Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	blood_n	body_n	bread_n	11,992	5	8.2057	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07208	Hearing and doing the ready way to blessednesse with an appendix containing rules of right hearing Gods word. By Henry Mason, parson of S. Andrews Vnder-shaft London.	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1635 (1635)	STC 17609; ESTC S102307	184,084	830

he after some intreaties answered him to this effect (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Climac Grad 4. pag. 49. I saith he in this work of the Kitchin did never think that I served men but God who enjoyned me true service in my place and judging my selfe unworthy of any rest by reason of my many failings when I look on this fire in my chimney how intolerable the burning thereof would be to my flesh I am put in minde of the everlasting and much more unsufferable burnings of hell fire due to all impenitent sinners and the thought of this torment doth resolve me into teares for my sins And now if we will make use of this example we shall not need to goe abroad and gather instructions from other mens lifes as Pambo did we shall finde matter enough at home to exercise our thoughts with For example sake and to set our consciences on work in this duty If any of us shall bee tormented with an headach or a toothach or with the stone or strangury or a hot fever or some other tormenting paine that will not suffer us to take any rest we may make the like use of the burning fever or tormenting ach which we feel that this Cook did of the scorching fire which he looked upon We may think if this little smart in comparison and these short torments seem so unsufferable as that I would not endure them for a yeare together though I might gaine a Kingdome by it how unsufferable are the eternall torments of hell fire and what a fool am I if I plunge my soule into them for ever for gaining of a paltry profit and a fading and a filthy pleasure And if after drinking a cup of pleasant wine in our thirst or after eating a good dinner in our hūger or if after a sweete sleep when we have been weary we finde our selves comforted and refreshed then there is occasion to think O Lord how much more joy and refreshing will it bee to my soule when I shall rest from all my labours in Abrahams bosom and with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob shall eate bread in the Kingdome of God and shall bee fed with the pleasures of Gods house for evermore And againe if at any time wee be overjoyed who sometimes is not when some great preferment befalleth us such as are a high place in the Court a great office in the City or some matter of much gaine in our trading then it will be seasonable to think if such a scant advancement do so much overjoy mee what a joy will it bee and how shall I rejoyce when I shall be taken to bee Gods adopted son and to be heire of his Kingdome and a fellow citizen with the Saints in glory And thus we may doe on all the like occasions and if thus we do doe still converting earthly occurrences into matter of heavenly meditations we shall be profited toward salvation by every thing of moment that we see or heare abroad and by those things which we find feel in our selves But this practice is never more seasonable nor never more profitable then when we come to the Lords Table In this Sacrament wee have for the outward matter of it bread and wine in substance the same with that which is upon our own boards but in use of a far different nature When they be upon our own boards then they be naturall things ordained for the refreshing of the body and preservation of mans nature but when they bee on Gods board they are spirituall things ordained for the nourishment of the soul and the preservation of Gods grace within us Now if it be a point of wisdome to take occasion of heavenly thoughts from them when they are meere naturall things how necessary will it be to have more elevated thoughts of them when they are consecrated to a mysticall and supernaturall use Now that they are set apart to a sacred use they must needs be profaned if they be not handled in a sacred sort Here they are holy signes which represent Christ unto us with all the benefits of his Passion and we make them as no signes if we doe not see Christ and his death represented in them Therefore in the celebration of this Sacrament the Church teacheth the Minister to say sursum corda lift up your hearts and it teacheth the people to answer him back again Wee lift them up unto the Lord. When therefore our eyes doe look on these creatures on the Lords Table our hearts should look to Christ in heaven When we see the bread cut and broken in pieces that biddeth us remember that his sacred body was broken and torne in pieces for our sins And when we see the wine powred out of the vessel into the cup and out of the cup into our bodies that biddeth us remember that his precious blood was emptied out of the veines that our soules might be purged from their sins And when the bread and wine is delivered into the Communicants hand that telleth him that God the Father doth now reach unto him from heaven the flesh and blood of his deare Son that they may nourish his soule to eternall life as the bread and wine doth nourish his body for this naturall life So that in the whole institution of this Sacrament there is nothing dumb or without its signification and so likewise in the celebration of it wee should passe by nothing as if we were deafe and did not understand the meaning of it For conclusion as S. Paul said to Timothie so I say to every Communicant Meditate on these things while ye be about this holy work and 1 Tim. 4.15 Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things that ye may know how to make use of all Gods ordinances for his Glory and your own comfort CAP. III. The blessings of this life are nothing to the blessednesse of the life to come Cap. 3 WHen this woman magnified the happinesse of that mother who had bred so good a childe as he was who had discoursed in this manner our Lord amended her speech by telling her of a far greater blessednesse then that was consisting in the hearing and keeping of Gods word And hence I collect that the blessing of good children and other the good things of this life are much short of the blessednesse which accompanieth godlinesse and an holy life The proofes for confirmation hereof are three 1. The testimony of Solomon 2. The condition of worldly happinesse in it self considered and 3. It s want of those excellencies that are in the true blessednesse I. The first proofe is the Testimony of Solomon set down in the book of Ecclesiastes In it his Testimony is delivered 2. wayes 1. In a generall doctrine 2. In particular instances 1. His doctrine is this Of all worldly blessings and the happinesse that men can gaine by them he saith in the entrance of his book Vanitie of vanities saith

neglected or at least omitted to speake of The summe of which correction is as if hee had said Thou sayest Blessed is the womb c. Which though I deny not to be true yet I will tell thee of a farre greater blessednes then that is Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keep it 2. This woman made not so good an use of our Saviours doctrine as shee might have done When she heard him preach with great wisdome and evidence of the Spirit she brake out into the praises of the preacher which were justly deserved by him but she said nothing perhaps she thought nothing of amending her life or of performing what she was taught And herein our Lord amendeth her speech by telling her what better use shee might make of his Sermon Shee commended him for his good Sermon when she had done better if shee had amended her selfe by his instruction She said Blessed is the mother that bred such a Preacher but he said Nay rather blessed is the hearer that maketh use of his doctrine The Text being thus explained I now proceed to speake of the points that I propounded omitting other by-notes which though they bee profitable in their season yet are not pertinent to my purpose CAP. II. By earthly things a wise Christian may bee occasioned to seeke after heavenly blessings Cap. 2 OUr Lord from this womans speech concerning the happinesse of his mother for breeding such a childe taketh occasion to discourse of the true happinesse that accompanieth Gods service And hence I observe that it is a point of holy wisdome to take occasion for heavenly meditations by the mention or sight of earthly things My proofes for this are two the constant practice of our Saviour and the helpes that it yeeldeth us to a godly and an happy life I. The constant practice of our Saviour related and commended to us in Scriptures for there wee reade that when he saw Peter and Andrew busied in fishing he tooke occasion by the trade that then they did use to tell them of an heavenly trade of fishing for the souls of men He saw them casting a net into the Sea for they were fishers and he said unto them follow mee and I will make you fishers of men Mat. 4.18 19. Againe when some told him of his mother and his brethren desiring to speake with him he tooke occasion from the mention of his earthly kindred to instruct us in the spirituall kindred that is betweene him and every good Christian It was told him by certain which said Thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring to see thee And hee answered and said unto them My mother and my brethren are these which heare the word of God and doe it Luke 8.20 21. And againe when the woman of Samaria came to draw water out of Iacobs Well out of this accident he fetcheth occasion to instruct her in the living water that would refresh her soule unto eternall life There commeth a woman of Samaria to draw water Iesus saith unto her give me to drinke Then said the woman how is it that thou being a Iew askest drink of me which am a woman of Samaria Iesus answered and said unto her If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee Give me to drinke thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Of which water whosoever drinketh shal never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall bee in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life Ioh. 4.7 9 14. And yet againe when the people followed after him that they might eate of his bread he taketh occasion from their desire of earthly meate to instruct them concerning the bread of life When the people came to Capernaum seeking for Jesus Iesus answered them and said verily verily I say vnto you Ye seeke mee not because you saw the miracles but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled Labour not for the meate which perisheth but for that meate which endureth to everlasting life Iohn 6.26 27. Thus our Saviour by a constant custome taketh occasion by the words that are spoken and occurrences that happen in the world to raise mens thoughts from earth to heaven and from things that concerne this life to teach them spirituall lessons for obtaining of eternal life By which practice of his hee lifteth up men to heaven while they remaine upon earth and breedeth in them heavenly mindednesse while they are occupied about their worldly businesse And this being his constant practice who is the wisdome of his father it proveth the truth of my conclusion that it is a point of holy wisdome to take occasion for heavenly meditations by the mention or sight of earthly things II. The same point is further proved by the helps that we may receive from it towards holinesse and an happy life In which kinde I may reckon these that follow 1. It will make every creature that we see and every occurrence that wee meet with in the world to serve us as Schoolemasters to lead us unto Christ and as a Monitor to remember us of some duty The meat on our tables will teach us the necessity of the meate that never perisheth and our hungring after that will admonish us how wee should desire the food of Gods word that we may grow and bee strengthned in grace by it The clothes we put on will remember us of putting on the Lord Iesus and of the glorious robes of righteousnesse with which Gods children are adorned The tender affection which we shew to our children will bring to remembrance the great love of our heavenly father towards his sons and daughters The duty and service that wee require of our servants will tell us what greater duty we owe to our Lord in heaven and their failings towards us will remember us of many defects of our owne in Gods service and of our rebellions against his commandments And the like may be said of all other the like occasions and occurrences so that not a crumme of bread nor a corne of salt nor a drop of drinke but as they serve to refresh nature so they may serve also to increase and confirme grace in us And all the creatures will have not onely a naturall use for this life but also a spirituall use towards eternall life and the happinesse of the world to come 2. This practice of gathering holy meditations from worldly occurrences will help to preserve us from abusing the creatures in a sinfull sort Hee that when he eateth his meate for refreshing of his body shall think withall Yea but how much more necessary and comfortable is the food of Gods word to the famished soule will not likely abuse the creatures to surfetting and excesse And hee that when he putteth on his best clothes shall think Yea but how much more glorious are the garments of righteousnesse and the fine linnen and silkes with