Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	everlasting_a	only_a	4,227	5	6.5529	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13731	The vanitee of this world	Thomas, William, Clerk of the Council to Edward VI.	1549 (1549)	STC 24023; ESTC S119757	25,185	74

not to folow the waies of the worlde and of the fleshe Because that his procedynges hauyng been farre of from those he that walketh by theim taketh a diuerse waie from Christ And the more we goe in theim the further we separate our selfes from him as dyuers lynes that drawen streight from one poinct the longer that thei goe the more different thei be And syns we haue brieflie declared by his example whiche is the waie to goe vnto eternall blisse I woull we see now as neere as we can what the waie that his woorde teacheth vs is ¶ Eternall life HE than addressing him selfe towardes his celestiall father saieth on this wise This is euerlastyng life that they knowe the onely God and that Iesu Christ whom thou hast sent Unto whiche knowlage we must beleeue that we neither by the subtiltee of our owne wittes nor yet by the profoundenesse of our sciences can euer atteigne the thing beyng of so ample so vnmeasurable and so incōprehensible a greatnesse as it is ¶ The knowlage of God FOr that knowlage that we muste hope to haue of hym muste come by grace through the light of him that maie lighten our vnderstandynges and open the eies of our myndes and rest we shall in continuall darknesse if those inwarde eies receiue not lyght by that supernall sonne as our naturall eies haue power to discerne the thynges of this worlde by the sonne that we daiely see And therfore saied the apostle true that we know not god if fyrst he know not vs. For lyke as if our mortall eie woull see the soonne it is fyrste necessarie that the sonne shew hym selfe Euin so willyng with the eies of our mynde to see god it behoueth hym fyrst with the light of his owne lyght to discouer hym selfe vnto vs which the diuine bountee hath doen not onely by geuyng vs moste largely of his grace and sendyng into thearth his onely begotten sonne who is as it hath ben saied the true light and it that lightneth euery man commyng into this world But also by the continuall sendyng of the holy ghost into the hertes of his elected with faieth to kendle in theim the light of his grace This light than of the euerlastyng sonne beyng spredde ouer vs hath discouered vnto our eies the light of our immortall part by the whiche beholdyng god through Christe we maie by our faieth in Christ come to the knowlage of god But to this faieth and belefe there behoueth no small consideracion For we must kepe the waie of lyfe mainteignyng our faieth liuely with good woorkes Because that like as workes without faieth are not receiued of god for iust euen so our faieth is but dead if it shew not hir selfe fruitefull by charitable woorkyng And as the grace and mercie of god is haboundaunt in vs without our deseruyng so with our good woorkes ought we to folow his commandementes to make our selfes apt vesselles of his grace and vertue and to become liuely tabernacles of the holy ghost For as Paule saieth Not they that heare the law but thei that fulfill the law shall be iustified before god dooyng vs to vnderstande that though we haue our iustificacion of faieth Yet in maner it suffiseth vs not without workes And Iames the apostle writeth that if any man saie he hath faieth and woorketh not his faieth is dead and folowyng in speakyng of Abrahams iustificacion he saith That through his workes he was iustified hauyng offred his son Isaac vnto the aulter and that faieth did helpe hym to woorke whiche faieth thorough the worke was made perfite And addeth furthermore these wordes Behold therfore that man is iustified by his dedes and not by his faith onely To the prouffe wherof he alleageth an other example of Raab who for sauing rhe messengers of the people of god was saued hir selfe and saieth on this wyse Likewyse was not Raab the harlot iustified by hir woorkes hauyng receiued the messengers and conueyed them awaie Wherfore he concludeth that as the body without spyrite is dead euin so is faieth without woorkes But this you must consider he hath not written to extoll workes withall or to take from God any parte of his glorie who of his diuine bountee by meere grace by faieth onely dooeth iustifie vs but to the entent that beyng already assured in faieth we shuld be the more ready with good workes to confirme and encrease our faieth For this liuely and woorkyng faieth is it that Christ meaned whan he saied So let your light shine in the sight of men that they maie see your good woorkes For if you kepe your faieth closed in your hertes without woorkyng it can geue no light at all as it maie appeare also by that other saiyng of Christe I am the vine and you the braunches and they that brynge foorth no fruite shall be shredde awaie For Christe beyng our bodie and we his membres he woulde we shulde know that he woull not take theim for his membres that woull not trauaile by well woorkyng to perseuere in hym as it is euident by exaumple of the curse he gaue vnto the fygge tree that he founde fruitelesse ¶ But because this matter is more then euident it is tyme we enter to diffine what those thinges ought to be whiche we shoulde woorke willyng to remaine in the astate of Iesu Christ. And where can we so well learne it as of Christ him selfe who hauyng saied before that all the law and prophetes depended on two commandementes that is to wete on the loue of god and of the neighbour the last euennyng that he supped with his beloued disciples knowyng he shuld no more eate as a mortall man with theim he shewed theim right well how perfectly he loued them For after that he had wasshed theyr feete and licenced Iudas to goe about his bargaine he ordeigned his testament in the whiche amongest other thynges the woordes of his wyll were these ¶ The testament of Christ. I Geue you a new commaundement that you loue well to gethers As I haue loued you so loue you one an other and therby shall men know that you are my disciples if you haue charitee amongest you O ardent loue of the diuine benignitee O liberall benignitee of the diuine loue He saied not as he had saied before vnto the people that the principall commaundement was Thou shouldest loue God with all thyne hert with all thy minde and all thy soule and that the second was Thou shuldest loue thy neighbour as thy selfe No he saied not so but the sweete Iesu saied I geue you a new commaundement a light commaundement doe I geue you whiche I my selfe haue first fulfilled towardes you and that is that without further burden of the law you shall be friendes amongest your selfes and that you loue one an other as I haue loued you and you shalbe knowen for my disciples not if you loue celebrate or worship me ▪ but if you loue amongest your selfes and if charitee be with

into the new world to become riche Some other not contented with the haboundaunce of those fruites that our mother the earthe dooeth bringe foorthe vnto our vse forbeare not to entre into it serchyng the secrete veynes therof to gette out the golde and siluer with the other metalles Some other thinke it no peine to weare harneyse to suffer hunger and thyrste heate and colde to lie and slepe on the bare earthe and to putte also his life in continuall aduenture for the onely hope of a faire daie to make him selfe riche with other mens gooddes Some other bestowe all theyr lyues in theyr countyng houses imagenyng how they maie best gaine be it lawfull or vnlawfull they passe not and many of theim can not be restreigned neitherby the law of god nor yet of man but that thei will laie out theyr money to vsurie Some other kepe open shoppes of ghostly thinges sellyng not onely the thynges that ought not to be solde but also those that are impossible to be bought And finally noumbres there be that bestow theyr labour in most vile and dishonest exercises onely to thentent to become riche For there is not so mischieuouse nor so vile a thing in all this world to be doen ▪ as men for the gaine of money woul not offre theim selfes to dooe Whiche caused the great disciple of Socrates to say that there was nothing in this world more perniciouse than golde and siluer as the holy scriptures in the Ecclesiastes dooe testifie There is nothyng more mischiuous than a couetous man whither mountest thou in pride thou earth and asses There is nothyng more wicked than the loue of money For who loueth it selleth his owne soule And he that woull see plentie of examples of the naughtinesse and mischiefes that through this blinde couetousenesse haue ben committed let him call to mind the histories of the Romaine emperours in the whiche he shall see the re●raite of all filthinesse There shall he see how for euery lyght accusa●ion princes gooddes in maner of all partes of the world were confiscate and that the kinges who yelded thē selfes vnder their obedience if thei brought any treasures with theim lost not onely theyr treasures but theyr lifes withall If by theyr testamentes they had made any other heyres to theyr realmes or to theyr richesse ▪ thei brake those testamentes And if by theyr testamentes they had ordeined the emperours to be theyr heyres liuyng to recouer health the emperours would cause theim to be slaine They spoyled the temples and defaced the images of theyr owne goddes made of golde or siluer they helde open market of other mens lifes and also of their owne iustice And finally there was nothyng how shamefull so euer it were that they would forbeare to doe for money Yea and not so much as the princes of the people of god but that they haue been corrupted with the lyke iniquitee For the children of Samuel leauyng the fathers steppes peruerted their own iudgementes for couetousenesse Like as the kynge Acab caused Nabot to be slaine to haue his goodes And Saul against the speciall commaundement of god saued the heardes of the Amalechites wherof there folowed vpon him the losse of his reigne ▪ with possession of the wicked spyrite It should be all to long to reherse the notable examples conteigned in the auncient histories of the detestable woorkes that men haue attempted through the vnsaciable thyrste for golde And yet one shall I recite hapned of later tyme. ¶ Maomada the Moore kyng of Granata beyng in the warres persecuted by other Moores made his recourse for succour vnto kynge Peter of Castiglia and commyng vnto hym brought with hym a great quantitee of treasure whiche treasure so muche tempted the kyng Peter that he not onely toke it from the Moore but also caused him to die of the shotre of arrowes and was the fyrste hym selfe that shotte at hym Wherof the miserable kynge woorthily reproued hym saiyng that shamefully violatyng his owne faieth against all law of humanitee and nature he triumphed ouer a kyng that had put hym selfe into his handes These be the fruites that growe vpon the ill graffe of the gredie desyre to haue And yet is there nothing to be had but that whiche God promyseth by the mouthe of his prophete Ieremie That the gooddes of couetouse men shall not be enioied of their owne heires Whiche me seemeth that Dauid dooeth also verifie in saiyng He gathereth treasures and woteth not for whom Wherfore to conclude what this vice is me seemeth it to be none other but a certaine dropsie of the mynde For like as he that is infected with the dropsie the more he drinketh the more is his thyrste euin so the couetouse man the more he getteth ▪ the more is his desyre Whiche is confyrmed by the saiyng of Ecclesiastes that who loueth money can neuer be satisfied And further this appetite hath suche a propretee withall ▪ that the elder we waxe the yonger doth it grow in vs the lesse nede we haue the more gredie we be ¶ That honour is not to be sought for BUt what shall I saie of them that feede vpon the winde of ambicion Truely none other but that they whiche be moste ambiciouse and moste deligent in purchasyng of honours and other dignitees they are least woorthy to haue them For according to the saiyng of Plato the good shippemaisters ought to be sought for and praied to gouerne the shippes rather than thei shulde seeke to be receiued And lyke as it is meeter that the diseased seke to the phisician for counsaile than that the phisician shuld go about to seke for the sicke Euin so he that knoweth him selfe apte vnto magistrate dignitee or office shuld rather abyde till he be called therunto than to seeke for theim hym selfe and reason woulde that he shulde be sought vnto desyred and praied as Paulus Emilius declared well whan beyng elected consull against Persa kyng of Macedonie in stede of thankyng the people saied that he accepted that office for their benefite and therefore entended not to thanke theim for if they knewe any man meeter vnto that entreprise than he he prayed theim not to spare theyr newe election and he gladlie shoulde be contented to forgoe the charge therof by reason of whiche offre he was the more honourablie confyrmed in that Consulate Neuerthelesse offices maie be wel and worthily sued for ▪ as often as the sutour defyreth that office for the benefite of a commen wealth and not of hym selfe The example wherof hath ben well seen in the olde Cato who coueryng to be Censor and hauyng many concorrentes that desyred the same in steede of the flatery and praiers that the others vsed saied to the people This people hath nede of a seuere phisicion to geue theim a stronge purgacion and because I am such a one as can minister it accordyngly therfore geue it me and so with seueritee obteined that whiche other