Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	faith_n	righteousness_n	work_n	41,517	5	6.8201	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12708	A short treatise, very comfortable for all those Christians that be troubled and disquieted in theyr consciences with the sight of their owne infirmities wherein is shevved hovv such may in their owne selues finde whereby to assure them of their free election, effectuall vocation, and iustification.	Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616.	1580 (1580)	STC 23025; ESTC S102432	22,600	64

of their workes being conered through his good meanes Fourthelye bée the matter neuer so godly that we doe that yet it is necessary to take it in hande and to procéede therein of loue and by loue Paule hath notably taughte vs 1. Cor. 13. saying Thoughe I speake wyth the tongues of men and Aungels and haue not Loue I am as a sounding brasse or a tinkling Cimball and thoughe I had the gifte of Prophecie and knew all secrets and all knowledge yea if I hadde all Faith so that I coulde remoue Mountaines and hadde not Loue I were nothyng and thoughe I séede the p●●re with all my goodes and thoughe I gyue my body that I be br●ned and haue not Loue it profiteth me nothing By loue I meane that two solde loue towardes God and man it muste not be the loue of our selues loue of the worlde or loue of aduantage that must set vs on work but loue in déede vnfained by to wardes God bicause he hathe loued vs so fréely and effectually in Christe And this loue we can no way shewe towards him better than in giuing of oure selues fréely and wholy hartily and continually to obey his laws and commaundements For he that saith he loueth him and hepeth not his commaundements dissem●leth with him The hyr●l●ng not working of loue workes ●oy●eringly and soone is weary but where loue setteth a worke there the worke is done diligently care●u●ly and faithfully that not for a 〈◊〉 but ce●tin●●● yea●●therfore that it ●●ye appeare that we giue our selues is g●●●iuesse ●uen of loue to ●un that is go●●●sse it selfe let vs busset oure selues ab●use it their fully withour grudging for God lo●●●h a thée●●full giuer diligently and no●●●gligently or ●●●●●lly for ●ursed is he that doeth the worke of the Lord negligentlye and let vs perseuer and continue in ●ell 〈◊〉 without fai●●ing or giuing ouer for blessed is he that perseuereth to the end he that putteth his hend is the plough looketh backe is not méete for the kingdome of Heauen Finally last of al that nothing be lacking learn we out of the 6. of Math. to take héeds that we séeke not vain glorie that is the praise and glory at mans hand for our wel doing but let our principal end be the glorie of God as Christe hathe taught vs Math. 5. saying Let your light so shine before men that they may sée youre good works and glorifie your heuenly father which is in heauen and aming thus at this marke by the way we shal there by edifie our neighbors by our good exāple and assure our selues to our great comforte of our election which ●e two excellent ends vses comu●●dities the rise to vs by our good works Thus exercising our selues and wras●iug according to the measure of oure faith euery day to be lesse sinfull more righteous though that perfect righteousnesse that the law requyreth be not founde in vs by reason of oure weakenesse yet wée age counted in the sighte of GOD sanctified holy acceptable in Christ Iesus and so sealed vp to the day of redemption Paul without al doubt was in state of Iustification and a man regenerate or newe borne and therefore suche a one as had put off the olde man and putte on the newe when he wrote his Epistle to the Romaynes and yet there in the ●eauenth Chapiter it appeareth that hée sounde in hymselfe when hée hadde done what he could sin dwelling insomuch that he confesseth that he didde not the good thing that hée would but the euil thing that he wolde not that did he and that he felt a lawe in his members rebelling e●ayust the law of his minde leading him captiue vnto the lawe of ●●ue and therefore he cryeth out of himselfe ô wretched man that I am who shall deliner me from thys body of sinne and death And 〈◊〉 Corinthians 12. hée confesseth that he hadde a pricke in his fleshe whyche hée calleth the Messenger of Sathan that bu●●itted him ●or the whych his faith he prayed thrice that it might depart from him but he sayeth answere was made him that Gods grace was sufficient for him and that his power was made perfect through weakenesse whereby God taught him that so it is and will be euē with the holyest of vs all that there wil remayne in vs alwayes whiles we liue some reli●es of old Adain is humble vs to wrestle and fight against this is necessary to be obserued least that any vpō occasion of the former do●rine shoulde gather against himselfe that forasmuch as he séeth ●n infirmities in himself that therefore he is not sanctified and so void of any assurance of his election and iustificatiō for though Paul ●oūd it thus with himselfe yet bycause in the inner man he ●ound a wrestling a striu●●g against these sinnes in his flesh he ass●teth himselfe that he is one whom God had so certainly purposed to saue for his Christes sake that in his owne person in the persons of all other in the same case the he was he saith I 〈◊〉 pers●●ded that neyther death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor deapth nor any other creature is abte to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus oure Lord Rom. 8. so that let not Peccatum ●i●abitans sinne dwelling in the flesh in the which we know with Paule that no good thing dwelleth Rom. 7. discourage vs so that we be able to say truly with the same Paule we delite in the Lawe of God concerning the inner man In déede we must accompt that Paule hath sayd vnto the regeuerate Let not 〈◊〉 raigue in your mortall bodyes that yée shoulde obey it in the lustes thereof Rom. 6.12 and thereby gather that i● we be sa●●●fied and regeuerate in déede that then sinne is put from his reigne or kingdome in vs but their the must vnderstand that there is greate disterene betw●●te Peccatum regu●●s an● E●●●catum 〈◊〉 that is betwéet sh●●e reiguing in vs and dwelling in vs 〈◊〉 then is in his reigne and king● 〈◊〉 when he hath the members of man redy to yéeld him their voluntary or willing obediēce taking delight in doing of him seruice in whiche estate sin is in vs till we be regenerate haue put on Christ wheby his spirita dispossesseth sin of his kingdom howbeit then til death come in some measure it will be founde in man but yet farre vnlike that it was before for now it is resisted by the spirite so either cannot get the members is doe it seruice at al or else if it doe so farre prenayle as to too often it doeth yet by theforce of the spirite they are so checked and taken vp for their so doing that neither is there such delighte taken in sin as before neither can sin after get his will obeyed so easily again insomuch that thoughe it get his wil now then done

better warrant than the commaundementes and doctrines of men thoughe there bée in them neuer so muche shewe of wisedome humblenesse of mind as vaine foolish verse 20. c. By this rule all the wil worshipping wil-workes in Popery lacking allowance from the word are proued such as neuer coulde be matter of godlinesse But when thou hast suche regarde to the matter thou takest in hand be it tending to the 〈◊〉 frō sin or practise of vertue that thou arte assured out of the word that thou oughtest to be occupied therein yet then hast thou not done for vnlesse thou do the same thing in right maner it léeseth the power of a good work It cānot be denyed but that almes and prayer to God ●e things cōmanded therfore good matter of godlinesse but yet as it is euident Math. 6. though the Scribes Pharistes did bothe these yet were they not accompted good works then bicause they were not done in right maner The Lord in the first of Esay ●elleth the people that he regarded not their sacrifices burnt off●ings ●yes he signifieth vnto thē that he lothed them counted their labor therein bestowed vaine their incense abhomination yet it is well knowen that then sh●s● 〈◊〉 were matters allowed and com●●●●ded of God yet bicause when they were done they were not done as they oughte to haue béene therefore the Lorde thus despyseth the doyng therof Wherfore it is not ynough as the doltishe practise vnder Antichriste caused ●●●les to beléeue to giue almes to faste to pray to vse the Sacraments neuer to care howe and in what sorte to doe these thinges for we sée that thoughe these things be done neuer so much and neuer so ost yet if they be not done in right maner they are reiected of the Lord as vain as abhominatiōs in his sight Now in their maner of doing these thiges are to be regarded First that they pro●éede I mean al our actions from a heart puristed by faith For as 1. Tim. 2. verse 5. we be taught that the end sum or perfection of the whole law is Loue so are we told that it commeth out of a pure hart of a good cōscience saying the true christil loue indéed is not foūd growing where ther is no pure hearte neyther can there be a pure heart where is not a good conscience neither yet can this g●od conscience be where there is absent an vnsayned Faith but where this vnsained faith is that is where a ful and setled persuasion or assuraunce of saluatiō is throughe Jesu Christ alone wrought in the heart by the holy Ghoste thereis a good conscience bicause being iustified by Faith we haue peace with God thorough our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. so ther is also a pure hart for it is faiths propertie to purify the hart Act. 15. verse 9. And therfore is it writtē that by saith Abel offred a better sacrifice than Caine Heb. 11. verse 4. For if there hadde bin faith in Caine as in Abell his sacrifice had bin as well accepted as Abels but euen for lack of this it was not If therfore we lacke faith in God when we go about a good matter we léese our labor for it is impossible to please God wtout faith Heb. 2. vers 6. therfore euē hereby al the gay glorious works of Turks Iewes Atheists Heretikes Papists are proued to be no good works at all in the sight of god bicause they proc●●d frō such as are destitute of the true Christian faith Secondly we must take héed that our workes be done in humilitie and lowlinesse of mind taking our selues to be bound as indéed we are to doe more than we do or can do yea being ready to say think indéed as Christ hath taught vs that whē we haue done al that is commaunded vs to do whiche is impossible for vs to do Act. 15. Rom. 8. that we bée but unprofitable seruants Luk. 17. Further that this Humilitie muste be of measure in vs that it cause vs alwayes to suspect our own weaknesse infirmitie that so there may be founde in vs a holy trembling feare to offend oure good God in omitting the least necessary circumstance of a good work as we be taughte Phil. 2. verse 12. in these wordes Make an end of your saluation in seare trēbling That this humilitie lowlinesse of mind is necessarily to be ioyned with exercizing our selues in good matters Christ hath plainly taught vs Luk. 18 in the parable of the Pharisie Publican there it appeares the the Pharisie had exercised himselfe in good matters both in abstayning from outwarde fins and in doing of good and lawfull things yet bicause when he had done he lackte humilitie therwith was puft vp to think that God was therfore indebted to him he mard al lost al his labor And therfore al merit-mongers that perswade thēselues that by their works they haue deserued Heauen for al their bragging of works more thā ynough to iuf●i●●e thēselues withal are by Christe sent home vniustified yea not so much as once reckoned accompted amongst the workers of any iust holy work Thirdly least any shold think that in teaching vs to be thus lowly minded when we goe about a good work we be taught therein vtterly to distrust or dispaire that god wil at any time regard our good workes accept thē we must learne of the worde to ioyne hope with our humilitie that as the one preserueth vs frō truste in our workes so the other may kéep vs from vtter dispairing that God wil reward them But that this hope may be found in vs we must not séek to groūd any kind of worth●nesse in our selues for when we looke into our selues consider our works as they come from vs in great imperfection we find see our selues to tremble ●●ar being ready al of vs to say with Esay c 4. at our righteousnes is but as ●●thye clouts but we must resorte to Christe that as in him we our selues are iustified so for his sake these pore fruites of oures might be accepted To teach vs thus to doe Peter hath saide vnto vs 1. Epistle Chap. 2. to whom ●e come as vnto a liuing stone dis● lowed of men but chosen of God and pretidus and be made a spirituall house a holy priesthoode to offer vppe spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ He knew sul wel that to encourage Christians to exercise thēselues in godlines which he termes here the offering 〈◊〉 of spiritual sacri●●te● it was nece●●●ry to teach th●us that though when they had done they should find no cause in their own works worthinesse why they shoulde be accepted of God that yet acceptable they should be in Christ Iesus that thus yet he mighte teache them to doe good workes in hope that their labour shoulde be acceptable in Christe and for his sake the infirmities and imperfections