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
A72216	The second booke of the dialogues of S. Gregorie the Greate the first pope of that name containing the life and miracles of our Holie father S. Benedict. To which is adioined the fule of the same holie patriarche translated into the Englishe tonge by C.F. priest & monke of the same order.; Dialogi. Part 2. English	Gregory I, Pope, ca. 540-604.; Batt, Antonie.; Fursdon, John, d. 1638.; Gregory I, Pope, ca. 540-604. Short treatise touching the confraternitie of the scapular of St. Benedicts order.	1638 (1638)	STC 12350.5; ESTC S125237	72,895	252

our Lord saith From the hearing of the eare he hath obeyed me And to Superiours and teachers he saith He who heareth you heareth me Therefore such persons as these leauing presently all their owne occasions and forsakeing their owne will casting out of their hands and leauing imperfect what they were about with the speedy foot of obedience follow with deeds the voice of the commander And as it were in one moment the command of the ●aister and the perfect worke of the sciple in the feare of God goe both ●ntly together and are speedely effe●●ed by those who thirst after life euersting These take the narrow way of ●hich our Lord saith Narrow is the ●ay which leadeth to life not liuing ac●●rding to their owne will or following ●●eir owne desiers and pleasures but ●●ing in monasteries and hauing an Ab●ot ouer them walking according to ●s directions commandes With out ●oubt such as these imitate that sentence ●f our Lord where he saith I came ●ot to doe my owne will but the will of ●●m who sent me And This obedience ●ill thē be acceptable to God and plea●●ng to men if that which is comman●ed be done not fearefully slowly ●oldly or with murmuration or with an ●●swer she wing vnwillingnes Because ●e obedience which is giuen to sueriours is giuen to God who hath ●id He who heareth you heareth me ●nd it ought to be done of the disciples ●ith a good will because God loueth a chearfull giuer If the disciple obey with an ill will and shall murmur no● onely in words but also in his hart though he fulfill what is commande● him it will not be acceptable before God who considereth the hart of th● murmurer And for such a worke h● shall not get reward but rather in curreth the penalty of murmurers if he doe not amend and make satisfaction Of Silence CHAP. VI. LEt vs doe according to the sayeing of the Prophet I haue said I will keepe my wayes that I offend not in my tongue I haue been watch full oue● my mouth I haue held my peace and humbled my selfe and been silent from speaking good thinges If ' therfore some times according to this saying o● the Prophet for silence sake we are to abstaine from good talke how much more ought we to refraine for the guilt and penalty of sinne from euill words Therfore for the grauity of silence let leaue of speaking seldome begiuen euen to perfect disciples though of good and holy matters and tending to edification Because it is written In much speaking thou shalt not eschew sinne And in another place Death and life in the hands of the tongue For it behoueth a maister to speake and teach and it beseemeth a disciple to holde his peace and heare Therfore if any thing be to be asked of the Priour let it be done with all humility subiection and ' reuerence that they may not seeme to speake more then is necessary But scurrilities or idle words and such as moue laughter we vtterly condemne and forbid in all places And doe not permitt a disciple to open his mouth to such speeches Of Humility CHAP. VII THe holy scripture cryeth to vs brethren saying Euery one who exalteth himselfe shall be hūbled and he who humbleth himselfe shall be exalted Hereby declaring vnto vs that all exaltation is a kinde of pride which the Prophet sheweth how carefully he auoyded saying Lord my hart is not exalted neither are my eyes lifted vp neither haue I walked in great things nor in wonders aboue my selfe But what If I did not thinke humbly but haue exalted my soule As a child weaned from his mother soe wilt thou reward my soule Wherfore brethren if we will attaine to true humility and will speedily come to that heauenly exaltation to which we ascēd by the humility of this present life by our ascending actions that ladder is to be set vp which appeared to Iacob in his sleepe where he saw Angels descending and ascending That descēt and ascent signifieth nothing else but that wee descēd by exalting our selues and ascend by humbling our selues And this ladder thus erected is our life here in this world which by humility of hart is lifted vp to heauen by our Lord And the sydes of this ladder we vnderstande to be our body and soule in which the diuine maiesty hath placed diuers degrees of humility discipline to be ascended The first degree of Humility THe first degree of humility is to haue always the feare of God before his eyes and not to forgett himselfe But to be still mindefull of all thinges that God hath commanded to remember that such as contemne God ●all into hell for their sinnes and that ●uerlasting life is prepared for such as feate him And soe to keepe himselfe from all sinne vice of thought word eyes hands feet and proper will and soe speedely cut of all fleshly desiers Let him thinke himselfe to be always beheld from heauen of God and all his actions wheresoeuer he be to ly open to his diuine sight and to be presented to God euery howre by his Angells The Prophet declareth this when he saith God to be allways present to our thoughts in these words God searcheth the hart and reynes And Our Lord knoweth the thoughts of men that they are vaine And againe Thou hast vnderstoode my thoughts a fare of The thought of man shall confesse to thee Let therfore the humble brother that he may be carefull to auoid euill thoughts allways saie in his hart Then shall I be with out spott before him if I shall keepe me from my iniquity The scripture alsoe forbiddeth vs to doe our owne will saying Leaue thy owne will desire And besides we begge of God in our daily praier that his will may be done in vs. We are taught therefore with good reason to take heede of doing our owne will the scripture saying There are wayes which seeme right to mē the end where of plungeth euē into the deepe pitt of hell And againe speaking of negligent persous They are corrupted and made abominable in their pleasures And in the desiers of the flesh wee ought to beleeue God to be alwayes present to vs according to that of the Prophet speaking to our Lord Before thee is all my desire Let vs then take heed of ill desires because death is neare to the entrance of delight where vpon the scripture commandeth Follow not thy concupiscences If therefore the eyes of our Lord behold both good bad and our Lord always lookes downe from heauen vpon the sonnes of men to see who is vnder standing or seekeing God and that our workes are by our Angells Guardians daye night told to our Lord and maker We must always take heed Brethren least as the Prophet in the Psalme saieth God sometymes behold vs declining to euill become vnprofitable and though he spare vs for the present because he is mercifull and expecteth our conuersion and

motions of the flesh yet could not obtaine it To this purpose I must tell you à passage concerning the venerable Father Benedict that there was some thing he desired and was not able to accomplish His sister Scholastica who was consecrated to God from her very childehood vsed to come once à yeare to see him vnto whom the man of God was wont to goe to à house not far frō the gate with in the possession of the Monastery Thither she came one day according to her custome and her venerable brother like wise with his disciples where after they had spent the whole day in the prayse of God and pious discourses the night drawing on they tooke their refection together As they were yet setting at table and protracting the time with holy conference the vertuous and Religious virgin his sister began to importune him saying I beseech you good Brother leaue me not this night that we may entertaine ourselues vntill next morning in discourses of the ioyes of heauen To whom he answered What is this you say sister by no meanes can I stay out of my Monastery At this time the sky was very cleare and not à cloud was to be seene in the ayre The holy Nunne therefore hearing her Brothers deniall layed her hands vpon the table fast closed together and vpon them inclined her head to make her prayer to Allmighty God As she raysed vp her head againe from the table on à suddain beganne such vehement lightning and thunder with such aboundance of raine that neither venerable Benedict nor his Brethren were able to put foote out of doores For the holy virgin when she leaned her head on her hands powred forth à flood of teares vpon the table by which she changed the faire weather into foule and rainy For immediately followed that inundation of waters and such was the coherence with her prayers and the storme that as she lifted vp her head the cracke of thunder was heard as if the raysing vp of her head and the bringing downe these floodes of raine had concurred in one and the same instant The holy man perceiuing that by reason of thunder and lightning with continuall showres of raine he could not possibly retourne was in great anguish of mind and said vnto her God Allmighty forgiue you sister what is this you haue done she repleyed I made my request to you you would not heare me I prayed to Allmighty God and you see he hath granted it Now therefore if you can goe forth to the Monastery and leaue me But he not able to retourne was forced to stay against his will Thus it so fell out that they spent the night in watching and receiued full content in spirituall discourse of heauenly matters By this it appeares as I said before that the holy man desired some thing which he could not obtaine For if we consider the intent of the venerable Father without quaestion he would haue had the faire weather to continue in which he came forth But it pleased Allmighty God by meanes of à woman miraculously to cause the contrary And noe wonder if at that time à woman were more powerfull then he considering she had à long desire to see him and therefore sith as St. Iohn affirmeth God is charity with good reason she was more powerfull who loued more Peter I Grant it and am wonderfully taken with your discourse How St. Benedict saw the soule of his sister in forme of à doue CHAP. XXXIV THe next day the holy and Religious virgin went home to her cloister and the man of God to his Monastery Three dayes after standing in his cell he saw the blessed soule of his sister depart out of the body and informe of à doue ascend and enter into the caelestiall mansions Wherefore with ioy congratulating her heauenly glory he gaue thankes to God in hymnes and prayses and straight wayes certified his Brethren of her departure whom he forth with sent to bring her body to the Monastery and caused it to be buryed in the same tombe that he had praepared for himselfe To the end their bodies might not be separated by death whose mindes were alwayes vnited with God How the whole world was represented before his eyes And of the soule of German Bishop of Capua CHAP. XXXV AN other time Seruandus Deacō and Abbot of that Monastery which was built by Liberius sometime à senatour in the country of Campania vsed often to visit him for being also illuminated with grace and heauenly doctrine he repaired diuers times to the Monastery that they might mutually communicate one to an other the wordes of life and at least with sighes and longing desires taiste of that sweet food of the caelestial country whose perfect fruition they were not as yet permitted to enioy And now the time of rest being come venerable Benedict went vp to the hygher roome of the tower and Seruandus had his lodging in the lower from which there was an open passage to ascend to the hygher and ouer against the said tower was à large building in which the disciples of both reposed while as yet the Monkes were at rest the seruant of God Benedict riseing before to the night office stood at the window and made his prayer to Allmighty God about midnight when suddainely he looked forth and saw à light glancing from aboue so bright resplendent that it not onely dispersed the darkenes of the night but shined more cleare then the day it selfe This was à merueilous strange vision for as he afterwardes related the whole world compacted as it were together was represented to his eyes in one ray or sunne beame As the venerable Father had his eyes fixed vpon this glorious lustre he beheld the soule of Germanus Bishop of Capua caryed by Angels to Heauen in a fiery globe Then for the testimony of so great à miracle with à lowd voice he called vpon Seruandus the Deacon twise or thrice by his name who much astonished thereat came vp looked forth and saw à litle streame of the light then disapearing at the sight wereof he was strooke into great admiration and the man of God after he had related to him the whole passage sent presently to Theoprobus à Religious man in the castle of Cassine willing him to goe the same night to Capua and enquire what had happened to the Bishop Germanus And it fell out so that he who was sent found the most Reuerend Bishop Germanus dead inquiring more exactely he learned that his departure was the very same moment in which the man of God had seene him ascend Peter THis was à strange and admirable passage but whereas you said the whole world was at one view represented to his sight as I neuer experienced the like so I cannot imagine how or in what manner this was possible that the whole vniuerse should be seene at once and by one man Gregory TAke this Peter for an assured verity that to à

soule that beholdeth the Creatour all creatures appeare but narrow for should we partake neuer so litle of the light of the Creatour what soeuer is created would seeme very litle because the soule is enlarged by this beatificall vision and so delated in the Diuine perfections that it far transcendes the world and it selfe also The soule thus raptin the light of God is in her interiour lifted vp and enabled aboue it selfe and while thus eleuated it contemplates it selfe it easely comprehendet how litle that is which before it was not able to conceiue So the Blessed man who in the tower saw that fiery globe with the Angels retourning to heauen could not possibly haue beheld these things but onely in the light of God What wonder then if he saw the world at one view who was in mind exalted aboue the world But whereas I said that the whole world compacted as it were together was represented to his eyes it is not meant that heauen and earth were streigtened by contraction but that the mind of the beholder was dilated which raysed to the sight of Allmighty God might easely see all things beneath him It followeth therefore that the exteriour light which appeared to his senses proceeded from an inward illumination of mind by which he was eleuated to hygher misteries taught how meanely these inferior things are to be esteemed Peter I Blame not now my ignorance which hath bin the occasion of so large and profitable discourse But since you haue clearely explicated these things vnto me I pray goe forward with your discourse How St. Benedict wrote à Rule for his Monkes CHAP. XXXVI I Would willingly Peter relate more concerning this holy father but that I must of purpose omit many things to speake of the acts of others onely this I would not haue you to be ignorant of that the man of God amongst so many miracles where with he shined to the world was also very eminent for his doctrine for he wrote à Rule for Monkes as cleare in stille as excellent for discretion And if any man desire to know more exactely the life and conuersation of this holy Father he may there behold it as in à mirrour for the Blessed man could not possibly teach otherwise then he liued How he prophetically foretold his death to his Brethren CHAP. XXXVII THe same yeare in which he departed out of this life he foretold the day of his death to some of his Disciples who conuersed with him and to others who were far of giueing strict charge to those who were present to keepe in silence what they had heard and declaring to the absent by what signe they should know when his soule departed out of his body Six dayes before his departure he caused his graue to be opened and immediately after he fell into à feuour by the violēce where of his strength began to decay and the infirmity dayly encreasing the sixt-day he caused his Disciples to carie him in to the oratorie Where he armed himselfe with the pretious body bloode of our sauiour then supporting his weake limbes by the armes of his Disciples he stood vp his handes lifted towards heauen and with wordes of prayer breathed forth his holy soule The very same day two of his Disciples the one liueing in the Monastery the other in à place far remote had à reuelation in one and the selfe same manner For they beheld à glorious way spred with pretious garments and enlightned with innumerable lampes stretching directly eastward from his cell vp to heauen A man of à venerable aspect stood aboue and asked them whose way that was but they professing they knew not This saith he is the way by which the beloued of God Benedict ascended Thus as the Disciples who were present saw the departure of the holy man so also those who were absent vnderstood it by this signe foretold them He was buryed in the oratorie of St. Iohn Baptist which himselfe had built vpon the ruines of Apolloes altar In the caue also in which he formerly liued euen to this day miracles are wrought vpon such as repaire thither with true faith How à madde woman was cured in St. Benedict his caue CHAP. XXXVIII FOr very lately happened this which I now relate A certaine woman bereft of reason and altogeather distracted in her senses runne madde ouer mountaines and vallies through woodes and plaines day and night neuer resting but when she was forced for wearie somenesse to ly downe one day as she ranged thus madly vp and downe she light vpon the caue of Blessed Benedict and by chance entred and remained there The next morning she came out as sound and perfect in her senses as if she neuer had bin out of them and from that time remained all her life in health and quiet of mind which she there recouered Peter VVHat should be the reason that we experience euen in the patronages of martyrs that they doe not bestow so great fauours by their bodies as by some of their reliques yea and doe greater miracles where their bodyes are not at least not whole and entyre Gregory VVHere the bodyes of holy Martyrs lye no doubt Peter but there they are able to shew many miracles as they doe For to such as haue recourse vnto them with pure intention they shew many marueilous fauours But in regard weake soules may doubt whether they be present to heare them or no in such places where men know their whole bodyes are not it is necessary for confirmation of their presence to shew more miracles were the weake of faith may haue occasion to doubt But they who doe stedfastly beleeue in God encrease their merit in that although theire bodyes lye not there yet they assure themselues to be heard by them Wherefore Trueth it selfe to encrease the faith of his Disciples said vnto them if I goe not the Paraclete shall not come to you For where as it is vndoubtedly certaine that the Holy Ghost the comforter alwayes proceedeth from the father and the sonne why doth God the sonne say he will goe from them that the Paraclete may come who neuer departeth from the sonne But because the Disciples conuersing with our Lord in flesh did desire alwayes to behold him with their corporall eyes it was rightly said vnto them vnlesse I goe away the Paraclete shall not come As if he had said plainely If I withdrawe not my bodily presence I doe not shew you the loue of the soule and vnlesse you cease to see mee carnally you shall neuer learne to loue me spiritually Peter YOu say well Gregory NOw let vs rest a while that by silence we may be the better enabled for further conference if we intend to prosecute the miracles of other Saints The ende of the second booke of the life of St. Benedict FINIS The approbation of the Rule giuen by St. Gregorie the great I Gregorie Prelat of the holy Roman sea wrote the life of Blessed Benedict I