Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	great_a	holy_a	see_v	3,964	5	3.2444	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08952	A rule of good life: written by the mellifluous doctor S. Bernard (monke and abbot of the holie order of S. Benet) especiallie for virgins, and other religious woemen; and may profitably be read likewise by all others, that aspire to Christian perfection. Faithfully translated into English by the R. Father Antonie Batt, monke of the holie order afore-said, of the Congregation of England; Modus bene vivendi. English	Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 91-1153.; Batt, Antonie.	1633 (1633)	STC 1923; ESTC S113802	137,346	537

stand below and the contemplatiue aboue And for that the arke is also said to haue beene triple vauted that is to haue had three loftes one aboue an other this doth insinuate that in the holy Church there are three orders to wit married folkes bachelours and virgins Of this contemplatiue life our Lord saith in the Gospel * If thou wilt be perfect goe sell the things that thou hast and giue to the poore and thou shalt haue a treasure in heauen and come follow me Mat. 19. And of Marie Magdalen he saith Marie hath chosen the best part which shall not be taken away from her Luc. 10. The contemplatiue life shall not be taken away in this world neither in the next But the actiue life shall be taken away from a man in the world to come The actiue life hath an end in this world but not the contemplatiue because it continueth for euer The actiue life shall faile in this world but the contēplatiue beginneth heere and shall be perfected in heauen Hones● virgin I councell you that for the loue of God you despise this present world for the loue of God withdraw your selfe from the cares of the world Endeauour to serue God without the hinderance of the world let no worldly solicitude withdraw you from the feare of God Let no worldly busines withdraw you from Gods seruice cast away from you whatsoeuer may hinder your good purposes Whatsoeuer the world doth loue and cōmend do you hate and condemne with your whole mind Be you dead to the world and the world to you As one dead separate your selfe from the loue of this present life As one dead despise the glorie of the world My most louing sister in Christ as one alreadie dead and buried haue no care of the world As one lying dead in your sepulcher sequester your selfe from all earthly affaires My amiable sister in Christ contemne that liuing which you cannot haue being dead and gone If you shall doe this then doubtles after death you shall obtaine euerlasting blisse Amen Of curiositie CHAPT LIIII MOst deare sister I aduise you that from day to day you studie to goe f●reward in vertue and that you consider not the euills which others doe but the good workes which you are bound to doe Wherevpon a certaine wise man saith * In superfluous things search not many wayes Eccli 3. It is not needfull that you know those things that are remote from humane senses It is verie meet that he omit to censure other mens mindes who cannot perfectly know their hearts and cogitations Why Because our iudgement is vncertaine * vntill our Lord do come who also will lighten the hidden things of darknes and will manifest the counsells of the hearts 1. Cor. 4. It is also verie meet that he cease to sinne that meaneth to reprehend the life of an other man Foolish men whiles they seeke to carpe at other mens faultes shew their owne So long a man knoweth not his owne sinnes which he ought to know and lament with teares as he curiously considereth the faultes of others But when a man returneth to himselfe and considereth himselfe well he searcheth no more what to reprehend in others because he findeth many things in himselfe for which he ought to be sorrowfull He that considereth himselfe well findeth many things in himselfe which he may bewayle Wherevpon S. Gregorie saith We ought by so much the lesse to consider other mens hearts by how much we know that we are vnable to bring to light the darknes of their thoughts Also S. Isidorus saith We more easily carpe at other mens vices then consider their vertues neither are we curious to know any mans good but enquire onely what euill he hath committed Wherefore my beloued sister in Christ I giue you this admonition that you be alwayes more readie to reprehend your owne faultes then those of other men Rather looke vpon your owne imperfections then those of others Be carefull of your owne correction be solicitous of your owne saluation be prouident of your owne amendement be not inquisitiue into other mens affaires neuer desire to know what men say amōg themselues Seeke not to know what other men say or doe Beware of curiositie Trouble not your selfe about the life of others let no curiositie deceiue your mind let no desire of this detestable vice ouertake you vnawares least forgetting your owne manners you curiously consider those of others O spouse of Christ correct your owne fault with as great circumspection as you are car●full to carpe at those of other men be not desirous to know those things that are hidden Be not enquisitiue about those things whereof you ought not to enquire let passe as a secret what you haue learned by the authoritie of the holy scripture Seeke no more then what is written search after no more then what the holy Scriptures do set downe neuer desire to know more then is sitting Venerable si●e● know for certaine that curiositie is a dangerous presumption Curiositie is a damnable science it prouoketh to heresie it casteth downe the mind headlong into sacrilegious fables it maketh men hold in obscure causes it maketh thē hastie in vnknowne matters Most louing sister amend your life with all diligence that after this life you may merit to attaine to eternal happines Amen Of VVatchfulnes CHAPT LV. LOuing sister listen to our Lord Iesus Chri●● speaking in the Gospel saying * Watch ye for you know not when the Lord of the house cōme●h Marc. 13. And againe That which I say to you I say to all watch mat 13. The Apo●●le S. Peter likewise writeth thus * Be wise and watch in prayers 1. Pet. 4. S. Paul also to enduce vs to watchfulnes giueth vs this fore-warning * When men shall say peace and securitie then shall sodaine destructiō come vpon them 1. Thes. 5. And Salomon saith * There are iust men and wise and their workes are in the hand of God and yet mā knoweth not whether he be worthy of loue or hatred Ecc. 9. Why what is the reason Because all things saith he are reserued vncertaine for the time to come Deare sister in Christ for this cause our Lord hath concealed from vs the time of his comming that we through long expectation being vncertaine should at all times beleeue the true iudge to be approaching for that we know not when he will come Wherevpon S. Gregorie g●ueth vs this good admonition The mirth saith he of this present life ought to be passed ouer in that sort that the bitternes of the iudgement following neuer depart from our thought Oftentimes the diuel deceiueth a man to sinne and when he seeth him sorrowfull for the same he deceiueth him againe by securitie of mind And therefore deare sister in Christ it is verie expedient that at all times when we doe any thing that is good we call to mind the euill which we haue committed that whiles we assuredly know ou● faultes we neuer

vnaduisedly reioyce at our good workes For this cause our Lord would haue vs ignorant of the end of our life that we might alwayes stand in feare thereof that sithence we are vnable to see it we might daily prepare our selues for it S. Isidorus likewise least we should thinke our selues secure in this life doth admonish vs saying Neither let a iust man trust in his iustice nor a sinner despaire any thing of Gods mercie and fauour but let him haue in his heart hope and feare ioyntly together let him hope of Gods mercie in that wise that he alwayes feare his iustice Although the conuersation of holy men be neuer so praise-worthy yet it is vnknowne to mortall men what there end will be And therefore a man ought neuer to be without eare for that the satisfaction of penance is poised in the ballance of Gods diuine iu●g●ment not according ●o humane censure Wherevpon Cesarius giueth vs this caution By how much we are ●e●●●e o● th●ngs past an● gone by so much we ought ●o be carefull of thing to come Venerable si●e● hold this as an infallible truth that the whole l●fe of a wise man is the meditation of death And therefore my deare si●ter in Chri●● if you be at all times watchfull in Gods seruice you shall by so doing shew your selfe truly wise If you daily eleuate your mind to God and haue in remembrance the day of your death you shall be blessed according to that which a certa●ne wise man saith * Blessed is the man that is alwaye● fearefull Prou. 28. For this cause I admonish you honest Virgin that you be alwayes fearefull and suspitious of your end Be alwayes craftie and carefull against the tentat●ons of the diuel Watch continually and fight incessantly against your ancient aduersarie Pray day and night with all wat●hfulne and combat with courage against the diuells treacherie● During your whole life be at all times heedfull and warie and striue with all dil gence against the wily shifts of your gho●tly enemie H●a●e likewise honest virgin what Iesus Christ your beloued bridegroome sayeth in the Gospel Blessed is the seruant whome when his Lord commeth he shall find watching mat 24. If therefore you shall watch to the same our Lord Iesus Christ with your whole mind you shall be numbered among the blessed in eternal beatitude You shall be blessed if with all deuotion you lift vp the eies of your mind to that true light which is God You shall be blessed doubtlesse if you watch to God with all diligence because God hath promised a crowne to such as are watchfull in h●s se●uice Wherevpon it is said of the eies of the bridegroome in the Canticles * His eies as doues vpon the little riuers of waters which are washed with milke ād sit beside the most full streames Cāt. 5. The eies of th● bride groome are holy men who liue simply like doues and shew the way of saluation to others by their preaching and examples They are said to sit vpon the riuers of waters because they alwayes conuerse in the refection of the holy scriptures who are washed with milke for that by Gods grace they are cleansed in baptisme frō their sinnes Now what can we better vnderstand by those most full streames beside which they sit then the profound and hidden sayings of the holy scriptures with which we refresh our selues whiles we drinke thē by reading them of hearing them read by other● For like as doues are wont to sit neere vnto the streames of waters that in the water they may see the shadow of such birdes a● flie ouer them and by the same may shunne the talents of the greedie falcō so holy men do see the snares of the diuells in the holy scriptures as it were in the waters and by the description which they see they do as it were by the shadow know their enemie and so escape his subtiltie Do you most honest sister comport your selfe after the same manner be diligent in meditating daily on the holy scripture for by thi● meanes you will be ma●e skilfull how you may he able to auoid the deceipts of your aduersarie the diuel Honest virgin I admonish you further that you wholy ● commit your selfe to the direction of the holy Scripture that is to say that you doe nothing els but what you heare from ●he oracle of the holy Scriptures because there you shall fin● how you may shune the diuells snares I admonish you likewise t●a● for feare of rauenous birdes that s the diuells you sit vpon the riuers o● the holy Scriptures lea●t you vnaware which God forbid become a prey to your enemies I entreat you also that you continually watch vpon the riuers of the holy Scriptures and that with all care and diligence yo se●ke to shunne the snares of your enem●●s A●as fooles that we are whence is it that we do not know nor vnderstand that our cogitations are apparant and knowne in the sight of ou● Lord before they are put in execution For the Psalmist sa●●h * God searcheth the heart an● raines Psalm 7. Therefore most louing sister let vs cōsider at all t m●s that we ād in Gods presence and w●●h all acknowledge that we are ●a●th and ashes Behold our God most terrible to behold rendring to ●u●●●e one accord●ng to his wo●kes is at hand and will not delay he himselfe will come and wil saue v● Isay 55. Let vs therefore wa ch with all perseuerance and deuotion that when he shall come and knock he may not find vs sleeping but watching in this prayses and in his loue and in his holy seruice * Let vs walke whiles we haue the light that the darknes ouertake vs not Io. 12 For so the wisdome of God saith in the Prouerbs * Blessed is the man that heareth me and that watcheth at my dores daily and waiteth at the postes of my dores He that shall find me shall find life and shall draw saluation of our Lord. Prou. 8. Wherefore ô Virgin of Christ I admoni●h you that you behaue your selfe watchfull towards God with all care and diligence to the end you may find him your friend in the day of distresse Honest Virgin let no h●ppe find you vnprouided let there be no euent which your meditation doth not preuent make this supposition that there is nothing which may not happen Th●●ke alwayes vpon future miserie in time of felicitie consider that there come a time of aduersitie Ponder alwayes in your mind that some michance or other may happen ere it be long It is the part of a wise man to fore-see such dangers as are like to ensue All things that are thought vpon before hand are by so much the better endured euills that are expected are the more patiently sustained a thing that is fore seene is the more welcome when it doth come Premeditation doth represse sodaine inuasions premeditation doth attenuat future troubles fore-sight doth asswage the comming of euills and gaineth the

Isidorus shall giue you an answere Although p●etie or compassion saith he● doth bid vs to weepe for the faithfull that are dead and gone yet faith do h forbid vs to lament for them We ought not therefore to weepe for the faithfull tha● are departed but rather to g●ue thankes to God for that he hath vouchsafed to free them from the miserie of this world a●d ●ath made them to passe as we p●ously beleeue to a place of repose light and peace We ought not to lament for such a● die in Chri●● whome we doubt not to passe to perpetualie Honest virgin heare what I say Those men are to be lamented when they die whome the diuells snatch away with shame and ignominie not those whome the Angells receiue with honour and glorie Or those are to be lamented whome the diuells draw to the paines of hell not those whome the Angells carrie to the ioyes celestial Or those are to be lamented who after death are buried in hell by the diuells not those that are placed in heauen by the Angells T●ose are to be lamented that die ill not those that end well Those are to be lamented that are preuented by a bad death not those that are honoured by a good death Virgin of Christ heare what I say When I weepe for those that die well I hurt my selfe and doe them no good at all when I weepe for those that are dead it hurteth me and doeth them no good Let those therefore weepe and take on for their friends ād kinds-folke that are dead and gone that denie the resurrection or thinke that after death there is no rising againe We therefore most deare sister who beleeue that our friends desceased do raigne with Christ in heauen ought not to weepe but to pray for them We ought not to weepe for our dead friends according to the manner of worldlings but rather to make intercession to our Lord for them by our prayers that he will vouchsafe to release them from their paines Of iudgement CHAPT LXX THere is a two-fold iudgement the one by which men are iudged in this life the other by which they shall be iudged in the life to come For this cause some are iudged heere by pouertie sicknesses and sond●ie tribulations of this world to the end they may not be iudged in the next world Therefore to some temporal paine is as a purgation to purge them from their sinnes but the damnation of some is begunne heere and their perfect perdition is prepared there Some are iudged in this world by tribulation others by the inquisition of the strict iudge shall be iudged by fire in the world to come neither shall the iustice of iust men be assured of pardon Heerevpon Iob speaking of God saith * Both the innocent and the impious he consumeth Iob. 9. For the innocent is consumed by God when his verie innocencie being clearely examined and compared to the innocencie of God becommeth nothing in cōparison thereof The impious also is consumed by God when by the subtilitie of the diuine examination his impietie is sought for and sifted and iustly condemned Christ at the day of iudgement according to the diuersitie of merits will appeare to the elect sweet and affable but to the reprobate he will appeare terrible At the day of iudgement euerie one shall find the iudge according as he findeth his owne conscience in so much that Christ remaining in his calmnes he shall appeare terrible onely to those whome their bad conscience doth accuse Most deare sister heare what blessed Isidorus saith No man is without sinne neither can any one be secure of Gods iudgement sithence we must render an accompt euen of our idle wordes Woe be to vs miserable sinners woe be to vs wretched caitiffs What answere shall we make at that day who not onely by idle wordes but also by euil workes do offend daily and do neuer cease from committing iniquitie If in the iudgement of almightie God the iust man shall not be secure how shall we sinners appeare If at the examination of the seuere iudge the iustice of the iust man shall not be assured what shall we doe at that day that do daily offend If at the day of iudgement the iust man shall scarcely be saued where shall we appeare at that day that haue so oftē offēded No man at that day shall be withou● dread when the heauens and the earth shall be moued and all the element through exceeding heate shall be dissolued of which day it is also said * That day a day of wrath a day of tribulation and distresse a day of calamitie and miserie a day of darknes and mist a day of clowde and whirlewind a day of th● trumpet and sound in which the stou● and strong shall be troubled and affliccted Sophon 1. O deare brother what shall we say at that day when that austere Iudge shall come to iudgement For you by making mention of his comming haue made me to weepe You by bringing that dreadfull day of iudgement into my remembrance haue forced me to breake forth into teares My beloued sister in Christ you haue done well and like a good religious woman if with feare you haue wept by thinking of the strict Iudges comming because we ought now before the day of doome to preuent his face in confession Psal 95. and to appeare before him with teares and lamentation * For now is the acceptable time now is the day of Sa●uation 2. Cor. 6. Wherevpon it is said in the holy scripture * Seeke ye our Lord whiles he may be found inuocate him whiles he is neere Isai 55. He shall be seene in the next life but it shall be a farre off Wherefore most deare sister it is ne●essarie that we seeke our Lord with our whole heart and with our whole mind in this present life if we desire to find him in the next If we deuoutly seeke him during this present life and cease from doing ill we shall obtaine mercie of him at the day of iudgement because he is benigne and mercifull For it is written of him * Our Lord is sweet to all and his commiserations are ouer all his workes Psal 144. Let vs therefore most louing sister beseech that terrible and most iust iudge with deuotion and teare that at the day of iudgement he will not render vnto vs according to our iniquities but according to his mercies and that he will not permit vs with the wicked to heare that terrible sentence * Get you away from me you accursed into fire euerlasting Mat. 25. But that he will make vs with the elect to heare * Come ye blessed of my Father possesse you the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world ibidem Of exhortation CHAPT LXXII MOst deare sister now by the grace of God I direct the ship of my speech towardes the hauen but yet notwithstanding I cannot but turne towards you in a word or two before the conclusion You