Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	doctrine_n	rome_n	2,369	5	7.0297	4	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09472	The true gaine more in worth then all the goods in the world.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1601 (1601)	STC 19757; ESTC S103440	50,518	134

losse of all his workes and vertues whatsoeuer in the cause of his owne iustification Nowe then if this doctrine be so certaine and infallible as it is theÌ„ also must we be setled in this point without doubting that the present church of Rome erreth grieuously in that it magnifieth the merit of workes Yea in this regard it reuerseth the very foundation of true religion For if they make aduantage in the matter of saluation by their workes Christ must needes vpon infallible certentie be their losse because Paul makes all workes losse that Christ may be aduantage Therefore farre be it from vs all to haue any dealing or contract of societie with that church least we be partakers of her dangerous and fearefull losses Againe in that all vertues workes of grace are but losses for Christ. We must not onely in our first conuersion but euer afterward though we be iustified and sanctified euen in the pang of death by meere faith rest on the meere mercie of God and apprehend naked Christ that is Christ seuered in the case of saluation from all respect of all vertues and workes whatsoeuer For there is nothing that may be opposed to the seuere iudgement of God but meere Christ. If we doe presume to oppose any of our doings to the sentence of the law hell death condemnation we are sure to goe by the losses Thus much of the certentie of Pauls losses now follows the necessitie of theÌ„ They are necessarie in as much as without theÌ„ no man can haue part in Christ. For the merit of our vertues and good workes and the grace of God in Christ can not stand together yea they are coÌ„trarie as fire and water and one ouerthroweth the other in the cause of iustification and saluation Paul to signifie this contrarietie saith If Election be of grace it is not of workes and if it be of workes it is not of grace And againe If ye be iustified by the law ye are abolished from Christ. And to the same purpose Ambrose saith Grace is wholly receiued or wholly lost and Augustine It is no way grace that is not freely giuen euery way Hence it followes that the present religion of the church of Rome abolisheth Christ in as much as it maintaines and magnifies the merit of good workes And this may be gathered by the very doctrine of that church For it teacheth that men must be saued by their praiers fastings almes pilgrimages buildings of churches chappels bridges c. What then shall the passion of Christ doe whereto serues it They answer that it frees vs from death and giues to our works the merit of eternall life and makes them meritoriously to increase our iustification Hence it followes that Christ is no more but the first cause of our saluation and that we our selues are secondarie causes vnder him and with him And thus he is made of a Sauiour no Sauiour For either he must be a full and perfect Sauiour in himselfe or no Sauiour Secondly by the former necessitie we learne that whosoeuer will be saued by the merit of Christ must come vnto him without vertues or workes of his owne not carrying in heart so much as the least confidence in them esteeming himselfe to be a most vile wretched and miserable sinner as the Publican did who praied Lord be mercifull to me a sinner Hitherto of Pauls losses now follows the second part of the comparison touching Pauls gaine But Christ is my gaine A sentence to be remembred and to be written in the tables of our heart for euer And the reason thereof is manifest Christ our Mediatour God and man is the onely Fountaine of all good things that are or can be thought on whether spirituall or temporall Saint Iohn saith Of his fulnes we receiue grace for grace Againe Paul saith In him al the treasures of knowledge and wisdome are hidde and Ye are complete in him And he calls Christ our Ransome or counterprice And as he makes Adam the roote of all euill in mankinde so makes he Christ the roote of all grace and goodnes For the better clearing of this doctrine two points are to be handled When Christ is our gaine and how Touching the time when I set downe three things He is our gaine in this life he is our gaine in death and he is our gaine after death To returne to the first He is our gaine in life if we turne from our euill waies and beleeue in him in as much as he hath gained for vs many benefits which I will reduce to tenne heads The first is pardon of sinne without tearme of time whether past present or to come Yet must we here remeÌ„ber that pardon of sinne is not giuen absolutely whether men repent or no but vpon condition of repentance The second is the imputation of Christs obedience in fulfilling the law for our iustification before God From the former benefit ariseth our freedome from hell and from the law in respect of the curse thereof and from the second ariseth a Right to eternall life whereof the possession is reserued to the life to come The third is our Adoption whereby we are the children of God and brethren of Christ. And hence haue we a Right of lordship or dominion ouer the whole world and all things contained therein whether in heauen or in earth which right was lost by Adam and is now restored by Christ. Indeede wicked men and infidels haue and vse the things of this life at their wills and that by Gods permission but yet they receiue and inioy them no otherwise then children of traytours doe the goods of their parents who peraduenture are suffered to take benefite of some part of them for the preseruing of their liues though title and interest to them be not restored The fourth is the ministerie that is the presence aide and protection of the good angels The fifth gaine or benefit is that all the miseries and calamities of this life cease to be curses and are made blessings beeing turned to the good of them that are to be saued by Christ. The sixth is the mortification of originall sinne with all the parts thereof by the vertue of the death of Christ. The 7. is a spirituall life whereby we liue not but Christ liues in vs making vs partakers of his Annointing and thereby inabling vs to liue as Prophets Priests kings Prophets to teach and make confession of our faith in Christ Priests to dedicate and present our bodies and soules to God for the seruice of his maiestie Kings to beare rule and dominion ouer the corruptions and lusts of our hearts The eight gaine is that Christ presents all our praiers and good workes to his Father in his owne name and thus by his own Intercession makes them acceptable vnto him The ninth gaine is the presence of his spirit For when Christ ascended he tooke with him our pawne namely our flesh and left with

sinner righteous before God But I demaund of the Patrons of this doctrine whether when the workes of preparation are done the doer is in Christ or out of Christ If he be in Christ he is also iustified before he is iustified If he be as yet out of Christ Paul hath giuen the senteÌ„ce that the said workes are to be esteemed as losse and that the merit of coÌ„gruitie is not meate for them that desire to feede on Christ but rather food for dogges Lastly hence we learne howe Christ is to be receiued of vs. Such as would truely come to Christ and receiue him must make losses of al things they must come naked and emptied of all their owne righteousnesse As men in a shipwracke cast out their commodities and when there is no remedie leaue their ship and betake themselues to the sea thus come swimming to the shore euen so must all men first forsake all then come to Christ. Beggars that they may obtaine their almes come in their ragâ— vnfolding legges and armes that their sores and botches may be seene Benadad king of Syria that he might recouer the fauour of the king of Israel castes off his crowne and royall robes he and his men come in sackcloath with halters about their heads and thus he obtaines his desire In like manner comming to Christ we must lay aside all opinion of our owne goodnesse and in abasing of our selues follow beggars fashions and with Benhadad cloath our selues with signes of guiltinesse and confusion of face We must first be annihilated and vtterly in respect of goodnesse be made nothing in our selues that we may be what we are out of our selues in Christ. There is no entring into the kingdome of heaueÌ„ except we receiue it Christ as a little child in all meeknesse and humilitie For there must be nothing in vs to receiue Christ but meere faith resting on meere mercy Let all such think on this as desire to be in Christ and to receiue true comfort by him Thus much of Pauls losses before his conuersion nowe come to be considered the things which were his losses after his conuersion and they are set downe in the words following But doubtlesse I doe thinke all things losses for the excellent knowledge of Iesus Christ my Lord. That these losses may be the better knowne let vs a little consider the meaning of the words Whereas before Paul had said that herefore he counted things to be losse vnto him for Christ that had beene his aduantage some man might happily thinke this is but rash iudgemâ—nt in Paul he therefore to cut off this surmise saith Daubtlesse I count all things losse that is that I may not be thought to speake rashly I say more that I doe nowe account all things losse and I speake it confidently as beeing resolued what I say When he saith I doe count he speakes in the time present of himselfe as beeing not only a Christian but also an Apostle of Christ. And wheÌ„ he saith ALL things the generall speech must be obserued for he excepteth nothing pertaining to him but his knowledge and faith in Christ. Here therefore we must first of all vnderstand the priuiledge of an Apostle secondly all inward Christian vertues as hope feare loue of God good conscience c. for of al the inward gifts none is excepted but faith as I haue said Thirdly here we must vnderstand works not of nature but of grace done and effected by the spirit of God in vs. For in the verse following he doth reiect his owne righteousnes which is of the law Now he saith of all these that they are his losses for Christ. But how are they losses The speach must warily be vnderstood least it be offensiue They are losses not in respect of godly conuersation for they are the causes thereof and they are meanes of shewing our thankfulnes to God and loue to man Now then they are losses onely in respect of iustification and saluation when they are reputed and maintained as meritorious causes thereof either in whole or in part Though when they are rightly vsed applied they are the excellent gifts of God yet when they are brought into the Acte of iustification and saluation they become as losses and dung And this I take to be the meaning of these words To the like purpose the prophet Isai saith in the name of the whole church confessing hir sinnes All our righteousnes is as a cloath vtterly to be cast away And Paul to the Galatians If righteousnes be by the law Christ died without cause or in vaine that is if the righteousnes of the law be our aduantage Christ must be our losse and on the contrarie if he be our aduantage the righteousnesse of the law must be our losse This doctrine of Paul that all vertues and workes both of nature and grace are losses in the case of our saluation soundes not in mans reason and there be many things brought to the contrary First it is alleadged that God doeth accept and crowne our works and therfore that they are not losses I answer God doeth as it were keepe a double court One of iustice the other of mercie In the court of iustice he giues iudgement by the lawe and accurseth euery man that doth not continue in all things written in the lawe to doe them In this court nothing can stand but the passion and righteousnesse of Christ for the best workes that we can doe we may not looke for any acceptation or reward but vse the plea of Dauid Enter not O Lord into iudgement with thy seruant for no flesh shall be iustified in thy sight Nowe in the court of grace and mercie God hath to deale with his owne children that stand before him iustified and reconciled by Christ. And the obedience of such he accepteth in this court and mercifully rewardeth though otherwise it be imperfect yet not for the merit thereof but for the merit and worthinesse of Christ. Thus then good works in rigour of iustice are worthy condemnation are accepted of mercie procured by the merit of Christ. Secondly it is alleadged that workes are necessarie to saluation and therefore not to be reputed losses I answer workes may be considered either as causes of saluation or onely as a waie directing thereto If they be considered as causes they are not necessary but in this respect they are dung If they be respected as a way leading and directing to eternall life they are indeede necessarie thus no otherwise Thirdly it is obiected that the law requires workes and the law must be satisfied therfore that he which is iustified must be iustified by workes The answere is that whosoeuer is iustified and saued is iustified and saued by works But works must be distinguished Some are personall workes done in and by our selues These neither iustifie nor saue any man but in the case of saluation are losse and doung Besides these there

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