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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	author_n	good_a	write_v	1,924	5	5.1780	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08833	The benefite of Christs death, or the glorious riches of Gods free grace which euery true beleeuer receiues by Iesus Christ, and him crucified. First compiled and printed in the Italian tongue: and afterwards translated and printed in the French tongue: and out of French into English, by A.G.; Beneficio di Christo. English	Benedetto, da Mantova, fl. 1534-1541.; Flaminio, Marco Antonio, 1498-1550.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606, attributed name.; Paleario, Aonio, 1503-1570, attributed name.	1633 (1633)	STC 19117; ESTC S107303	48,174	106

THE BENEFITE OF Christs Death or the glorious Riches of Gods free Grace which euery true beleeuer receiues by Iesus Christ and him crucified First compiled and printed in the Italian tongue And afterwards translated and printed in the French tongue And out of French into English By A. G. 1 Cor. 2. 2. For I determined not to know any thing among you saue Iesus Christ and him crucified Phil. 3. 8. Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus The third Edition LONDON Printed by I. L. for Andrew Hebb dwelling at the signe of the Bell in Pauls Church-yard 1633. To the Reader THou hast here deliuered to thee good Reader a little Treatise first written in the Italian tongue and printed at Venice after that translated into the French language and printed at Lyons and now translated and printed for thee to reade in the English tongue Enquire not of the Author hee is vnknowne and to know him would doe thee but little good Reade the booke deuoutly regard the matter of it attentiuely it may doe thee much good in these euill dayes This may be counted among the greatest euils with which this age is infected that they which are called Christians are miserably diuided about Christ And yet in truth as the Apostle saith vnto vs there is but one God which is the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Iesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him To discourse on this diuision and the cause thereof would be to some pleasing to some it would be displeasing For what one truth can please minds so diuersly diuided would God it could please all to become one in that one Christ whose name we all doe carry In this little booke is that benefit which commeth by Christ crucified to the Christians truly and comfortably handled which benefit if all Christians did truely vnderstand and faithfully embrace this diuision would vanish away and in Christ the Christians should become one To this end reade this booke and much good in Christ may it doe to all them which doe reade it Amen The Contents of this BOOKE CHAP. I. Of Originall sinne and mans wretchednesse CHAP. II. How the Law was giuen by God to the end that we knowing our sinne and not hauing any hope of ability to make our selues righteous by our owne workes should haue recourse to Gods mercy and vnto the Righteousnesse of Faith CHAP. III. How the forgiuenesse of our sinnes Iustification and Saluation depend onely on Iesus Christ CHAP. IIII. Of the effects of liuely faith and of the vnion of mans soule with Christ CHAP. V. In what wise the Christian is cloathed with Iesus Christ CHAP. VI. Certaine remedies against distrust Of the benefit that Christians receiue by Iesus Christ crucified CHAP. I. Of Originall sinne and of mans wretchednesse THe holy Scripture saith that God created man after his owne Image and likenesse making him as in respect of his body impassible and as touching his Soule righteous true good mercifull and holy But after that he being ouercome with desire of knowledge had eaten of the Apple that God had forbidden him he lost the said Image and likenesse of God and became like the bruite beasts and like the diuell who had abused him For as touching his Soule he became vnrighteous vntrue cruell pittilesse and the enemy of God and as touching his body he became passible and subiect to a thousand inconueniences and diseases and not onely like but also inferiour to brute beasts And euen as if our forefathers had obeyed God they should haue left vs their righteousnesse and holinesse as an heritage euen so by being disobedient vnto God they haue left vs the Inheritance of vnrighteousnesse wickednesse and Gods displeasure in such sort as it is vnpossible for vs through our owne strength to loue God or to frame our selues vnto his holy will Nay we be enemies vnto him as to one that must punish our sinnes because he is a iust Iudge and therefore can we not any more trust wholly to his holy mercy To be short our whole nature was corrupted by Adams sinne And like as erst it had superiority aboue all creatures so became it an vnderling to all the bondslaue of Satan sinne and death and condemned to the miseries of hell Also he lost his iudgement altogether and began to say that good was euill and euill good esteeming false things to be true and true things to be false Which thing the Prophet considering saith that all men are lyers and that there is not one that doth good because the diuell like a stout man of Armes ruleth his owne palace that is to wit the world whereof he became the prince and lord There is no tongue that can expresse the thousandth part of our misery in that we being created by Gods owne hand haue lost the said Image of God and are become like the diuell and too like to him in nature and condition willing whatsoeuer he willeth and likewise refusing whatsoeuer he misliketh By reason whereof being giuen vp for a prey to that wicked spirit there is no sinne so grieuous which euery one of vs would not be ready to doe if the Grace of God stay vs not And this our depriuation of righteousnesse and this forward inclination to all vnrighteousnesse and nanghtinesse is called originall sinne the which we bring with vs from out of our mothers wombe so as we be borne the children of wrath and it hath had his first spring from our first fathers and is the cause and fountaine of all the sinnes and iniquities that we commit wherefrom if we will be deliuered and returne againe to our first innocency to recouer the Image of God first of all it standeth vs on hand to know our owne wretchednesse For like as no man will euer seeke to the Physicion except he know himselfe to be diseased or acknowledge the excellency of the Physicion and how much he is bound vnto him except he know his owne disease to be pestilent and deadly euen so no man acknowledgeth Iesus Christ the onely Physicion of our soules except he first know his owne soule to be diseased neither can he perceiue the excellency of him nor how much he is bound vnto him except he first enter into the knowledge of his owne outragious sinnes and of the incurable infirmity which we haue receiued through the infection of our first fathers CHAP. II. How the Law was giuen by God to the end that we knowing our sinne and hauing not any hope of ability to make our selues righteous by our owne works should haue recourse to Gods mercy and vnto the righteousnesse of faith OVR God therefore minding of his infinite goodnesse and mercy to send his onely Sonne to set free the wretched children of Adam and knowing that first of all it behooued him to make them vnderstand their owne misery chose

Abraham beleeued God and it was reckoned to him for righteousnes And therfore he saith a little before We beleeue that a man is iustified by faith without the deeds of the Law And in another place he saith So then in that time shall the remnant be saued according to the election of grace and if they be saued by grace then is it not by workes for then were grace no grace And to the Galatiaus he saith It is a manifest matter that no man becommeth righteous before God by the Law because the righteous liueth by faith And the Law consisteth not in beliefe but he that performeth the things that the Law commandeth shall liue by that performance And further he saith that a man cannot become righteous by the deeds of the Law but onely by beleeuing in Iesus Christ Againe a little after he saith that if a man can become righteous by the Law Iesus Christ dyed in vaine Moreouer to the Romanes making comparison betweene the righteousnesse of the Law and the righteousnesse of the Gospel he saith that the one consisteth in the doing of workes and the other in beleeuing For if thou confesse our Lord Iesus Christ with thy mouth and beleeue in thy heart that God hath raised him vp from death thou shalt be saued For the beliefe of the heart maketh a man righteous and the confession of the mouth maketh him safe Loe how this good teacher Saint Paul sheweth euidently that faith maketh a man righteous without any workes And not only Saint Paul but also the holy Doctors that came after him haue confirmed and allowed this most holy truth of Iustification by faith among whom Saint Augustine is the chiefe who in his booke of faith and workes and in his booke of the Spirit and the Letter and in his booke of fourescore and three questions and in his booke which he did write to Boniface and in his Treatise vpon the xxxj Psalme and in many other places defendeth this article shewing that we become righteous by faith without any helpe of good workes howbeit that good workes are the effects of righteousnesse and not the cause of it And he sheweth that the words of Saint Iames being soundly vnderstood are nothing contrary to this article Which thing Origen doth also affirme in his fourth booke vpon the Epistle to the Romans saying that Saint Pauls meaning is that faith onely is sufficient to make men righteous insomuch that a man becommeth righteous onely by beleeuing although he haue not done any good worke at all For so it is that the thiefe became righteous without the workes of the Law forasmuch as the Lord sought not what good workes he had done in time past nor waited vntill he had done any after he had beleeued but hauing accepted him for righteous vpon his onely confession tooke him for his companion euen when he should enter into Paradise Likewise that so renowmed a woman in the Gospel of S. Luke while she was at the feete of Iesus Christ heard it said vnto her Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And a little after he saith vnto her Thy faith hath saued thee goe thy way in peace Afterward Origen saith In many places of the Gospel a man may see how our Lord Iesus Christ hath spoken in such wise as he sheweth that faith is the cause of the saluation of the beleeuers Then is a man made righteous by faith and the workes of the Law further him nothing at all On the contrary where faith is not which faith maketh the beleeuer righteous although a man doe the workes which the Law commandeth yet notwithstanding forasmuch as they be not builded vpon the foundation of faith albeit that to outward appearance they seeme good yet can they not iustifie him that doth them because he wanteth faith which is the marke of them that are become righteous before God And who is he that can boast himselfe to be righteous when he heareth God say by his Prophet Esay that all our righteousnesse is as a defiled cloth of a menstruous woman Then can we not iustly glory in our selues but in the onely faith of the crosse of Iesus Christ Saint Basil in his Homily of humility saith that the Christian ought to hold himselfe for righteous through beliefe in Iesus Christ and his words are these The Apostle saith that he which glorieth should glory in the Lord in that God hath made Iesus Christ to be our wisedome righteousnesse holinesse and redemption to the end that he which would glory should glory in the Lord because that the perfect and sound glorying is to glory in the Lord. For in so doing a man presumeth not vpon his owne righteousnesse but acknowledgeth his want of the true righteousnes that he is made righteous onely by beleeuing in Iesus Christ And S. Paul gloryeth of the despising of his owne righteousnesse and of his seeking of Christs righteousnesse by faith which commeth of God Saint Hilary in his ninth Canon vpon the exposition of St. Matthew saith these words The Scribes considering Iesus Christ but onely as man were troubled that a man should forgiue sins and pardon that thing which the Law could not doe because that onely faith iustifieth Saint Ambrose in expounding these words of Saint Paul Vnto him that beleeueth in him which iustifieth the vngodly his faith is accounted for righteousnesse according to the purpose of Gods Grace like as David also saith That the man is blessed whom God accounteth righteous without workes writeth thus Saint Paul saith that vnto him which beleeueth in Iesus Christ that is to wit to the Gentile his faith is imputed for righteousnesse as it was vnto Abraham In what wise then thinke the Iewes to become righteous by the workes of the Law and yet to be righteous as Abraham was seeing that Abraham became not righteous by the deeds of the Law but onely by faith Then is not the Law needfull forasmuch as the sinner becommeth righteous before God through only faith according to Gods gracious purpose as David saith The Apostle confirmeth that which he hath said by the Prophets example saying Blessed is the man whom God accepteth for righteous without workes whereby David meaneth that those men are very happy whom GOD hath determined to accept for righteous before him by onely faith without any paines-taking or obseruation of the Law on their behalfe Thus sheweth he the blessednesse of the time wherein Christ was borne insomuch as the Lord himselfe saith Many righteous men and Prophets haue coueted to see the things that you see and to heare the things that you heare and haue not heard them The selfe-same thing saith St. Ambrose in expounding the first Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians affirming openly that whosoeuer beleeueth in Iesus Christ is become righteous without workes and without any desert and receiueth forgiuenasse of his sinnes by faith alone