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	faithful_a	father_n	4,722	5	5.3887	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17486	Concerning the true beleefe of a Christian man a most excellent and profitable dialogue, by S.C. Herevnto, besides the marginall notes, declaring the chiefe points of doctrines, there is added a godlye and lightsome prayer, which in certain breefe petitions, comprehendeth the very contents of the vvhole vvorke: vvritten in Latine, by Abraham Fleming Londoner borne. To the right Reuerend Father in Christ, Iohn Bishop of London. Translated out of Latine, by Arthur Golding.; De vera Christiani hominis fide. English.	Wittewronghelus, Jacobus.; Fleming, Abraham, 1552?-1607. A godly and fruteful prayer.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1582 (1582)	STC 4301; ESTC S109605	31,186	106

owne Father but than in Henrye Rottenfielde Levv. I am cōpelled to confesse the truth Fred. And yet men maye starte frō their promises eyther through vntrustines or for want whereof none of both can befall vnto God You therefore by this distruste of yours doe falsly accuse God eyther of vntrustines or of wante Levv. I doe so in deede Fred. Nowe if you doe thus distrust of God in the sustenaunce of your body whiche notwithstanding you haue neuer wanted to this houre can you trust to him for the blessed and endles life whiche you neuer yet tasted of For consider the matter after this sort with your selfe If a King shoulde now send an Ambassadour vnto you to adopte you to his sonne and you beleeued him how woulde you behaue your selfe Levv. Truely what substaunce soeuer I haue I woulde make no reckoning at all of it and being here as a Wayfarer in bodye I shoulde haue my mynde running vpon y e court for a much like thing happened to mee when I was a stripling For whereas I liued in very slender state I was called into the housholde of a certayne Gentleman of great worship and wealth whervpon I felt my mind so altered that I thought of none of the thinges whiche I hadde thoughte of before neyther was I pincht with any further care Inso much that when my father and my mother were aboute to haue sent me a little money I sent them worde agayne that thenceforth I shoulde neede no money What neede many words I imagined aforehande in my minde a kinde of fashion of the buyldings and of the place of the persons among whom I was to dwell and yet had I neuer seene them Fred. I beleeue you Lewis For I myself also haue had experience of the like But what if you had not beleeued that message Levv. Surely I had continued in mine olde state still Fred. And what if a man had seene you abyding in your former state might he not well haue auowed that you beleeued not the message Levv. Yes very well Fred. Now let vs come to the matter To them that loue God God hath promised suche good things as nother eye hath seene nor eare heard nor heart of man conceiued Let vs confesse y e truth herealso my Lewis If we beleeued this promise throughly should not our mindes be rauished vp into heauen so as no earthly care might touch vs and muche lesse trouble vs Lew. Yes verily Fred. But nowe when we bee glad of gayne sory for losse greatly greeued and cast downe with reproch hoyssed vp with honour and ouerioyed with pleasure all whiche things are earthly is it not an apparant proofe that wee beleeue not Gods promises but sticke stil to y e earthly inheritance Lew. Yes that it is Fred. What if God should promise vs some thing that mighte seeme vnpossible as when he promised olde Abraham a sonne by Sara beeing old and barren too Or what if he should commaund vs a thing that might seeme vnreasonable as when he willed the sayd Abrahā to offer vp his sonne in Sacrifice by which sonne he had promised him an ofspring without number Lew Surely I am afrayde we would not beleeue him Fred. And yet was Abraham y e father of the faithfull so as if we will be saued we muste haue the fayth of Abraham And thus muche concerning beleefe in the father Now if we come to the sonne I feare me we muche lesse beleeue in him For I take not fayth as a number thinke it to be a beleuing that Christ hath done and suffered the things which are written of him for as for that fayth or beleefe the very diuels haue it But I speake of the true liuely and mightfull fayth whiche is able euen to remoue mountaynes whereof the Lord speaketh thus The signes that shal follow those which beleeue are these In my name they shall caste out diuels speake with new tungs and driue away serpents if they drinke any deadly thing it shal not hurt thē When they lay their hands vpon sicke folks the sicke folks shall recouer Doo these tokens follow your faith Lewis Lew. No verily Fred. Then haue you not fayth Levv. Why They deny y t there is now any neede of myracles Fred. Nother do I now require any such nother were they at that time wrought by all beleeuers For Paule writeth Do all worke myracles Haue all the giftes of healing Doo all speake with toungs The thing that I require is the same that Peter requireth Get you strength to your fayth sayth he For needes muste the fayth of any mā or of any time haue strēgth if it be matched with loue Which thing that you maye the easier vnderstand consider the force of worldly beliefe A man beleeues that ritches are good that it is possible for him to atteine to them by marchaundise Heerevpon leauing oftentimes a very fayre and deare beloued wife and young children at home he vndertakes the vnmeasurable perils of robbers of wayes and of seas and indureth intollerable payns to fetche the ritches whereon he hath set his beleefe and loue euen from Taprobane and the Iles of Canarie which are the vttermost partes of the world and it is his beleefe that purchaseth him this stoutnesse For vnlesse he beleeued it he would not doe it And therefore it may be sayd that this man is inriched by beleefe What shal we say of Learning Lewis The childe beleueth that learning and humane artes are a very goodly thing to be sought with all his power And therevppon applying him self to them day and night he indureth pouertie colde and whatsoeuer else in seeking them with all his might to the intent he may attayne to the thing which he beleeueth to be good Also what do souldiers What kinde of calamitie is there which they vndertake not to obteine eyther victory or rewarde How often watche they all y e night long How often are they pinched with hunger Insomuche that sometimes they eate Mice Rattes Horses yea and euen their owne shoes and afterward make their boast thereof Whence haue they so great strength Whence but of beleefe For they beleeue the thing which they couet to be good Agayne what do Hunters do they not spende oftentimes the whole winter nightes abrode when the colde is so great that it riueth euen the flintes Yea and what do louers what inconueniences do they not most gladly indure to y e intent to please the partie whom they be in loue withall And still they deeme thē selues happy that they haue suffered those things for her sake And this force of beleefe is seene not onely in seuerall persons but also euen in whole Nations For whereof comes it that our Italians doo so easily absteine from drunkennes or that the Swissers are so resolute in battell that they will rather be slayne then flee Euen of this that they are perswaded in themselues that so

worthy of the name whereby we be called And forasmuch as the nature of faith obedience is such that the one followeth the other as vnseparable cōpanions insomuch that faith without obedience is deade and obedience without faith is liuelesse bestow both of them vpon vs most gracious father Giue vs myndes desyrous to know the truth and able to conceiue the secretes of thy worde that all our sayinges and doinges maye yeelde to the gouernmente of righte reason Good God we beseeche thee giue vs not ouer in bondage to our own blinde and vnsauerye iudgement whereby we being led or rather caried away may neglect our whole dutie towardes thee Bring to passe we beseeche thee almightie Father that vnto thee whiche haste raised vs out of nothing shaped vs of clay fashioned vs after thine owne image indued vs with the light of reason and finallye inriched vs with manye giftes vnto thee I say wee may thinke our selues beholden for all thinges which we haue commending thee for them and setting forth thy prayse Let vs yeelde our selues seruiseable and obediente first vnto thee O most high God and secondly to our parentes and to all others which loue vs seeke our welfare Driue from vs all fleshly feare which letteth vs to acknowledge our sinnes and maketh vs rather to conceale them Let the conscience of our misdeedes sting vs let that sharpe and pearcing spade of thine I meane heart greefe according to the will of God cut vp the sandye drie and droughtie soile of our hartes that bewayling our sinnes and repenting vs of our life forespent wee maye giue ouer our selues wholy to thy haeuenly will resort vnto thy holye Tabernacle giue our selues earnestly to praier delight in vncorruptnesse of behauiour and finally shun all maner of words and deede● from which the word of life disswadeth vs. Graunt O Lorde we beseeche thee that we cooping vp our wādring lusts into a corner may worship thee sincerely and offering vp our bodies a liuely sacrifice vnto thee may fasten our fayth on thee alone sticking fast to thy promises depending a●l wholly vpon thee Graunt we beseech thee O mercyfull father that wee maye acknowledge thine vnsearcheable goodnes make our songs thereof and haue it in admiration Plucke out of our hartes all the rootes of vnbeleefe that we may truely deuoutly and vndoutingly beleeue in thee Let Abraham the father of the faythfull teache vs what manner of beleefe wee ought to imbrace namely that which leadeth to saluation all counterfeit and ydle fayth beeing put to slight A substantiall and sounde iudgement power into vs O euerlasting God that hauing taken our laste leaue of worldly beleefe we may cherishe in vs that true fayth sent downe from heauen whereby we take holde of Christ Iesus through whose power and working we may be able to performe the things which maye beste beseeme the faythfull and that beeing moystened in our minds with the deawe of thy heauenly wisedome we may labour to attayne to the heauenly things Graunt O most merciful father that we may be faythfull and obedient first vnto thee and then to all others vnder whose gouernement thou haste put vs that by this meanes our consciences may be eased of most heauy burthens and we at length haue whereof to reioyce and be glad We know O euerlasting God that our saluation cōmeth of thy free bestowed mercy wherof there is none other way for vs to take holde then by true vndoubting faith through whiche faith our forefathers became most highly renowmed and by furtheraunce thereof wrought things to be wondered at Uouchsafe O louing father of thine infinite goodnesse to enriche vs with this faith that being throughly indewed therewith wee maye performe the workes of Charitie without the which all fayth or beleefe whatsoeuer it bee as filthye and vnworthy of so muche as the bare name of faith But vnto vs whiche striue to please thy deuine maiestie graunt O mercifull God that we maye foster cherishe and shew forth that iustifying quickning faith wherewith Paule beeing furnished and armed at all poynts became a most patient indurer of very many perils euen which were deadly insomuch that he did set more store by the loue of thy Gospell then by his owne life then the which there is not any thing in y e world more deare Not without cause do we complayne most mercyfull father that this fayth is nowhere to be founde among men for all kind of naughtinesse is crepte into the whole world and there is not any corner so secret which is not most shamefully disgraced and filthily defiled with the vncleannes thereof O lamentable age Among the other impediments of fayth which are many as thou knowest O thou inhabiter of the highest heauens there steppeth foorth self loue who calleth vs backe from the true worshipping of thee and by tickling vs in the eare with I wot not what is wholly occupied in perswading vs to set our minds vpon the things that are here beneath and to leaue the care of the things that are aboue to them that are aboue Good God cast out this diuell that we maye no more serue the flesh but that the spirite maye at length ouerrule vs. Without whose staye forasmuch as mans minde being slippery and turning to euery opinion is oftentimes snarled in such snares of errours as he can neuer get out of we beseeche thee bereeue vs not vtterly of the light of thy heauenly grace least as some haue boldly denyed the rising agayne of thy sonne so wee also doo fall into the same dungeon neuer to get out agayne but rather graunt that by beleeuing we may become partners of the vnspeakable glory which thou wilt shew foorth in the last day Sort vs out O almightie God from the company of those which beleeue not Christes commaundements whosoeuer they be and suffer vs not to become like the vnbeleeuing people of Israell who beeing ouercouered with the multitude and hugenesse of thy benefites wallowed themselues in the puddle of their owne wickednes not euen then departing frō their shameful lewdnes whē they perceyued thy loue turned into hatred thy patience into fury and thy long sufferance into reuenge Finally O most merciful father to the intent we may hartily beleeue driue all selfe loue farre from vs make vs deafe at the perswasions of false prophets let vs rather hate then loue our selues let vs acknowledge that all things lye open to thy power Let vs discerne how deadly a poyson selfe-loue is let vs despise the pleasures of this world let vs beware of the whorish deceires of our owne fleshe let vs shunne the spitefull delightes of this worlde let vs be afrayde to stande in lesse awe of thy wrath and vengeaunce then of mens threatnings and punishments let vs abhorre the seruing of the diuell let vs bee desirous to forsake our owne natiue countrie that is to say sinne let vs learne to hate our selues by the hatred of others Let

to him alone And yet by the vvay I vvill let passe that cheefe and intire care of yours vvherewith you bee often touched namelye of preferring the bookes of learned men to light by the reading and considering vvhereof your Fatherhoode knovveth that so many as studie them as becommeth them being stayed vp and inlightned vvith right reason and founde iudgement doe gather most plentifull fruite For these resemble not those vvhich in setting forth Book●s doe play the poysoners vvho into their slubbersauces doe put liquerice or of the choysest suger beaten into poulder that they may vvith the lesse lothsomnesse and misliking be conuayed into the stomacke and afterwarde shead themselues into all the conueiaunces of the body so as the vaynes at length maye swel the bovvels burst and finally the vvhole man be killed Naye they be muche more hurtfull then the poysoners vvhiche destroy but only the frame of the body for they infect the very soule killing it vtterly and throvving it headlong into the tormentes of Hell vvhiche shall neuer die nor cease Contraryvvise the vvorkes of the right beleeuers be they little or be they greate yield such profit to the Readers that they grovv euer better but neuer vvoorse euer skilfuller holyer purer perfecter and acceptabler to God The reason vvhereof hath ledde your Fatherhood so to fauour the vvritten Copie of this little Booke vvhich treateth lightsomly of the true faith of a Christian man that among other Bookes whereof the nūber is infinite vvith the superscription of your own hand you haue authorised the same to be printed that it may go abrode and be common in the hands of all such as desire to haue the triall of their faith The vvhich now comming forth vvith a new outward shew if your reuerend Fatherhoode shall vouchsafe to accept vvith the accustomed fauor of your good countenance and to suffer it to rest vnder the shadow of your defense yelding your self to be as Patrone of it considering that the booke is commended inough of it selfe and the vvriter therof vvas notably learned and hath deserued very vvell of the true Religion vvhich vve novv imbrace or as I may vvell say that it shall be the better vvelcome to all such as loue the Christian faith so am I vvell assured that it shall turne to the great benefite of many and besides that though I be sore hindred vvith the great vvaight almost of daylye businesse you shall stirre me vp to take in hande the Translating thereof into Englishe and to make an ende of it euen oute of hand GOD moste gratious and almightye graunte you abundaunce of his heauenly grace shead vppon you the most sweete Oyle of his hol● spirite daylye increase your Honour and lengthen the time of your life that hauing putte the enimies of the Gospell to flight sette foorth his glory inlarged his Church and happily ended your last day you may liue for euer blessedly placed at the right hand of Christ the vnspotted Lambe and firste begotten of the Father So be it Most addicted to your Honor ABRAHAM FLEMING Londoner borne ¶ The Argument of this Dialogue WHat it is to beleeue in God and what wonders are wrought by the power of beleefe be it worldly or diuine and what thinges doe hinder beleefe Also how a man may hate himselfe and by fayth forsake himselfe and kill the deedes of the fleshe The effect of the talke is this That he which beleeueth in God and in his sonne Iesus Christ is able by the power of that beleefe to mortifie his flesh with the lusts therof through the holy Ghost and to serue God in spirite and truth A most excellent and profitable little Booke concerning the true christian faith ¶ The Persons that talke together are Lewis and Frederike Lewis GLadly in good sooth Friende Frederike haue I hearde your talke both yesterday and to day and therby I haue learned many thinges which I knew not before and this is one thing which hath cheefly mooued me that you haue shewed that our Lorde commaundeth not any thing which is vnpossible to be done For I was of beleefe before that as it is cōmonly hearde and taughte Gods commaundements are vnpossible to be obayed Which perswasion to tell you the truth hath made me slowe to obay so as I neuer strayned my selfe to obay with my whole power Fred. The lyke hath befalne vnto me also and I could neuer yield my selfe truely and earnestly to obaying before I beleeued that it was possible to obay And truelye hereby I haue learned the force of Beleefe which Beleefe maketh a man desirous willing to obaye And desire being afterward matched with power giuen of GOD bringeth to passe that a man doeth the things which he hath beleeued himselfe to be able to doe and so he is saued by obaying as hee was earste vndone by disobeying And so being led by the spirite of Christ he fulfilleth the rightuousnesse of the lawe not walking after the flesh but liuing after the spirite whiche righteousnesse is therefore called the righteousnes of the law not for that it maketh the beleeuer righteous but because the law requireth it For the whole performaunce thereof is Christs because it is brought to passe by his power and spirite liuing and working in those that are his The Law then commaundeth and Christ fulfilleth and so the praise is due not to the commander but to the performer Neuerthelesse it were to smal purpose to beleeue that it is possible to obay God vnlesse a man do also know the way how god may be obayed without the which obedience fayth is dead and without fayth no man canne be saued But this I would haue you to bee perswaded of my Lewis that the discourses both of vs and of al others are to saye no worse of them vnprofitable if they trayne vs not to obedience and to the renewing of the man Lew. These things are true Frederike Therefore that I may fare somewhat the better by your communication I pray you shewe me by what meane I may attayne to obey God For inasmuche as you haue shewed me by your talk that it is possible to be done I haue conceyued a desire of obeying Fred. O my Lewis would God that I my selfe were rightly obedient to the intent I might leade thee as it were by the hande to obedience As now it is vnpossible for me to leade you further then I myselfe haue attayned vnto Lew. Yet notwithstāding I beleeue you haue proceeded further forward then I haue done therfore I beseech you shew me but as farre as you your selfe are gone Fred. Willingly will I do that Lewis but I am afrayde the hardnesse and roughnesse of the way will scare you from it Lew. Feare not I hope I am ready to all things be they neuer so harde so I may attayne to the ende that I desire Fred. I pray God to stablishe this willingnesse of yours and to bring it throughout to

vs haue skill howe to deny our selues let vs beate downe the diuelish lustes of the flesh beeing fenced with the sheelde of fayth as with a banke let vs set our selues agaynst all daungers let vs reape thence a most plentifull croppe and store of fruites and beeing garded therewith let vs incounter with out enimies both at hande and aloofe marche on the right and ready waye to the attaynement of saluation and haue the best opinion that maye bee concerning thy heauenly gracious goodnes acknowledging that it is able to performe more then we can eyther craue or deuise Let vs consecrate our selues wholly vnto thee leading a holy and vncorrupt lyfe that by that meanes after the breathing out of our Ghost and the buryall of our body we may rest at length moste happily in thy lappe All these thinges and whatsoeuer else both this flightfull life of ours craueth and also the endlesse worlde to come requireth vouchsafe most bountifull and mercifull father to bestowe vpon vs abundauntly through Iesus Christe our Lorde So be it FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas Poorfoote And are to be solde at his shoppe ouer-agaynst S. Sepulchers Church without Newgate Hee beginneth at the dif●ficultnes of obaying gods healthful cōmaundements The effe●tuall po●er and ●orce of ●eleefe The righ●uousnes of the law ●nd why ●t bea●eth that ●ame Beleefe withoute obediēce is dead A godly and christian wish concerning obedience Beliefe in God is most necessary to the obteining of saluatiō Manye thinges are easie to be said which are harde to be done The first● waye to the kno●●ledge of the truth What it is to bee●leeue in the fath●● is shewe● by the g●●thering togethe● of certai● circumstaunce Howe ●eedefull ●bediēce ●o the fa●her is is ●hewed ●y ex●mples Fleshlye feare and what it vvorketh where it beareth ●way How be●●efe in God is ●eglected ●y tru●ing too ●uche to ●hese trā●tory ●ightfull ●hings That Gods pro●mises deceiue no● the belie●uers ●wo thin●●es maye ●t men ●●om per●orming ●heir pro●ises Honors chaunge manners as the cōmon prouerbe sayth Howe boūtifull God is to thē that ●oue him Proofes or tokens of distrust in God Abrahās saith is of necessitie to saluation This as I take it is that whiche they call the historical faith The signs that are peculiar to the beleuers ●he force ●f world●● fayth ●nd how ●onder●ully it ●noueth ●●en He procedeth i● shewing the stren●gth of the worl●●ly belef●● ●ow ●ret force ●orldly ●eleefe ●ath euen ●mong ●●me ●hole ●ations A trial o● Christia● faith most wo●●thy to b● obserue Where obedience ●s not ●here is not faith The mar● whereat mans sal●uation shooteth● What things our forefathers attayned to by their faith The fond and ydle beleef of the Iews The workfulnes of Christian faith appereth in charitie Who they bee whiche haue the true christiā faith To what purpose bodily miracles are wrought The diuels that lurk with in vs and what is ment by speaking with new tungs The workes of suche as speake with new tungs Of the true and iustifying faith and how mighty it is in working No man doubtes but that all these things ar spoken of the wicked beleefe By an argument from the lesser to the greater he sheweth the force of the true fayth Paules faith warranted by his owne record What ●hing held Paul occupied chiefly ●boue all other things The true faith hath scarce any place in the world The impedimentes of fayth shewed by an argument taken frō the court barre or from a cace in Lawe An exāple by the vse of things in commō Another example by the deliuering of mens souls c. The laste example by the persecution for religion sake Selfelou● is the hi●derer of fayth There is ●o doubt ●mong Christiās ●ōcerning ●he doo●ngs of ●hrist What is the cause that so fewe beleue gods cōmaundements Not miracles but beleefe is neede●ull to saluation The beleuing Christes resurrec●tion ma●keth all the rest o● his sayings and doings credible What is ●ent by ●ot be●euing of Christes ●ōmaun●ements ●nd who ●hey bee ●hat offēd ●n that ●ehalfe How the Israelites beleeued not God in that they beleued no● his commaundement How the place taken out of Iohn is to be vnderstood Psal. 95.8 Selfeloue dazeleth mens eies that they can not see to beleeue the truth ●hat is ●he cause ●hy false ●rophets ●oe easi●● finde ●redite We must of necessitie ha●e our selues and not loue our selues Al things be they else neuer so impossible are possible to the power of God How pernicious selfloue is is shewed by certayne familiar exāples Men are caught with plesure as fishes are with an Angle a bayt to their vndoing Euerye mannes own flesh is a Harlot of whom he warneth men to take ve●ry good heede Moste wholso● counsai● and wo●●thy to b● followe● A very fit example and not ●o be pas●ed light●y ouer The incōparable harmes that co●● of pleasure The preposterous preferring of the feare of worldly punishment before the feare of Gods wrath vengeaunce The conclusion gathered of the thinges going a●ore The knowing of many yea or of all things is no let but that men may serue the Diuell Sinne be●ing our natiue Countri● cannot be forsaken without greefe to vs. ●e will ●arne to ●e oure ●●es we ●ust me●re it by ●re ha●●ng of o●●er men Euery mā is a deadly enemy to himselfe and how such an enemy is to bee delt with The flesh and the spirit are cleane contraries and f●ght full but one against another A famili●ar exāpl● whereby he goeth about to teache a man ho● to forsake him selfe A triacle agaynst the diuelish lustes of the flesh and the instigatiōs of the ●icked will to res●rain thē withall That to the beleuer all things seme they neuer so high harde or aboue our power are notwithstanding eas● to be done There is but onlye one right waye to the atteinment of saluation Mē must ●ot con●eiue p●rely ●iga●dly 〈◊〉 ●●rge●y and a●undant●y o● gods ●●acious goodnes We can not ask● so largely at God hand bu● that his bountie will surmoūt it ●od will ●●aunt vs ● good ●●ings for ●hristes ●●ke