Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	word_n	world_n	worm_n	22	3	8.6196	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

doe iniurie to the heauenly father which more than liberalie prouideth for his children those thinges which he knoweth are most necessary and meete for euery one of them The birde of the aier wil no longer staie vpon the earth than meere necessitie driues her so to doe but spendeth the greater parte of her life aboue in the aier where she is best in secutitie If thou haue a desire to escape the perill of this life shunne so much as in thee is all vnnecessarie busines of this world It is thy part either to flie with the birde or to swimme with the fish not to grouell on the grounde if thou wouldest liue in safety At such time as God created the foules and the fishes he gaue them his blessing but the beastes and other liuing creatures that crept on the ground he blessed not at al He therfore which desireth the blessing that God imparteth on the good let him flie or let him swimme that he maie escape all danger and not like the brute beastes abide and rest vpon these earthly thinges for such he will not blesse but curse saying vnto them Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Deuil his Angels Liue therfore like the flying soule aloft in heauenly meditations and praier and cast al your care vpō God as the Apostle commaundeth saying Cast al your care vpon him for he careth for you And saie with the Psal. mist Though I bee poore and needy yet the Lord careth for me Now if the Lord haue care of thee why serueth thy carefulnesse but euen to extinguish in thine heart the word of God The desire of riches in whomsoeuer it be choaketh the good seede of the worde of God that it can take noe roote and fructifie The Gentíles and heathen inasmuch as they are of opiniō how these things are giuen vs of fortune it is no maruel though they be so careful But thou which dost admitt and beleeue the Doctrine concerning Gods prouidence thou maiest not be so careful seeing well thou knowest that doing thy dutie according to thy calling God he will prouid that which is sufficient for thee If God preserue the Birdes which he created for man will he not much more haue a care for the substance of man which hee made for him selfe Remoue from thee al vnnecessarie businesse that thine heart may bee lifted vp vnto God Our nature and sensuall part being very strong they seeke themselues in the vanities and pleasures of the world but in the meane while the vnderstanding is darkened the spirite becommeth insensible and all spirituall exercise is vnsauorie Vnnecessary busines it hindereth the inward prayer of the heart it distracteth the mind it blindeth the vnderstanding and finally driueth away from vs the true light of the spirit Therefore if thou haue any desire to serue God aband from thy mind all carefulnesse and suffer not thy selfe to be distracted with the affaires of this world CHAP. 33. The wisedome of this world is vaine and foolish THe foolishnes of God is wiser than man saith the Apostle The worlde esteemeth him for a wise man which can cloke his owne vices in the sight of men and cunningly can attaine vnto honour and preferment in the worlde on the other side it holdeth all those for fooles which despise suche vanities The wise man in the person of worldly men saith We thought his life madnes and his end without honor the cause was for that he gaue not his minde to the gathering together of riches The men of this worlde take the seruantes of God for verie fooles without all forecast but they are like burning lampes and the worlde is onely the winde which bloweth and would put them out which the godly obseruing they do hide themselues that they maie be secure neither studie they to shewe theire holinesse in the sight of men but to God onely which regardeth not the outward partes but the heart within The wisdome of God is quite contrarie to the wisdome of man Good men are of none accounte amonge worldlie men but they are greatlie esteemed of the Lorde The iudgemetes of God differ much from the iudgements of men For the worlde looking vnto those thing which appeare to the outward senses taketh him for happie which is of power and rich When Samuel went to annoint one of the sonnes of ●shai for King of Israell passing by him whome the father made great account of he annointed Dauid which no man would haue thought So whome the worlde accounteth wise men GOD numbreth among fooles He whome the world reiected as an abiect was elected afore all to be a king He which hath a matter to be pleaded before a iudge of learning and integritie taketh it not too heauily though afore hee be condemned by an vnskilfull Iudge inasmuch as hee reposeth confidence in the sentence of that Iudge which is well seene in the lawes The men of this worlde like partiall and vnskilfull Iudges they iudged the pouertie of Th'apostles and the beggerly condition of the Martyrs but very foolishnes bnt the iudgement of God touching this matter is quite contrarie When it was said to S. Paul that much learning had made him mad he answered that he was not mad but spake the wordes of truth and sobernesse Hereby we may see that it is no newe thing for the worlde blindlie to iudge that which it knoweth not neither vnderstandeth meere foolishnesse But death will one day come when the seruantes of Christ will appeale vnto God the chiefe and vpright iudge who soundely and substantially will consider the cause and then will hee condemne the iudgement of the world as altoghether vniust hy his righteous and irreuocable sentence whereby he will reproue all that which was approued in the worlde If therefore thou bee reputed for a foole in the world bee not dismaid for so was Christ esteemed of Herod neither waigh the vaine iudgementes of men which shall euery of them shortly bee repealed and then true vertue and they which be truelie veruous shall shine most gloriously in the celestiall paradise CHAP. 34. The true wisedome is the wisedome of Christ. IF any man among you seeme to bee wise in this world let him bee a foole that he may be wise saith the Apostle It is true wisdome to become and to bee counted a foole for Christ his sake The wisdome of God which consisteth in true mortifying denying of a mans selfe is takē but for foolishnes among men The wise man saith I am more foolish than any man haue not the vnderstanding of a man in me The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light therefore the wise man said that hee had not the vnderstanding of a man yet had he the wisdome of God which is reputed foolishnesse of the world forasmuch as the wit of man cannot reach vnto

people of whom more profite shall you receiue at the length than at the first you would imagine CHAP. 29. The world must be despised in no worldly respects WHosoeuer shall forsake houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my Names sake hee shall receiue an hundred folde more and shal inherite euerlasting life saith the Lord Many do forsake great possessions which yet receiue no reward because they forsake not these thinges for Christ his sake but seeke themselues loue their owne glorie and couet the praise of men The more thou louest God the more acceptable is that whatsoeuer thou doest Though I feede the poore with all my goods and though I giue my bodie that I be burned and haue not loue it profiteth me nothing saith the Apostle Study thou onely to please God and let his loue onely mooue thee to serue him contemne this world not hoping for any temporall commoditie God he praised Iob and the Diuel replied againe Doth Iob feare God for nought The Diuel he denied not the workes of Iob but he argued vp In euery worke therefore let God be the cause and ende of the same if thou haue no purpose to worke in vaine CHAP. 30. Death is to be had in continunual remembrance WHatsoeuer thou takest in hand remember the ende and thou shalt neuer doe amisse saieth a wise man The remembrance of death it auaileth much to make vs to contemne this world Hee will easily despise all which hath in minde that he shall die Vnto Adam and his wife did the Lord God make coates of skinnes and clothed them that thereby they might haue in remembrance the sentence of death whereinto they were fallen through sinne Seeing thou with all mortall creatures art condemned to die the death and art still going the right way vnto the graue thou oughtest to giue thy selfe vnto continuall mortifying of thy selfe It is a soueraigne medicine for to refraine thy sensual and wicked appetites to haue death in remembrance whereby the bodie shal be turned into duste and ashes and eaten vp of wormes The cogitation of death it throweth water as it were into the fornace of our burning desires to quench them Death is the clocke by which wee set our life in order and the memory thereof doth choake vp much of that loue that wee doe beare vnto the world As Daniel by strawing of ashes in the flore discouered by the print of the feete the deceipt of the false Priestes of Babylon so doe thou cast in thy memorie the ashes whereinto thou shalt one day bee conuerted and thou shalt perceiue the deceiptes of the worlde the subtilty of the Diuel and the secrete tentations whereby the wicked spirits doe impugne thy soule O that these thinges were in thy minde howe purely should the life beleeue the things which dayly thou seest to happen before thy face Thinke that euery moment thou hearest that terrible trumpet resounding in thine eares Arise ye dead and come vnto iudgement The memorie of death in a good man it clenseth and purifieth all that passeth through it as a strainer clenseth all that liquor that is powred into it Driue not from thy mind the remembrance of death for it will detaine thee greatly from reuenging iniuries and from following the vanities of this world which as yet abide in thy minde and study to get the Christian virtues which highly doe please God and are profitable to man CHAP. 31. The houre of death is vncertaine WAtch for yee knowe neither the day nor the houre when the sonne of man will come saith our Sauiour Seeing death is so certaine and the time thereof so vncertaine we are continually to watch and to thinke that euerie day shall bee the last Many doe builde houses yet wot they not whether they shall inhabite them or no Many doe make prouision against the yeere to come which it may bee they shall neuer see They giue themselues to this life which is vncertaine and ouerpasse the ca●e of death which is most certaine Seeing then with such an earnest studie thou prouidest for vncertaine thinges why prouidest thou not against death which is of all most certaine It is not good to leaue the certaine for the vncertaine Man kn●weth no● his time sayeth the preacher but as the fishes which are taken in an euill net and as the birdes that are caught in the snare so are the children of men snared in the euil time when it falleth vpon them suddenly Why tariest thou longer vpon present things If a King of speciall fauour should giue thee one of the cities of his stingdome and should assigne thee a certaine houre to confirme his graunt wouldest thou not with all studie and diligence endeauour that that houre should not bee ouerslipt But now a farre more excellent and glorious city than any is in this world euen the celestial Ierusalem is promised vnto thee by the vnspeakeable magnificence of the King of Kinges The time of this life is giuen thee to attaine therein this blessed citie Leese not thy time therefore omit not a good opportunitie least thou leese that happinesse which thou so longest for The night commeth when no man can worke No man hath an houre sure of his life Therefore the time being so short and the promises so ample what a woonder is it that many can so idlely passe the time away in vanities and pastimes as though they had yet an hundred yeeres moe assured them to liue and looked for none other world after this life If for the getting of some temporal good thing thou art willing to breake thy sleepe to refraine from meate to absent thy selfe from many meetinges of pleasure and that onely to finish which is in thine handes least the occasion doe slip and thou wottest not when to haue the like againe why doest thou not take the like occasion now giuen thee of God for the attaining of that life which shall endure for euer Those fiue foolish virgins that suf●ered the time prae●ent unprofitably to passe-away and presumed of the time to come were deceiued of their vaine expectation Disire not a long but a good life nor many but good yeares Endeuor rather to liue well than long and seeke not onely to haue a good-will but adde thereunto good workes Many contenting themselues with a good intentes haue descended into the tormentes of hell Vncertaine is the houre of death which is a thing that should stirre vs vp vnto more watchfulnesse in our calling It were extreme foolishnesse for thee to liue in that state in which thou wouldest not that death should finde thee And see●ing this may fall out euery houre euen in reason it standeth thee vppon to liue well for little doe you knowe the houre when death wil summon you to answere for your life before the iudgement seate of God CHAP. 32. The houre of death is vnknow en because we

to continue in doing well least the curse of God come vppon vs as it did vppon the vnfruitfull figge tree CHAP. 33. Perseuerance in godlinesse is necessary HE that endureth to the end hee shal be saued saith Iesus Christ Many doe begine wel but few hold out it booteth not to hau begun except thou perseuere Take away perseuerance and neither vertue shal haue her rewarde nor a good worke a recompence The friendes of Iob they begann wel in that they not onely agreede together to come to lament with him and to comfort him but also in that seeing him they wept rent their garments sprinkled dust vppon their heades towarde heauen and sate by him vpon the ground seuen daies and seuen nightes mourning without speaking any worde because his grife was very great but they perseuered not in doing the duty of friendes and therefore they were rebuked and that deseruedly of the Lord The beginings of Saule were good but perseuering not in goodnesse he died an euill death If thou despise the vanity of the world thou shalt bepursued of worldly men Many haue renounced the worlde and because they looked back as did Lot his wife vnto Sodome they both in this life were and in the life to come shall euerlastingly bee tormented Endeuour thou to proceede in that good waye where-into thou art entered Be thou faithfull vnto death and I will giue thee a crowne of life saith God Vppon the skirtes of the cheefe Priests vesture there were made Pomgranets of blew silke and purple and Scarlet round about the skirtes thereof and bells of golde betweene them rounde about Of all fruites that growe onely the Pomgranet hath a crowne on the toppe the which being the rewarde of vertue is placed amonge good woorkes which are signified by the little belles of golde they are not set in the highest parte nor in the middest of the garment because they are not giuen vnto those either that beginne well or be in the midst of well dooing but they are set in the end or lowest part of the vesture because they onely shall receiue the crowne which perseuere in dooing their duties vnto the end The tree that is often remooued dooth seldome beare fruite or not so much as that which continueth in a good soyle and being well bent if thou change thy minde from one thing vnto another thou shalt neuer bring foorth the wholesome frute of Christianitie or not so much as the constant man By exercising of good workes and adding vertue vnto vertue the very habite of godlinesse is attained There is nothing better than God and therefore the seruice of God is not to be omitted for any thing in the world The talking of him that feareth God all wisedome as for a foole he changeth as the moone saith the wise man Be not moued with euery wind The foules they fell on the carkases which Abraham was to offer vnto the Lord and troubled the good man very much yet could they not make him to giue ouer his good worke but he droue them away If busie and importunate cares doe trouble thee being about to offer the sacrifice of praier and thankesgiuing vnto the Lorde yet let them not altogether discourage thee but driue them away as Abraham did the foules but let them neuer driue thee from that which is good What booteth it to take great things in hande vnlesse thou bring them vnto a good ende Consume not thy time in beginning to doe well for feare least death doe come vpon thee and finde thee idle and out of the right way A painted image of a man that is made sitting in a chaire giueth a show to the eie as though it would rise and stand vppe but it neuer standeth it seemeth as though it would goe but it neuer mooueth And so playeth many a man that is often determining to draw toward God but yet hee goeth not vnto him at all he maketh many profers of going and yet standeth stocke still Our Lord himselfe saith No man that putteth his hande to the plough and looketh backe is apt to the kingdome of God The foure beasts mentioned in the Reuelation they neuer ceased day nor night praising and magnifying him that sate vpon the thron no more shouldest thou doe The kine that were yoaked together and brought the Arke of the Lorde from the Philistines although they had young calues yet did they goe the straight way to Beth-shemesh and keept one path and lowed as they went and turned neither to the right hand nor to the left And since thou hast taken vpon thee to carry the yoake of our Lord and to beare on thy backe the burden of his most holy commaundementes thou must not goe out of thy way neither to the right hande nor to the left though thy sensuall appetites like young children doe drawe and call thee backe againe from the seruice of God Let the loue of God vanquish naturall affection and whatsoeuer the children of the worlde doe crie and say yet passe thou forwarde as one that hath neither eares nor mouth vntill thou come vnto Beth shemish the house of the Sonne euen vnto that light eternall and incomprehensible glorie where thou shalt see God euen as thou art now seeene CHAP. 34. Tentations cannot be auoided MY sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God stand fast in righteousnes feare preyare thy soule to tentation saith the wise man When thou art tempted feare not for being in the seruice of God thou hast weapons appointed to defend thy selfe with all Pharao the King of Egypt did more persecute the Israelites after they made sute to goe into the wildernesse to doe sacrifice vnto GOD than euer hee did afore So dealeth our aduersarie the Diuell with vs. He plagueth him with greater stormes of tentation that is about to forsake him and to giue his minde to serue God than him whom alreadie hee keepeth in his owne possession God hee suffereth thee to fall into tentation to the end he may see whether thou wilt perseuer in that which good is or no. But beware thou consent not vnto a wicked tentation Though that fire bee striken out of a flint by force of the steele yet if there bee no apt matter vnder it for the fire to take hold on it serueth to no purpose So though the Diuell with the steele of his tentation doe strike vpon the stone of thy sensualitie yet shall hee neuer strike any fire out of it that shall doe thee harme except thou ioyne the consent of thy will thereunto Vnlesse thou bee very circumspect thou shalt soone bee deceiued For some do come to you in sheeps clothing which inwardly be rauening wolues dissembling their naughtie purpose● of all tentations that is the soarest because vnder the showe of vertues they faine good will being vtter enimies The rouers on the sea doe carry in their shippe with