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	life_n	sin_n	13,827	5	4.6650	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09628	Tvvelve rules, and vveapons concerning the spirituall battel Together with a briefe exposition vpon the sixteene Psalme: with two most worthie epistles, written in Latin by that most worthy and noble gentleman Iohn Picus Earle of Mirandula. And translated into English for the benefite of all good Christian souldiers in the spirituall battaile.; Selections	Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni, 1463-1494.; W. H., fl. 1589.	1589 (1589)	STC 19898A.3; ESTC S110418	18,502	40

thereby thou fall into vaineglorie thou foorthwith considering it not as thy worke but as a benefite of God doest humble thy selfe and iudge thy selfe to be too little thankful vnto God for his benefites That when thou doest fight thou mayst fight as though thou wert conquering and thereby to haue euerlasting quietnes for that happily God of his grace wil geue this vnto thee and the deuill shall returne no more dismayd by reason of thy victorie and when thou hast ouercome liue as though thou were presently to fight that in battell thou bee alwaies mindfull of victorie and in victorie alwaies mindfull of battaile That although thou finde thy selfe in euery point well strengthned and prouided yet notwithstanding thou shun alwaies the occasions of offence because the wise man saith he that loueth danger shal pearish therein That in temptations thou be alwaies ready to resist the beginnings and to dash the babes of Babylon against the rock The rock is Christ for too late is the medicine prouided if the euill be too farre gone Remember that albeit in the very conflict of tēptation the fight seeme sharpe and difficult notwithstanding it is farre sweeter to ouercome than to run into sinne Wherefore dispose thy selfe to the victory And in this many are deceiued because they compare not the sweetenes of the victorie to the sweetnes of sinne but they compare the sharpnes of the battel to the sweetnes of pleasure and yet notwithstanding m●n which hath a thousand times experienced what it is to yeelde to temptation ought once at the least to try what it is to ouercome temptation Beleeue not because that thou art tempted that God hath forsaken thee or lesse regardeth thee or accompteth thee the lesse righteous and perfect Remember that Paul after he saw the diuine essence suffered the temptation of the flesh wherwith God permitted him to be tempted lest he should be tempted of pride Wherein man ought to consider that Paul which was an elect vessell and taken vp euen to the third heauen yet he was tried lest he should glory in himselfe as he testifieth of himselfe lest the aboundance of reuelations should exalt me there was giuen vnto me a pricke in the flesh to buffet me Wherefore aboue all temptations man principally ought to arme himselfe against the temptation of pride for that it is the roote of all mischiefe against the which there is one onely remedy alwaies to remember that God humbled himselfe for vs euen vnto the death of the crosse and death wil humble vs though against our willes to be euen meate for wormes Twelue weapons of Iohn Picus Earle of Mirandula for the spirituall battel which man alwaies ought to haue in a readines when the desire of sinne tempteth him 1 Of sinne the pleasure short and small 2 The companions lothsomnes and anxietie 3 Losse of a greater good 4 Life a sleepe and a shadowe 5 Death at hand and sodaine 6 The dout of impenitencie 7 Eternall reward eternall paine 8 The dignitie and nature of man 9 The peace of a good minde 10 The benefites of God 11 The crosse of Christ 12 The testimonie of martyres and the example of holy men Twelue conditions of a louer by Iohn Picus of Mirandula 1 To loue one onely and to despise all things for him 2 To thinke him vnhappie which is not with his beloued 3 To suffer all things yea death to be with him 4 To adorne himselfe to please him 5 To be with him in all sortes we may if not in body at least wise in minde 6 To loue all things that pleaseth him his precepts his councell his doctrine 7 To seeke his praise and not to suffer any reproach of him 8 To beleeue the best of him in all thinges desiring all men so to beleeue 9 To be willing to suffer any discommoditie for his sake taking it in very good part 10 To shed teares with him often either for griefe if he be absent or for ioy if he be present 11 To languish often and often to be enflamed with his loue 12 To obey him thinking nothing of reward or recompence We are accustomed to be induced to this chieflie for three causes The first is when the seruice is such as of it selfe it is to be desired The second when as he whom we obey is of himselfe very good and amiable that we euen loue and reuerence him for his vertues The third is when he before we did beginne to serue him hath bestowed many great benefites vpon vs and these three are in God because for his seruice there is no trauaile taken which is not good for vs both for our soule and body for that to obey him is no other thing then to direct our selues vnto him that is the chiefest God He is also the best comliest and wisest hauing all conditions accustomably mouing vs to loue and to obey freely which most beneficially hath dealt with vs in creating vs of nothing and redeeming vs from hell by the bloud of his sonne when wee were worse then nothing THE COMMENTArie of Iohn Picus Mirandula vpon the sixteene Psalme Psal 16. Preserue me O God IF any man being perfect will call in accompt his estate hee must take heede of this that hee boast not himselfe Dauid therefore speaking in the person of the iust man beginneth of his state in this word Preserue me Which rightly considered taketh away all occasion of pride for hee which can attaine to any thing of him selfe can also of himselfe preserue that thing for himselfe Hee therefore which desireth of God to be kept in the state of vertue signifieth by this that from the beginning he gote not that vertue of himselfe And hee which recordeth that he hath obteyned vertue not by his owne power but by the power of God cannot exalt himselfe of it but the more humble himselfe before God according to that of the Apostle What hast thou that thou hast not receiued and if thou hast receiued it why boastest thou as though thou receiuedst it not There are two wordes which wee ought alwaies to haue in our mouth The one haue mercie vpon me O God when that we remember our badnes The other preserue me O God when we call to minde his goodnes For I haue trusted in thee This is one thing that causeth vs to obteyne of God that which we desire that is whē we haue a sure hope to obteyne And if we obserue these two points that we neuer desire of God but those things which are for our good and that wee earnestly aske that thing we desire not doubting but that God heareth vs our prayers shall neuer be in vaine Therfore when we obtaine not it is either for that it is hurtfull for vs for we know not what to ask according to Christs saying And Iesus saith Whatsoeuer ye shall aske in my name it shal be geuen vnto you for this name Iesus doeth signifie a Sauiour and therefore nothing is asked

serue the world then God But if we are nothing the lesse yea much more then in the way of God wearied in the way of sinners whereof is that saying of the damned we are tyred in the way of iniquitie it cannot be but extreame madnes to bee more vnwilling to labour where reward is rendered then where for our labor punishment is ordeyned I omitte to shew how great the peace and felicitie of the mind is to know it selfe cleere in conscience free from fault the which doubtlesse is farre more to bee esteemed then all the pleasures that may be enioyed or wished in this life what is worthy the wishing for in these worldly plesures which while they are a seeking they defatigate and being obteyned doe infatuat being lost doe excruciat Doubtest thou my sonne that the mindes of the wicked are not tossed with cōtinual care it is the word of God which cannot be deceiued nor deceiue the hart of the wicked is as it were the raging sea that taketh no rest for there is nothing vnto thē safe nothing peaceable all things import vnto them feare care death shall we therfore enuie these shall we haue these in emulation and forgetting our proper dignitie our countrey and our heauenly father shall we when as we are borne free become their slaues and bondmen that liuing together with them miserably dying more miserably at length in eternal fire we may be tormented most miserably O the blinde mindes and hearts of men who is he that seeth not trueth it selfe yet neuerthelesse leaue we vndone the things which we know are to be done Doubt not my sonne but especially in those places wherein thou remaynest innumerable impediments will beset thee and driue thee if it were possible from thy purpose of liuing a holy and godly life and fling thee downe headlong if thou takest not very good heede but among the rest it is a deadlie plague day and night to be conuersant among those whose life is not onely in euery parte an enticement to sinne but wholy set and placed vnder the Emperor the deuill vnder the standerd of death vnder the salarie of hell in expugnation of vertue fighteth against heauen against the Lord against his Christ But crie thou out with the Prophet Let vs breake their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from vs. For these are they whom the Lord hath deliuered vp into their hearts lust and into a reprobate sence to doe those things which are not conuenient being full of all vnrighteousnes fornication wickednes couetousnes maliciousnes full of enuie of murder of debate of deceite taking all things in the euill part whisperers backbiters haters of God dooers of wrong proude boasters inuenters of euil things without vnderstanding ill natured without naturall affection without faithfulnes without mercie Which men when they dayly saw the righteousnes of God yet notwithstanding they vnderstoode not how that they which doe those things are worthy of death not only those that doe them but also they which doe fauor such as doe them Please not thou therefore my sonne whom vertue displeaseth but let that saying of the Apostle be alwaies before thine eyes It behooueth vs to please God rather then man And also that of the Apostle If I should studie to please men I should not then be the seruaunt of God Let a certaine kinde of godly ambition inuade thee and vouchsafe not them worthie to be masters of thy life who were fitter to be thy schollers For it is farre decenter that they begin to be men by liuing well with thee then that thou omitting thy good purpose shouldest become a beast by liuing ill with them There holdeth me I take God to witnes sometimes as it were an extasie and a certaine kinde of astonishment when I begin I know not whether rather to thinke vpon or to be sory for to admire or to deplore the studies of men or to speake more plainly their meere madnes For truely it is meere madnes not to beleeue the Gospell the trueth whereof the bloud of Martyrs crieth the voice of the Apostles soundeth miracles proueth reason confirmeth the world witnesseth the elements shew the deuils confesse But it is farre greater madnes if thou doest not doubt of the trueth of the Gospell to liue notwithstanding as though thou doubtedst nothing of the falsenes thereof For if those words be true that it is most harde for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heauen why doe we then daily busie our selues in heaping vp riches and if it bee true that the glorie which is not of man but of God is to be sought why doe we then alwayes hang depend vpon the iudgements of men There is no man that careth to please God if we stedfastly beleue that the time wil come when the Lord shall say Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire and againe Come ye blessed and possesse the Kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world Why doe we thē either feare nothing lesse then hel or hope for nothing lesse then heauen what els can be said but that there be many Christians in name but very fewe in deede Striue thou my sonne to enter in by the narow gate and geue not heede to that which many men doe but to that which ought for to be done the which the law of nature reason and God him selfe will shew thee For thy glorie shall not be the lesse if thou be happie with a fewe nor thy punishment the lighter if thou bee miserable with many There are two most principal present remedies for thee against the world and the deuill with the which as with two wings thou shalt flye vp on high from the valley of teares that is to say almes and prayer for what can we doe without the helpe of God or how shall hee helpe being not called vpon And moreouer he will not heare thee calling vpon him which hast not first heard the poore calling vpon thee For it is not vnmeet that God despise thee being a mā who being a man hast despised a man It is written With what measure ye meate shall other men measure to you againe And elswhere Blessed are the merciful for they shal obteine mercie But when I inuite thee to prayer I doe not inuite thee to that which consisteth in much babbling but to that which speaketh to God within the secrete closet of the minde in the priuie chamber of the hart with affection most earnest and in the most bright clowde of contemplation doeth not onely present the minde vnto God but it doeth by certaine ineffable meanes vnite it fast which the experienced onely know Neither doe I waigh how long thy prayer be but how effectuall and how earnest it be interlaced rather with sighes then poured out with a continuall order and number of words If thou regardest thy saluation or wilt be free from the snares of the deuil from the stormes of the world from