Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	abraham_n	faith_n	impute_v	5,476	5	10.4768	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80756	The royal prerogative vindicated in the converted recusant convinced by Scripture, reasons, fathers, and councils, that the oath of abjuration (compared with those of allegiance, and supremacy) containeth nothing, but what may be lawfully taken by every pious Christian, and loyal subject; and that the known doctrine, and discipline of the Church of England, in opposition to Popery on the one hand, and all sects, and schisms on the other, is the safest way to peace and loyalty here, and salvation hereafter. To which is annexed The King's supremacy in all causes, ecclesiastical, and civil, asserted in a sermon preached at the assises at Monmouth before Sir Robert Hide, one of his Majestie's judges, March 30. 1661. / By John Cragge, M.A.	Cragge, John, M.A.	1661 (1661)	Wing C6790; Wing C6786; Thomason E2261_1; Thomason E2261_2; ESTC R210148	173,676	266

not his promise that is of rewarding merits And whereas you pretend Romists hold not works simply meritorious of themselves but in complexion with many exquisite Graces it implies a contradiction for that which is of merit is not of grace but of debt and divine grace doth not elevate virtuous actions by adding unto them a force of meriting but onely by making them susceptible of a free and liberal reward and by placing them in the state and order of causes impetrant or dispositive conditions This Andradius clears saying (u) Paulus cùm demonstrare statuisset Abraham side fuisse justificatum non ex operibus hac una potissimism id ratione efficit Ei qui operatur me ce non imputatue secundum gratiam sed secundum debitum ergò si justitia Abrahae esset operum illius merces sa●è debitum potus quam gratia dici debuisser An●●●● Orthod Explic. lib. 6. pag. 518. Paul when he would demonstrate Abraham to have been justified by Faith and not by works effected that principally by that one reason To him that worketh reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt therefore if Abraham's righteousness was of works his wages ought rather to be called a debt then grace But what are those divine graces that are required to make works meritorious Gent. They are seven whereof the first is Divine preordination by which Man and his actions are ordained by God to a supernatural end otherwise not seisable Minist By Divine preordination virtuous Actions have reference not of desert but of disposition and instrumental tendency to beatitude or the last supernatural end as Saint Bernard saith (x) Si propriè appellentur ea quae dicimus nostra merita spei quaedam sunt seminaria charitatis incentiva occultae praedestinationis indicia futurae felicitatis praesagia via regni non causa regnandi Bern. De lib. Arbitr If we do not nickname those things that are called our Merits they are certain Seminaries of hope incentives of Charity discoveries of hidden predestination presages of future Felicity the way to the heavenly Kingdom but not the meritorious cause of reigning But what are your other Graces Gent. The second is the grace of Redemption by Christ whereby God giveth us the inestimable Treasure of his Son's merits The Third is the grace of Adoption in Baptism whereby we have God for our Father Christ for our head the Holy Ghost for our Paraclete who works in us making our works meritorious Minist The grace of Redemption purchaseth for us the influence and inestimable efficacy of Christ's merits both for pardon of Sins and the new Creature but that Christ's merits makes man's actions meritorious and that his (y) Satisfactio est redditio ejus quod debetur secundum justitiam Johannes de Coloma Quaest Magistrat q. 363. satisfaction enableth man to satisfie God's justice is as unsavory an Inference as if one should say Christ hath redeemed us by his passion and he communicates to us the grace of Redemption Therefore he makes us Redeemers The grace of Adoption it is true in Baptism makes the regenerate partakers in a sence of the divine nature and communicates divine rays from the distinct Persons in the Trinity yet makes not the works of man so qualified condignely meritorious for the divine persons work according to a certain degree and measure of grace and not according to the fulness of power or as an elicitive cause Alioquin saith Vasques sequeretur nostra opera esse infiniti valoris Otherwise it would follow that our works were of infinite value (z) Cum opera nostra non alia ratione tribuantur Christo tanquam capiti mystico nisi quia ab eo accipimus gratiam justitiam auxilia omnia nequaquam autem sicut eliciente illa fit ut minimè accipiunt dignitatem neque dignitatis incrementum à Christo sed solùm à persona ipsa eliciente suam dignitatem justitiae sanctitatis alioqum sequeretur nostra opera esse infiniti valoris Vasques 1. 1. Dis 214. cap. 7. seeing our works upon no other account are attributed unto Christ the mystical head but that we receive grace of him righteousness and all aids but in no wise as the cause elicitive it falls out that they cannot receive their dignitie nor encrease of dignity of Christ but onely of the person that acts them according to the dignity of his righteousness and sanctity from whom as Bonaventure (a) Bonaventur 3. Dist 20. q. 4. evidenceth vitium humanae originis nunquam separatur a carne peccati the fleshly stain traduciary from original sin can never be separated And our Adversaries that pretend to so much acuteness might know that the Persons in the Trinity in effecting our adoption concur not as simply (b) Pro exclusione virturis mediae in eodem genere causarum secundarum in hac significatione sola causa proxima est immediata Keckerm System Log. pag. 148. immediate but remote not as total but partial not as univocal but aequivocal not as natural but voluntary causes dispensing graces according to the necessity of the receiver and the wisdom and good pleasure of the donour But it is neither necessary for men nor stands with the good pleasure of God to receive power of meriting properly seeing it is most honourable for God to bestow life eternal freely Non est volentis nec currentis sed operantis Dei Gent. The fourth grace requisite to make works meritorious is prevenient and adjuvant whereby our actions are sublimed to a supernatural pitch above humane capacity The fifth is the grace of merciful Indulgence whereby God exacts not of us in rigour what he might by the title of Religion the title of Justice the title of Gratitude but is content that we make use of our good works for the gaining of glory Minist It is granted that the will of Man by preventing adjuvant and subsequent graces produceth works supernaturalin their kinde yet so as it is principium vulneratum wounded with sin and soyled with many imperfections We know but in part Rom. vii 18 19. Gal. v. 17. Heb. xii 1. Whence Tertullian professeth that (c) In optimis nonnihil est pessimi solus enim Deus sine peccato Tertul. De Anima cap. 23. In the best men there is something of that which is worst for onely God is without sin Hereupon it is consequent that regenerate men cannot challenge a reward by merit of debt because they offend in many things James iii. 2. according to Gregorie's (d) Magni viri licèt jam magna vitae charitate luceant aliquas tamen peccati nebulas velut quasdam noctis reliquias trahunt Non de meis meritis confidens ut me salvum facias supplico sed de sola misericordia tua praesumens impetrare quod non de meritis meis spero Gregor in 1 Psal poenitent Litany I supplicate saith he that