Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	father_n	son_n	substance_n	12,161	5	9.0981	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01518	The droomme of Doomes day VVherin the frailties and miseries of mans lyfe, are lyuely portrayed, and learnedly set forth. Deuided, as appeareth in the page next following. Translated and collected by George Gascoigne Esquyer.	Gascoigne, George, 1542?-1577.; Innocent III, Pope, 1160 or 61-1216. De contemptu mundi. English.	1576 (1576)	STC 11641; ESTC S102877	200,832	291

whole possession of thy selfe and all that thou hast thy body and thy soule yea thyne inward thoughts and outward actions vnto the diuyne Maiestie Least abusing gods gyftes thou consequently serue the Diuill For whosoeuer doth liue vytiously he is a seruaunt of the Diuill The Prophet Esay in his lxiii Chapiter hath these words I will remember the Lord for his mercy Yea I will praise the Lord for all that he hath geuen vs and for all that hée hath bestowed vpon vs according to his goodnesse If then we would perfectly knowe how carefully we ought to séeke the way of saluation and walke therein yea and how much we ought to dispyse the vayne delights of the world Let vs héedely consider what the onely begotten Sonne of god did suffered and toke vpon him for our helth and saluation If he then through the wysdome and prouydence of God the father yea through the eternall vncreated vnbegottē vnmesurable foresight dyd not without great cause reason take vpon him doe suffer so many thinges for vs If the onely begotten Sonne of God being perfect and o●…ypotent dyd for our health and saluatiō take vpon him our substaunce and nature if he were for our sake conuersaunt here on earth so many yeares if he did susteyne and endure so many trauayles labors and paynes for our enstruction and redemption finally if he suffred therefore most bitter and cruell death let vs not set lyght by our selues nor make small accoumpt of our saluation Neither let vs thynke that we can be saued by sleighte and superficyall seruing of him by cleauing vnto worldly vanyties neyther yet by lyuing carelesly and without feare For neyther is the euerlasting payne of dampnation so avoyded nor yet the heuenly kingdome is not so obteyned For Christ suffered and was crucyfied for vs that we might thereby folowe his stepes and example Then is it necessary that we be conformed vnto his passion and that we crucyfie our selues as he did For whosoeuer sayth that he remayneth in God must walke euen as he walked Where vpon the Apostle sayed If we suffer with him we shall reigne with him also And againe he sayth Be you folowers and imytators of god as his best beloued children And what els is it to be conformed vnto Christes passion to dye with him to folow his steppes but euen to mortyfie all vanyties wickednesse to cōstitute our bodyes wholy in y feare of god to restrayne bridle our owne natural lyberty vnder the cōmaundemētes of his holy lawes to submyt our willes altogether vnto his godly will for whē we know beleue that our Lord Sauiour Jesus Christ did most patiētly suffer innumerable derysions mockes slaunders blasphemies labours and paines with all méekenesse of pouerty with all lowlynesse of minde with all perfection of charytie so as finally he suffered the most vyle kynde of death for vs let vs thynke that it were moste vndecent for the seruaunt if he should liue in delightes reioyse in worldly rytches and wallowe in earthly vanyties whose master was so busily conuersaunt afflicted kylled for the seruants sake For that seruaunt is not aboue his master And Gregory saied well Nothing is so gréeuous but that it myght bée suffered with good will if we would often call to memorye the passion of christ Harken then vnto holy Bernarde speaking to thée in the person of christ Behold O man sayth he what I suffer ●…or thée There is no payne comparable to that wherwith I am tormented I call vnto thée bicause I am afflicted for thée Behold the paynes wherewith I am tormēted Behold the nayles wherwith I am nayled Behold howe all my body is stretched out vpon the Cross for thée And looke how greate myne outward paynes are so much that greater is mine inward greifin y I finde thee so vnthankfull If thou weigh these things welbeloued with att●…tiue minde thou wylt soon●… contempne the world and ouercome the concupyscences thereof thou wilt desire to folowe Christ abhorre all things that are worldly refuse to be cōuersaunt with such as walke in vanyties For god forbyd that thou shouldest be vngratefull for such and so many benefites And yet vngratefull shouldest thou be if thou geue him not thankes for the same with thy whole hart But thankes canst thou not geue vnlesse thou doe medytate marke and acknowledge them Synce the chiefe poynt of ingratitude as Seneca sayth is forgetfulnesse Therefore cast and reuolue in thy mynde euery day what God himselfe dyd suffered for thée Yea besides this the benefites are also innumerable which god doth daily bestowe on vs So that by the consideration of them we ought of good ryght to be kyndled in loue towardes God and in a zeale to honour him with all deuotion Pea and an affection also to be alwayes geuing of thankes and so consequently to laude and praise his name incessantly For haue we not receyued frō him whatsoeuer we haue or be y goods of fortune the gyftes of nature to be to liue to féele to haue vnderstanding yea haue not we receiued of him the gyftes gf gra●… ●…ayth hope and charytie the gyftes of the holy Ghost the sacramentes How often hath god most mercyfully spared vs when we offended how pittyfully hath he preuented vs From how many snares and peryles hath he preserued vs what greate gyftes of glorye hath he promysed vs Yea how many haue bene condempned to hell fyre which offended and sinned lesse then we haue done Let vs then not bée forgetfull of suche and so greate benesites But let vs with the Psalmist humbly and thankefully say What shall I requyte vnto the Lorde for all that hée hath geuen me I will blesse and magnyfie the Lorde at all tymes his prayses shall alwayes be in my mouth For of all other faultes ingratitude is the worste Especyally that kynde of ingratytude whereby we become vnthankefull vnto God the most lyberall and abundaunt benefactor of all other If any man should cut of thy hand or thy foote how much wouldest thou thynke thy selfe bounde vnto him which would heale it agayne and restore thée thy member If thou wert blynde deafe or lame how much wouldest y loue him which would cure thy defect how then art thou not ashamed in that thou louest not god feruētly which hath geuē thée all those gyftes before named and hath also promysed thée farre greater then they therefore let these great benyfites and lyberaltyes of god towards thée styrre in thée a contempt of this world and enduce thée to take in hand all such thinges as may most lyuely expresse his honour and glory For as it is moste certayne that he which is by nature best dysposed vnto vertue were moste faulty if he should be blynded by the world to lyue vycyously so thou hauing good gyftes of nature it were no small cause of gréefe if thou shouldest foreslowe

thy workes O Lord god almighty Just and true are all thy wayes O King of the holy ones Who shal not feare thée or who shal not magnify thy name So that the more we growe increase in holinesse equitie so much the more lyke the more beloued we are made vnto our creator Sauior Iudge And the more we are made filthy ouer comm●…n by vices so much the more vnlyke and the more hatefull vnto him we are found Who came to that end by the ministry of incarnatiō into this world that we should serue him in holynesse righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our lief Who doth inuyte styrre vs with an vnspeakeable loue most godly vouchsa●…ng vnto the imitation of his holines Saying doe not cōtaminate nor de●…le your sowles For I the Lord your god am holy Be holy For I am holy Behold my welbeloued if thou ponder these thynges depely oftē stedfastly I thincke that thou wilt on all sides hate eschewe the filthines vncleanenes huge enormitie of sin Yea thou wilt more oftē make hast vnto repētaunce And examynation of thyne owne conscience in spending tyme in deuyne seruice and receuing the holy communion Wherein accordinge to the Scriptures all thinges are washed And thou wilt furthermore indeu●…r thy selfe to be the more iustly and wholy conuersant in the presence of the most holy God and before the eyes of his vnmeasurable righteousnesse Of the Enormitie of sinne by the consideracion of the diuine charitie by the which God dyd preuent vs and greatly loued vs. Art. 8. FUrthermore the more liberally and abundantly that any man doth preuent an other in loue so much the more decent and iust it is to loue him againe hartely And the more frowarde and peruerse it is also to doo any lesse then to loue him But it is most vngratefull and vntoward euen to hate him abiect him and dispise him and altogether to tourne away from him especially if the beloued be suer that he is so beloued of the louer Therefore to th end we may the more effectually sincerely knowe the abhominable and accursed mallice of our iniquities let vs diligently behould how much and in what manner our swéete and iust GOD dyd preuent vs in loue yea and not onely in loue but in a most liberall merely frée most pure eternall and most worthy kynde of loue And first this is certaine that no louer being created no not our parents haue loued or doe loue vs so muche as our ●…éeke and swéete God doth and hath loued vs For of his eternall pre●…enting loue towards vs he created vs when we were nothinge yea he formed vs to his owne Image and similitude For the diuine loue dyd not leaue god without braunche or spring●… Moreouer he hathe manyfoldly ●…wtifyed our nature not onely with naturall gyftes but also with sundry supernaturall graces For he dyd set 〈◊〉 first formed fathers and parentes in original righteousnes placing them in Paradise and preferring them before all the creatures that lyue in this worlde yea and if they had not sinned had transported them from Paradise into the heauenly kingedome without deathe in the meane waye All which he ment to haue geuen to their posteritie if they had not done wickedly Wherevpon although we he depryued of so many and so great commodities yet ought we so ●…o loue God as if we were not thereof depriued since that depriuacion came not from god Furthermore also because vnion is the proper effect of loue and consequently therewithall mutuall societie and perticipacion For loue dothe knyt the louer to the beloued and maketh all good thinges that the louer hath to become vnto the beloued If therefore we desyer rightly and worthely to know how and in what maner our God hath loued vs let vs behold in what maner he hath conioyned himselfe to vs and to our nature For beholde dyd not the onely begotten sonne of God himselfe by the will of God the Father and the cooperacion of the holy ghost vnyte our nature vnto his diuinitie by a substanci a immediate high inward kinde of vnione yea by so great an vnione as none could be more greater or more worthie And therefore since he conioyned himselfe vnto our nature so highly and so in wardly it is apparaunt also how highly he dyd loue vs before hand especially since he vouchsafed deigned so long to be conuersant w vs in the nature which he dyd so assume and take vpon him yea euen the eternall Father himselfe dyd so loue vs that he gaue his onely béegotten Sonne as the Euangelist John dothe saye Who exhorteth vs againe in his first epistle saying ●…earely beloued let vs loue god for he first loued vs Furthermore he ioyned our myndes incessātly vnto him and by supernaturall gifts as by grace doeing the which is acceptable and by actual motion of the holy ghost By faith hope charity the other vertues powred vpō vs by their acts Yea further our god is ready to cōmunicat al that he hath yea himself also vnto vs. For there is no eye that hath séene nor eare that hath hard neither is mans hart able to cōprehend what God hath prepared for his elect For he hath prepared himself as a reward for them Since he created vs to enioy the most swéete fruicion and happy vision of holinesse And this is the most lyberal loue of god that geuing vs his gyfts he geueth euen with the same giftes himselfe vnto vs That we may truely eternally and happely behold haue possesse inioy him Herewith he so much loued vs that by the mouth of Salomon he sayth vnto vs My delights are to be with the sonnes of men Now therefore my welbeloued marke how peruerse how vncomely and how great a fault it is not to requite with loue this such and so great a louer Yea to neglect to offend to fet light by to dispose or to hate him And he that sinneth wylleth in all things that which God will not and that which god wylleth that will not hée accomplishe Therefore he dothe not truely loue God since it is the propertie of friendes to wyll and to nyll in all thinges alyke Yea he despiseth an●… 〈◊〉 lyght by God whose preceptes he regardeth not And so he dothe altogether turne himselfe away from him and yeldeth no turne vnto this so wonderfull méeke most bountifull most excellent louer But payeth euill for good and hate for loue Yea he dispiseth God who hath shewed himselfe so famyliar vnto him Therefore let vs my welbeloued heartely learne to loue God sincerely and inwardly Let vs be caryed vnto him with all feruētuesse of mynde Let vs conforme our affectes alwayes vnto his most holy wyll Let vs hate whatsoeuer he hateth and let vs earnestly imbrace all goodnesse Of the enormitie of sinne considered by the benefits of God. Act. 9. IT 〈◊〉 manifest

forsake al y is earthly For as Bernard cōfesseth They which are delighted in things y are presēt subiect vnto frailtie can hardly or not at all behold cōtemplate things y are heuēly eternal But he which accompteth thē as dust or shadowes shal be the soner raised vp in spirit to the attaining of spiritual heauēly things And herewithal since thou dost my welbeloued séem to be somwhat delighted in riches honor glory therfore I dare not fully say vnto thée y thou shuldest make no maner accoūt therof But mine admonitiō is y thou shuldest not ernestly nor hartily desire y deceiuable riches the worldly honor nor the glorie of men but y with thy whole harte thou séeke searche narowly for the spirituall treasure of vertue the heauenly honor the eternall glory And so shalt thou become a right riche man aboue all them that loue this world For Hierome sayeth those onely are to be accompted true ryches which make vs aboundant in all vertues And therfore if thou desire to be riche then loue and imbrace the right riches of vertue If thou aspyre vnto the height of honor then make hast towardes the heauenly kingdom And if thou couet a crowne of glorie or dignitie thē trauaile to be appointed enthroned amōgst the Angels aboue And this ment Gregorie whē he sayd dispise worldly riches and thou shalt haue aboundance Contempne worldly honor and thou shalt become glorious Set light by ease corporal quyet in this lyfe and thou shalte haue lyfe euerlastyng Whosoeuer can learne to contempne him selfe shall soone learne to dispise all things for God onely And he that doeth so may say with the holy Apostle I haue lost all things sayth he to the end I might gayne Christ Iesus The Prophet Esay in his seuenth Chapiter cryed out saying This natiō or people is without wisdō or aduise would God they could tast or vnderstand would foresée the latter end As also the Philosophers rule is Discentem oportet credere A learner must beleue And the Prophet also witnesseth if we beleue not we shall not vnderstand And Salomon in the fyrst of his Prouerbes sayeth My sonne barken thou vnto the disciplyne of thy father And in another scriptur●… we reade if thou sée a man of vnderstandyng straight way watche to drawe neare vnto him And agayne let not the wordes of the elders passe by thine eares vnmarked but stay thereat and from the bottome of thy harte ioyne thée vnto the sayings of the wyse men Then if héereby we bée taught to giue eare vnto wyse men to beléeue their words and to followe their counsell and aduice is it not without all comparyson more expedyent that we giue eare beleue and obeye the on●…ly wise God which is in him self the oryginal seperate and eternall wysedome Synce then the very true God him selfe the onely begotten sonne of the father for his aboundant charitie and loue wherewith hee loued vs came down into the world taking vpon him our nature ●…nd shape appearing visibly vnto men being 〈◊〉 eatyng drynkyng and talkyng wi●… them of all other it were m●…st méete that wee should harken 〈◊〉 ●…nto his counsell and aduyse And per●…orme it throughly as much as in vs may be done But Christ dyd by many meanes and wayes as appeareth by his sayinges manifoldly aduyse vs to contempne the world by promi●…ng r●…wardes by prefering helpe and by making him 〈◊〉 ●…r ex●… The which also the holy Euangelistes a●…d Ap●…les ●…d most euidently sette foorth Therefore obey ●…d ●…low h●…s counsell especial●…y since he is the way and the truth Which hest knoweth the perilles of ou●… passages and what is most expedyent for vs For since he so entirely lo●…d vs th●…t for our redemption he vouchsafed to dye we ●…ay b●… most assured that the counsell hée giueth vs is moste lo●…nde and sure to leane vnto Wherefore become thou his disciple my welbeloued and follow in all thinges his m●…st wholesome and sounde doctryne that thou mayest so much the more bl●…ssedly and with more delight behold him in the heauenly kingdome as thou now doest beleue and harken vnto hym more attentyuely in this lyfe To conclude if an Angell should come downe from heauen appearyng visibly vnto thée and saying Beholde the will or counsell of God is that thou dispyse the worlde wouldest tho●… not by and by ob●…y and beleue it But now not an Angell not a messenger but enen the God of Gods the creator of Angelles and the Lord of all things is come in proper person Yea and hath with his owne mouth giuen thée counsel to contempne the world and to make thyne estate perfect For where as he counselled the rich yong man which from his tender yeares had obserued all the precepts in the golden Tables saying Thou lackest yet one thing If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell all that thou h●…ste and giue it to the poore and come and follow mée and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen he lefte the same counsel or aduyse fo●…●…ée also who peraduenture yet hast not obserued the holy precepts in all poyntes from thy youth bywardes But thou wilt say Can all men leade a perfecte lyfe or forsake the world altogither Oh this is a foolish obiecttion and méete for fonde worldly and wicked men Of whom Salomon sayeth the number of fooles is infinyte And the holy fathers haue answeared thys kynde of obiection at large For there is great difference in iudgement betwéene that which is requyred to the conseruation and mayntenance of the first vndeuidable substance and that which is requisite to the conseruation and mayntenance of the forme or lykenesse But to remayne in the worlde to doe and performe the acte of generation and to till and manure the earthe is not requysite for the mayntenance of the fyrst vndiuydable substa●…ce but for the mayntenance of our owne shadowe shape or lykenesse And therefore let no man which findeth in him selfe any promptnesse or readinesse refuse that grace of God working in him and say The worlde must not be altogither vnprouided or vnfurnyshed For I pray thée tell mée if thou shouldest altogither giue ouer the world and giue thy selfe to a holy and solitarie life should the world therfore fayle Thinkest thou that for thée onely the earth shall be abandoned or the rockes tranferred and moued out of their places No no but doe thou gyue eare and follow the counsell of the most graue wise counsaylor which is the Angell or messenger of the great counsell on highe So that thou mayest safely defende thy selfe from infinyte perylles and walke in a safer shorter quyetter and more acceptable pathe vntyll thou bée receyued into the resting place of the Lord thy God. Christ spake as his Euangelist John rehearseth in the eight Chapiter saying I am the light of the worlde He that followeth me walketh not in darkenesse But shall haue the lyght of lyfe Where vpo●…