Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	good_a	grace_n	work_n	26,946	5	6.0728	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46817	The life & death of S. Luke delivered in a sermon on S. Lukes day, before the University at Great S. Maries in Cambridge / by David Jenner ...	Jenner, David, d. 1691.	1676 (1676)	Wing J660; ESTC R1625	10,725	44

it is humbly conceived Truth cannot consist with this conjecture in as much as it is evident That either S. Luke did not exist in our Saviours time or if he did yet that he never had the happiness to see him in the Flesh nor ever was he an eye-witness unto to any of his Miracles the which certainly he would have been had he been one of the Seventy But what need we dispute this matter any further seeing himself hath decided it in the Negative in his Prologue to Theophilus S. Luk. 1.1 Others ascribe his Conversion unto the powerful Ministry of S. Peter who whilest Bishop of Antioch had Luke for one say they of his Catechumens which were some times adult as well as young persons and instructed him in the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith Hence it is that S. Basil Orat. 25. calls Luke the Disciple or Scholar of Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But the third opinion seems to be the truest and it is that of Tertullian in his Fourth Book against Marcion which Heretick endeavored to invalidate the Gospel of Saint Luke There our Author maintains That Luke was after our Saviour and most of the Apostles Certè tantò posterior quantò posterioris Apostoli sectator Pauli sine dubio c. Tertul. in Marcion And in the following words he intitles Paul to be Illuminator Lucae The Converter of Luke for so Pammelius interprets that phrase and seconds it with this reason Quòd fidei lumen Lucae insinuerat c. because Paul instrumentally had conveyed the light of Faith and sound Religion into the dark and blind understanding of Luke who before was alienated from the Life of God by reason of that Cimmerian darkness ignorance and spiritual blindness that was in him naturally but now by the safe convoy of S. Pauls Doctrine he is entred into the marvellous Liberty of the Children of God So then you may now behold S. Luke as a Tree transplanted by Gods own hand into a better Soyl and therefore let us go and see what Fruit he brings forth Is he a barren fruitless Fig-tree Verily no such matter for Plantae translatio est plantae perfectio according to the Herbalists Maxim This our new Convert is as full of Christian works as of words do we but narrowly observe him and we shall ever find him Remis incumbentem diligent in the practice of Religion As he professeth Christ so he lives Christ He is not like some late Enthusiasts who talk much of Religion and have their mouths full of Divine Seraphick Discourses but they are vox praeterea nihil only an empty sound little or nothing of Works of Charity and true Piety appearing in the whole current of their lives Such as these are the Trees full of Blossoms without Fruit that are reserved to cursing These are they who pretend to a newer Light than is revealed in the Gospel and to a new way of greater purity and sanctity than ever yet was found out But in their lives and actions are as full of black spots as others These are they who as so many Drones in the Hive of Gods Church only buz and make a noise but bring in no Honey nor bring forth any Fruit meet for repentance no ways beautifying and adorning the Gospel which they profess with holy circumspect lives and conversations Such as these open the mouths of Turks and Pagans to blaspheme and scandalize Christianity it self But God be praised it is otherwise with our Evangelist S. Luke for no sooner does he know his duty but does it and adds double diligence to work out his salvation with fear and trembling We no where read that he ever was idle for whilest an Heathen he spent the Golden Sands of his fleeting time in doing good to the Bodies of Men and when a Christian he is not come to a quietus est nor does he sue for a Writ of Ease but moving in an higher sphere doubles his diligence and spends his precious minutes in doing good not only to the Bodies but also to the Souls of Men So that with the one hand like the charitable and tender-hearted Samaritan he pours Oyl into the wounds of the distressed Levites and with the other he applies the Balm of Gilead and many rich Evangelical Salvoes to the Plague-sores of Mens hearts He does not vainly boast of his Faith as the Gnosticks of old saying I have Faith but demonstrates the same by his good Works for he well knows that although good Works are not a sufficient ground for Confidence nor a sure foundation for Faith yet they are certain evidences of it As S. Jam. 2.18 I will shew thee my faith by my works And S. Bernard Bona opera sunt spei quaedam seminaria charitatis incentiva non fiduciae fundamenta c. Comfort may be increased by good works though not built upon them they do manifest an interest in Christ though not merit any Clemens Alexandrinus hath noted well that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. By grace we are saved but not without good works and therefore S. Luke does wisely joyn Faith and Works together for Works without Faith are of no value and Faith without Works is dead being alone S. Jam. 2.20 He is well advised that happiness is not intailed upon the knowledge of our Masters will but on the doing of the same If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them S. Joh. 13.17 Herein he directly treads in those blessed steps and walks in that narrow path of holiness which his Saviour had chalked out for him And as Christ so he was famous for works of Piety and true Charity nay to raise our encomium of him a little higher This our Evangelist had by his holy exemplary life in his Christian station acquired unto himself such renown and honor as that his fame ecchoed throughout the Christian World Witness Ignatius in his Epistle unto the Ephesians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Further note we that S. Luke spent his time after his Conversion chiefly in 1. The Ministry 2. Or in Writing 1. First in doing the work of an Evangelist giving himself wholly to the fulfilling that his Ministery which he had received Though by the way we cannot forget his modest unwillingness at the first to take upon him so great so weighty an office as is the Ministerial Function Such was his Christian humility and self-denial as that he was hardly perswaded to put his hand to Gods Plough But yet let none think that this his aversness did spring from a desire to live in idleness and to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof for he was not ignorant that the sloathful servant was to be beaten with many stripes but rather impute it unto an holy jealousie of his own insufficiency which without doubt was the only obstacle and remora in his way to holy Orders The same unwillingness we read in Isidorus to have been in S.