Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	ancient_a	church_n	father_n	2,767	4	4.9407	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13656	The mirror of diuine prouidence Containing a collection of Theodoret his arguments: declaring the prouidence of God to appeare notably both in the heauens and in the earth, and in all things therein contained: taken out of his workes De prouidentia.; De providentia. English. Selections	Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus.; I. C., fl. 1602.	1602 (1602)	STC 23939; ESTC S101993	23,638	96

THE MIRROR of Diuine Prouidence Containing a collection of Theoret his arguments declaring the Prouidence of God to appeare notably both in the heauens and in the earth and in all things therein contained Taken out of his workes De Prouidentia Printed at London by T.C. for Iohn Smithick and are to be sold at his shop in S. Dunstons Churchyard in Fleetstreet 1602. To the Reader THe copie of this collection hauing long since lyen by mee I haue now thought good to publish as a worke well worthy to be read and pervsed of all sorts of people at this time wherein Atheisme like an ill weed is growne to such height as it seemeth to ouershadow the plants of true Religiō while men attributing to Nature what belongs properly to the Creator of Nature do both depriue God of his glory and also discouer their impiety to the danger of their owne soules and the hurt of others The matter was originally handled by Theodoret an auncient and learned Father of the Church in tenne Sermons treating of Prouidence the substance whereof hath bene extracted and digested into Method by a learned Diuine now deceased who made this Collection following Read it with aduise and if thou doost beleeue the Diuine Prouidence as thou oughtest the meditation thereof may bee sweet comfortable vnto thee if otherwise thou doubt or denie it the consideration therof may strike thee with shame and terror and haply reclaime thee from so absurd and impious an opinion which effect I do heartily wish that it may worke in thee I. C. THE MIRROR of Diuine Prouidence Causes why he defendeth the Prouidence of God against the blasphemous mouthes that denie the same THe childrē defend their Parents Reasons why Seruaunts their Maisters Citizens theyr Cities The gard their Prince Much more ought Christians to defend Gods cause For God is nearer vnto vs then our Fathers Reasons of the Conclusion by whose benefite they be made parents He is better then our maisters whose rule is by nature not by the calamitie of the seruants He is stronger then any wall of brasse as he whom no time can weare away nor force impaire Hee is more princely then any king whose rule is perpetuall and ouer all The Prouidence of God is prooued in the Heauens FIrst Nature in that the heauens being of a passible corruptible nature notwithstanding continue vntil this day whole and perfit in an vniform order Order Motion or motiō without interruption by the onely word of the Creator Secondly they being so neare the Sunne Moone and Starres which by nature be fierie for all that are neither melted dried nor set on fire after so many thousand yeares It is proued also in the Sunne THe Sunne contrary to nature for that all fire is carried vpward doth cast downe his beames and heate towardes the earth Likewise the water being by nature fluxible and heauie is carried vpward and hangeth in the aire without any staie Secondly the Sunne is ordained to giue light to all creatures Thirdly The vse of the Sunne it serues for the distinction of time for the Sunne by rising and setting doth distinguish the day frō the night which is the measure of all time The Night is as necessarie as the day FIrst by the night the light beeing interrupted the day is made more pleasant in his second comming Secondly the bodies beeing wearied with the day labour and by sleepe bed and rest well refreshed are made apt again to the next dayes labour Thirdly it giueth to the wilde beasts a free and safe opportunitie to seeke their pray Fourthly and last of all the daies thereby being measured it is consequently the true measure of all time The proofe of the conclusion for by the night daies are measured by dayes the weekes by weekes the moneths by moneths the yeares And so it is the measure of all time Againe the Prouidence is prooued by the foure parts of the yeare IN that God hath not ioyned the Winter and Sommer together which are extreames but hath placed betweene them the Spring and Autumne as meanes to qualifie their extremities to the comfort and preseruation of all creatures for in comming by litle and litle as by degrees from the extremitie of cold to the extremitie of heat we are both in lesse daunger receiue the more pleasure for the sudden and ouer great alteration from one extreame to an other is very hurtfull vnto nature Secondly as these foure parts of the yeare are prouidently disposed so are they all necessary The Winter to sowe the Spring to growe the Sommer to ripen the Autumne to reape and gather in Last of all he gathereth the Prouidence by the Starres also FOr the Starres beside their light are ordained as guides to direct Marriners sayling vpon the seas where there is no tracke of Horse Moyle wheele or wayfairing man A demonstration of the Prouidence by the Aire Earth Sea Riuers and Fountaines By the Aire FIrst whereas it is by nature fluxible hath need of something to containe it God hath so placed it betweene heauen and earth as between two most strōg walles that it cannot break forth but is kept in to the preseruation of al liuing creatures by the breathing wherof all that haue sence do liue Secondly being moued with the watry clouds it doth moisten the Earth Thirdly it is as it were a chariot to bring the light of the Sunne vnto our eyes Fourthly beeing placed between the Sunne and the Earth it doth with his naturall moisture and coldnesse so temper the drinesse and heate of the Sunne that wee receiue his light without griefe or hurt vnto vs. And least we should imagine the Aire to be the chiefe cause of this so great benefite God hath appointed the Sunne likewise to temper the extremitie thereof for were it not that the Sun with his beames did warme the Ayre we were not able to abide the extremitie of his colde as we may perceiue by the winter when the Sunne goeth further from vs. Fiftly heereby is the Prouidence declared for that the Ayre and Sunne beeing in their owne natures hurtfull the one through the extremitie of his cold the other by reason of his extreame heat are by the only prouidence of God so aptly disposed that they turne to our great commoditie and pleasure Sixtly neither in the Sunne Ayre nor any one of the Elements seuerally nor yet in them all ioyntly dooth the life of creatures or the encrease of the Earth consist For when the Ayre is most temperate and the Earth watred with seasonable showers the Sunne likewise vseth a moderation and the windes do blowe most mildely yea although the Husbandman plow neuer so skilfully and sow in good measure and time yet doth not the Earth alwaies yeeld her looked for fruit liberally neither is mankind alwaies free from sicknesse diseases Whereby God sheweth all things to bee ruled by his Prouidence and not by Nature