Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	abraham_n	believe_v	impute_v	7,639	5	9.9008	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01331	A sermon preached on Sundaye, being the .17. of March Anno. 1577. at S. Alpheges Church within Creplegate in London, by William Fulke doctor in diuinitie. Seene and allowed, accordyng to the order appoynted in the Queenes Maiesties Iniunctions	Fulke, William, 1538-1589.	1577 (1577)	STC 11454; ESTC S112799	25,975	72

only by mercy only by fayth So the cause now followeth why Ismael could not be Abrahams heir and only Isaac was because Ismael was borne after the flesh and Isaac was borne by promyse The inheritance depended wholly vpon the promise and the promise altogether vpon the grace of god Therefore he that was borne after the promise was the heire not he that was borne after the flesh But this at the first view seemeth to be straunge why S. Paule shoulde say that Ismael was borne after the fleshe Isaac by promise Wheras there seemeth to be no difference but that Isaac was born after the fleshe as Ismael was for he was conceiued after the maner of al the worlde as Ismael was It is the only priuiledge of our sauiour Christ to be cōceiued by the holy ghost Wherfore Isaac might be thought to be borne after the flesh on the other side it seemeth that Ismael was borne by promise For Abrahā was not moued by fleshly lust to take Agar to his wyfe but by the suggestion of Sara that he might haue an heyre of the promise Why should not Ismael then whose byrth was sought by so good an intent bee saide to be borne after the promyse And wherefore should Isaac bee denyed to be borne after the flesh whē he was conceyued and borne as Ismael and all other men are But let vs heare what the Apostle sayth He that was borne of the bond woman was borne after the fleshe and hee that was borne of the free woman by promise Nowe let vs see howe Ismael was borne after the fleshe Isaac by promise If we looke to the conception of Ismael we shall see nothing in it but carnall and fleshly not only because it was altogether according to the course of nature but also chiefly because this deuise of Sara wherunto Abraham consented to beget children of Agar though it seemed to come of a good intent yet was it altogether carnall and fleshly But God woulde haue mans deuise to haue no place in the Natiuitie of Isaac because he should be a ryght figure and patterne of them that are heires of the promise For thus the case stood God had promised to Abraham to giue him the lande of Canaan and to his seede which shoulde be as the starres of heauen and as the sande of the sea innumerable that hee should be the father of many nations and that in his seede all the nations of the world should be blessed Now Abraham beleeued this promise of God and it was imputed to hym for righteousnes bu● whyle he contynued stedfaste in this Fayth GOD seemed too suspend of long tyme the performance of hys promyse for Abrahā waxed old Sara was both olde and barreyne so that all hope of Children betweene them seemed too be cut of at laste thys deuyse came intoo Saraes head that Abraham shoulde take Agar the Aegiptian her bondemayde too wyfe and so of her should begette Childrē that should bee heyres of the promise No doubte her ende and purpose was to obteyne that which God had promysed and in suche respect and none other dyd Abraham agree too her deuise And here we see what good intents are if they be not directed by Gods woorde For surely the intent of Abraham Sara in this matter was exceeding good but theyr mean which they had deuised was starke nought For it was altogether beside the word of God it proceded not frō the spirit of God but frō the spirit of man frō flesh and blood and therefore it was a mere carnall and fleshely deuise although it hath a shewe of great godlynes yet is there no spark of godlines in it for it proceeded not of faith but of infidelity for although Sara beleeued the promise of God to bee true yet she thought it could not otherwise be performed but by this carnall deuise of hers she would helpe god to perfourme his promise whē she thought he was flack in perfourmāce saw more more difficulty to grow dayly by the age of Abrahā encreasing in weaknes old yeares vnapt for generatiō such are al the deuises of mē by which they sek to obtein the promised inheritāce of the kingdom of heauē they be altogether carnal fleshly procede ōly of infidelity For why do they sek to adde any thing of their own to the most free gracious promise of god but that they doubt eyther of his strength or goodwil to perfourme that which he hath promised therfore they wil help the one with laying to the shoulders of their own strēgth the other they wil procure by cōmending the dignity and worthines of their owne persons as though God were not throughly wel pleased in his only begottē son our Lord sauiour christ By this that hath been said I trust you do now vnderstād how Ismael was born after the flesh namely that in his conceptiō generation there can nothing be cōsidered that is heauēly spiritual but altogether natural carnal For notwithstāding ther was an intēt purpose to beget an heir of the promis yet euē this intēt purpose being gouerned by a carnal fleshly deuise proued nothing els but an earthly carnall fleshly matter Wherfore he that was borne of the bond woman was borne altogether after the flesh Now let vs see how Isaac was borne by promise Isaac was born of Sara the free womā not by her carnal deuise as his brother Ismael was but by faith in gods promise For Abraham was now old past the strength of begetting childrē Sara was both old barren here nature had denied thē children flesh blood had denied thē childrē humayn reason had denied thē childrē Therfore the childe that was now conceyued and borne came altogether by promis of God not by strength of man Abrahā waxed nowe strōg in fayth though weake in body considered neither his own body as good as dead nor the dead wōbe of Sara his wife but only beleeued that he which had promised was also able to perfourme it And Sara by faith receiued strēgth to cōceiue seed brought forth a son when she was past childbearing barrein bicause she compted him faithful which had promysed so that the whole woorke in the conception and birth of Isaac was proper to God and not to man and so dyd the whole prayse red●unde to God and not to man For Abrahams body beyng now as good as dead for age receyued new strēgth for generation as if he had been restored from death to lyfe Sara beside her natural impediment of barrainnesse being taken away whiche kept her from bearyng of chyldren when shee was young beyng nowe nyentie yeares of age was endued with newe strength to conceyue Isaac and therefore here is nothing of mans strength or wisedome in Isaackes natiuitie to bee considered but onely the perfourmance of Gods promise And therefore God onely deserued to haue al the

coulde not bee hydden exhorting them therefore to gyue good example of lyfe and doctrine bycause their place was such as their example could not bee secret but open and manifest and therfore eyther very profitable or very hurtfull But this place which euery man must confesse to bee vnderstood of the Catholyke Church doth most clearly declare that the Catholike Church neither is nor can be visible and subiecte too the eyes of any man but onely them that are indewed with the eyes of Fayth For hee sayth that Hierusalem is aboue shee is in Heauen euen shee that is the Catholyke and vniuersall Mother of vs all and therefore shee is not to be seene but by the eye of Fayth Let the Papists still glorie in their visible Church let them acknowledge none other Mother but their visible Church of Rome we will boldly defy them and the whoore their mother for the Heauenly and Spirituall Hierusalem that is aboue is the mother of vs all And thys the Apostle proueth by the Testimonie of Esaye taken out of the. 54. Chapter that the Church bryngeth foorth lawfull sonnes and heyres too God accordyng too the promyse euen of the gentiles For in as muche as the Galathians were Gentiles hee bringeth foorth the comfortable promyse made vntoo the Church of the Gentyles that although of long tyme shee were barreyne and had no husbande and therefore brought foorth no Children too GOD yet the tyme should come that God woulde ioyne her as a chaste virgyn in mariage vntoo Chryste and then shee shoulde bee more fruitfull and brynge forth moe Children vntoo God then euer dyd the Church of the Iewes when shee was the spouse of God so many hundred yeares all which time the other was barren desolate and had no husbande So brethren sayeth he we are after Isaac Children of the promise Not only those that are the carnall seede of Abraham by Isaac but all those that take holde of the promyse of God by fayth For what prerogatiue of dignity had Isaac too bee the Sonne of God more then Ismaell bycause hee was the carnall leede of Abraham so was Ismaell Bycause hee was the firste begotten of Abraham that was hee not but Ismaell was nothyng then but the promyse of GOD made Isaac the Sonne of GOD and the same promyse extendeth too all nations of the worlde as largely and in as ample manner as too the carnall seede of Abraham Isaac or Iacob In thy seede shall all nations of the worlde bee blessed Therefore Brethren wee are after Isaac not by carnall generation but by spirituall regeneration Children of the promyse For the onely Pryuyledge that made Isaac the Sonne of GOD was the promyse of GOD and that also maketh vs the sonnes of god What made Iacob too bee preferred before Esaw who was the Sonne of Abraham and the Sonne of Isaac yet Iacob was loued and Esaw was hated Whereby I saye was Iacob preferred to bee the heyre of Isaac his Father but by the election of GOD It is therefore of the election grace mercy and promyse of GOD that any man is aduanced to this honour to bee the Sonne of GOD and not of any meryte dignity or worthynesse of a man. But euen as then hee that was borne after the fleshe persecuted hym that was borne after the Spirit euen so is it nowe By these woordes the Apostle comforteth the Galathians and all other that were true Children of the Church and armeth them to patience assuryng them that of the Hypocryticall Churche of meritmongers they should looke for nothyng else but persecution For it is no marueyle if those proude sclaues the Chyldren of the Earthelye Hierusalem dyd vntoo the Sonnes of the Heauenly Hierusalem as Ismaell theyr Father dyd to Isaac the true heyre boastyng of hys byrth righte For suche is the swellyng pryde of that slauysh generation that although they bee altogether bondemen and thrall vnto perpetuall distruction yet doo they moste arrogantly contemne and despyse all other that professe not the same waye of Iustification that they doo Therefore our Sauiour Christe telleth a parable agaynste them that trusted in them selues that they were ryghteous and desprsed other For they that be once so proude as to iustifie them selues they will also contemne and despyse others Of this contempte aryseth their cruell mynde whereby they doo also persecute them Thus the false Apostles that preached iustification partly by Christe and partly by obseruation of the Lawe raysed persecution agaynst the true Apostles that taught iustification by grace of Christe only embraced by Faith alone without the deeds of the law and al them that receyued the same moste cōfortable doctrine And their successours the Papistes are nothyng behynde for they neuer cease to the vttermost of their power too persecute and afflicte the true Children of promyse with all kynde of tormentes that they can deuyse to maynteyne the proude perswasion of their owne righteousnesse and too deface the glorye of the mo●te free and plentyfull Redemption of Christe But for as much as the Apostle here sayeth that hee that was borne after the fleshe persecuted hym that was borne after the spirite wee haue to see what kynde of persecution this was by which Ismael persecuted Isaac For in al the story of Ismael there is no mention of persecution but onely in the 21. Chapter of Genesis where it is written that at such time as Abraham made a great feast at the weaninge of his sonne Isaac and there was great ioye and reioycing on euery syde for Isaac that was Abrahams sonne by Sara according to the promyse of GOD Ismael which was then in the house a prowde Ladde of syxteene or seuenteene yeares olde scorned and mocked his younge Brother Isaac This derysion and skorninge the Apostle compteth for persecution and not without great cause for it shewed the prowde stomacke of Ismael that contemned and dispised hym whom GOD had chosen secondlye it declared his inwarde hatred and cruell minde that hee bare against his Brother whom he so contumelyoustye deryded workynge hym all the spighte and villanye that hee could and durst And chiefely it deserued to bee called persecution because he scorned and mocked the grace and election of god Wherefore though hee dyd not persecute hym with the Sword which he coulde not yet hee persecuted him with his scornefull reproches which is worse because he contemned and trode vnder his feete the promise of GOD whereof Isaac was made an heyre by the mercy and grace of god And verely there ought no persecution to be so greeuous vnto vs as when wee se the grace of GOD vpon which our vocation is grounded to be trodden vnder foote and defaced with the prowde tauntes scornes of the vngodly yea it is the fountayne and beginninge of all persecutions when the wicked doe hate and despise the grace of GOD in his chosen as appeareth moste playnly in the story of Caine and Abel yea our Sauiour Christe hymselfe no doubte was