Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	conceive_v	evil_a	great_a	37	3	2.0925	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00945	Certaine very proper, and most profitable similies wherein sundrie, and very many, most foule vices, and dangerous sinnes, of all sorts, are so plainly laid open, and displaied in their kindes, and so pointed at with the finger of God, ... Collected by Anthonie Fletcher, minister of the word of God, ... This present yeere of our happines 1595.	Fletcher, Anthonie.	1595 (1595)	STC 11053; ESTC S116009	166,265	184

and compasseth about with the shadow thereof all those that flie to him for succour yea all the poore birds of God shall safely builde their nests vnder the shadow of his boughes He that dwelleth saith the prophet in the helpe of the almightie shall rest in the protection of the God of heauen Indéede to be vnder the Lords protection and in his fauour is to be in all safetie against all power of men and diuels and to be from vnder the wings of his grace is to lie open to all dangers and to death and destruction it selfe of our soules and bodies The Lord therefore kéepe vs so néere vnto himselfe in due obedience to his will and word that he may vouchsafe to be our shield and buckler against all the assaults of sathan EVen as lightenings do smite whatsoeuer they finde in the earth except the lawrell trée as Plinie affirmeth in his second booke chapter 55 So great calamitie is able to take away and to ouerthrow whatsoeuer is in man or that he hath saue onely firme and constant vertue for constant vertue is a goodly lawrell trée euer florishing and gréene and will not be consumed burnt vp nor destroied with any fire that breaketh out of the cloudes be it neuer so fierce nor with any violence of torments and troubles whatsoeuer To this vertue doth the apostle exhort vs saying My déere brethren ●e ye constant and vnmooueable alwaies rich in the worke of the Lord and indéed they that are grounded in the loue of Christ and leaue nothing vndone to auoid the dishonoring of God and the offending of their brethren and do their best indeuour to honor and obey the almightie and to edifie his seruant● do not onely not feare the firebrands of any sorrow whatsoeuer but also do euen despise all the firie flashings and thunderclaps of the world and do remaine constant and vnchangeable in the seruice of God euen to the losse of their liues if néede be Infidels that knew not Christ but were méere strangers vnto him thought it better to lose their liues than to violate their promises and othes made to their enimies Much more then ought Christians in such cases to be constant The Lord himselfe in the mouth of Ezechiel the prophet affirmeth that he shall neuer thriue nor prosper that maketh no conscience of violating and breaking his oth wherewith he hath bound himselfe though it be to his deadly enimie And Iosua hauing promised vpon his oth that the Gabaonites should liue in the countrie vntouched afterward when their great deceit was discouered and they found most vnwoorthie to liue yet for his oth sake he spared their liues We haue sworne vnto them saith he in the name of the God of Israel and therefore we cannot touch them We learne by this to beware how we binde our selues by othes but if we haue once done it we must not regard to whom but by whom we haue sworne and bound our selues EVen as the lambes with the which the shéepe were conceiued as they beheld Iacobs rod were of the same colour that the rod was of So such as the religion and actions of princes péeres of realmes and countries ministers parents and gouerners be such for the most part is the religion and such be the actions of subiects and inferiour persons For as examples are very dangerous in euill things so be they of great force and vertue in good and holy things When princes will haue godlie vertuous loyall and obedient subiects they must deale with them as Iacob did with his shéepe they must lay before them the rod of true religion iustice holines righteousnes and integritie of life and maners and then no doubt they will conceiue in their harts thoughts that be pure righteous chaste sound and holy and bring foorth great plentie of fruits of the same colour that the rod is of to wit not words onely but works also of ●aith and obedience to God and man Parents with their natural children ministers of the word with their spiritual children and maisters with their seruants must do the like AS most pleasant perfumes do euen then when they be in the fire giue out a most excellent odor and their swéetest sauour Euen so a vertuous and godly man when he is thrust into the midst of the hote scorching fire of calamitie and miserie doth then shew most his vertue faith religion patience and constancie THere be some men which now and then do bestow great cost and much of their riches vpon those that néede them not not drawne therunto with either loue or mercie but caried with vaine glory with vanity it selfe so to do Such men are like fluds which send their waters into the sea and leaue the drie land which is very thirsty vnwatred But such men by the commandement and will of God should helpe the poore féede the hungrie cloth the naked harbor the harborlesse visite and redéeme captiues c. For that is the mercy whereto the Lords blessing and mercy belongeth according to that he saith Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy It is a worlde to sée and consider that man dare be so bold and so shamelesse to make but a tush or a thing of nothing of the Lords commandement when in the mouth of his prophets he saith Breake thy bread vnto the hungrie And Giue thy bread to the hungrie soule and couer the naked with thy garment if thou wilt liue and be saued How thinkest thou O man that God will heare thée séeing thou thinkest him not woorthie the hearing With what hart canst thou beg a kingdome of him to whom thou deniest a péece of bread when he sendeth thine and his owne brother for it dost thou thinke that he will bestow vpon thée an immortall garment of eternall glorie séeing thou refusest to giue to his poore naked seruant that is readie to perish and to die with cold one of thy superfluous and old moth eaten garments The vaine men of the world which do lauish out their riches and substance vpon néedlesse things and méere vanities without regarding the néedie saints of God will neuer be able to answer their dooings before the iudgement seate of Christ Will the Lord of heauen and earth take this in good part that haukes and dogs are kept and fed fat and faire and his séely soules that he died for haue neither coates nor flesh vpon their backs or doth this please him that wals and stones be most curiously and costly adorned and couered and men want to eate and wherewith to couer their nakednes How swéete a sacrifice were it to God and how highly would it please him if many rich and costly suits of apparell that men and women haue more then they néed and many golden chaines care rings and other costlie iewels which serue more for pride then for profit were willingly euen in loue to God translated by the owners of

hell to be tormented in the stinch and abhomination thereof for euer But others which in this life are incumbred tormented and afflicted with diuers and sundrie calamities and euen for their vertues sake are hated of the wicked and contemned of the world when they shall depart out of this life they shall be brought and presented before the Lorde with great honour and placed with the king of heauen in euerlasting glorie that is full of honor and full of vnspeakable ioyes These men the worlde is weary of and therefore doth scorne despise and hate them as men not woorthie to liue whereas indéed they ought to cherish and to honor them bicause they feare the Lord. And on the contrary side The world is in loue with men of sinne and doth onely honor those that abound with all maner of iniquitie and as it hath them in great admiration in their life time so it maketh no end of praysing extolling them when they be dead These the world adorneth with all the feathers it hath and yet in a very moment of time they lose all and then one houre taketh from them all those things honours dignities pleasures and delights which were long a getting with great care and no litle cost then themselues are sent into endlesse woes and euerlasting paines Héerehence is that sayeng of Ecclesiasticus The riches of the vniust shall be dryed vp like water and they shall make a noise like a great thunder-clap in time of raine And man saith the prophet is like a thing of nothing his daies passe away like a shadow Indéede man dieth and all his pompe vainglory and prosperitie with him And good were it for the wicked if they might neuer rise vp againe For as our old sayeng is It were better to lie stil then to rise vp to take a fall especially such a fall as theirs shall be to wit from heauen to hell from God to the diuell and from al blisse and happines into the most bitter curse of God and tortures of damnation EVen as smoke preaseth and flieth vp on high as though it would couer and darken the skie So enuie and calamitie do aime at those especially which are aduanced and placed in high degrée so that many times they are cast downe headlong from their dignitie very suddenly with much ignominie and disgrace especially when their honors haue changed and corrupted their maners Nabucadnezzar that mightie king which is compared to an eagle as though he were péerelesse among men as the eagle among birds yet notwithstanding immediately after his wealth power pride and prosperitie are compared by the prophet to light feathers that are blowen and caried away with euery blast of winde Séeing then that whatsoeuer this worlde doth or can affoord vs is indre subiect to a change then the Moone and more vnconstant then the winde let vs learne to contemne the world with all the trifles and trash of the same and séeke for the kingddme of God and the righteousnes thereof for that indureth for euer EVen as from the sap of a trée doth procéede that strength wherewith the boughes do florish and bring foorth fruit So from a godly prince such iustice vertue and godlines do procéede that thereby all the people are mightily mooued to true religion a right worshipping of God due obedience and honestie of life and conuersation SVbmission and lowlines of minde is as it were a vessell wherin vertues are laid vp and kept as iewels of great valure And as Bernard saith Humilitie of the hart is a receptacle of grace And Chrysostome his opinion is that Humilitie is a great sacrifice Gregory saith that Humble men when they stoupe lowest and prostrate themselues before the Lordes throne then they rise vp saith he to the similitude and likenes of God On the other side proude men whiles they vaunt and exalt themselues they imitate the diuell but such the Lorde is woont to bring lowe and to exalt the humble and méeke EVen as in winter when it is excéeding colde and in sommer when too much heate inflameth all things great thunder and lightenings are seldome heard and séene as Plinie reporteth in his second booke but in the spring time and haruest when the aire is cléere and calme then chéefly they burne and strike where they light So great calamities and bitter troubles do lie in waite for prosperitie they séeke not after them which in a lowe and meane estate do labour and take paines in heate and cold and all storms else but those do they most suddenly wound ouerthrowe and consume as it were with fire which in a calme spring time and haruest of prosperitie are drunken with pride and to too insolent with vaine glorie of the world and are set vpon the top of vanitie it selfe I suppose that in this life there is nothing safer nothing more profitable nothing better nothing fitter to aduance vertue to a due honor and to be short nothing that sooner bringeth tranquillitie and other good things than true humilitie and a Christian lowlines of mans minde Iames the apostle doth say that God resisteth the proud and giueth grace vnto the humble And againe Be ye humbled in the sight of the Lord and he will exalt you And Peter in his first epistle canonicall Be ye humbled saith he vnder the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in the time of visitation And the Lord in the mouth of Abdias the prophet saith to the proude ones of the world If thou shalt be exalted as an eagle and shalt build thy nest among the stars I will pull thée downe from thence And the Psalmist saith I sawe the wicked exalted and lifted vp like the Cedars of Libanus and I passed by and behold he was not I sought him and he was not to be found his place could not be séene Indéede the proud and vainglorious sort of the world although they séeme to be very happie men yet they haue most miserable ends many times and foule fals from the height of their honors dignities and prosperities and that which is woorst of all they are tumbled downe into hell with the mightie hand of Gods indignation EVen as in the midst of the sphere is that centre from which all lines being drawen do tend towards their circumference So a good Christian man hath God for his circumference For whatsoeuer he thinketh speaketh or doeth it tendeth to Christ of whom he is compassed round about for as the Psalmist saith The Lord is round about his people And againe His truth shall compasse thée round about thou shalt not be afraid for any terror by night also Mercy shall compasse him about that putteth his trust in the Lord. Indéed our good sauiour Christ is that diuine circumference which compasseth round about his seruants and is at euery hand néere vnto his déere children He is that same celestial trée that couereth

he be throughly tried S. 35. P. 13. The best foode for the soule of man S. 36. P. 13. 14. Not proud but humble men do profite by reading and hearing of the worde of God S. 37. 38. P. 14. 15. The riches dignities and honors of this world and the life of man are fitly compared to clouds in the aire which are suddenly dispersed and scattered with the windes S. 39. P. 15. 16. The word of God is a looking glasse that wil deceiue no man If a man behold himselfe well in it he shall see plainly that before he was man he was earth and before he was earth he was nothing S 40 P 16. As a birde thrusteth hir bill through the loopes of hir cage in token of hir great desire to be at libertie So the soule of a true Christian groneth and sigheth in the bodie in desire to be dissolued and to go to dwell with the Lord Iesu S. 41. P. 16. 17. Papists compared to vipers S. 42. P. 17. Man for his inconstancie is compared to a ballance that is mooued with euerie little weight S. 43. P. 17 18. Man is so wauering that he is compared to a Chameleon which changeth his colour according to the thing that is next him and also bicause the Chameleon will be changed into any colour saue white S. 44. 45. P. 18. Not they that trust to a dead faith but they that haue a liuely and working faith shall be saued S. 46 P. 18. Many men of very good qualities and indewed with sundrie vertues and full of good parts haue been strongly altered and greatly disgraced through their familiaritie with the wicked S. 47. P. 18. 19. When Peter came into Cayphas his hall he denied Christ S. 48. P. 19. What it is not to eat the word of God and not to fill a mans bellie and bowels with it S. 49. P. 19. The harder that the tree of sinne and wickednes is to be cut downe the more earnestly and diligently ought the preachers of the word to strike at it with the sharpe edge of Gods most mightie and most holie worde S. 50. P. 20. The Lord doth humble vs in this world that he may exalt vs in the world to come this world doth smile vpon vs with a purpose to deceiue vs S. 51. 32. P. 20. Wicked men are wilfull murtherers of their owne bodies and soules S. 53. P. 21. Vngodly men finde no comfort nor sweetnes in the word of God S. 54. P. 21. In mens iudgements words and works we may be deceiued in Gods we cannot Whatsoeuer is writtē in Gods word is truth whatsoeuer is taught in it is vertue and holines and whatsoeuer it promiseth in the world to come is eternitie S. 55. P. 22. The onely weapon that we must vse to ouer come the world flesh and diuell is the word of God and the practise of the same S. 56. P. 22. Poore men feare they God neuer so much are little set by in this world S. 57. P. 23. Christ hath his cup and the world his the one is bitter but wholesome the other very pleasant but pestilent and deadly S. 58. P. 23. and 24 and also S 60. P. 24. As a guiltie man whose conscience doth accuse him would neuer see the iudge and a traitor would neuer willingly be espied of his prince nor a disloyall person of one that knoweth him and on the other side a true and faithfull subiect that hath done dutifull seruice desireth the presence of the prince in hope to be well rewarded So the wicked and vngodly ones of the world are greeued to heare of Christs comming to iudge the quicke and the dead but they that haue liued with good consciences do grone for his comming S. 61. P. 24. There be great braggers of religion which make a great noise as thogh none were right professors of the truth but themselues such be not the best men humble minded Christians are better than they S. 62. P. 25. Death commeth suddenly vpon many that neuer thought to die nor cannot tell what shall become of them when they bee dead S. 63. P. 25. 26. All men are alike subiect to death whether they beyoong or olde this world is like a potters warehouse and all men in it are earthen vessels S. 64. P. 26. As the moone decreasing hath hir open side hanging downward but increasing and gathering light hath hir opening vp towards heauen So men meere naturall haue their harts set only vpon earth and earthly things but men regenerate haue the open side of their harts euer towards God heauen and heauenly things S 65. P. 26. 27. A common wealth without good lawes and holy ordinances put in practise is like a bodie without a soule S 66 P 28. As the horse is ordained to run the oxe to plough and the dog to hunt So is man borne to loue God aboue all things S. 67. P. 28. Mans hart is so hard that it must be smitten with the Lords owne hand and bruised with one calamitie or other or else no godo thing will euer issue out of it S. 68. P. 28. and S. 69. P. 29. S. 70. P. 29. The earth is the Lords steward and doth dispose and detaine the increase of it selfe at the Lords appointment when God wil plentie when he will scarci●ie S. 71. P. 29. 30. If man cleaue to God God will sticke to him if he will run from God yet can he not escape his hands S. 72. P. 30. A man that is vertuous without hypocrisie is an excellent iewell he is greatly greeued to see any bewitched with the forceries of the world he doth what he can that none may Carnall men are meere strangers to true christianitie S. 73. P. 31. Vaine and carnall men compared to organs S. 74. P. 31. Naturall men will do no good thing vnles they be pricked forward with the praise and commendations of the world S. 75. P. 31. 32. Hypocrites most plainly and truly described by a wood or groue full of goodly trees and pleasant plants to delight men and also full of stinging serpents to poyson and to kill men S. 76. P. 32. Heauenly meditations doe molli●ie and warme the hart and do greatly inflame men with a feruent loue of God This world and the things thereof haue euer been false and haue deceiued euen their louers and deerest friends at the length S. 77. P. 32. 33. The Lorde suffereth his owne children whom he loueth most deerely to bee oftentimes in great wants when the wicked haue euen the world at will The afflictions of this are not the maledictions and curses of God but rather most certaine signes of his loue and tokens of his grace S. 78. P. 33. 34. God doth su●fer his saints heere vpon the earth to be smitten and sore beaten of the world and to be throughly tried with diuers tentations to the end that their inward graces may breake

borne in the world yet they very little or nothing resemble it they rather resemble heauen in some measure from whence they receiue the influēce of the grace and fauor of God S. 124. P. 58. Preachers of the word of God must temper and frame themselues to meete with the maners qualities conditions and sinnes of all men S. 125. P. 59. The preacher of the word is to take good heed that none of his hearers for want of discretion in him depart vntouched S. 126. P. 59. A preacher must do his best indeuour to know the maners qualities and dispositions of his auditorie S 127. P. 59. A Christian will shew patience and constancie in all calamities S. 128. P. 59. Whatsoeuer is in the hart of man at the length it will breake out For not onelie the toong will speake but the rest of the members of the bodie wil also be exercised according to the abundance of the hart S. 129. P. 60. That common wealth house or man is very happie that is ruled and gouerned by such counsell as is grounded and built vpon the holy word of God S. 130. P. 60. By our words deedes gestures and moouings our enimie sathan doth knowe the secrets of our harts and so worketh vpon vs S. 131. P. 60. 61. The hart of man is like vnto a smithes forge his bad cogitations are hote coles he that doth blowe the bellowes to make them burne and consume both soules and bodies is the diuell the euill thoughts in mans hart are compared to the frie of vipers which in comming to light do breake the bellies of their breeders and so kill them S. 132. P. 61. The nearest waie for man to obtain Gods fauour and free remission of sinnes is to acknowledge and confesse them with greefe of hart for committing of them and not to doubt through Iesus Christ the forgiuenes of them and not to trust to any merits or righteousnes of his owne S. 133. P. 62. Nothing in the word of God is superfluous it must all be beleeued imbraced and honored with all obedience possible It is not gold and earth togither that a man may take the one and refuse the other it is all most pure and all to be applied to the comfort of man S. 134. P. 62. This world will cosen and deceiue all that put their trust in it S. 135 P. 63. Sathan doth very easily drawe after him euen whither and to what he will men that are not setled in true religion nor armed with the holy word of God yea the best armed and strongest in faith haue much adoe to escape his snares S. 135. P. 63. They that are continually exercised with great troubles and afflictions in this life are not to be iudged reprobates and cast awaies as though God had giuen them ouer but rather we are to thinke that by that meanes the Lord will throughly trie them and finding them faithfull and constant doth make them the fitter for his kingdome neither are we to iudge all to bee the children of God that liue without afflictions S. 136. P. 63. 64. Vnlesse a man be well grounded in true religion and clothed with the armor of righteousnes on the right hand and on the left to wit on euery side and against all brunts and assaults whatsoeuer he shall neuer quit himselfe well against the subtle sleights and forcible tentations of his professed enimies world flesh and diuell S 137. P. 65. If man woulde remember that he was moulded of earth dust and ashes and that he must be tumbled into the earth againe it would bring him to a far better temper than otherwise hee will bee brought vnto S. 138. Pag. 65. The groundworke of Christian philosophie is vnfained humilitie and the deeper that the same is laid and setled in our harts the surer and more permanent will the building of our religion be S. 139. 140. P. 66. The centre from whence the lines of all abhominations do flowe is mans inordinate selfe loue Two loues builded two cities the loue of God Ierusalem and mans selfe loue Babylon S. 141. P. 66. 67. There is no miserie comparable to this that a man knoweth not his owne miserie and of follies none greater than that a man seeth not his owne follie S. 141. P. 67. After great troubles do follow quietnes of hart and minde and peace of soule and conscience S. 142. P. 67. Ouermuch ease and pampering of the bellie are great prouocations to sinne S. 143. P. 67. 68. They which care not to keepe a good conscience do at the length fall into an extreme contempt of faith he that will haue his faith acceptable in the sight of God must keepe a good conscience otherwise his faith is dead S. 144. P. 68. The riches of couetous tyrants increasing the wealth of inferior persons doth decrease and as couetousnes doth increase in men vertues do decrease in them Riches are the gift of God and to be bestowed to his owne glorie and the comfort of our brethren The couetous man in gaining riches loseth himselfe The couetous man if he had more golde and greater riches than was in that ship which came from Ophyre to Salomon yet would he neuer be contented nor any whit neare satisfied S. 145. 146. P. 68. 69. 70. The riches of this world are to verie many poison but godly men possesse their riches and not their riches them Their riches are drudges to them and not they to their riches S. 147. P. 70. As the touch stone trieth golde so golde trieth man A very good huntesman and his hounds S. 148. P 71. Not to giue vnto the poore if a man be able to giue is sacrilege It is a very lamentable thing to see and consider how vi●ely and wickedly manie men do lauish out and consume the riches wherewith God hath put them in trust to vse them to his owne glorie and the good of his church S. 149. P. 72. Christ suffered and died as he was man but as he is God he neither suffered nor died All that be surely grounded and graffed in Christ Iesu whatsoeuer tribulations and heauie crosses they beare in their bodies yet their faith hope and loue to God will neuer shrinke but they will be constant come what shall S. 150. P. 73. Wicked men are neuer satisfied with committing of any euill they make no ende of their vngodly practises the more euill they do the more still do they desire to do S. 151. P. 73. 74. The vnskilfull and vngodly minister that deliuereth the worde and sacraments to those that are well prepared woorthily to receiue the same hurteth himself only though he perish they may be saued they receiuing it woorthily his vnwoorthines doth not preiudice them S. 152. P. 74. It greeueth our God greatly to see man make so little account of his soule and so lightly to regarde that which he hath loued so deerly he cannot abide to see it beset with wicked