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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	holy_a	lord_n	praise_v	4,460	5	9.6294	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08952	A rule of good life: written by the mellifluous doctor S. Bernard (monke and abbot of the holie order of S. Benet) especiallie for virgins, and other religious woemen; and may profitably be read likewise by all others, that aspire to Christian perfection. Faithfully translated into English by the R. Father Antonie Batt, monke of the holie order afore-said, of the Congregation of England; Modus bene vivendi. English	Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 91-1153.; Batt, Antonie.	1633 (1633)	STC 1923; ESTC S113802	137,346	537

eate the labours of thy hands blessed art thou and it shall be well with thee Psa 127. If at any time you cease from reading you ought to worke that you may be neuer idle because idlenes is the enemie of the soule The diuel quickly deceiueth him whome he findeth idle the diuel daily entreth into the monasterie and if he find any one idle he accuseth him without delay O spouse of Christ haue a care least whē the diuel entreth into the cloister ād searcheth into the actiō● of euerie sister he find not some thing whereof to accuse you in particular For this cause I admonish you my most deare sister in Christ that for the loue of Christ Iesus your beloued bridegroome you be not idle at any time I entreat you that you will declare the loue which you beare to Christ to your companions not onely by your wordes but also by your acctions Wherevpon the bridegroome to wit Christ doth entreat his spouse that is a deuout soule in the Canticles saying * Put me as a seale vpō thy heart as a seale vpon thy arme Cant. 8. In our heart are cogitations in our armes actions The beloued therefore is put as a seale vpon the heart and vpon the arme of his spouse because it appeareth both by the will and action how much he is beloued of a deuout soule for that the loue of God is neuer idle For if it be loue it worketh great matters but if it worketh not it is no loue I entre at you therefore venerable virgin that you loue God with a sincere affection and for the loue of him be alwayes doing some thing If you loue God truly you will neuer be idle if you loue God as you ought you will abhorre idlenes for his sake if you loue God vnfainedly idlenes will seeme teadious vnto you He that loueth God with his whole will doth for the loue of him loath to be idle The kingdome of God will not be giuen to the followers of idlenes but to such as are diligent in our Lords seruice The kingdome of God will not be giuen to such as gad or wander vp and downe but to such as labour for the loue of God according to their vocation They that are slow and tepid in doing good shall haue no place in the kingdome of God Lasciuiousnes doth soone deceiue such as are addicted to idlenes lasciuiousnes doth soone deceiue him that doth gad vp and downe lasciuiousnes doth enflame him worst of all that it findeth idle Lust yeeldeth to labour giueth back to trauaile retireth from such as refuse to be idle A man by labour oftentimes vanquisheth lust because the bodie being wearied with labour doth not delight in lewdnes Wherefore am●able sister in Christ beware of idlenes Do not loue to be idle but tire your bodie with trauaile Be alwayes doing some thing that is good seeke some profitable worke in which the intention of your mind may be busied Let God at all times be the scope or end of your actions and intentions Amen Of the psalmes and hymnes CHAPT LII MOst deare sister when you sing the Psalmes and hymnes in the sight of God consider that in your mind which you sing with your voyce Let your mind agree with your voyce let it sing in tune with your tongue in the quire do not thinke one thing and sing an other If your mind sing one thing and your voyce an other you loose the fruict of your labour If your bodie stand in the Church and your mind wander abroad then doubtles you will loose your reward Wherevpon it is said by the Prophet Isay * This people honoureth me with their lippes but their heart is farre from me For as the Apostle saith I will pray in the spirit I will pray also in the vnderstan●●ng I will sing in the spirit I will sing also in the vnderstanding 1. Cor. 14. It is therefore good to praise God at all times with the vnd rstanding It is also good to glorifie God with the sound of the voyce with hymnes and Psalmes and spiritual songs Like as we are ayded by prayers so we are recreated by singing the psalmes The singing of spiritual sonnetts doth comfort heauie hearts The singing in the Church doth reioyce mens minds it delighteth such as are discontent causeth such as are carelesse to become diligent enuiteth sinners to weepe and lament for albeit the hearts of worldly men are neuer so much void of remorce yet assoone as they heare ●he sweetnes of the psalmes they are conuerted to the loue of goodnes There are iue●se who through the sweetnes of the psalmes are moued to compunction and sorrow for their sinnes P●●yer onely in this life is powred forth for the forg●uenes of sinnes but the singing of the psalme doth signifie the perp●tual praise of God in eternal happines as it is written * Blessed are they that dwell in thy house ô Lord for euer and euer they shall praise thee Psal 83. Whosoeuer doth faithfully and attentiuely sing the psalmes doth in a manner become consederate with the holy Angells How so what is the reason Because man according to his measure praiseth him heere on earth whome the Angells without intermission do adore and glorifie in heauen The singing of the psalmes at some times stirreth vs vp to teares and compunction at other times it enuiteth vs to prayer and deuotion The Psalmes make the night vigills to become pleasant vnto vs enuiting vs to praise God in this wise * Reio●ce ye iust in our Lord praysing b●commeth the righteous Psal 32. The Psalmes denounce vnto vs the fir●● howe● of the day with exultation of light by saying * O God saue me in thy name and in thy strength iudge me Psal 53. The psalmes do consecrate vnto vs the third hower of the day when they say * And let thy mercie come vpon me ô Lord thy saluation according to thy worde Psal 118. The psalmes do make vs glad at the sixt hower in the breaking of bread The psalmes do breake our fast at the ninth hower of the day and satiat our heart● with spiritual sweetnes and suauitie The psalmes do commend vs to God at the hower of vespers or euensong by saying in this wise Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight the eleuation of my handes as euen ng sacrifice Psal 140. The psalmes do admonish vs to blesse our Lord at Complyne saying * Loe now b●esse our Lord all ye the seruants of our Lord. Psal 133. My beloued sister in Christ I would haue you to be alwayes mind full that God is much delighted with the musique of a sacred soule By affection loue and deuotion of heart sing psalmes hymnes and spiritual canticles to God Wherevpon the bridegroome to wit Christ doth admonish his spouse to wit the Church or a deuout soule in the Canticles saying * Shew me thy face let thy voyce sound in mine eares for thy voyce is sweet and thy face

great a sacrament For he that eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth and drinketh iudgement to himselfe to wit the cause of his damnation Wherevpon blessed Isidorus likewise saith They that liue lewdly in the Church and cease not to communicate thinking that by this communion they may be cleansed from their sinnes let such men know t●at this doth nothing helpe to their cleāsing according as the Prophet testifieth saying * What is it that my beloued hath in my house done much wickednes shall the holy flesh take away frō thee thy malices Ier. 11. He therefore that will receiue ●he bodie of Christ must first endeauour to remaine in the faith and loue of Christ Hence it is that our Lord saith in the Gospell * He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him Io. 6. As if he should say He remaineth in me who fullfilleth my will by liuing vertuously For otherwise vnlesse he first remaine in me by faith and good works and I in him he cannot eate my flesh nor drinke my blood What is it then which men eate Behold all do often receiue the sacrament of the altar yet one doth spiritually eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood and an other not but onely the sacrament that is Christs bodie vnder the sacrament and not the substance of the sacrament This Sacrament is called the proper bodie of C●rist borne of the Virg●n but the spiritual substance is the flesh of Christ A good man therefore receiueth the sacrament and the substance of the sacrament but a bad man for that he eareth vnworthily eateth and drinketh as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 11. iudgement to himselfe not prouing himselfe first nor discerning the bodie of our Lord What then doth the sinner eate and what doth he drinke Certaynely not the flesh and blood spiritually to his saluation but iudgement to his damnation although h● seeme with the re● to receiue the sacrament of the altar One therfore receiueth the bodie of our Lord to hi● saluation an other to his damnation He that with Iudas the traytor receiueth the bodie of our Lord with Iudas is condēned he that with Peter and the rest of the faithfull receiueth the same deuoutly faithfully is doubtles with Peter and th● rest of the Apostles sanctified in Christs bodie Li●●en therefore ô spou●e of Crhist to the wordes of S. Augustine He that with a c● ast bodie and cleane heart with a pure conscience and deuout mind doth approach to this communion of the altar shall arriue to that altar which is Christ in heauen before the eies of God by a happie transmigration Amiable sister in Christ hearken I pray you to the wisdome of the serpent The serpent when he meaneth to goe to drinke before he commeth to the fountaine vomitteth vp all his poyson Do you therefore most deare sister imitate the serpent in this point that before you come to the fountaine that is to the communion of the bodie and blood of our Lord Iesus Christ you vomit vp out of your heart all poyson to wit hatred anger malice enuie euill will and peruerse cogitations Forgiue also all your fellowes and all your neighbours in whatsoeuer they haue offended that your offences may be ●●kewise forgiuen you by God euen as our Lord himselfe saith * Forgiue and you shall be forgiuen Luc. 6. If therefore you shall doe all these things as I haue said you may approach to the liuing fountaine that is to Christ who is the fountaine of all good things Furthermore he saith of himselfe * I am the liuing bread which came downe from heauen Io. 6. Of this bread Dauid saith in the Psalmes * Man did eate the bread of Angells Psal 77. for otherwise that bread albeit it came from heauen and drinke for that it was corporal was not food fit for Angells but that bread and drinke which was prefigured by this Howbeit Christ is the bread of Angells and this sacrament is his true flesh and true blood which sacrament man doth spiritually eate and drinke And by this whereby the Angells liue in heauen by the same man liueth heere on earth because all is spiritual and diuine in that which a mā receiueth ●ut as the Apostle saith Some haue eaten the same spiritual food and yet are dead so likewise now in the Church the bodie of our Lord is life to some but to others it is a paine and the punishment of sinne The bodie of our Lord without all doubt is life to those to whome Christ is life but to those it is death who through sinne and ignorance and negligence are the members of the diuel Wherefore most louing sister in Christ I admonish you that when you receiue the bodie of our Lord you vnderstand an other thing by your taste then you feele by your smell Heare likewise ô honest virgin what the Priest saith at the consecration of the bodie of Christ We entreat saith he that this oblation may be made blessed by which we may be blessed Inrolled by which we all may be inrolled in heauen Ratified by which we may be nūbered in the bowells of Christ Reasonable by which we may be freed from a bestial vnderstanding And that thou wilt vouchsafe to make it acceptable that we likewise sithence we are displeasing to our selues may become acceptable in his onely begottē ōne Christ Iesus Wherefore most vertuous Virgin as we haue said alreadie Christ in himselfe feedeth the holy Angells in heauen Christ also in h●mselfe refresheth the faithfull heere on earth Christ by hope satiateth the holy Angells in the heauēly countrie Christ by faith feedeth vs heere on earth least we faint in the way Christ refresheth Angells and men of himselfe and yet remaineth whole in himselfe O how good is that bread and how full of admiration of which the Angells are satiated in heauē men are refreshed heere on earth He on whome the Angells feede to the full in the heauenly countrie is mans foode heere on earth according to the measure of his imbecillitie and this as I haue said alreadie lea●t he faint in the way Christ t e liuing bread who is the Angells refection is himselfe likewise mans redemption medicine Now therefore most deare sister desire our Lord with all instancie that he will cleanse your conscience from all malice and enuie that so you may be able worthily to receiue the mysterie of the bodie and blood of Christ Iesus our Lord. Amen Of our thoughts or cogitations CHAPT XXIX MOst deare sister listen what our Lord doth say by the mou●h of the Prophet Isay * Take away the euill of your cogitations from mine eies Isai 1. Although a man cease from doing amisse yet if he haue euill cogitations in his heart he is not altogither guiltlesse Wherevpon blessed Indorus saith We do not onely offend in our actions but also in our cogitatiōs if we take delight when they vnlawfully occurre to our remēbrance For as a

friend but with bad men haue no familiaritie or freindship Because according to the saying o● S. Ambrose The life of holy men ought to be a rule of good life vnto others For he that keepeth company with a holy man will thereby learne both to spe●ke and doe that which is good to the end that his mind may from day to day be enflamed in the loue of God He is not much to be commended that is good with those t●at are good but he is truly worthy to be praised who is good with such as are bad Verily that man is exceeding lau●able that is good euen among such as are euill Like as he is to be blamed that is bad among such as are good so he is to be praised that is good among those that are bad The wordes of su●h as feare God are the wordes of life and healh of soule to such a● follow and aff●●t them Euen as the sunne rising doth expell darknes so the doctrine of the Saincts doth driue away the darknes of vice from our senses Wherevpon the Prophet Da●id saied With the holy thou shal be holy and with the peruerse thou shalt be peruerted Ps 17. Wherefore deare sister in Christ if you desire to liue well flie the company of such as are euill Auoid such as are euil beware of the wick●d flie such as are addicted to lewdnes despise those that loue lasinesse Flie the company of men especial●y of the younger sort that are prone to sinne conuerse neither with those that are light in their cōuersation nor with those t●at are foo● sh vaine Keepe company wit● those that are good desire the societie of such as are vertuous let such be your indiuidual companions such I meane as are most rema●ka●le for their holyn●s If you be companion ●f the●r conuersation you will 〈…〉 par●ner of their vertu● an perfect●on He that walketh with who men ●s w●se● he that walketh with fool●s ●s fool sh For birdes of a fear he● are went ●o flo●k togither and l●ke to like quoth the 〈◊〉 to the coll●ar It i● a perillous thing to liue with those that are euill it is a pe●nitious thing to conuerse w●th su h as are of a perue●●e will It is better to be hate● o● bad men then to be their companion Like as the conuersing and liuing togither of good men doth containe many comoditie● so the societie of bad men doth cause many inconueniences For he th●t toucheth that w●ich is vncleane shall be polluted and he that toucheth that which is filthy shall be defiled Wherefo●e venerable sister if you w ll will●ngly hearken to my wordes and accomplish them in effect you shall be reckoned among Gods elect That a virgin ought not to receiue letters or tokens in secret CHAPT LXI MOst deare sister heare what I say The handmaid of Christ that receiueth letters or token● in secret doth contrarie to the rule of our most holy Father S. Bennet Chapt. 54. Shee that receiueth letters or any other guift from men committeth no small offense or sinne because shee doth contrarie to the custome and constitutions of religion Shee doeth verie ill who in respect of guifts and commodities temporal feareth not to transgresse her most holy rule A Nunne or religious woman that desiret● to enter to the marriage with Christ her celestial bridegroome must not giue handkerchiefes combe pointes looking glasses or garters to men Shee that expecteth Christ with her lampe burning must not receiue secular guifts from men to wit combes looking-glasses and other such like things Shee that for the loue of Christ liueth veiled ought not to receiue from her friends the vaine guifts of the world Shee that for the loue of God hath taken ● sacred veile vpon her head doth commit no smal o●●●nce if shee receiue 〈◊〉 guift from her 〈◊〉 ●s or kinred A ●elig●ous woman that is delighted and ●eceiued with such toyes and trifles of ●h●s life sheweth heereby that shee is 〈◊〉 ●igh● housewife Wh●●●vpon S. Hierome saith Holy lou●●llow●●h not o● letters of loue or complements or of hand-kerchiefs o● o●●requen● tokens or presents As 〈◊〉 he sh●ul● say If there were a holy 〈…〉 lou● in the 〈◊〉 of a religious woman sh●e woul● not accept vaine and superfluous guift from men A N●n●e 〈…〉 ●ha●● and religious mind doth no● desire to receiue gui●t from her secular friends but fro Christ for whose sake shee hath forsaken and contemned all temporall thing what commodities soeuer shee doth couet shee ought to couet from him onely with whome shee hopeth to reioyce in the heauenly countrie A chast woman coueteth not the contentments of the earth but of heau●n By how much the more shee is delighted in the guifts of this world by so mu h the more shee is estranged and remoued from the loue of God If religious woemen doe the same in the monasterie which secular woemen are wont to doe in the world they are doubtlesse verie culpable before God for so doing and here is no difference betweene secular and religious woemen But if there be no d●fference betweene secular and relig●ous woemē it is like that their conditions a●e both one Ergo if N●nne receiue presents and pleasant guifts from their friends according to the custome of harlots where is their honestie where is their religiositie where is their chastitie where is their puritie where is their holinesse If religious woemen who by their good workes ought to please God please their worldly friends in that which is amisse by g●uing them lasciuious guifts where is shamefastnes where is continencie where is reuerēce where i● bash●ulnes In like manner if rel●gious woemen do more desire to please worldly men then Christ the eternal King in heauen where is the obse●uance of religion where is the austeritie of monastical discipline where is the feruour of contemplation where is cleannes of mind where is contrition of heart and compunction where is the solicitude of prayer and deuot●on where is sighing and groaning in fine where in the habit and behau●our of a Nunne If religious woemen are delighted in gu●fts like vnto worldly people where is the contempt of the world where the feare of hell where is the remembrance of iudgement and of those eternal torments where is the loue of God If religious woemen couet vaine guifts and presents where is the memorie of their faults where are the teares of their eies where is the remembrance of their sinnes and iniquities All such vertues and holy exercises are by such wenches as these esteemed more base then the verie dust of the earth they are contemned despised and accounted nothing worth Verily a religious woman that receiueth any thing from men in which shee may be delighted seemeth to hate her holy order and habit Shee that taketh greater pleasure in the guifts and presents of her friends then in the precepts of her holy order violateth those good purposes which shee made at her first entrance into the cloister