Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	abound_v	sin_n	sin_v	2,962	5	9.1094	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15859	Speculum Christianum or, A Christian suruey for the conscience Containing, three tractates of that eminent, graue, and learned diuine, maister Hierome Zanchius. 1. Of the end of the world. 2. Of the perseuerance of the saints. 3. A summarie abridgement of his protections. Englished for the good of Gods church, and for a warning to wicked and impenitent men. By H.N.; Speculum Christianum. English	Zanchi, Girolamo, 1516-1590.; Nelson, Henry, fl. 1614.	1614 (1614)	STC 26121A.7; ESTC S111786	125,039	404

that I may speake more rightly thou rather be retained conserued by him These things Brentius Who may not here perceiue the scope of Brentiu● to haue been That whosoeuer doth perceiue himselfe to bee endued with true faith in Christ hee should not further make doubt of his eternall saluation And that hee may attaine vnto this hee remoueth a double feare which do weaken this certaintie The first feare is lest the Lord cast vs off for that our faith is faint and infirme This he taketh away by the promise in Es●i That the Lord will not quench smoking Falxe The other feare lest our faith at last should faile that wee should not perseuere in faith This feare he expelleth by many arguments First for that God is faithfull who will not suffer vs to bee tempted aboue our strength 1. Cor. 10. Secondly that Christ will not permit any of his sheepe to bee taken out of his hands Ioh. 10. Thirdly that the prayer of Christ is effectuall wherein he maketh request for all that shal beleeue in him and therefore euen hath obtained to them all That as Hee and the Father are alwaies one so they should abide one in Christ Iesu for euer And this is perseuerance Fourthly hee confirmeth vs in this certaintie of perseuerance in the faith first by the example of the Apostle Rom. 8. That nothing can separate the Elect from Christ againe by the promise in Esai cap. 54. That Gods mercie shall neuer depart from the Elect. Finally hee concludeth That we ought to bee most certain of our perseuerance for that God the Father who gaue vs his Sonne and did effect that wee by faith should receiue him will euen altogether take care that wee may perpetually retaine him or rather that we may be retained of him to wit in faith and in himselfe and be also conserued Wherefore if no doubt is to bee made of the beleeuers and Saints according to the determination of D. Brentius touching their perseuerance in Christ and in faith and therefore of their eternall saluation and that for the promises of God which hee related concerning this point and for the prayer of Christ which hee saith was effectuall it is manifest that such as are truely Saints and true beleeuers will perseuere in faith and in Christ and therefore cannot vtterly fall away from faith and from Christ and that for the promise of God and the prayer of Christ as my Position voucheth There bee in a manner infinite testimonies in the writings of this learned man for the perseuerance of Saints and certaintie of saluation I will only adde herevnto one more Vpon Iob. 10. homil 81. vpon those words No man shall take them out of my hand What saith hee should I speake of Death Is this of such power that it can take from Christ his sheepe But as Death could not detaine Christ in his power so neither can it withhold such as beleeue in Christ I will speake that which is more No sinne is so great that it can separate a sheepe of Christ from his shepheard For this Shepheard hath ransomed all sinnes and the grace of God which Christ hath purchased is greater then the sinne which made alienation betweene God and man For where sinne saith St. Paul did abound there did grace more abound that as sinne reigned in death so also grace might re●gne by righteousnes to life eternall by Iesus Christ What then Shall we sinne because sinne cannot take away Christ from the sheepe of Christ surely nothing lesse to be done then to sinne For such as are truely the sheepe of Christ they are so much more watchfull from committing sinne the more fully they acknowledge sinne to bee done away by Christ for they doe reioyce by all manner of meanes to testifie their gratitude of minde to Christ-wards and to conserue his louing kindnes Therefore Gratitude is declared to Christ-wards by obedience of righteousnes towards Christ These things Brentius I haue named only the principall Doctors of Germanie for I suppose their testimonie to bee more then sufficient to ratifie my sentence touching the perseuerance of the Saints in faith but if yee require more testimonies I will produce them most willingly for I haue many of them in a readines Concerning forraine testimonies I spare to speake at this present for that in a case so certaine and perspicuous I haue no need of their suffrages with vs Germains Lately also in that most famous Vniuersitie of Marpurge besides other positions this also was discussed defended and confirmed and in testimony of the approbation thereof was with other thinges committed to the Presse and diuulged which is set downe Numb 14. and is thus put downe verbatim Into whom scilicet Christ if any be once truly ingraffed he for that neither the spouse doth cast him out neither can any take him out of the shepheards hand of necessity he must be both certaine of his saluation neither at any time can he vtterly be pluckt away either from this coniunction with the Spouse or can totally fall away from his Shepheard Ioh. 6. 10. Now paetermitting the testimonies of many others I wil only anexe touching this matter the iudgement of D. Hesh●sius himselfe and that I doe for iust causes whereof the least is not this That yee may vnderstand that I was most wrongfully accused both by word and writing of my Colleagues both with you and all the Cittizens of a greeuous offence committed against the Augustane Confession Because I taught That the Elect being once indued with a true faith in Christ can neuer againe vtterly fall away from faith and from Christ Surely D. Heshusius doth not giue place to D. M. in the defence of the Augustane Confession And whereas Heshusius hath taught written and published the selfe same things of the pers●uerance of the Saints which I also taught in your School it followeth that either Heshusius himselfe also did write against the Augustane Confession or that D. M. did not vnderstand it and therfore in his ignorance did both condemne me vniustly as also disturbe the whole citty Heshusius his wordes De s●ruo arbitrio published An. 1562. are these Quartus gradus c. The fourth degree of the operation of the Spirit is the perfection of saluation or the gift of perseuerance whereby wee persist constantly in the faith that certaine saluation may be attained for not all who are illuminated by the word and haue tasted the first fruits of faith do retaine this saluation giuen them but many again do cast off faith shake off the holy Spirit and fall from grace as Christ saith Their latter end is worse then their beginning Luo. 11. This is therfore a peculiar benefit of the holy Spirit which be falleth the Elect alone That they are so established in faith as that they cannot fall away from it And in this operation of the holy Spirit as there is no merit of ours so is there no cooperation For

Popish shauelings Monkes and Hypocrites in Christianisme For wee are in Baptisme espoused to Christ vpon this condition That wee should acknowledge him the only and alone Sauiour and purger of our sinnes But if any not content with this onely and alone Redeemer doth thinke that euen himselfe by his owne iustice can expiate sinnes and pacifie God hee doth uiolate his faith giuen to Christ and fall away from Christ. So Paul doth accuse the Galathians of defection from Christ Whosoeuer of you saith he are instified by the Law are fallen from grace Lastly he doth not abide in Christ who while hee doth acknowledge the name of Christ doth leade a lewd life walketh according to the flesh and is a seruant to sinne For it cannot bee that Christ should abide in him who sinneth against his conscience and doth giue ouer himselfe as captiue to the lusts of the flesh for if Christ abide not in him how can he abide in Christ Iohn saith He that saith I know him and doth not keep his commandements is a lier and the truth is not in him againe If any shall say I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lier and Paul If any do not prouide for his and chiefly his h●ushould he hath denied the faith and is worse then an infidell It is therefore manifest that such as leade a godlesse life though they bragge of the name of Christ yet they doe not abide in Christ What then shall become of such as doe not continue in Christ Verily the selfe-same thing as is woont to befall the branches not abiding in the Vine for they being cut off from the Vine are cast out and being withered they are gathered into bundels and throwne into the fire to burne neither are they fit for any other vse but to feed the fire These things Brentius Heere I doe finde three rankes of men Apostats Hypocrites and licentious liuers or notoriouslie wicked The fourth which is of the Saints that is of such as which neither in perfidie doe reuolt from the faith of Christ to Iudaisme or Turcisme neither doe repose their confidence either to tall or in part in their owne merits but fully and entirely in sole Christ alone neither yet either lead a wicked life or giue ouer themselues captiues to sinne but rather studie for sanctitie of life and resist sinne And although while they walke aright they doe slip and offend sometime yet neuer doe they either loue sinne or commit sinne with a full consent of will or perseuere in sinne Therefore hee either holdeth opinion that men truly holy and truely beleeuing in Christ doe alwaies remaine in Christ and therefore neuer to fall vtterly from faith and from Christ or if he thinke that euen the very Saints can fall from Christ then did hee not recompt all sorts of such men as doe not abide in Christ or finally if hee will haue euen this same kinde that is of the Saints to be comprised in any of the three former hee hath done great iniurie to the Saints that he hath not distinguished them and seuered them by some markes from those most vile sorts of men But it is most probable that such a man would either make no difference be tweene the Saints and those three conditions of men Apostles Hypocrites and notoriously wicked or in that his distribution not to comprehend all the kindes of such as doe not continue in Christ Therfore it followeth according to that partition of D. Brentius that this fourth ranke of men that is of the Saints seeing it differeth from these three in qualitie of faith and life that they in like sort differ herein That wheras they do not abide in Christ theso doe neuer fall from Christ The same Brentius in Ioh. 6. homil 56. Vpon these words No man ●an come to mee except my Father draw him Iesus Christ faith he is the book of the life celestial into which whosoeuer is enrolled by faith there is no doubt but that hee is written in the very heart of God and appertaineth to the Congregation of the heauenly Citizens But thou saist I doe feare least either my faith bee not sincere or that at last it willanguish What Doest thou thinke that God will either breake a bruised Reede or quench the smoking Flaxe The Mother doth not reiect her infant either as yet tender in age or weake by sicknes but rather with so much a greater care doth cherish it by how much more extreame the sicknes hath been And should God the Father be harder then a Mother in Mankinde against him though weake in faith to whom hee hath promised in his Sonne Christ all clemencie Thou knowest not the tenour of that saying whereunto it tendeth Lord I beleeus help mine vnbeliefe Therefore it is not to bee feared lest God cast thee off for thy feeble faith but rather diligence to be giuen by the continuall exercise of the word prayer and obedience that Faith by the efficacy of the Spirit principally may more and more be augmented But what is this that thou art careful of thy perseuerance in faith Do thou thy office in perseuerance the rest God wil care for Dost thou not know that he is faithfull who wil not suff●r vs to be tempted aboue our strength but will giue an euasion together with the temptation that we may beare it My sheep saith Christ do● heare my voice and I know them and they follow me and I giue vnto them ●ternall life they shall neuer perish neither shal any man take them out of my hards Thou now verily art made a sheep of Christ who knowest Christ by faith why therefore doest thou fear least any should take thee out of the hand of Christ Thou canst not doubt of the will of Christ testified through out the Gospell But happily thou doubtest of his power but hee addeth in the next words The Father which gaue thē me is greater then all and no man can take them out of my fathers hands What thinkest thou Christs petition to be frustrate and fruitlesse I pray not onely for them saith hee but for them also that shall beleeue in mee through their pre●ching that they all may be one as thou father in mee and I in the● But likewise Paul saith I am perswaded that neither death nor life neither Angels nor Principali●ies nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor heigth nor depth nor any other creature can seperate vs from the loue of God wherewith God embraceth vs in Christ Iesus our Lord. Heare also that of the Prophet The mountaines shall bee shalen and the hils tremble but my mercie shall not depant from thee and the couenant of my peace shall not bee moued saith thy mercifull Lord. Wherefore it is to bee compted infallibly certaine that God who hath giuen to thee his Sonne and by whom thou hast receiued faith will also prouide that thou shalt also retaine this his Sonne euen in the middest of death or

Sermons of OEcolampadius out of Latine into the Germane Language that they might bee read euen of the people Musculm in loc●s communibus Of remission of sinnes cap. 6. concludeth That forgiuenesse of sinnes once obtained cannot in the Elect bee made frustrate and that for this reason because they neuer so doe sinne that they fall away from grace saith he Euery sinne doth not extinguish grace praecedent but the returne to our old impretie as to the vomit doth extinguish it It is one thing to defile the feet after the Lauer and another thing to tumble againe with the whole body like the filthie sowe in the filthy wallow It is one thing if the wife doe often offend her husband and another if being faithlesse shee doth violate by adulte●ie the coniugall faith and bond and doe make her selfe deuoided of all matrimoniall association So it is one thing simply to sinne which is incident euen to th● sonnes of God another thing vtterly to fall awaic from the grace of God to slide away to crucife Christ a fresh and to exexpose him vnto reproch which is the propertie of the reprobate not of the Elect. Of the latter kinde of sinning the Epistle to the Hebrewes speaketh not of the former therevpon cap. 10 he speaeketh expreslie By how greater punishment shal be vexed thinke yea who trampeleth vnder foote the Sonne of GOD and doth recompe the bloud of the Testament as a thing prophane by which he was sanetified and doth despight the spirit of grace Hee speaketh of the same relapse whereof hee treated cap. 6. Of the former the Apostle 1. Ioh. 2. speaketh If any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the Father These things Musculus Philip Melancthon to omit other most euident places of this point in other Tomes I will onelie recite such thinges as he writ in his last exposition vpon the first epistle to the Corinthians cap. 10. vpon these words But God is faithfull c. hee proposeth this question in this form But seing so many being ouercome of Satan and their owne frailtie doe runne headlong into their owne ruine for example the greatest part of the people in the wildernesse and the Parable of the Sower cap. 13. Matthew doth signifie most men to fall away from God How can this agree with these words seeing such a multitude is not preserued To this Question hee returneth answere in these words I answer In the church there haue alwaies beene two parts one hauing beginning of feare and saith which though they be infirme yet haue they exercises of repentance and invocation and doe retaine the feare of God and faith Of this part that is spoken To him that hath shal be giuen also Psalme 144. The Lord is nigh to all them that call vpon him in verity againe How much more will your heauenly Father giue his holy Spirit to them that aske him againe Esai 66. To whome shal I haue respect but to the contrite in spirit and that tremble at my word the other part is secure without the exercises of repentance rnd invocation besotted with pleasures or admiration and confidence of their owne wisdome and iustice as Saul Achitophel Absalom and infinite others These are ouercome of Satan for that they want the feare of GOD they know not their owne infirmity they are without remorse and doe not desire helpe from God In this place Philip first propoundeth the Question of such as are so tempted in the Church that they fall into sinne as many did amongst the Corinthians therefore here is no mention but of them who do fall into sinne These hee doth diuide into two parts and in the second sort he saith are such as do sinne in securitie without the exercises of repentance and here hee onely citeth and remembreth such as we know were Reprobates Saul Achitophel Absolon who he also saith were ouercome of the Diuell Therefore it is apparant that the Elect are not contained vnder this second ranke therefore of necessitie they are recompted vnder the first sort For it is without all doubt that vnder the name of these two parts he purposed to vnderstand the Elect and Reprobate but in this his old age he willingly did forbeare from the names of the Elect and Reprobate Of the former rank that is of the Elect hee teacheth this to bee the propertie and that in perpetuitie That although it be weake and of frailtie doth fall into sinne yet doth it retaine the exercises of repentance and invocation the feare of God and faith according to that saying To him that hath shal be giuen Who doth not see here that D. Philip was of this determination the Elect although by frailetie they sell into some sinnes yet alwaies to retaine faith and the feare of God And why for that as hee had taught before the Elect amongst which was Dauid are not tempted but with temptation after the manner of men Now humane temptation for that it is without contempt of the Word doth retaine the Word and therefore faith For humane temptation as Philip defineth it is doubtfulnesse or error or a fall arising of humaine infirmitie and not with such a confirmed outrage that the mind is become Epicureall or that there is an accesse of persequuting the knowne Truth or hatred of God as was the fall of Dauid of whome he saith expressely thus very lamentable was the fall of Dauid and Satan did not lightly assalt him yet could not hee driue him to an Epicureal contempt of God or hatred as he forced Saul If he did not contemn or hate God therefore he did retaine the feare of God and loue and so faith in him Seeing then that all the Elect are assalted with this humaine temptation it followeth out of the sentence of D. Philip That all the Elect can neuer be drawne into contempt or hatred of God and therefore to retaine the feare of God and faith Brentius in Ioh. 17. homil 34. We haue declared saith he what fruits they doe produce who abide in CHRIST IESVS our true and onely Sauiour Now let vs explane what bee the discommodities of such as doe not abide in CHRIST that he who is not excited by profit to seeke and retaine Christ may bee prouoked by the damages and incommodites of the contemners and forsakers of him If any saith he doth not abide in me he is cast out as a branch and withereth and they gather it and cast it into the fire and burne it That these things may truly be vnderstood it must be knowne who is hee that doth not remaine in Christ And first he abideth not in Christ who falleth away to Iudaism or Tu●cisme This is a grose kinde of defection from Christ which not onely the godly but also euen the wise of this world hold in detestation Againe hee doth not abide in Christ who although hee glorie of Christ and doth seeme to acknowledge him yet hee putteth confidence in the merits of his works of which sort are