Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	according_a	heart_n	lord_n	1,440	5	3.6316	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08833	The benefite of Christs death, or the glorious riches of Gods free grace which euery true beleeuer receiues by Iesus Christ, and him crucified. First compiled and printed in the Italian tongue: and afterwards translated and printed in the French tongue: and out of French into English, by A.G.; Beneficio di Christo. English	Benedetto, da Mantova, fl. 1534-1541.; Flaminio, Marco Antonio, 1498-1550.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606, attributed name.; Paleario, Aonio, 1503-1570, attributed name.	1633 (1633)	STC 19117; ESTC S107303	48,174	106

Also he affirmeth the same thing in an Epistle which he writeth to Irenaeus saying Let no man boast of his owne workes for no man becommeth righteous by his owne workes but he that hath righteousnesse hath it of free gift forsomuch as he is made righteous by Iesus Christ Then is it faith that deliuereth by Christs blood for happy is he whose sinne is forgiuen and pardoned And S. Bernard in his threescore and seuenteenth Sermon vpon the Ballet of Ballets confirmeth the same saying that our owne merits beare no sway at all in making vs righteous which thing must be attributed wholly vnto grace which maketh vs righteous freely and likewise dischargeth vs from the bondage of sinne And he addeth that Iesus Christ marrieth the soule and coupleth it vnto himselfe by faith without that any desert of our workes ought or can come betweene But because I will not be too long I will make an end of mine allegations when I haue vttered one very notable and good saying of Saint Ambrose in his booke intituled of Iacob concerning the blessed life The said holy man saith that like as Iacoh hauing not on his own behalfe deserued the birth-right shrowded himselfe vnder the apparell of his brother and clothed himselfe with his garment which yeelded a very sweet sent and in that wise presented himselfe to his father to receiue the blessing vnder another mans person to his owne behoofe euen so is it requisit for vs to clothe our selues with the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ by faith and to shrowd ourselues vnder the diuine purenesse of our eldest brother if we will be receiued for righteous afore God And certainely this is true For if we appeare before God vnclothed of the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ out of all doubt we shall be iudged worthy of euerlasting damnation But contrariwise if God see vs apparelled with the righteousnesse of his Sonne Christ then will he surely take vs for righteous and holy and worthy of eternall life And verily it is a great rashnesse in such as pretend to attaine to righteousnesse by the keeping of Gods Commandements which are all comprehended in louing God with all our heart with all our soule and with all our strength and our neighbour as our selfe But who is so arrogant or so mad as to presume that he is able to performe those Commandements to the full Or who seeth not that Gods Law requireth perfect loue and condemneth all vnperfectnesse Let euery man consider well his owne workes which partly shall seeme good vnto him and he shall find that they ought rather to be called transgressions of that most holy Law according also as they be altogether vncleane and vnperfit so that he must be faine to vtter this saying of Dauids Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for no man liuing shall be found righteous in thy sight And Salomon saith Who is he that may say My heart is cleane And Iob cryeth out What man is he that can be vndefiled and what man borne of woman can shew himselfe righteous Behold he found no stedfastnesse among his Saints yea the heauens are not cleane in his sight How much more abominable and filthy is man who drinketh iniquity as it were water And Saint Iohn saith If we say we be without sinne wee deceiue our selnes And specially our Sauiour Iesus Christ teacheth vs to say as often as we pray Forgiue vs all our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. And hereby may well be gathered the folly of those that make marchandise of their workes presuming to saue by them not onely themselues but also their neighbours as though our Lord Iesus Christ had not said vnto them When ye haue done all that euer is commanded you say ye We be vnprofitable seruants we haue done but as we ought to doe Ye see that although we had performed Gods Law to the full yet neuerthelesse we should esteeme and call our selues vnprofitable seruants Now then seeing that men are so farre off from this full performance who is he that dareth be so bold as to glorifie himselfe that he hath added so great an ouerplus of deseruings aboue the full measure as he may haue to deale abroad vnto others But to returne to our purpose I would that the proud sinner which beareth himselfe in hand that he maketh himselfe righteous before God by doing some works which are allowable to the world would consider that all the workes which proceed out of an vncleane and foule heart are also vncleane and filthy and consequently cannot be acceptable vnto God nor haue any power to make the party righteous Therefore we must first of all cleanse the heart if we mind that our workes should please God The cleansing of the heart proceedeth of faith as the holy Ghost affirmeth by the mouth of St. Peter Then must we not say that the vnrighteous person and the sinner becommeth righteous good and acceptable vnto God by his owne workes but we must of necessity conclude that faith cleanseth our hearts and maketh vs good righteous and acceptable before God and furthermore causeth our workes to please him notwithstanding that they be altogether vnprofitable and vnperfit For inasmuch as we be become the children of God through faith he considereth our workes not as a seuere and rigorous Iudge but as a most mercifull Father hauing pitty of our frailenesse and regarding vs as the members of his eldest sonne whose perfection and righteousnesse doth supply all our vncleannesse and imperfection which are not layed to our charge forsomuch as they be couered vnder the purenesse and innocency of Iesus Christ and come not to iudgement before God And hereupon it commeth to passe that all our workes which proceed of true faith notwithstanding that they be wholly sinfull and corrupt of themselues shall neuerthelesse be praised and allowed by Iesus Christ in the generall iudgement because they be the fruits and testimonies of our faith whereby we be saued For insomuch as we haue loued the brethren of Iesus Christ we shall shew euidently that we haue also beene faithfull and brethren of Christ and therefore by faith we shall be put in full possession of the euerlasting Kingdome which our Soueraigne Lord God hath prepared for vs before the creating of the world not for our merits sake but through his mercy whereby he hath chosen vs and called vs to the Grace of his Gospell and made vs righteous to the intent to glorifie vs euerlastingly with his onely begotten Son Iesus Christ who is the holinesse and righteousnesse of vs but not of them which will not confesse that faith is sufficient of it selfe to make a man righteous and acceptable to the Lord God who through his Fatherly goodnesse and louing kindnesse offereth and giueth vs Iesus Christ with his righteousnes without any desert of our owne workes What thing can worke or cause a

life of Christ By reason whereof S. Paul saith Let vs cast away the works of darknesse and put on the armour of light not in feasting nor in drunkennesse nor in chambring and wantonnes nor in strife but put vpon you the Lord Iesus Christ and make no preparation for the flesh nor for the lusts thereof Hereupon the true Christian being in loue with Iesus Christ saith in himselfe Sith that Iesus Christ not hauing any need of me hath redeemed me with his owne blood and is become poore to enrich mee I will likewise giue my good yea and my very life for the loue and welfare of my neighbour And like as I am cloathed with Iesus Christ for the loue hee hath borne to mee so will I haue my neighbour in Christ to cloath himselfe with mee and with my goods likewise for the loue that I beare him for Christs sake He that doth not so is no true Christian for hee cannot say that hee loueth Iesus Christ if hee loue not the members and brothers of him and if we loue not our neighbour for whose sake Christ hath shed his blood wee cannot truely say that wee loue Iesus Christ who beeing equall with God was obedient to his Father euen to the death of the Crosse and hath loued and redeemed vs giuing himselfe vnto vs with all that euer hee hath After the same manner we being rich and hauing him forsake himselfe and take vs his Crosse and follow me But the chiefe cause of this crosse is for that our God purposeth to mortifie the affections of our mind and the lusts of our flesh by that exercise to the end we may conceiue in our selues the great perfection wherein we be comprized by our Lord Iesus Christ by being grafted into him Also his will is that our faith being fined like gold in the furnace of troubles should shine bright to his glory Moreouer his intent his that we by our infirmities should set out his great power which the world in despite of it beholdeth in vs in asmuch as our frailty becommeth strong by troubles and persecutions and the more that it was beaten downe and oppressed so much the more it is strong and stedfest Whereof the Apostle S. Paul saith We carry this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power might be Gods and not ours On all sides we suffer tribulation but wee are not ouercome we be poore but not ouercome of pouerty wee suffer persecution but yet are we not forsaken we be despised but yet wee perish not and so we dayly beare about vs the dying of our Lord Iesus Christ in our body that the life of Iesus Christ may also be openly shewed in vs. And seeing the case is so that our Lord Iesus Christ and all his deare Disciples glorified God by tribulations let vs also imbrace them ioyfully and say with the Apostle S. Paul God forbid that I should glory saue in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ and let vs so deale as the world may whether it will or no perceiue and see with his eyes the wonderfull effects that God worketh in such as sincerely imbrace the grace of his Gospell Let vs so deale I say as the worldlings may see with how great quietnesse of mind the true Christians indure the losse of their goods the death of their children slanders the diseases of the body and the persecutions of false christians and also that they may see how the onely true Christians doe worship God in spirit and truth taking in good worth at his hand whatsoeuer hapneth and holding all that hee doth to bee good righteous and holy praising him alwayes for the same whether it be in prosperity or aduersity thanking him as a most gracious and louing father and acknowledging it for a right great gift of Gods goodnesse to suffer any aduersity and chiefly for the Gospell and for following the steps of Christ specially for as much as we know that tribulation ingendreth patience and patience triall and triall hope and hope maketh vs not ashamed I say that patience ingendreth tryall because that whereas God hath promised helpe in trouble to such as trust in him we find it by experience in that wee continue strong and stedfast all the while and are vpholden by the hand of God which thing we could not doe with all the powers that we haue of our owne So then by patience we find that our Lord giueth vs the helpe that hee hath promised vs at our need whereby our hope is confirmed And it were an ouer-great vnthankefulnesse not to trust to such an ayde and fauour for the time to come as we haue found by experience to be so certaine and stedfast heretofore But what need we so many words It ought to suffice vs to know that the true Christians are through tribulation cloathed with the Image of our Lord Iesus Christ crucified which if we beare willingly and with a good heart we shall in the end be cloathed with the Image of Iesus Christ glorified For as the passions of Iesus Christ doe abound so through him shall the consolations ouerabound and if we suffer with him heere below for a time we shall also raigne with him there aboue for euer CHAP. VI. Certaine remedies against distrust BVt forasmuch as the diuell and mans wisedome labour continually to dispossesse vs of this most holy faith wherethrough we beleeue that all our sins are chastised and punished in Iesus Christ and that through his most precious bloodshed wee be reconciled to the Maiesty of God it is very needfull for a Christian to haue his weapons alwayes in a readinesse to defend himselfe from the said most mischieuous temptation which seeketh to bereaue the soule of her life Among the said weapons in my iudgement the mightiest and best are Prayer the often vse of the holy Communion the remembring of holy Baptisme and the minding of Predestination In our Prayer we may well say with the father of the poore Lunatike person of whom mention is made in the Gospell of S. Marke Lord Iesus helpe mine vnbeliefe Or else we may say with the Apostles Lord increase our faith And if there raigne in vs a continuall desire to grow in faith hope and loue wee will continually pray as Saint Paul instructeth vs. For Prayer is nothing else but a feruent mind settled vpon God By the remembring of Baptisme we shall assure our selues that we are at peace with God And forasmuch as S. Peter saith that the Arke of Noe was a figure of Baptisme therefore like as Noe was saued from the floud by the Arke because he beleeued the promises of God so also are we by faith saued in Baptisme from Gods Wrath. Which faith is grounded vpon the Word of our Lord Iesus Christ who saith that he which beleeueth and is baptized shall bee saued And good right it is for in

who cannot lye saith that his Spirit is vnknowne to the world and that they onely doe know him within whom hee dwelleth Then let them begin to become good Christians and put away their Iewish minds and imbrace the grace of the holy Gospell in good earnest and then shall they know that the good and true Christians both haue the holy Ghost and also acknowledge themselues to haue him But some may say to mee That the Christian cannot by any meanes know that he is in Gods fauour without some speciall reuelation and so consequently that he cannot know whether he be predestinated or no. And hee may specially alleadge these words of Salomon A man knoweth not whether he be worthy of hatred or of loue and also these words of the Apostle S. Paul to the Corinthians I feele not my selfe guilty of any thing and yet feele I not my selfe iustified for all that It seemeth to bee sufficiently declared by the texts of holy Scripture that the said opinion is false and now remaineth onely to be shewed briefely that these two texts whereupon the same opinion is chiefely grounded ought not to bee taken in that sense As touching Salomons sentence although it bee scarse well and faithfully translated in the common translation yet is there not any man so dull who in reading Salomons whole discourse may not plainely perceiue that by saying so hee meant that if any man will take vpon him to iudge by the casualties that happen in this life who is loued or hated of God hee laboureth in vaine considering that the selfe-same chances which light vpon the righteous light also vpon the vnrighteous vpon him that sacrificeth as well as vpon him that sacrificeth not and as soone vpon the good man as vpon the sinner Whereof it may bee gathered that God doth not alwayes shew his loue towards those whom hee indueth with outward prosperities and contrariwise that hee sheweth not his displeasure towards those whom hee punisheth Then my right deare brethren in Christ Iesus our Lord doe you thinke it reason to conclude that a man cannot be sure of Gods fauour because the same surenesse cannot bee perceiued by the sundry chances that happen euery day in these transitory and temporall things A little afore Salomon saith That a man cannot discerne any difference betweene the soule of man and the life of a beast for it is seene that both man and beast dye after one manner Shall we then conclude by this outward accident that the perswasion which wee haue conceiued of the immortalitie of the soule is grounded but onely vpon coniecture No surely and it were a great folly to stand vpon a thing so notably knowne And as for S. Pauls words I say that forasmuch as hee was speaking of the administration of the Gospell hee meant that his heart mis-giues him not of any mis-dealing therein and yet for all that that hee is not sure hee hath done his whole duty to the full and therein obtained the praise of righteousnesse to Godward as if hee had done all that pertained and was conuenient to be done by a faithfull Steward and therefore in speaking of his office like a iust and discreet person hee durst not iustifie himselfe nor auow that hee had discharged his duty to the vttermost and satisfied his Lords will but referred all things to the only iudgement of his Lord. And verily whosoeuer readeth these words of the Apostle Saint Paul and considereth the words going afore them with some iudgement and likewise the words that follow will not doubt but this is the true sense of them I know well that some men in expounding these words of the Apostle S. Paul say that although he knew himselfe to bee without sinne yet he knew not whether hee were righteous to Godward or no according as Dauid affirmeth that no man can perfectly know his owne sinnes But these men perceiue not that S. Paul groundeth not righteousnesse vpon workes but vpon faith and that he vtterly refuseth his owne righteousnesse to imbrace onely the righteousnesse which God hath giuen vs through our Lord Iesus Christ Also they consider not that he was most certaine to be accepted for righteous in maintaining the soundnesse and purenesse of the Christian faith and that he knew well how the Crowne of that righteousnesse was laid vp for him in Heauen and also that he was fully assured that no creature in heauen earth nor hell was able to separate him from the Loue of God and that he longed to dye because he knew for a truth that after his death he should be with Iesus Christ All which things should be false if he had not beene well assured that he was righteous I meane by faith and not by workes Therefore my deare beloued brethren let vs cease to speake that thing of the Apostle S. Paul which he neuer once thought of himselfe but fiercely fought against it continually in answering such as measured righteousnesse by workes and not by faith in our Lord Iesus Christ But besides these two authorities of Salomon and S. Paul a man might alledge some other places of holy Scripture which whereas they warne and encourage men to feare God seeme to be contrary to the assurance of this our predestination And if I would declare them all particularly I should be ouer-long But I say generally that the feare of punishment was proper to the Old Testament and childly loue to the New Testament according as S. Paul witnesseth when he saith to the Romanes Ye haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare but yee haue receiued the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Father Father And likewise vnto Timothy he saith that God hath not giuen vs the spirit of fearefulnesse but rather of power and loue which spirit Iesus Christ hath giuen vs according to the promise made by the mouth of the holy Prophets and brought to passe that we being deliuered out of our enemies hands may serue him without feare before his holy presence in all holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life By these and many other places of the holy Scripture a man may plainely gather that the painefull and slauish fearefulnesse agreeth not with a Christian and this is already confirmed by this that such manner of fearefulnesse is vtterly contrary to the spirituall cheerefulnesse and ioy which is peculiar to the Christian as the Apostle S. Paul sheweth openly to the Romanes saying that the Kingdome of God is righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost that is to say that euery man which entereth into the Kingdome of the grace of the Gospell is become righteous through faith and afterward addeth peace of conscience which consequently breedeth such a spirituall and holy rest and gladnesse in respect whereof the same S. Paul doth oftentimes incourage the Christians to liue merrily And S. Peter saith that all they which beleeue in