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	justification_n	5,240	5	9.4416	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43978	De corpore politico, or, The elements of law, moral and politick with discourses upon severall heads, as of [brace] the law of nature, oathes and covenants, several kinds of government : with the changes and revolutions of them / by Tho. Hobbs of Malmsbury.	Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679.	1652 (1652)	Wing H2221; ESTC R41339	83,707	190

declared out of the Holy Scriptures as matter of Faith but the Belief of those Fundamental Articles before set forth neverthelesse there are required other things as matter of obedience For as it is not enough in Temporal Kingdoms to avoid the punishment which Kings may inflict to acknowledge the Right and Title of the King without Obedience also to his Laws So also it is not enough to acknowledge our Saviour Christ to be the King of Heaven in which consisteth Christian Faith unless also we endeavour to obey his Lawes which are the Lawes of the Kingdome of Heaven in which consisteth Christian Obedience And forasmuch as the Laws of the Kingdom of Heaven are the Laws of Nature as hath been shewed Part. 1. Chap. 5. not only Faith but also the Observation of the Law of Nature which is that for which a man is called Just or Righteous in that sense in which Justice is taken not for the Absence of Guilt but for the Endeavor and constant Will to do that which is Just not only Faith but this Justice which also from the effect thereof is called Repentance and sometimes Works is necessary to salvation So that Faith and Justice do both concur thereto and in the several acceptation of this word Justification are properly said both of them to justifie and the want of either of them is properly said to condemn For not only he that resisteth a King upon doubt of his Titl● but also he that doth it upon the inordinatenesse of his Passions deserveth punishment And when Faith and Works are separated not only the Faith is called Dead without Works but also Works are called Dead Works without Faith And therefore S. James Chap. 2.17 saith Even so the Faith if it have no works is dead in it self and vers. 26. For as the Body without the Spirit is dead even so Faith without works is dead And S. Paul Heb. 6.1 calleth Works without Faith Dead Works where he saith Not laying again the Foundation of Repentance from Dead Works And by these Dead Works is understood not the Obedience and Justice of the inward Man but the opus operatum or external Action proceeding from fear of punishment or from vain glory and desire to be honoured of men and these may be separated from Faith and conduce no way to a Mans Justification And for that cause S. Paul Rom. 4. excludeth the Righteousness of the Law from having part in the Justification of a sinner For by the Law of Moses which is applyed to mens Actions and requireth the Absence of Guilt all men living are liable to Damnation and therefore no man is iustified by Works but by Faith only But if Workes be taken for the endeavour to doe them that is if the Will be taken for the Deed or Internal for External Righteousness then doe works contribute to Salvation And then taketh place that of S. James Chap. 2.24 Ye see then how that of works a man is iustisted and not of faith only And both of these are ioyned to salvation as in S. Mark 1.5 Repent and believe the Gospel And Luk. 18.18 when a certain Ruler asked our Saviour what he ought to doe to inherit eternal life he propounded to him the keeping of the Commandements which when the Ruler said he had kept he propounded to him the Faith Sell all that thou hast and fellow me And Joh. 3.36 He that beleeveth in the Son hath everlasting life And He that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life Where he manifestly ioyneth Obedience and Faith together And Rom 1.17 The Just shall live by Faith not every one but the Just For also the Devils beleeve and tremble But though both Faith and Justice meaning still by Justice not absence of Guilt but the Good Intentions of the Mind which is called Righteousness by God that taketh the Will for the Deed be both of them said to iustifie yet are their Parts in the Act of Justification to be distinguished For Justice is said to iustifie not because it absolveth but because it denominates him Just and setteth him in an estate or capacity of salvation whensoever he shal have Faith But faith is said to justifie that is to absolve because by it a iust man is absolved of and forgiven his uniust Actions And thus are reconciled the places of S. Paul and S. James that Faith only iustifieth and A man is iustified by Faith onely and shewed how Faith and Repentance must concur to salvation 11. These things considered it will easily appear That under the Soveraign power of a Christian Common VVealth there is no Danger of Damnation from simple Obedience to Humane Lawes for in that the Soveraign alloweth Christianity no man is compelled to renounce that Faith which is enough for his Salvation that is to say the Fundamental Points And for other Points seeing they are not neces●ary to salvation if we conform our Actions to the Lawes we do not only what we are allowed but also what we are commanded by the Law of Nature which is the morall Law taught by our Saviour Himself And it is part of that Obedience which must concur to our Salvation 12. And though it be true whatsoever a man doth against his Conscience is sin yet the Obedience in these Cases is neither sin nor against the Conscience For the Conscience being nothing else but a Mans setled judgement and Opinion when he hath once transferred his Right of Judging to another that which shall be commanded is no lesse his Judgement then the Judgement of that other So that in Obedience to Lawes a man doth still according to his owne Conscience but not his private Conscience And whatsoever is done contrary to private Conscience is then a Sin when the Lawes have left him to his own liberty and never else And then whatsoever a man doth not only believing it is ill done but doubting whether it be ill or not is done ill in case he may lawfully omit the doing 13. And as it hath been proved that a man must submit his Opinions in matter of Controversie to the Authority of the Common Wealth so also is the same confest by the practice of every one of them that otherwise deny it For who is there differing in Opinion from another and thinking himself to be in the right and the other in the wrong that would not think it reasonable if he be of the same Opinion that the whole State alloweth that the other should submit his opinion also thereunto or that would not be content if not that one or a few men yet all the Divines of a whole Nation or at least an Assembly of all those he liketh should have the Power to determine all the Controversies of Religion or who is there that would not bee content to submit his Opinions either to the Pope or to a Genenerall Councel or to a Provincial Councel or to a Presbyterie of his owne Nation And yet in all these Cases hee submitteth