Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	work_n	work_v	write_v	138	4	5.3337	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08830	The benefite that Christians receiue by Iesus Christ crucifyed. Translated out of French into English, by A.G. 1573; Dal 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.	1573 (1573)	STC 19114; ESTC S120980	53,945	119

own profite But he that knoweth himselfe to bée become ryghtuouse by the merites rightuousenesse of Christ which he maketh his owne by fayth laboreth happily and doeth good works alonly for the loue and glorie of Christ and not for loue of himselfe nor to make himselfe rightuouse And theruppon it commeth that y true christian that is to wit he that accounteth himself rightuouse by reason of Christes rightuousenesse asketh not whither good works be cōmaunded or not but being wholly moued prouoked with a certeine violence of Godly loue he offereth himselfe willingly to do all the workes that are holy and christianlyke and neuer ceaseth to do well He therefore which féeleth not the meruelous 〈◊〉 by his fayth which we haue heretofore ●eclared that the inspired faith worketh in the hart of the christian Let him assure himself that he hath not the christian faith and let him pray earnestly vnto God to giue it hym saying Lord help myne vnbeléef And whē he herereth it said y only faith maketh men rightuonse let him not deceiue himself say what nede I to wery my self in doing good works faith is inough to send me to Paradyse to such a one I answere y only fayth sendeth vs to Paradise but yit let him take good hede for y diuels do also beleue tr●ble as saieth sainct Iames. O miserable man wilte thou go with them to Paradise By this false conclusion t●ou maiest know my brother in what an errour thou art for thou wéenest to haue the fayth that maketh men rightuouse and thou haste it not Thou sayest thou art ryche and hast no nede of any thing and thou séest not how thou art pore wretched blynd and naked I counsell thée to bwy gold of GOD that is throughly fired with fyre that is to say trew faith set on fyre with good works to the intent thou mayest become riche and to clothe thy self with white ramēt that is to wit with Christes innocencie to the end that the shame of thy nakednesse which is the greate filthinesse of thy sinnes be not séene to the whole world Then is the iustifying fayth as it were a flame of fyre which cannot but cast forth brightnes And lyke as the flame burneth the wood without the help of the light and yit the flame cannot be with out the light so is it assuredly trew y fayth alone consumeth burneth away sinne with out the helpe of works and yit that the same fayth cannot be without good works Wherfore like as if we sée a flame of fyre that giueth no light we knowe biandby y it is but vayne and painted euen so when we sée not some light of good works in a man it is a tokē y he hath not y true inspired fayth which god giueth to his chozen to iustifie and glorifie them withall And hold it for certeyne that Saincte Iames ment so when hée sayd shewe me thy fayth by thy works and I wil shewe thée my fayth by my workes For his mening was y he which is plundged in ambitionsenes and worldly pleasures beleueth not though he say he beleue forasmuch as he sheweth not in himself the effects of faith Also we may likē this holy faith to the godhead which is in Iesus Christ who being very man but withoute sin dyd wonderfull thinges healing the sicke giuing sight to the blind walking vppon the water and raising vp the dead vnto lifte agein yit theis maruelouse workes were not the cause that hée was god For before he did anie of those things he was God and the lawfull and onlibegotten sonne of God and he neded not to work those miracles to make himself god bi them but forasmuch as he was god therfore he did thē And so the miracles that Christ wrought made him not to be god but shewed openly that he was god In likewise trewe faith is as it were a godhead in the sowle of a christian which doeth wonderouse works and is neuer weary of well doing and yit those works are not y cause y a christiā is a christian y is to wit that he is rightuouse good holy and acceptable vnto God neither néedeth he to worke all those good workes to become such a one But forasmuch as he is a Christian by fayth like as Iesus Christ being a man was also God by his Godhead he doeth all those good workes which make not the christian to be rightuouse and good but shewe him to be good rightuouse holie So then like as Christes Godhead was y cause that he wrought miracls euen so faith working through loue is y cause of y good works that a chzisten mā doeth And like as a man may say of Iesus Christ y he hath done this miracle or that and that those miracles besides y they glorified God were also a great honor vnto Iesus Christ as he was mā who for his obedience euen vnto death was recompenced at gods hand in his resurrection and had gyuen vnto him all power but in heauen and earth which he had not afore as in respect of his manhod but deserued it by the vnion which is betwixt the word of God and the manhod of Christ So doth faith in a christian which faith by reason of the vnion that it hath with y soule attributeth y thing to the one which is proper to y other whervppon it commeth that y holy scripture promiseth the christian euerlasting life for hys good works bicause good works are y frutes and testimonies of liuely fayth procede of it as light procedeth from a flame of fyre according as I haue sayd heretofore And by this holy faith which imbraseth Iesus christ it commeth to passe that our sowle is ioyned with Christ and is so vnited and knit to him that whatsoeuer Christ hath merited deserued the same is imputed vnto the soule as though it had merited deserued it And therfore S. Austin sayth that God crowneth his owne giftes in vs. Of thys vnion of the soule with Iesus Christ Christ himself beareth good record wher he prayeth to his Father for his Apostles and for suche as should beleue in him by their preaching I pray not sayeth he for thē only but also for all those that shall beleue in me through their word to the end they may be al one thing that like as thou my Father arte in me I in thée so they also may be one in vs that the world may beleue that thou hast sent mée and that I haue giuen thē the glorie which thou haste giuen mée so as they should be one selfsame thing like as thou and I are one Wherby it appereth euidently that if we beleue y word of the Apostles who preached that Iesus Christ died for our sinnes and rose agein for our iustification we become all one thyng with him and forasmuch as he is all one with Go● we also become all one with

vnto vs not only allureth vs to giue our selues one to another but also by making himself common to vs all maketh vs also to be all one selfsame thing in him In respect wherof wée ought to couet and procure that in all of vs there may be but one mind one harte one tung accorded and vnited togither in thoughtes words and déeds And we must mark well that as oft as we receyue this holy and worthy Sacrament we bind our selues to al the deuties of charitie as not to offende any of our brethren nor to leaue anything vndon that may be profitable and helpfull in their necessitie But if there come any to this heauenly table of the Lord that are diuided at variance with their brethrē the same must assure themselues that they eate vnworthely and are gilty of the bodie and bloud of the Lorde and that they eate and drinke their own damnation for that there wanted nothing on their behalf but that the body of Iesus christ was rent and plucked in péeces again whilest they by hatred are deuided frō their brethren that is to wit from the members of Iesus Christ and haue not any parte with him and yit neuertheles in receiuing this holy communion pretended to beléeue that their whole saluation consisteth in the participation and vnion with Iesus Christ. Then let vs go my brethrē to the receiuing of this heauenly bread to celebrate the remembrance of our Lordes passion and to strengthen and fortifie the beléefe and assurance of the forgiuenes of our sinnes with the remembrance thereof and to quicken vp our myndes and tungs to prayse and exalt the infinite goodnes of our God and finally to cherish brotherly loue and to witnes the same one to another by the streyght vnion which all of vs haue in the bodie of our lord Iesus christ Besydes prayer thé remembring of Baptim and the often resorting to the most holy communion ther is one other verie good remedy against distrust and fearfulnes which is no lesse fréende to christian charitie namely the remembrance of our predestination and election to eternall lyfe grounded vppon the word of God which is the sword of the holie Ghoste wherwith we may beate backe our enemies Reioyce yée in this sayeth the Lorde that your names are written in heauen There is no greater ioy in this life nor any thing that more comforteth the christian that is afficted tempted or falne into anie sinne than the rememberance of predestination and the assuring of our selues that we be of y nomber whose names are written in the booke of lyfe and which are chosen to be fashioned like vnto the image of Iesus Christ. O how vnspeakable is the comfort of him that hath this fayth museth cōtinually in his hart vppon this exceding swéete predestination whereby he knoweth that although he fall often yit notwithstanding god his father who hath foreordeined him to euerlasting life holdeth him vp and reacheth out his hand vnto him continually And he sayeth continually in himselfe if god haue chozen me and predestinated me to the glorie of his children who can hinder me If God be with vs sayeth sainct Paule who can be ageinst vs Nay rather to the ende that the predestination may be accomplished in vs he hath sent his déere beloued sonne who is a most sure earnest penny and pledge vnto vs that we which haue receyued the grace of the Gospell are gods Children chozen to eternall lyfe This holie predestination maynteyneth the trew Christian in a continuall spirituall ioye increaceth in him the indeuer of good works inflameth him with the loue of god maketh him enemie to the world to sinne Who is so fearce hardharted which knowing y god of his mercy hath made him his child frō euerlasting will not by and by bée inflamed to loue GOD Who is of so vyle and ba●e courage that hée will not estéeme all the pleasures all the honours and all the riches of the world as filthy myre whē he knowes y god hath made him a citizen of heauē yea theis are thei y worship god rightly in spirit truth receyuing all things as wel in prosperitie as in aduersitie at the hand of God their Father and euermore praysing and thāking him for all as their good father who is rightuouse and holy in all his workes These being inflamed with the loue of God and armed with the knowledge of their predestination feare neither death nor sin nor the Diuill nor hell neyther knowe they what the wrath of god is for they sée none other thing in god but loue fatherly kindnesse towards them And if they fall into any troubles they accept them as tokens of gods fauour trying out with S. Paule who is it that shall separate vs from Gods loue shall tribulations shall anguish shall persecution or hunger or nakednesse or perill or sword as it is written for thy sake are we killed all the day long and counted as shéepe appointed to the slaughter But in all these things we get the vpper hand thorough him that hath loued vs Wherefore it is not for nought that sainct Iohn sayeth how the true christians know right well that they must be saued and glorified and that by reason of the same affiance they make themselues holy as Iesus Christ is holy And when Saint Paule exhorteth his Disciples to a good and holy life he is wont to put them in remembrance of their election and predestination as of a thing of very great force to stirre vp the mynds of the true Christians to the louing of God and to the performance of good works And for the same cause our good lord Iesus christ speaketh openly of this holy predestination as one that knew of howe great importance the knowledge thereof is to the edifying of his elect But perchaunce thou wilt say to me I know wel that they whose names are written in heauen haue cause to liue in continuall ioy and to glorifie GOD but in word and deed but I know not whither I am of that number or no and therefore I liue in continuall feare specially bycause I knowe my selfe to bée an excéedinge weake and frayle sinner from the violence wherof I am not able to defend my self but that I am ouercome of it daily And furthermore for asmuch as I se my self cōtineually afflicted and troubled with dyuerse temptations methinks I do as it were behold with myne eyes the wrath of God squorging me Too answere to theis dowtes of thyne I say my ryght dere brother that thou must assure thy selfe that al theis are but temptations of the deuill who by all meanes séeketh to rob vs of that faith and confidence that springeth of faythe and assurethe vs of Gods good will towardes vs He laboreth to strip our sowle out of this preciouse garmēt for he knoweth that none is a trew Christian except he beleue Gods

lyght of our trust which hath great recompence reward But thys so holy and diuine affiance is gendred in our harts by the working of the holie ghost who is cōmunicated vnto vs by fayth which neuer goeth without the loue of god And hereof it commeth that wée bée prouoked to dooe good works with a certeine liuelines and effectuall cherefulnes wherby we gather such a strength and inclinacion to doo thē as wée be throughly redie and foreward to doo and suffer all intollerable things for the loue and glorie of our moste graciouse and mercyfull father who hath inryched vs wyth so abundaunt grace through Iesus Christ and of his enemies made vs hys moste déere children This treue fayth is no sooner gyuen a man but he is by and by indewed and imprinted with a certeine violent loue of good works to yéeld right swéet and amiable frutes both vnto God and likewise to his Neybour as a verie good frutefull trée And it is no more possible that he should bée otherwise than it is possible that a fagot should be set on fyre not cast light immediatly This is the holye fayth without the which it is vnpossible that anie man should please God and wherby all the holie men as well of the old Testamēt as of the new haue bin saued according as Sainct Paule witnesseth of Abraham concerning whome the Scripture sayeth that Abraham bel●●ued GOD and it was reckened too him for rightuousenesse And therfore hée sayth a little before We beléeue that a man is iustified by fayth without the déedes of the Lawe And in another place he saith Sothen 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 Galathians he sayeth it is a manifest matter that no man becommeth rightuouse before God by the Lawe bicause the rightuouse liueth by faith And the lawe consisteth not in beleefe but he that performeth the thinges that the Lawe commaundeth shall liue by that performance And further hée sayeth that a man cannot become rightuouse by the déedes of the law but onely by beléeuing in Iesus Christ. Agein a little after he sayeth that if a man can become rightuouse by the Lawe Iesus Christ dyed in vayne Moreouer to the Romaines making comparison betwene the rightuousnesse of the Lawe and the rightuousnesse of the Gospell he sayeth that the one consis●eth in the dooing of workes and the other in beleuing For if thou confesse our Lord Iesus Christ with thy mouth and beleue in thy hart that God hath raysed him vp from death thou shalt be saued For the beléef of the hart maketh a man rightuouse and the confession of the mouth maketh him safe Lo how this good teacher Sainct Paule sheweth euidently that faith maketh a man rightuouse without any workes And not only Sainct Paule but also the holy Doctors that came after him haue confirmed and allowed this most holy trueth of Iustification by fayth among whome Sainct Augustin is the chiefe who in his booke of fayth and workes and in his booke of the Spirit and the Letter and in his booke of fourescore and thrée 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 rightuous by faith without any help of good works howbeit that good works are the effects of rightuousnesse and not the cause of it And he sheweth that y wordes of S. ●ames being soundly vnderstood are nothing contrary to this article Whith thing Origen doth also affirme in his fourth booke vpon the Epistle to the Romanes saying y S. Paules meaning is that fayth only is sufficiente to make men rightuouse insomuch that a man becommeth rightuouse only by beléeuing although he haue not doone anye good work at all For so it is that the théefe became rightuouse without the workes of the lawe forasmuch as the Lord sought not what good workes he had done in time past nor wayted vntill he had done any after he had beléeued but hauing accepted him for rightuouse vpon his only confession tooke him for hys companion euen when he should enter into Paradyse Likewise that so renowmed woman in the gospel of Sainct Luke while she was yit at the féete of Iesus Christ herd it sayd vnto hir thy sins are forgiuen thée And a little after he saieth vnto hir thy faith hath saued thée goo thy way in peace Afterward Origen sayth In many places of the Gospel a man may sée how our Lord Iesus Christ hath spoken in such wise as he sheweth that fayth is the cause of the saluation of the beleuers Thē is a mā made rightuouse by faith and the workes of the lawe further him nothing at all On the contrarie where faith is not which faith maketh the beléeuer rightuouse although a man doo the workes which the law cōmaundeth yit notwithstanding forasmuch as they be not builded vppon the foūdation of faith albeit y to outward appearance they séeme good yit can they not iustifie him that doeth them bicause he wanteth fayth which is the marke of thē that are become rightuouse before god And who is he that cā boast himselfe to be rightuouse whē he hereth God say by his Prophet ●say that all our rightuousnesse is as a defiled cloth of a menstruouse woman Then can wée not iustly glorie in our selues but in y only faith of the crosse of Iesus Christ. S. Basill in hys Homilie of humilitie sayeth y the Christian ought to hold himself for rightuouse through beléefe in Iesus Christ and his wordes are theis The Apostle sayeth that he which glorieth should glorie in the Lord in that God hath made Iesus Christ to be our wisedome rightuousenes holinesse and redemption to the end y he which would glorie should glorye in the Lord bicause that the perfect and sound glorying is to glorye in the lord For in so doing a man presumeth not vppon his owne rightuousenes but acknowledgeth his want of the true rightuousenes and that he is made rightuouse only by beléeuyng in Iesus Christ. And Sainct Paule gloryeth of the despyzyng of hys owne rightuousenesse and of his séeking of Christes rightuousnes by fayth which commeth of god Sainct Hilary in his ninth Canon vppon the exposition of Sainct Matthew sayeth these words The Scribes considering Iesus Christe but only as mā were troubled that a mā should forgiue sinnes and pardon that thing which the Lawe could not doe bicause that onely fayth iustifieth Sainct Ambrose in expounding these wordes of Sainct Paule vnto him that beleeueth in him vvhich iustifieth the vngodly his fay the is accounted for rightuousnesse according to the purpose of Gods grace like as Dauid also sayeth that the man is blissed whom God accompteth rightuouse