Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	good_a	know_v	life_n	7,850	5	4.5045	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07198	Two sermons, preached at the Kings court, this Ianuary, 1620 Concerning Davids adultery, and his politick practices. By Francis Mason, Archdeacon of Norfolk, and Chaplain to his Maiesty in ordinary.	Mason, Francis, 1566?-1621.	1621 (1621)	STC 17600; ESTC S112434	36,020	128

and sluggish others are all in motion leaping and dancing Some being wounded by it are made dumpish and silent others never cease prating and babbling And is not this the plaine picture of drunkennes It is a lamentable case to cōsider how many in this kingdome are daily bitten by this Tarantula And is there no charme for the stinging of this serpent Alexander ab Alexandro writeth that the Tarantula is cured with musick and that he himselfe sawe the experience of it But what straines of musicke shall wee use to cure this drunken Tarantula Sound we the trumpet of the Lawe or tune wee the sweet timbrell of the Gospel they will not hearken unto the Charmer charme hee never so wisely What then remayneth but that they be charmed by the severity of wholsome lawes And yet I cannot say that there is any defect of lawes but rather a defect in the execution Many good and godly lawes haue been made in this kingdome against drunkenness and yet this sinne every where aboundeth O that this high and honourable Court of Parliament now to be assembled could yet in their godly wisdom devise some further course for the utter extinguishing of this Tarantula Surely it would redownd much to the glory of God to the honor of this kingdome to the good of this Church and Common-weale But to returne to Vrias hee dranke the royall wine and was made drunk though not as our Tarentati which lie tumbling in the streets blaspheming God and all good men but drunk in some degree yet not so as to bee deprived of his senses he still remembers the danger of the Hoast of Israel and will not goe home unto his wife Wherefore they could not impute the childe to him nor make a cloake for their iniquitie they have no colour to cast that colour So David was cleane disappointed of his first policie His second policie was to kill Vrias and to marry his wife that so the childe might seeme to bee gotten in marriage What to kill him had he not received wrong enough already that his wife was defiled but alas poore man must hee lose his life also It is as I tell you the matter is determined Vrias must die to save their credit there is no remedie And here let us consider what the best man is if God withdrawe his grace and leave him to himselfe Hee is like to an iron ball which a man standing upon the top of an hill le ts goe out of his hand and beholde it runneth downe headlong and the further the faster till it come in Profundum even to the bottom of the valley Even so if God let us goe out of his hands and leave us to our selves we run headlong from sinne to sinne even till wee come in Profundū that is into the depth of all iniquitie As heere wee see in David who to his former sinnes addeth the horrible sinne of murther by killing Vrias who now was the onely man did stand in their way And hath not this alwayes beene a practice among Politicians If a man stand in their way and hinder their profit or pleasure or preferment either they will lay a snare for him as the Nobles of Darius for Daniel to cast him into the Lions den or if they cannot so entrap him they will have one device or other to cut him off as David did Vrias and rather then faile they will giue him a figge and so make him away That these things should be done among Matchiavilians I would not marvaile but that holy David should doe it to holy Vrias this is a matter that deserves to be lamented with many teares But how shall it be done David is now growne a Politician hee will take him away so cunningly that there shall not appear so much as the least suspicion of murther And how so Forsooth hee will write to Iaob the Generall of the Campe to place Vrias in the forefront of the hottest battell and suddenly to retire from him O what a dishonor was this that Israel should flee before their enemies What an encouragement was this to the vncircumcised and what a discouragement to the people of God Yet at this time David will have it so to the end that Vrias beeing left in the danger might be smitten and die by the sword of the children of Ammon Here was notorious treachery and poore Vrias like Bellerophon in the fable did carry the letters of his owne death This was cunning indeed but have patience a while and you shall see that there is a God which seeth all things and will not suffer sinne unpunished What would Ioab yeeld to such an act yes hee did never stick at it so potent are the commands of Princes If Saul command to kill the holy Priests of the Lord Doeg will be his instrument to do it If Iezabel command to suborne false witnesses and to condemne the innocent the Nobles and Elders of Iezrael will be her instruments to put it in practice O happy therefore and thrice happy we whose King delighteth in the lawe of the Lord and meditateth therein day and night Pray we that the God of Iacob will for ever so direct him that all his commandements may alwaies be correspondent to the commandements of the most High For there is no question but if Princes should command even that which is simply evill a great number would be ready to be bad instruments to perform it And heere let us marke what manner of men they are which use to bee chosen instruments of iniquity First those that hate a man for his religion and such an one was Doeg the Edomite against the Priests of the Lord. Secondly those that hunt after the favor of great ones and such were the Nobles and Elders of Iezrael desirous to curry favour with Iezabel Thirdly those that are guilty of some notorious crime such an one was Ioab who long before this was obnoxious to the sentence of death for killing of Abner So now his life stood at the Kings pleasure and therefore David knew hee had him at command Wherefore let all men labour to carry themselves in innocencie with a good conscience in the feare of God If iniquity be in thy hand put it farre from thee and let no wickednesse dwell in thy tabernacle then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot then shalt thou bee stedfast and shalt not feare for hee that walketh uprightly walketh surely Such a man may bee bolde as a Lion and refuse to be made an evill instrument But here you see how Davids wicked invention Ioabs cruell execution brought good Vrias to his grave in a bloody coffin Neither Vrias alone was taken away by this treachery but the Text saith plainly that There fell some of the people of the servants of David such of them no doubt as were most couragious and valiant Ioabs commission extended no further then to the smiting killing of

David and Bathsheba To begin with the woman After a while she perceives that she had conceived with child and now shee feares lest the world would take knowledge of her lewd demeanor because her husband had bin so long from home Now therefore though secretly she begins to weepe to mourne and to make lamentation Here is a glasse for all women to looke in even Bathsheba the beautifull She that of late gave her cōsēt to lascivious dalliance now shee se'eth her owne folly now shee is cloathed with shame as with a garment Those radiant and sparkling eyes which so darted love into the eyes of David are now all bebleared and beblubbered with weeping the teares run downe her blushing cheekes she wrings her hands shee rents her goulden haire and with all possible speed she sends unto David saying I am with child as though shee should say ô wretch that I am now my sin can be concealed no longer the matter is plaine my very body will shortly bewray it I carrie my accusation about me on the one side I feare the shame of the world on the other the danger of the Lawe but ô how shall I looke my poore Husband in the face You you were the cause of all this and therefore to you I make my moane alas alas what shall I doe So shee that of late had no regard of conscience is now tormented with an accusing conscience and she that before was not ashamed to sinne now she is ashamed lest her sinne should be knowne But what sayd David to all this for now he is put to his shifts Truly hee sheweth himselfe a notable spectacle of humane frailty for he had a greater care of his credit then of his conscience he was more afraid of the shame of the world then he was of the displeasure of Almighty God and therefore he did palliate his sinne to avoid the shame but he did not repent to avoid the displeasure And so much of the first motive His second motive was the danger of his darling for by the Law of God the adulteresse was to be put to death and therefore lest shee whom hee loved so tenderly should lose her life and that by his meanes hee bends all the strength of his wits to conceale the matter Hitherto of the motives now I come to the meanes that is his politike practices His first policy was to cloake the matter by a false imputation for which purpose Vrias the husband was to bee called home from the campe to the end that he cōversing with his wife might be supposed and reputed the father of the childe Wherein David did not only sin against God and his owne soule but moreover hee intended three notorious iniuries the first against the poor babe the childe begotten of his owne body which by this means he would have disclaimed and renounced even before it was born the second against Vrias to whom he would have obtruded a child by fraud imposture the third against the heirs of Vrias which by this plot might have been disseised and defrauded of their inheritance Here was wisedome I confesse but it was the wisdom of the serpent there wanted the simplicity of the Dove Such was the wisedom of Pharaoh who said Com let us work wisely when hee intended to oppresse the children of God Such was the wisdome of Ieroboam who to establish his Kingdome erected a standard to Idolatry by setting up two goulden Calves in Dan and Bethel This was wisdome but not according unto godliness Wisedome did I say or rather folly for how can that be called wisdom when men are wise to doo evill but to do good they have no understanding And I dare be bold to say that the wisdom of Achitophel the wisdom of Matchiavel and all wicked wisdom howsoever it seeme angelicall howsoever it shine and glister in the eyes of the world yet in true judgement it is nothing else but meer folly for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome and therefore where there is not the fear of God there cannot possibly bee any true wisdom David himselfe could somtimes say I understand more then the ancients because I keepe thy precepts Wherfore if a man would be truely wise Let him fear God and walke in his precepts This is wisdome according to godliness which will make a man wise to salvation And as this is the wisdome of every private man so herein likewise consisteth the true wisedome of Kings and Kingdomes of States and Common-wealths For as Moses said to Israel Keep the statutes iudgements of the Lord and doe them for this is your wisedome and understanding in the sight of the nations which shall heare all these statutes and say Surely this great nation is a wise and an understanding people Even so I say to you Let all your wisedome be according to godliness let all your policie be ioyned with pietie in all your consultations aske counsaile of the Lord let the God of Iacob be present chiefe President in all your parliaments and then surely hee will blesse this Land and the nations shall see it and say Surely this nation of Great Brittaine is a wise and an understanding people But to proceed in the story The messenger is gone Vrias is sent for he is come to the Court brought to the King who asketh him how Ioab did and how the people did and how the wars prospered and after kinde communication he gave him a courteous dismission Goe home to thy house and wash thy feet and there followed after him a favour from the King a messe of meate no doubt dainty and delicate that hee and his wife might make merry together But for all this courtly and cunning invitation Vrias went not home to his wife but slept at the gate of the Kings palace Which David understanding sends for him againe and thus expostulates the matter with him in friendly manner d Camst thou not from thy iourney why then didst thou not goe downe unto thy house Thus David pretended great love and friendship unto Vrias whereas in truth hee intended onely to make him a cloak for their iniquitie And is not this the fashion of the world at this day Many will pretend great loue and friendship unto a man when if the truth were known it is onely to serve their owne turnes and in relation to their owne private endes and purposes Hitherto wee have seen Davids courteous invitation and friendly expostulation now let us hearken unto the answere of Vrias He said unto David The Arke and Iudah and Israel abideinaents and my Lord Ioab and his servants are incamped in the open fields shall I then goe home to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife As thou livest and as thy soule liveth I will not doe it First let us cōsider what is meant by this that the Arke aboade in tents And it seemeth to