Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	witness_v	world_n	write_v	56	3	5.2322	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00414	A methode vnto mortification: called heretofore, the contempt of the world, and the vanitie thereof Written at the first in the Spanish, afterward translated into the Italian, English, and Latine tongues: now last of all perused at the request of some of his godly friends, and as may bee most for the benefite of this Church, reformed and published by Thomas Rogers. Allowed by authoritie.; Vanidad del mundo. English	Estella, Diego de, 1524-1578.; Rogers, Thomas, d. 1616.	1608 (1608)	STC 10543; ESTC S114515	174,792	500

reedes when they beginne to spring do delight the sight and the eyes are comforted with their goodlie hue and flowers which notwithstanding if you breake you shal find altogether emptie and destitute of substance within Let not the worlde deceaue thee neither suffer thy eyes to be taken with the vaine and apparant bewtie of the same for do thou cast thine eyes into the inward corners thereof thou shalt find there nothing but meere vanitie If the world were opened with the sharpe knife of truth it would by and by bee found both vaine and deceitfull For all in the world eyther it is already past or present or to come That which is past is not now that which is to come is vncertaine that which is present is vnstable and but for a moment It is vanity to trust but greater vanity greatly to esteeme the fauour of the world It is vanitie to desire the promotions but greater vanitie to loue the riches and pleasures of the same It is vanitie to couet the transitory goodes and surely vanity is it to make greate accompt of the corruptible substance of this worlde It is vanity to hunt after the winde of humane commendation vaine be the cares which are bestowed vpon the seruice of this vnhappie world To ende al is vanity sauing to loue and onely to serue God O happy is that man which is not mindeful of the world surely he shal liue at ease neither can any thing reclame him frō his spirituall exercises so long as he enioyeth the sweetnes and tranquillity of the spirit It is better to bee poore in spirit than rich in sinne it is better to bee little in our owne eyes then great it is better to be of smal learning with humility than to be profoundly learned with vaine and proud mind To abuse thy knowledge other graces vnto more licenciousnes which God hath giuen thee to binde thee thereby the more zealously to serue him it is also meere vanity arrogancy of minde Surely surely that last day at that straight and rigoreus iudgmēt where the bookes of al men● conciences shal be opened and red in the presence of the whole world shal euidently declare how much better it is to be of smal than of great reputation in this world It shal then appeare that better it had bin to haue loued God than to haue disputed about many curious and subtil questions a good conscience shal do more good then than many and hie orations vttered in the world it shal not there be demaunded what wee haue said but what we haue done neither wil it do vs good that we follow the deceipts and false promises but that we haue contemned the glory o● this world and better thou shalt finde it at that day for to haue repented thee of thy sinnes than for a time to serue thy fleshly appetites and afterward for euer to bee c●st into the pit of hell Consider with thy selfe and count howe much thou hast bestowed vpon the world and howe little vpon God and that in this life which he hath l●nt thee to serue him in what is become of so many years without profite what fruite hast thou reaped from the tim thou first serued the world The time passed cannot be recouered The daies are passed thou wottest not howe and death shortly wil ouertake thee What hast thou of that which thou hast done Thou hast found in thy friendes no fidelity in them vpon whom thou hast bestowed benefites ingratitude in men generally much fraud and dissimulation See now al is lost whatsoeuer thou hast done That litle experience which thou hast of man and the things whereof thou so complainest they do al and that continually cry vnto thee that God aboue shoulde haue been loued that he alone should haue been serued All thy laboure is lost which is not bestowed vpon the onely seruice of Iesus Christ. That time onely is for thy good which thou emploiest vpon the seruice of God but al the rest tendeth vnto vanity and destruction If yet more exactly thou wilt consider the ingratitude of men and note how a good parte of thy time thou hast spent vpon their seruice it will make thee to lament the time so vnprofitablie consumed and hereafter to addresse thy selfe to serue thy creator And seeing the time passed cannot be recouered woulde to God at the least now thou wouldest beginne to serue him and leade such a life now before thou be very olde as thou thinkest to do when thine heares bee hoary and thou drawest to the graue Doubtl●s it is greate vanitie to spende the life in pleasing of men Resigne vp thine appetites doe away thine off●ctions and counte that as nothing which now appeareth something CHAP. V. The end of worldly thinges shew them to be but vaine MAnie walke of whome I haue told you often now tell you weeping that they are the enimies of the crosse of christ whose end is damnation as the Apostle saith The end of them which loue the world as witnesseth the Apostle is death and destruction Cleaue not to the thinges which the world doth offer thee for sodainlie thou shalt fal into the snares therof The pleasures therof be the forerunners of death flie the deceites vnlesse thou wouldest be caught consider not what is present but what is to come Be diligent in considering the end of sinne by waying aswell that not yet come as that which is present so shalt thou hate the pleasures and vanities which the world setteth before thine eies Our life is like a riuer running vnto the sea of death The water of the riuer is sweete indeed yet the end thereof is to enter into the bitter waters of the sea Life is sweet to them which loue it but it wil proue bitter to such as draw nigh death The end of the pleasant waters of the riuer proueth bitter so the end of mans life is bitternes it selfe might put her in remēbrance of the ende of al things Againe why did our Lord weepe for the same Ierusalem but onely for that she had not in minde the euilles which were to fall vpon it It is a lamental le thing to haue an eye only to the ioy that is present and not vnto the paine which followeth after pleasure this made Christ to weepe that Ierusalem was so foolishly bewitched with present ioye that shee had not regard of the troubles that would follow Euen so doudtles it is much to bee lamented that thou walt suffer thy selfe so to bee deceaued that thou canst not see the cursed endes of all these worldly pleasures Measure not thy selfe by the things which appeare at the first but wisely consider what wil follow ●ee ruled rather by reason than by a vain appetite And when thou knowest how bitter the ends of these worldly thinges are make not accompt of the goods thereof Desire nothing before you throughly doe knowe whether it be

knew him not meaning Iesus Christ. And no maruell hauing their eyes so full of earth They haue wandred as blinde men in the stre●tes sayeth the prophet Ieremiah of worldly minded men which are so blinde that they suffer themselues to bee led about euen of the blinde vnto the example of wickednes They which are bodily blinde in deed they know yet that they are blinde but none are so wretchedly blind as the men of this world while they haue them in derision which vse the sight of their eyes The Lord said vnto the sinnefull Pharisies Now ye say we s●e therefore your sinne remaineth and being so blind that they thinke all others blind sauing themselues and such as they be therefore their impietie is the greater as was that of the seuenty Ancients of whom Ezechiel speaketh from the mouth of the Lord Beware therefore of such a blindenesse that thou fall into absurde and intollerable errors to the dishonour of God CHAP. 18 Great is the sorrow which worldlings doe feele when they must eyther leaue this world or go vnto hell torments THE labour of the foolish doth wearie him sayeth Salomon When death once approacheth then will it grieue a worldling to leaue this world for no man can leaue that hee loueth without much griefe That which the world loueth it getteth with great labour it keepeth with great feare it leaueth with great sorrow In the Reuelation it is written that They shall haue no rest day nor night which worship the beast and his image no more shall they that worship their beastly appetites and affections Terrible will that houre be when the body of a worldly man brought vp deliciously shal be separated from the soule to bee deuoured speedilie afterwarde of wormes It will be a greiuous thing for the riche man to depart from his riches and estimation in the worlde which so inordinately he loued The horses of great men goe trapped richly all the daie with manie seruing men attending vpon them but when they come vnto the stable at night or to the ende of their iourney all their glorious furniture is taken from them and nothing there continueth with them but spurgals bruzes and wearinesse In like sort the rich and great men of the world they are woondered at so longe as they are iourneying in this life but when they come vnto their graue euen the end of their iourney their glorie leaueth them and nothing els do they beare awaie but woundes vices and wickednesse Kinges and Princes also are not like to carrie awaie their go●de or their siluer from hence but onely the faultes which they haue committed while they were of auctoritie Consider therefore how irksome it will be for a worldly minded man to leaue this life which he loueth world which is so forgetful and vnthankeful Vnlesse thou iudge of the worlde as it is thou art not meet for to meete Christ. Therfore our Sauiour he calleth such vnto him not as thinke the yoake of this world to bee sweet but which deeme it greeuous and burdensome The world vseth to giue after a short pleasure euerlasting torments but God for a little paines for his sake giueth ioyes that shall haue no end Marie Magdalene that holy woman she in her troubles resorted vnto Christ in the house of the Pharisei obtained remission of her sinnes but desperate Iudas in troubles flying vnto the comfort of the worlde did hang himselfe and so ●el hee head-long into hel insomuch that she truly repenting shewed her selfe wise but he despairing of Gods mercy proued extreemely foolish Is it not better then to serue God and so to enioy eternall blisse than to serue this corruptible worlde and after to be tormented for euer with the Deuil and his Angels Surely it is better in this life to want a little short pleasure than with the same to be tumbled hedlong into hel better is it to liue obediently according to the lawe of God than wickedly to serue the worlde which by certaine coloured things which it calleth good snarleth and seeketh thine vtter ouerthrowe At that same rigorous passage of thine out of this world by death whē al thinges wherein thou puttest thy trust shal see ●e in thine ●ies to bee but dirt and dung how then wil thy former folly thinkest thou grieue thee at thine heart Marke I pray you what a notable reward the world the Diuel and the flesh do promise vnto you euen such a reward as if thou haue it thou canst not haue the reward of heauen What shalt thou reape of the flesh but corrupti●● as S. Paul doth say What shalt thou receiue of the deuil but intolerable torm●̄tes What of the world but speedy forgetfulnesse They promise largely these tyrantes but they performe slowly No man did euer yet serue the worlde but he was sorry for so doing at one time or other It would continually be serued and yet for all the seruice done it maketh his seruants either for hunger to starue or else with strips to be thrust naked out of doors In a word looke for no recompence of the world besides griefe and anguish of heart No man that wise is will enter into seruice with an other man except first he doe knowe what wages hee shall haue for his paines but with these tyrantes whom I haue named no couenant is to bee entered into because they will promise much and performe nothing that good is But if thou wilt serue Christ though thou suffer troubles yet in the midst of them thou shalt bee sure to finde consolation both inwarde and aeternall Man that is borne of a woman is but of short continuance The paines of good men are quickly gon but the sorrowes of the wicked shall euermore endure Better were it for thee by obedience to go into the fire of affliction than after thy pleasures of the worlde to bee damned for euer Let not thy laboures dismay thee which haue an ende with thy life but feare those troubles which when thy life hath an ende do beg●n●e and shall neuer come to an ende From those paines neither friendes shal deliuer neither riches nor any friendship of man shal saue thee The world it shal haue an ende but God and his seruantes shall endure for euer Trust not in the world for it plaieth the hangman with thee which first conducteth thee by the faire greene way of his false consolations and after with all possible speede thrusteth thee downe to hel Doe you not see what a good recompēce you receaue for al your seruice CHAP. 6 Soone are they forgotten and ouerthrowe which giue themselues to serue the world I Haue seene the wicked strong and spreding himselfe like a baie tree yet he passed away and loe he was gone and I sought him but he could not be found The worlde doth highly now and thē aduaunce them which serue it but they haue no sooner