Greville, Fulke · published 1633 · first performed or written 1596 [c.1594-c.1596] (Annals) tragedy unassigned nearest T5 Christian faith, sin and salvation · 422 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T5: god, christ, david, sin, holy, israel, lord, mercy, sins, faith.
VAst Superstition! Glorious stile of Weaknesse! Sprung from the deepe disquiet of Mans passion, To desolation, and despaire of Nature: Thy Texts bring Princes Titles into question: Thy Prophets set on worke the sword of Tyrants: They manacle sweet Truth with their distinctions: Let Vertue blood: teach Crueltie for Gods sake; Fashioning one God; yet him of many fashions, Like many-headed Error, in their Passions. Mankinde! Trust not these Superstitious dreames, Feares Idoles, Pleasures Relikes, Sorrowes Pleasures. They make the willfull hearts their holy Temples: The Rebells vnto Gouernment their Martyrs, No: Thou childe of false miracles begotten! False Miracles, which are but ignorance of Cause, Lift vp the hopes of thy abiected Prophets: Courage, and Worth abiure thy painted heauens. Sicknesse, thy blessings are; Miserie, thy triall; Nothing, thy way vnto eternall being; Death, to saluation; and the Graue to Heauen. So Blest be they, so Angel'd, so Eterniz'd That tie their senses to thy senselesse glories, And die, to cloy the after-age with stories. Man should make much of Life, as Natures table, Wherein she writes the Cypher of her glorie. Forsake not Nature, nor misunderstand her: Her mysteries are read without Faiths eye-sight: She speaketh in our flesh; and from our Senses, Deliuers downe her wisdomes to our Reason. If any man would breake her lawes to kill, Nature doth, for defence, allow offences. She neither taught the Father to destroy: Nor promis'd any man, by dying, ioy. " OH wearisome Condition of Humanity! Borne vnder one Law, to another bound: " Vainely begot, and yet forbidden vanity, Created sicke, commanded to be sound: What meaneth Nature by these diuerse Lawes? Passion and Reason, selfe-diuision cause: Is it the marke, or Maiesty of Power To make offences that it may forgiue? Nature herselfe, doth her owne selfe defloure, To hate those errors she her selfe doth giue. For how should man thinke that, he may not doe If Nature did not faile, and punish too? Tyrant to others, to her selfe vniust, Onely commands things difficult and hard. Forbids vs all things, which it knowes is lust, Makes easie paines, vnpossible reward. If Nature did not take delight in blood, She would haue made more easie waies to good. We that are bound by vowes, and by Promotion, With pompe of holy Sacrifice and rites, To teach beleefe in good and still deuotion, To preach of Heauens wonders, and delights: Yet when each of vs, in his owne heart lookes, He findes the God there, farre vnlike his Bookes.
seed 43: T49 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
VAst Superstition! Glorious stile of Weaknesse! Sprung from the deepe disquiet of Mans passion, To desolation, and despaire of Nature: Thy Texts bring Princes Titles into question: Thy Prophets set on worke the sword of Tyrants: They manacle sweet Truth with their distinctions: Let Vertue blood: teach Crueltie for Gods sake; Fashioning one God; yet him of many fashions, Like many-headed Error, in their Passions. Mankinde! Trust not these Superstitious dreames, Feares Idoles, Pleasures Relikes, Sorrowes Pleasures. They make the willfull hearts their holy Temples: The Rebells vnto Gouernment their Martyrs, No: Thou childe of false miracles begotten! False Miracles, which are but ignorance of Cause, Lift vp the hopes of thy abiected Prophets: Courage, and Worth abiure thy painted heauens. Sicknesse, thy blessings are; Miserie, thy triall; Nothing, thy way vnto eternall being; Death, to saluation; and the Graue to Heauen. So Blest be they, so Angel'd, so Eterniz'd That tie their senses to thy senselesse glories, And die, to cloy the after-age with stories. Man should make much of Life, as Natures table, Wherein she writes the Cypher of her glorie. Forsake not Nature, nor misunderstand her: Her mysteries are read without Faiths eye-sight: She speaketh in our flesh; and from our Senses, Deliuers downe her wisdomes to our Reason. If any man would breake her lawes to kill, Nature doth, for defence, allow offences. She neither taught the Father to destroy: Nor promis'd any man, by dying, ioy. " OH wearisome Condition of Humanity! " Borne vnder one Law, to another bound: " Vainely begot, and yet forbidden vanity, " Created sicke, commanded to be sound: What meaneth Nature by these diuerse Lawes? Passion and Reason, selfe-diuision cause: Is it the marke, or Maiesty of Power To make offences that it may forgiue? Nature herselfe, doth her owne selfe defloure, To hate those errors she her selfe doth giue. For how should man thinke that, he may not doe If Nature did not faile, and punish too? Tyrant to others, to her selfe vniust, Onely commands things difficult and hard. Forbids vs all things, which it knowes is lust, Makes easie paines, vnpossible reward. If Nature did not take delight in blood, She would haue made more easie waies to good. We that are bound by vowes, and by Promotion, With pompe of holy Sacrifice and rites, To teach beleefe in good and still deuotion, To preach of Heauens wonders, and delights: Yet when each of vs, in his owne heart lookes, He findes the God there, farre vnlike his Bookes.