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	law_n	work_n	2,920	5	6.2264	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10577	An instruccyon of Christen fayth howe to be bolde vp on the promyse of God and not to doubte of our saluacyon, made by Urbanus Regius. Tra[n]slated into englyshe; Instruccyon of Christen fayth howe to be bolde up on the promyse of God and not to doubte of our salvacyon.	Rhegius, Urbanus, 1489-1541.; Foxe, John, 1516-1587.	1548 (1548)	STC 20847; ESTC S104513	23,216	78

bold to truste vnto it For yf he shulde promyse after oure deseruynges any thyng he culd neuer performe yt for oure merites be none and nothyng worth but he doth promise vs infinite goodnes in Christ with out our merites only of hys pure grace and mercy And therfore wryteth Paule Gal. iii. that god promysed Abrahā the blessyng cccc xxx The promise was made ere the lawe came yeares before the lawe of Moses was gyuen by cause that no man shuld so thynke that thys blessyng dyd stande of the workes of the lawe or that he culd not enioy thys fre promyse and blessyng of god before he dyd fulfyll all the lawe of Moses Wherfore for the loue of god lett all good men here marke that Abrahā neuer fayled nor dyd shrinke in faith nor neuer doubted at the promise of god nor of the loue grace of god toward him For so the holy gost doth say that he had a suer persuasiō mark well this Yf yt were a persuasiō that he had than yt was no opinion nor doubtyng that he had But fully dyd truste beleue he went not thyther whether hys incredulyte and doubtyng dyd byd him to goo the whiche doubtyng our papistes haue taught vs whether thought he thus whyther yt be true or not true I wyll do yt but his consience was fully persuaded that it was true that god had promised and that god wold be good and mercifull vnto hym had forgyuen his sinns had iustifyed him and wold neuer forsake him nor abiect him and after this lyfe also wolde gyue hī euerlastīg lyfe for the sede sake that was promised hym whiche was Christe Yf god had sayd thus to Abrahā Here Abraham I wyl be merciful vnto the I wyll forgyue the thy synnes always be present with the and helpe the so on this condition that thou kepe and fulfyll all my cōmaundmentes thus I say yf god had gyuen him his promis vnder this cōdition of fulfyllyng his cōmaundementes then Abrahams cōsience had neuer ben mery nor quiet but always doubting of the grace of god forgyuenes of hys synnes nor shuld bene certayne of his saluation For thus he myght haue taught I haue done all that I can with all deligence to fulfyll goddes preceptes yet I culde neuer fulfyll them so perfectlye as I awoght nothyng lyke wherefore thys promise of god is vncertane to me nether I can tell whether I shall take yt or no for bycause I haue not performed all that was inioyned cōmaunded me and god dyd gyue me his promyse no otherwyse but of this cōdition yf I kept his cōmaundemētes and I am not able so to do wherfore I am not suer whether he wyll gyue me these thynges that he promised I can do nothyng on my part and therfore how can he kepe his promise with me wherfore what hope can I haue nowe of helth Yt is but loste labor all that I go about thus I saye yf god had promised hys blessyng vnder this condition to Abraham then he myght wel haue despeared but now he addyd no such condition The promyse cam without any condicion all because we shuld not doubt but that his promise remanyth always suer and stable And this it is that god requireth only of vs that we shuld neuer doubt nor questione of his fre grace but to be bold and trust vpon yt that he is a louyng father to vs and we be his children But we culde not be so bolde of thys grace of god yf any suche condition of fulfyllyng the law were gyuen with all as yf thou kepe my cōmaundemētes wel thē shalt thou haue thy synnes forgyuen Therfore yt is necessary that the promise of this blessyng stand without all conditions and with outt all respect of oure workes or meretes but only in the fre grace of god for or els we culd neuer be suer of yt nor certane but always in doubt and mystrust For yf the remissiō of our sinnes shuld stand in the fulfyllyng of the lawe then our flesh beyng so weyke frayle and not able to fulfyll the lawe how shulde we know and be suer that god is good to vs or that we were in the fauor of god but rather shuld thynke that he were angre with vs because we neuer fulfyll his commaundmentes as we shuld do And thus the fre promise of god shuld stand voyde and in no effecte For why no man were able to obtayne yt But thankes and prayse be to the faythfull lord the father of our lord Iesus christ and ours the father of mercy and the god of all comforth wiche hauyng mercy vpon vs and tendering our weyknes hath not byldyd oure helth and saluation vpon no such brykell and weyke fundatiō as vpon our workes and our fulfyllyng of the lawe for so we culd neuer be saued But the fundation that we be groundyd vpon preuale agaynste the gates of hell The foūdacion of our hope is the great grace and mercy of god in his sone Christ For in him god hathe promised vs all the remisciō of oure sinnes and euer lastynge lyfe Thys promise is only and alone all our comforth that we may bouldly trust vpon So thus you se how god promyseth vs remisiō of our sinnes and lyfe euerlastyng not vnder any condytion of workyng and fulfyllyng the law but he gyuyth yt frely of his fre grace I say only alone throw Christe not for no workes of ours And therfore he gyuyth yt frely without any condition of our workes Bycause the promise myght stand fyrme and stable that is that we may be sure of the fauore of god of the remisiō of our synnes doubtyng nothyng therin notwithstandyng we be neuer so much synfull in oure nature vnworthy wretches that euery beleuyng christen man may say with Paule Thys I knowe and is vndoubted that nether deth nor lyfe nether āgels Rom. 8. nether prynces nor potestates nether thīges neygh nor thynges to cū nether heyght nor depnes nor no other creature is able to separate vs from the loue of god whiche is Iesus Christe oure lorde Here may we playne se that Paule had a bolde and a confident truste of the forgyuenes of his synnes and of his helth to come plentuously persuaded of the grace of God towarde hym or elles howe could he so feruently lerne reioyce and triumphe in sprite agaynste all creatures bothe in heauen and in the worlde so omnipotently desyryng them all beynge ryght suer and certayne that nothynge neyther aboue nor benethe coulde anoye him and why bycause he beleued in Christ and was sure of the mercy of God towarde hym through fayth / and therfore was his conscience so quiet and triumphant And euen so maye euery christen man lykewyse take the same corage and the same mynde in hym selfe Marke Howbeit no mā can do this vnlesse he put awaye all respecte of his owne merytes and workes and only trust vnto the free

vs frely in Christ with the whiche promyses sely consciences myght be releued and confyrmed strongly agaynst all the gates of hell We blynde and wretched wolde reward God with ours and deserue of hym all thynges that we had / we wolde not be in his det or daunger / we dysdayned to haue his liberalitie cōme freely vnto vs / and nothing wolde take of hym by grace And that was the cause why Christe was not ryghtly preached but only Moses what was the cause wh● Moses was prec●yd and not christ So it alwayes commeth to passe when the cōmaundementes onely be set forth after the maner of the Iewes and the promyses of God nothynge spoken of / there it can be none other but that mennes cōsciences must nedes be vexed and disquieted with miserable sorowe and perplexitie so that they can receyue almoste no consolacion But who soeuer wyll brynge men to God in dede and wyll quiet theyr consciences must alwayes teache these two together the lawe and the promyse / as the prophetes Christe and the apostles euer dyd The vse of the law By the lawe they brought men to the knowlage of theyr synfulnes theyr vnworthynes theyr infirmitie and vnabilitie to goodnes / theyr dutie what they ought to do / and theyr damnaciō which therof folowed And so broughte them to humiliate them selues before God / wherby they being iustly stroken with the feling of gods ryght iudgement myght ernestly forthynke them of theyr synnes / call for mercy They taught not the lawe so as thoughe it were ynoughe to knowe what were to be done or not to be done / or as thoughe of our owne strength we coulde do good and eschewe yll / and so by the lawe and by oure owne workes be foūde iust before God / and put awaye synne They taught not the lawe I saye for no suche ende nor purpose / neyther was the lawe gyuen therfore that we shulde be iustified therby before God / but it was gyuen for this to requyre of vs all ryghtuousnes and to threten vs why the law was gyuen that by the requiringe of this rightuousnes and we beynge nothynge able to perfourme it we myght the better lerne therby our vnryghtuousnes and noughtines / and so finally to acknowlage and confesse our owne wretchydnes to th entent that beynge thus contryte humiliated in hart we might seke to Christ for socour the whiche by his workes and passion doth only iustefie vs. We be nothyng able to deserue any saluacion by the lawe or our workes That is an hygher and a more excellent thinge than that our rotten workes be able to procure God hath promysed to gyue vs that freely by his mercy for Christes sake and doth gyue it of grace to thē that beleue in Christ as S. Paule to the Romaynes doth call euerlastyng lyfe the gift of God Rom. 6. Gal. 3. And lykewyse to the Galathians doth put a clere differēce betwixt them and sheweth playnly his mind of the law of the promyse howe they concure to oure iustificacion Let vs weghe well his wordes for al the weyght and fundacion of our iustificaciō doth lye vpō thē His wordes be these If our inheritaunce stande of the lawe than it standeth not of promyse Marke But God dyd gyue it to Abraham If the lawe had he gyuē vnto vs whiche myght haue iustified vs thā our iustificaciō might be of the lawe But the scrypture hath wrapped all thynges vnder synne that the promyse myghte come by the fayth of Iesus Christ to all that beleue And agayne in the second to the Gal. Gal. 2. If our iustificacion sayth he could come by the law thā Christ dyed in vayne Therfore I saye where as men thus by the lawe were brought to the knowlage of theyr synnes and so stroken with great sorowe and heuynes of conscience for theyr synfull and vicious nature than was the Gospel put and set before them that is to say Grace promysed vs in Christ And than dyd they begynne to beleue ernestly to reioyce in theyr hartes truely for this grace promysed in Christ that God had gyuen thē for Christes sake forgyuenes of theyr synnes Thus saynte Paule in the place afore recited dothe comforte with trewe consolacion wretched and desperat synners for he leadeth them onely to the promyse of God and beateth that in to them for therby onely our consciences be cleane and quieted And dothe teache the lawe gods commaundementes also exhortynge vs diligently to the study of good workes and is not only content with that but also doth shewe where and howe to come by the corage and lust to do these good workes Thus fyrst they taught the law for repentaūce but streyght after they ioyned withall the promyse of God to brynge mē to the knowlege of the moost ryche grace of God gyuen and promysed vs in Christe teachynge withall where we shulde get the strength to fullfyll the commaundemētes where oure synfull nature was not able to fulfyl it Rom. 8. In consideraciō wherof the Apostles euerywhere declared and set forth the excedyng and passynge ryches and treasures of Goddes myghty grace whiche he hathe gyuen and promysed vs in Christ yf we beleue vpō him and so forthe dyd lede wretched synners frō the lawe to Christ This great grace of God so offered they receyued thē and enbraced greatly and thus beleuynge were pacified in theyr cōsciences The lawe doth threten and affraye but than she is not able to heale or comfort them beynge greued or to delyuer them from theyr agony / wherfore we must nedes flee to the promyse And there shall we fynde ryghtuousnes peace lyfe helth ynoughe Hereupon S. Paule to the Gal. iii. Gal. 3. sayth The lawe was but as it were oure scolemayster vnto Christ The ende of the lawe that we shulde be iustified by Christ / for the lawe doth force vs doth constrayne vs doth call vpon vs dothe manace vs lyeth vpon our neckes requiring of vs all maner of good workes perfecte iustice perfecte innocēcie of harte perfecte feare and loue of God and also of our neyghbour But we of oure owne strength be not able to accōplyshe that which she requyreth thus she dryueth vs to Christ and is our scolemayster vnto Christ He thā receyueth vs commynge to hym helpynge vs and gyuinge vs all such thinges that the law requyreth of vs / so that the lawe is not able to damme vs. For this cause S. Paule doth call Christe the ende of the lawe Rom. x. Rom. 10. Or as S. Augustine doth expounde it the fulfyllynge of the lawe He that hath Christ is iust he that beleueth in Christe hathe all thynges which the lawe requireth Christe hathe reconsyled for vs God his father / he is our mediator and euerlastynge preest he hath obtayned vs grace the holy goost with all his gyftes remyssyon of synnes all maner of goodnes with lyfe euerlastynge he as Ieremye