summe that the Gospel which hath no appearance of witte nor strēgth is notwithstāding a wisdom so high that it surmounteth the heauens is the mightie power of God to saluation to euery one the beleueth to bring him to the kingdom of heauen for in deede what can there be more strange more foolish more simple or more offensiue to reason then to heare a man say that God is made become a mortall man that life was subiect to death righteousnes couered with a shew of sinne blessing subiect to curse that by this meanes men might be ransomed from death made partakers of blessed immortalitie to the end they might obtein life that iustice might raigne sinne being once abolished and last of al to the end that death it self malediction might be swalowed vp and therfore that we haue to enter into glorie by ignominie into felicitie by myseries and into life by death And moreouer that this light is farre different from all other light of knowledge faith which proceadeth from the persuasion of man it is nedelesse to alleage any other example thē the example of that faith which is in the most part of them that beare the name of Christians yet haue nothing but the bare title and beleue in Iesus Christ because they haue bene so learned taught frō father to sonne are so persuaded because they see other men that liue with them beleue so thē especially whom they take to be the holiest the wisest the most religious persuade them selues that their heades can not erre So that if they had chanced to haue bene borne in any other countrie or religion they would as easely haue bene persuaded to it as to that which now they holde and are persuaded is true seeing their knowledge is gotten by reason and discourse of man not giuen of God and from aboue but cold fleshly weake and very changeable which hath no other end but a peculiar respect of his owne and nothing lesse then to be touched with the glorie of god Neither doe they receiue Iesus Christe for such an one as he is offred of God the father in the Gospel by a liuely faith proper to the elect but while they professe his name they spoile him of his glorie vertue and dignitie to transferre it to creatures and mens inuentions in steade of the Creator And therefore it foloweth that this man which we speake of cā not be discerned from other by any iudgement of mans sense reason but by a spiritual iudgement by comparing spiritual things with spirituall things for the Christian people are but a smal flock contemptible scattred here one there one in the thickest of a number that are falsely called the people of God and Christians separate from the cōmō order of mē set apart as a treasure that God reserueth for himself hiddē withdrawē from the sight knowledge of mē as a few graines of corne vnder a great deale of chaf in a floore so that it is not y reputatiō nobilitie greatnes wisdō deuotiō or other apperance that man estemeth be it neuer so glorious which we haue to respect as S. Paul willeth the Corinth to consider that there are but a few called amongst them a few wise a few noble a fewe mightie of authoritie after the flesh neither haue we to respect the title or outward profession ne yet the outward signe of Baptisme as it is written All they that are of Israel are not Israelites nor all they Abrahams children which are borne of Abraham although they haue all one selfe same marke of Circumcision but it is the marke of the Spirit of God which we must haue regard vnto seeing that all signes and appearances because they are onely without are vnprofitable without the holy working of the inward wherein truely consisteth the witnesse whereby a Christian man may know him self And the first effect of this inward vertue of God is that which the Scripture calleth Adoption which is not common to all the world as Iesus Christ giueth vs to vnderstād saying That he prayeth not the father for the world but for them whom the father hath giuen him as it is said in an other place That the praise of y adoption is not of men but of God according to his good pleasure and grace giuē in Christ before the foundations of the world were layde So that euen as it is said that Christ dwelleth in vs by the spirit of God euen so doth man know and is knowen to be a Christian by the felowship of the same spirit as by that marke wherewith the heauenly father sealeth and marketh the heart of his elect in assurance of their adoptiō wherby he knoweth thē whō he hath quickened frō heauen by his most secret vertue which no sense of man is able to perceiue being in it self very high of great maiestie in outward appearāce vile beggerly wherby euery Christian mā hath such a conformitie with Christ that as the world did not know him so neither is he knowen to

Paul writing to the Thessalonians is so bolde as to assure them that their election is of God speaking as it were vpon a certaintie of knowledge grounded vpon notable signes and markes of the vertue of the holy Ghost which he sayeth he sawe in them by euident effectes of fayth the carefull and paynefull charitie towardes their neighbours the sure hope and stedfast continuance in wayting for the manifestation of Iesus Christe with pacience which surmounteth all wearines both of the length of time and of all afflictions of the world whatsoeuer The like he doeth particularly in Timothies respect to whome he writeth That he assureth him self that faith and true religion dwelleth in him iudging so of the certeintie of the cause which is hidden to all men by the apparant effects thereof euen as if it were visible And so we in like sorte by a charitable iudgement may iudge or at the least perswade our selues wel of our brethren in whom we perceyue like fruites and actions of the Spirit of God to take accompt them for Christians For as we iudge by the outward motions of the bodie that there is a soule in the bodie so may we perceyue by his workes whether the spirit of God be in man or no seeing that euen as the soule which liueth not idle within mans bodie sheweth it self by that vertue and vigour which it distributeth to the members and to eche part of the bodie euen so the Spirit of God that is in man is not idle but sheweth what power it is of in the man in whome it is and sheweth it selfe effectually by a conformitie with Christ who liueth in him and gyueth life to his members whiche he communicateth with them and powreth out vpō them by the vertue of his Spirit which is as you would say the general soule of al the childrē of God not respecting the substance but the grace so that euen as we thinke that the graffe is well ioyned to the substance of the tree which it is graffed into when we see it bring forth fruite out of the same tree by that strength which it receyueth of the same roote euen so we know that a man is truely ingraffed and made one body with Christ when through one selfe same force of the Spirit he bringeth forth fruit in Christ But as for the knowledge of a reprobate man it is a thing so secret and hidde to men that they can neuer iudge of it certeinly vnlesse they haue some extraordinarie reuelation for be it that we finde neuer so euil signes and tokens in any man what is he that can tell whether God haue reserued mercy for him in store or no vnto the latter ende of his lyfe though he haue spent it wholly in wickednesse Therefore seeing in deede it was not expedient nor mete for vs to haue knowledge to discerne the one from the other lest that thereby we shoulde become to colde in charitie towardes all as we owe to all as though all men were our brethren in Christ it is sufficient that this chaffe shall be separate from the corne at the latter day So then this onely remayneth that we knowe distinctly and particularly what the operations of the holy Ghost in man are because there is no other way to knowe a Christian man outwardly by but by them And seeing it is so as we haue saide that a Christiā man is a man made a new creature as touching his nature by a seconde byrth it is euident that that can not be done vnlesse the first nature dye and this man put of the fleshe that is to say his first nature which is corrupt euen that which we bring with vs from our mothers wombes which is called the old man For he can not in any wyse be capable of the kingdome of heauen vnlesse he be destroyed and brought to naught by the sworde of the Spirit to the ende that death may make a riddance of all the operacions of the fleshe which sinne woorketh in him For as long as we are Adams children and nothing els but men we are suche slaues to sinne that we can do nothing but sinne vntil we be made new men by the death of the first man and haue passed by meanes of the communication of the death of Christ to the participation of his life These two pointes to wit Mortification and Viuification whiche can not be separate the one from the other are out of doubt the chiefest operations of the holy Ghost in a Christian man so that euen as Christe dyed to destroy sinne passing by death to euerlasting lyfe in that fleshe which he toke of vs euē so this man is dead in him selfe and renued to a better life accompanied with meete conuenient workes for it and such as may witnes that he is a trewe member of Christ by casting downe of him selfe of his owne wisedome and reason and al his affections and passions which casting downe of him selfe proceedeth from a liuely tast and feeling of the goodnes of our heauenly Father whereby man is knowen to be Gods chylde and inheritour of al his blessings for this can not be but forthwith his vyle base carnal and earthely affections vanishe away and become dead in him by reason of the great light of fayth which darkeneth putteth out all the false light of our corrupt nature Wherefore a Christian man doeth then in deede shewe him selfe to be a right Christiā when the death of Christ which hath a certayne force in it to expell and cast out the wickednes of our fleshe and his resurrection whereby there is raysed vp in vs the state condition of a better nature shew their fruit in him as by Baptisme we are made partakers of this grace So that al knowledge of Iesus Christe that hath not this vertue to followe it is naked and bare and al baptisme without it vnprofitable and nothing worth for there commeth no man to Christ or is receyued into the grace of Christ but the efficacie of his death appeareth in him beareth about a shew and token of it in him by mortification of the flesh and quickening of the spirit as hauing passed out of this first nature into the nature of Christ by a spirituall renewing which sheweth it selfe by framing the course of our life anew wherein who so is formost sheweth that he hath profited most in the knowledge of God And we may not thinke that the benefit of the death and resurrection of Iesus Christ belongeth to any other saue onely to them which shew forth a new lyfe of a right affection of heart some sooner some later giue them selues to holynes and cleannes wherein standeth the band of the coniunction that is betwene God and vs and the certayne badge and marke of a Christian man wherby the children of God as S. John sayth are knowen from the children of the deuill For which cause Iesus Christ speaking of this sanctificatiō to

graces appeare which he bestowed vpon them be so much the more confirmed in that felowship which they haue with him to the ende they may be notorious for his glorie and profit of his Church which is by this meanes obediently gouerned But the chiefest thing that is to be considered in this point is in deed the choysest piece of Excellencie that is to be founde in a Christian that suffreth for Christs sake is this that where al mē are naturally afrayd are sad and pensiue when any aduersities befall them murmure against God curse their life fal out to banning against heauen earth detesting their state as miserable the Christian very quietly contentedly beareth patiently whatsoeuer befalleth him not that he is so voyd of sense that he feeleth no grief or affliction were not sharpe irksome to him and very harde to beare for if it were otherwyse how could he be pacient if he feele nothing but because the crosse of Christ hath this propertie that being accompanied with the vertue of the holy Ghost which sweteneth the sharpenes bitternes of all afflictions it engendreth peace and meekenes in the heart of the Christian and also thankes giuing for a singular benefit receyued of God causeth him euen in the middes of the greatest calamities griefs that may come vpon him to haue a ioyful and mery heart and receine thē for an especial cause of comfort So that these two affections whiche are ioye and sadnes great enemies the one to the other come mete so togither that the one is constrained to giue place to the other as the stronger hauing the vpper hande in so much that the ioy of the spirit which is incomprehensible as S. Paul sayeth inexplicable in that that it proceedeth from a taste of heauenly giftes doeth in fine swalowe vp as it were that Sadnes and heauines On the contrarie side they that haue no taste of those giftes can not chuse but at length be oppressed with sadnes when aduersitie assayleth them for so much as the sweete louing yoke of Christ is to heauy a burden for them because they can not cōprehend how God our most louing and mercyful Father giueth them power to suffer that which they doo suffer to bring them to his blisse wheras the Christian mounteth vp on high and passeth the very heauens holdeth him self quiet and glad for the blisse of the inheritance to come as though he had it in his bosome committing himselfe for the rest to Gods direction gouernement as in deede it belongeth to the Father who is of right aboue al fathers And so not measuring the punishments after the iudgemēt of the flesh but giuing honour to God he acknowledge that he moderateth his punishments both discretely wisely so that there can be nothing found in them but very good moderation such measure that though through weaknes of reason he be not alwayes able to comprehende it yet he hath sufficient to comfort him selfe in that he knoweth that Gods indgements are most iust and righteous To be short euē as a mā that passeth through a strong flood or streame on foote lest he stōble and fal downe setteth his eie stedily vpon the firme lande which he mindeth to atteine vnto marketh not the swift course of the water so goeth ouer safely and is nothing dismayed so this man passing through the raging waues of present troubles turneth away his sight his thought all apprehension that he might otherwise haue of the miserie of thē and lifting vp his eyes to heauen beholdeth there with a spiritual regard the inestimable treasures of the heauenly inheritance which he striueth to atteine vnto by this meanes easely surmounteth al horrour and feare of torments griefs which cōmonly make alterations in mens heads casteth them hedlong into desperation So then he standeth surely setled marcheth on without feare not so only but leapeth for ioy reioyceth in his tribulations glorieth in the crosse which the world accompteth shamefull infamous as in a thing which he estemeth most precious and honourable more full of maiestie then al the crownes scepters proude pompes triumphes of al the Kings in the world which the world wondereth at for he casteth his eies vpon Iesus Christ and beholdeth in him the glorie of his sufferāces wherby he seeth him self glorified with him and the reproche that commeth by him to become nothing And in deede who is he that wil accompt that thing ignominious which is holy yea sanctified of God Or who would despise that wherby the children of God are prepared to glorie which is so farre from being diminished in a Christian through the contemptible state of this present life that it is rather augmented And Moses for this cause thought the reproches which he suffred for Christs sake greater richesse then all the treasures of Egypt The crosse of Antichrist of his members hath nothing like it is harde grieuous and shameful to beare For in that they seeke not to be iustified by Christ they labour in vaine by going about to iustifie them selues shewe thē selues to be enemies to the crosse of Christ striuing to beare the mortification of the crosse by many foolish inuentions withdrawing thēselues into desert inclosed places vnprofitably punishing their bodies without faith without Christ without hope without charitie Thus the Christian mā findeth combes of hony in the Lyons belly that is to saye ioye gladnes and glorie in the deepest greatest miseries that may be and a quiet state in the gulfe of tēpestes as if he were in full blisse already raysed vp from death to lyfe set in the heauenly places with Iesus Christ in whom he possesseth euen from this instant euerlasting glorie blisse and obteineth victorie against the rage of Satan al the force the world is able to vse for to him it is giuē to treade the Lyons vnder foote also the dragons and al other hurtful power because he marcheth vnder the enseigne of this valiant captaine which wil neuer lose any one of his though he employ them exercise them in continuall combats giuing them this proprietie that who so continueth stedfast constant in attayning to the glory of his hope shal in the end obteine a good and blessed end whereas the man that is afraid to make head and set him self courageously against al that exalteth it self as enemie against God is not able to say that he hath a true hope in him And though the trueth be so that there is not a weaker creature in the world then mā is subiect to the world the flesh the deuill and al his lustes though he had all the wisedome of the Grecians and strength of the Romanes and vertue of the Philosophers and righteousnes of the Iewes in him alwayes in feare care and horrour and one that cā