Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	believe_v	faith_n	jesus_n	4,985	5	6.2808	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17486	Concerning the true beleefe of a Christian man a most excellent and profitable dialogue, by S.C. Herevnto, besides the marginall notes, declaring the chiefe points of doctrines, there is added a godlye and lightsome prayer, which in certain breefe petitions, comprehendeth the very contents of the vvhole vvorke: vvritten in Latine, by Abraham Fleming Londoner borne. To the right Reuerend Father in Christ, Iohn Bishop of London. Translated out of Latine, by Arthur Golding.; De vera Christiani hominis fide. English.	Wittewronghelus, Jacobus.; Fleming, Abraham, 1552?-1607. A godly and fruteful prayer.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1582 (1582)	STC 4301; ESTC S109605	31,186	106

the appoyntment of Christ. When you would giue your selfe to voluptuousnes you must absteine and giue your selfe to sorrowing When you would be aduenged of any body you must forgiue him When you woulde doo a man harme you muste doo him good When you woulde laughe you muste weepe When you would sew for honour you must indure shame When you would seeke riches you muste suffer pouertye And to be short you must in suche wise depart from your own will as if you b●e asked what you woulde you maye answere nothing but what Christ listeth And all these things shal you do throgh faith For vnlesse you beleued you would not do them But it is necessary to be vnderstoode what is ment by this sa●ing of S. Paules that we must proceede from fayth to fayth There is a certayne first and vnperfect beleefe whereby a man is moued to renounce hym selfe This beeing once kindled becommeth daylye greater by a mans holding on vntill at length he be come so farre that he doth as certenly beleeue all Gods sayings commandements promises and threatni●gs as you beleeue that the day shall succeede y e night Hence springeth that almightie power of fayth wherthrough it is able to remoue mountaynes so as there is no pride no couetousnes no lechery nor to be short no vice so huge great which that fayth is not able to put away and to plucke vp by the ●oote Howbeit ere euer a man attayne to that strength he is to indure many hard things in the way of his forsaking of him selfe and without such hardnes there is no accesse to be had to that strength like as a figge or a grape can not become sweet except it be first sowre And because I my selfe haue not yet obteined the victorie but doo yet still sweate in the incounter of forsaking my self and as yet am farre of from the garlande I will say no more concerning the victorie that is to say concerning the thing that is vnknowen vnto me but yet as much as I can I will helpe you by Gods grace in y e incounter if you will be my companion Lew. Truely for my parte although my selfe do shudder start backe at it y●t am I caryed with my spirite minde to follow you For I see no other way for a man to be saued but by departing out of his owne nature that he maye put vpon him the nature of Christ and by caring studying striuing and taking paynes to repayre the image wherafter we were created And therefore beseeching God that it may be to his glory mine own saluation henceforth I yeeld my self into this way as a folower of Christ taking god for my guid Fred. And I thank God for this willingnes which he hath giuen you beseeching him to finishe his work which he hath begon in you to bring you to that poynt that ye may at length serue righteousnes as you haue seru●d vnrighteousnes which thin he wil vndoutedly doo except you greeue his spirite and cast it out through your disobediēce Finally of this I will warney ●n that you must haue a riche fayth because you beleeue in him that is riche in doing good For men haue euer sinned in beleeuing vntowardly and more nigardly of Gods gracious goodnes then they ought to do Abraham and Sara were rebuked for laughing as though it had but a matter to be laughed at that God promised them issue when they were both olde and Sara moreou●r barr in Zacharias the father of Iohn Baptist was striken dumbe for a tyme because he beleeued not the Angels words We be commonly more forwarde in folowing the weake beleefe or if I may so terme it the vnbeleef of the godly then in following their full and riche beleefe Why doo we not rather followe those which durst beleeue all things Eliseus durst craue double the spirite of Elias which soothly was a great thing euen by the record of Elias him selfe and yet he obteined it so vnpossible is it for any fayth to be so great but that Gods gracious goodnes and power doo surmount the same All thinges sayth he are possible to the beleeuer Agayne Whatsoeuer yee aske beleeue that you shall obteyne it and yee shall haue it in deede Remember I saye the saying of Elizeus speaking after this maner to the poore woman Borrow oyle-vessels of thy neighbours yea borrow a great sort and the Lord will fill them al full Euen so Lewis let vs do our indeuor that we may haue suche a fayth as maye be able to receiue the greatest good things and let vs be bolde to beleeue that God both can and will bring to passe that we shall loue him alone with our whole heart soule power and strength And he of his owne gracious goodnes will bestowe all things vpon vs much more largely then we can euen thinke for his sonne our Lorde Iesus Christes sake to whom be honour glory and dominion for euer Amen FINIS A godly and fruteful prayer which beeing gathered out of the whole Dialogue doth briefly comprehende the chiefe things that are to be obserued therin are there more largely opened Made by Abraham Flemming Londoner borne ALmightie and euerlasting God which vppon vs wretched sinners hast heaped vp many or rather infinit benefites and vpon vs vntamed Hekfars despising the healthfull words of thy commaundements hast bestowed most singuler ornamentes euen the riches of thy grace behold our lowlynes and see how we cast our selues downe in comming to make sute at the throne of thy Maiestie crying for helpe from heauen that we maye be bolde to bring those things to passe which of our owne power we be scarsely or rather vtterly vnable to attempt Let thy sonne Christ the bright light and full wisedome of the father shine vnto vs Let him be our guide and directer let him inlighten our dim harts Let him soften the thing that is hard scoure the thing that is filthy sweeten the thing y t stinketh righten the thing that is crooked lighten the thing that is darke hallowe the thing that is vnholy and finally make whole and perfect in all poyntes the thing that is maymed and vnperfect that by that meanes wee maye at length become the forewarder to performe those things which thy diuine word inioyneth vs and to leaue the things vndone which we bee forbidden to meddle withall Graunt O mercifull God such light of true knowledge as may leade vs foorth righte and make vs to walke without stumbling in the wayes of thy worde Let the true obedience take deepe roote in vs whiche is wonte to bee more acceptable and pleasaunt to thee then any sacrifice Increace in vs that fayth without which we can not please thee Let that fayth bee effectuall and mightie in vs that hauing shaken off all distrust and put away all disobedience we may not onely beginne but also proceede and perseuer a●ter suche a sorte in beleeuing as we may become

and perils What shall I saye of those whiche haue gelded them selues What shall I say of the Circumcellions who as the report goeth of them to thintent to become Martyrs themselues and to make otherfolkes Martyrs with them fordid themselues by sundry sorts of death as drowning burning and leaping from high places and perswaded other men to doe the like all which things they dyd throughly beleeue For vnlesse they had beleeued y t those things were to be done they would not haue done them To bee shorte whatsoeuer thing men beleeue is to be done they can indeuer to do it Now if their beleefe beeing false and not onely not grounded vppon Gods commaundement but also cleane contrary therevnto haue notwithstanding suche strength I pray you what is not that fayth or beleefe able to doe which is both commaunded and also procured and strengthned by him shall Gods spirite haue lesse power in man then the spirite of Satan Shall lighte be of lesse force then darknesse Ye see what force Paules fayth had Unto this howre sayth he we be hungry and thyrstie naked and buffeted we be tossed and turmoyled we labour and worke with oure owne handes Beeing rayled at we wishe well beeing vexed we suffer it beeing reuyled we take comfort at it If they be ministers of Christ much more am I In labour I exceede them In taking strypes I go beyond them In being imprisoned I passe them In death I haue often bin Of the Iewes I haue fyue times receyued fortye strypes saue one Thrice haue I bin whipped Once haue I bin stoned Thrice haue I suffered shipwracke Day night haue I spent in the depe seas Often haue I iourneyed Often haue I bin in daunger of Riuers of Robbers of mine owne Countreimen of straung●rs in the Citie in the wildernes on the sea and among false br●thren Often haue I bin tyred with trauelling and with watching often haue I feinted for hunger and thyrst in fasting often haue I bin a colde for want of clothes And besides all the other things which dayly distresse me verily the care of all Churches lyeth vppon me Who is weakned and I am not the wors at ●ase for it who is offended and I am not gr●eued at it This is the almightie strength of fayth Lewis wherewith he being armed was inabled to do al things by him which strengt●ned him And if we haue y e same strēgth then surely th●r● is cause for vs to thinke ou●s●lues to haue y e same faith if not then let vs not beare our selues in hande y t we haue the thing which we wāt least it befall vnto vs at it doth to y t man which dreameth y t he hath found a treasure and when he awaketh he hath not a halfepeny Levv. O my Frederike my imagination that I abounded in faith is but a dreame but now beeing wakened by your wordes I see playnly that I am quite cleane without it as the rest of y e world is For as for this effectuall power of fayth I nother finde it in myselfe nor perceyue it in the world Fred. That you bee faithlesse Lewis it is to be lamented but that being so you see yourself to be so y t is not only not to be lamēted but also to be reioyced at like as a sicknesse is it selfe to be misliked but the knowledge of the sicknesse is to be well lyked Levv. By what meane then or by what medicine maye this my disease of vnbeleefe be cured Fred. By taking away the impedimentes of vnbeleefe Lew. Which are those Fred. You haue heard them of me already in my former talkes Howbeit forasmuch as you haue scantly conceiued them as things that your eares haue not herd of for our maner is not to be ouerhastie in bearing words or things away which we haue not heard of afore I will tell you them more playnly Giue good heede What thinke you to be the cause why no man in matters of iustice is admitted too bee a witnesse in his owne cace Levv. Because all men do loue them selues and therfore wil euer speake for themselues or at leastwise neuer agaynst themselues Fred. You saye rightly And if they be not willing to speake against themselues nother are they willing to hear any thing against themselues For the truth that is against them misliketh them lesse out of another mans mouth then out of their owne Levv. It doth so Fred. And if they be vnwilling to heare those things truely they be not willing to beleeue them For no man will willingly beleue y e things which he is loth to heare of but all men do easily beleeue the things which they lyke of As for example If a man should say that y e goods of Christians ought to be common among them whether sorte would eazlyest beleeue it the riche or the poore Levv. The poore Fred. Why so Levv. Because that by y t match they should not lose but rather winne Fred. What woulde the riche folke do Lew. Hardly or not at all rather would they beleue it bicause they shuld therby become the poorer which thing they mislike of Fred. What if a man should deny that mens soules are deliuered oute of Purgatory by Masses whether would y e Cleargie or the Laytie soonest beleeue it Lew. Not the Cleargy because that that opinion would be a diminishing of their reuenewes Fred. What if it should be sayd that Usury were vnlawfull for Christians were it possible to make those beleeue it which lyue vppon Usury and become riche by it Levv. Scarsly Fred. What if one should teach that men ought not to be put to death ●or religion whether would they soonest beleeue it which are in credite with the Magistrates are diuines themselues yet are p●r●e●u●er● of other mē or atleastwise willing to persecute them or the contrary sort Levv. Th● contrary sort For I know some diuines who as long as they wanted that authoritie and were troubled for religions sake taught that men ought not to be molested for religion And yet the selfe same persons hauing gotten wealthe and authoritie haue bo●h taughte and done the contra●ie F●ed You see then how fayth is hindered by s●lfloue so as men do not easily beleeue the things that are contrary to their lyking Levv. I see it playnly Fred. Let vs cōsider then whether the same cause be not an impediment to our beleefe in Christ. In the doctrine of Christ are histories promises and commaundementes As for the histories and promises almost all men beleeue them because that in them no dutie on mans behalfe is required Nother is there any controuersie among Christians whither Christ haue done the things whiche are reported of him in the holy Scriptures or whether he haue promised the things that are conteined there But what is the cause that so fewe beleeue his commaundementes Levv. Do f●wer folke beleeue his commaundementes then do beleeue his doings