Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A01012
|
A vvord of comfort. Or A discourse concerning the late lamentable accident of the fall of a roome, at a Catholike sermon, in the Black-friars at London, wherwith about fourscore persons were oppressed. Written for the comfort of Catholiks, and information of Protestants, by I.R. p
|
Floyd, John, 1572-1649.
|
1623
(1623)
|
STC 11118; ESTC S120899
|
43,744
|
60
|
by the vniuersall cry of Christian Preachers in all Ages hath byn successiuely sounded vnto theÌ„ then vpon theÌ„ that depose their priuate conceyts gotteÌ„ by their own inquisition into Gods worde to be the only Christian diuine sauing Truth so filling the world with innumerable dissonant sects For as what fancy thinketh that the bell ringeth so what Heresy imagineth that in their conceyte the Scripture soundeth This being so why doth Heresy insult vpon Religion in regard of an accident common vnto men and vnto which their owne sect is continually subiect Why should Charity be frighted to see such deaths in their dearest Friends that may happen and often do happen vnto greatest Saynts Why doth Fayth complayne or wonder at this course of Gods prouideÌ„ce which he hath set down to himselfe in his Word and which hath been still his ordinany since the world Why doth zeale grieue without comfort to see the Church her enemies triumph not rather pitty their case that after a moment of malice and contempt shall be carryed to burne for euer in Hell The Holy Ghost doth acknowledge this kind of Crosses to be the greatest the worst vnder the sunne yet not so ill vnto you the children of the Church as vnto the sonnes of men I meane them whose Religion as different from the Catholike is humane nothing but a denyall of high mysteries * As that the Eucharist is not bread but the body of Christ That the Saintes heare our prayers That God assist his Church she cannot erre That the Body of Christ is in sundry places at once That Sacraments worke Grace Priests remit sins c. Tobias c. 2. contrary to the seeming of flesh and bloud Vnto these Humanists I say this accident is worse and causeth greater mischiefe then vnto you It doth grieue and afflict your hart it doth harden and obdurate their hart It doth fill you with sorrow and sadnes It filleth them with malice and contempt It bringeth teares from your eyes grones from your breast it fetcheth blasphemyes from their mouths iniuries from their handes It makes you weary of mortall and miserable life vnder the sunne not desiring comfort till you come to enioy with your Friends the felicity aboue the sunne It makes them ioy in the sunne-shine of the greatest vanity vnder the sunne not admitting of the light of Faith that looketh aboue the sunne so continuing in their errours vntill they be carried from vnder the sunne vnto the greatest mysery that is vnder the earth Call to mind the ExaÌ„ple of the holy Tobias in whom you may behold a patterne of your present afflicted state He was strucken blind with swallows dunge falling into his eyes when coÌ„ming home from burying the bodyes of the faythfull that had been slayne he cast himself down vnder the wall of his house to sleep through wearines of pious labour not able to go further A strange miserable accident scarse euer heard of before sent as it might seeme by the hand of Gods prouidence vpon him euen in his most feruent exercise of Religion Amici cognati eius deridebant eum c. 2. v. 15. Neyther was infidelity then waÌ„ting straight to scorne and deride his piety yea his owne countrymen and kindred insulted vpon him Where is thy hope for which thou didst good workes Now thine almes-deedes appeare As if they had sayd Now the fruite of thy deedes of Charity is seene Now thy Religion of workes is brought to light Thou art punished with blindnes that thou maist see thine own blindnes to thinke that one by workes can please God winne his loue merit his fauour purchase heauen Thus did auncient Infidelity speake in the Puritan language which now dayly soundes in our eares HeÌ„ce we know that for God to send strange disasters vpon his seruants hath been euer his custome wherby their ReligioÌ„ hath byn brought into scorne and themselues into sorow as now we are In which occasion on what can we better thinke for our comfort then on the golden wordes of this glorious Toby which he spake in answere vnto his deriders shewing the TraditioÌ„ of his holy Auncestors that deliuered from hand to hand that doctrine vnto him from which they had changed Nolite ita loqui quia FILII SANCTORVM sumus vitam illam expectamus quam daturus est ijs qui Fidem suam NVNQVAM MVTANT ab eo Do not speake in this manner because we are the ChildreÌ„ of the Saints or holy Fathers and we exspect that life which God will giue vnto them that NEVER CHANGE THEIR FAITH froÌ„ him vpon any accident or occasion whatsoeuer Put before your eyes the patience of holy Iob in that most rufull and horrible disaster when all his ten Children with many seruants were oppressed by the fall of an house togeather all once Betwixt which accident and our mischance there are so many similitudes In domo fratris primogeniti Iob. 1 13. Le Filz aisné de l'Eglise Hoc est Praecepâ—uÌ„ meum Ioa. 15. 22. Orig. l. 1. in Iob. corporall in their behalfe spirituall on our side as that may seeme to haue byn a figure of this That happened in the house of the first begotteÌ„ sonne of Iob This in his house who represents the person of that King that is tearmed the fiâ—st-begotten Sonne of the Church They were oppressed as they were sitting at the meate of their body These as tâ—ey were taking the ghostly refection of their soule They died as they were keeping a Feast in token of their fraternall vnanimity and concord These as they were at a spirituall banquet at a Sermon wherin was preached vnto them the Christian Precepts of mutuall charity and loue So the words of Origen are true of them both Tunc nouissimum vnanimitatis concordia prandium pranderunt super terram In coelis namque aeternae gloriae incorruptionis beatitudine pariter fruuntur The cause of that slaughter was Satan in malice agaynst the Religion of their Father The cause of this slaughter was the same Satan for he is the Author of all euill in hatred of the ReligioÌ„ of their Fore-fathers of the Holy Catholike Church their Mother See Titelmanus in Iob. FactuÌ„ est in principio Hebdomadae ita paraphrasis Chaldaica Iob. 1.5 They were slayne after the circle of the seauen dayes were runne about on the Sabboth when in the morning before they had byn sanctified by the sacrifice of their holy Father offering an Holocaust for euery one These also were slayne when the weeke was expired on the day of the Christian Sabboth when the most of them at least had byn sanctified in the morning by the Christian most pure Sacrifice and by being partakers of the Sacrament or Holocaust of Christ his most pretious Body and Bloud giuen whole and entire seuerally to euery one Compare your case with that of this holy Prophet and consider what reason of comfort he had which you haue not much more strong
sanctity of the action wherin they dyed the power of grace had the fittest commodity to make them feele contrition of their sinnes The expectation of death was layd before their eyes not by the violence of sicknes but by the verity of Gods Word which caused in theÌ„ not sadnes 2. Cor. 7.10 according to the world but sadnes according to God which as the Apostle sayth worketh pennance with assured saluation Hence their purposes to leaue sinne were as harty as in the sad expectation of present death and their purposes to doe good workes as absolute as in the prudent expectation of long life They then resolued to liue better then the custome of other men Rapti suÌ„t ne malitia mutaret mentem Sap. 4. 11. when they thought as they might they should liue aswell as other men but they were straight taken away and not put to the triall wherein they might haue fayled aswell as other men In them that looke to dye griefe for sinne is stronge but commonly stayned with some seruility of feare in them that thinke to liue though griefe for sinne may be pure yet commonly it is so weake as it doth not conquer the ensuing temptations of sinne The death of these was hidden and sudden hidden from their eyes of flesh that feare might not stayne the purity of their pennance sudden comming in the very instant that tyme might not weaken the constancy of their purposes But some agayne will say their death was dreadfull their bodyes bruyzed their faces disfigured they were not knowne of their friendes Let S. Augustine answere l. 1. de ciu c. 6. Seing sayth he Christians belieue the death of Lazarus among doggs licking his sores more happy then the death of Diues in purple and fine linnen they that lead holy liues Quid illis horrenda genera mortium obfueruÌ„t qui bene vixerunt 1. Reg. 6. v. 24. 2. Reg. 6.6 7. what are they worse in that they dyed terrible deaths God will haue his children feare any the least sinne more then any the dreadfullest death and therfore sometymes he doth punish small offences with horrible slaughters The Bethsamites in the midst of their pious ioy for the returne of the Arke were slayne by fifty thousands only for a curious looke Oza that put his hand to saue the Arke from falling was strucken dead because he did it in lesse reuerent manner In the Bookes of Kings is recorded the death of an holy Prophet presently vpon his working a most strange miracle â— Reg. 13. 24. Greg. l. 3. ep 10 â— killed by a Lion for a sinne of meere ignorance S. Gregory writes of many holy Monkes and Religious Officers that digged out of deuotion for the greater ornameÌ„t of the place about the tombe of S. Laurence because though by chaÌ„ce and agaynst their will they opened his Shrine and saw his body fell presently sicke and dyed all within ten dayes after Viâ—ae Patr. Herebert 〈…〉 libell 〈…〉 In vitis Patrum we read of a godly man going â—o visit an Ermite his friend As he passed in the streete he saw the body of a great rich maÌ„ famous for wickednes that had dyed a still death in bed carryed with great honour vnto his Sepulture When he came to the wildernes he found the Ermite that had lead an holy and austere life deuoured of wild beasts Astonished therat with many teares he besought of God he might know the reason of this proceeding and God thought good for our instruction in like euents to reueale him the mystery by his Angel The richman amongst many enormous crimes had done some smaller good deedes These were rewarded with peaceble death honourable exequyes whilest his soule for the other burned in fire inextinguishable The Eâ—mite with his many dayly excellent workes had mingled some lesser offences which were expiated by that horrible death that his soule might goe preseÌ„tly to enioy his Crowne Can the world discerne any difference of vnhappines betwixt the death of our King Edmund the Martyr and the death of our King Richard the Tyrant They both were defeated in field both killed and couered with an heape of slaughter the dead bodyes of them both came into the power of their enemyes to be scorned Compare the death of King Lewis the Saynt with the death of King Antiochus the wicked no dissimilitude appeares in outward shew Both dyed in a strange country both after a shamefull repulse both stroken with a lothsome pestilent vlcer And yet these deaths such paralells in the aye of flesh and bloud did differ no lesse then Heauen Hell in the sight of God and his Angels Man iudgeth accoâ—ding to the face God looketh into the hart 1. Reg. 10. 7. It is fedity of soule not deformity of body that makes God say vnto some I know you not It little importes the dead that their bodyes be knowne of their friends who when they know them will but lay them vnder earth to be the food of wormes Matt. 25 1â— That which importes theÌ„ is that their soules be knowne of the Angels that going out of their bodyes Luc. 10. â— 22. they may be carâ—â—â—d by them into the bosome of Abraham and into the euerlasting â—â—â—â—rnacles And yet I dare say their bodyes were not so disfiguâ—â—d as they may compare in deformity with the body of their crucified Lord and Sauiour Isa 53.4 of whome the Prophet sayth We saw him and there was neyther shape nor figure in him so we know him not but made esteeme of him as of a leaper and as of a man strocken of God It is a part of their honour they were so like to their Master and the day shall come when the disfigured bodyes of their humility Phil. 5. â—â— shall be configured vnto the body of his clarity then be so much the more beautifull by how much now they seemed horrible Reasons for the Profit of Catholikes and the Conclusion TO Conclude with whome I began You the worthy Children of the Church God hath permitted this Accident to be vnto you a Warning a Triall an Occasion a Presage a Warning of Death a Triall of Charity an Occasion of more Pennance a Presage of Comfort The Deaths of these our Friends are Documents how incertayne life is and Warnings to be at all tymes and in euery place prouided for death God shewed in his Saynts what may happen vnto sinners he stroake their bodyes with suddayne and short oppressioÌ„ of death to strike into our soules longe and perpetuall meditation of death The Chambers of impurity haue no priuiledge agaynst death more then the Chapells of sanctity nor haue riotous feasters in a Tauerne a surer warrant of life then Religious hearers of a Sermon Death which came vpon these as they were in the act of abhorring may likewise set vpon them as they are in the act of committing sinne Behold here Heb. 11.1 as I may say with