Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	grace_n	work_n	7,426	5	6.4759	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51142	The trve Protestant sovldier fighting valiantly under truths banner, and by the glorious light of Gods word overthrowing the strongest bulwarkes, and subtle stratagems of the Church of Rome. By Hamnet Warde.	Monginot, François, 1569-1637.; Ward, Hamnet.	1642 (1642)	Wing M2418; ESTC R27120	26,961	42

finne against the Holy-Ghost shall not be forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come But I answer that this world to come cannot be Purgatory for they say that Purgatory is now already but by this world to come is truly meant the day of judgement and our Saviours meaning is that he that sinneth against the Holy-Ghost shall be punished both in this life and also after this life eternally in hell-sire Likewise to that in the 3d. Chapter of the 1. Epistle to the Corinthians where it is spoken of gold wood precious stones hay stubble c. I answer that it is also an Allegoricall speech and that it is not meant of the torment of the soule after death So then we see plainly that this their Purgatory is but imaginary and and cannot be proved out of the word of God wherein there is not so much as any mention made thereof only forged by them to maintaine and uphold the Popes dignity who by this invention finds quicke sale for his pardons and Indulgences CHAP. IX Of merits and justification by Works THe Church of Rome teacheth that a man by his good works may merit eternall salvation and that a man is justified before God by the workes of the Law and thereupon to make the Protestant Religion seeme the more odious they lay to our charge that we teach that good workes are altogether unprofitable and no way conducing to salvation and that it is faith alone that justifieth without any need at all of performing any other duties of Christianity An abhominable doctrine it is indeed and worthy of most severe punishment as abolishing all honesty and vertue and setting loose the reines to all manner of wickednesse and impiety To the contrary we of the Protestant Religion purged from Popery hold that good works are absolutely necessary to salvation and that there is no other way to obtaine everlasting life that faith without works is dead and cannot justifie that good works serve to glorifie God to edifie our brethren and to bring us to eternall salvation onely we deny that good workes can merit salvation they are the way indeed whereby we come to everlasting happinesse but not the price whereby we purchase it which is already sufficiently purchased by the free redemption of our Lord Christ Jesus We say moreover that although faith alone and without good works cannot justifie yet faith hath the propriety to justifie us before God as the eyes cannot see without the help of the eares and yet the eyes alone have the gift of seeing Now that we cannot merit any thing at Gods hands I shall plainly prove by these five reasons following First because it is our duty to doe any good worke whatsoever we doe as our Saviour himselfe telleth us Luk. 17. When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded say we are unprofitable servants we have done all that which was our duty to doe Secondly the good which we doe comes from God and consequently cannot merit any thing for us at Gods hands for we doe but give him that which is his owne already Thirdly our good works profit him nothing he hath no need of our service although we have great need of his grace Fourthly our good works at the best are but imperfect and have alwayes some infirmity in the performance of them Fifthly and lastly there is no proportion at all betwixt our good works and the kingdome of heaven To gaine such an excellent purchase there needs a price insinitely excellent such as the merits of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus Likewise the holy Scripture saith that eternall life is the gift of God and not to be purchased by mans merits as the Apostle witnesseth in the 6 h Chapter of Rom. The wages of sin saith he is death but the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Ephesians the 2d Chapter by grace we are saved through faith and that not of your selves It is the gift of God not of workes lest any man should boast Wherefore God calleth us his children and by consequent heires Rom. 8. to the end that we may know that we can lay no right to the kingdome of God as a purchase which we have merited by good works but as children and in Jesus Christ lawfull heires hereunto Surely then those that goe about to purchase eternall salvation in a mercinary way by their owne merits renounce the title of being Gods children and consequently lose their labours Some there be who to sweeten this their hodge-podge say that we merit by the grace of God who gives us grace to merit a tenet altogether as false as hypocriticall and absurd for the chiefe and principall cause why our good workes are not meritorious is because they proceed from the grace of God I pray what doth that man merit of me that gives me that which is mine owne already I confesse indeed that the holy Scripture saith that God doth recompence our good workes and that our reward is great in heauen and that even for a cup of cold water we shall not lose our reward but this reward is no way merited by us as a father gives his childe some reward it may be for writing a line or two out of a Copy or such like which he doth not because the worke deserves it but because it is his childe So God accepteth of us freely in Christ Jesus not for our works sake but rewards our works though never so imperfect and unworthy only because we are his children It is no marvell then if those of the Church of Rome professe that they doubt of their salvation for it is impossible to build a stedfast assurance thereof on so weake a foundation as our owne merits whereas indeed we ought to ground it onely on the immoveable foundation of Gods promise in Christ Jesus Let us conclude then with the Apostle Saint Paul in the 3 Chapter to the Romanes that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law and that we are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ I doe not say but that before men we are justified by workes that is to say knowne to be just for men cannot judge of our faith because they cannot discerne it And thus Saint James chap. 2. teacheth that Abraham was justified by works but he was not justified by that meanes before God As Saint Paul teacheth in the 4th Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes If Abraham saith he were justified by workes he hath whereof to glory but not before God Heare likewise what the same Apostle saith in the 2d Chapter to the Galathians verse the 16th We have beleeved in Jesus Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be iustified And in the 2d Tim. Chap. 1. God hath saved us and called us

God for the truth thereof And were it so that the Saints knew all things then were they equall with God Almighty in wisedome and knowledge But the Scripture saith that the Saints know not the day of judgement Mat. 24. and Mar. 13. And the wise man in the ninth Ecclesiastes excludeth the dead from any knowledge of earthly things The dead saith he know not any thing neither have they any more a portion in any thing that is done under the Sunne And Job Chapter 14. speaking of a diseased father his children saith he come to honour and he knoweth it not and they are brought low but he perceiveth it not of them Their ordinary excuse is that they goe to God by Saints as men goe to the King by his officers But the case is not alike For a King cannot be every where neither doth he know all things and it is not possible that every one should have accesse to him Likewise be hath need to be informed of the truth of things by persons put in trust therefore It is not thus with God for he knoweth all things and doth see and behold all the creatures in the world at once and knoweth and understandeth all mens prayers not needing either Saints or Angels to informe him thereof And although this comparison were allowable yet if a King cals any one unto him certainly he will not be well pleased if that person should goe to any of his officers before he come to him Thus God invites us saying Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you Mat. 11. He doth not bid us goe to Saint Vrselin Saint Margarite or any other such like solicitors Nay more God cals us his children and therefore if we should not goe unto him in all our necessities when he cals us we should shew our selves very undutifull and unworthy of so high a calling Moreover we have one only Advocate with the Father namely the Sonne of God our Lord Jesus and there is none other The Apostle Saint Paul in the 1 Tim. chap. 2. saith thus There is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus As therefore there is but one God so there is but one Mediator And Saint John in his 1. Epistle chap. 2. We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins And in the 14. Chapter of Saint Johns Gospell I saith our Saviour am the way the truth and the life no man commeth unto the Father but by me Their greatest abuse is yet behind which is that they doe not onely make the Saints our Mediators but also our Redeemers For in the Masse the Priests pray for salvation through their merits For they say that the Saints undergoe more punishment and paines then their siunes deserve Hence they gather their superabundant satisfactions which the Pope hoordeth up in the treasury of the Church and distributes them by Indulgences so that any one that hath money may goe to the Pope and purchase as many merits as will satisfie Gods justice for all the sins that he commits all his life long let him sinne as much as he can This also is a tricke which serves very well for the Popes profit and to exalt his dignity and is founded on the unwritten word that is to say on their owne hellish Inventions CHAP. VI. Of fasting and abstinence from certainements THe grand enemy of our salvation hath laboured with might and maine for the accomplishment of the prophecye of the Apostle S. Paul in the 1 Tim. 4. chap. where he speaketh thus Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which beleeve and know the truth for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanks giving This prophecye of the Apostle is long agoe accomplished in the Doctors of the Church of Rome For doe not they both forbid marriage and command to abstaine from meats which abstinence is also flatly condemned by the same Apostle in the tenth Chapter of the 1. to the Corinthians Whatsoever saith he is sold in the shambles that eat asking no question for conscience sake for the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof If any of them that beleeve not bid you to a feast and ye be disposed to goe whatsoever is set before you that eat asking no question for conscience sake And in the second Chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians he condemneth those who say touch not taste not handle not And to the end that we might not thinke that he speaks only of those who abstaine from meats which they conceive filthy in their owne nature he declareth plainly that he speaketh of such as abslaine themselves in humility and in voluntary devotion punishing their owne bodies not sparing their flesh which doctrines saith he have indeed a shew of wisedome in will worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh The Church of Rome is full of these observations there being above five moneths in the yeare wherein some abstaine from some kind of meat or other Observations which we cannot find that they were ever practised by our Saviour or his Apostles These abstinences they give unto God in part of payment and their fastings they account for satisfactions as if a man should thinke to pay his debts by fasting presuming that his Creditors will abate him somewhat because that such a day he did eat nothing but fish for his dinner Nay the abuse is now come so farre as that one man may fast for another and so satisfie for him and that a man to whom the Priest hath set certaine fasts for pennance may for a peece of money buy them out Sobriety and abstinence of themselves are indeed good and holy duties so as they be not abused by superstition and by thinking to merit any thing unto our selves thereby for so that which is in it selfe an exercise of humility is changed into an efficient cause of pride and that which should serve to lay open our sinnes before God is made a covert for our hypocrifie This is also another device whereby the Pope increaseth his dignity and gathers vast summes of money to his treasury CHAP. VII Of abstinence from Marriage AS for forbidding to marry Saint Paul telleth us that it is the doctrine of devils In the Apostles time marriage was permitted unto the Ministers of the Church witnesse the same Apostle 1 Tim. chap. 3. A Bishop saith he must be blamelesse the husband of one wife ruling well his owne house having his children in subiection with all gravity and a little after Let the Deacons be the husbands of one wife