Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	command_v	servant_n	unprofitable_a	1,244	5	10.6349	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18690	A mirrour of Popish subtilties discouering sundry wretched and miserable euasions and shifts which a secret cauilling Papist in the behalfe of one Paul Spence priest, yet liuing and lately prisoner in the castle of Worcester, hath gathered out of Sanders, Bellarmine, and others, for the auoyding and discrediting of sundrie allegations of scriptures and fathers, against the doctrine of the Church of Rome, concerning sacraments, the sacrifice of the masse, transubstantiation, iustification, &c. Written by Rob. Abbot, minister of the word of God in the citie of Worcester. The contents see in the next page after the preface to the reader. Perused and allowed.	Abbot, Robert, 1560-1618.	1594 (1594)	STC 52; ESTC S108344	245,389	257

God is inuocated and called vpon whereby p Bernar. ser 1 in Annūc Mar. we beleeue that our sinnes are forgiuen vs by the bloud of Iesus Christ which is not a faith incident to deuils or vngodly men But S. Iames speaketh of such a faith as is incident not onely to euill men but euen to the deuill himselfe This difference of the vnderstanding of fayth is obserued by Oecumenius of whom I spake before that q Oecumē in ep ●ac cap. 2. S. Iames speaketh of a bare assent according to which we know the deuils beleeued that Christ was the sonne of God but that S. Paul by faith importeth some further consequence arising out of the affection of man ioyned with a firme stedfast consenting to that which he is said to beléeue The one speaking of iustification before God teacheth vs that we are iustified by faith onely according to the true meaning of fayth which the scripture intendeth The other speaking of iustificatiō before men teacheth that a man is not iustified or shewed to be a true christian man by a naked and bare assenting vnto some points of religion which hypocrites call faith but hee must by his fruites testifie and shew that he is a true follower of Iesus Christ For men doe not accompt a man religious for a bare profession of faith but they estéeme of a mans faith and profession as they sée it appeare in his conuersation and doings And therefore as Abrahams fayth wrought with workes to iustifie him to be the friend of God so must our profession of fayth also haue good workes concurring with it to shew vs to be the true Disciples of Iesus Christ Otherwise as the bode without the soule is dead So Faith without workes is dead also Where hee compareth faith to the bodie and works to the soule not as faith importeth vnfained trust and confidence towardes God but as it is a profession of faith and religion before men as he himselfe teacheth vs in saying What auaileth it that a man saith he hath Faith c. For if we will consider faith and workes as touching the eyes of God then faith is the soule and workes are the body so that no workes are liuely and acceptable vnto God séeme they neuer so beautifull before men except they be quickened and made aliue by a true and liuely faith so that as S. Austen r August de nupt ●ouen li. 1. cap. 3. cont 〈◊〉 ●el l. 4 c 3. Retract 〈◊〉 c. ● oftentimes affirmeth and the ſ Heb. ●1 ● Apostle to the Hebrewes confirmeth they deserue not those names of vertue and iustice by which they are vsually called so long as they grow not from this roote But if we will speake of faith and workes as they are referred vnto the eyes of men there faith is indéede the body and works are the life and soule so that no wordes or profession can make men beléeue that thou hast in thée faith or religion so long as sinne and filthinesse hath sway and dominion in thy life Such a faith therefore or rather a saying that thou hast faith as S. Iames termeth it is dead and so farre are men from approouing it or thée for it as that they rather abhorre and loth it as a rotten and stincking carion and take occasion thereby to blaspheme and speake euill of that faith and religion which thou takest vpon thée to professe Thus I haue the more at large discoursed this place of S. Iames because the Answerer and his fellowes thinke they haue greatest hold therein for their iustification by workes From iustification he choppeth to merite and there defieth Pelagius which said that we might merite the first grace and forgiuenesse of sinnes But let him take Pelagius by the hand be friends with him againe for hee knoweth that it is the doctrine of his part that though not ex condigno yet ex congruo a man may merite the first grace As touching merite we are satisfied by the wordes of Christ that wee haue none at all t Luc. 17. 10. When yee haue done all that is commaunded you say We are vnprofitable seruants wee haue done that that was our duetie to doe But the Answ expoundeth these wordes as not making against merite We are called vnprofitable seruauntes not because we merite nothing but because we doe not yéeld any profite vnto God who was as happy and glorious before the foundation of the world as euer since And héere like a drunken man depriued of wit and reason and not knowing whither he goeth he bringeth Christ as man within the number of vnprofitable seruantes because he doth not profite God anie way nor yéeld him any benefite or good But that very example should haue put him in minde to séeke another meaning of vnprofitable seruaunts Christes owne wordes would haue taught it him if hée would haue listened thereto Doth the maister thanke his seruant because he did that that he commanded him I trow not So likewise when you haue done all that is commaunded say we are vnprofitable seruaunts c. Whereby Christ giueth vs to vnderstand that though we did all which is commaunded vs which no man doth yet that we cannot require so much as thanks at the handes of God because in doing all we do but our duetie and that that we are bound vnto and in that respect are vnprofitable seruauntes And therefore if he giue vs thankes or any reward or call vs not seruaunts but friends it is of his owne kindnesse and goodnesse not of any merite or desert of ours whereby hee should stand bound vnto vs. Thus did Chrysostome take it u Chrys in Epist ad colos hom 2. No man saith he sheweth such conuersation of life as that he may be worthy of the kingdome but it is wholly the gift of God Therefore he also saith when yee haue done all say we are vnprofitable seruauntes So doth Beda expound it w Beda in Luc. 17. We are vnprofitable seruauntes because the sufferings of this time are not worthie of the glorie to come as in another place Which crowneth thee in mercie and compassion He saith not in thy merites because by whose mercy we are preuented that we may humbly serue him by his gift we are crowned to reigne with him on high So is it vnderstood by Marke the heremite x Marc. Herē lib. de his qui pu●ant se operibus iustificari Our Lord willing to shewe that wee are debters of the whole law that the adoption of children is freely giuen vs by his bloud saith when ye haue done all say wee are vnprofitable seruauntes Therefore the kingdome of heauen is not the wages of vvorkes but the grace of our maister prepared for his faithfull seruauntes This is then our vnprofitablenesse that we do not merite or deserue any thing at Gods handes for any thing that we doe which I hope agréeth not to Christ who though hee