Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	deny_v	teach_v	ungodliness_n	4,302	5	11.7286	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09809	The liues of Epaminondas, of Philip of Macedon, of Dionysius the Elder, and of Octauius Cæsar Augustus: collected out of good authors. Also the liues of nine excellent chieftaines of warre, taken out of Latine from Emylius Probus, by S.G. S. By whom also are added the liues of Plutarch and of Seneca: gathered together, disposed, and enriched as the others. And now translated into English by Sir Thomas North Knight	Nepos, Cornelius. Vitae excellentium imperatorum. English. Selections.; Goulart, Simon, 1543-1628.; North, Thomas, Sir, 1535-1601?	1602 (1602)	STC 20071; ESTC S111836	1,193,680	142

That the time past of our lives may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousnesse lusts excesse of wine revellings banquetings and abominable idolatries wherein they thinke it strange that you run not with th●m into the same excesse of riot speaking evill of you who shall giue an account to him who is ready to iudge both quicke and dead By Titus 2.11.12 The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly right●ously and godly in this present world By Ephes. 5.18 And be not drunke with wine wherein is excesse By Luke 21.34 Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overch●rged with surfetting a●d drunkennesse and cares of this world and that day come upon you at unawares by sundry such like Scriptures to this purpose which I have formerly quoted in another Treatise And likewise by the dangerous quality of these effeminating soule-destroying sinnes which are more pernicious to a Common-weale then pestilence or warre it selfe m●re fatall to mens soules and bodies then any Circean charme The Minor is most apparant First from the originall invention and dedication of Stage-playes which were first of all devised by a company of drunken Grecians in honor of their Devil-Idoll Bacchus the God of wine of drunkennesse and all excesse to whom Playes and Play-houses were consecrated at the first as Historians and Fathers certifie us Whence Tertullian stiles the Theater the house or temple of Bacchus because Stage-playes which were formerly stiled Liberalia were as Diodorus Siculus Isiodor Hispalensis and others record instituted by consecrated unto Bacchus the Idol the author of all intemperance If therefore their very inception were thus from drunkennesse and excesse their progresse questionlesse must bee such Secondly it is euident from the testimony the experience of former ages who not onely enumerate Stage-playes among the exc●sses the luxury both of the Greckes and Romanes as the Fathers and Authors in the margent testifie● but likewise make them the chiefe occasions of it Hence Chrysostome and Nazianzen stile the Play-house The Schoole of intemperance deboistnesse luxury and excesse Hence Salvian ioynes the Stage-playes epicuri●me and drunkennesse of the Romanes and those of Trevers both together making one the effect the companion of the other It is noted by Historians that Caligula Heliogobalus Nero Commodus Gallienus and other Roman Emperours who delighted most in Stage-playes were the most deboist luxurious dissolute ebrious of all others an infallible demonstration that Stage-playes are the occasion fewell and attendants of these sinnes It was the custome of the Pagan Greekes and Romanes in all their drunken riotous Feasts as it is now the usage of too many Christians to exhilerate themselves with Stage-playes of purpose to draw men on to drunkennesse luxury and more grosse intemperance Whence the Councell of Laodicea Can. 53.54 and the Councell of Aquisgrane under Lewes the godly prohibited Stage-playes at Christians marriage-Feasts and enioyned all Ministers not to be present at them but to arise and depart from such feasts before the Players entred that so they might prevent that riot that excesse which these theatricall Enterludes might occasion All which together with that of Plutarch who relates that all Stage-players were consecrated unto Bacchus as well as these their Stage-playes is a plenary ratification of my Minors truth to which our owne experience must subscribe For who more luxu●ious ebrious riotous or deboist then our assiduous Actors and Play-haunters Who greater Taverne Ale-house Tobacco-shop Hot-water house haunters c who greater stouter drinkers health-quaffers Epicures or good-fellowes then they What walke more usuall then from a Play-house to a Taverne to an Ale-house a Tobacco-shop or Hot-water Brothel-house or from these unto a Play-house where the Pot the Can the Tobacco-pipe are alwayes walking till the Play be ended from whence they returne to these their former haunts Many are the Ale-house more the Bacchanalian Taverne-meetings that are appointed concluded at the Play-house from which much drunkennes●e and excesse arise yea the Play-house is the common Randevouze where most such riotous Taverne conventicles are either motioned plotted or resolved on as our Play-haunters themselves confesse And is there not reason why it should be so Are not drunkennesse ioviality epicurisme luxury and profusenesse most rhetorically applauded most elegantly adorned in our Stage-playes with the sublimest Encomiums the most insinuating Panegyrickes the most amiable Titles that either art or eloquence can invent and doth not this adde spurs and fewell to many Yongsters lusts who to purchase the empty title of brave generous liberall and right ioviall Sparkes whom Players most applaud doe prodigally consume their Patrimonies their Pensions their time in Tavernes Ordinaries Tobacco-shops c. in ebrious luxurious meetings to their owne undoing their friends and Parents griefe Alas the pittifull complaints of sundry parents together with the testimony of our owne grave English Authors prove this to be too true Therefore we must needs abominate and reject all popular Stage-playes in respect of these their cursed fruits SCENA OCTAVA THe eight effect of Stage-playes is impudency immodesty and shamelesnesse yea even in sinfull things Whence this 34. Argument may be deduced That which banisheth all modesty al shamefacenesse and makes both Actors Spectators impudently shamelesse in committing sinne is questionlesse abominable and unlawfull unto Christians But this doe Stage-playes and Play-houses Therefore they are questionlesse abominable and unlawfull unto Christians My Major is irrefragable First because modesty and shamefastnesse are such graces such vertues as God himselfe requires of us in his Word and which the very Heathen much extoll They are the chiefest ornaments virtues guides supports and stay of Youth the Mothers the conservers of all other Christian or morrall vertues the onely curbs that restraine men from all sinne all lewdnesse and dishonest● whatsoever where these are once removed the whole practise of honesty and vertue will be quite extinguished Hee who hath lost these vertues is no better then a cast-away He who is past all shame is certainely past all grace past all recovery all amendment That therefore which banisheth these two restrayning vice-suppressing vertues in which not onely Christianity but even all common honesty civility and the publike safety doe subsist must needs bee abominable Secondly because impudency and shamelesnesse especially in committing sinne is almost the very highest degree of sinne yea they provoke God more to anger and draw a deeper guilt a more multiplied condemnation upon men then the sinne it selfe which they thus perpetrate They are infallible symptomes of a cauterized conscience an obdurate heart a reprobate sence of a man given wholy over unto sinne and Satan yea they

All which is a sufficient evidence that Stage-playes wholy indispose men to the true worship of God Salvian Bishop of Marselles is very copious in this theame We say writes he God hath forsaken us when in very deed we forsake God For suppose we that the Lord will respect us not deserving his favour let us see if he can Loe infinite thousands of Christians daily abide at the shewes of unseemely things Can God then favour such kinde of persons Can God cast his gracious countenance upon such as rage in Cirques and commit adultery in Theaters Or is this our meaning or d●e we thinke it meete that for as much as God seeth us in Cirques and Theaters that what things we see he beholdeth and what filthinesse we behold he seeth it also for company For one of these must needs be for if he vouchsafe to looke upon us it followes that he must behold all these things where we are or if which is most true he turne away his eyes from these things he must likewise turne away his countenance from us who are there And the case standing thus yet neverthelesse we doe these things which I have said and that without c●a●ing Or thinke we that God hath his Theaters and Cirques as had the gods of the Gentiles For thus did they in old teme because they were perswaded that their Idols delighted in them but how is it that we doe so who are certaine that our God detesteth them Or verily if we know that these abominations doe please God I will not gainsay but we may resort unto them continually But if it be in our conscience that God abhorreth that he detesteth that God is offe●ded as the Devill is fed by Theaters how say we that we worship God in the Church who alwayes serve the Devill in the obscenity of Playes and that wittingly and willingly out of deliberation and set purpose And what hope I pray you shall we have with God who not ignorantly or at unawares offend him but after the example of those Giants heretofore whom we read to have attempted Heaven with their mad endeavours and as it were to have marched forwards against the clouds So we through the iniuries which all the world over we continually commit doe as it were appugne Heaven with a common consent To Christ therefore O monstrous madnesse even to Christ doe we offer Cirques and Stage-playes yea and even then especially when as we receive any goodnesse from his hands when any prosperity is bestowed upon us by him or when as God hath given us any victory over our enemies And what else by this doe we shew our selves to doe but even to be like the man who is iniurious to the person who hath done him good who rayles upon him that speakes him faire or strikes him over the face with a sword that kisseth him For I aske the great and rich men of this world of what offence is that servant guilty which wisheth ill to a good and gracious Master which rayleth on him that deserveth well and rendreth dispitefull words for his good received without controversie all men will iudge him a most hainous offender who rendreth evill for good to him to whom indeed he might not render evill for evill Thus verily doe even we who are called Christians we stirre up a mercifull God against us by our uncleanesse we offend a gracious God by our filthinesse and we wound a loving God by our wickednesse To Christ therefore O monstrous madnesse even to Christ doe we offer Cirquers and Stage-players to Christ doe we render for his benefits the filthinesse of Th●●ters even to Christ doe we sacrifice the oblation of most base sports As though our Saviour who for us became man had taught us thus to doe As though he had preached this either by himselfe or by his Apostles As though that for this end he had taken upon him the shame of mans nativity and the contumelious beginnings of an earthly generation As though for this end he had layen in a manger at what time notwithstanding the very Angels ministred unto him As if for this purpose he would be swadled in ragges of cloth who did governe Heaven in his cloutes As though for this end he had hung upon the Crosse at whose hanging the whole world was astonished Who for your sakes saith the Apostle when he was rich became poore that yee through his poverty might be made rich And being saith he in the forme of God hee humbled himselfe to the death even the death of the Crosse. Even this did Christ teach us when he suffred these things for our sakes Well doe we requite his passion who receiving through his death redemption leade a most filthy life For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men saith blessed Paul and teacheth us that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the mighty God and of our Saviour Iesus Christ who gave himselfe for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquity and purifie us a peculiar people to himselfe zealous of good workes Where be they who doe these things for which the Apostle saith that Christ came where be they who flie desires of this world where be they which live godly and righteously that looke for this blessed hope by well doing and leading a pure life shewing thereby that they looke and long for the Kingdome of God where be such Our Lord Iesus Christ came saith he that he might purifie us a pecular people to himselfe zealous of good workes Where is that pure people that peculiar people that good people that people of holinesse Christ saith the Scripture suffred for us leaving us an ensample that wee should follow his steps And we follow the steps of our Saviour in Cirques and in Theaters as if our Saviour had left us such an example whom we read to have wept but that he laughed we never read And both these for our sakes because weeping is a pricking of the heart laughter a corruption of manners Therefore saith he Woe to you that laugh for yee shall waile and weepe And blessed are yee that weepe now for yee shall laugh But it is not enough for us to laugh and be merry unlesse we reioyce with sinne and madnesse unlesse our laughter be tempered with filthinesse and mixed with impiety What error I say is this or what folly Cannot we daily be merry and laugh unlesse we make our laughter and mirth to be wickednesse Or else thinke we simple mirth to be nothing worth and can we not laugh except we sinne What a mischiefe is this or what furie Let us laugh I pray you and be merry so we sinne not What foolishnesse nay madnesse is it to thinke mirth and ioy nothing worth unlesse