Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	book_n	dead_a	open_v	5,415	5	9.9361	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04483	A viewe of a seditious bul sent into Englande, from Pius Quintus Bishop of Rome, anno. 1569. Taken by the reuerende Father in God, Iohn Iewel, late Bishop of Salisburie. Wherevnto is added a short treatise of the holy Scriptures. Both which he deliuered in diuers sermons in his cathedral church of Salisburie, anno. 1570	Jewel, John, 1522-1571.; Garbrand, John, 1542-1589.	1582 (1582)	STC 14614; ESTC S107782	85,989	232

down from heauen to consume hys sacrifice Here may you sée an Asse open his mouth and speak reproue his Maister thrée seruants of God walk in a hot burning fornace without hurte Daniel in the den among Lions and not deuoured Peter in the raging Sea and not drowned Leapres clensed the lame to goe the dumbe to speake the deafe to heare the blinde to sée the dead to rise out of theyr graues and liue simple and vnlearned men to speake in strange tongues the diuell to go out of the possessed and to saye I knowe thou arte Christe the sonne of God Here may you sée twelue pore séelie men without speare or sworde or force make conqueste and winne the whole worlde No power coulde represse them no might coulde withstande them It is reckoned a great matter for a King or a nation to yéeld submission vnto an other King or nation It must therefore bée a matter of greate wonder to sée al Kings throwe downe their Maces and all people to yéelde before so fewe so simple so vnarmed And to acknowledge they embraced lies and liued in ignorance and that these twelue are the seruants of the highest and to sée how God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to ouerthrow the wise and the weake things of this worlde to confounde the mightie things Such force did God giue to their wordes He made them the sonnes of thunder they shooke the foundations of the worlde they threw downe whatsoeuer stoode againste them Here may you see the fight of Gods electe children How they patiently suffered afflictions in their bodies rather than they woulde deny the truth of God they gaue their backes to the scourge theyr neckes to the sworde their bodies to the fire No tyrant no menacings no racke no torment no sworde no death could remoue them from the loue of the Gospell which they had receiued The more of them were cut downe the more did spring vp the more were killed the more wer left aliue Augustine saith Ligabantur includebantur torquebantur vrebantur multiplicabantur They were bounde and shutte vp and racked and burnt and yet were encreased This is the victorie that hath ouercome y e world For the Lord answered S. Paule My power is made perfect through weaknesse It liueth in death it is made whole and sound by woundes and stripes it is increased by those meanes whereby men destroy it Iacob sawe a ladder stand vpon the Earth and the toppe of it reache vppe into heauen and the Aungelles of God goe vp and downe by it This was but a dream and vision in his sleepe yet when he awoke he tooke pleasure comfort of this Vision We haue not onely the delight of this with Iacob but wée haue other farre greater visions We sée Esay beholding the Lord as he sate vpon an high throne we sée Paule taken vp into the third heauens we sée the glorie of God appeare and heare the voice whiche came out of the cloude saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whome I am well pleased here him We sée Iesus Christe the sonne of God borne of a Uirgin and how he made himselfe of no reputation and toke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man That he humbled himself and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse We heare him crye with a loude voice My God my God why haste thou forsaken mee We heare him say Father forgiue them for they knowe not what they doe And Father into thine hands I commende my spirite Here we may sée the Sun to be darkened that the Moone giueth no light the Earth to shake the rockes cleaue asunder the vaile rent the Graues to open and Christe rise from the dead and goe vp into heauen and sit at the right hand of this father Here maye we sée the ouerthrowe of Babilon which made al nations to drinke of the Wine of the wrath of hir fornication Howe shée is destroyed with the breath of Gods mouth Here we behold the resurrection of the dead and foure and twentie Elders sitte before God on their seates and the antient of dayes sit vppon his throne and the iudgemente seate and the Bookes opened and all flesh appeare before him and how some are taken into euerlasting life and some are sent into euerlasting death What tongue is able to expresse these pleasures and delightes which are laid open to vs in the word of God We buy Images and Pictures and Mappes of men and of diuers things Countries But what Mappe or Picture can shewe vs the like varietie and chaunge of thinges Wée purchase Landes and haue a liking so to doe Here we are taught how we may come to that lande which shall stand with vs and in which wee shall continue for euer To sée any one of these it were great pleasure either the creation of heauen and earth or the Angels Archangels and blessed spirites or the battailes of the God of Sabaoth or Amalech dasht in péeces like a Potters vessell or the wals of Iericho blowne downe with the sound of a trumpet or Pharao drowned in the sea or Nabuchodonosor eating grasse among the beastes or Antiochus smitten from heauen or Sodome and Gomorrha burnt with fire and brimstone or the earth to open and swallow vp the wicked or the sea to stand like a wall or water to come out of a stone or breade to come from heauen or the Sunne to stande still or to chaunge his course or an Asse to speake and teache his Maister or fire to be extreame hot yet not burning or Lyons hungrie yet not eating their meate or the Sea tempestous yet not drowning or blind to sée deafe to heare dumbe to speake dead to rise or ignorant men to speake in languages they neuer learned or the Diuel to roare and confesse Christ or God sitting in his Maiestie and Christ at his right hande or Babylon throwne downe and become a Tabernacle of fowle spirites a denne for the Diuel or Christ to sit in iudgement and giue sentence vpon the quick and the dead to sée any one of all these wōderous works of God it were great pleasure Howe can it be then but that we reioice and take delight to sée so many so great so marueilous so heauenly and so glorious wonders in one heape altogither Howe farre would we ride or go to sée the triumph of a mortall King Here is to be séene the triumph of God the Lorde of Lordes and the King of Kinges howe he hath made the name of his Sonne triumph ouer principalities and powers and ouer the whole worlde Here is a Paradise full of delightes no tongue is able to speak them they are so many No heart is able to conceiue them they be sogreat Here is a shoppe wherein is set out the wisedome and knowledge the power the iudgements and

people were changed the Temples and Sacrifices and Praiers were chaunged mens eyes and heartes were chaunged They forsooke their Gods their Kings their Priests they forsooke their antiquity customes consent their Fathers and themselues What power was able to work these things What Emperour by force euer preuailed so much what strength could euer shake down so mightie idols from their seate What hand of man could subdue and cōquer the whole world make such mighty nations confesse they had done amisse This did the Lord bring to passe by the power of his word and the breath of his mouth This was it y t lead captiui●ie captiue threw downe euery high thing that lifted it self vp against the Lorde brought all powers vnder subiection vnto the Lord It is the image the power the arme y e sword and the glorie of God It is mightie of great force and vertue of authoritie and maiestie because it is the worde of God therefore the glorie thereof is great Now let vs stand a farre of and humble our selues and in reuerence and feare learne to take the fruite and comfort of the same for so is the wil of God that we may be partakers of his glorie But where shal we finde enterance into this matter And howe shall we bée able to come a land For this is the Sea and the depth of all the workes of the iudgementes and mercies of the kingdome of God This is a Sea that hath no shore a pit that hath no botome The holy Scriptures are the mercie seate the registry of the mysteries of God our Chartre for the life to come the holy place in which God sheweth him selfe to the people the Mount Ston where God hath appointed to dwel for euer The more comfort in thē so much the more gréedily let vs desire them the more heauenly and glorious they are with so much the more reuerence let vs come vnto them For consideration of this mater of the fruite comfort which God worketh by the worde what may we better call to minde than that is réecorded by S. Paul Whatsoeuer thinges are written aforetime are written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope All that is writtē in the word of God is not writtē for Angels or Archangels or heauenly Spirites but for the sonnes of men for vs and for our instruction that by them we may receiue strength and comfort in all aduersities and haue hope of the life to come It is the word of God God openeth his mouth and speaketh to vs to guide vs into all truth to make vs full and readie in all good workes that we may be perfect men in Christ Iesus so rooted and grounded in him that we bee not tost to and fro with euery tempest The profite which the worde of God bringeth shal best apeare if we first take a viewe of our estate what we are in what place we stande what enemies make force against vs. We are y e sons of Adam stubborne children the children of vanitie and of wrath The ch●ldren of those fathers which forsooke God and haue erred in their hearts were deceiued God which created man breathed into him the breath of life saith The imagination of mans heart is euill from his youth Such are we euē by the iudgment of God and his iudgement faileth not What errour what idol what wickednes euer hath bene heard which hath not bene forged and wrought in the heart of man wée can neither doe nor speake nor thinke the thing that is good our vnderstanding is heauie our will froward our eyes blinde and our heart vncleane We go astray through this worlde as lost shéepe euery man after his owne way Euen as a leafe is caried vp and downe with a blast of winde so are we easily driuē into errour in our selues we finde no stay no succour nor helpe Such are we and so weake of our selues But where are we in the world And what is the world Some thinke it to be a place full of all delights and pleasures a goodly strong and gorgious palace and a paradise of ioy Let no man deceiue vs nay rather let vs not deceiue our selues the world is a shoppe of vanities it is a dungeon of darkenesse a potte full of poyson a shippe full of leakes a way full of snares It blindeth our eyes beguileth our senses and helpeth vs forwarde into all daungers We are blinde our selues and the place wherein we are is nothing els but darkenesse Wherunto may I resemble our case Ieremy the Prophet was cast into a dūgeon There he sate without light and without comfort His case was miserable and the place lothsome yet he knew where he was he knew what he lacked he cryed vnto the Lord and was deliuered Daniel was cast into the den of Lions there to bee torne in péeces and deuoured But he sawe his misery and the daunger in which he stoode he sawe the Lions the pawes which shoulde gripe him and the téeth which shoulde teare him His case was miserable yet is ours more miserable We are in the déepe dungeon of hel and think we are in safetie we are in the middest of darkenesse and thinke it to be light we are compassed with Lio●s with Dragons and Scorpions yet think not of our miserie Who hath not heard the story of Ionas Ionas was in a Whales belly The place was very darke the waues beat on euery side he was drowned yet touched no water he was swallowed vp yet not consumed he liued without any sense of life the fish was his death y ● sea was death the tempest was death yet he died not but liued in the mids of death he could not sée he could not heare he knew not to whom he might call for helpe hée was taken carried away he knew not whether Let vs marke well this storie it is a true pattern of our estate sheweth what our life is in this worlde We are beset w t like dangers we are driuen w t tēpests we are drowned in like flouds we liue in y e middest of horrible darknes we are caried we know not whether The Philosopher telleth vs trueth falsehode are nigh neighbors and dwell one by the other the vtter porch of y e one is like the porch of the other yet their way is contrarie the one leadeth to life the other leadeth to death they differ little to the shew saue that oft times the dore of falshod is faire painted grauen and beautifully adorned but the dore or fore front of trueth is plaine and homely Therby it hapneth that men be deceiued they mistake the dore and goe into errors house whē they séeke truth They call euill good falsehoode truth darkenesse light They forsake that is good deny the truth and loue not the light This moued S. Paul to say of his brethren the Iewes I beare them

recorde that they haue the zeale of God but not according to knowledge they haue the care and feare of God they are zelous in their doings they haue deuotion they pretend conscience they think they do wel and that they please God When they professed themselues to be wise they became fooles They knew not what they did for if they had knowlege they wold neuer haue crucified the Lorde of glorie But they knowe not the trueth of God they know not God they are caried away in y ● vanity of their own hart Their prayers are no prayers The truth they holde is falshoode their faith is no faith they are shéepe without a shephearde Thus we haue heard what we are and in what place Nowe let vs sée what enemies bende their force against vs. We fight against the gates of hell with the Diuell the prince of darkenesse the father of lies with the Diuel which hath power ouer the children of disobedience by whose malice death came into the world Euen that Diuel bendeth his force against vs which deceiued Adam in Paradise which hath deceiued the learned Philosophers and beguiled the Princes and wisemē and the worthies of the world Which doth abuse and entice our hands our eyes our learning our wit and our owne heart to deceiue vs. He rampeth as a Lion and raungeth ouer the worlde séeking whom he may deuour This is his delite and studie Hée hath bene a murtherer from the beginning If this were euer true at any time our times haue founde it most true We are they vpon whom y e ends of y e world are come Nowe is this Scripture fulfilled in our eares Now sée we the dayes whereof Christ warned his disciples so earnestly They shal say Loe here is Christ and there is Christ This is the truth that is the truth There shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall deceiue many they shal betray the truth Many shal be offended by them if it were possible the verie elect They whose names are written in y e booke of life shold be deceiued And except those dayes should bee shortned there should no flesh be saued but for the elects sake those dayes shal be shortned The sun shalbe darkned the moone shal not giue hir light The sun is the word of God the moone signifieth the Church The powers of heauē shal be moued all the kinreds of the earth shal mourn Abhomination of desolatiō shal stand in the holy place Let him that readeth consider it This is the mysterie of iniquitie of which S. Paul speaketh to the Thessalonians Which worketh among them that perish Thus are we forewarned God hath giuen vs his worde to aduise vs that we be not caste awaye vnawares They that walk in the darke know not whether they go if the blinde leade the blinde both fall into the ditch he that is ignorant shal not be knowen Christ shall say vnto him I knowe you not departe from mée yée curssed into euerlasting fire Their worme shall not die and their fire shal not be put out In this case what shal a godly disposed simple man do How shall he settle himselfe To which fide may he safelye ioine himselfe If he make reconing of learning there are learned men on both sides if he make reconing of vertue and godly life there be vertuous men and of godly life on both sides if he make reconing of zeale either side is zelous in y ● religion they hold if he make reconing of y e name of y e Church they take it as wel to the one side as to the other if he make reconing of the multitude there are many on either side but neither side hath so many as hath the Turke Whether then may a man turne himselfe and to which side may he safely ioine In this case we find the comfort and profite of the word of God In this case S. Paule telleth vs whatsoeuer things are writtē aforetime are written for our learning to lighten our eyes to resolue our doubts and to guide our féete This lighte God hathe kindled in his mercie to lighten them that sit in darkenesse Except he had left vs a sparkle of this light we hadde perished becom like to Sodoma Gomorrha Dauid saith Thy word is a Lantern to my pathes and a light to my feete By it I may sée the way which is before me by it I can escape danger and by it I can kéepe the path wherein I ought to walk When Christ perceiued that the Capernaites the Iewes misliked his doctrine went back walked no more with him he said to y e xij Wil ye also go away You are my disciples whō I haue chosen out of this world wil you also go away Simō Peter answered him Maister to whō shal we go thou hast the word of eternal life If we forsake thée who shall instruct vs thy word is the word of eternall life With this word Christ cōfounded the Scribes and Phariseis and put them to silence Yee reiect saith hée the commaundement of God that yee may obserue your owne tradition For Moses said Honor thy father and thy mother whosoeuer shall curse father or mother let him die the death But ye say if a man say to father or mother Corbam that is by the gifte that is offered by mee thou maiest haue profite he shalbe free With this word he confounded them for misusing of the Temple by buying selling It is written mine house shall bee called the house of praier but yee haue made it a denne of theeues With this worde he put them to silence confounded their error in y ● they thought it lawfull for a man to put away his wife for euerie fault From the beginning it was not so With this worde he confounded the Diuel and chased him from him It is written man shall not liue by breade onely but by euery word that procedeth out of the mouth of God And againe It is written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God And againe It is written thou shalt worshippe the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue This word confounded the Arians all sects of heretiks What is become of Marcion of Nestorius of Valentinu● of Menander of Sabellius of Eutyches and others they are blowen away as smoke before the winde the word of God hath confounded them and beat them away As Dagon fell and brake his hands and necke and coulde not stande in the presence of the Arke of the Lord euen so shall all falshode fall and hide it selfe in the presence of the truth of God As the Rod of Moses deuoured the Rods of the Charmers as the beames of the Sunne driue away and consume darknesse so shal the word of God chase away errors When the two Disciples walked by the way with Christ they said betwéene thēselues after their eyes were opened that they knew him

exercise himselfe daye and night The Lawe of the Lord is perfect conuerting the soule the testimonie of the Lorde is sure and giueth wisedome vnto the simple This is the rule of our faith without this our faith is but a fantasie and no faith for faith is by hearing and hearing by the worde of God Therefore Christe saith Search the Scriptures they are they that testifie of me There shall ye finde testimonie of my doctrine there shal ye know what is the wil of my heauenlye Father and there shall you receiue the comforte for euerlasting life Againe He that followeth mee shall not walke in darkenesse but shall haue the light of life If a man keepe my word he shal know the truth hee shall neuer see death Therefore Baruch saith O Israel wee are blessed for the things that are acceptable vnto God are declared vnto vs. This is thy blessednesse herein hath God shewed his fauour vnto thée he hathe reuealed the secreats of hys will vnto thée and hath put his worde in thy mouth He sheweth his word vnto Iacob his statutes and his iudgements vnto Israell hee hathe not dealte so with euerie nation neyther haue they knowen hys Iudgementes Therefore the Prophet Dauid teacheth vs to pray vnto God for the knowledge of his worde Shewe mee thy wayes O Lord and teache me thy pathes Take not thy holie spirite from mee and incline my hearte vnto thy testimonies Giue mee vnderstanding that I maye learne thy commaundementes open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Lawe And Lighten mine eies that I sleepe not in death that I maye discerne betwéene safetie and daunger that I may knowe truth to be the truth and error to be error Thus I haue declared parte of that profite which groweth to vs by the word of God but it doeth not onelye directe our iudgement in the triall of truth but dothe also graffe in vs a boldenesse and constancie in the defence of the truth Salomon saieth A foole chaungeth as the Moone He is alwayes vnstable and inconstant he knoweth not neither what to do nor what to beleue he is somtimes ful sometimes emptie turneth and changeth as the Moone He buildeth and layeth his foundation vppon the sande therfore his house falleth to the ground He halteth on both sides somtimes worshippeth God and sometimes worshippeth Baal he is neither hotte nor colde he ebbeth and floweth like the waues of the sea he doubteth and staggereth resteth in nothing He knoweth not the truth he knoweth not that the scripturs are the word of God so he wandereth in the darke and knoweth not the way in which he walketh He hath no féeling no hart no vnderstāding He is vnfaithful towards God and kepeth no faith towards man he is wauering in all hys wayes And why because he knoweth not the wil of God nor hath the light of his word to guide his féete But a wise man is one and stedfast as the sunne He buildeth his house vppon a rocke and that rocke is Iesus Christe the sonne of God Therefore his house is neuer shaken downe Be the storme or tempest neuer so rough yet it shall stand faste like Mount Sion because his truste is in the name of the Lord. He knoweth that his name is written in the Booke of Life he knoweth that he belongeth to the Lords Shéepefolde and that no man can take him away out of the Lordes hand In this boldenesse Dauid sayeth Thoughe I shoulde walke thorough the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no euill for thou arte wyth mee thy rodde and thy staffe they comforte mee And againe the Lord is my light and my saluation whome shall I feare And againe Except thy lawes had bene my delight I should now haue perished in mine affliction when Ezechias heard y ● proud message of Sennacherib sent to him his people by Rahshaketh that they should not obey Ezech. nor trust to him when he said The Lord wil deliuer you and let not thy GOD deceiue thee in whom thou trustest hee wente vp into the house of the Lord and prayed vnto the Lorde to saue hym and hys people out of their handes that al the kingdomes of the earth might know that hee is GOD alone Euen so the Apostle Whether wee liue or die wee are the Lordes And in this boldenesse our sauiour Christe setled himselfe to beare their reproches and to carry his Crosse Father if thou wilte take away this cup frō me neuerthelesse not my wil but thine bee done Thus they that are taught by the word of God to put their trust in the Lorde and are thereby rooted and setled in him can not be remoued by any practise of Sathan but stand fast and continue for euer Which shal more plainely appeare if we looke backe into the times of persecution and beholde the boldenesse of constancie of the Sainctes of God They were brought before Magistrates caste into prisōs spoiled of their goods cruelly murthered Some were hanged vppon gibbets some run through with swords some torn with wild horses some drowned in the water and some burnt in the fire They were hated of all men for the name of Christ. They were despised as the filth of the worlde and dung of the earth Yet continued they faithfull and constant They armed their heartes with the comforte of Gods worde therby wer they able to resist in the euil day They were faithfull vntil death therefore GOD gaue them a Crowne of glorie When they were called before Kings and Princes and others of auctoritie and commaunded to forsake the trueth they had learned and the comfort which they tooke in the truth they aunswered in this manner O my gratious Lorde I would faine do your commandement I am your subiect I haue done faithfull seruice with my body with my goods but I cannot serue you against God He is King of Kings Lord of Lords He is my Lord before whom I stande I haue put my life in his handes He hathe forbidden me to doe this thing whiche you commaunde I cannot therefore doe it Iudge vprightly whether it be méete to obey you rather than God My liuing my wife my children and my life are deare vnto me I am a man like others and haue mine affections Yet neither liuing nor wife nor children nor my life is so deare vnto me as the glorie of God I am but a pore worme yet am I the worke of his handes God hathe putte his worde in my mouth I may not deny it I may not beare false witnesse against the Lord. My life is not deare vnto me in respect of the trueth I knowe if I shoulde deny him to saue my life I shoulde lose it and if I lose my life for his sake I shall finde it That which your auctoritie shal lay vpon me is not done without his will All the haires of my head are