Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	gospel_n	prophet_n	2,224	5	6.4691	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10791	A guide vnto godlinesse moste worthy to bee followed of all true Christians: a treatise wherein is set forth the folly of man in prolonging the amendment of his sinful life, togither with the chiefe causes thereof, and souereigne remedies againste the same. Written in Latin by Iohn Riuius: Englished by W.G.; De stultitia mortalium, in procrastinanda correctione vitæ. English	Rivius, Johann, 1500-1553.; Gace, William.	1579 (1579)	STC 21064; ESTC S100606	51,601	134

suddenly slaine so that he can not repent for his sinne when as wee in the meane season by the singular benefite of God haue time and space graunted to returne vnto goodnes Let vs not then abuse this so greate goodnes of our moste gracious God who doth as it were looke for occasion to take pitie vpon vs Let vs amende our lyfe lest that being suddenly preuented with the day of death we seeke space to repent can not fynde the same And truly he that hath promised pardō to the penitent as I sayd euen now but it must be eftsones repeted hath not granted so much as the morow to him that continueth in sinne But that sinner wil some man say may repent flie vnto God for mercy when he lieth nowe visited with sicknes In dede it is not to be denied that this may be but marke howe manye impediments be heare which can scarce be ouercome For to omit the regarde which he ought to haue to make his last will and testamente the care of his wife and children the griefe of his sicknes and such like which seeme perhaps of small importance Howe will Satan at that time besturre himselfe what meanes will he not attempte that he may driue miserable man to despeyre of his saluation because of his innumerable sinnes committed For then especially if euer he putteth in thy mind what soeuer euil thou hast throughe thy whole life from thy childhood either thought willed sayd or done and those offences that be otherwise greeuous of themselues he encreaseth and amplifieth Finallye he goeth about by all meanes to take from man all hope of pardon and to driue him to despeire of hys saluation because of the multitude and greatnes of his sinne Hereunto may be added the remorse of a guilty conscience the great feare of death being nowe before mans eyes the sorrowfull and bitter cogitation of the tribunall seate of the Lord that terror of Gods iudgement which doe sore amaze and astonish the horror of hell fire but who can rehearse all the impediments and all the causes which will hinder thee that thou canst not thinke of repenting Doe not therefore doe not I say if thou bee wise differre the amendment of thy lyfe vntill the last day thereof For this is a thing full of perill and daunger That I may not adde here vnto that such repentance forasmuch as it is vrged by necessitie forced with feare of hell rather then proceding from a ready willingnes of mind shal little preuaile vnto saluation But there is no repētance to late before god I confesse it is true in deede for in what hour so euer a sinner repenteth God will no more remember any of his iniquities and as the Prophet saith in another place The Lord desireth the repentaunce of a sinner rather then his death and destruction But what if sudden death come vppon thee vnawares that thou shalt haue no time to lament thy sinne or to thinke of repenting For that whiche maye chance to all is to be looked for of all Call to mynde the sudden destruction of them who perished by the fall of the tower in Siloam as it is in Luke What it thou be suddenly taken with such a disease or sicknesse that thou shalt lose thy right vnderstandinge and fall into rauing and madnes which we haue seene oftentimes to haue come to passe Nowe if this chaunce as vndoubtedly it may that hope to repent which the sinner had in prolonging the amendment of his life is then vtterly frustrate and vayne That which may come to others may also come to thee thinke not thy selfe exempt from that which is common to all For true is that saying of Publius It may chance to euery one that may chaunce to any Cast of therfore hope of long life then which nothing assuredly is more vaine and deceitfull doe not dreame that thou shalte haue opportunitie neither appoint the time when thou wilt repent Finally doe not with this so vayne hope further thy folly or rather madnes in differring the amendment of thy life If thou be wise repent at that time when thou canst yet sinne For if thou purpose then to repent when thou canst now sinne no more surely thou hast not forsaken sinne but sinne hath forsaken thee Moreouer it is to be feared lest that thou which wilt not repent when thou mayst shalte not be able when thou wouldest For the iudgments of the omnipotent God are vnsearchable in punishing the sinnes of men As God of his goodnes and clemencye is wont to giue space to repent to them that be willing therevnto and ready and fit to receiue mercy and in the meane season to suffer sinners with much patience and leuitie til they returne vnto goodnes so whē he seeth one desperatly dissolut and naught deluding Gods long sufferance and nowe worthy of destruction he ceaseth any more to kepe him from falling into voluntary perdition and as the Scripture speaketh he blindeth the desperate and bardneth the obstinate neither looketh he any more for his conuersion neither giueth to the condemned time to repent or occasion to amend For God hath appointed euery one his day measure beyond which neither can man procede in sinning neither wil God any longer differ the punishment of sinne Which thing surly ought worthely to stirre vp al without delay to repēt and to endeuor to receiue that grace offered vnto them But seeing we haue spoken sufficiently hereof we will nowe proceede to speake of other matters Remedies against the sixt cause for vvhich many in the Papacie differre and neglecte the reforming of their life SVch as differre the amendment of their life vpon confidence in popish pardons and indulgences doe as the prouerbe is truste to a broken staffe and leane to a ruinous wall as also they that worship S. Barbarie and they that prouide that they may bee buried in S. Fraunces habit For what is there any where in the whole Scripture concerninge these tryfles What in the volumes of the olde Testament What in the bookes of the Prophets What in the doctrine of the Gospell What in the writings of the Apostles Finally which of these thinges was eyther in the Primatiue Church obserued or by the true general iudgment and consent of the Churche at all times receiued and allowed as profitable to saluatiō much lesse as necessary He therefore that lamenteth not his sinne before his death can not obtaine saluation albeit he be furnished euen with a thousande popishe pardons and bulles Wherefore vnlesse thou wilt bring thy saluation in doubt omitting these trifles repent thy euill life reknowledge thy sinne and be hartelye sorye and greatlye greeued for the same with earnest prayer and teares craue mercye of God and flye for succour and refuge to the onely merites of Christ with a firme faith and assured hope to obtaine Gods grace and fauor for Christ his sake whom the father hath giuen to death for vs So will

it were dreaming of long prosperitie what dooth God saye vnto him O foole this night will they fetche away thy soule from thee Dost thou not see that while the rich man dreameth that he shall enioy a secure and quiet life deintie dinners and sumptuous suppers costly and delicate bankets the ioyes and plesures of this world and thinketh now all things safe and sure doost thou not see I say that while he vainely looketh to enioye all these thinges sodaine destruction is ready to fall vpon him according as the Apostle Paul saith The holye Scripture therefore biddeth vs watch alwayes biddeth vs be prepared at all times for the comming of the Lorde an excellent admonition assuredly if we did not cōtemne it But as in the time of Noe when they were eating drinking marrying the flood sodenly destroyed them all as when Lot was departed out of Sodom they al perished sodenly by fire frō heauen so doth y last day of euery mans life come sodenly vnawares vpō him S. Iames going about to shake of this securitie y of rich welthy of the worlde what doth he say euen as foloweth Go to nowe yee rich men saith he weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you Your riches are corrupt your garments are moth eaten your gold and siluer is tankred Ye haue liued in pleasure on the earth in wantonnes and haue merely kept continual feastes bankets Let here that rich man mentioned in the Gospell come into thy mind who was clothed with purple and fine silke and fared deliciously euery day but at the laste leauing this life he is continually tormented in hell Surely ouermuch welth and prosperitie suffered him not to thinke of amending his life Hereunto pertaineth that saying of our Sauiour in the Gospell of Matthew It is a hard thing for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen And againe It is easier for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of god This our Sauior as it were interpreting in the Gospell of Marke Howe hard is it sayth he for them that put their trust in riches to enter into the kingdome of God Hereunto tendeth that whereas Christ calleth riches delightes of this life thornes which choke that leede of the worde of God that it can not springe vp and bring forth fruite This therefore is the cause why God sometime sendeth aduersitie chasteneth them whō he loueth as y apostle saith euen vnto this end that he may shake of our security stirre vs vp to feare him cal vpō him whō for the most part in prosperitie wee doe too much forget also that he may pricke vs forwarde to acknowledge our sinnes and hartely to repent for the same moreouer that he may moue vs to desire after heauenly thinges and to despise those that be humaine and earthly For in them who haue the world at will meruelously raigneth that carnall securitie which is counted amonge the moste heynous sinnes and sloth sluggishnes yea as it were a certain senslesnes drousines with a contempt of diuine thinges possesseth their mindes briefely in godly vertuous actions they are faint remisse slothfull and without all courage and spirite By all these wordes and many moe I can scarce sufficiently expresse that which I thinke such is the greatnes of this sinne Now the Scripture declareth that in prosperitie and abundance of welth men are made not only secure but also almost blind and oftentimes vngodly wicked Whereupon is that saying of Moses He was well fedde growne thicke and laden with fatnes so he forsooke God his maker and regarded not the rocke of his salnation They prouoke him to anger with strange Gods c. So Dauid when his enemies were on euery side subdued being secure thinking all things to be safe falleth into adultery and defileth himselfe with the slaughter of an innocent man He that before when Saule persecuted him had behaued himselfe very well in prosperitie became vtterly vnlike himselfe so much doth it concerne him that standeth again and again to take heede least he fall Nowe after he had committed these sinnes in howe great securitie did he liue a long time For as though there had bin no daunger because God is mercifull he went to the tabernacle he celebrated Sabbats and festiuall dayes he was present at sacrifices and offered them like as others did and not to vse many wordes he lyued with a secure mynd But when God by the Prophet Nathan denounceth vnto him punishment and vengeaunce and putteth him in feare and terror then at the last he returning to himselfe perceiueth what he had committed weyeth with himselfe the grieuousnes of his offence and conceiueth greate greefe by reknowledging his sinne openly confesseth the same humbly craueth the mercy of God desireth to be washed from his iniquitie to be clensed from his sinne and to haue the filthines of his offence wiped away neither doth he in the meane season refuse the punishment which god had threatned against him neyther seeketh to auoyde that scourge which he had deserued I would to God there were not like security in vs who for the most part liue with such a secure minde as thoughe all thinges were well neyther doe we acknowledge our offences nether feare the seuere iudgement and grieuous and heauy wrath of God againste sinne So arre is it of that howe great sinnes we cōmit so greatly we doe also lament the same as the most holy martyr of Christ S. Cyprian saith But that I may returne to our former matter and knit vp all in fewe wordes No man can be saued but he whose sinnes are forgiuen and none hath his sinnes forgeuen but hee that asketh pardon of God nowe none asketh pardō of God but he that desireth to returne into Gods fauour neither doth any desire this from his heart but he that is throughly grieued for his sinnes and none is grieued for his sinnes but he that acknowledgeth them and feeleth the wrathe of God againste sinnes This he doth not who is secure and touched with no care of his saluation but for the moste parte he is suche a one with whom all thinges goe prosperously forward and who is as it is said of one drunke with sweete and prosperous fortune It is therefore manifest hereby that prosperitie and fortunate affaires doe cause that men seldome thinke of amendinge theyr life Of the fift cause vvhy man prolonggeth the reforming of his life THe fift cause of differring the amendment of our maners from day to day is hope of long life For although there be none albeit he be but young who knoweth assuredly as he saith in Cicero that he shall liue til the euening notwithstanding there is almost none so old but he thinketh he may liue yet one yere more An old man crieth out in a certaine comicall Poet sayinge shall I beeing threescore