Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	angel_n	descend_v	ladder_n	1,870	5	11.7110	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13641	Texeda retextus: or The Spanish monke his bill of diuorce against the Church of Rome together with other remarkable occurrances.; Hispanus conversus. English	Tejeda, Fernando de, fl. 1623.	1623 (1623)	STC 23923; ESTC S118367	21,226	44

TEXEDA Retextus OR THE SPANISH MONKE His Bill of Diuorce against the Church of ROME Together with other remarkable Occurrances IMMOTA LONDON Printed by T.S. for Robert Mylbourne and are to be sold at his Shop at the great South dore of Pauls 1623. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND worthy Knight Sir Edward Conway one of his Maiesties most Honourable Priuie Councell and his Maiesties SECRETARIE SIR THe sinne of Ingratitude hath euer beene ranked by men of ingenious and liberall education in the first place amongst the of-scouring and scum of vices whose iudgement and opinion herein I professe I alwaies approued To wipe off then and cleare my selfe from the aspersion of this foule enormitie I haue on aduised deliberation presumed to consecrate and offer vp vnto your memorie this small Treatise concerning my vnfained conuersion vnto Christ as a pledge and token of my thankefulnesse for many benefits and fauours plentifully conferred on me For your most eminent and conspicuous vertues whereof I oft haue had experience especially your wisedome bountifulnesse courtesie your feruent zeale to the reformed religion and pietie which so attend and guard your person that you can hardly be seuered or abstracted from them promise and assure me that this small Treatise giuen and consecrated on the Altar of an honest and sincere heart will be most gratefull and acceptable to your Honour Your Honours most humbly deuoted Ferdinando Texeda through the mercy of God a Conuerted Spaniard V.D.M. To the Christian Reader SAint Ierome relating Iacobs Vision Epist ad Ager 11. in which he saw Angels ascending and descending on a Ladder reaching from the earth to heauen gathers these profitable and comfortable lessons from thence That no man should despaire of grace to recouer him from sinne for Iacob saw Angels ascending nor yet any presume of his owne strength for Iacob saw Angels descending as well as ascending his owne words are Videbat scalam per quam ascendebant Angeli et descendebant vt nec peccator desperet salutem nec iustus de sua virtute fecurus sit The Church of Christ in this respect resembles the Sea which what it looseth in one place it alwaies gaines in another And therefore let no weake Christian be scandalized at the reuolt of so many now a dayes to Popish errors and superstitions For the spirit speaketh expresly That in the latter times 1 Tim. 4.1 some shall depart from the faith giuing heed to seducing Spirits and doctrines of Diuels yea that many shall follow their pernitious waies by reason of whom the way of truth shall be euill spoken of 2 Pet. 2.2 When therefore we see the truth of these Prophecies fulfilled in the falling away of many from the truth euen this their falling away from the truth ought to confirme vs in the truth the rather because wee finde by experience that the Apples that fall from the tree with the least shog De simplicitate praelatorum or smallest puffe of winde are rotten at the core This was Saint Cyprians obseruation long agoe Nemo aestimet bonos de Ecclesia posse discedere triticum non rapit ventus nec arborem solidâ radice fundatam procella subuertit inanes paleae tempestate iactantur inualidae arbores turbinis incursione euertuntur Let no man imagine that good men can depart from the Church The winde blowes not away the Corne neither doth a storme throw downe a tree that hath sure rooting in the earth it is but light chaffe which the winde scattereth abroad and they are but hollow and rotten trees which are ouerturned with a blustring winde And Saint Austen and Saint Gregory make good this obseruation of Saint Cyprian by excluding all those from the number of Christs Disciples and the true Sonnes of God whose reuolt and apostacie euidently proues their hypocrisie Saint Austen speakes definitiuely Decorrept et 〈◊〉 9. Qui non habent perseuerantiam sicut non verè discipuli Christi ita nec verè filij dei fuerunt etiam quando esse videbantur et ita vocabantur Those who perseuer not in the truth as they were neuer the true Disciples of Christ so neither were they euer truely the Children of God no not when they seemed so to be and were so called also And Saint Gregory is as peremptory It may trouble saith he a weake Christian Moralium in ob l. 34. cap. 13. that this Leuiathan hath such power vt aurum hoc est viros sanctitatis claritate fulgentes quasi lutum sibi vitijs inquinandum subijciat That he can trample Gold vnder his feete like dirt that is men shining with a bright lustre of sanctitie by defiling them with viciousnesse Sed citiùs respondemus quia aurum quod prauis Diaboli persuasionibus sterni sicut lutum potuerit aurum ante oculos dei nunquam fuit et qui seduci quandoque non reuersuri possunt quasi habitū sanctitatisante oculos hominū videantur amittere sed eam ante oculos dei nunquam habuerunt But we readily answere That that gold which by the wicked perswasions of the Diuell could be thus trodden vnder foot by him like dirt was neuer gold in the sight of God and whosoeuer may so be led away from the true Church that they neuer returne thither backe againe well they may seeme to lose an habit and shew of sanctitie before men but the truth is in the eyes of God they were neuer indued with any sanctitie at all If this suffice not to keepe the weake from stumbling at this rocke of offence I meane the Apostacie of seeming Saints and reuolt of outward professors of the truth let them consider in the last place that this losse of the Church if it be any is in some measure repaired by the daily accesse of new conuerts Not to goe farre for instances at this present for an Italian Apostata we haue a Spanish Conuert for a loose Bishop we haue a strict Augustine Monke the former lately left Christ to follow his preferments in the Court of Antichrist the latter hath left all his hope of preferments in this world and stript himselfe of all his temporall meanes to follow Christ naked whose solid motiues set downe in this short and pithy relation if thou weigh diligently thou canst not but afford this treatise a like commendation to that which Homer giues Diomedes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A little Man but a great Souldier For thou shalt finde in it arrowes taken out of the Romish Quiuer drawne to the head against the Romish faith besides diuers rarities touching the fopperies and ridiculous superstitions of that Church There are not many leaues in this Treatise but there is much fruit yet this is but a tast The Author hath furnished already a Table richly with such kinde of fruit to which he wil shortly inuite thee In the meane while let this stay thy stomacke and if any thing herein please thy appetite blesse God for the Author if