Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	ascend_v	descend_v	ladder_n	1,837	5	11.6158	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16680	A spiritual spicerie containing sundrie sweet tractates of devotion and piety. By Ri. Brathwait, Esq.	Brathwaite, Richard, 1588?-1673.; Jacobus, de Gruytrode, fl. 1440-1475.	1638 (1638)	STC 3586; ESTC S106112	100,652	500

selfe-same soule And to the end thou maist more clearely understand these things I would have thee to know that the Source and Fountaine of all my sorrowes was that high and ineffable divine dispensation whereby it was forbid mee that the influence of my glorie and fruition thereof which were in the superiour faculties of my Soule should redound to the inferiour for otherwise shee had felt no sorrow But because this influence was by the divine dispensation prohibited mee therefore did I at once perfectly enjoy all joy according to the Superiour faculties and perfectly suffer and become most vehemently afflicted according to the Inferiour faculties And thus miraculously hath the power of my Father joyned anguish with greatest sweetnesse and highest power with lowest weaknesse Because that this influence prohibited me was altogether repugnant to the course of Nature For naturall it is and according to the course of Nature that the Superiour powers or faculties redound to the inferiour and the Inferiour have impression in the Superiour And by how much this Dispensation was more wonderfull by so much was my sorrow more sharpe and dolefull Thou art to know also that I kept my naturall strength during my Passion even to the point of death Whereby it followeth that my Passion was more dolorous Sinner Surely hee is worthy of death who refuseth to live to thee my LORD JESU who laidst down thy life for us Yea though alive yet he is dead who in the remembrance of thy most bitter continuall Passion and representation of thy Crucifying beareth not thy pricks in his body by sharpnesse of repentance and upon the altar of his heart crucifieth not himselfe for thee by making a Crosse for himselfe to represse carnall delights Christ. He that will come after mee let him deny himselfe and take up his Crosse dayly and follow me Sinner O Jesu the power of God and the wisdome of God give me the understanding of these words Christ. In these my words I have proposed three things to a reasonable man made to the Image of God to wit Servitude Lowlinesse Sharpnesse Servitude is implyed in denying himselfe Lowlinesse in bearing of my Crosse Sharpnesse in imitation of mee That hee who by disobedience fell from the state of a threefold felicity might rise againe by Obedience being humbled with the affliction of a threefold misery For he had fallen from himselfe from society of the Angels from the sight of God that is from Dignity Liberty Felicity Let him therefore heare my counsell that by denying himselfe that is his owne proper will hee may regaine his owne Liberty by taking up his Crosse that is by chusing to bee contemned and disvalued by others hee may regaine the Angels society By following me that is by imitating the steps of my Passion by chastising of his flesh he may regaine the sight of my glory Sinner Truly it is meet and right yea necessary that they suffer with thee who will reigne with thee that they imitate thee who will enjoy thee Christ. Happy is this sentence of thine owne mouth Happy yea three and fourefold happy is he who alwaies considereth how strait and narrow how bitter and sharpe the way is which leadeth to life when it behoued me to suffer that I might enter into my glory If I bought my owne glory at so high a rate Who shall have it altogether freely and for nothing Therefore there is no other way by which thou canst come to the heavenly reward but by labours and afflictions That Rich man who chastised not himselfe with labours of repentance in this world is now in eternall paine in hell But the Poore man with the dolour and labour of this miserable life hath purchased a crowne of eternall glory Sinner Woe is mee that I am allured with the sweetnesse of carnall delights and deceived with the vanity of secular joyes when as I ought to imitate thee whom I read to have oft sorrowed and lamented but once in Spirit to have rejoyced Mary thy Virgin-Mother once rejoyced in a So●g O how of●en hath the sword of sorrow gone thorow her Soule Iohn thy forerunner Paterne and Preacher of repentance rejoyced once in his mothers wombe but how often may wee well beleeve that hee lamented after his comming from her wombe Christ. When I hung upon the Crosse I promised Paradise to none but one that was upon the Crosse. Such are upon the Crosse who cruci●ie their flesh with the vices and concupiscences thereof Upon the Crosse also I prayed onely for such as sinned negligently not for such as sinned wittingly For so long as they are such sinners they are excluded from the embraces of me that was crucified who with hands spred upon the Crosse embraced all for whom I suffered If thou wilt therefore ascend after me and reigne in heaven with mee thou must follow mee by the way of the Crosse by which I have entred into my glory Look for no easier way in the way which I have gone before thee thou must follow For if thou stray from my steps thou shalt perish Attend diligently that thou maist know by what way thou maist ascend into Heaven At such time as I came into the World I descended by a Ladder that had three steps to wit of humility whence it is read of me Thou shalt finde the Babe of Poverty whence it followeth in the same place Wrapped in cloaths And of austerity as ensueth laid in a manger And by these steps I afterwards returned to heaven These steps mine excellent Apostle Paul intimateth writing thus of me He emptied himselfe behold the step of Poverty Taking vpon him the forme of a Servant behold the step of Humility becomming obedient even unto death behold the step of Austerity But whither hath this Ladder of three steps brought mee Heare what followeth For this cause therefore hath the Lord exalted him and given him a name which is above all names Fooles therefore and mad-men are they who would ascend up into heaven after me by a Ladder that hath steps contrary to these to wit by Richesse Delights and Honours Surely this Ladder leadeth to Hell as the first did to Heaven Sinner It is a great shame for the servant to bee feasting and idling while his Master is suffering and labouring Christ. Whosoever devoutly meditateth of this my Passion cannot but bee ashamed to follow the pleasure of the flesh The memory of my crucifying crucifie●h all vices In the paines of my Passion all the delights of the flesh and of the world are condemned which if thou wouldest subdue without difficulty thou must devoutly remember my Passion and sweetly delighting thy selfe in it sincerely cleave to my wounds yea if thou wouldst foile and resist the Devill who especially pursueth and persecuteth the religious and restraine him from annoying thee thou oughtest dayly and devoutly to remember my Passion But necessary it is that they imprint the example and fimilitude of

even that Sunne whereof it is said unto you that feare the Lord shall the Sunne of righteousnesse arise health shall be under his wings and whereof the proud and wicked shall say The light of righteousnesse hath not shined unto us and the Sunne of understanding rose not upon us Hee shall bee our Summer Now fruits in Winter time appeare not in the root Thou observest how dry Trees are in winter He that knows not the observation of these things prunes the dry Vine before the fruit come and perchance next Spring it becomes so dry as it brings forth neither flower nor fruit when it should come Both these are alike in winter this liveth that is dead But the life of this and the death of that are both in secret The Summer approacheth life appeareth in this death is discovered in that Beauty of leaves precedeth plenty of fruit succeedeth the Vine is attired with that beauty in her leafe which she retains in her root Therefore my Brethren we are now while we are here in our condition like other men Like as they are borne eat drinke live and are cloathed and so passe over their life even so the Saints Sometimes doe these things deceive men whence it is they say Behold since this man became a Christian did his head never ake Or now being a Christian enjoyes hee more than I doe O dry Vine Thou observest the Vine planted neere thee how naked it is in winter but never how dry it is by heat of summer The Lord our beauty will come who lay hid in the root and then will He exalt the horne of his people after this our captivity wherin we mortally live Whence it is that the Apostle saith Iudge nothing before the time untill the Lord come who will lighten things that are hid in darknesse and then shall everie man have praise of God But thou wilt say where is any root where is any fruit If thou beleevest thou knowest where thy root is For there it is where thy Faith is where thy Hope and Charity is Heare the Apostle for yee are dead They appeared as it were dead in winter Heare how they live And your life is hid saith he with Christ in God Behold where thou hast thy root When then shalt thou bee adorned with beauty When shalt thou be multiplied in fruit Heare what followeth When Christ which is our life shall appeare then shall yee also appeare with him in glory THE Soules Jubilee Gathered from Saint Augustine in his Tract Upon the 85. Psalme Upon these words Rejoyce the Soule of thy servant for unto thee ô Lord doe I lift up my Soule For thou Lord art good and mercifull of great kindnesse unto all them that call upon thee REjoyce the Soule of thy Servant Rejoyce her because unto thee do I raise her She was in earth and in earth shee felt bitternesse Now lest she should pine away through bitternes and so lose all thy gracious sweetnesse I have raised her up unto thee Rejoyce her with thee For thou onely art joyfulnesse the World is full of bitternesse Surely very rightly doth he exhort his members that they have their hearts on high Let them then heare it doe it let them lift that up unto heaven which is in an evill state while it is upon Earth For there the heart doth not corrupt if it be lifted up unto God If you have corne in low places lest it should corrupt you remove it higher doe you then seeke to prepare a place for your corne and will you suffer your heart to corrupt on Earth you remove your corne to an higher room lift up your heart unto heaven But how may I doe this will you say What Cords what Pulleis what Ladders are needfull These staires are thy affections thy way is thy will By loving thou ascendest by neglecting thou descendest Standing on Earth thou art in Heaven if thou love God For the heart is not lifted as the body is raised The body that it may be raised changeth her place but the heart that it may be roused changeth her will For unto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule for thou Lord art good and mercifull therefore rejoyce her As one wearied and tediously affected with the bitternesse of earthly things shee desires to bee sweetned and hath sought the fountaine of sweetnesse but could not find it on earth For what way soever she turned herselfe she found scandals tribulations feares tentations In what man living safe security Of whom certaine joy And if not of himselfe how much lesse from another For either men are evill and of necessity wee must suffer them yet hoping withall that they may be changed or they are good and so wee ought to love them yet fearing withall lest they become evill because they may be changed There the wickednesse of those begetteth bitternesse of soule here care and feare equally surprize us lest hee fall away from us who walked sometime uprightly among us What way soever then the heart shall turne her she findes bitternesse in earthly things shee has not wherewithall to sweeten her unlesse shee lift her selfe up unto God her Maker For thou Lord art good and mercifull What is this mercifull Thou supportest mee till thou perfectest me For truly my Brethren I will speak as a man unto men and of men Let every one bring hither his heart and behold himselfe without flattering and without glozing Nothing is foolisher than flattering seducing ones self Let every one then consider and see what and how many things are acted in mans heart and how for most part our very praiers are hindred by various thoughts so as our hearts will scarcely stand firme before God It desires so to enjoy it selfe that it may stand and in some sort it flyes from it selfe yet for all this it findes no lettices by which it may confine her thoughts or barres by which it may restraine her distractions and wandring motions and stand joyfully before her God Rare it is that a prayer should occurre devoutly fixt amongst so many prayers Now every one would say that what befalleth him befalleth not another unlesse we found in the Sacred Scripture of God that David in one place prayed and said O Lord I have found my heart that I may pray unto thee Hee said hee had found his heart as if it used sometimes to fly from him and he to pursue it as a fugitive and could not lay hold on it and to cry unto the Lord My heart hath forsaken me Therefore Brethren considering what hee here saith Thou art good and mercifull I conceive that for this cause he cals him a mercifull God for that hee suffereth these things in us and yet expecteth prayer from us that hee might perfect his good work in us And when we have given it him by offering our oblation of prayer unto him hee receiveth it freely and heareth it friendly