Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	deny_v	teach_v	ungodliness_n	4,302	5	11.7286	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10839	Oberuations diuine and morall For the furthering of knowledg, and vertue. By Iohn Robbinson.	Robinson, John, 1575?-1625.	1625 (1625)	STC 21112; ESTC S110698	206,536	336

equall order of God is perverted everie where by mans iniquitie and they who are lesse able must still be adding to the greaters heap so as if accounts were diligently kept it would be found in most places of the World that the meaner sort bestow more on the better able then these of them When I consider what good the rich and mightie otherwise in the World might easily do if they had hearts answerable and how little they do for the most part it seems horrible unthankfulnesse and iniquitie in them and matter of indignation against them But then on the other side when I consider how little good I my self do in my meannesse and others my likes to that which I should and might do if I did my utmost I finde reason to be most angry at my self and mine own unprofitablenesse and to be glad and thankfull that so much good is done by the other as is In benefits and good turns done and receaved it is the best and right order that he who doth them should forget and conceal them and he remember and speak of them that receavs them And therefore the first of the three Graces is so ordered as ever to look forward for the doing of more good and never backward to upbraid with good done which where it is used takes away the grace of the kindnesse and is as unpleasing as the after-upbraiding of meat in the stomack eaten with delight The other two ever look towards the first to signifie in how continuall remembrance benefits receaved should be born Which accordingly to acknowledg with thankfulnesse is a ready way to procure further good as from God who specially delights in a thankfull heart and would have a reflux of his blessings to keep them sweet as waters are by flowing to and fro so likewise from such men as either are or would seem to be like unto God in goodnesse and bountie To use to speak much of mens unthankfulnesse even where their hath been great fault that way for benefits receaved both argues a minde not so free in well-doing as is meet and that looks too much for thanks from men and too little for reward from God and is withall a course for a man to quench his own charitie and forwardnesse in other mens unthankfulnesse It is a more blessed that is both a more comfortable thing and that wherein a good work is more properly performed to give then to take to do then to receav good and so all good men should strive both to be able and willing so to do Yet should a good and wise man as God sends occasion be indifferent to either Neither can he in truth do kindnesse as he ought that is not willing to receav kindnesse as he needs It comes partly from a suspitious but specially from a vain-glorious heart that some who are forward in affoarding kindnesse can yet scarse though there be just occasion have the like fastened upon them Such desire to be too like unto God who doth good to all but receavs none back again from any But the verie greatest must remember that he is not God but man and so stands need of other men The head cannot say to the foot I have no need of thee Besides to refuse a kindnesse offered is to shame it as a ball ill sent and let fall to the ground Neither hath a true Christian any cause to be ashamed of his condition in receaving good from others seeing that as in doing good he is in Gods place so in receaving it in Christs stead CAP. VI. Of Equabilitie and perseverance in well-doing WHatsoever is done for God saith one is done equally and the Apostle more fully The grace of God teacheth us to denie ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly in our selvs justly towards others and holily towards God True goodnesse is comly and well proportioned in all the parts whereas the counterfeit is still at jar in it self and like the patches of a beggers cloak A wise man should be a wise man at all times and in all things and so should a good man be a good man Otherwise when a good thing is done specially if it be not ordinarie the goodnesse seems rather to arise from some other motiue from without then from within the person doing it Besides what strange thing is it to see a Stone fall downward or a Spark fly upward So nor to see a fool do foolishly or a lewd person like himself But for a wise man to do foolishly or a good man wickedly is not onely hatefull but monstrous He that hath not in him all Christian graces in their measure hath none and he that hath any one truly hath all For as in the first birth the whole person is born and not some parts so is it in the work of regeneration the whole person is born again though not wholy There is but one Spirit both of Faith and Hope and Love and Humilitie and Patience which all have that are Christs and If any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his This Spirit though God but drop as it were into some and pour into others with a full hand so as one Christian far exceeds another in degree of graces yet are the habits of all graces and that as I conceav equally one with another though not equall to those in other men infused at once into the same mens hearts by that Spirit but so as in time by diuers occasions and means both the habits or graces themselvs and the excercise of them inward and outward have their different encrease in the same persons till ech have attained to the degree of grace allotted to him and serving for the preparing of him for the glorie prepared for him of God Perseverance in good is not any particular grace or vertue but the consummation and store-house of all vertue and goodnesse Evill men stand need of all graces the good onely of this of perseverance without changing to the end that they loose not the things which they have done or suffered but that they may receav a full reward and in due season reap if they faint not Where I speak of the necessitie of not changing I mean that changing which is either to the contrarie reigning evill or to a totall want of true goodnesse Otherwise even Nature which works most necessarily may have its most naturall work interrupted and changed for a time and yet not be destroyed witnesse the fire in Nabuchadnezars furnace which though it retained in it both the nature and heat of fire yet did not burn the three Confessours which were cast into it How oft do men though remaining in nature reasonable Creatures perform acts plainly unreasonable and brutish thorough ignorance or appetite How much more is it possible that a man though not wholy destitute of Gods grace may through the remainders of his corruption advantaged

fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire The oppositions intended in Scriptures are diligently to be observed upon mistaking whereof errour followeth upon neglect maimed obedience For example The Apostle in teaching that there is but one God the Father and one Lord Iesus Christ doth not oppose the Father to the Son nor the Son to the Father for either is God either Lord but both to all whether Creatures or Idols So where Christ bids his Apostles baptize them that beleev he doth not exclude their infants but such as beleev not the Gospel being preached unto them Likewise where Paul saith of the incestuous man that he was rebuked of many he opposeth not many to all as some conceav but to one viz. himself Lastly He that will expound the Scriptures ought in honour of the graces of God bestowed upon other men and in conscience of his own infirmitie with the holy use of other means to joyn the reading and searching of the commentaries expositions of such speciall Instruments as God in mercie hath raised up for the opening of them and edifying of the Church thereby remembring alwaies that the Word of God neither came from him nor to him alone He that depends too much upon other mens judgment makes as if the Word of God came not to himself at all He that neglects it as if it came to him onely Of which two evils the latter is so much the worse as arrogancie in a mans self is more odious both to God and men then either slacknesse in examining or dulnesse in discerning or excessive fear of departing from the opinion specially receaved of others It is strange and lamentable that in the great profession of the Scriptures made in our dayes so many should be ignorant of the difference between the Law and the Gospel of which two heads the Scriptures consist making the Gospel nothing els but a more favourable and easie Law and thereby transforming grace into nature a promise to be receaved into a commandment to be fulfilled and the offering of new life even the life of Christ into the exacting of old and due debt onely God as an absolute Lord gives his holy Law saying Do this and live and therein properly exacts obedience as a naturall debt of the reasonable creature thereunto enabled by creation But as a gracious Father publisheth the Gospel in it offering help to the miserable and helplesse creature and working withall according to the election of grace power will to receav the help and hand offered This if many considered as they ought they would not as they do plead the power of mans free-will in Spirituall things against the free grace of God nor exclude as some of them do the infants of beleevers from the covenant and baptism of the Church as though God could not shew grace because they cannot shew free-will to receav it The utmost ordinarie means of revelation of Gods will for mans salvation and happines is the Gospell When the Law written in mans heart by creation was almost worn out God gave it written in tables of stone But life and freedom from sin and death being impossible to the Law in that it was weak through the flesh and all men by it whether considered as written in tables of stone or of the heart by creation comming short of the glory of God it hath pleased the same God by the Gospell of his son Christ to provide a gracious remedy that the sick to death by the justice of the Law might be cured yea the dead revived by the grace of the Gospell and mercy of God therein And other remedy besides and beyond this for the obteyning of salvation God hath not revealed He that fulfils not the righteousnesse of the Law violates Gods justice but remaining obstinate against the grace of the Gospel also he despises with Gods justice his mercy and his authority in both And what remains for such but a fearful expectation of the work of his terrible power of the revelation of his wrath from Heaven against all specially such ungodlinesse of men For if the word of the Law spoken by Angels was steadfast and everie transgression and disobedience receaved a just recompence of reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation of the Gospel which at first began to be preached by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard him CAP. IX Of Authoritie and Reason AVthoritie leads us to the Authour of a thing and bids us rest in his word whether for credence to his relation or obedience to his commandment Reason wils us to look to the thing it self and to the arguments for or against it taken either from common sense or naturall principles and conclusions or other undoubted grounds of truth or goodnesse of matter The ground in Authoritie is in a sort personall in Reason reall It is a kind of impeachment of Authoritie to examine the Reasons of things so is it a prejudice to Reasons work to call Authoritie to counsell save onely when God speaks for then the Authoritie justifies the Reason and Reason bids receav the Authoritie and do all things commanded without reasonings The Authoritie and credit of him that relates a matter whether man or Angel yea or God himself makes it not the truer in it self but the more readily to be beleeved by them that hear it The testimonie of God in his Word that in the beginning he made the World of nothing and will judg men and Angels at that day by Iesus Christ is onely therefore true in it self because God indeed hath done the one and will do the other but is therefore by us to be beleeved as true because he so testifies in his Word Divine Authoritie is to sway with us aboue all Reason yea Reason teacheth that God is both to be beleeved and obeyed in the things for which man can see no Reason And hence it is that the Lord hath so severely punished mens transgressing his Laws of Ceremonies and Divine Institutions called by the Schoolmen voluntarie precepts for that in commanding of them Gods absolute Authoritie most clearly appears and mans pure obedience in observing them Humain Authoritie hath more or lesse weight according to the worth of the person or other circumstances But as the moneys of all men high and low good and bad are alike so are the Reasons The meanest mans Reason specially in matter of Faith and obedience to God is to be preferred before all Authoritie of all men I say specially of Faith yet not excluding other subjects For though I will and ought to do some things simply because I am commanded yet I will not therefore simply beleev that any thing is good in it self And albeit I am bound to obey humain Authoritie in sundry things for the commanding of which I know no Reason yea know there is no Reason yet know I Reason for mine