Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	law_n	sin_n	spirit_n	23,097	5	6.5373	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10578	A necessary instruction of christian faith and hope for Christians to holde fast, and to be bolde vp on the promise of God, & not to doubt of their saluation in Christ. Translated out of D. Vrbanus Regius, into English and newly recognized by Iohn F.; Instruccyon of christen fayth	Rhegius, Urbanus, 1489-1541.; Foxe, John, 1516-1587.	1579 (1579)	STC 20848; ESTC S106076	25,574	62

perills of death and damnation And though we fall neuer so hainous●ye yet shall wee not perish therefore for our christian faythe doth so fasten vs vnto our Dauid Christ that we be made o●e spirite with hym In Christ we haue the veritie of Goddes promise and his mercye euermore to continue our heauenly father will not punishe his weake children in his wrath for euer but will chastice them with fauour in this temporall lyfe call vs again to repentance Thus the grace of God shall euer abide firme and stable whiche we bee sure shall not fayle vs so that wee beleue this Dauid Christe to be our king and cast all our trust on him And here is to be noted and considered where he sayth My truth and mercy alwayes goe with him if it bee his truthe then it cannot lye nor deceiue vs if it be his mercy and grace then it standeth not by our workes nor the lawe wherefore al these things shal happē to vs in Christ and for Christes sake which by his workes passion hath purchased boughte all thinges for vs. Bowe downe your eare and come to me heare me and your soule shall liue I shall strike a bargaine with you perpetuall the sure mercies which I promised to Dauid This shall be the bargaine that I shall strike with the house of Israell After those dayes I shall giue my law within their bowels and will write it in their hearts and I wil be their god and they shall bee my people for I will pardon all their iniquities and will no more remember their offences c. So doth the Apostle in his epistle to the Hebrues alledge the same place wher he approueth that this bargaine of grace or this newe Testament betwixt God and vs is nowe confirmed and sealed vp by the death of christ And that god is now no more a streight iudge but a most tēder father to all the faithfull of Christ that he will pardon all their offences Likewise to the Gala. S. Paul calleth this eternall bargayne of grace a testament that shall stand for euer where as he writeth No mā breketh or addeth vnto y wil or testamente of a man being once confirmed and ratified Then if mens testaments ones made and confirmed abide firme and sure how much more the testament of God once confirmed and ratified shall abide firme These testimonies doe proue euidently and stronglye that Gods grace promised in Christ is firme sure so that nowe no beleuer oughte ne can doubt of the fauour of God and remission of his sinnes But vndoubtedly and constantly oughte to sticke to the promise of God which cannot neither shal be found false What heart nowe is so hard or stonye that will not relent nor bee stirred vp by thys firme and sweete promise of god to take a bold faith a confident trust vpō the grace fauor of almighty God being so promised to vs Will not these wordes make vs certified yea also secure as it were a bond a bargaine a testamēt promise othe mercy And al these doth no mā which may deceiu vs but god eternal our father in heauen promise which is truth it selfe Yt is an horrible blindnes in vs y whē god himselfe doth call vs to his grace doth promise freely to vs for his mercy sake cleare remissiō of our sins for y same purpose hath sent to vs his onely begotten sonne into the world to be a sure token or pledge of his heauenly fauor and grace and yet we leane hold more to our own stinking workes then to the true and euerlasting truthe of god Ah for pitie how many precious soules most pituously haue we brought to ruine doubtful desolation through these works doing The lawe onely hath bene vttered vnto them and nothing els beatē into their heades but thys what God requireth of vs howe greate sinners wee were what vengeance of God did fall vpon sinne what tormen●s what fire and brimstone we shoulde suffer in hell But none taught the people faithfully the promises of God the go●pell of Christ in the which sorowful and vexed consciences of sinners might be refreshed and learn the infinite and vnlearchable grace whiche God of his vnknowen mercye hath promised that is to say hath giuen vs freely in Christ with the which promises seelye consciences might be reliued and confirmed strongly against all the gates of hel We blynd and wretched creatures wold rewarde God with ou●s and deserue of him all thinges that we haue we woulde not be in his debt or danger we disdayned to haue his liberty come freely vnto vs and nothing woulde take of him by grace An● that was the cause why Christ was not rightly preached but onlye Moses So it alwayes commeth to passe when the commandementes onely be set forth after the manner of y Iewes and the promises of God nothing spoken of ther can be none other but that mens consciences muste needes bee vexed and disquieted with miserable sorow and perplexitie so that they can receiue almoste no consolation But whosoeuer wil bring men to God in deede and will quiet their consciences muste alwayes teach these two together the lawe and the promyse as the prophets Christ and the Apostls euer did By the lawe they broughte men to the knowledge of their sinfulnes their vnworthines their infirmitie and vnability to goodnes their duety what they oughte to doe and their damnation which therof folowed And so brought them to humiliate themselues before God whereby they being iustly stroken with the feeling of Gods right iudgement might ernestly forethinke them of their sinnes call for mercye They taughte not the lawe so as though it were ynough to know what were to be done or not to be done or as thoughe of our strengthe wee coulde doe good and eschewe yll and so by the lawe and by our owne workes be founde iuste before God and put away sinne They taughte not the lawe I say for no suche end and purpose neyther was the lawe geuen therfore that we should be iustified thereby before God but it was giuen for this to require of vs all righteousnes and to threaten vs that by the requiring of this righteousnes we being nothing able to performe it we mighte the better learne thereby our vnright●ousnes and naughtines so finally to acknowledge and confesse our owne wretchednesse to thintent y being thus contrite humiliated in heart we might seeke to Christe for succoure the which by his works and passion doth onely iustifie vs. We bee nothing able to deserue anye saluation by the law or our works That is an higher and a more excellent thinge then that our rotten workes bee able to procure God hath promised to giue vs that freelye by his mercye for Christes sake and dooth giue it of grace to them that beleeue in Christe as S. Paul to the Romaines

god requireth onely of vs that wee should neuer doubt nor question of his free grace but to be bold and trust vpon it that hee is a louing father vnto vs and that we be his children But wee could neuer be so bolde of thys grace of God if any such condition of ful filling the lawe were giuen with al as if thou kepe my commandements wel then shalt thou haue thy sinnes forgiuen Therefore it is necessary that y promise of thys blessing stand without al conditions and without all respect of workes or merites but onely in the free grace of God or els we could neuer be sure of it nor certain but alwayes in doubt mistrust For if remission of our sins should stand in the fulfilling of the lawe then our fleshe being so weake and fraile and not able to fulfil the lawe howe shoulde wee be sure that god is good to vs or that wee were in the fauour of God but rather shoulde thinke that he were angry with vs because wee neuer fulfil his commandementes as we should doe And thus the free promise of God shold stand voyd in no effect For why no man were able to obtaine it But thanks and prayse be to the faithful Lorde the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ ours the father of mercye the god of all comforth who hauing mercye vppon vs and tendering our weakenes hath not bilded our health and saluation vpon any such brickle weak foundatiō as vpon our works and our fulfilling of the law for so we cold neuer be saued But the foundation that we be grounded vpon preuaile against the gates of hell is the great grace and mercy of God in his son christ For in him God hath promised vs all remission of our sinnes and euerlasting life This promise is onely and alone all our comforte which boldlye wee doe and may trust vpon So thus you see howe God promiseth vs remission of our sinnes and life euerlasting not vnder any condition of working and fulfilling the lawe but he giueth it frely of his fre grace I say only alon thorow Christ and not for any workes of ours And therefore he geeueth it freelye without any condition of our workes because the promise might stand firme and stable that is that we may be sure of the fauour of God and of remission of oure sinnes doubting nothing therin notwithstanding wee ●ee neuer so much sinfull in our nature vnworthy wretches that euery beleeuing Christian man may saye with Paule This I knowe and is vndoubted that neither death nor life neyther angels neither princes nor potestates neither things present nor things to come neither height nor depenes nor no other creature is able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Iesus Christ our Lord. Here may we playnly see that Paul had a bolde and a confident trust of the forgiuenes of sinnes and of his health to come plentuouslye perswaded of the grace of God towarde him or els how could he so feruently reioyse and tryumphe in spirite against all creatures bothe in heauen and in the worlde so mightelye defying them all being right sure and certaine that nothing neyther aboue nor beneath coulde anoy him And why because he beleued in Christe and was sure of the mercye of God towarde him thorowe fayth and therefore was his conscience so quiet and triumphant And euen so may euery Christian man likewise take the same courage the same mind in himselfe Howbeit no man can doe this vnlesse he put away all respecte of his own merites and workes and onely trust vnto the free mercy and grace of God which grace is giuen vs only thorowe Christ and not through our selues Notwithstāding yet that good works of ours consequently do folowe and springe out of this faith and promise of god So that where as the same doe not folowe and may folow ther is no true nor liuely fayth but a deede and barraine opinion of fayth but where this true and liuely faithe is there is workes and miracles and thynges farre passing the possibility of naturall working For as saynt Paule sayth wee receiue the holy ghost not by our working but by hearing of the Gospell thys holye Ghoste wyll not suffer vs to doubte after the papists fashion or as they woulde haue vs not to feare as their seruyle spirite dooth but wyth a bolde truste cryeth in our hearts to GOD Abb A Father and witnesseth wyth our spirite that wee bee the chyldren and the heyres of GOD and felowe heyres wyth C●riste that wee may be glorified togeather wyth hym And as Paule to the Ephesians sayth they that beleeue in Christe bee sealed vp with the holy spirit of promise the with spirite we have as a pledge or an ernest penye of our inheritaunce and possession which we haue got and be redemed vnto Therfore with al faith trust we must euer looke vpon the promise of God and vppon Iesus Christ onely And so in thys promise of God our conscience may finde comforte and peace plentye but in our workes we shall finde none And therefore marke well this text of Paule and keepe it well in your remembraunce where hee sayth Abraham had thys promyse geauen to hym and to hys sede that he should be the heyre of the world not for hys working after the lawe but for his beleeuing in fayth for if they that belonge to the lawe bee the heyres then is fayth voyde and the promyse of none effecte for why the law worketh anger by reason that if there were no law ther were no traunsgression therefore the inheritāce is giuen by faythe as by grace freely because the promise muste stande firme and stable to all y seede of Abraham Dayly experience and practise in troubles and distresses declareth that no mā bee hee neuer so holy can quiet hys cōscience by his workes Our sinnes and death be more greeuous ennemies vnto vs then that wee bee able to ouer come by our owne deedes and deseruings we must haue an other manner of meanes to that which is our faythe receiuing and hol●eing the promyse of GOD in christ And so that shall be able to conquer the mighty feircenes of sin death This faith retaineth and apprehendeth those infalible and eternall things that is to say it receiueth not the feeble workes of ours but the greate grace of GOD Christ himselfe his works and his deseruings and the promises in Christ which things be much greater higher more stable and magnificall then our capacities be able to comprehend Therefore when anye tentacion assaulteth wee muste not looke to the lawe and our works but setting all them aside wee muste runne and creepe to the crosse of Christe wee muste seeke for helpe and grace by Christ and humbly must knowledge our faults And though our sins be neuer so gret or g●eeuous though the feare and tentation of

death be neuer so horrible yet ●●e must still sticke to the promise of God surely must trust and doubt nothing that our sinnes be forguiē vs for Christes sake according to the promise of God withoute any dese●uings of ours and that God is our father and we shall hue with him for euer and euer The works and passion of Christ which be of great and infinite and omnipotent power oughte more to stirre vs vppe to trust well on God that hee will bee euer more to vs a merciful Lord then our sins ought to fray vs For the grace of God in Christ is much stronger more able to deliuer and helpe then our sinnes bee to condemne vs And this grace of GOD dooth not hang of our workes for than it shoulde be vncertaine but it standeth firme by grace and by fayth in Christe with out any regard or respect of our working And this is done by the singular pro●idence of the great fatherly loue of God towarde vs because our iustification should stande firme and certaine by faith so that no man nede doubt of the fauor and mercye of God towarde him If this grace and promise stand in y hand of God then is it sure so that wee cannot doubt of the remissiō of our sins But if ●hey should stand in our own hand and sho●ld hang of our selues then wee should a●wayes be vncertain because we were ne●er able to descrue sufficiently being not sifficient of strength to fulfil the law But after that we return● repose our selues in Christ alone and in the promise of God through Christ then be we safe and sure ynough because God hath so promised of his voluntary grace frely and hath founded his promise vppon the fayth in Christ to the intent it shal stand firme and certaine And therfore I sayd and say agai●e the kingdome of Christe to be a kingdome of securitie and peace as the Prophets doe desc●ybe it In thys kingdome we haue peace and most sure succour so that there is nowe neither sinne death nor hel can feare vs So doth Es●ias also call Christ the prince of peace whose princedome is large and great and whose peace shall neuer haue ende In Ieremy also God doth promise vnto Israell that is vnto all beleeuers in Christ a springing bud of iustice a king which shall rule wisely and shall execute indgement and iustice in earth and vnder whom Israell shall dwell boldly with confidence these things be in the spirituall kingdome of Christ in which there is true and spiritual securitie where as euery christian mans hart hath pea●e with god through faith in Christ in the which kingdome neither sin can damneos neither death can kil vs nor hel can swalow vs for god is with vs and feedeth vs and defēdeth vs as his sheepe Therefore who shall stande against vs And Esai When the holy ghost saith he shal be powred from aboue that was when Christe began his kingdome then the worke and fruite of iustice shall bee peace the keeping of Iustice shall be silence security for euer euer And the people of god shall dwell in com●ines of peace in houses of trust All these things do nothing els but signifie y Christes people in his kingdōe shall be all good quiet at rest and merry which shall haue a quiet a glad con●cience being euermore sure certain that God is fauourable vnto them for Christ which doth deliuer vs from all euills without any doubt I besech you what can our aduersaries bring against this or how can they maintain their errors in the face of the world Here I haue proued taught out of the foundatiō of the word of God y no faithfull beleuer in Christe can or oughte to doubt of the fauour of God of remissiō of his sins that his consciēce may thorowly be certified y god is fauorable vnto him which will pardon all his fautes for Christes sake in whom we beleeue which will iustifie vs and giue vs euerlasting life without any doubt Here our aduersaries can haue nothing to lay against this doctrine or to subuert this foūdation but one refuge they haue that when wee bring scriptures agaynst them what say they the Lutherians bryng Scriptures for them but they muste expounde Scriptures as our fathers dyd I aunswere againe We doe not denye so to doc for we may doe it well ynough And I may saye with Saint Cirillus we keepe the faith of our fathers and of the church so farre as we ought and vse their interpretations so much as they require But the chiefest of the auncient fathers of the church do agre in the same matter no otherwise then we expound it therefore why doe these holye workers bring for them the church S. Augustine one of the moste catholike godlye doctor of thē al in his boke which hee writeth of Predestination in the xi chapter saith in thys wise Truely wher as the apostle in his epistle to the Ro. writeth these words Therfor is our inhetaunce giuen vs by fayth through grace because the promise mighte stande firme and stedfast I maruel saith he that mē had rather looke on their o●ne infirm●●y then vnto the firmity and stedfastnesse of Gods promise But here thou wilt saye I can not tell nor doe not knowe the will of God of me Well then dost thou knowe thine owne will of thy selfe if thou doest beware for he y thinketh he standeth let him take hede y he fal not Therfore in so much as thou knowest nether his wil nor thine owne wil then why should not a mā rather put his trust and hope in y which is more certaine than in that which is lesse certaine But say they againe where it is spoken if thou beleeuest thou shalt be saued there one of these is required of vs the other is offered and that which is required of vs is in our owne power the other in god And why I pray you is not both in Gods power both that which is required and that which is offered for do not we as well desire God to forgiue vs that which he requireth as wel as that he offereth doe not the beleeuers also desire him to encrease their fayth Do they not desire also for the vnbeleuers that they may haue faith so that God onely muste be the beginner and increaser of faith In like manner is thys to be taken If thou beleue●st thou shalt be saued And this if you mortifie y works of the fleshe by the spirit ye shall liue for in like case here one is required the other is offered If thou mortifie sayth he y works of fleshe by the spirit ye shal liue Then to mortifie the works of the flesh by spirit that is required the other is offered vs that wee should liue What then therfore shall we not say that this is the gift of god to mortifye the