Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	believe_v	faith_n	impute_v	2,696	5	10.7387	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15859	Speculum Christianum or, A Christian suruey for the conscience Containing, three tractates of that eminent, graue, and learned diuine, maister Hierome Zanchius. 1. Of the end of the world. 2. Of the perseuerance of the saints. 3. A summarie abridgement of his protections. Englished for the good of Gods church, and for a warning to wicked and impenitent men. By H.N.; Speculum Christianum. English	Zanchi, Girolamo, 1516-1590.; Nelson, Henry, fl. 1614.	1614 (1614)	STC 26121A.7; ESTC S111786	125,039	404

life for they confesse God in words but in deeds they deny him But the other although at the first they receiue the word with a certaine ioy and doe bring foorth a certaine flourishing blossome of Christian liuing yet neuer doe they bring full and ripe fruits but in some presently in other some shortly after all this moisture of faith is dried vp either exhausted by the great heat of bearing the Crosse for Christs sake or else suffocate with the thornes of this world And therefore both of them is euen temporarie because both finally as I said vtterly withereth away and altogether ceaseth In this present question of the perseuerance of Saints in faith doe I speake of neither of these neither did I euer but onely of true faith Now true and vnfained faith is indeede onely one although for the power of miracles annexed in some and in some otherwise it is by some set downe as twofold one common to all the Elect which also by Paul is called the faith of the Elect and that is it whereby the Elect are iustified and liue whereof the Scripture saith The lust man shall liue by his faith The other speciall and True Faith that is it whereby specially some of the Elect are not only iustified but also worke miracles prophesie and doe re-edifie the Church by other sundry guifts of the holy spirit euery one according to the measure of this faith granted vnto him Hereof Mat. 17. If yee shall haue so much faith as is a graine of mustard seed shal say to this mountaine remooue hence it shal be remooued And Rom. 12. As God hath measured to euery man the measure of faith againe whether prophecye according to the measure of faith Of this faith likewise in that respect it doth not only iustifie but likewise prophecy and shew forth miracles and by diuers giftes redintegrate the Church I do not speake in this controuersie For many vpon certaine causes are dignified from the Lord for a limited time with this efficacy of faith in doing miracles and fort-telling things to come but at certaine times withall they are despoyled of it and yet then not destitute of the vertue of faith whereby they are iust and liue For this faith as it doth iustifie hath euen all the same properties which iustifying faith hath which is common to all the Elect. Therefore that we may speake 5 True faith habituall ● and actuall of this common faith True and iustifying faith which is common to all the Elect is taken also in a double manner sometime for the very habit of faith or for that efficacy and vertue infused by the holy Spirit in to the hearts of the Elect out of which that Act that I may so speak whereby we do actually beleeue in Christ is produced and as Schoolemen speake drawne out For as I shall forthwith manifest Faith indeed is a vertue or certaine force and therefore a quallity infused by the holy Spirit Sometime faith is taken for the very act of faith whereby seriously thinking and reposing our selues we beleeue in Christ And although I cannot in sillables demonstrate all these thinges in the Scriptures yet the very same distinction although in other words the Scriptures do manifestly teach And first that faith very frequently is taken for the act of beleeuing no man doth make doubt for this holy writ teacheth when it saith A man is iustified by faith receiueth remission of sinnes vnderstandeth the worlds were made Certainly such as are of yeares cannot attaine remission of sinnes without actuall faith Sometime it is taken for the habit or efficacie inhaerent in the harts of the elect as the Scriptures do make euident as whō they say The iust man doth liue by his faith likewise without faith it is impossible so please God The iust certainely euen when they sleepe and do thinke of Christ with no actuall faith yet they liue by faith and do please God Faith also is called in Scripture Science the knowledge of God and a full perswasion and these are refiant in the mind euen when actually we do not thinke on Christ And Science is placed by the Philosophers in the praedicament of Qualitie Besides in very children in whom there can bee no act of thought sense fiduce yet all learned men do yeeld in them to be the very spirit of faith and efficacy thereof Bucer doth apparantly accknowledge this in many places as in Ep. and Ephes Cap. 1. as also he deliuereth this destinction of faith into Habit and Act Lib. de reconcilia Eccles controuers de reconciliand articul iustific pag. 170. 126. He putteth downe these expresse wordes To beleeue in habit and to beleeue in act and both to bee effected by the inspiration of the spirit And in Ep. ad Rom. c. 9. q. de lib. arb hee doth not dislike the School-men do call that the habituall gift of grace which the Apostle calleth the inward man And who wil deny faith to be the guift of God and a faculty infused by the holy spirit wherby we beleeue in Christ Therefore that faith somtime is taken for the Act sometime for the Habit it is without all controuersie This true faith is distinguished into strong which is called great and weake which is called little fatih in the Scriptures for in some it is strong and great in other some infirme and litle nay in the same man 6 Faith strong and weake great and small sometime weake and very feeble some time more firme and strong It was weake in Peter when walking vpon the waters he did begin to sinke and then the Lord said vnto him O thou of little faith why didst thou doubt also when he denyed his Maister and therefore it is sometime so infirme as that in scriptures it is called not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is little faith but also sometime it is called by the Lord in Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is incredulity Ma● 17. Why could not we cast the Deuil out the Lord answereth propter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vestram for your vnbeleefe Marc. 9. Lord help our unbeleefe so also the last Ch. it was strong in Peter when after the resurrection of the Lord with great confidence he preached Christ fearing nothing finally hee would rather dye then not to confesse preach Christ And indeed the weaker the faith is by so much the more often and grieuously and the stronger it is by so much the lesse often in a lesse measure the Saints 4 True saith is liuely and perpetuall do offend for al the sins of the Saints do proceed of the debility of faith But whether it be weak or strong great or small alwaies true faith besides others hath two essentiall and inseparable properties without which it cannot be caled true iusiustifying faith The one is life the other is perpetuity For first it is necessary that it be liuely exciting the life of Christ in the

Elect as Reprobate 〈◊〉 none is ignorant what is pronounced from God by the Prophet 〈◊〉 of the sonnes of God Psal 88. 〈◊〉 if my children for sake my l●● I 〈◊〉 zit their iniquities with the r●d Li●●wise those most greeuous 〈…〉 wherewith wee doe read in 〈◊〉 Scriptures that the Godly haue 〈◊〉 punisht for their sinnes and we euery day doe see them punished 〈◊〉 make proofe that God is offe●ded with all and the sinnes of all 〈…〉 the Scriptures speake prouoked to 〈◊〉 And from hence also it is m●●ifest that it is without controuers●●● whether the Saints by those 〈◊〉 in some sort are become the e●●mies of God and fallen from th●● grace of God that is in that 〈◊〉 as sonnes are said to be 〈◊〉 from the fa●●ur of their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 children when they disple●se their 〈◊〉 ●nd doe now in cense them 〈◊〉 are said after a manner to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 of their 〈◊〉 in this respect that is ●● say That although they haue 〈◊〉 cast of● their fatherly affection 〈◊〉 and their children neither yet 〈◊〉 th●i● r●solution of o●●●ining ●●d declaring them to be the heires 〈◊〉 their good● yet taking offence ●● the sinne● of their children they 〈◊〉 turne their fathe●ly cockerings in 〈◊〉 in●● 〈◊〉 seuerity and 〈◊〉 effect of loue into such 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 vtterly ha●●●ull for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bitterly ●●full and be ●old 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them 〈◊〉 and as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they doe most 〈◊〉 ●ear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely excepted that they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were 〈◊〉 in very deed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and quite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God 〈◊〉 ●a●d to be made by their sinnes 〈…〉 of God and to be 〈…〉 from the grace of God ●●● 〈◊〉 God though ●●● doe neu●● 〈◊〉 his fatherlike ●ffection 〈…〉 them o● change his purpose of 〈◊〉 ●nto the● by Christ 〈◊〉 life yet being displ●●s●d with 〈◊〉 sinn●● the effects of his lo●● 〈…〉 change into the effects of a 〈…〉 hat●●d hat●ed I say 〈◊〉 agai●●● 〈◊〉 children b●t hi● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both internally in 〈…〉 〈◊〉 externally of such is do 〈◊〉 ●●wardly while he do●● bring ●o 〈◊〉 that they feele a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them God to be ●ngry 〈◊〉 them and themselues made 〈◊〉 of death outwardly againe 〈◊〉 he worketh so that they haue ●●●●rience of God● 〈◊〉 against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 pody and thinge● 〈◊〉 T●●●●fore heereof there i● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that both I ●y s●l●● 〈…〉 both know and 〈◊〉 ● that 〈◊〉 when his Saints do sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 angry with their sinnes and doth hate sinne in them and punish them most extreamely and yet not ●s enemy to the Saints For hee alwaies doth correct them as a father but as an enemie of wickednes and vice euen in his children and therefore in a sort as before I haue explaned it may be said that the children are fallen from their fathers fauour although he yet neither ceaseth to be a father vnto them neither do they cease to be his children and therefore neuer vtte●ly can it bee truely said that they are fallen from their fathers grace which might very truely be said if either hee should cease to be a father vnto them and ●ast off hi● fatherly affection towards th●m 〈◊〉 alter his decree of making them heires of life eternall and that they should cease to be his children and loose all title to eternall life which without blasphemy cannot be spoken Neither yet is the doubt whether the Saints by those their sinnes as much as in them lieth ●●● 〈◊〉 the sentence of God touching euerlasting death and whethe● they 〈◊〉 made guiltie of death aeternall 〈◊〉 there is none but knoweth the s●●tence of the iust Iudge Cursed ●●●uery one that doth not continue i● 〈◊〉 things that are written ●● this 〈…〉 doe them therefore all whosoeu●● they be who doe violate the 〈◊〉 of the Lord in their owne 〈◊〉 and as much as lieth in them 〈◊〉 accursed and liable to death 〈◊〉 But the case is altered wheth●● these sinnes are imputed by God vnto the Saints vnto condemnd 〈◊〉 on Paul Rom. 8. doth giue his v●●dict in this manner There is ●●●●●demnation to them which ●●● is Christ Iesus which w●lks not ●fter th● 〈◊〉 but aft●r the Spirit for such ●●● the Saints whereof I speake in this Question Wherefore it also is not in Question whether the Saints by thes● their sinnes doe so displease God their father and so prouokè his 〈◊〉 ger against them and so incurre the sentence of eternall death as that they haue need of repentance and a new act of faith for their reconciliation to God and for a new pardon of sinne to be obtained and thereupon euen a new remission to be obtained of the punishment due to sinne For it is by all men yeelded vnto who are truely godly truely learned that the Saints haue neede of a new Act of faith and repentance to attaine new forgiuenes of a new sinne according to that saying most vulgar in Scripture Men are iustified by faith and sinnes remitted which speeches when we make mention of men of yeares are alwaies vnderstood of actuall faith that is of the Act of faith whereby we doe not onely in mind conceiue that by Christ our sinnes are remitted but also we apprehend and rereceiue in will this forgiuenes to be signified and offered in the Gospell For this is most infallible and most true that God doth neuer to the Elect impute their sinnes to aeternall damnation and that for● three causes The first is h●● eternall and immutable loue wherewith from aeternitie hee hath embraced his Elect in Christ and doth continen●ly prosequte without intermissio●● for there is not loue when sinne● are imputed vnto condemnation The next is the perpetual merit of Christ whereby all the debts of the Elect are plenarily paid and the hand-writing of the debts cancelled insomuch that they cannot againe by imputed vnto condemnation to the Elect. The third is the perpetuall ●● si●nce of the Holy Spirit in the h●●ts of the Elect and conseruation of ●●● seed of faith and regeneration For although that this be most certaine that God doth neuer impute their sinne● to the Elect both in regard of his euerlasting loue towards the● and for the perpetual merit of Christ imparted vnto them and for the continuall inhabitation of the Holy Spirit in their hearts yet this withall is most true and certaine That the Saints being fallen though but by infirmitie into any sinne the new remission of that new sinne without a new Act of faith and true repentance that is without a new knowledge apprehension of faith cannot againe vnderstand and perceiue that new sinne to be remitted vnto them the Father to be reconciled vnto them and the punishment due to sinne to bee remitted For this is an A●iome most infallible in Christian Religion New sin to stand in neede of new remission and new remission to bee