Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	justification_n	justify_v	work_n	8,142	5	6.6831	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17246	A comparison betweene the auncient fayth of the Romans, and the new Romish religion. Set foorth by Frauncis Bunny, sometime fellowe of Magdalen College in Oxforde	Bunny, Francis, 1543-1617.	1595 (1595)	STC 4098; ESTC S109540	68,655	92

vnto them were not onely more secure of their own estate then was for their safety but also despised the Iewes as a people so reiected as if God vnmindfull of his promise would neuer be reconciled to them again Against al which the Apostle in this Epistle teacheth that al people that beleeue of whatsoeuer cuntry or nation are freely iustified by faith in Christ And first he proueth that neither Iew nor gentile vnder which two al are comprehended can be iustifyed by doing the works of the Law because none can fulfil the Law neither the gentiles by that light of nature the Law written in their heart neither the Iewes by that knowledge of the Law that they so much bragged of And this the Apostle performeth as the diligent Reader may obserue from the xvii verse of the first Chapter vnto the xxi of the third chapter So that he flatly concludeth Therfore by the works of the Law shal no flesh be iustified Now this place being so plaine as it is against iustification by works the doctrine of merits is quite ouerthrown if some color be not deuised to auoid the force of this testimony The Romish Catholiks therfore indeuor as much as they can to make vs beléeue that those wordes must haue another sence and vnderstanding then we take them to haue but what sence that is they are not yet resolued For some say that the Apostle by the workes of the Law meaneth the works of the Ceremonial Law and in déed many of the Papists do so expound it But Master Bellarmine liketh not of that answer confesseth in plain termes that not onely the obseruation of the Law of ceremonies but also the kéeping of the moral Law is excluded from iustification but yet he would haue vs to imagine that onely such workes as are done before we beléeue are denied to iustifie vs. As for the workes that we doe after they doe iustifie and merit as they teach vs. And this their absurd opinion procéedeth of their ignorance of the intent and meaning of the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans For Master Bellarmine in the place before alledged doth affirme that the Apostle there as also in his Epistle to the Galathians goeth about to proue that none can be saued without faith or without Gods mercy which is in déed the trueth but it is not the whole trueth For he is also as carefull to take away the confidence that any had or might haue in their owne workes And because he writeth to them who had faith already for Their faith was published throughout the worlde and teacheth vs that all our reioycing by this iustification by faith in Christ is taken away but where is merit there is reioycing in our selues therfore it is plaine that the Apostle excludeth here from iustifying al works This also appeareth by the setting down the true cause of iustification By faith and remouing the wrong cause in so general termes Without the works of the Law that also the Apostle doth after in the example of Abraham All which may teach vs that S. Paule héere indeuoreth to take from all workes when soeuer we doe them all hope of being saued thereby to the end that our pryde in our owne workes being abated and our boasting taken away He that reioyceth may reioyce in the Lord. For this cause also the Apostle doth afterwards so set workes and merit against grace as if the one of them doth quite ouerthrow the other If by grace not now by workes for then grace is no more grace but if it be of workes then is it now no grace for then worke is no worke We sée then that S. Paule teaching that we cannot be iustified by workes to the end that our Iesus may be indeed a true onely and perfect Sauiour and fully saue vs from al our sins taketh away from all our doings the hope of meriting and deseruing the same And to this end the Apostle S. Peter also in the beginning of his first Epistle doth make mention of Gods aboundant mercy wherby we are not onely begotten to a liuely hope but also Kept by the power of GOD through faith vnto saluation Therefore I say hee teacheth vs that we obtaine this by Gods greate goodnesse because hee woulde not haue vs any thing to trust in our merites but in that God of all grace who will make vs perfect for our workes cannot do that that we may ascribe To him glory and dominion for euer and not to our selues or our goodnes But if any man replie that this doctrine séemeth contrarie to that which Saint Paule writeth to the Romans That God will reward euery man according to his deedes Or to that Saint Mark reporteth that our Sauiour Christ promised That he who in his name gaue a cup of cold water to drink to his seruants should not leese his reward thus I aunswere God in mercie promiseth reward to such as do his will and in mercie he likewise performeth the same not waighing the work but remembring his mercie So that herein wee may rather commend Gods faithfulnesse in kéeping his promise alwaies then estéeme of our works For who will think that a cup of cold water gyuing may be worthy of eternall life And the words of Saint Paule are plaine enough if we wrest them not out of their naturall sence For we denie not that GOD rewardeth men According to their workes And the place proueth not that GOD rewardeth them For their works and that sence onely can establish their doctrine of merites but thapostle saith there onely thus much that good workes shall haue a good reward of eternall lyfe glorie honor and peace Euill workes their due reward of wrath indignation tribulation and anguish So that according to the qualitie of their workes the qualitie I say and not the merite GOD in mercie according to his promise shall giue honour and immortalitie to them that séeke to serue him This therefore standeth still the vndoubted old faith of the Romans That by the workes of the Law there shall no flesh bee iustified in Gods sight For howsoeuer Abraham was iustified by workes before men as others also are Iustified that is declared and accompted before men iust by workes and not by Faith onely For euen Saint Bede expoundeth that place of Saint Iames for the approuing of Abrahams faith or making it to appeare yet I say Before God workes cannot iustifie And this is the auncient Roman faith receiued also and taught of the auncient Fathers both writing of this Epistle to the Romns and else where Chrisostome saith that this righteousnes is called Gods righteousnes because man cannot work it but God only And after That the Sonne hath perfected it wholie with his bloud And in another place verie notablie For thou shalt not obtaine this righteousnes by thy trauels and labours but thou

must freely receiue that which is from aboue of Gods free gift bringing with thee of thine only this one thing namely that thou beleeue Then which words what can more plainly impugne the doctrine of our aduersaries or shew what was the iudgement of this auncient father concerning this point But that consent and consenancy which we find in many of the Fathers as in Origen Hierom Ambrose Isichius Basil Athanasius Primasius Hillary Theodoret Bernard giuing that work to Faith only to saue or iustifie may sufficiently perswade vs how fast they held this old Religion or Romish faith that a man is iustified by faith without the works of the Law I may therfore I trust with Cyprian conclude that If Abraham beleeued God and it was accompted to him for righteousnes Euery one also that beleeueth God and liueth by Faith is found iust and is declared to be alreadie made happy and righteous in faithfull Abraham But the new Romish Religion is this That good works do merite iustification and eternall life So that by their good works they say they can satisfie for their sinnes And for this cause when at shrift they haue confessed their faults their ghostly father for so they terme him will inioine some penance vnto them wherby they tell them that they may satisfie for their sinnes and make recompence to God for them For almes and fasting saith one doth easily carie men into heauen And thus in this their new Religion they do not only expresly set themselues against that old Roman faith wherin we are taught that good workes cannot iustifie before God but also blasphemously they rob Christ of his office who is in truth onely that Lambe of GOD that taketh away the sinne of the world and is the propitiation for the same Who with one offering by offering himselfe a Sacrifice for our sins hath made perfect for euer them that are sanctified CHAP. V. ANd as this ancient faith which was then y e faith of the Romans when their faith was commended doth put vs past hope of béeing saued by our workes sait doth teach vs that this saluation is without our merit fréely bestowed vpon vs that beléeue Wee are saith S. Paule iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus Whome GOD hath set forth to be a propitiation by faith in his bloud in declaring his righteousnesse by the forgiuing of sinnes that are past c. In which wordes wee see againe that our iustification is free therefore not for our workes but by grace Wée sée the meanes of this our saluation euen the redenption that is in Christ Iesus We are also taught the meanes how it is applied to vs by faith And that not simply by faith as if it were frée for vs to repose this our faith and confidence according to our owne fancy vpon any helpes that we can deuise but by faith in his bloude Then also we learne héere what is this iustification the forgiuenes of sinnes But is Christ onely profitable to them that were in his time and to vs that haue béene or are since Yes verily He declareth his righteousnes in forgiuing the sins that are past such as his chosen seruantes haue committed since the world began for so both S. Ambrose and their owne friend Tho. of Aquin séeme to vnderstand the sins that are past Which former sins or sins that are past seing it is receiued by so generall a consent of the olde translation and the interpreters I maruell that the Rhemists do leaue it out If we had so done we should haue beene cryed out vpon for falsifyers of the worde of God and deprauers of the same I woulde also aske why in translating into English they would rather retaine the Latin worde Gratis then set downe the English word Freely What was the English so plain that you could not deuise any colour that might seeme plausible to your fauorits for the maintenance of your new heresie If you thought so why giue you not glory vnto God confessing your errour that others might learne by you not to be deceiued any longer If you saw not your misliking why when you should translate and make the worde plaine doe you so hide this light vnder the close bushell of your wordes vnknowen to them that shoulde read your booke For thus our newe Masters of Rheimes do translate Iustified gratis by grace caet what these mean by translating thus let the world iudge But the summe of the auncient doctrine is this that we are iustified fréely without deseruing euen by the forgiuenes of our sinnes through faith in Christ his bloud which is gathered not onely out of the words of S. Paule by me alledged but also through out all his Epistles Which testimonyes I omit because that which is already said is so plaine and my especiall purpose is to shew what hath béene the auncient faith of the Romans As therefore we see what S. Paule taught them so let vs see if S. Peter in that his Epistle which they say he wrote from Rome haue said any thing for that point Hée saith That we are kept by faith vnto saluation And that The reward or end of our faith is the saluation of our soules And againe that Christ was shewed in these last times for your sakes saith he which by his meanes doe beleeue in God And whosoeuer shall mark how the Apostle S. Peter in that first Chapter of his first Epistle doth set forth the excellency of our hope and the redemption that we haue in Christ which is the end or reward not of our workes but of our faith yea how that Christ is shewed for vs that beléeue and that the Apostle in speaking of our saluation doth not make our workes any cause thereof but on the contrary ascribeth it wholly to Gods mercy euen to his abundant mercy apprehended by faith he must needs confesse that S. Peter hauing so good occasion to haue spoken of iustification by works yet not hauing once mentioned the same had not any purpose to deliuer that doctrine that our own works may iustify vs. But our new Romish Rabbies that haue nothing to vant themselues of but the rotten ruines of auncient Rome can abide no doctrine worse then this that wee are iustified by faith in Christ his bloud It is heresie with them to say that wee obtayne forgiuenesse of our sinnes by faith in Christ But to attribute that which onely Christes merites by his death and bloudshedding and faith apprehendeth to holy bread holy water pardons Agnus deis blessed graynes pilgrimages monkes bookes and cowles candels crossings and such like trifling trash is good deuotion and sound religion That which they call heresie we teach word for word out of the auncient doctrine of the Romans But that which they would haue the people beleeue concerning these toyes S. Paul S. Peter and S. Marke