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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	bless_v	lord_n	praise_v	4,649	5	10.4003	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16763	A treatise of christian beneficence, and of that like christian thankefulnese which is due to the same The which, as they are duties of singular account with God, so are they of as necessarie vse to all christians, for the keeping of faith and a good conscience, as are fire and water for common vse and comfort to the naturall life of all men.	Allen, Robert, fl. 1596-1612.	1600 (1600)	STC 367; ESTC S112321	178,520	256

degree out of aduersity to prosperity but that they might glorifie his name in being a refuge and succour to the rest of their poore and distressed brethren according as Mordecai sendeth his admonitorie message to Queene Ester chap. 4.14 saying Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdome for such a time ' Who therfore seeth not that the mercifull relieuing of the needie and poore speciallie such as approue themselues to be of the houshold of faith faithfull seruantes in the familie and Church of God is a vertue of singular excellencie seeing such as do thus do herein shew themselues in speciall manner as deare children to be the most kindlie and ingenuous imitators and followers of God their heauenlie father in that which he accounteth his most singular glorie as we haue seen before In which respect also saith our Sauiour Christ to his disciples Be ye mercifull as your Father is mercifull But not onelie must the children of God be like their heauenly father in doing good to their fellow brethren but euen to their enemies also as the same our Sauiour teacheth For euen God is not onelie kind and beneficiall to the good and iust but also to the vnkind and euill causing the comfortable light and warmth of his Sunne to arise vpon them and his raine to make their fieldes and cattell fruitfull Matth. 6.44.45 and Luke 6.35.36 Finallie according to the holie Prouerbe ch 19.22 That which is to be desired of a man is his goodnesse For herein speciallie is all that comprehended for the which he is to be praised as 2. Chron. 3 2. verse 32. the whole praise of Hezekiah is noted by his goodnes And so also of king Iosiah ch 35.26 The heathen also whether by the light of nature or by the remnant of tradition of doctrine from the first fathers of whom they came after the dispersion of the nations they held this for a principle and so haue set it downe in their writings that in nothing man is more like vnto God then in beneficiall kind dealing And when Demosthenes as they write was asked what man might haue wherein he should resemble God he answered If he should deale beneficiallie and speake trulie And hence it was no doubt that euen among the same heathen people of the world the honourable title of beneficence and bountifulnesse was as it were by a law of nations principally attributed and ascribed to Princes and Rulers whom it should beseeme best as in name so in the vertue it selfe to expresse the diuine nature of God most This coustome of the heathen is pointed at by our Sauiour Christ Luke ch 22.25 where he saith thus They that beare rule ouer the Gentils are called EVERGETAI that is gratious or beneficiall and bounteous Neuerthelesse here before wee goe any one step further it is to good purpose that we doe consider that betwixt the bounteous and beneficiall Giuing of the Lord and all humane beneficence there is necessarilly a great and vnmeasurable difference to be put First because God is the onely spring and fountaine of all beneficence so that from him alone are deriued all good giftes whatsoeuer either man or Angell are partakers of or howsoeuer they are made instrumentes of anie good benifite and blessing either of them to other For as the Apostle Paul saith from the Prophete Isaiah and both of them in the name of the Lord Who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who was his counseller Or who hath giuen to him first and he shall be recompensed For of him and through him and for him are all things to him be glorie for euer Amen Rom. 11.34.35.36 and Isaiah chap. 40.13.14 And yet more particularly touching man whether Prince or noble Peere rich or mighty learned or in authority Prophet or Apostle whosoeuer he be he cannot possibly haue any thing whether of this world or belonging to the kingdome of God to giue vnlesse he haue first receiued it of that perfect and cōplete fulnesse which is only in the Lord. So that worthily may the Apostle aske of one as wel as of the other chiefly of such as haue the most excellent gifts Who separateth thee And what hast thou which thou hast not receiued and if thou hast receiued it why doest thou boast as if thou hadst not receiued it 1. Cor. 4.7 And Iob. 1.21 The Lord giueth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord. Secondly God giueth such gifts and in such maner as no creature is able to giue them Thine ô Lord saith king Dauid is greatnesse and power and glorie and victory and praise for all that is in heauen earth is thine thine is the kingdom ô Lord and thou excellest as head ouer all in thine hand is power and strength and in thy hand it is to make great and to giue strength vnto all Now therefore ô our God we thanke thee and praise thy glorious name But who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer willingly after this sort For all things come of thee of thine owne hand we haue giuen thee 1. Chro. 29.11 c. And thus no one man but only God hath giuen the whole earth distributed it among all the sons of men Ps 115.16 Thus he no other hath giuen his only son our Lord Iesus Christ to and for the redemption saluation of his Church Isai 9.6 ch 49.6 Ioh. 3.16 ch 4.10 Rom. 5.15 c. where the excellency of this one gift is amplified aboue all other by the holy Apostle and ch 8.31 32. What shall we then say to these things If God be on our side who can be against vs who spared not his owne son but gaue him for vs to death how shall he not with him giue vs all things also According to this diuine munificence God hath giuen the Church to Christ Psal 2.8 Ioh. 17.6 7 8 c. to the end that though it had iustly deserued to be vtterly stripped and left wast naked it might neuertheles by him be beautified adorned with al excellent princely gifts Mat. 28.18 19 20. Eph. 4.11 c. Ier. 3.15 Isa 50.4 euen with such gifts as no money could purchase but onely the bloud of Iesus Christ which is more precious then all gold siluer Act. 8.20 1. Pet. 1.18.19 Among these most precious gifts is heauenly knowledge vnderstanding Ps 119.34 Mat. 11.25 26 27. ch 13.11 ch 16.17 Likewise faith repentāce forgiuenesse of sins are in the number of these inualuable gifts of God Act. 5.31 32. and ch 11.17 18. 2. Tim. 2.25 26. Ier. 24.7 ch 32.39.40 In this catalogue of the gifts of God is that peace of conscience which passeth all vnderstanding Philip. 4.7 that is to say such a gift the excellēcy wherof cannot throughly be discerned of vs. Finally of this magnificēt bounty of God eternal life saluatiō are the gifts of

seruiceable dutie Thus dooing we shall be so far from the displeasing and dishonouring of God and so farre also from the reprochfull and damnable blot of vnthankfulnesse that we shall giue God double honour first in the acknowledgment of his mercie as it were reached forth by his owne most gratious and diuine hand out of that fountain and treasurie of all holie and sacred beneficence which is onelie with him and from him and secondlie we shall honour his diuine Maiestie in the worke of his speciall grace whereby he causeth his owne image glorious vertues to shine and cast forth the comfortable beames thereof from the mercifull affection and liberall actions of his deare childrē Further also thus doing we shall giue incouragement to those that are beneficially and liberally minded to continue their liberalitie yea as they shall increase in ability to increase their well doing toward many when they shal behold it to be wel bestowed And finally thus doing do we not see that euen in the receiuing we our selues doo giue we giue God his glorie and we giue his gratious instrumentes that which is their due yea we giue our selues all that God hath giuen vs to God his Church which are the only right endes wherefore God hath giuen vs that which we are and all whatsoeuer we do enioy So that although it standeth firme as mount Sion which our Sauiour Christ hath affirmed that it is a blessed thing to giue and distribute benefites rather then to receiue them yet seeing in receiuing as we ought to receiue we do giue againe that which we ought to giue if we so continue and abide we shall also be blessed of God in our deede Yea we may be bold to go a step further truly affirme that if any by the grace of God shall giue better things then they receiue that is spirituall things for carnall as the holy Scriptures call the trāsitory things of this world heauenly for earthly eternall for temporall c. they shall herein stand more blessed then if they had giuen only the same thinges of this life which they receiued yea though they had giuen them to others in farre greater aboundance then they haue receiued them their owne selues Wherefore that we may conclude and present this our Treatise the best gift that for the present we haue in as dutifull and thankfull maner as we may both to God and his Church would to God most humbly and with al the heart soule mind and spirit that these poore labours may be so blessed and prospered that not onely beneficence may on all hands in the which there is any power to helpe be incouraged and holpen forward to all good ends and purposes as may be most to the glory of God to the mercifull reliefe of euery necessity need of the poore of his people but also that all sorts whosoeuer are partakers of the holy beneficence whether Ministers of the word of God or students in schooles of learning or poore of any other condition may be moued to be carefull to take such a holy diligent and profitable course of life as may best beseeme those who are nourished in the bosom of the Church from the speciall treasurie allowance and portion as it were of the Lord himselfe that in this their good and godly course of life they may be happily and eternally blessed of God And touching those that as yet haue not this due regard my humble harty prayer is that they may haue grace so speedily to consider in how feareful an estate they are that they may be stirred vp to preuent the most wofull euerlasting punishments of God by true repentance in a blessed change of their life The vse of the whole Treatise Yea that in the treatie of mercie and goodnes the heart may shew it selfe inlarged to all pittie and compassion euen to the vttermost boundes of it as much as may be obteined would to God that it might please him not onelie to giue this manifold grace to his Christian Churches trulie professing his name and the name of our Lord Iesus Christ his onlie sonne but also that euen in the Church of Rome which aboue all other Churches in the world glorieth of most large and aboundant donation and giftes both from Christ himselfe and all sortes of Christians high and lowe Emperours kinges Queenes Princes Nobles and of all inferiour degrees that so manie as in the same belong to the election and grace of God may haue grace to see in howe lamentable an estate they stand euen in respect of that wherin they doo so greatlie glorie For in so much as both Priestlie cleargie and all other beneficiaries and beadesmen among them doo not onelie most impiouslie abuse all the latter excessiue and seruile giftes which they haue drawne from their blindelie deuoted benefactors vnder a false perswasion of escaping purgatorie and of meriting heauen c. to all blasphemous idolatrie and superstition but also in so much as they doo likewise abuse all whatsoeuer was in the former and purer times of Gods true religion and worship giuen of true beleeuing Christians both good Emperours Princes and others to the maintenance of the Gospell and holy ministerie therof it cannot be but for this so generall most heinous and treacherous abuse of all beneficence against Christ and his Gospell they must needes stand most culpable before the iudgement seate of Christ and of God The Whore as Saint Iohn was instructed by that reuelation which our Sauiour Christ gaue him from heauen which sitteth vpon the scarlet coloured beast and is her selfe arayed in purple and scarlet and gilded with golde and precious stones pearles who hath a cup of gold in her hand full of abominations c. she shall be damned Reuel ch 17.1 c Why so It is declared in the same chapter and in the chapter next following that this damnation shall come vpon her that is vpō the adulterous church of Rome the mother of the whordomes and abominations of the earth as there she is called because in steade of mainteining the puritie and as we may say the virgine-like or mariage chastitie of the faith of Christ and pure spirituall worship of God in steade of procuring the saluation of men by the right vse of Gods holie ordinances word Sacramentes Praier c. in steed of cherishing his good and faith-full seruantes whether poore or rich noble or of lowe degree king or meane subiect it hath not feared to beare as in the forehead many names of blasphemie against God and Christ to commit infinite spirituall and grosse fornications against the purity of his worship to make marchandise of the soules of men for filthie lucre and aduantage by the corrupting of holie doctrine and promises of the Gospell to make it selfe drunken with the bloud of the Prophetes and of other good Saintes and holie Martyrs onelie because they rebuked and gaue testimonie against their most wicked