Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	believe_v	faith_n	justify_v	5,380	5	8.8463	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03519	Certayne sermons, or homelies appoynted by the kynges Maiestie, to be declared and redde, by all persones, vicars, or curates, euery Sondaye in their churches, where they haue cure. Anno 1547.; Certain sermons or homilies appointed to be read in churches. Book 1.	Cranmer, Thomas, 1489-1556.; Church of England.	1547 (1547)	STC 13640; ESTC S110029	106,479	184

representacion of the thyng it self and is with out life or any maner of mouyng so be the workes of all vnfaithfull persones before God Thei do appere to be liuely workes in deede thei be but ded ▪ not auailyng to the eternall life Thei bee but shadowes and shewes of liuely and good thynges and not good and liuely thynges in dede For true faith doth geue life to the workes and out of suche faith come good woorkes that be very good woorkes in dede and without it no worke is good before God as saieth saincte Augustine wee muste set not good workes before faithe nor thynke that before faithe a man maie do any good worke for suche workes although thei seme vnto men to bee praise worthy yet in deede thei bee but vain and not allowed before God Thei bee as the course of a horse that rūneth out of the waie whiche taketh great labor but to no purpose Let no man therefore saieth he reckē vpon his good workes before his faithe Whereas faithe was not good woorkes were not the intent saieth he maketh the good workes but faith must guide and order thintent of man And Christ saith if thine iye be naught thy whole body is ful of darkenesse The iye doth signifie the intent saith sainct Augustine wherwith a man doth a thyng So that he whiche doth not his good workes with a Godly intent and a true faithe that woorketh by loue the whole body beside that is to saie all the whole nūbre of his workes is darke and there is no light in it For good deedes bee not measured by the factes theimselfes and so disseuered from vices but by the endes and intentes for the whiche thei bee doen. If a Heathen man clothe the naked fede the hongerie and do suche other like workes yet because he doth theim not in faithe for the honor and loue of God thei ●e but ded vain and fruitles workes to hym Faithe is it that dooth commende the woorke to god for as s. Augustine saith whether thou wilt or no that worke that cōmeth not of faithe is naught where the faith of Christ is not the foūdacion there is no good worke what buildyng soeuer we make There is one worke in y t which be al good workes that is faithe whiche worketh by charitie If thou haue it thou hast the ground of all good woorkes For the vertues of strength wisedom temperaunce iustice be al referred vnto this same faith Without this faith we haue not thē but onely the names and shadowes of them as s. Augustine saieth All the life of them that lacke the true faithe is syn and nothyng is good without hym that is the aucthor of goodnes where he is not there is but feined vertue although it be in the best workes And s. Augu. declaryng this verse of the psalme the Turtle hath found a nest where she may kepe her young birdes saith that Iewes heretiques and pagans do good workes thei clothe the naked fede the poore and do other workes of mercy but because thei be not doen in the true faithe therfore the birdes be loste But if thei remain in faith then faith is the nest and sauegard of their birdes that is to say safegard of their good workes that the reward of them be not vtterly lost And this matter whiche s. Augustin at large in many bokes disputeth s. Ambrose concludeth in fewe wordes saiyng he that by nature would withstand vice either by naturall will or reason he doth in vain garnishe the tyme of this life and atteineth not the very true vertues for without the worshippyng of the true God that whiche semeth to be vertue is vice And yet moste plainly to this purpose writeth s. Ihon Chriso in this wise you shall finde many which haue not the true faith and be not of y e flocke of Christ and yet as it appereth thei florishe in good workes of mercy You shall finde them full of pitie compassion and geuen to iustice and yet for all that thei haue no fruite of their workes because the chief worke lacketh For when the Iewes asked of Christ what thei should do to worke good workes he aunswered this is y e worke of God to beleue in hym whom he sente So that he called faithe the worke of god And assone as a mā hath faith anone he shall florish in good workes for faith of it self is full of good workes and nothyng is good without faith And for a similitude he saith that thei whiche glister and shine in good workes without faithe in God be like dead men whiche haue goodly precious tōbes and yet it auaileth them nothyng Faith may not be naked without good workes for then it is no true faith and when it is adioyned to workes yet is it aboue the workes For as men that be very men in dede first haue life and after be norished so must our faithe in Christe go before after be norished with good woorkes And life maie be without norishment but norishment cannot be without life A man must nedes be norished by good workes but first he must haue faithe he that doth good deedes yet without faith he hath no life I can shew a man that by faith without workes liued cam to heauē but without faithe neuer man had life The thiefe that was hanged when Christe suffered did beleue onely and the moste mercifull God did iustify hym And because no manne shall obiecte that he lacked tyme to doo good woorkes for els he would haue doen them truthe it is and I will not contend therin but this I will surely affirme that faithe onely saued hym If he had liued and not regarded faith and the workes thereof he should haue lost his saluacion again But this the effecte that I saie that faithe by it self saued hym but workes by theim selfes neuer iustified any man Here ye haue heard the minde of sainct Chrisostome wherby you maie perceiue that neither faith is without workes hauyng opportunitie therto nor workes can auaile to eternall life without faithe Now to procede to the third parte whiche in the former Sermon was noted of faithe that is to say what maner of workes thei be whiche spring out of true faithe and leade faithfull menne vnto eternall life this cannot bee knowen so well as by our sauior Christe hymself who was asked of a certain greate man thesame question What woorkes shall I do said a Prince to come to euerlastyng life To whom Iesus aunswered If thou wilte come to the eternall life kepe the commaundementes But the Prince not satisfied herewith asked farther whiche commaundementes The Scribes and Phariseis had made so many of their awne lawes and tradicions to bryng men to heauen besides Gods cōmaūdementes that this man was in doubte whether he should come to heauen by those lawes tradicions or by the lawes of God therfore he asked Christe whiche

be the lesse to be passed vpon so that the rest maye profite which wil be more desirous to know the truth then when it is playn enough to contende aboute it and with cōtencious and capcious cauillacions to obscure and darkē it Truthe it is that out awne woorkes doo not iustifye vs to speake properly of our iustificacion that is to saie our workes do not merite or deserue remissiō of our synnes and make vs of vniust iuste before God But God of his mere mercie through the onely merites and deseruynges of his sonne Iesus Christ doth iustifie vs. Neuerthelesse because fayth doth directely sende vs to Christe for remission of our synnes that by faithe geuen vs of God we embrace the promise of Gods mercie and of the remission of oure synnes whiche thyng none other of oure vertues or woorkes properly doth therfore scripture vseth to say that faith without workes doth iustifie And for asmuch that it is al one sentēce in effecte to saye Faithe without woorkes onely fayth doth iustifie vs therfore the olde auncient fathers of the Churche from tyme to tyme haue vttered our iustificacion with this speache Onelye faythe iustifieth vs meanyng none other thing then sainct Paule meant whē he sayd faith without workes iustifieth vs. And because al this is brought to passe through the onely merites and deseruinges of our sauior christ not through our merites or through the merite of any vertue y t we haue within vs or of any worke that cōmeth frō vs therfore in that respecte of merite deseruyng we renoūce as it wer altogether agayn faith workes and all other vertues For our awne imperfeccion is so greate through the corrupciō of original synne that al is imperfect that is within vs faithe charitie hope dreade thoughtes wordes workes and therefore not apte to meryte and deserue any parte of our iustificacion for vs And this forme of speakyng we vse in the humblyng of oure selfes to God and to geue all the glory to our sauior Christ whiche is best worthy to haue it Here you haue heard the office of God in oure iustificacion and how we receyue it of him frely by his mercie without our desertes through true and lyuely faythe Now you shall heare the offyce and duetie of a christian man vnto God what we ought on oure parte to rendre vnto God agayne for his greate mercye and goodnes Oure offyce is not to passe the tyme of his present lyfe vnfruictfully and idlely after that we are baptised or iustified not caryng howe fewe good workes we do to the glory of God and proffite of our neighbors much lesse it is oure office after that we be once made Christes mēbres to lyue cōtrary to thesame makyng our selfes membres of the deuil walking after his inticementes and after the suggestions of the world and the fleshe wherby we know that we do serue the world and the deuill and not God For that faythe which bryngeth furth without repentaunce either euyll workes or no good workes is not a right pure and liuely faithe but a ded Deuilishe counterfeit and feyned fayth as sainct Paul sainct Iames cal it For euen the deuilles know and beleue that Christ was borne of a virgyn that he fasted forty dayes fortye nightes without meate and drynke that he wrought all kynde of myracles declaryng hymself very God They beleue also that Christe for oure sakes suffered moste paynfull death to redeme vs from eternal death that he rose agayn from death the thyrde daye They beleue that he ascended into heauen and that he sitteth on the right hand of the father and at the laste ende of this world shal come agayne and iudge bothe the quicke and the deade These articles of our faith the deuilles beleue and so they beleue all thinges that be writtē in the new and old Testamēt to be true yet for all this faith they be but deuilles remainyng styll in their dampnable estate lackyng the very true christian fayth For the right and true christiā faith is not onely to beleue that holy scripture all the forsaied articles of our fayth are true but also to haue a sure trust confidence in Gods mercifull promises to be saued from euerlastynge dampnacion by Christe wherof doeth folowe a louyng harte to obey his cōmaundementes And this true Christian faythe neyther any deuyll hath nor yet any man which in the outwarde profession of his mouth and in his outward receiuyng of the Sacramentes in commyng to the churche and in all other outward apparaunces semeth to be a Christian man yet in his liuyng and deedes sheweth the cōtrary For how can a man haue this true faith this sure truste and confidence in God That by the merites of Christe his synnes be remitted and he reconciled to the fauor of God and to be partaker of the kyngdom of heauen by Christ when he liueth vngodly and denieth Christe in his dedes Surely no suche vngodly man can haue this faith trust in God For as they know Christe to bee the onely sauior of the worlde so they knowe also that wicked men shall not possesse the kyngdō of God Thei know y t God hateth vnrighteousnes that he will destroye all those that speake vntruly that those that haue doen good workes whiche can not be doen without a liuely faythe in Christe shall come forth into the resurrection of lyfe those that haue doen euill shall come vnto resurrectiō of iudgement and very well they know also that to them that be contencious to them that will not be obedient vnto the truth but wil obey vnrighteousnes shall come indignacion wrathe and affliccion c. Therfore to conclude considerynge the infinite benefites of God shewed and exhibited vnto vs mercifully withoute oure desertes who hath not onely created vs of nothyng from a pece of vile clay of his infinite goodnes hath exalted vs as touchyng our soule vnto hys awne similitude and lykenesse but also wheras we were cōdempned to hel death eternall hath geuen his awne natural sonne beyng God eternall immortall and equal vnto himselfe in power glory to bee incarnated and to take our mortall nature vpō oim with the infirmities of the same and in the same nature ▪ to suffre moste shamefull and paynful death for our offences to thintent to iustifye vs to restore vs to lyfe euerlastyng so makyng vs also his dere beloued chyldrē brethren vnto his only sonne our sauior Christ inheritors for euer with him of his eternall kyngdō of heauē These greate and mercifull benefites of God if they be well considered do neither minister vnto vs occasiō to be idle to liue without doyng any good workes neither yet stirreth vs ▪ by any meanes to do euill thinges ▪ but contrarywise if we be not desperate persones and oure hartes harder then stones they moue vs to rendre our selfes vnto God wholy with all

common tranquillitie and peace By holy promises with attestacion of Gods name wee bee made liuely mēbres of Christ when we professe his Religion receiuyng the sacrament of baptisme By like holy promise the sacramēt of matrimony knitteth man and wife in perpetuall loue that thei desire not to be seperated for any displeasure or aduersitie that shall after happen By lawfull othes which Kynges Princes Iudges and Magistrates doo sweare common lawes are kept inuiolate Iustice is indifferently ministered innocent persones orphanes widdowes and poore men are defended from murtherers oppressors and thiefes that thei suffre no wrong nor take any harme By lawfull othes mutuall societie amitie and good ordre is kepte continually in all commonalties as boroughes citees tounes and villages And by lawful othes malefactors are searched out wrong doers are punished and thei whiche sustein wrong are restored to their righte Therefore lawfull swearyng cannot be euill whiche bryngeth vnto vs so many Godly good and necessarie commodities Wherfore when Christe so earnestly forbad swearyng it maie not so bee vnderstanded as though he did forbid all maner of othes but he forbiddeth all vain swearyng and forswearyng bothe by god and by his creatures as the common vse of swearyng in biyng sellyng and in our daily communicacion to the intent euery Christian mannes worde should be aswell regarded in suche matters as if he should confirme his communicacion with an othe For euery Christian mannes worde saieth sainct Hierome should be so true that it should bee regarded as an othe And Chrisostome witnessyng thesame saieth It is not conuenient to sweare for what nedeth vs to sweare when it is not lawfull for one of vs to make a lye vnto another Peraduenture some will saie I am compelled to sweare for els men that do common with me or do bye and sell with me wil not beleue me To this aunswereth S Chrisostome that he that thus saieth sheweth hymself to be an vniust and a deceiptfull persone for if he wer a trustie man and his deedes taken to agree with his wordes he should not nede to sweare at al. For he that vseth truthe and plainnesse in his bargainyng and communicacion he shal haue no nede by such vain swearyng to bryng hymself in credēce with his neighbours nor his neighbours will not mistruste his saiynges And if his credence bee so muche loste in deede that he thynketh no man will beleue hym without he sweare then he maie well thynke his credence is cleane gone For truthe it is as Theophilactus writeth that no manne is lesse trusted then he that vseth muche to sweare And almightie God by the wiseman saieth that man whiche sweareth muche shalbee full of synne and the scourge of God shall not depart from his house But here some menne will saie for excusyng of their many othes in their daily talke why should I not sweare when I sweare truely ▪ To suche men it maie be saied that though thei sweare truely yet in swearyng often vnaduisedly for trifles without necessitie and when thei should not sweare thei be not without faulte but do take Gods moste holy name in vain Muche more vngodly and vnwise men are thei that abuse Gods moste holy name not onely in biyng and sellyng of small thynges daily in al places but also eatyng drinkyng plaiyng cōmonyng and reasonyng As if none of these thynges mighte bee dooen excepte in doyng of theim the moste holy name of God be commonly vsed and abused vainly and vnreuerentely talked of sworne by and forsworne to the breakyng of Gods commaundement and procurement of his indignacion And aswell thei vse the name of GOD in vain that by an othe make lawfull promises of good and honeste thynges and performe thē not as thei which do promise euill and vnlawfull thynges and do performe thesame Of such men that regard not their godly promises confirmed by an othe but wittyngly and wilfully breaketh theim wee do reade in holy scripture twoo notable punishementes Firste Iosue and the people of Israell made a league and faithfull promise of perpetuall amitie and frendshippe with the Gabaonites notwithstādyng afterward in the dayes of wicked Saule many of these Gabaonites wer murdered contrary to thesaid faithfull promise made Wherewith almightie God was so sore displeased that he sent an vniuersall famyne vpon the whole countrey whiche continued by the space of three yeres And GOD would not withdrawe his punishement vntill thesaied offence was reuenged by the death of vii sonnes or next kinsmen of kyng Saule Also whereas Sedechias kyng of Ierusalem had promised fidelitie to the kyng of Chaldea afterwarde when Sedechias contrary to his othe and allegeaunce did rebell against kyng Nabugodonosor this Heathen Kyng by Gods permission inuadyng the land of Iewry and besiegyng the citee of Ierusalem compelled thesaied kyng Sedechias to flee and in fleyng toke hym prisoner slewe his sonnes before his face and putte out bothe his iyes and bindyng hym with cheines led hym prisoner miserably into Babilon Thus doth GOD shewe plainly how muche he abhorreth breakers of honeste promises confirmed by an othe made in his name And of thē that make wicked promises by an othe and wil perfourme the same wee haue example in the scripture chiefly of Herode of the wicked Iewes and of Iephthah Herode promised by an othe vnto the dam●sel whiche daunsed before hym to geue vnto her whatsoeuer she should aske when she was instucted before of her wicked mother to aske the hedde of sainct Ihō Baptist. Herod as he toke a wicked oth so he more wickedly performed thesame and cruelly slewe the mooste holy Prophete Likewise did the malicious Iewes make an othe cursyng themselfes if thei did either eate or drinke vntill thei had slain s Paule And Iephthah when God had geuen to him victory of the children of Ammon promised of a foolishe deuocion vnto GOD to offre for a sacrifice vnto hym that persone whiche of his awne house should firste meete with hym after his returne home By force of whiche fonde and vnaduised othe he did sle his awne and onely doughter whiche came out of his house with mirthe ioy to welcome hym home Thus the promise whiche he made moste foolishly to God against Gods eternall will and the lawe of nature moste cruelly he performed so committyng against God double offence Therefore whosoeuer maketh any promise bindyng hymself thereunto by an othe let him forese that the thyng whiche he promiseth bee good honest and not against the commaundement of GOD and that it be in his awne power to performe it iustely And suche good promises muste all men kepe euermore assuredly But if a man at any tyme shall either of ignoraunce or of malice promise and sweare to do any thing whiche is either against the lawe of almightie God or not in his power to performe let hym take it for an vnlawfull and vngodly othe Now some thyng to speake of periurie