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	perfect_a	4,924	5	9.0614	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06193	The mysterie of mankind, made into a manual, or The Protestants portuize reduced into explication application, inuocation, tending to illumination, sanctification, deuotion, being the summe of seuen sermons, preached at S. Michaels in Cornehill, London. By William Loe, Doctor of Diuinity, chaplaine to his sacred Maiesty, and pastor elect, and allowed by authority of superiours of the English Church at Hamborough in Saxonie.	Loe, William, d. 1645.	1619 (1619)	STC 16689; ESTC S105401	92,048	356

to approach neere vnto God and the full perswasion of faith to die in that so wee may goe on from faith to faith vntill wee haue our perfect blisse in Christ for euer Albeit our condition be that wee liue in these last and worst times as Lot in Sodome and as Abraham in Vr of the Chaldes yet hauing the rocke of our faith in Heauen the Father determining the word directing the holy Ghost mouing and these 3. are one hauing the records of our faith on earth the Spirit witnessing to our Spirite that wee are the sonnes of God the water of Baptisme the seale of our Redemption in Christ the bloud of the holy Martyres as the signes of the power of faith in weakenesse and these three a●gree in one wee may bid defiance to the Diuell and quiet our conscience in Christ for euermore Concluding that wee can be iustified no other way in the sight of God but onely by this holy faith in the bloud of Iesus but beeing there by onceiustified wee are in direct order towardes God wee are through the gate and in the happie way that leadeth to Abrahams bosom euen eternall life For God can direct vs in the best way vnto himself that leadeth to euerlasti●g felicitie in turning vs from ●ur euill wayes and retur●ing vs to himselfe by re●entance and so on to good workes the assurance to our ●elues of our election in CHRIST from good workes to Gods mercy and ●rom thence to glory where●nto this faith teacheth vs ●hat CHRIST is already ●ntered and whether hee ●ill vndoubtedly bring all ●hat loue him that looke ●nd long for his comming ● consummate and perfect ●is our holy seruice in the Heauens where is the fulnes ●f ioy and happinesse in the presence of God for euermore O Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe and encrease my Christian faith WOnderfull art thou O Lord God in thy manifold works maruellous in thy Almighty power and vnsearchable in thy diuine secretes The goodly frame of heauen and of earth shew shy power the disposition of all things therein tell of thy great wisedome and the passages of so many millions of particulars point out this gracious prouidence in all and yet the workes of thy mercies surpasseth all this For which O heauenly Father wee magnifie and praise thy name and multiplie our thankefulnesse vnto the in Iesus Christ from day to day For it hath pleased thee good Father to elect vnto thy selfe and to call ●ut of this Worlde out of this world I say beeing ● sincke of sinnefulnesse a deepe ●den of despayre an Asphatites of ●ll filthinesse a dead sea of sensu●lity the vale of the children of Hinnon a Babylon of beast linesse a Sodome of sorrow a Gomorrah of vngodlinesse a Seboim of security an Adamah of Adulterie and a world of wickednesse to chose I say one of this route a remnant of people to bee thy beloued Spouse and wife of the Lambe to bee a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people the loue of Christ all faire vndefiled and without spotte the onely Doue to bee like an Orchard inclosed a well sealed vp a fountaine of liuing water a Paradise of all pretious delectable and desirable fruites and to be the mysticall body of Christ which hee doth quicken with his owne spirite And these heauenly Father thou hast sealed with thine owne fignet dignified with thine owne fauours and as it were di●sied by thine effectuall and sauing grace in giuing them the holy faith of thy Christ and our Iesus thine onely sonne and our Sauior to purifie their hearts to purge their consciences from dead workes to serue thee the Father of light and life and so to be blessed by thee with light and life euerlasting O Lord now behold mee poore silly wretch that lyes here beneath in this miserable world creeping in the dust and crawling in mine owne infirmities My soule cleaueth vnto the ground my belly vnto the earth I haue nothing in mee but sinne sensuality a●d shame Blind I am in mine owne vnderstanding for I know thee not obstinat in my will for I little ● regarde thy Counsels corrupted in mine affections for I haue no minde vnto thee My parents were of this world I am borne in the world and the world is all my silly selfe looketh after I cannot attaine to so much at to know my selfe how then shuld I know and discerne thinges aboue my selfe much lesse vnderstand the things that appertaine vnto thee O Father and to the glory of thy Kingdome Euery good and perfect gift commeth feom thee who art the Father of lights O bowe downe thy goodnesse then vnto mee most mercifull Father and extend thy bounty vnto me poore wretch that most humbly desires thy grace and fauour that thou wouldest bee pleased to giue mee a portion and measure of thy blessings in the faith and fauour of thy sonne Grant vnto mee faith O Lord without the which I cannot please thee without the which I cannot hope for any good nor haue any euidence of these things which are not yet euident without the which I cannot come to Christ nor doe any good works nor bee raysed from sinne nor know thee O God nor resist the Diuell nor ouercome the world nor be iustified nor bee saued O blessed Father grant this mercy vnto mee without the which I desire not to be without which I cannot bee but a Cimmerian wretch a stranger vnto thee an Atheist a profane person an Infidell a cast away and a Firebrand of Hell What prayse can bee to thee O Lord in the deepe in the land of obliuion in the place of the damned Shall the dead praise thee shall the bottomlesse pitte celebrate thee shall the damned sing vnto thee no no The beleeuing the repenting the sorrowfull soule for sinne whome thou shalt shine vpon with the light of thy countenance in the faith of Christ that soule O God that soule shall euer bee magnifying thy mercies extolling thy goodnesse and celebrating thy greatnesse fro age to age What euer I doe what euer I thinke what euer I say without it hee seasoned with this grace of faith it is sinne O blessed plant of Paradise O heauenly Iewell of incomparable valuation Deare Father bestowe this blessing vpon me shut not vp my life with vnbeleeuers which shall neuer see thy face but rectifie me in al parts to the right vse of the sacred meanes of obtayning this fauour of faith It commeth by hearing of thy Word O sanctifie mee throughout that I may attentiuely hearken what the Lord will say For hee will speake peace vnto my soule and loue to his Saintes that they returne not to folly O holy Lord Looke backe vpon mine humbled Suite signe my petition for thy tender mercies sake in Christ. So shall my Sacrifices bee alwayes acceptable vnto thee as Abels my conuersation holy as Enochs my preaching powerfull as Noahs my offeringes delectable as Abrahams so shall I contemne

them to the minde and thinke of nothing but whatsoeuer things are True honest iust pure louely of good report of vertue or of praise which wee haue learned receiued and seene in Gods children these things they thinke on and doe that are the Lords Indeed hypocrites and the reprobate are sayde in Scripture to be sanctified in respect of their outward calling and in their partaking of the externall preaching of the word and Sacraments receiued but the godly onely who are inwardly renued by the power of the Spirit haue this s●nctifying grace to expell all full consent from their hearts to offend God and to labour striue after righteousnesse Yet whiles the godliest liue in this world they cannot attaine to a full expulsion of the euill and introduction of the good but these two remaine like to opposite parties in a pittched field combating and skirmishing the one with the other that the most holy cannot do what they would And as in the twilight or dawning of the day the light that we see is not vtterly voided of darknesse neither is the darkenesse altogether without light and as in warm water the heate is mixed with cold so the reluctations of the flesh and spirit that the godly haue in this world haue no fellowship the one with the other no more then those different qualities yet they may remaine in one subiect either acting his owne part not seuerally albeit distinctlie Sarah the wife of Abraham is a president in this kinde who beleeued the promise of God made vnto her concerning her issue being moued thereunto by the holy Ghost yet being impatient of delay enforced thereunto by the flesh shee giues her mayde vnto her husband so that one and the same worke euen in the deerest of Gods children may in respect of the spirit be praise worthy in respect of the flesh bee blameable Sanctification in it selfe is most perfect but when it is considered in the man that is sanctified it is imperfect and varies by degrees and encreases by reason of the dayly slips and slidings of the best whereby their goodnesse is ofttimes greatly hindered and neuer in this life perfected which is the reason that the Scripture calleth this our Godlinesse sometimes a pledge of the spirit to assure vs Gods fauour and somtimes an earnest which is to be made vp neuer to be taken away So that wee see this God●ines in Gods children albeit it bee ofttimes verie weake and feeble in respect of their many infirmities yet it is rea●ll because it is rooted in the inward parts and God requireth trueth from thence whereas the vnregenerate haue formes and fruites also of holynesse but their fruites are like those Apples that growe about the bankes of the dead Sea or Asphaltique Lake looke on the inside and you shall see nothing but earthlynesse sensualitie and diuellishnesse But those that haue this name of Godlinesse written in their hearts by the finger of God are iustified by their faith and this Godlinesse is a fragrant flower and holy fruite of that their holy faith Thy euer looking after the sequell of this Holines which is Happinesse reserued for them in the heauens for God bringeth his children by this way of Holinesse to the life of Happinesse there being great difference betwixt the Way that leadeth vnto the kingdome of heauen and the cause of our attaining both the way and eternall life which is the gift of God through Iesus Christ our Lord. What now can disturbe or distract the peace of Gods holy ones seeing they haue such pledges assurances and earnests of Gods fauour that they shall neuer vtterly faile or fall away from God Oh this blessed securitie and happy peace of conscience Is more to bee desired then gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also then the honey and the honey Combe called of the most wise the Continuall Feast There is their absolute contentment of this Godlinesse Thus Godlinesse benefiteth vs in this life and blesseth also in our death yea after death Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints They are carryed of Angels into the euerlasting habitations Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord for they rest from their labours Most blessed therefore are the people that are in such a case that know this Mysterie and practise this Godli●●sse for in themselues albeit not of themselues they are the vesselles of honour by Illumination their life the rule of Christianisme by sanctification their pedigree i● in descent from the royall Priesthood by deuoute inuo●ation their practise is to Purge themselues for the hope of heauen by Mortification their reputation is not to runne to the same excesse of ryot with others in hope of Glorification but their whole life is Euangelilicall yea Angelicall as the Apostle speaketh For theyr Conuersation is in Heauen Yet for all this wee see wise men seeke Greatnesse few Godlinesse For if wee bestowed but halfe the diligence to bee godly as wee doe to be great wee should haue more pietie and lesse wicked policie And that 's the reason why Mammon hath so many Schollers and Christ so few Followers For most men desire to know the mysterie how to be great but few desire to know how to bee good Machiauels Prince Lipsius Politeques Bodins Commentaries and Bookes of such subiects are matters preciously accounted of by some whereby they imagine to become great in practizing these principles whiles the booke of God and other meanes to reduce them to bee good are neglected Many men bind themselues for terme of time to learne a mystery how to thriue and rise in the World and oft-times with much hardnes intollerable bondage endure the attainement thereof But wee see how few t●ere are that can endure I will not say seuen years Apprentiship no scarce seuen hou●es seruice to vnderstand and know this Mysterie of Godlines in Christ to whose seruice all Christian men are bound by the law of God and their vow of Baptisme to bee as obliged Votaries all their life long A thousand woes then must needes attend them that are not acquainted with this Mysterie of Godlinesse who are eyther plunged into the Deepe●esse of the Diuell being so chained and fettered by him in their vngodly courses that they cannot rayse themselues out of this bottomlesse pitte or else are misled by the mysterie of iniquity which busily worketh euen amidst the Church Both by lying wonders and wonderfull lies being strong delusions to beleeue lyes as was long before prophesied or else are besotted with the vanity of the world which is Alt●g●ther set vpon wickednesse For there bee many Antichrists in the World and in a Countrey where all or the most part be Negroes It is no blemish there to be blacke And that 's the cause of our dulnesse in thi● point that wee liue so secure and wicked without any desire to know