Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	child_n	lord_n	praise_v	2,690	5	9.7618	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02187	Newes from Italy of a second Moses or, the life of Galeacius Caracciolus the noble Marquesse of Vico Containing the story of his admirable conuersion from popery, and his forsaking of a rich marquessedome for the Gospels sake. Written first in Italian, thence translated into latin by reuerend Beza, and for the benefit of our people put into English: and now published by W. Crashavv ...; Historia della vita di Galeazzo Caracciolo. English	Balbani, Niccolo, d. 1587.; Crashaw, William, 1572-1626.	1608 (1608)	STC 1233; ESTC S100534	64,277	90

before they did and to set his mind about seeking out the truth of Religion and the way to true happinesse To this purpose he began to reade the Scriptures euery day being perswaded that truth of Religion and soundnesse of wisedome was to be drawen out of that fountaine and that the high way to heauen was thence to be sought And further all his acquaintance and familiarity did he turne into such company as out of whose life and conferences he was perswaded he might reape the fruit of godlinesse and pure Religion And thus farre in this short time had the Lord wrought with him by that Sermon as first to considerwith himself seriously whether he was right or no secondly to take vp an exercise continuall of reading Scripture thirdly to change his former company and make choice of better And this was done in the yeare one thousand fiue hundred fortie and one and in the foure and twentieth yeare of his age CHAP. IIII. Of the strange censures the world gaue of his conuersion and how the better sort reioyced at it BVt when this sudden alteration of this noble and yong Galeacius was seene and perceiued in Naples it can be scarce set downe how greatly it amazed his old companions which as yet cleaued to the world and to the affections of the flesh many of them able to render no cause of it could not tell what to say of it some iudged it but a melancholicke passion others thought it plaine follie and feared he would become simple and doting and that his wit began by some meanes to be empaired Thus euery one gaue his verdict and censure of him but all wondred and doubted what it would turne to But the better sort of men and such as feared God and had their mind enlightned with some knowledge of Religion as they wondred no lesse to see so great a change in so great a man so likewise they were surprized with exceeding ioy to see it for they were perswaded that God had some great and extraordinary work in it that a yong gallant a noble man of such wealth and honor as he was liuing in such delight and pleasures in so general a corruption of life both in court and countrey but especially this age nobility wealth and honour being ioyned with the wanton deliciousnes of the courtly life I say that such a man should bee indued with the spirit of holinesse and so farre affected with repentance as that he should contemne all those in respect of heauen they esteemed of it as it was indeed a rare matter and seldome seene in the world and therefore they greatly reioyced at it and praised the Lord on his behalfe Amongst those men that thus reioyced at his conuersion was one Marcus Antonius Flaminius a scholar of great name and an excellent Poet as his Paraphrase on the Psalmes and other very good Poems do sufficiently testifie Galeacius about this time receiued a letter from this Flaminius wherein he did congratulate and reioyce with him for the grace and gift of God which was besto wed on him in his conuersion This letter I thought good to insert into the bodie of this story as being worthy of no lesse to the end that it might be a witnes in times to come of the good opinion which such men had conceiued of him who knew the foundatiō of true Iustification thogh they were yet possessed with other errours as about the Sacraments and of the Masse c. which alas as yet they were not able to discerne of as after by the greater grace of God this Galeacius did The copy of the letter is this CHAP. V. Marcus Antonius Flaminius a great scholar in Italie writeth to Galeacius and congratulateth with him for his holy and happy change To the right honourable Galeacius Caracciolus RIght noble Lord when I consider seriously these words of Paul * Brethren you see your calling that not many noble not many wise according to the flesh not many mightie are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise and weake things to confound the mightie and base things in the world and things not accounted of and things that are not to bring to nought things that are When I say I consider of these words so often I admire at that rare blessing of God which he hath vouchsafed to you a noble and mighty man namely that he should grace you with that true and incomparable nobility which is attained by true faith in Christ Iesus and a holy life As much greater as this blessing is so much the more holy and sincere ought your life to be and so much the more vprightly are you to walke with your God lest that your thornes that is riches pleasures and honours should choke the seede of the Gospell which is sowne in you For this I am sure of that God hath begun some great worke in you which he will finish to the glory of his owne name and will bring to passe that as heretofore you had care so to liue a noble man amongst noble men that you might obserue the decorum and maintine the dignity of nobilitie so hereafter that you may employ your whole selfe in this that you may defend and vphold the honor dignity of the children of God whose duety it is to aime at the perfection of their father with al endeuors and in their life vpon the earth to resemble that holy heauenly life which they shal lead in the world to come Call to mind continually my good Lord in all your words and deedes that we are graced with this honour to be made the sonnes of God by Iesus Christ for that mediation will by the helpe of the holy Ghost worke this care in vs that we neuer commit any thing vnworthy of that holy name of Christ by which we are called And yet alas such is our estate as that if we do endeuour to please Christ we are sure to displease men and must bee content to contemne the vaine glory of the world that we may enioy heauenly and eternall glory with God for it is impossible as Christ saith for him to beleeue in God which seekes the honour and praise of men I meane of the men of this world which as the kingly Prophet saith are lighter and vainer then vanity it selfe And therefore their iudgement is little worth and lesse to be esteemed but rather the iudgement of God who seeth not all our actions onely but euen our most hidden thoughts and purposes Which being so were it not folly and madnesse to displease such a God to please so fond a world It were a shamefull thing if a wife should endeuour to please other men rather then her husband How much more then vnworthy is it if our soules should rather ayme to please the vaine world then their most holy spouse Christ Iesus If the onely sonne of God was content not only to be

reuiled yea and scourged but euen to die vpon the crosse as a cursed malefactor and all for vs why should not we much more beare patiently the taunts and mockes yea euen the slanders of Gods enemies Let vs therfore arme our selues as it were with a holy pride and in a sort scorne and laugh at their mockes and putting vpon vs mercy and pity as the feeling members of Christ let vs bewaile so great blindnesse in them and let vs intreat the Lord for them to pull them out of that palpable darknesse into his true and marueilous light lest Satan binde them to himselfe in his euerlasting prentishippe and so being his bondslanes and hired sworne seruants of his blacke guard doe send them out to persecute Iesus Christ in his members Which when they haue done all they can and all that the diuell their master can teach them though the diuell himselfe should burst with malice and they for anger grinde their teeth yet shall it all tend to the magnifying of Gods glory which they labour to obscure and to the furtherance of their saluation whom they so disdained yea to the increase of their glory in a better world whom in this world they thought worthy of nothing but of all disgrace And surely my most honourable Lord he that is possessed with the certaintie of this faith will without doubt make open warre with the corrupt affections of his owne nature and with all the world yea euen with the diuell himselfe and will not doubt but in time euen to ouercome them al. Therfore let vs humble our selues to our God and Father euerlasting that he would increase that saith in vs bring forth in vs those most blessed sweet fruits of faith in our harts liues which he vseth to work in them whom he hath elected that so our faith being fruitful of good works may appeare to be not a fained but a true faith not a dead but a liuing faith not a humane but a diuine worke in vs that so it may be to vs an infallible pledge of our saluation to come Let vs labour to shew our selues the legitimate and vndoubted children of God in seeking aboue all things that his most holy name may be sanctified in our selues and others and in imitating his admirable loue and gentlenesse which makes his sunne to shine on good and badde Let vs worship his heauenly Maiestie in spirit and truth and let vs yeeld vp the temple of our heartsto Christ Iesus as an acceptable sacrifice vnto him yea letvs shew our selues members of the heauenly high Priest Christ Iesus in sacificing to God our owne bodies and in crucifying the flesh with the affections and the lusts thereof that sinne being dead in vs the spirit of God may create in vs a spirituall life whereby Christ Iesus may liue in vs. Let vs die to sinne and die to our selues and to the world that we may liue blessedly to God and Christ Iesus yea let vs acknowledge and shew by our liues that we were once ●●ad but now are raised to the life of grace by the power of Christ Iesus Let our conuersation be heauenly though we liue on the earth let vs begin that life here which we hope to lead in heauen let the image of God shine bright in vs let vs disgrace and weare out the olde image of sinne and satan and labour to renue the image of Christ Iesus that all that see vs may acknowledge Gods image in vs. Which holy image of grace as it is beautifull and glorious in all Gods Saints so in you my good Lord it shall be so much more glorious in as much as you go before others in birth nobility honour and high place O what a pleasant sight is it to all true Christian men yea to the Angels yea how acceptable to the Lord himselfe to behold a man of your place and estate so farre to forget the world and denie himselfe so deepely to consider the frailty of his own nature and the vanity of all temporal things as to say with Christ I am a worms and no man and to crie out with Dauid turne thy face to me and haue mercy vpon me for I am desolate and poore O happy and true rich man which hath attained to this spirituall and heauenly pouerty and can giue a farewell to himselfe and the world and all things that he hath for Christs sake and can freely renounce and forsake carnall reason humane learning company and counsell of friends wealth honours lord shippes pleasures of all sorts delight of the court high places and preferments dignity and offices yea fauour of Princes yea his owneselfe How welcome shall he be to Christ which can denie all those for Christs sake Such a one may go for a foole in the world but he shal be of the Almighties counsell such a man knoweth that felicity consists not in any thing that this world can afford and therefore in the midst of all his wealth and abundance he crieth out to God as though he had nothing euen out of the feeling of his heart Giue vs this day our daily bread Such a man preferreth the rebuke of Christ before the honour of the world and the afflictions of Christs religion before the pleasures of the world and because hee despiseth all things in respect of Christ and his righteousnes and is possessed and grounded with Gods spirit therefore hee sings with true ioy of heart with the kingly Prophet The Lord is my shepheard therefore I can want nothing neither will I feare hunger or any outward thing he feeds me in greene pastures and leads me forth besides the water of comfort This man distrusts himselfe and all the creatures in the world that he may trust and cleaue onely to God neither aimes he at any pleasure any wisedome any honour any riches any credit or estimation but such as comes from God himselfe and therfore he professeth with the same Prophet I haue none in heauen but thee alone and none in the earth doe I desire but thee my slesh consumeth with longing after thee and thou Lord art my heritage and portion for euer He that spake thus was a wealthy and mighty King yet suffered he not the eyes ofhis mind to be blinded or dazled with the glittering glory of riches pleasures or honour or ought else that a kingdome could giue for he knew wel that they al came of God and were held vnder God and must all be vsed to his glory and that he that gaue them hath farre better things to giue his children And therefore that King and Prophet makes his heauenly proclamation before al his people Blessed art thou O Lord God our father for euer and euer thine O Lord is greatnes and power and glory and victory all that is in heauen and earth is thine thine is the kingdome Lord and thou excellest as head ouer all riches and honour come of thee and

thou art Lord of all in thy hand is power and strength honour and dignitis and kingdomes are in thy disposition therefore wee giue thee thankes O God and we extoll thy great and glorious name But who am I and what is my people that we should promise such things to thee For we are strangers before thee and soiourners as all our fathers were our daies are like a shadow vpon the earth and here is no abiding See how Dauid cannot content himselfe in abasing himselfe and extolling the Lord and in how many words his affections vtter themselues This was Dauids meditation and let this be your looking-glasse and into the looking-glasse of this meditation looke once a day and pray daily that God would still open your eyes to behold your owne vilenesse and his incomprehensible power and loue to yee that with King Dauid you may humble your selfe vnder the mighty hand of his Maiesty and acknowledge all power and glory to belong to God alone that so you may be made partaker of those heauenly graces which God bestoweth not on the proud and lofty but on the humble and meeke Remember that ordinance of the eternall God that saith Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches but let him that glorieth glorie in this in that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which doe mercy and iustice on earth for these things please me saith the Lord. Therefore my good Lord if you list to boast boast not as the world doth that you are rich or that you are of noble birth or that you are in fauour with the Emperour and other Princes or that you are heire apparant of a rich Marquesdome or that you haue married so noble a waman leaue this kind of boasting to them who haue their minds glued to the world and therefore haue no better things to boast on whose portion being here in this life they can looke for nothing in heauen But rather reioyce you in that you are entred into the kingdome of grace glory in this that the King of kings hath had mercy on you and hath drawen you out of the misty darkenesse of errors hath giuen you to feele his endlesse loue and mercy in Christ hath made you of the childe of wrath his owne sonne of a seruant to finne and the diuell an heire of heauen and of a bondslaue to hell a free denision of the heauenly Ierusalem and glory in this that euen Christ Iesus himselfe is giuen you and made your owne and with him all things else So that as Paul saith All are yours whether the world or life or death things present or things to come all are yours in and by Christ who is the onely felicity of our soules and therefore whosoeuer haue him haue with him all thing else This is the true glory and the sound boasting of Christianity for hereby is Gods mercy extolled and mans pride troden vnder foote by which a man trusting too much to himselfe rebelleth against God This glorious boasting makes vs humble euen in our highest honours modest and meeke in prosperity patient and quiet in aduersity in troubles strong and couragious gentle towards all men ioyfull in hope feruent in praier full of the loue of God but empty of all loue of our selues or ought in the world yea it makes vs Christs true beadsmen and his sworn seruants and maks vs yeelde vp our selues wholly to imitate and follow Christ and to esteeme all things else as fraile and vaine yea dung and drosse that we may winne him Right honourable and my good Lord you see that I am so willingly employed in this seruice of writing to your honour and in conferring with you of heauenly matters that I haue forgot my selfe or rather your honour in being so tedious which in the beginning I purposed not I am priuie to my selfe and of my owneignorance and guilty of mine owne insufficiency as being fitter to be a scholar then a teacher and to heare and learne my selfe rather then to teach others and therefore I craue pardon of your honour Farewell The most reuerend Embassadour desireth in his heart he had occasion to testifie indeede that true good will which in his soule he beares you In the meane time he salutes you so doth the illustrious Princesse of Piscarta her highnesse and all other the honourable personages which are with me all which reioyce for this good worke of God in you and in all kindnes do kisse your hands and they do all earnestly intreat the Lord for you that he that hath begun so great a worke in you would accomplish the same to the end and the richer you are in temporall goods in lands and lord shippes that he would make you so much the more poore in spirit that so your spirituall pouerty may doe that which your worldly riches and honour cannot namely bring you at last to the eternall and neuer fading riches of the world to come Amen Farewell From Viterbium Your honours most humbly addicted and most louing brother in Christ M. Antonius Flaminius CHAP. VI. Of the many temptations the diuell vsed to pull him backe as by his father his wife and by noble men of his acquaintance BY this and other holy meanes Galeacius was confirmed in the doctrine of the truth and went forward constantly in the course of Gods calling and the way of godlines But the more couragiously he went on the more fiercely the diuell raged against him by his temptations endeuouring thereby to hinder him in that happy course yea and if it were possible to driue him backe againe which course lie commonly takes against those who haue propounded to themselues to tame the rebellion of the slesh and to relinquish the vanities of the world And first of all this zealous course of his in Religion procured him an infinit number of mockes and made him subiect to most vile slanders yea made him incurre the hatred of a great number but especially did he herein displease vex his father as one that was not only of a contrary religion but one who onely intended the honour of his house and the aduancing of his posterity which in respect of Religion Galeacius cared not for at all and therefore he did often sharpely chide him and charged him with his fatherly authoritie to put away those melancholy conceits as hee termed them No doubt but this was most grieuous to him who alwaies was most submisse and obedient to his father But another griefe did more inwardly afflict him which was in respect of his wife Victoria Who though she was alwaies a most kind and dutifull wife as also very wise yet shee would by no meanes yeelde to this motion and change of Religion because she thought and feared it would breed infamy and reproch to her self and her house and therfore was continually working on him by all meanes and