Selected quad for the lemma: honour_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
honour_n	glory_n	house_n	moses_n	1,269	5	9.2980	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08457	The pearle of perfection sought after by Charles Odingsells, Doctour of Divinitie	Odingsells, Charles, d. 1637.	1637 (1637)	STC 18782; ESTC S113411	51,839	106

If they erre from this rule they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transgressions evill workes if they accord with the rule and are conformable to the morall Law they are so farre forth to be judged good workes Now in a good worke two things are remarkeable first as it is a worke secondly as it is good for as it is a worke it is from nature as it is good it is from grace and as it is a good worke both from nature and grace and all from God who is the onely author of nature and doner of grace God doth not onely giue us our being and preserue us in it but supports and sustaineth us by his concurrence in all our actions For he as universall and supreme agent hath his influence into all the actions and operations of inferiour agents so that in him we both liue and moue and haue our being and without him wee neither mooue nor worke wee can doe nothing yet in that by his concurrence wee immediatly doe this or that worke it is said to be from us but if it betruely good the goodnesse of it is immediatly from Gods grace working in us both to will it and to doe it of his good pleasure We must alwayes lay this for a ground that good workes must flow from the fountaine of faith without which it is impossible to please GOD Omne etenim pietatis opus Prosp in Epigram nisi semine recto exoritur fidei peccatum est Everie pious worke is sinne if it grow not out of the right seede of faith In the next place wee are to consider that the goodnesse of a morall act depends of two things First the object secondly the circumstances Pet. Soto de instit sac part 2● lect 4● The object is some dutie of obedience commanded in the Law the circumstances are the end time place c. but the chiefest is the end intended for this according to Aquinas doth qualifie and specifie the act for actus exterior saith he informatur ex voluntate Aqui. in Rom. ca. 14. lect 2● Rom. 2.14 the outward act is formed by the will that is intending such an end Now when the Gentiles which haue not the Law doe by nature the things conteined in the Law their works are morally good in respect of the object But because they intend not Gods glorie but their owne they faile in the circumstance their intention is evill and consequently their workes Whereupon St. Augustine considering that they neither proceeded of faith nor aimed at the right end remoues all goodnesse from them saying Aug. praesas in Psal 31. Vbi fides non erat bonum opus non erat bonum enim opus intentio facit intentionem fides dirigit where there was no faith there was no good worke for intention makes the worke good and faith directs the intention And after Non valde aspicias quid facit homo sed quid cum facit aspiciat Doe not greatly obserue what a man doth but what he aimeth at when he doth it And indeed heathens and hypocrites doe good works quoad genus operis but not quoad intentionem mandantis they doe the worke conteined in the Law but not according to the intention of the Commander who intendeth his owne glorie And so their workes although they seeme glorious and specious to men yet are they but like an earthen pot guilded over which seemes gold and is not or like grapes curiously painted on the wall which the birds flie to but cannot feede on them Sunt opera saith St. Augustine Aug. in Ioan. tract 25. quae videntur bona sine fide Christi non sunt bona quia non referuntur ad eum finem ex quo sunt bona there be workes which seeme good without faith in Christ and are not good because they are not referred to that end whereby they are good Hence is it that according to that trite and usuall distinction both the works of pagans and hypocrites are deemed good sesundùm substantiam actus non secundùm modum requisitum in regard of the substance of the act but not in regard of the manner requisite to such an act For to honour their parents to relieue the poore and such like may be good in the substance of the act and yet come short in the circumstance and faile in the manner Whereas we know that God lookes not so much to our doing as to our well-doing and as it hath beene observed by Divines Flor. Granat parte 6. ca. 4. Deus non tam remunerat verba quàm adverbia God doth not so much reward verbs as adverbs not so much doing as well-doing Rom. 2.7 for as the Apostle saith He will render to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seeke for honour and glorie and immortalitie eternall life Moses said unto the house of Israell Deut. 6.25 it shall be our righteousnesse if we obserue to doe all these Commandements before the Lord our God as he hath commanded Not onely that which he hath commanded us but in such manner as he hath commanded For that which is good loseth the beautie and glory of the goodnesse of it when it is not done after a good manner Men spend a part of their life idely doing nothing another part carelesly in doing that which concernes them not and another part wickedly in doing ill But wee that are Christians must endeavour to spend all our dayes in doing well and striue to imitate our gracious Saviour of whom it is said Mark 7.37 He hath done all things well The sonne of Amos exhorteth us to learne this lesson saying Cease to doe evill learne to doe well Esa 1.16 17. And the Lord God himselfe in the beginning of times said unto Cain the second man in the world If thou doest well shalt not thou be accepted Gen. 4.7 if thou doest not well sinne lieth at the doore O let us then be diligent in well-doing painfull labourers in Christs Vineyard let us be fruitfull in good workes committing the keeping of our soules unto God in well-doing as unto a faithfull creatour CHAP. XXVI That no man by his owne righteousnesse keepeth the Law and is without sinne THe morall Law is a rule of obedience telling us what we ought to doe not teaching us what we are able to doe As long as wee are in this bodie of death the remainder of the old Adam the part unregenerate Galat. 5.17 the flesh fighteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh So that wee cannot doe what we would and consequently wee cannot keepe the Law as we would Upon this unavoidable Supposition I may conclude that it is a vaine and needlesse speculation to dispute of mans possibilitie to keepe the Law and so to be without sinne if he will And thus much St. Hierome intimates Hieron li. 1o. adv Pelag. Posse hominem esse sine peccato si velit aut verum est aut

to doe a thing throughly and absolutely to make a thing compleate and entire without defect Perfection in the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an end because in all things agible our understanding first intendeth and propoundeth the end and then deliberateth of the most apt and direct meanes tending to that end which being found out and put in execution the desired end is attained and the worke perfected whereupon this kinde of end is called the end of perfection by way of excellencie to distinguish it from the end of privation consumption or terme And thus according to the sense of the word both in the Greeke and Latine tongue we say Natura facit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doctrina dirigit vsus perficit nature frameth doctrine and instruction directeth and use or practise perfecteth CHAP. III. The divers kindes of Perfection PErfection primarily and originally belongeth to God the fountaine thereof in whom is all vertue grace glorie excellencie after a most perfect infinite and incomprehensible manner therefore he onely is simpliciter absolutè perfectus simply and absolutely perfect All perfection found in Angels or men or any creature is from God by communicating participating of his perfection and so are said to be perfect secundùm quid in suo genere in some respects after their severall kindes Now to omitte transcendentall perfection of metaphysicall speculation this derivative participated perfection really found in the creatures is of three sorts naturall morall spirituall In naturall science the Philosopher describeth perfection in the concrete or subject saying perfectum idest Arist de caelo lib. 1. cap. 4. extra quod nihil eorum qua ipsius sunt accipi potest That is perfect to which nothing is wanting of those things which belong unto it That is which lacketh nothing requisite either in the first or second moment of nature nothing belonging to the essentiall parts or naturall properties and qualities flowing from them Morall perfection according to humane moralitie is attained by the practice of intellectuall and morall vertues and is called by the philosopher in his Ethickes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is felicitie or happinesse which he saith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Arist Eth. 1.6 The operation of the soule according to the best and perfectest vertue in a perfect life Naturall perfection in the creature is from God as author of nature Morall perfection is acquired by frequent actions according to the rules of humane Philosophie But Spirituall perfection is from God as the doner and giver of grace and fountaine of all good For every good gift Iam. 1.17 and every perfect gift is from above and commeth downe from the Father of Lights CHAP. IIII. Of Spirituall Perfection SPirituall perfection is that precious pearle which God bestowed on man in the state of innocencie with which he doth in rich and endow the Saints now in the state of grace where-withall he will adorne them more abundantly in the state of glorie When the Lord God created Adam and said Gen. 1.26 Let us make man in our image after our likenesse man so created was perfect not onely by perfection of nature but also of grace of originall righteousnesse essentiall to the integritie of nature He had a singular light of understanding to apprehend things easily clearely without error obscuritie difficultie yea that which is more observable when God brought Eve newly created vnto Adam He said of her proplietically this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh Gen. 2.13 she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man In the will of Adam was seated originall righteousnesse the cornucopia or treasurie of all vertues In his affections resided a perfect loue of God and vertue with a perfect delight in them And it is rightly observed that the father of the world was honoured of God in Paradise with three eminent priviledges 1. In intellectu non errandi 2. In voluntate non peccandi 3. In corpore non moriendi That is with the priviledge of not erring in his understanding with the priviledge of not sinning in his will with the priviledge of not dying in his body Such dignitie and excellencie had man in his creation that his understanding was without error his will without prevarication and obliquitie and so continuing his body was to be immortall Aug. Enchir. ad Laur. cap. 105. immortalitate minore as Sr. Augustine speakes by a lesser and inferiour immortalitie in that earthly paradise where feeding on the tree of life he might renew his strength as the eagle and never dye These things considered it is no marvaile if the sweete Singer of Israel in admiration hereof cry out Psal 8.4 What is man that thou art mindfull of him And the Sonne of man that thou visitest him For thou hast made him a little lower then the Angels and hast crowned him with glorie and honour Thus man created in the jmage and after the likenes of God was glorious and perfect untill hee transgressed that one command of his creatour And this the Lord himselfe in expresse termes intimates by his Prophet Ezekiel saying Ezek. 23. thou wast perfect in thy wayes from the day thou wast created untill iniquitie was found in thee Which the Preacher of Ierusalem explicateth in other words saying Lee this have I found Eccles. 7.29 that God made man upright but they have sought out many inventions CHAP. V. Of Perfection in the state of grace ADam by transgression having deprived himselfe and his posteritie of that excellent perfection wherewith he was endowed in the state of integritie it remaineth that wee now search after such spirituall perfection as may be found here in the militant Church in the state of grace expecting and hoping to have the same refined hereafter with a more eminent perfection in the state of glory That there is a spirituall perfection attaineable in this life is evident by that command of Christ Be yee therefore perfect Mat 5.48 even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect Saint Paul exhorteth the Hebrewes hereunto Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ Heb. 6.1 let us goe on unto perfection c And there be perfect ones in the Church as the same Apostle plainly insinuateth saying Howbeit wee speake wisedome amongst them that are perfect 1 Cor. 2.6 And againe Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded Philip. 3.15 This spirituall perfection attainable in this life is the perfection of grace And grace is a divine light flowing downe from God into the soule displaying the beames thereof in the powers and faculties of the soule enlightning them with diverse vertues Now though this perfection of grace be of very large extent yet may it summarily be comprehended in these three things First in knowledge secondly in