Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
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A06698
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A Christmas bankette garnyshed with many pleasaunt and deynty disshes, newely prepared by Theodore Basille
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Becon, Thomas, 1512-1567.
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1542
(1542)
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STC 1715; ESTC S101287
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37,712
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114
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And in dede synne may well be compared to a thorne or bramble For as the thorne breÌ„ble prycketh the body wouÌ„deth it greuouslye yea and bryngeth many tymes destruccion vpoÌ„ it except other wyse it be holpen so lykewyse synne moost greuously prycketh wouÌ„deth and vtterly destroyeth the soule excepte it be redemed by Gods mercye thorow Iesus Christ. THEO I thiÌ„ke this to be true PHIL. It therfore foloweth y t iÌ„ asmuch as all we are dead in Adam we are not able of oure selues to ryse agayne from death vnto lyfe And seyng that we are synners all that euer we do muste nedes be synne yea it is synne in dede deserueth euerlastynge death For as the scripture sayth The disposicioÌ„ and thought of maÌ„nes herte is prone to euel from his yonge age We are wicked chyldren a wicked seed We are that seed whiche was cursed froÌ„ the begynnyng We are lyke bruyte beastes We are carnall flesshely sould vnder synne We are vnprofitable seruauÌ„tes We all haue gone astray lyke shepe We all are Hypocrites wycked We are all lyers We all are vncleane all our ryghteousnesses as a cloth polluted with mensture All haue synned There is not one y â— dothe good no not one There is no man cleane from fylthynes no not the yonge chylde Ther is no man able to say my hert is cleane I am pure from sinne For our hartes are wicked and inâ—crutable We are not able to thynke a good thoughte All that euer we bryng forth is thornes braÌ„bles that is to saye synne vngodlines all abhominacion What are we nowe of oure selues I praye you tell me CHRI Very synners EVSE Yea and al that euer we do in AdaÌ„ of our own streÌ„gth is plaine synne and wickedness PHIL. I am glad that we haue learned what ye are of your selues by Adam I pray you what are ye able nowe to do for to saue your selues from this perel wherunto ye are fallen by Adam THEO Verely I can not tell EVSE Forsoth I thynke very lytle PHIL. Ye might right well haue sayde nothinge at all For I ensure you that ye beyng lefte vnto your selues can do none otherwise but synne faull headlyng into all kynde of mischefe Your wytte strength polecy imaginacion reason free wyll auayleth here nothynge to delyuer you from the captiuite of Satan He leadeth you as the mayster dothe his bonde slaue whyther soeuer it pleseth him as Christ witnesseth euery one that doth synne is the seruauÌ„t of synne Ye remember I am sure the storye of the wounded man in the Gospell of Luke which beyng dispoyled and robbed of all his clothes greuously wouÌ„ded laye styll halfe dead THEO I remeÌ„ber it very well PHIL. This wouÌ„ded maÌ„ signiâ—ieth euerye chylde of Adam The clothes signify fayth charïte iustice mercy such other vertues The theues are SataÌ„ and his aungels The woundes are synnes Haulfe deade is to be alyue in the flesshe slayne in the soule thorowe synne All this are we by AdaÌ„ And as this wouÌ„ded man could not be holpen of the Preste nor Leuyte vntyll the Samarytane came no more can we be holpen by ony creature or worke tyll christ coÌ„meth the true Samaritane We can not certes we can not helpe our seues but euen lye styll the stynkynge puddle of synne Loke in what case Satan leaueth vs in the verye same do we remayne excepte God of his mercy thorowe Christe helpeth vs. Neyther canfre e wyll nor all the wytte polecye that we haue profyte here any thynge tyll God indueth vs w t streÌ„gth from aboue For as S. Austen sayeth The nature of man all though it dyd remayne coÌ„tinue in that integryte purenes wherin it was made yet could it kepe it selfe by no meanes if the creator maker of it dyd not helpe Therfore seynge that w tout the grace of god it could not kepe the health that it receiued howe is it able to repare and get agayne that which it hath lost without y e grace of God Againe he saith free wyll sufficethe vnto euell but vnto good it auayleth lytle excepte it be holpen of that almyghty God Therfore is it well sayde of the Apostle God worketh in vs â—oth the wil the dede Hereto agreeth the sayeÌ„g of â—hrist As the vyne braunche can not beare fruyte excepte it abyde in the vine no more can ye except ye abyde in me I am the vyne ye are y â— braunches He that abideth in me I in him the same bryngethe for the much fruyte For without me ye caÌ„ do noâ—hyng If any maÌ„ abydeth not in me he is cast out as a braunche is wythered men gather theÌ„ cast theÌ„ into y â— fyre there burne Thus se ye what â—e are of youre selues by Adam that no strengthe ye haue ones to aspyre or breath towarde ony goodnes much lesse to do or work any good thynge excepte ye be holpen of God Ye se also howe full of sinnes diseases woundes sores botches canckers al y â— euer nought is ye are Ye se agayne how ye are not able of your selues to recouer youre innoceÌ„cy that ye lost by AdaÌ„ CHRI Alas what is now to be done THEO The rehersyng of these thynges maketh me very sadde PHIL. It shoulde rather make you very glad For as S. Hierome sayeth This is y â— true wysdome of a man to knowe hym selfe to be inperfecte as I maye so speake the perfeccioÌ„ of all righteous men in the flesshe is imperfecte Agayne he sayeth Than are ye righteous when we confesse oure selues synners our righteousnesse consisteth not of our owne merite but of the mercye of God as the holy scripture sayth the righteous maÌ„ is the accuser of himselfe in y â— begynnynge of his spech Therfore must ye coÌ„fesse your selues to be that in dede which ye are y â— is very synners yf ye wyll be set free from this miserable captiuite wher w t ye are nowe to muche wrapped and ouerwhemled EVSE We confesse y e same THEO We nowe knowledge y t of oureselues by AdaÌ„ we are nothynge but synners all that euer we do without the spirytâ— of god is playne sinne as S. Paule sayeth What soeuer is not of fayth is synne PHIL. Well seynge that ye haue so fruytfully digested the fyrst dysshe of your Banket nowe haue I a fyt place a conuenient tyme a good occasion to brynge vnto you the seconde dysshe as it followeth in order CHRI I praye you let vs tast of it THEO That thynge also do I desyre ¶ The seconde dysshe YOur second dysshe is coÌ„tayned in that same chap. wher in the fyrst is recited Therfore deuoure this w t no lesse gredy appetyte than ye haue done y â— other For this dysshe is much delicious very wholsome forthe vertuous preseruacioÌ„ of the soule I now brynge it for
thyrste more but the water which is gyuen hym shall be made in hym a well of water spryngynge vp into euerlastynge lyfe THEO Uerye godlye forsothâ— Youre dysshes also wante not speche PHIL. They reherse y e sayenge of christ in y e gos of IohnÌ„ Verely verely I saye vnto you excepte ye eate the flesâ—he of y e sonne of maÌ„ drinke his bloude ye haue no lyfe in you But he that eateth my flesshe drinketh my bloud hath eternall lyfe I wyll rayse hym vp at the last day For my flesshe is very meat and my bloud very drynke he that eteth my flesshe drinketh my bloud he dwelleth in me and I in him This puttethe vs in remembraunce when we eate oure meate of the breakynge of Christes moost blessed body and the sheddiÌ„g of his moost precious bloud by the remembrauÌ„ce of it y e beleuyng of the same our soules at that very present are no lâ—sse fed susteyned than oure bodyes are wyth the meate y t is brought vnto vs in these dysshes And this remembraunce of christes death maketh vs to be thaÌ„kfull vnto God the father to endeuour oure selues to lyue worthy his inestimable kyndnes in all poyntes to do oure diligence y â— God maye dwel in vs by his spiryte we iÌ„ him thorowe that fayth which worketh by charite EVSE Here is euery â—hiÌ„ge so godly pleasant y t it ouercoÌ„mech al prayse But seynge y t we haue begun to demaund of you these questions coÌ„cerning y e scriptures in your house we wyll go forth so to do tâ—usting y â— ye would not be greued with vs for so doynge PHIL. Brother Eusebius I am not only not greued w t you but also very gladde that these my deuices haue in ony poynte pleased youre mynde EVSE I praye you what is it that your chayres stooles haue carued on theÌ„ PHIL. A sayenge of Christe in the Reuelacion of Iohn To him that ouercoÌ„meth wyl I grauÌ„te to syt w t me in my throne CHRI A very swete sayenge But what meane you by this PHIL. It it not â—nknowen to you I am sure howe confortable a thyng it is for a wery body to syt to haue a restyng place CHRI Trueth what than PHIL. Certes it is a thousand tymes more coÌ„fortable to haue a place wheâ— body and soule after so many great daungerous conflictes in this miserable worlde maye quietly reste Therfore haue I written this teâ—tâ— on my chayres stooles to putte me myne in remembrance that yf we wyl fynd rest after this life we must seriously not dally but fyght w t Satan our enemy We may neuer giue place to the world the dyuel nor the flesshe but maynly resyst theÌ„ beyng clothed w t the armature of God and neuer leaue vntyll we haue gotten the victory of them all So shall we rest in the kyngedome of God or els not For the Scripture sayeth To hiÌ„ y t ouercoÌ„meth wyl I grauÌ„t to syt w t me â— my throne THEO What scripture I praye you haue ye wrytten here ouer your lauer PHIL. The sayenge of Esaye Be ye wasshed be ye cleane take awaye the euell of your thoughtes from my eies Here so oft as we wasshe our handes we are moued to remeÌ„ber with oure selues yf ony malyce or hate be in our hertes towarde our neyghbour If ther be ony at all we suffer not the Sonne to fall downe vpoÌ„ our anger but accordynge to Christes precepte we go streyght and reconcyle our selues to such as with whoÌ„e we are at debate or they with vs. Moreouer yf there be ony other vncleanesse or notable vyce in vs we streight put it aware oute of our hertes by true vnfayned repentauÌ„ce not only banysshe the vice from vs but also embrace y e vertue contrarye vnto the vyce as the scripture sayeth Declyne from euell do good I gayne cease to do euâ—ll and learne to do good By this meanes hath synne no dominion in vs but vertue very muche EVSE I woulde wysshe soner to come into this house theÌ„ into any place eyther of Emperour or kynge I count him to dwell in a fortunate yle y t dwelleth in a house so adourned garnisshed with the moost odiferous redolent swete smellynge floures of the holy scriptures THEO It semeth vnto me also that youre vyrginalles speake although no man playeth on theÌ„ PHIL. They saye thus The eye hath not sene nor the eare hathe not hearde neyther hath it entred into the harte of man that God hath prepared for theÌ„ that loue hym It maketh that though the sound of y t instrument which is but vayne and fedeth y e eare for a lytle whyle semeth pleasaunte ioyefull to the hearers for the tyme yet is that nothyng in coÌ„parison of the celestiall melodye heauenly ioye that God hath prepared for theÌ„ that loue hym Therefore are we here admonysshed not to delyghte in fantasticall instrumentes the pleasure wher of is more vayne than the smoke but in that melodye ioye whiche is perpetuall neuer decayeth so to institute our lyfe y t we maye be partakers of that vnspekable pleasaunce ioye CHRI The longer I behold the partes of youre house the more I am moued to meruayle seyng so rare spectacles ful of all vertue godlynes Your postes also salute your gestes so farre as I can perceyue PHIL. They expresse this sentence of S. Paule the teÌ„ple of God is holy which you are This putteth vs in remeÌ„braunce in what sâ—euer parte of the house we go that we should so kepe oure hertes cleane from the infeccion of mortal synne that God in them by his holy spirite myght dwel perpetuaâ—ly EVSE I praye you what two great tables haue you hangynge there openly PHIL. This is the table of the. xâ—commaundementes which teachethe vs what we oughte to do what to erchew The other is a table also whiche contayneth in it the offyces of al degrees and estates It teacheth vs whatte we owe to oure mooste noble Prince to oure parentes to al superioures In this table euery man from the hyghest degre to the lowest may lerne his offyce duety Therfore are these two tables redde euery daye openlye in my house my wife chyldreÌ„ w t al my seruauntes beyng called therunto geuynge atteÌ„daÌ„ce diligently to the readyng of y e same If any of my houshold transgresse any percel of gods law he is brought streight waye to these tables and by them is his faut declared vnto hâ—m So that here by he taketh an occasion to amende his lyfe to be y e more circumspecte ware that he falleth not agayne into y t synne afterward This is y e order of my house Other correccion thaÌ„ this vse I none Yet not w tstandyng I thanke my LORD God all do theyr duety so well that I caÌ„ not wysshe it to be done better THEO