Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	death_n	sin_n	sin_v	6,726	5	9.1768	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22686	A worke of the predestination of saints wrytten by the famous doctor S. Augustine byshop of Carthage, and translated out of Latin into Englysshe, by Nycolas Lesse, Londoner. Item, another worke of the sayde Augustyne, entytuled, Of the vertue of perseueraunce to thend, translated by the sayd. N.L.; De praedestinatione sanctorum. English.	Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo.; Lesse, Nicholas.	1550 (1550)	STC 920; ESTC S108434	120,901	394

the pelagians them selfe do se to be very false farre from al reason H. CYprian wrote a boke of the mortalitie of manne whiche worke is muche sette by of them which haue al godly writings in estimation is almost in euery mannes hande wherein he saieth that death is not onely not vnprofitable but verye cōmodiouse profitable vnto the faithfull bycause it doth plucke delyuer them from the peryll and daunger of synne settynge them in a securitie and safenes for to sinne no more But what doth that profyt if those synnes whiche a man hathe not doone are punyshed as they doo saye The sayde Cyprian sayeth furthermore very copyousely and fruitefully ▪ that in this lyfe there is alwaye perill daunger of synne whiche after this lyfe ceaseth and is no more And that same his saying he proueth by the testimony taken out of the boke of wisedome where it is thus writtē ▪ he is takē away lest malice shuld haue altered his vnderstondinge Whiche testimoni beynge alleged of me you say they do make lighte as a thinge written of no canonicall writer as thoughe if the testimonye of this boke were not at al the thinge it selfe whiche we wolde proue by this testimonye were not cleare and manifest ynough without it For what christen man can deny but that a iust man is at rest yf he be taken forth of this lyfe while he is iust Whosoeuer doth say thus that he is at reste is there any man so mad that wolde go againste it Also yf a manne woulde saye yf a iuste manne doothe fall from from the right waye in the whiche he hath long and many a day continued and so dyeth in that vngodlynes wherein he is fallen wherein he lyued but one yeare yea peraduenture but one daye that he so departinge doth go to payne dew for wickednes and that his rightwysenes whiche is paste wherein he lyued before he fel so lōg time shall profit him nothinge at all is there any faithfull man which can deny this open and manifest veritie Furthermore if a man woulde demaunde this question sayenge what and he dyed whē he was iust which●r shulde he finde paine or rest shulde I doubt to make aunswere and say that he sh●ld fynde reste This is altogether wherfore it was said written He is taken awaye lest malyce shulde corrupt and alter his mynde This sayeng was spoken concerning the peryl and daunger of this lyfe and not touchyng the foreknolege of god whiche foreknowledg doth know before that thinge whiche shal be in dede not that which shal not be That is to saye he knewe that he woulde geue to hym a shorte lyfe that he shoulde be taken away not felynge any thinge what temptation is It was not in his prescyence that he should synne when he would not suffer him to continue and to abyde the temtacion of syn For as touchinge this lyfe it is redde in the boke of Iob. Is not the lyfe of man vpon the erth temtacion But the cause why it is giuen to some to be takē forth of the perils of this lyfe whyle they are iuste and some whiche are iust are suffered here to abydestyl so lōge tyll they do fall from their ryghtewisenes who doth know thē mind purpose of god And yet by this we doo know that those iust man whiche do lyue in godlynes and vertu tyll they be very oulde men ye to the later day of their lyfe haue no cause to reioyce and be proude in their own merits but in the lord because that he whiche toke away the iuste man from this lyfe that he shoulde not lyue lenga● afterwarde fal that same I say preserued also the iuste man tyll the very extremitie and vttermost end of his yeares that malyce should not alter and turne his mynde But for what cause they dyd not cleaue and sticke ●aste vnto hym whiche myght take the iuste man forth of this life before he doth fal his iudgementes are moost rightwise and lykewise vnserchable Syth that these thinges are thus the sentence of the boke of wisdom oughte not to be refused whiche hath deserued to be redde so longe tyme in the church and to be herde with all godlye veneration of all Christen men both of the byshops and of the lay men from the highest to the lowest For truelye if I shulde proue confirme thys sentence of the boke of wysedome by the iudgementes of those whyche haue ben writers before my tyme vpon the holye scripture whiche nowe we are constrayned to doo muche more diligently and copyousely then we were wont to doo against a newe error of the Pelagians defendynge that the grace of god is not geuen after our merits but that it is geuen frelye to whome it is gyuē for it is neyther in the willer nor in the runner but in god whiche take the pytye and compassion and that to whom it is not geuen it is by the iust iudgmente of god for there is none vnrightwysenes with god If we do proue I say this sentence and make our defence good ▪ by the authorities of the wryters vpon the holy scripture whiche haue bene long before vs then would these brethren as ye do wryghte me by your letters be satisfyed pleased fu●l aunswered But what neede haue we to serche theyr workes for that matter which before thys heresye dyd springe vp had no nede to spende their time and labour in dyscussynge this harde question whiche thinge without doubt they woulde haue done yf they hadde ben constreyned therto as we are And therfore they dyd but breifly ● as it were passyng ouer touche this matter in certayne places of their workes declaryng their iudgement and mynde as touchynge the grace of god and spente more time and matter about those thinges whiche they dysputed against other enemyes of the churche and in their e●hortatiōs to vertu how men shoulde liue godlye that they myghte please God come to the true eternall lyfe In their godly conuersatiōs prayers y e grace of god apeared what thing it was For those thinges which god commaunded to be done should not be desyred praied for of god except they shoulde be geuen of hym to them that they might be done But these persones whiche woulde be instructed by the sentences wrytinges of doctours I would haue them prefer this boke of wysdom wherin this sayinge is wrytten he is taken awaye lest malyce should alter his mynde before all the doctours writars which haue written because they them selfe whiche were nexte to the tyme of the apostles did prefer that same boke before their own iudgements which I saye alledgynge that same boke as wytnes and as a confirmation of their writīges beleued that thei dyd alledge nothinge but the heauēly testimonies of god And truly it is manifest that the ryght vertuouse and godly man Cypryane dyd dyspute in the commendation and praise of the

benefites whyche do come by death when he sayethe they are taken from the peryles of synne whiche do make an ende of this lyfe wherein they maye ye do commyt synne so longe as they are in it In the same boke S. Ciprian among other thinges dothe say wherfore syth that thou shalt be with Christ and art suer of the promise of the lord doest not thou receiue welcom and enbrace thākfully that thou art called to come is Christ Why art thou not glad that thou doest go from the deuyl and so to be out of his daunger And in another place he sayethe ▪ Yonge chyldren do escape the peryl of the slyppery and brykle age And in another place also he saith Wherfore do we not haste vs and to me that we myght se our countreye and salute oure parentes There do a great number of oure frendes loke for oure commynge of our parentes of our brethren of our chyldren Manye there are ▪ whiche do desyre to haue vs with them beynge on their owne behalf certaine and sewer that they are out of all daunger and peryll beynge carefull for vs also With these and such lyke wordes ▪ that same doctoure openlye in the myddes of the churche doth testifye that the daunger and peryll of synne is to be feared vntyll ●hende of this lyfe leauynge of this body and after that not to be feared that we shall suffer any such thīg Whiche thinge althoughe thys doctor had not testified what christian man would euer doubt therof Howe shoulde it not haue bene merueylous profitable to hym whiche had fallen so ended hys lyfe myserably Departynge hens to the paynes whiche he hath deserued yf god had taken hym out of this lyfe from these temtations before he had fallen trāsgressed And so this shall be sufficiente to ende this question about the texte of the boke of wysedome ●he is taken awaye lest malyce shuld alter his mynde yf any reasonable aunswer can serue them and wil not be to contentiouse And besyde that matter the same boke of wysedom which hath ben so longe receyued contynued in the churche so manye yeares ought not the lesse to be regarded and set by because it speakethe against them whome humayne meryts do deceaue and beguyle whicauseth them to go against the manyfest grace of god which most of all doth appear in chyldren which some of them dienge after they are baptised and some before they come to baptyme do declare sufficiently both the mercy and iudgement of god that his mercy is giuen frely and his iudgemente is mooste dewe right vnto vs. For yf so be that men shuld be iudged after the merits and dedes which they haue not done by reason thet are preuented by death which merits and dedes they shoulde haue had and doone if they had lengar lyued it should haue ben no profyt to hym whiche is taken out of this lyfe that malyce shoulde not change and alter his mynde and also it shoulde haue ben nothynge at all profytable to the wycked whiche do depart in their wickednes yea thoughe they had ben taken away oute of this lyfe before they fell and were wycked whiche thinge no christen man woulde euer affirme or houlde Therefore these our brethren whiche do laboure take payne with vs in the defence of the catholike faithe impognynge the errour of the Pelagians as we do shoulde not beare so muche with them in this error wherein they do thynke that the grace of god is geuen after our merits that they shoulde appeare to mi●ish take awaye or improue the authorite of this sentence whiche is both true ryght christian that is he is takē away c. whiche thynge the Pelagians them selfe dare not do and so affyrme that whiche we thinke no man wyl not onely beleue yea not so muche as once dreame that any man after his deathe shoulde be iudged accordynge to the dedes whiche he woulde haue doone yf he hadde lyued annye longer tyme. And so it is inuincible which we do saye and defende that the grace of god is not gyuen after our meryts wherefore I meruayle suche wyse men woulde be broughte to speke such thinges as ar not to be harde nor yet so muche as thought on The .xv. Chapter WHat goodlyer lāterne or lyghte of predestination of grace can we haue than our sauyour hym selfe whiche is the mediatour betwene god man the man Christ Iesus By what merites precedinge the grace of god eyther of workes or of fayth dyd the humayne nature whiche is in hym obteine gette that he was made the man Christ Iesus and mediatoure betwene god and man I wolde fayn know with what merits that man Christ deserued that he by y e word which word is with the father coeternal beinge assumpted into the vnite of person was made the onelye sonne of god Shewe me one good thīg what so euer it be whiche went before this grace What thinge dyd he worke before what dyd he beleue before what dyd he pray and aske of his father before this that he myght thereby be so hygh exalted as he is so hyghe as no man is able to speak Was it not by the worde whiche dyd make and receyue hym y t y t man from y e which tyme of his manhode he begane to be the sonne of god was his onlye begotten sonne Dyd not that woman after she was replenysshed fylled with grace cōceiue thys onlye begotten sonne of god Was not this onely begotten son borne of the holy ghoste and of y ● vyrgin Marye not thorough any fleshly desyre but by the onli gyft of god Was ther any thing to be doubled and fearid of lest that that mā Chryst when he shold com to yers of dyscrecyon wold of his own fre wyl synne Or do you thinke therfore that he had not fre wyl in him or rather that it was ●o muche the more in hym howe much the more he could not be subiect seruaunte to ●ynne Truly al these hyghe and meruaylos exelent gyftes whiche do passe al mans reason al other which ar proper to hym only whiche no man hath but he the humaī y t is to ●ay our nature dyd receue ī hym after a syngular fashion without any of his merytts precedinge Here lett man reason with god if he dare and say vnto hym wherfore do not receue these gyftes as wel as he If so be this saying of the apostel O man what art thou w●ich dost reason with god wil not pluck the in and stey the but rather make the to be more folyshe that thou wylte saye how do I here these wordes what art thou o man Forsomuch as I am that thinge which I do here that is to say a man as Christ is wherfore thē am not I as he is I do saye to the that grace made hym such a mā as he is so greate as he is But for what cause

you which haue beleued What is it that the Apostel giueth thankes for Truely it were a folyshe and an ydell thynge that he shoulde gyue thankes to hym for that thynge which he dyd not But because his thankes are not in vayne and ydell treulye god to whom he gaue thankes dyd worke that deede that after they had harde and perceyued the worde of god by the preachyng of the Apostel they shoulde also receiue it as the worde of god accordinge as it dooth deserue not as the word of men Then it is god whiche worketh in the hartes of men with that vocacyon whiche is after his purpose whereof we haue spoken so myche that the worde of god shulde not be hearde in vayne but after they had heard it they shuld be conuerted and beleue receyuynge it not as the worde of man but accordynge to right as the very worde of god The .xx. Chapter THis also doth certifye vs that the beginnīg of faith is the gift of god ▪ when the Apostel in the begynning of his epistle to the Colossiās meanyng the very beginning of faith spake these words saying be stedfast in prayer watchynge therein with thankes geuynge and praying also for vs that god would open the dore of the worde that we maye speake the mistery of Christ for the whiche I am also nowe in bondes that I may I say manifeste and declare that same misterye as I ought for to speake it Howe is the dore of the worde opened But when the sence or vnderstondyng of the hearer is made open that he might beleue and so the beginning of faith being made by god he maye also receiue those thinges whiche are preched disputed to the settynge vp and furtheraunce of holsome doctryn ▪ least his hart being shyt vp thorow infidelyte want of beleif he shulde disproue and caste from him those thinges whiche are taught For that cause he doth saye in the epistle to y e Corinthians I wil abide at Ephesus til the penthecost For I haue a great wide dore made open vnto me and there are manye aduersaries What other thinge may be ment and vnderstanded bi these wordes but that after he began to preache the gospell in that place many dyd beleue and many also ther were which were aduersarys to that faith acording to the wordes of the lorde No mā doth comme to me except it be geuen to him of mi father And also the lord Iesu Christ saythe to you it is geuen to knowe the mysterys of the kyngdome of heauen but to them it is not gyuen The doar then is made open in them to whome it is gyuen and ther wer many aduersarys among thē to whom it was not gyuen Also the same Apostell in the seconde epistel to the Corinthyans whē I was com sayth he to Troaoa to preche the ghospell and a doar was opened vnto me in the lorde I was not quyet in my spirit bycause I dyd not fynde my brother Titus but taking my leue of them I departed thens to Macedonia Of whom dydde he he take his leaue but of them which dyd beleue in whose hartes the doar was made open to him preching the ghospell But what he sayd more I wolde ye shold mark Thankes be to the lorde sayth he whiche makethe vs tryumphe and to haue the victory in Christe and openythe the sauor of his knowledge by vs in al places For we ar to god the good sauor of christe in those whiche are saued yea and also among them which peryshe To these we are the sauore of deathe vnto deathe but to the other we ar the sauor of lyfe vnto lyfe Behold for what cause this fearce warriar myghty defender of grace being in vincyble dothe gyue thankes Bycause sayth he the Apostels ar the swette sauor of Iesus Christe vnto god bothe in theym whiche are saued by his grace in them whiche do perishe by his iudgmēt and most rightwise iustice But that they whiche do not vnderstond these thinges shulde not be offendyd he doothe warne them therof when he sayeth who is meete therto Yet let vs return to the opening of the doar wherby the apostel did sygnifie the begynnyng of y ● faith of the hearers For what dooth he mean when he sayeth prayeng also for vs that god may open to vs the doer of the woorde but a playn and an open demonstration that y ● very begynnynge of faith is the gyft of god For it shoulde not be desyred of hym by prayer and petition except they beleued that it were the gyfte of him This gyfte of the heauenly grace descended downe into the womā whych sold purple to whome as the scripture doth saye in the actes of the apostels God had opened her sence vnderstandynge so she dyd herken dilygently to the preachynge of the Apostell For so was she called that she myght beleue God verely doth worke what hym pleseth in the hartes of men eyther by his mercyfull helpe or by his rightewyse iudgemente that by them all shuld be fulfylled which his hand counsell hath predestinated for to be done Therfore they speake vnwysely where as they do say that that thing doth not serue for this matter whiche we haue sufficientlye proued by the scriptures taken out of the boke of the kynges of the cronicles that when god wyll haue a thynge to be done whiche muste be done by the wyll of men ther hartes are fyrst inclyned and made for to wyll that same thyng god being the inclinar the motioner styrrar therto whiche after a maruaylous vnspeakeable maner doth also worke yea that same whiche we do wyll in vs But what they do meane by that they do speake nothinge therof and yet are ageynst it I cannot tell except they haue declared vnto you some reasō wherfore they shuld so think whose sayenge you had rather let passe then to open it by writinge Or peraduentur bicause we sayd that god dyd worke in the hartes of men bringing the wylls of thē whome hym pleasyd to this that Saule or Dauyd shold be made kynge Dyd they therfore thinke that this seruyd not for the pourpose which we do treate of bycaus this temporall kyngdome here in this world is on thing and for to ●eynge with god for euer is an other Or do they thynke that god doth inclyne moue or styrte the wylles of them whome hym pleasethe to the creatynge and settynge vp of earthly princes and not to the obteynynge of the heauenly kyngedom But I do thinke that these sayings of the scripture where it is wrytten Inclyne myne hart to thy testymonyes and that saying the steppes and goings of men are gouerned of god and he shall wyl his wey also The wyl is prepared of the lorde And this also Let the lord be with vs as he was with oure fathers let hym not relinquyshe and forsake vs nor yet torn vs awaye from hym