Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	eternal_a	life_n	soul_n	14,602	5	5.1897	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

ruling their children and their owne houses well So likewise in the 11. verse commandeth that their wives be grave not standerous sober faithfull in all things and in the seventh Chapter of the 1 to the Corinthians to avoid fornication let every man have his owne wife and let every woman have her owne husband Note here the word every to the end that neither Priests nor any other may be excepted Likewise to avoid fornication this commandement is made unto all such as are subject to fall into fornication so that Priests are no way exempted from it for they also being but flesh and bloud are subject to the like infirmities as others are We reade also that the Prophets and chiefe sacrificers were married Likewise we reade that the Apostle Saint Peter was married for in the 1. Chapter of Saint Marke there is mention made of Peters wives mother Now in the Church of Rome Marriage is forbidden Clarkes and Priests If a Priest doth wantonly dally with a wench in the open streets no man regards that for at Rome the Prelates goe publikely into the bawdy houses but to see a Priest or Capuchin or such like married it were a thing very prodigious They object that the Priests have made a solemne vow to abstaine from Marriage but have they not also made a vow to keep Gods commandements that forbid fornication and that commandeth us to marry rather then to burne Vowes indeed are good when they promise good things and such as are in our power to performe but it is not alwayes in mans power to abstaine from fornication A single life is without question very good and commendable but in those only which have the gift of continency the which either none at all or very few have attained unto Moreover where is the least Commandement in all Gods Word whereby honest Marriage is forbidden either to those of the Clergy or others No no this certainly was invented for the better maintenance of the Popes dignity for the Pope having been at great charges in erecting of bawdy-houses in Rome and elsewhere it was necessary for him to find out some devise to get resort thereunto by the forbidding those of the Clergy to marry who now are far better customers then any other CHAP. VIII Of Purgatory THe Purgatory of the Church of Rome hath this maxime for its foundation That by the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ we are discharged and delivered from the guilt and punishment of our sinnes committed before Baptisme but as for sinnes committed after Baptisme it is left to us to satisfie Gods justice in this life by such penances as the Church shall thinke fit to enjoyne us and afterwards in afire which they call Purgatory which torment is mitigated and shortened by the prayers and offerings of the Living and by the Popes Indulgences Surely the proofe of this doctrine they have out of their unwritten word for there is not so much as mention made of any such matter in Gods Word However hereby they have amassed infinite riches unto the Popes Treasury because these Masses and Indulgences by the which they say this torment is mitigated and shortened are sold at a very high rate for they never say any Masse for any person deceased except he or his friends doe give somewhat to the maintenance of the Church No no such speciall graces as these are not for such poore people as are not able to purchase them Concerning this Purgatory we reade nothing neither in the old nor new Testament but on the contrary we reade of divers persons who by death have immediately entred into Paradise and there rested in peace Witnesse the good old Simeon in the 2d. of Saint Luke who had a promise after having seen the Messias to depart in peace Likewise Saint Paul in the 2● of Timothy 4. witnesseth that after having fought a good fight he was to receive a crowne of righteousnesse The soule of poore Lazarus in the 16. Luke is carried immediately after its departure out of the body into Abrahams bosome where it is comforted whilest wicked Dives is grievously tormented in hell-fire Our Saviour said to the penitent theefe that was crucified with him this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise It is manifest then that he went not into Purgatory The Angell of God in the 14. Chapter of the Revelation pronounceth Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works doe follow them Doe they rest from their labours how are they then tormented in a terrible blasting fire Againe the Apostle Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5. saith That if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God a house not made with hands eternall in the heavens Now I doe much admire how the Apostle should be so far overseen as to forget Purgatory which they imagine to be between these two Moreover we reade in the first Chapter of Saint Johns first Epistle that the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sinne and in the 2d. Chapter to the Colossians we reade that God hath forgiven us all our trespasses How is it then that these blasphemers dare to accuse God of so high an injustice as to exact the payment of those debts which are already paid and to scorch his poore children in a hot burning fire for the punishment of those sins which he hath already freely forgiven us in Jesus Christ Thus to deale with our very enemies were inhumanity how then can we imagine that the God of heaven who is goodnesse it selfe should doe thus with his servants I confesse that God after having pardoned our sinnes ceaseth not to chastise us in this life to amend us and to keep us alwayes in awe of his Majesty These punishments are none other then fatherly chastisements and corrections If God did not thus correct us he would punish us more in not correcting us for the sinner that is not thus recalled from his evill wayes snorts in his wickednesse and luls himselfe asleep in his sinnes but I shall never beleeve that the most just and onely wise God after having freely forgiven us all our sinnes in Jesus Christ should afterwards take pleasure to torment us thousands of yeares in a terrible hot burning fire Besides if there be a Furgatory why may not the death and passion of our Saviour Christ Jesus be sufficient to deliver soules from thence as well as the Popes Indulgences and if the Pope can draw soules out of Purgatory at his pleasure I must needs judge him a very uncharitable person to let so many thousands lye there in such grievous torments for want of money to buy Indulgences As for those passages which they alleadge out of the Scripture to prove this their imaginary Purgatory they are all spoken allegorically and figuratively As that same passage which they have out of the 12●● Chapter of Saint Mathew that the