Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	flesh_n	sin_n	sinful_a	2,809	5	9.4946	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68815	The imitation or following of Christ, and the contemning of worldly vanities wherevnto, as springing out of the same roote, we haue adioyned another pretie treatise, entituled, The perpetuall reioyce of the godly, euen in this lyfe.; Imitatio Christi. English. 1568.	Thomas, à Kempis, 1380-1471.; Castellion, Sébastien, 1515-1563.; Hake, Edward, fl. 1560-1604.	1568 (1568)	STC 23971; ESTC S118357	145,208	331

life Nature doth quicklie complaine of néede pouertie Grace beareth lacke constantly Nature referreth al things to hirself and striueth and contendeth for hir selfe but Grace referreth al things vnto God from whence she tooke hir beginning ascribeth no goodnesse vnto hirselfe is not arrogant nor contencious nor preferreth hyr owne sayings before other mens but submiteth hir selfe in all searche of truth vnto Gods wisedome and iudgement Nature is gréedie to knowe and to heare strange misteries and and secretes shée is a boster of hir self desirous to make proofe of many things with hir senses desireth to be knowne and to doe those things by which shée may get prayse and admiration But Grace doth not employ to labor to vnderstand strang and curions things because all that doth procéede and take his beginning of that auncient corruption of ours wheras in déede no strange thing is durable vpon the earth Therfore it teacheth a man to kéepe downe vaine delight to refraine frō ostentation braging modestly to hide things prayse woorthy things to be had in admiration for their excellencie out of euery thing and knowledge to séeke for the fruit of profit and the prayse and honor of god Shée will not haue hir selfe nor hir things to be praised but desireth that thanks shoulde be giuen vn-God for his gifts who giueth all things vpon méere loue This Crace is a light set aboue Natures reach and a certaine singuler gift of God and properly the marke of the elect and the pledge of euerlasting life which lifteth vp a man from the loue of earthly things to the loue of heauenly thyngs of carnall maketh him spiritual Therfore the more sharply that Nature is pressed downe ouercome so much the greater Grace is poured into it so much the more is the inwarde man reformed daily with new gifts according to the ymage of God. Of the corruption of Nature of the power and strength of Gods Grace The Lx. Chapter SERVANT O Lorde my God which hast created me lyke vnto thy ymage graunt me that benefite which thou hast declared to bee so necessary for me and of so great force vnto euerlasting life that I may ouercome my nature so corrupt and sinful that it draweth me to sinne and to destruction For I féele in my flesh the law of sinne that fighteth against the law of my mind compelleth me in many things to obey mine appetite so that I cannot withstande hir assaults vnlesse that thy most holy Grace doe helpe me beyng ardently poured into my soule I say agayne I haue néede of thy Grace the same great that Nature may be ouercome alwaies prone to euill frō the beginning of my life For Nature being fallen and corrupted through sinne by Adams fault the punishment of this great blemish hath come ouer al mē so that Nature hirself which was created good right by thée is accounted now for the vice weakenesse of the corrupt nature bicause the motion that is left vnto it doth draw vnto euil to the infeor things For as touching that slender force which abideth still therein the same is as it were a certaine sparke raked vp in the embers This is that naturall reason compassed about with a blacke darkenesse so yet neuerthelesse that it can as yet discerne and iudge good and euill truth falshood although it bée not able to perform whatsoeuer it approueth nor enioyeth as now perfite light of truth nor yet the soundenesse health of his affections Hereby it commeth to passe O my God that I am delighted with thy law as toughing the inward man knowing that thy commaundements are good iust holy reproue al euil sinne teach that it shoulde be auoyded But with my flesh I serue the law of sinne whilest I obay appetite more than reason Herevpon it commeth that I haue a will ready inough but I finde not power abilitie to make performance Hereof I determine many times to doe many things well but bicause Gods fauour is wanting which shoulde helpe my weakenesse it hapneth that I leape backe againe am tired for a small fighting against my seife Herevpon it hapneth that in déede I doe acknowledge the way of perfection doe plainely inough see what belongeth to my dutie but being pressed downe with the waight of my corruptiō I cannot arise vnto the more perfite things O how necessary is thy grace for me O Lorde both to make entrance into that which is good also to go forward therin and to bring it to perfection For neyther am I able to do ought without the same Grace againe when the same Grace doth confirme and strengthen me then am I able to doe all things in thée O the right heauenly Grace without the which no merits of man no gifts of Nature are to be had in any price or regard Artes are of no force riches are of no force beauty and strength is of no force wit or eloquence is of no force with thée O Lord without Grace For as for Natures gifts they are cōmon as well to the good as to the bad But Grace is a gift peculiar vnto the elect wyth the which who so are endued they are accounted worthy of euerlasting life To be short it is of so great price that without it neither the gift of prophesie nor the dooinge of miracles nor the most hid vnderstāding of secret things are any thing at all to be estéemed Nay neyther faith nor hope nor all the other vertues are acceptable vnto thée without loue grace O blessed Grace which makest the poore in spirite to be rich in vertues makest the lowly humble minded mā to be wealthy in good things Come to me come downe to me Replenish me earely with thy comfort least my soule do faile me for very wearinesse of mind drynesse I beséech thée O Lorde vouchsafe me of thy grace For the same is sufficient for me though the other things be not had which Nature doth desire I say againe if the same be assistent to me I will feare the euill of no temptacion at all of no calamitie at all This is my strength this bryngeth counsayle and health The same is both mightier then al our enimies more wise then are al wise men in the worlde Shée is maistres of truth teacher of discipline light of the mind comfort of anguishes the chaser away of sadnesse the taker away of feare the nurse of religion and godlinesse the moother of teares Without it what am I but a dry sticke an vnprofitable and vile blocke Therefore O Lord let thys thy Grace alwayce both go before come after and let that bring to passe that I may alwaies apply my selfe vnto well dooing through Iesus Christ thy sonne Amen We ought to denie our selues and to followe Christ by his Crosse. The Lxi. Chapter LORDE SOnne the further off thou shalt depart from

precious than that it can abide to be ioyned with outwarde thinges Therefore whatsoeuer is a let to the same thou must cast it away frō thée if thou desire to be indued therewithall Séeke for a place of solitarinesse loue to dwell by thy self alone séeke for no mans communication but rather poure forth deuout prayers vnto God that both thy minde may be stirred vp and quickned and thy soule guiltie vnto it self of well dooing Set nothing by the whole worlde and preferre thy studye applyed to God before all outwarde thinges For thou canst not both apply thy selfe vnto me also be delighted with things transitory Thou must depart from thy acquaintance deare friends and thy mind must be called away from all worldly comfort Saint Peter doth admonishe the Disciples of Christ euen so to behaue themselues in thys worlde as straungers traueylers O how great faith and trust shall the person that shall dye haue whome the desire of no maner of thing doth kéepe still in the world But to haue a mynde thus secluded from all things belongeth to a man that is not sicke neither doth the sensual man knowe the libertie of the inward man. Surely if he will haue himselfe to be made spiritual he must renounce both things farre oft hard by must beware of no man more than himself If thou shalt once conquere thy selfe perfitely thou shalt the more easily subdue all other things For to triumph ouer a mans self is perfite victorie For he that hath himselfe subiect vnto himselfe in such sorte that both his appetite is obedient of reason his reason obedient vnto me in al things this man is both the conqueror of himself in déed also the Lorde of the world to which grice if thou desire to come thou must begin lyke a man and the hatchet must be put to the roote that thou maiest cut out and plucke vp by the roote the secrete inordinate loue both of thy selfe and of all priuate and carnall goodnesse For of this mans inordinate loue of himself all onely doth depende whatsoeuer by a man must be grubbed vp which mischiefe being ouercome subdued great peace and continuall calmenesse shall folow after But bicause fewe doe endeuor to dye perfitely vnto themselues and to depart out of themselues fully it hapneth that most of them do abide stil enwrapped in themselues cannot be caried vp in spirit aboue themselues But he that desireth to be conuersant with me fréely he must néedes slay and mortifie all his wicked inordinate affections and not cleaue desirously to any creature through priuate loue Of the diuers motions of Nature of Grace The Lix Chapter LORDE SOnne marke diligentlye the motions of Nature of Grace For they bée mooued after so suttle contrary a maner the one to the other that they can scātly be discerned but of the spiritual man one altogither lightned within Al mē in déed do couet the thing which is good do pretend some good thing in their sayings and déedes therfore are many deceiued with that shew countenance of a good thing Nature is subtile draweth intrappeth deceiueth many men and alwaies will haue hir selfe to be the proposed ende of hir doings But Grace behaueth hir selfe plainely and declineth from all kind of euill vseth no deceit and doth all thinges plainely for Gods sake resteth in him vnto the ende Nature refuseth to die to be kept vnder to bée ouercome to obeye to be subiect Grace studieth to mortifie hir selfe resisteth hir appetite desireth to be subiect and to be ouercome and will not vse hir owne libertie loueth to be kept at commaundement desireth not to beare rule ouer any man but is ready alwaies to liue to remaine to be vnder God to be in subiection with lowlinesse to al worldly things for Gods sake Nature studieth for hir owne commodity considereth what gaine maye growe vnto hir by another but Grace doth consider rather not what is profitable commodious to it self but what is profitable vnto many men Nature is gladly honored and magnified but Grace giueth al honor and glory vnto god Nature is afeard of reproch contempt but Grace reioyceth to be vsed reprochfully for the name of christ Nature loueth ydleyesse ease of body Crace not knowing howe to be ydle embraceth labour willingly Nature coueteth after curious and beautifull things and abhorreth the vyle and grosse things Grace is delighted with simple base things despiseth not things mishapen nor refuseth to be clad with olde rotten rags Nature beholdeth transitory things reioyceth at worldely gaines is sory for losse is prouoked to impacience with euery reprochfull word but Grace hath regard of things euerlasting doth not cleaue vnto corruptible thinges is not troubled with losse nor prouoked to anger with words somewhat spyteful and roughe bicause shée hath placed hir treasure in heauen where nothing is corruptible Nature is couetous more willingly receyueth then giueth as louing hir priuate commoditie but Grace is bountifull and liberall flying hir priuate profite content wyth fewe things iudging it more blessed to giue than to take Nature is prone vnto the creatures to fleshe to vanitie to gaddings about but Grace doth alure to God to vertues biddeth the Creatures adue flyeth the world hateth the desires of the flesh represseth gadding about is ashamed to be séene abrode Nature séeketh for outwarde comforts by the allurements wherof shée may be quieted but Grace séeketh comfort in God alone delighteth it selfe in the chiefest felicitie aboue the reach of all visible things Nature doth all things bycause of priuate gaine and commoditie nothing for naught shée alwayes looketh eyther for equall or greater recompence or else for praise and fauor for hir good déedes desireth that hir déedes gifts be greatly wayed set by But Grace séeketh for no worldely thing nor requireth any other rewarde or recompense for hir selfe then God alone nor coueteth mo things necessary to this life then so much as is néedefull to the attayning of lyfe euerlasting Nature reioiceth in the multitude of friends kinsfolkes bosteth in nobility and greatnesse of stock smyleth vpon the mighty flattereth the rich and doth sooth vp their sayinges that be like vnto hir selfe But Grace doth loue euen hir enimies also and is not prowde with the multitude of fryendes nor hath the place of hir birth noblenes of bloud in admiration reuerence vnlesse perhaps the greater vertue and godlinesse did there appeare The same doth more fauor the poore than the riche doth more lament the case of the innocent and harmelesse man than of the mightie reioyceth in the behalfe of him that is true not of him that is deceitfull doth alwayes exhort most of all to followe all those gifts that are best and to expresse the sonne of GOD in vertues and good