Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	meditation_n	page_n	swiftness_n	264	4	17.1611	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01645	Gerards meditations written originally in the Latine tongue by Iohn Gerard Doctour in Divinitie, and superintendant of Heidelberg. Translated and revised by Ralph Winterton fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge.; Meditationes sacrae. English	Gerhard, Johann, 1582-1637.; Winterton, Ralph, 1600-1636.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.; Gerhard, Johann, 1582-1637. Exercitium pietatis quotidianum quadripartitum. English. aut	1638 (1638)	STC 11778; ESTC S103073	189,715	520

therefore now to renew it Gerards Meditations had never seen English light for me if yours and others bountie had not set my head on work to finde out some occasion to give publick testimonie of my thankfulnesse If Gerard had not been I might still have been to seek for an occasion As often therefore as Gerard and I live together at every impression you may challenge at my hands a new expression of my service This debt I shall be alwayes readie to pay but not as men pay money for that being once paid can be required no more But this I shall be alwayes paying and still remain your debter Ità testor R. WINTERTON SOme say that plants do better grow When they 're translated to and fro I 'm sure when books translated be They more and more do fructifie Gerard did bring forth fruit before But now it is deriv'd to more What be beyond the sea did sow Now Englishmen at home may mow Come Countreymen take what is yours The crop's brought home unto your doores John Boh●am IF pleasure may or profit may thee move Here 's that which may deserve thy chiefest love If thou desirest riches to enjoy The doore is open to the treasurie If beautie please On this glasse cast thine eye Here 's that will soul and bodie beautifie If honour please The way 's prepar'd for thee To honour him whose service honours thee If thou beest hungrie thirstie Taste and see Christs flesh and bloud presented unto thee If thou beest naked To this wardrobe hie Where Christ his robe of righteousnesse doth lie If sick thou art For every maladie Here is a very present remedie If thou thy self defiled hast with sinne Here is a fountain for to bathe thee in If thou delightst in flowers Here do grow Such flowers as Art and Nature ne're could show Choose what thou wilt here 's what thou canst desire Riches and beautie honours and attire Meat drink and med'cine and a living spring A paradise of every pleasant thing Here 's heaven on earth if heaven on earth can be And so I wish thee to go in and see Francis Winterton GErard of late was but in Latine read But now he hath his language altered Behold a change see how Arts pencill can A Latine turn into an English-man Gerard in this ten thousand doth excell In three moneths space to speak our tongue so well Thomas Bonham REader if thou fain wouldst know To whose labours thou dost ow These sacred lines think who't may be Seeks thy souls good and that is he Some say these writings Gerards be He wrote indeed but not to thee He was to those that learned were To thee he was not though be were Before thou couldst not understand He 's now translated to thy hand Reade him and use him as thy friend And hee 'l be thine unto the end William Norrice THou that desir'st on earth a blessed end And seek'st the way to th' heavens to ascend Resort to Gerard hee 'l direct the way Whereby thou mayst ascend and live for ay Thou needst no guide 't is easie to be gone All lets removed are by Winterton The way 's made plain which was before obscure That thou thereby mayst heavenly blisse procure Endeavour then this way to walk aright And it will lead thee to eternall light T. Gore UPon a good the more communicate We alwayes set a better estimate The sunne it self though of it self most bright None would admire did not he see its light Gerard himself though of himself hee 's good Had not been so to us not understood This mov'd my friend this Gerard to translate Gods glory and thy good to propagate Edward Bonham The table for direction to finde out any Meditation contained in this book Meditation 1 OF confession of sinne Page 1 Meditation 2 An exercise of repentance from the crosse of Christ. Page 7 Meditation 3 Of the fruit of true and serious repentance Page 12 Meditation 4 A meditation upon the name of JESVS Page 19 Meditation 5 An exercise of faith from the love of Christ in the agonie of death Page 23 Meditation 6 Consolation for the penitent from the crosse of Christ. Page 28 Meditation 7 Of the fruit of the Lords passion Page 34 Meditation 8 Of the certaintie of our salvation Page 39 Meditation 9 That God alone is to be loved Page 44 Meditation 10 Of our reconciliation with God Page 51 Meditation 11 Of the satisfaction made for our sinnes Page 56 Meditation 12 Of the nature and properties of true faith Page 61 Meditation 13 Of the spirituall marriage of Christ and the soul. Page 68 Meditation 14 Of the mystery of Christs incarnation Page 74 Meditation 15 Of the saving fruit of Christs incarnation Page 80 Meditation 16 Of the spirituall repast of the godly Page 85 Meditation 17 Of the fruits of Baptisme Page 91 Meditation 18 Of the saving communion of the body and bloud of Christ. Page 97 Meditation 19 Of the mystery of the Lords supper Page 102 Meditation 20 Of due preparation before we come to the Lords supper Page 107 Meditation 21 Of Christs ascension Page 112 Meditation 22 An homilie of the holy Ghost Page 118 Meditation 23 Of the Churches dignitie Page 125 Meditation 24 Of predestination Page 132 Meditation 25 Of the saving efficacie of prayer Page 139 Meditation 26 Of the holy angels guarding us Page 146 Meditation 27 Of the devils treacheries Page 153 Meditation 28 Generall rules for the leading of a godly life Page 159 Meditation 29 Of shaking off securitie Page 166 Meditation 30 Of the imitation of the holy life of Christ. Page 174 Meditation 31 Of the denying of a mans self Page 180 Meditation 32 Of the true rest of the soul. Page 187 Meditation 33 Of a pure conscience Page 193 Meditation 34 Of the studie of true humilitie Page 201 Meditation 35 Of fleeing from covetousnesse Page 206 Meditation 36 Of the properties of true love and charitie Page 214 Meditation 37 Of the studie of chastitie Page 222 Meditation 38 Of the flitting swiftnesse of this present life Page 229 Meditation 39 Of the worlds vanitie Page 236 Meditation 40 Of the profit of tentations Page 244 Meditation 41 Foundations of Christian patience Page 250 Meditation 42 How we must overcome tentations by perseverance Page 257 Meditation 43 Of the daily meditation of our death Page 262 Meditation 44 Consolation at the death of friends Page 268 Meditation 45 Of the last judgement Page 277 Meditation 46 Of the desire of eternall life Page 283 Meditation 47 Of the beatificall vision of God in heaven Page 290 Meditation 48 Of our fellowship with the angels in heaven Page 296 Meditation 49 Of the grievousnesse of hell-torments Page 302 Meditation 50 Of the eternitie of hell-torments Page 309 Meditation 51 Of the spirituall resurrection of the godly Page 316 Meditat. I. Of true confession and acknowled●ment of sinne Confession is to cure sinne A very present medicine HOly God

humilitie of Christ thy bridegroom and of him learn also chastitie Great is the dignitie of chastitie which was consecrated in the body of Christ Great is the dignitie of chastitie because whiles we are in the flesh it makes us to live as out of the flesh As nothing is more vile then to be overcome of the flesh So nothing is more glorious then to overcome the flesh Neither must we onely avoid outward fornication but also impure cogitations Because God is judge not onely of the outward acts but also of the inward thoughts Piety is often wounded by the looks and chastitie is often wounded by the eyes Heare what truth it self saith He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath alreadie committed adulterie with her in his heart As the fight is difficult So shall the victorie also be glorious It is a difficult thing to quench the flaming fires of lust Lust incites them that are not yet come to the yeares of youth it inflames those that are young and it wearieth those that are old and decrepit It despiseth not cottages neither doth it reverence palaces But as difficult as it is here to fight so laudable shall it be hereafter to triumph The first sparks are presently to be quenched and we must not adde fewel to the fire of evil concupiscences The Apostle when he reckons up the vices with which we must strive bids us not fight with fornication but flee from it Flee saith he from fornication For even as a stranger feigning simplicitie comes to us like a beggar to deceive us if we denie him entrance he goes his way if we receive him in he becomes our guest and gathers strength and at length if we consent he becomes our lord and master So the motions of evil concupiscence assail us if we foster them not they depart away if thou wouldest not have this enemie to rule over thee receive him not into the house of thy heart Keep us O God in sanctitie of life and chastitie of body Meditat. XXXVIII Of the flitting swiftnesse of this present life The life of man's a rolling stone Mov'd to and fro and quickly gone THink O devout soul upon the miserie and brevitie of this life that thy heart may be lifted up to the desire of the celestiall inheritance This life whiles it increaseth it decreaseth whiles it is augmented it is diminished Whatsoever is added to it is also taken from it It is but a point of time that we live yea it is yet lesse then a point Whilest we turn our selves immortalitie comes upon us We are in this life as in a strange house Abraham had not in the land of Canaan a place to dwell in but onely an hereditarie place for buriall So this present life is like unto an inne and to a burying-place The beginning of this life is presently the beginning of death Our life is like unto him that saileth for whether he stand sit or lie down still he comes nearer nearer unto the havē goeth thither whither he is carried by the motion of the ship So also we whether we sleep or wake lie down or walk will or nill are carried still moment after moment till we come to our end This life is rather a death because every day we die For every day we spend some of our life This life is full of grief for things past full of labour for things present and full of fear for things to come Our ingresse into this life is lamentable because the infant begins his life with tears as it were foreseeing the evils to come Our progresse is weak because many diseases afflict us and many cares torment us Our egresse is horrible because we do not depart alone but our works follow us and we must passe from death to Gods severe judgement We are conceived in sinne we are brought forth in miserie we live in pain and we die in anguish We are begotten in uncleannesse we are nourished in darknesse and brought forth in sorrow Before we come forth we are a burden to our wretched mothers and when we do come forth we do like vipers tear a way We are strangers in our birth and pilgrims in our life because we are compelled to depart away by death The first part of our life is ignorant of it self the middle part is overwhelmed with cares and the last part is burdened with grievous old age All the time of our life is either present past or to come If it be present it is flitting if it be past it is then nothing if it be to come it is then uncertain We are filthines in our originall we are bubbles in our life and we are meat for worms at our death From earth we come on earth we go to earth we must return The necessitie of our birth is base our life miserable and our death lamentable Our body is an earthly house in which do dwell together sinne and death which every day consume it All our life is a spirituall warfare Above devils lie in wait for our destruction On the right hand and on the left the world oppugnes us Beneath and within the flesh fighteth against us The life of man is a warfare Because in this life there is a continuall fight between the flesh and the spirit What true joy then can a man have in this life when there is in it no certain felicitie What thing present can delight us when other things do passe away but that which hangeth over our heads doth never passe away And again what can delight us when that which we love is quite ended and grief that shall never have end doth approch still nearer unto us This is all we gain by long life To do more evil to see more evil and to suffer more evil This is all that long life doeth for us It makes our accusation the greater at the last judgement What is man The slave of death and as a passenger on the way He is lighter then a bubble shorter then a moment more vain then an image more empty then a sound more brittle then glasse more changeable then the winde more flitting then a shadow and more deceitfull then a dream What is this life The expectation of death the stage of mockeries the sea of miseries an hemine or phial of bloud which every light fall breaketh and every fit of an ague corrupteth The course of our life is a labyrinth we enter into it when we come out of the wombe and we go out of it by the passage of death Ware nought but earth and earth is but a fume A fume is nought as nought do we consume This life is frail as glasse is sliding as a river is miserable as a warfare And yet it seems to many much to be desired This life seems outwardly as a gilded nut But if thou openest

But thou O Christ wast made a curse for me that I might be freed from the curse of the law I shall be cursed by Moses but blessed by thee For I desire to heare that voice Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you Moses will accuse me But thou wilt not accuse me to thy Father yea thou makest intercession for me Therefore I am not afraid of Moses his curse because thou hast blotted out the hand-writing which was against me The damned will accuse me and pronounce me guiltie of the same fault with them I confesse Lord Jesus my guiltinesse doth conjoyn me with them but the acknowledgement of my guiltines and the saving knowledge of thee doth disjoyn me from them He that heareth thy word and beleeveth on him that sent thee hath life everlasting and shall not come into condemnation I heare thy word Lord and in thee I beleeve with weak faith but yet faith Lord I beleeve yet help thou my unbelief Lord I beleeve but yet do thou increase my faith Although I am not free from all the sinnes of the damned yet thou O Lord shalt deliver me from unbelief All my accusers do terrifie me but thou being my Judge dost comfort me To thee hath the Father committed all judgement Into thy hands hath he delivered all things and again thee hath he delivered up for us all and thou hast delivered up thy self for the Church to sanctifie it and cleanse it by the washing of water through the word How canst thou then according to severe judgement judge those for whom thou hast delivered thy self to death even the death of the crosse Thou canst not hate thine own flesh we are members of thy body of thy flesh and of thy bones Meditat. XLVI Of the desire of eternall life All earthly things tread under thee And let thy thoughts in heaven be DEvout soul thou must not love this life which is transitorie but rather that which remaineth for ever Ascend up by thy desires to the place where there is youth without old age life without death joy without sorrow and a kingdome without change If beauty delight thee The righteous shall shine as the sunne If swiftnesse and strength The elect shall be like unto the angels of God If a long and healthfull life There shall be healthfull eternitie and eternall healthfulnesse If fulnesse The elect shall be filled when the glory of the Lord shall appear If melodie There do the quires of angels sing without end If pure pleasure God shall make those that are his drunk in the torrent of pleasure If wisdome The very wisdome of God shall shew it self unto them If love They shall love God more then themselves and one another as themselves and God shall love them more then they themselves If concord delight There they shall be all of one minde If power To the elect shall all things be easie they shall desire nothing but what they shall be able and they shall desire nothing but what God will have them to will and to desire If honour and riches delight God will make his faithfull servants rulers over many things If true securitie They shall be as certain never to want that good as they are certain that they themselves would never lose it willingly and that God that loveth them will never take from them against their wills that which they love and that nothing is more powerfull then God to separate God and them asunder Whatsoever the elect can desire there they shall finde because they shall behold him that is all in all face to face So great are the goods of that life that they cannot be measured so many that they cannot be numbred and so precious that they cannot be valued There shall be eternall health unto our bodies and great puritie unto our souls there shall be glory and fulnesse of divine pleasure there shall we have familiaritie with the saints and angels for ever having our bodies of admirable clearnesse and brightnesse The elect shall rejoyce for the pleasantnesse of the place which they shall possesse for the pleasant societie in which they shall reigne for the glory of their bodies which they shall put on for the world which they have despised and for hell which they have escaped The least crown of eternall life shall be more worth then a thousand worlds because they are all finite but this is infinite Neither is there any fear that they shall envie one anothers brightnesse because there shall reigne in them all unitie of love By reason of that high degree of love whatsoever happeneth to one of the elect the rest shall as much rejoyce at as if it were their own There is no greater good then God in heaven and in earth Therefore there can be no greater perfecter joy then to see possesse God Therefore to see God for one moment shall go beyond all joyes For we shall see God in himself God in us and our selves in God In the way of this life we have Christ with us but hidden under the covering of the word and sacraments We know him not here as he is but in the life to come we shall behold him in presence when he shall distribute unto us the bread that satisfieth for ever As the disciples knew him not upon the way but in the Inne at length when he broke bread unto them The heavenly Jerusalem hath no temple made with hands neither sunne nor moon because the temple thereof is eternall and God is the life thereof Vision succeeds in the place of faith attainment in the place of hope and perfect fruition in the place of love As at the building of Solomons temple there was heard neither the sound of ax nor hammer So in the heavenly Jerusalem there is neither pain nor tribulation felt because the materials of this temple to wit the spirituall stones are prepared by tribulation in the world long before The queen that came to Solomon is the soul travelling to the heavenly Jerusalem unto Christ She entreth in with a great train of the holy angels with gold and precious stones of divers vertues She will wonder at the wisdome of Christ the King the order of his ministers that is the Angels and the Saints the fare of his table that is the fulnesse of eternall repast the price and value of his clothes that is the bodies glorified the beauty of his house that is the greatnesse of the heavenly palace the sacrifices that is the multitude of divine praises She will be turned into astonishment and confesse she could not beleeve what she now seeth with her eyes Therefore let the faithfull soul lift up her self and consider what good things are prepared for her Thither let the spirit be directed whither at length it shall go In time we