Selected quad for the lemma: law_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A13397
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A catechisme or institution of the christen religion. Newely set forthe by Richard Tauerner
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Taverner, Richard, 1505?-1575.
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1539
(1539)
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STC 23709; ESTC S105103
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28,747
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144
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tychled with no maner of lust contrary to the lawe of charitie and that we be redy wyth all our hert to yelde euery man that is his Now that muste we recken to be euery mans own whych by our boundeÌ„ duty we owe vnto him The pyth of the law TO what purpose al the coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of the law pertayne sufficiently declareth Christe oure Lorde where he sayth that the hole lawe is conteyned in two principal coÌ„mauÌ„demes that is to loue the Lorde god wyth all oure herte with all our soule and with all our power to loue our neyghbour as our selues whiche exposition he toke our euen of the selfe lawe for the firste parte is red Deut. vi and the other Leuiti .xix. What profyt commeth vnto vs by the Law onely LO here a true exemplar president of the ryght and holy lyfe yea a very perfecte ymage of ryghtwysnes it selfe so that yf any maÌ„ can inlyuing expresse y e law of god the same can lacke nothinge to hys perfection afore god In so moche as he hym selfe is wytnesse he promiseth to those that kepe his lawe not alonly excellent prosperities and commodities of this lyfe which be reckened Leuiti .xxvi. and Deut. xxvii but also the rewarde of euerlastynge lyfe On the contrary part he thretneth punyshment of euerlastynge deathe to those that haue not fulfylled what so euer he hath gyuen them in coÌ„maundement to be done Moses also wheÌ„ he had publyshed the law called to wytnesse heauen and earthe that he had setforth to the people good and euyll lyfe and deathe Nowe where as he shew vs the waye of lyfe we must se what profyt we haue by thys appoyntynge and shewynge of the waye Uerely yf our wyl were al togither framed and bent vnto the obedience of gods wyll then were the onely knowledge of the law ynough for our saluacion but seynge oure nature beynge flesshely and corrupte warreth lyke an extreme aduersary agaynst gods lawe a thynge of the spirite and is in nothing amended by her good nurtur and instructions therfore the lawe it selfe whiche was vnto our saluation yf it coulde haue had good hearers is nowe become an occasion of synne and death for asmoche as we be all cast conuict as transgressours therof So the more openly it declareth y e ryghtwysnes of god the more hemously dothe it vtter our wyckednes And agayn the higher transgressioÌ„ the law hathe to laye to our charge the more greuous iugemeÌ„t are we condemned to Thus nowe the promyse of lyfe is vtterly takeÌ„ awaye and onely remayneth y â— curse and that vpon al our neckes by occasion of the lawe The law is meane vnto Christ. NOwe thoughe the wyekednes and damnacion of vs all be sealed vp and confermed with witnesse of the lawe yet this is not therfore done to the intent we shoulde fall into despayre or in this extreme pluÌ„ge run hedlong to oure ownede struction for the Apostell declareth vs all damned by iudgement of the lawe to thintent euery mouthe shuld be stopped and all the worlde be brought vnder gods daunger And yet the same Apostle sayth in an other place that god hath shut vp all men vnder vnbelefe not to destroye all nor to suffre theÌ„ to perishe but to haue mercy vpon al. The Lorde therfore will that we by y e law thus beynge warned of our owne weakenes and vnclennesse shoulde take comfort vpoÌ„ the trust of his power and mercye and that in Christ for whose sake he sheweth him selfe so tender mercyfull a father vnto vs. In the lawe can it not be sene that he rewardeth but onely perfecte rightwysnesse whiche all we â—acke where as otherwyse he is a strayght iudge of synnes But in Christ his face is all ful of fauour grace euen toward wretches and vnworthy synners This so wonderfull a token of his exceding loue he shewed vs by gyuyng vp his own sonne for vs in whom he hath agaynst other he extendeth the rygorousnes of his iudgemeÌ„t let vs suffer the cause to rest in his handes for thys thynge he woll haue vnknowen vnto vs all and that not without good skyll for neither the dulnesse of ourewyt is hable to abide such a lyght ne the skleÌ„der capacitie of the same is in any part sufficient to conceyue so greate a power of his wysedom For verely here who so euer wyll attempte to aduauÌ„ce him selfe not refreynynge the rashnes of hys wyt shall fynde it true y t Salomon sayth whoso woll serche the maiesty shal be oppressed of the glory Let vs only determyne this wyth our selues that this same ordinaunce of the Lorde though it be secret vnto vs yet it is righteous and holy for yf he wolde destroye al mankynd doubtles he maye of ryght do it And surely in those whom he calleth backe agayne frome daÌ„nacion we can se nothinge but his hygh goodnes Let vs thaÌ„ conceyue with oure selues that the choseÌ„ be y e vessels of mercy as they be in dede and that the forsakeÌ„ be the vessels of wrath and not but of a iuste cause But of theÌ„ both we maye take occasioÌ„ and matter to aduaunce gods glory Neyther yet shall we as many men do for a sure establyshment and knowlege of our saluacioÌ„ clyme vp to heaueÌ„ and sawcely enserch what God hath decreed of vs afore the worlde began whiche thought can no other thing do but bring vs in a miserable doubte and trouble But let vs rather be coÌ„tent wyth the wytnesse wherwyth y e Lorde hath sufficiently made our saluacion strong and sure for lyke as in Christe were all the chosen euen as many as afore the foundatioÌ„ of the earth was layd ordeined vnto lyfe so is he y e person in whom resteth the assurauÌ„ce of our saluacion yf we by faith receyue and embrace him For what other thiÌ„g do we serche in the election but to be partetakers of the euerlastinge lyfe And this saluacioÌ„ we obteyne in Christe whiche was the selfe lyfe frome the begynnyng and was made ruler ouer vs vnto lyfe that all those that beleue in hym shulde not peryshe but haue euerlastynge lyfe Wherfore yf we possessinge Christ by fayth possesse also in hym euerlastynge lyfe it is no point of oure charge to make any further enquirye of gods eternall counsell Christe is not onely a glasse wherin gods wyl is represented vnto vs but also an euidence wherin it is after a maner sealed vp for vs. What is true fayth THe christiane fayth ought to be taken neyther for a bare knowledg of God neyther yet for suche an vnderstandyng of scripture as lyke a fansye flyeng here there in the brayne â–ª worketh no good mocion noâ— goostly affection in the herte as wheÌ„ commenly men conceyue in their heades certayne opinions of suche matters as seme to haue strong reasons to make with them But it is a sounde stedfast belefe of herte wherby we safely rest aud staye our consciences in gods
agayne vnto y e Lordes waye Nowe Chryste because he is not the ministre of synne dothe washe away our synnes and decke vs wyth hys ryghtwysnes to the intent we shulde not stayne thys hys grace wyth new fylthynes agayne but ones chosen to be gods sonnes shulde consecrate and direct al our lyfe from hensforth to the glory of our father Thys worke of repentauÌ„ce haÌ„geth on our newe byrth whych new byrth standeth vpon two partes the sleynge of our flesh I meane of thys corruption naturally spronge in vs and a spirituall quyckenynge wherby y e nature of mans is restored to her clennes wherfore vpoÌ„ thys meditation we muste laboure employ our selues al oure lyue loÌ„ge that we ones deed to sinne and to our selues maye lyue to Christe to his ryghtuousnes And wheras this new byrth caÌ„ neuer be perfect so longe as we lyue in the pryson of thys mortall body it muste nedes be that this same mynd and study of repentauÌ„ce ought styl to continue in vs euen vnto death Howe ryghtwysnesse of good workes and of faythe maye stande togither GOod workes that come of suche a purenes of conscience doubtles be stronge and allowed before god For sythe god seeth his owne ryghtuousnesse in them he can not but allowe them yet must we take hede least we beare oure self so hault in the vayne affiauÌ„ce and trust of our good workes that we forget not how we be iustifyed by the fayth in Christ alonely For there is no righteousnes of workes afore God except it answereth to his rightousnes so y t who so goeth about to be iustifyed by his owne workes it is not ynoughe for hym to brynge out one good dede or two but he must shewe forth a perfecte obedience of the lawe whyche thyng is farre awey yea frome those that seme moost of all to haue profyted gone forwarde afore other in the Lordes law Besyde thys although y â— ryghtuousnes of god coulde be content and pleased with one good dede only and no mo yet shulde not god fynde so muche as one good dede in all hys sayntes y t worthely eueÌ„ of the self workes deseruynge he myghte prayse and commende as rightwyse For this is y e very trouth seme it neuer so great a meruel that no worke we do is perfect on euery syde but is blemyshed w t some wart eyther in one parte or other Wherfore syth we be synners foyled with many remnauntes of vyces we muste nedes be iustified an other waye thaÌ„ by our selfe Now certeinly we haue alwaye greate nede of Christe that by hys perfectnes oure vnperfectnesse maye be couered by hys purenes oure vnclennes maye be washed by his obedieÌ„ce our iniquitie maie be blotted out fynally y t for his rightousnesse we maie befreely taken as rightuouse w tout any respect of our workes whyche in no wyse can be of suche valoure to stande in the iudgemeÌ„t of God Thys notwythstandynge so longe as these our spottes whyche other wayes myght blemyshe stayne oure workê before God be thus hyd and kepte close the Lorde consydereth in them nothynge but hyghe purenesse and holynesse where vpon he vouchesaueth to gyue them hyghe tytles of prayses for he calleth and also estemeth them euen ryghtousnesses yea and promyseth vnto theÌ„ large rewardes So maye we then shortly conclude that oure felowshyp wyth Christe is of such strength force that for it we be not onely freely reputed ryghtuous but also our workes be reckened vs for iustice and ryghtuousnesse and be aboundantly recompensed wyth an euerlastyng rewarde The Symbole of fayth or Christen Crede WE tolde you heretofore what profyte we take by our fayth in Christ nowe shall ye heare what our faith ought to beholde in Christ what to conceyue of him to the stablyshment and confermynge of it Certaynely thys is declared in the Simbole or ChristeÌ„ Crede as howe Christe is made vnto vs by his father our wysdome raunsome lyfe ryghtwysnes and holynes Nowe it maketh no greate matter who was the maker of this Symboll or by what personê this abrydgenieÌ„t of faith was set forthe whiche in it hath no humane doctrine but is gathered of most certain recordes of scripture And because no man shulde muse why we knowledge our selues to beleue in the father the sonne the holy ghoste we woli some what speake hereof afore we entre into the Crede When we name the father the sonne and the holy holy ghost we make vs nat thre goddes but in most symple and pure vnite of God aswel the scripture as the very experieÌ„ce of godlynes shewe vs God the father hys sonne and the spirite so y t our vnderstanding caÌ„ not conceyue the father but it must also coÌ„pryse aswell the sonne in whome shyneth y e fathers lyuely ymage the spirite in whom his power and might is opened In one God therfore let vs fyxe the hole thought of our mynd and yet in the mean season coÌ„sider y â— father w t y e soÌ„ne and his holy gost I beleue in one God the father almyghty maker of heauen and earth By these wordê we be taught to beleue not nakedly that there is a God but also to know that he is our God and to trust that we be of the noÌ„ber of those whom he promyseth to be their God whome also he taketh for his owne people Thys God is called almighty wherby is meaned that by his prouidence he disposeth al thinges and at his pleasure gouerneth through his power and myght ordereth them when we cal him maker of heauen and earthe we muste therwith vnderstande y t he coÌ„tinually nourisheth susteyneth and quyckeneth whatsoeuer ones he made And in Iesus Christ hys onely sonne our Lorde WHere aboue we sayd that Christ is he euerlastyng butte of our fayth thys is easy to se for asâ—â—ch as all y e partes of our heâ— be here represented in hym 〈◊〉 call hym Iesus which 〈◊〉 was gyuen hym from heauen because he was sent to saue hys people frome theyr synnes And therfore the scripture sayth y t there is none other name gyuen vnto men wherby they myght be saued This additioÌ„ or surname christ betokeneth y t he was aÌ„noynted and throughly endowed wyth all the graces of the holy ghost whiche in scripture be rehersed vnder the name of oyle because wythout theÌ„ through drought and barennesse we wyther and dekaye Throughe this annoin tynge of the father â—as he first made kyng subduâ—â—â— vnto him selfe all power in heauen and in earth that in hym we mought also be kynges hauyng power ouer the deuyll synne deathe hell So theÌ„ was he coÌ„secrated prest that through his sacrifice he myght pacifye the father bryng vs in fauour agayn with hym to y e inteÌ„t that in him we also myght be preestes offryng vnto the father prayers thankes our selues and all ours by thys same Christe our mediatour and reconcyler Furthermore he is called y â— son of God