Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	diligence_n	faith_n	temperance_n	1,246	5	10.7571	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13257	A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the seas: with an exhortation to the reformation of the Churche. Perused and allowed accordinge to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions.; Confessio Helvetica Posterior. English.	Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.; Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; Old, John, fl. 1545-1555.	1568 (1568)	STC 23554; ESTC S118060	120,110	316

true confessiō and to speake all at a worde saithe bringeth forthe al kinde of good Good workes come of ●uth fruites and good woorkes in vs. For we teache that true good workes doe spryng of a liuely faithe by the woorkyng of the holie ghoste and are doen of the faithfull accordyng to the wille or rule of God his woorde For Peter the Apostle faieth geue all diligence i. Peter i. thereunto and ioine vertue with your faithe and with vertue knowledge with knowledge temperaūce c. We saied before that the Lawe of GOD whiche is the will of God dooeth prescribe vnto vs a paterne of good workes And the Apostle affirmeth this is i. Thes iiii the will of God your sanctificaciō and that ye should abstaine from vnclennes that no man oppresse or defraude his brother in any matter For God workes that men inuente of their owne braine alloweth not those workes those worshippynges whiche wee chose of our owne hedde whiche Paule calleth volontarie religiō Whereof the lorde Collos ii also in the gospell saith Thei worship me in vain teachyng the doctrine and preceptes of men Wee reproue therefore suche woorkes but we highly cōmende and earenestly require those woorkes whichē be accordyng to the wille and commaundemente of God The ende of good workes We must therfore doe good dedes yet not to merite thereby life euerlastyng for as the Apostle saieth Life euerlastyng is the gifte of God nor to make our boaste or bragge thereof whiche Math. vi Christe reproueth nor yet for gaine whiche also he disaloweth Math. xxiij but to the glory of God to commende our vocacion to shewe our thankfulnesse to God and to profite our neighboure Againe our Lorde faieth in the Gospell Lette your light so shine before Math. v. men that thei maie see your good workes glorifie your father whiche is in heauen And the Apostle Paule Eyh iiij Walke as becommeth your vocacion Also Collo iij. Whatsoeuer ye shall doe saith he in worde or dede doe all in the name of the Lorde Iesus geuyng thankes to GOD the father through hym And Phil. ij Looke not euery man on his owne matters but on other mennes thynges also And Tite iij. Lette our brethren learne to shewe for the good woorkes for necessarie vses that thei be not vnfruitfull Albeit therefore wee teache as the We reiecte not good workes but necessarilie require them Apostle doeth that a man is Iustified freelie by faithe in Christe and not by any good woorkes yet we doe not dispise or condemne good woorkes wée knowing that man was not made nor regenerate by faithe to be idle but rather to dooe without ceassyng those thynges whiche are good and profitable For in the Gospell the lorde faith A good trée bringeth forthe good frute Math. xii And in Ihon. xv He that dwelleth in me bringeth forthe muche fruite To conclude the Apostle saieth wee are Gods creatures made in Christ Iesu to doe good woorkes whiche GOD hath prepared to walke in And again Heresies whoe deliuered hymself for vs to redeme vs from all our iniquitie and to clēse his owne peculier people which do good woorkes We condēne therefore all those that despise good woorkes babblyng that thei are vnprofitable Oure good workes are not the cause of our saluation and not to bee regarded Notwithstandyng we thinke not as was saied before that we are saued by good workes or that thei are so necessarie that without them no manne was euer saued For by grace by Christes onely benefite wee are saued Woorkes come of saithe necessarily but yet saluacion is vnproperlie ascribed to thē for moste aptlie it is to bee attributed to grace For that saiyng of the Apostle is verie well knowen if it bee of grace it is no more of woorkes or els were grace no grace But if it bee of workes it is no more grace or els wer Rom. xi woorkes no more woorkes Those workes doubtlesse do please God and are allowed of hym whiche Good workes please God we doe with faithe because thei please him by faithe in Christ who doe good workes which also procede of the grace of God through the holie ghoste For saincte Peter saieth In euery nacion Actes x. he that feareth GOD and woorketh rightuousnesse is accepted with hym And we ceasse not to pray for you that ye might walke worthie of the Lorde Col. i. and please hym in all thynges beyng fruitfull in all good woorkes Therefore we instructe men with as muche Note diligēce as we can and beate into their eares to embrase true and not false or Philosophicall vertues to doe in dede Hypocrites good workes and to performe the boūden duetie of a Christian manne We muche discommēde both the sluggishnesse hipocrisie of all suche as praise and professe the Gospell with their mouthe but with their filthie liuyng defile it And we laye before their yies Gods horrible threatenynges concernyng this matter his large promises liberall rewardes with exhortacions comfortes and rebukynges For wee teache that God geneth a God rewardeth our good deedes large rewarde to theim that doe good accordyng to the Prophettes saiyng Refraine thy voice from wepyng for Iere. xxxi Esaie iiii Math. v. x. thou shalte haue a rewarde for thy woorke Christe also promiseth in the gospell Be glad and reioyce for great is your reward in heauen And he that will geue to one of these little ones a Cuppe of colde water verelie I saie to you he shall not lose his reward Howbeit wee referre this rewarde whiche the Lorde geueth not to mennes merite Note who receiue the rewarde but to why God rewardeth them that doe good deedes the goodnesse liberalitie and truthe of God promisyng and geuyng it who notwithstandyng he oweth nothyng to any man yet hath promised to giue a rewarde to theim whiche faithfullie worshippe hym but to that ende GOD bestoweth on theim his rewarde that thei should serue hym Furthermore there be many thynges vnmete to bee presented to God and sundrie thynges are founde vnperfite euen in the sainctes deédes or workes But because God receiueth them into his fauour and loueth the workers for Christ his sake he geueth them the rewarde whiche he promised theim For otherwise our rightuousnesse is likened to filthie clothes The Lorde Esaie lxiiii Luke xvii Mennes merites merite nothyng also saieth in the Gospell When you haue doen all that is cōmaunded you saie ye are vnprofitable seruantes we haue dooen but that whiche was our bounded duetie to not Albeit then we Note Augu. teache that God rewardeth our good deedes yet we teache there withall as Augustine doeth that God crowneth in vs not our merites but his owne gifte And therefore what reward soeuer we receiue we affirme that it cometh of the grace of God worthelier called grace then a rewarde because that good which we do is doen rather by God his