Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
life_n aaron_n beard_n ointment_n 105 3 9.5921 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A09741 The happines of a religious state diuided into three bookes. Written in Latin by Fa. Hierome Platus of the Societie of Iesus. And now translated into English.; De bono status religiosi. English Piatti, Girolamo, 1545-1591.; More, Henry, 1586-1661. 1632 (1632) STC 20001; ESTC S114787 847,382 644

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

comparison of it and loue it aboue health and beautie or if he haue not yet bought it wil esteeme any thing too pretious to bestow vpon it and not rather as S. Gregorie speaketh in this very subiect willingly forsake al that he loued among earthly things forgoing that which he had got distributing that which he had gathered togeather and thinking the beautie of earthly substance which pleased him before deformed in comparison of the luster of this pretious Margarite which now only shineth in his mind 8. Aegidius one of the first stones in the famous buildings of the order of S. Francis a man of so great sanctitie that when he heard the name of God or of Heauen he was wont to be presently transported out of himself is reported to haue made this amswer to one that asked his aduice whether it were best for him to enter into Religion Tel me sayd he if a poore man should come to know for certaine that in such a place there lay hidden a great treasure would he stand to aduise whether it were best for him to dig there or no The man answered No Then sayd he with how much more alacritie and readynes should men runne to the infinite Treasurie of God where only are the true eternal riches which the man vnderstanding went presently and sold al that he had and hauing giuen it among the poore entred into Religion 9. The same holy man being once demanded whether a man might remayne in fauour with God and liue in the world made answer that he might but he had rather haue one degree of grace in Religion then ten in the world because grace is easyly preserued and increased in Religion where a man liues sequestred from wordly troubles and tumults which are deadly enemies of the grace of God and moreouer is encouraged and egged on to vertue by his spiritual Brethren In the world Grace is easily lost because secular care which is the mother of distraction doth hinder and quite take away the sweetnes of grace and by their euil examples people prouoke one another to euil and withdraw one another from that which is good and as it were by force take a way the life of the soule and throw it headlong into euerlasting destruction so that without doubt it is much better to haue farre lesse grace so it be secured and assisted with so many helps to increase it as are in Religion then to haue farre greater grace with so euident danger as is in the world These are the very words of that holy man 10. Wherfore let vs conclude what we haue hitherto sayd and much more which might be sayd of the miserie of this world and of the greatnes of this treasure that is of the happines of a Religious life with the heauenly vision in which both these togeather were declared to S Anselme of whō we find recorded that being once in an extasis trāsported out of himself he saw a mightie swift Riuer which drew al the filth of the whole ca●●h into it self so that the water therof was most horribly fowle and stinking and besides it carried away with it whatsoeuer it met men and women poore and rich Which sight mouing him to great admiration and compassion he asked how those people liued and what was their sustenance and it was answered him that they dranke of that filth wherin they wallowed and tooke great pleasure therin miserable creatures as they were and withal the vision was declared thus vnto him That the Torrent was the world wherin people are blindly carried awaye with their riches and honours and vnlawful delights and though they be so infinitely miserable that they cannot temper themselues in any thing yet they esteeme themselues fortunate and happie men From thence he was carried into a large spatious seate walled round about and the wal● being al couered with beaten siluer made a most glorious shew within this inclosure he beheld a pleasant meddow ful growne with grasse of a strange nature for it was as siluer and yet grew and was soft and pliable so that when he sate downe vpon it it gaue vnder him and rose againe when he rise vp The ayre was most sweet and pleasant finally al things were so delicious in it that a man might think himselfe abundantly happy if he had no more but that And this he was told was a Religious life God shewing him by these similitudes that in the world al things are vile and loathsome fickle deadly and euer tending to destruction and contrariewise in Religion al things beautiful and pleasant finally bright and sumptuous as siluer THE SECOND BOOKE OF THE HAPPINES OF A RELIGIOVS STATE THE PREFACE That a Religious State is not only profitable but honourable BEhold how good and how pleasant it is to dwel Brethren in one As the oyntment in the head which descendeth vpon the beard of Aaron As the dew of Hermon which descendeth vpon mount Sion● because there our Lord hath commanded blessing and life for euer A great commendation of a sociable life a life lead in common togeather and great promises and rewards of Fraternal loue and coniunction set forth not by man but by the Holie-Ghost who cannot be mistaken in the weight of his prayses nor misse of the performance of what hee promiseth And both the prayses of this life and promises of the Holie-Ghost do so properly and apparently agree with a Religious State that no man can doubt but the Royal Prophet when he vttered this Prophetie had the frame and Idea therof before his eyes and beheld so long before the beautifulnes of this forme of life in the diuine light then communicated vnto him Which S. Basil deliuereth when speaking of Religious people and discoursing at large of their happines in conclusion he sayth that the Prophet Dauid in his Psalmes sung thus of them Behold how good and how pleasant it is to dwel Brethren in one Expressing the holines of their life by the word Good and the contentment and ioy which arriseth from so great concord and vnion by the word Pleasant And learned S. Augustin interpreting that Psalme teacheth no lesse making no doubt but that the whole Psalme was penned purposely of Religious people and declareth withal the great force which the Good and contentment heere described hath to work vpon mens minds These words of the Psalter sayth he this pleasant sound this sweet melodie both in the eare and in the vnderstanding begat Monasteries This sound awaked the Brethren who haue coueted to dwel in one This verse was their Trumpet it was heard ouer the whole earth and they that were before diuided were gathered togeather Thus spake S. Augustin and very truly 2. For first the name of Brethren doth so fully expresse that which passeth in a Religious Community that there could not be a word deuised to signify the thing more liuely because as Brothers they haue one
and the same Father one and the same Mother al receaue the spiritual life which they lead from one God by the seed of the Holie Ghost sowen in their harts and are conceaued in one and the same wombe of their Mother Religion begot not by vertue thereof but by the vertue of God as I sayd and Religion feeds them al with one milke nurturing them and bringing them to perfection 〈…〉 true and natural Children Though to the Prophets mind the name of Brethren did not sufficiently declare the vnion which is betwixt them that are linked togeather by so ●●reight a bond and therfore he added that they dwel in one that is are al one togeather which is so true of Religious people that it is in a manner proper to them alone For as the same S. Augustine obserueth they liue ●o togeather that they are al as it were but one man and that which is written in the Acts is verified of them One soule and one hart Many bodies but not many harts Which vnity is the more to be esteemed because it is not grounded vpon neernes of place but vpon spirit and consequently distance of place doth not diuide it because as Cassian speaketh the Cohabitation of manners and not of places ioyneth the Brethren togeather in the eyes of God And as the dwelling in one house auayleth little where there is not agreement of minds and conditions so the distance of place hindereth not where minds and affections consort togeather Wherfore with great reason the sweetnes and profitablenes of this life is compared to an Oyntment and to dew And to no ordinarie Oyntment but to the oyntment which was vsed vpon Priests an oyntment most fragrant and odoriferous and consecrating them to God vpon whom it was wont to bee powred To giue vs to vnderstand that they who enter vpon a Religious course and meete togeather in this brotherly society are consecrated to God and consecrated as Priests themselues being a daily Sacrifice and offering to the Diuine Maiesty euery day many Sacrifices and oblations of themselues No wonder therfore it from so great perfection of vertue such aboundance of sweet odours doe issue as to replenish the whole house of God which is the Church and to make Religious people themselues both amiable and admirable to al and as the Apostle speaketh and odour of life to life to many others inflaming them with loue of the like vertue and perfection 3. Moreouer as the Priestly oyntment was so perfectly good and fragrant because it was compounded of many odoriferous ingredients so as I haue sayd more at large elswhere the beauty and benefit of Religious people is the greater because the vertue and sanctity of many doth meete togeather In which respect S. Basil comparing a solitary life with a life lead in company of others preferreth this because as he speaketh that Good and Pleasant thing to wit the cohabitation of Brethren in the same house which the holy Ghost compareth to the fragrant oyntment running downe from the head of the high Priest can haue no place in the single habitation of one man alone The sweetnes of which oyntment doth not remayne in the head only but descendeth to the very skirt of the garment which S. Augustin doth learnedly as al other things interpret to be either the latter tymes in regard that so great excellency of vertue was reserued to the fulnes of the Ghospel or perfection itself because as the garment ends in the skirt so sayth he they are perfect who know how to dwel togeather they are perfect who fulfil the law 4. Now as the Odoriferous sent of that oyntment expresseth the pleasantnes of this course so the similitude of the dew declareth the profit of it For as dew is engendred in the ayre by the heat of the S●nne and cooleth the selfsame heat and giueth contentment by the freshnes which it hath so this heauenly spirit wherof we speak comming only from heauen falleth vpon them that forsaking earthly things are inflamed which the sole loue of God and cooleth in them al loue of things inferiour and extinguisheth the vnqui●t heat of concupiscence And it falleth not as a suddaine shewre of rayne with great noyse and violence but like dew so smal as no man perceaues it but he that hath it and he that hath it doth not only find pleasure in the temper of the inferiour heates which possesse vs but profit by the fruitfulnes and plenty of good workes bestowed vpon him 5. And this dew is not promised indifferently to al but to the high and craggy hils of Hermon and Sion which signifie Religious soules raised aboue al earthly thinges and contemning the world as inferiour and base and no riuer can ouerflow them that is they are not taken with delight of any of the transitory things which they haue forsaken These hils stand in need of the freshnes of this heauenly dew and if it may be said to be due to any it is due to them to the end that hauing before hand in this life a tast of that future happines which we al expect they may be the more inflamed with the loue and desire therof Wherefore in this state thus improued and mended by the dew distilling from aboue thus sweetned and softned with the fragrancy of diuine oyntments with great reason hath God commaunded blessing and life for euer that is not any temporal or short life or blessing but a blessing and life eternal and neuer fading For here is great measure of the true knowledg of God which as our Sauiour telleth vs is our true life Heere the word of God soundes continually in our eares which word is spirit and life Heere we loue our brethren by which we know as S. Iohn speaketh that wee are translated from death to life 6. But al are not lead by profit many rather set little by the poynt of profit and ayme at honour and preferment that which S. Bernard saith prouing very true Al of vs are desirous to ascend al couet to be exalted we are noble creatures and carry a high mind and therefore naturally desire highnes Wherefore seeing God hath made so great account of a Religious state as to enrich it so many other wayes he cannot be thought to haue left it bare of honour and suffered it to be in glorious and contemptible rather it is certaine that eyther there is no worth at al in the spiritual workes of God which were madnes to think or if there be any in his other workes most of al in a Religious state as in one of the chiefest and rarest of al his workes For where as the Maiesty of vertue is so great that though there were nothing els to commend it this maiesty alone would make it shine like a light in the midst of darknes Religion being the proper seat and kingdome of vertue must needes partake of the same splendour and