Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	believe_v	faith_n	motive_n	3,309	5	10.1656	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08129	Certaine sermons, preached by the reuerend and iudicious diuine master Thomas Nevvhovse late preacher of Gods word in the citie of Norwich. And now set foorth for the vse and benefit of Gods people, by Robert Gallard, Master of Arts and minister in the same citie	Newhouse, Thomas, d. 1611.; Gallard, Robert.	1614 (1614)	STC 18493; ESTC S102789	66,753	182

cannot be auoided but they must bee moued and mollified and that not by any violēt compulsion but by a most effectuall perswasion As for the distinction of sufficiencie and efficacie and the difference in * An example of the naturall agent The Sunne hath sufficiencie to enlighten all men but not efficacie in the blinde naturall and voluntarie agents it is to bee acknowledged and hath his place in things wherein man by nature hath power and freedome of will to doe or not to doe for example to talke to goe to sit or to vse any like position of the body a man may haue the sufficiencie that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet not the efficacie that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and why because hee will not and hee hath power to stay the action of the * Motiue naturall facultie but in matters concerning the kingdom of God the case is farre otherwise for whosoeuer hath sufficient grace by it his will is so corrected and rectified that he effectually willeth his owne saluation And for men to imagine that a man doth repell true sufficient grace though in neuer so small measure it is to make man * Verum est nos frustra velle nisi Deus misereatur at quis dixerit deum frustra misereri si nos nolimus stronger then God Neither doth the place Acts 7.51 any whit at al patronage this error where Stephen vpbraideth the stiffe-necked Iewes with this that they had alwaies resisted the holy Ghost for he speaketh not of the inward powerfull worke of the holy Ghost in the conscience but of his outward voyce in the externall ministerie of the word Nor that other place Matth. 23.37 I would but ye would not for there our Sauiour Christ speaketh not as hee was God equall with his Father for then who could haue resisted his wil but as man or rather as minister of Circumcision as the Apostle termeth him Rom. 15.8 whose office was to will and procure by all meanes the saluation of men that herein also hee might be an example to the Ministers of the new Testament who were to succeed him whose dutie and care is also to will and to further the saluation of all But notwithstanding all this it is thought by some both Papists and Protestants Diuines that sauing grace may bee giuen to the reprobate and to credit and authorize this opinion it is fathered vpon Augustine and affirmed to be his iudgement and to this end two places are alleaged one out of the 8. chapter de corrupt gratia the other out of the 13. chapter of the same booke Ans Albeit as our late learned Reader answered vnto Duraeus Malo tecum de possessione scripturarū quam patrum contendere yet somewhat I haue thought good to say both to deliuer Augustine from suspition of this error and also for the fuller manifestation of the truth in this point Concerning the first place Mirandum multumque mirandum c. in effect thus much It is greatly to bee wondred at that certaine sonnes of God whom hee hath regenerated in Christ and to whom hee hath giuen faith hope loue c. should notwithstanding fall away and in the end perish Ans This needs not to trouble any man that wil but peruse the chapter following wherein Augustine doth sufficiently expound his meaning In the beginning of the chapter hee distinguisheth of the sonnes of God some are sonnes of God vnto God or before God that is truly and indeed and some are sonnes of God vnto men or in mans iudgement that is counterfeit sonnes which as hee saith afterward whē they were sons were no sonnes that is as himself expoundeth euen then when they were sub nomine professione filiorum Dei were no sonnes of God indeed And looke how they are called sonnes so in the same sense they are said to bee regenerate and to haue faith hope and loue viz. in the iudgement of men and quoad praesentem iustitiam as he also noteth But Bellarmine finding no sure hold in this place very cunningly passeth it ouer lest by occasion of it a man being led to the 9. chapter should see Augustins meaning more fully and so be able to answere them both and therefore in his 3. Tome 3. booke de Iustif cap. 14. he alleageth the latter wherein there seemeth to be more colour probabilitie then in the former The effect of it is this Credendum c. We are to beleeue that certaine sonnes of perdition which begin to liue in the faith which worketh by loue shall notwithstanding before they goe out of this life wholly fall away and perish Answ The meaning of Augustine is this that reprobates liuing in the Church may haue certaine beginnings and degrees vnto iustifying faith as knowledge of the Gospell and assent thereunto yea and a confused perswasion that many hereby are iustified and shall bee saued and falsely also perswade themselues of their own saluation whereupon they ioy and take pleasure in their knowledge and profession and are zealous for the Lord of Hoasts as Iehu was and doe reuerence the Ministers as Herod did Iohn Baptist and dislike prophane persons and such as are contemners of the word and disordered in their liues and yet for all that are not sound at the heart the word of God hauing no thorow rooting in them but like vnto the stony ground wherein the seede for want of sufficient rooting at the heate of the Sun is parched and withered away in the time of temptation they wholly fall away And that Augustine neuer meant that true sauing faith could euer faile and therefore could neuer befall the reprobate it is manifest out of his 106. Tract vpon Iohn where vpon the 17. chapt verse 8. Et cognouerurt vere crediderunt hee hath these words Crediderunt saith hee subaudiendum vere quomodo credendum est id est inconcusse firme stabiliter fortiter non iam in propria redituri Christum relicturi Now then if by Augustins iudgement true faith wheresoeuer it bee is perpetuall then it followeth that it cannot bee communicated vnto the reprobate for thē also it should remaine with them for euer and aduance them to eternal life But whatsoeuer Augustins iudgment was he was but a man no Prophet nor Apostle and therefore not priuiledged from errour touching whom though euer to be reuerenced in the Church we may say as himself said of Cyprian when as the Donatists alleaged his authoritie against him Whatsoeuer saith Augustine Cyprian hath said agreeable to Scriptures I receiue it with his cōmendation Quicquid non congruit cum eius pace respuo Let vs therefore come to the Scriptures one sentence whereof ought to be of greater price and value with vs and with greater reuerence and admiration to be receiued of vs then tenne thousand sentences of humane writings out of which the euidence of this point may most certainly be concluded Acts 13.48 So many as were ordained to

eternall life beleeued Where the restraint is to be obserued the Apostle doth not make faith common to all but to the elect onely excluding as it is manifest to any indifferent reader all others which were not ordained to life And lest any man might doubt of the equality reciprocation of the members that is faith and election let him reade Tit. 1.1 where the Apostle speaketh of a faith proper to the elect which the article plainly declareth put there for distinction sake noting that there is a faith indeed in reprobates to wit a temporarie or historicall faith but not the faith of the elect viz. sauing and iustifying faith the which whosoeuer hath hath presently eternall life Ioh. 3.36 not only in a blind and coniecturall hope as the Papists say but in a certaine and infallible perswasion grounded vpon the word and promise of God and in such a hope as disappointeth not neither maketh ashamed neither that only but in present possession if wee regard the beginnings of it for there are three degrees of eternall life the first is in this life in faith and regeneration the second in the end of this life in the totall abolishment of sinne which is the accomplishment of mortification the third is after this life at the resurrection in the fulnes of glory wherewith both soule and bodie shall bee replenished for euer wherfore the first degree or entrance into this life is made so soone as a man beginneth to beleeue Further in the same chapter vers 18. hee that beleeueth saith our Sauiour Christ is not condemned neither euer shall be as it appeareth Ioh. 5.24 but hath alreadie passed from death vnto life and Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that by faith are ingrafted into Christ lest any should doubt of their perseuerance hee addeth by way of description that they are such as walke not according to the flesh but according to the spirit Further that true faith is an infallible note of election it is manifest 2. Tim. 2.21 whosoeuer purgeth himselfe from these hee shall be a vessell vnto honour Whence I reason thus * The syllogisme at large may thus be framed If sanctificatiō be a sure mark of election thē saith is so because sanctification is an inseparable fruit of faith But sanctification is a sure marke of election Therefore c. Sanctification is a sure marke of election now sanctification is a fruit of faith for that alone purifieth the hart Acts 15. Ergo. And indeede Ioh. 14.16.17 our Sauiour Christ denieth that the world that is reprobates can receiue the spirit of regeneration which is the comforter and leader into all truth and Paul 2. Cor. 13.5 excepteth the reprobates from the number of such as haue Iesus Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith By al which it is more then manifest that true sauing grace is neuer communicated to the reprobate Lastly if this doctrine might stand three notable absurdities in Diuinitie would necessarilie follow vpon it First that reprobates in their persons and actions shall sometimes please God viz. when they haue faith and worke from faith for faith is that that makes both person and action acceptable to God but how can this stand with that of our Sauiour Christ Matth. 7.23 who shall pronounce at the day of iudgement of them that were otherwise adorned with most rare and singular gifts and graces of God I neuer knew you at no time I approued you either in your persons or works I neuer acknowledged you for mine which hee would not neither could say if euer they had been indued with true faith for at that time at the least he must needes haue acknowledged them to be his Secondly the certaintie of saluation falleth flat to the ground for the which wee contend so much with the Papists for what other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or medium is there wherby to perswade the conscience of the certaintie of election besides faith which if it be a common grace to the reprobate with the Elect then no certitudo fidei for a man may beleeue the pardon of a sin and yet for all that be a reprobate Thirdly the very reprobate ones shall be true members of Christ and of the Catholike Church which is meere Poperie and the thing that Bellarmine and the Papists labour to establish Secondly the very word Election ouerturneth this deuice of an vniuersall decree for in euery choice there is a taking of some and a refusall of other some and he that electeth cannot be said to take all but some only Obiect To elect is to loue but God loueth all his creatures and therefore chuseth all Answ To elect is not to loue but to destinate and appoint to an eternall loue Againe God loues not all with an equall loue hee is said to loue all in that hee willeth good vnto all but not the good of eternall life Thus Thomas answereth part 1. qu. 23. art 3. Thirdly wee see by the euent that all come not to eternall life but some only how then can we imagine that the finall estate of a man in saluation and damnation should come to passe without the decree of God Ioh. 17.2.11 our Sauiour Christ giueth eternall life to them alone that were giuen him of the Father that is those that were elected now if all had bin elected why did he not speake generally that he gaue eternall life to all but restraineth it to those that were giuen him of the Father But here exception will be made though Gods decree bee vniuersall yet conceiued with a condition which when men doe not obserue no maruell though they miscarrie and come not to eternall life Answ This conditionall decree is a foolish dreame of mans braine and carrieth with it many grosse absurdities First the Scripture hath not spoken a word of it but whensoeuer it mentioneth the decree it simply and categorically propoundeth it as Rom. 9 and Ephe. 1.4 He hath chosen vs before the foundation of the world It will be replied the Gospell is propounded with condition and that is nothing else but Gods predestination reuealed Ans Albeit I confesse that the Gospell doth in some part reueale the decree of God yet it followeth not that it is to bee confounded with it and that they are things distinct one from an other may appeare by these differences First predestination being as it is commonly vsed in Scriptures and in the writings of Diuines referred to the Elect is that wherein God determineth what he will doe touching vs or in vs and hereupon the definition of Augustine is commonly receiued It is the preparation of the blessing of God wherby they are deliuered that are deliuered But the Gospell is that wherein hee determineth by dutie what we are to doe vnto him Secondly in predestination hee defineth both the materiall and formall number as the Schoolemen speake that is who and how many they are that shall be saued which number can neither be

Great is the carelesnes of the world in this point all men that liue and are borne in the Church haue this benefit vouchsafed them in the beginning of their daies to bee brought into the Church by baptisme and to be acknowledged as true members thereof but few there are that labour for the inward baptisme represented and sealed by the outward to wit to become the liuelie mēbers of that mystical body whereof Christ is the head I will therefore vse some reasons as motiues to induce and perswade vs to become members of Christ the first whereof is this God of his infinite mercy and loue in Iesus Christ hath vouchsafed vs this honour in the beginning of our daies when we were no members of Christ actually but children of wrath and heires of damnation to call vs by his owne name setting as it were the stampe and seale of baptisme vpon vs thereby as by a badge cognizance not onely acknowledging vs for his but distinguishing vs from the pagan infidell and prophane companie of men in the world thereby also solemnely admitting vs into the Church and endowing vs with all the priuiledges thereof if wee will not therefore bee wilfull contemners and despisers of so great grace and on our parts as much as in vs lieth make frustrate the holy ordinance of God and preiudice that good which he meant and offered vnto vs in baptisme let vs labour to be set and ingrafted into Christ Secondly as it is no small priuiledge for a man to be acknowledged for a member of this Church and of Christ before hee bee so is it a farre greater prerogatiue truly to bee implanted into him Why so because by this meanes thou hast fellowship and communion with Christ not only as he is man but as he is God and the second person in Trinitie and by reason of him with the Father and the holy Ghost Now what a preferment and preheminence is this for a man being but dust and ashes yea a worme creeping and groueling vpon the earth to haue communion with the most great and glorious God who is King and Lord of heauen and earth Thirdly this incorporation is the ground and foundation of all those benefits we haue in Christ for hence it is that whole Christ is made ours both in iustification sanctification 1. Cor. 1.30 He of God is made vnto vs wisedome c. Fourthly hence it is that wee haue title and interest vnto eternal life and are heires and fellow-heires with Christ of his kingdome and shall as Kings reigne with him in glorie for euer after this life Lastly the very consideration of our miserable estate by nature ought to prick vs forward and euen to constraine vs hereunto which is this The image of God is defaced and almost raced out in vs and wee are vile and deformed creatures in the sight of God more loathsome and odious vnto him then the dogge or toade is or can be to vs in our mindes full of ignorance and error in our wils of contumacie and rebellion in our affections of disorder being alwaies prone to euill neuer to that which is good in our consciences of guiltines and in our memories of forgetfulnes in our words and deeds of manifold offences in the whole man wee are fearfully thrall and in bondage to sinne and Satan and vnto these corruptions and sinnes the punishment is answerable for in our mindes wee are subiect to frenzies and madnesse in our consciences to horrours and strange feares in our bodies to aches innumerable diseases and infirmities in our goods to losses in our names to ignominie and contempt in the end of this life to death and in the life to come to the second death which is a separation of the whole man from the presence of God If then this be the state of euery man till he be in Christ how doth it stand vs vpon to labour in this point aboue al things that we may be true members of Christ And that we may be incorporate into the bodie of Christ three things must be practised First wee must acknowledge our selues to bee no members of Christ but limmes of the Diuell vassals and bondslaues of Satan firebrands of hell and members of the kingdome of darknesse alienates and strangers from the Couenant and Church of God In the third of Matthew none were baptized of Iohn but such as confessed their sinnes We must in the next place be humbled that is bee heartily grieued and displeased with our selues for our sinnes purposing and resoluing by Gods grace neuer to returne to the practise of them but hence forward to liue in newnesse of life For this cause Iohns baptisme Mark 1.4 is called the baptisme of repentance because of the parties baptized being men of yeares was required a testification of their repentance and their baptisme was a solemne profession thereof Thirdly we must with humble and contrite hearts come vnto Christ first beginning to cōsider of the promises of the Gospell then to hunger and thirst after them and last of all by faith to embrace and lay hold of them Matth. 11.28 But how may we come to Christ only by faith for so beleeuing and comming vnto Christ are put one for another Ioh. 6.35 For faith is the foote which carrieth and bringeth vs vnto Christ and being come to him it is the hand whereby we receiue Christ the bond wherewee are coupled vnto him and made one with him Obiection If faith bee required to our ingrafting into Christ to what vse serueth baptisme to Infants who wanting actuall faith cannot be implanted into Christ and therefore this Sacrament can bee no seale vnto them of their incorporation Solution Infants borne in the Church are of two sort some reprobate some elect The former howsoeuer they haue the outward element conferred vnto thē and are charitablie reputed of the Church to appertaine vnto the Couenant it leauing secret iudgements vnto God yet before God they are not in the Couenant and therefore baptisme though in it selfe it bee the sacrament of incorporation by reason of the institution of Christ yet to them it is not but becomes altogether vnprofitable and turneth to their greater iudgement and condemnâtion by reason of their abuse prophanation of the holy ordinance of God Elect Infants are also of two sorts some die in their infancie some liue till they come to the yeares of discretion as for the former they are ingrafted into Christ not by any faith which they haue not neither indeede can haue by reason of their age but by a secret and vnspeakable working of the holy Ghost vniting and coupling them vnto Christ and applying vnto them the perfect obedience of Christ for their iustification from original sinne and inwardly renewing them in the inward man and repairing the image of God in them in holinesse and righteousnesse for the latter wherof there is the greater question Baptisme hath this present vse in them it is