Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	apostle_n	faith_n	work_v	4,705	5	7.7266	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17218	Looke from Adam, and behold the Protestants faith and religion evidently proued out of the holy Scriptures against all atheists, papists, loose libertines, and carnall gospellers: and that the faith which they professe, hath continued from the beginning of the world, and so is the true and ancient faith. Herein hast thou also a short summe of the whole Bible, and a plaine manifestation, that all holy men who have pleased God, have beene saved through this Christian faith alone.; Alte Glaube. English	Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; Coverdale, Miles, 1488-1568.	1624 (1624)	STC 4073; ESTC S108889	66,495	116

because we may not describe it after our owne judgement we will rehearse the words of the Apostle which writing to the Hebrewes saith after this manner Faith is a substance of things to be hoped for an evidence or certaintie of things which doe not appeare By the which definition it is manifest that when we set forth or teach this faith we meane no vaine faith no false opinion of faith no fond imagination of faith no dead faith no idle faith but a substantiall thing even a sure beleefe of things that are to be hoped for and a proofe experience or knowledge of things that are not seene This faith then is the instrument whereby we feele and are certaine of heavenly things that our corporall eye cannot see Now because none other vertue can so apprehend the mercy of God nor certifie us so effectually of our salvation as this living faith doth therefore hath the Scripture imputed our justification before God only unto faith among all other vertues not without other vertues following but without any other worke or deed justifying This is the faith of Christ which all the Scripture speaketh of This is the faith that S. Paul preacheth to justifie in the sight of God as S. Iames teacheth that works justifie in the sight of men and that it is but a dead faith which hath no works This is the faith without the which it is impossible to please God and of the which whatsoever proceedeth not is sinne This is the faith whereby God purifieth our hearts and whose end is salvation This is the faith that worketh by charitie or godly love is of value before God This is the faith whereby the holy fathers which were afore Christs incarnation did in spirit eat and drinke enjoy the same mercy of God in Christ that we are partakers of To be short this is the same faith whereby God saved those his elect of whō S. Paul maketh mention in the foresaid epistle to the Hebrewes and rehearseth many godly fruits of the same in their conversation This then is no new-fangled faith no strange faith no faith invented by mans braine but even the same that Gods holy spirit teacheth in the infallible truth of his Scripture and that Adam Abel Enoch and all the other servants of God were saved in Why doe men therefore either call it a new-fangled faith or report evill of us for setting it forth Why I feare me this is one cause The old faith that all those servants of God had whom the Apostle nameth in the eleventh to the Hebrewes had a life and conversation joyned unto it which was rich and full of all good works Therefore seeing there be so many bablers and pratlers of faith and so few that bring forth the worthy fruits of repentance it giveth the world occasion to report of us that our faith is but new-fangled They see us not fall to labour and taking of paines as Adam did They see not the righteousnesse and thankfulnesse in us that was in Abel They see us not walke after the word and will of God as Enoch did They see us not take Gods warning so earnestly as Noe did They see us not so obedient to the voice of God nor so well willing and content to leave our friends to forsake our owne wils our owne lands and goods at Gods calling and dwell in a strange country to doe Gods pleasure as Abraham did they see that wee chuse not rather to suffer adversitie with the people of God than to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season They see us not esteeme the rebuke of Christ or trouble for his sake to be greater riches than all the treasures of this world as Moses did To be short they see not in our garden those sweet flowers and fruits of Gods holy Spirit which were in them that had the old faith Ashamed may wee be therefore as many of us as either write teach preach speake or talke of the old faith if wee endevour not our selves to have those old heavenly vertues that were ever plentifull in all Gods true servants in every one I meane according to his calling Not that it is evill to teach or talke of the true old faith but this I say because that according to the doctrine of S. Iames they are but deceivers of themselves that are not doers of Gods word as well as hearers thereof And through such slender receiving of Christs holy Gospell it is now come to passe that like as we haue need of such an Apostle as was holy S. Paul to rebuke this vaine confidence that men put in their workes and to tell us that no worke of our doing but faith of Gods working doth justifie us in his sight Even so have wee no lesse need of such another Apostle as was holy S. Iames to rebuke this horrible unthankfulnesse of men that professing themselves to bee Christians and to hold of Christs old faith are yet dead unto all good workes receive not the word of God in meekenesse cast not away all uncleannesse and malitiousnesse are swift to speake to talke to jangle and to take displeasure are forgetfull hearers of the Word and not livers thereafter boasting themselves to be of Gods pure and undefiled Religion and yet refraine nor their tongues from evill visit not the poore the friendlesse and the desolate in their trouble neither keepe themselves undefiled from this world Reade the first chapter of his Epistle What an occasion might such an Apostle as holy Iames was have to write another yea a sharper Epistle seeing so many pretending to be of Iesus Christs old faith are yet so partiall have such a carnall respect of persons are not rich in faith despise the poore practise not the law of godly love talke and jangle of faith not having the workes thereof clothe not the naked helpe not the poore to their living regard not their necessitie have but a dead faith declare not by good and godly workes the true and old faith of Christ are but vaine beleevers have not the eflectuous the working and living faith that Abraham and Rahab had Reade the second chapter of his Epistle How would holy Iames reprove these bringers up of strange doctrines blasphemers backbiters belie●s of good men false teachers against Gods truth dissemblers with the same cary fire as they say with the one hand and water in the other pretend to be learned and yet bring not forth the workes of good conversation in meekenesse out of Gods wisdome but in frowardnesse and out of carnall doctrine How would he take up these that delight in malice and strife belie Gods truth are given to earthly fleshly and devillish wisdome are unstable full of all evill workes are not in the schoole of Gods wisdome and learning are not given to unfainednesse of heart are not peaceable are churlish uneasie to be intreated c. Reade the third chapter

taken from it Now did God make a Testament or bequest with Abraham and promised him therein that he would give him a seed in whom he and his children should be saved And the same salvation did he expresly appoint in one and not in many Wherefore wee must adde nothing unto Gods bequest seeing he hath promised vs salvation in Christ only and not in many that is to say in no creature not in our owne power and workes of the Law neither must wee thinke that the Law was afterward added to the intent as though Christ were not able to save us or as though we might obtaine salvation by our owne workes out of the Law For thus followeth it in Paul word to word This Testament I say which afore was confirmed to Christward is not disanulled or made of none effect by the Law which was given beyond foure hundred yeeres thereafter For if the inheritance begotten by the Law then is it not given by the promise But God gave it freely unto Abraham by promise These are Pauls words out of the which every man may understand that to the generation of man salvation is given only of the grace of God through the promise and through no deserving at all and that the law of the promise that is to say the bequest and Testament of God is nothing minished but that the summe remaineth without blemish namely that salvation is given us freely But here might one aske Seeing that the salvation is clearely enough expressed afore the Law and is ascribed only unto the grace of God why would God then adde the Law why was he not content with the Testament alone Therefore followeth it now in Paul Why then serveth the Law It was added because of transgressions till the seed came that was promised These are Pauls words which are thus to be understood The Law was not given because of the promise to make it of none effect and to teach that men are saved by workes and not through the grace and free liberty of God but it was given because of transgression that is to say because that the people of God in Aegypt had transgressed the way and truth of their Fathers and knew no more what was sinne right or unright wherein stood salvation or damnation for they were corrupt through the long dwelling among the Idolaters of Aegypt Therefore did God ordaine them the Law out of the which they might learne the will of God what sinne right or unright is and to know themselves to goe into themselves and to consider how that the holy workes which God requireth are not in their owne power for the which cause all the world have great need of a Mediator And thus the Law was given to further the promise namely that wee through the Law might be led only unto Christ For thus followeth it in Pauls words And it was given of Angels by the hand of a Mediator A Mediatour is not a Mediatour of one only but God is one Is the Law then against the promises of God God forbid Howbeit if there had beene given a law which could have given life then no doubt righteousnesse should come of the Law But the Scripture hath shut up all under sinne that the promise should come by the faith on Iesus Christ given unto them that beleeve Before faith came that is to say Iesus Christ in whom we beleeve we were kept and shut up under the Law unto the faith which should afterward be declared Thus was the Law our Schoole-master unto Christ that we might be made righteous by faith c. By these words of Paul may every man understand now for what cause the Law was given and how it is not contrary to the promise of the foresaid seed but rather bringeth us from our selves and from all creatures only unto Iesus Christ The Law therefore confirmeth the first promise concerning the blessed seed and teacheth that wee obtaine all salvation in him only Howbeit it is also a rule of our life informing us what wee ought to doe and what we ought to leave undone Yet on our side is all unfruitfull where faith is not But where faith is it ceaseth not through love to worke good according to the Law all honour and praise being referred unto God to men nothing but unperfectnesse God also among his people wrought many things whereby hee set the cause of Iesus Christ clearely afore the eies of the people as it is expressed afore by the Lambe of the Passeover Likewise is it where as Moses hanged up a Serpent in the wildernesse that all they which were stung and poisoned of serpents should behold the brasen serpent hanging and not die but be saved alive Wheras doubtlesse the outward beholding of the brasen serpent saved not them that were poisoned but it was God which would so declare that his Sonne should be hanged upon a crosse to the intent that every one which were poisoned and defiled by the old serpent and sinne should beleeve in the Sonne of God and live in him For so is it written Sap. 16. They had a token of health according to the commandement For who so converted was not made whole by the outward thing which he saw but by thee which art the restorer of health and Saviour of all And yet saith Christ more clearely Ioh. 3. And like as Moses set up the serpent in the wildernesse even so must the Sonne of man be lift up that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have eternall life And as touching this the holy Apostle Paul bringeth in another sentence 1 Cor. 10. and saith Brethren I would not haue you ignorant of this that our Fathers were all under the cloud and all passed thorow the sea and were all baptised under Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did all eat one spirituall meat and drinke of one spirituall drinke But they dranke all of the spirituall rocke that followed them which rocke was Christ Besides this if we consider the declaration of the lawes of the first Table which teacheth how we shall behave our selves right toward God to love worship and honour him to serve him and to cleave only unto him we shall finde in the same first Table the whole cause of Christ For all that afterward was ordained and appointed concerning the Tabernacle the Priesthood and the Oblations pertaineth to the summe of the first Table for as much as the Scripture and the mouth of God calleth it his law precept commandement use and statute ordinance and service And if thou aske How can God which is a spirit be served with outward visible and fleshly things as the foresaid ceremonies of the Iewes are I answer Such outward rites of the people of God were sacraments and tokens of heavenly invisible good things and were not the heavenly riches themselves Wherefore they neither served nor pleased God