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
A68610	A booke of Christian questions and answers Wherein are set foorth the cheef points of the Christian religion ... A worke right necessary and profitable for all such as shal haue to deale vvith the capious quarelinges of the vvrangling aduersaries of Gods truthe. Written in Latin by the lerned clerke Theodore Beza Vezelius, and newly translated into English by Arthur Golding.; Quaestionum et responsionum Christianarum libellus. English	Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1574 (1574)	STC 2038; ESTC S112801	79,360	184

seme worthy to please at leastwyse in somme behalfe Answete Most falfe is this consequence For God cannot no not euen of couenant allow any other rightuousnes as worthye of that name than such as is fully answerable to the law in all pointes except he wil be repugnant too himselfe which thynge were a sinne to say Thus therefore oughtest thou too haue gathered The woorkes of the regenerated do please God though they bee vnperfect ●rgo God is exceeding mercifull Question Besydes this there is mention made euerywhere of hyre wages reward requiting and recompence An. The name of Wages hath a larger scope than the name of euerlastinge life And it is certain that God of his passinge liberality rendereth temporal blissinges euen too the vngodly be they neuer so vnworthy Againe whither you referre the name of wages too eternall life or too other benifites yet doth it not folow that the same is payde as dewe det But rather this dooth most of all commend Gods mercy that he vout saueth to geue the name of Wages or hyre too the vndew reward which he bestoweth vpon vs of his owne mere grace in Christ too the end y we although we bee but vnprofitable seruantes for who is able too bestow any thing vpon god might notwithstandinge perceiue that wee haue not lost our labour Finallye although this wages be promised fréely and geuen fréely yet is it geuen too hym that woorketh and therefore it is called a wages or hyre Quest If it bee geuen too him that worketh ergo it is geuē him for his works An. Nay rather if it bée geuen wée bee sure it is not payde as a dewtye Agayn there is farre difference betwéen geuing too a woorker and geuinge for workes I may well say therefore that eternall life is geuen to them worke bicause faith shall bée esteemed by the frutes of it and rightuousnesse by faith but not payde them for theyr works sakes And after this manner must that text bée expownded where it is sayde Euery man shal bee iudged accordinge to the thinges that he hath done in his body and suche other like sentences Quest VVhy so Ans Bycause good woorkes make not men rightuouse but folowe him that be leeueth and that is aredy becom rightuous in Christe like as good fruytes make not a tree too bee good but a tree is knowen to be good by the good fruites of it Que. But alitle afore you fetched good works not out of iustificatiō but out of Sanctification An. I graunt it For there is no man iustified by imputation of Christes rightuousnes but he is also sanctified by his spirit Quest Say you then that good woorkes bee needefull to saluation An. If faith bee needefull too saluation and woorkes doo of necessity accompany tre●e faith as whiche cannot bee ydle surely the other foloweth also that good woorks bee needefull to saluation how beeit not as a cause of saluation for we bee iustified and therfore also do liue by faith only in Christ but as a thinge that of necessity cleaueth vnto trew faith So saith Paule that those bee Goddes childrē which are led by gods spirite Iohn saith that those be rightuous which work rightuousnes And Iames also declaring not by what meanes we be iustified but wherby trew faith insticatiō are discerned proueth by Abrahams exāple y those are not iustified which vtter no workes of faith For in such wise must Iames be made to agree with Paule too the ende it may playnely appeere how they bee but brabblers which condemne the necessity of good workes for false doctrine Question VVhat if a man should neuer be endewed with fayth tyl the laste instant of his death for so it seemeth too haue happened too the theefe that hunge by Christ VVhat manner of good works ●halll such a one bee able to bring forth An. Uerely the faith of that théefe was vnspeakably workful in that short time ●or he rebuked the blasphemies and wicked dooinges of the other theefe he detested his owne crimes with an assured and passing wonderfull faith he acknowledged Christ for the euerlasting kinge euen in the reprochefulnes of his crosse when all his disciples hilde their peace he called vppon him as his sauiour and finallye hée openlye reprooued the mercilesse cruelty and wicked spéeches of the ●ewes But the acknowledginge of sin the callinge vpon god the father in christ and thankesgeuinge are the excellentest woorkes of the firste table whiche cannot bée vtterly seperated from fayth in no man And admitte that some man beeing preuented with death is able too shewe no woorkes of the seconde table Yet is not the faith in him therefore too be counted ydle because that althoughe it haue not Charitie in actuall deede yet is it accompanied with it in possibilitie Quest I haue yet one doubt more behinde VVhy any man shoulde be damned for euill woorkes if no man be iustified for good woorkes Ans The reasone is manifest namely because that euen the lightest sin that is deserueth althoughe not the extreamest paines in euerlastinge death yet euerlastinge death it selfe whiche generallye is the hyre of sinne but no rightuousnesse can worthely deserue eternal lyfe except it be suche a rightuousnes as the law requireth that is to wit a perfect and sound state Therefore shew me one that fulfilleth the law as there is none found which is not a breaker of the lawe and I will graunt the foresaide argument Quest Saye you then that there shal bee oddes in the punishements of the damned sort An. Althoughe this matter bee to be inquired of verye soberlye yet haue I not spoken it vnaduisedly For besides that the order of Iustice requireth that hee whiche hathe sinned more greeuouslye should be more greuously punished considering that all sinnes are not alike heynous sauing so farforthe as they matche in generalitie for it is a Paradoxe of the Stoykes not of christians to auouch that all sins bee equal christ himself witnesseth the same thing expresly saying y the case of the Sodomites shal bee more tolerable in the day of iudgement than the case of them that had reiected him Quest Then shall therebe oddes in the glory of those that shal be saued An. Verelye so doothe the reason of contraries require And wheras the Apostle sayeth that suche as haue sowen sparelie shall reape sparelye it séemeth not that the same shoulde be restrained to temporall blessinges onely Quest But of sowinge cometh reapinge ergo rightuousnes and life proceede of good workes An. Truely similitudes must neuer bée racked further than the nature of the thinges that are treated of and the purpose of him that vseth the similitudes will beare For else ther wil ensew most fond false things out of nomber which thing whē vnskilful interpreters marke not they must néedes setforth manye foolishe and false thinges But in the foresaide place the Apostle

perfecte in Christe at the sight of whome our most gracious father who notwithstandinge is a continuall enemy to al vnclennesse and filthynesse may holde himself appeased as he that is both singularly iust and singularly mercifull Quest But why dooth he not sanctifi vs fully out of hand Answere Nay rather you may maruel at his goodnes in y he drepeth any litle drop of regenerating grace into any man And yet why he should delay the full sanctifiynge of vs vnto another worlde there be many causes wherof the chéefe are twoo The one is for that wee be but of a weake faith therfore as much as in vs lieth we hinder the effectualnes of the holy ghoste The other is that in as muche as we be saued by mere grace not by works he y glorieth shoulde glory onely in the lord For if this holinesse were perfecte in vs then shoulde our rightuousnesse also bée perfect or cleauing in vs and so consequently Christ should not substantially properly bée our Sauiour but onlye an instrument to dispose vs after suche maner as we might afterwarde iustifye our selues by our owne rightuousnes which is flatly the foule detestable errour of the halfepelagian Sophisters Que. You saye then that betweene our sanctification our rightuousnes ther is such a proportionable resemblaunce that looke how great the one is so great also is the other An. Yea in deede For trewe sanctification cannot bée ydle and suche as a fruitefull trée is suche also is the verye fruite of it Wherfore inasmuche as our vnderstandinge is partlye inlightened with the knowledge of the trew god wee doo also partlye knowe him Forasmuch also as wee partlye assent to Gods promise and applye the same to our selues therefore wee doo partly beléeue And because our will is partly chaunged therefore we partly will well worke well Que. VVhat meane you by this partly An. That is to say not perfectly but only so farfoorth as wée bee borne anewe so as in one selfsame ground howbeit in diuers respectes there is cleannesse and vncleannes light and darkenesse beliefe and vnbeliefe good will and will declininge from good and spirite and fleshe Quest VVhat meane you by Spirite An. All the powers in man aswell superior as inferior so farforth as they bee sanctified or regenerated Quest And what call you fleshe Ans In a man that is not regenerated I meane thereby the whole man euen as muche as is of him wythin and wythout from toppe too toe And in a man that is regenerated I meane agein al his powers so farfoorth as they bée not sanctified or regenerated Quest But Iohn saith that the children of god sinne not An. The same sayeth also that they are ●yars whiche say they haue no sinne Therefore they be said not to sin bicause that although sinne dwell in them yet it reigneth not in them For the spirit fighteth in them against the flesh at length shall gette the vpper hande And in consideration hereof the regenerated onelye may rightly saye the euill that I would not doo that doo I and the good that I would doo that doo I not Quest Euen the natural reason that is in any man vnregenerated dooth oftentimes striue against his lustes And thou knowest that vertue consisteth in subdewinge the vnreasonable parte of the minde vnto reason An. What is to be thought of the Philosophicall vertues I haue aunswered afore I graunt there is a certaine warenes a certaine conscionablenes lefte in man to reprooue and after a sorte also to restraine the headinesse of the affections too the intente that euerye man maye bée vnexcuseable And therefore as for the philosophicall distribution a● it were of the partes of the soule and the thinges that y write cōcerning meannesse I not onely reproue th● not of any vntruthe but also praise and commend them as remnants of y image of god Neuerthelesse I saye y the distribution of mans partes whyche the holye ghost teacheth vs is farre after another sorte matchinge the naturall man the spirituall man the inner man and the outter man the new man the old man and the flesh and the spirit one against another And in those names by whiche vice is noted he betokeneth also euen the souerein and ouerrulinge part of y mind whiche the philophers make so great account of and finallye whatsoeuer man hathe of nature without the grace of regeneration Que. Is not reason reason then Ans Yes vndoubtedly and it alwayes becommeth better sighted by serchynge but yet it is alwaies faultie till it bée regenerated For first formest euen whē it vnderstandeth and discerneth the good it vnderstandeth it not ne discerneth it not as it ought and shoulde doo by reason on of the original corruption which the Philosophers could not so much as once ●…istrust Moreouer in many euen of the ●…eightiest matters it not only séeth not the truth but also vtterly and of set pur●ose fighteth against the truth Quest I beseeche you confirme these thinges with examples Ans I will. Although the Philosophers write many things notably and very ex●ellently concerning God the souereigne good yet notwithstanding which of thē●ll hath by his naturall insight perceiued ●he one substance of the Godhead in the thrée persons And yet there is none other knowing of the souerein good that 〈…〉 either true or that worketh saluation Que. But yet it is sayd that Trismegistus specially the disciples of Plato taught ●ome such like thing Aunswere It may bée that some men haue come to ●ome darke knowledge of this misterie ●…eliuered ouer by the Patriarks written 〈…〉 holy writings but away with y toyes ●f those men y séeke for the truth of these ●hings in y writings of the philosophers For when they come to the poinet to lay ●…rth the nature of god after they haue said many thinges accordinge to truthe ho●… sodeinlye do the cunningest of them sly● away to fondnes as the Apostle ryghtly sayth For from whence comes they● multitude of gods from whence commeth their deuidinge of the godhead in●● greater goddes and lesser goddes From whence comes the frantyckenesse of the Epicures From whence comes the stoicall necessitie too binde euen the god ▪ head it selfe Frō whence hath Aristotle his dotages dreaming that the worlde i● without beginning and without ending and takinge awaye all particuler prouidence And yet I wyll ouerslyp other toyes innumerable confuted in so many places by Aristotle himselfe To whom I pray you may we wyte the comming in of all superstitions but too this noble Ouer ruler Furthermore if wée come downe vnto man whiche of the philosophers coulde know himselfe seyinge hée knewe not the originall of the firste man and his fall Yea truely what can be imagined more awk more brainsik or more monstruous than the sayinge which many men cease not to father vpō Aristotle the wittiest of all

setteth foorth the proporcionable resemblance of woorkes and glory and not y cause of glory For in all places he stedfastlye defendeth that rightuousnesse is the mere gyfte of God without the woorkes of the lawe and is not payde as a dew det but bestowed vppon the beléeuers as a grace Que. He meaneth but the works of the Ceremoniall lawe Ans A fond answer For hys matchinge of duty grace one againste another cānot stand onles all the workes of the lawe bee excluded without exception and yet I wil ouerpasse other argumēts of paules which are bent directlye against the very law of the tenne hests bent I say not to● deface the law which is the madnes of the Manichees but too take away from it the power of iustifiyng Again I besech you if works may be thanked for any maner of rightuousnes why should yee exclude the ceremonies y bée rightlye vsed For truly they be comprehēded in y sowerth commaundement of the ten hestes as longe as they were rightlye vsed they were most excellent workes Quest But ceremonies be abolished by the comming of Christ An. I confesse they be abolished because they bée fulfilled in Christ But the matter it self declareth that where Paule disputeth of the causes of Iustification his reasons tend not to proue that the Ceremonies bee abolished but too shew that saluatiō rested alwaies in the only rightuousnes ef christ imputed to thē that beleue for confirmation therof among other things he alledgeth y examples of Abraham and Dauid Quest Then may wee say that paule excludeth but onely the good works that go before the grace of Iustification An. No lesse fond is this answere also For besides that the Apostle alledgeth manifeestly the examples testimenies of them that were iustified namely of Abraham and Dauid to the intent I may ●et passe his other reason grounded vppon the very nature of the lawe what a madnesse were it to busie a mannes self aboute the excludinge of those thinges whiche are not at all for why to déeme that they wiche are not iustified can d●o anye good woorkes it is no lesse folie than if a man should say that a tree can bringe forth good fruite before it be g●od ●t selfe Quest But although the hyre of eternal life be not dew for the worthines of the very workes yet is it dew at leastwise by couenant An. What couenant meene you I beseeche you Quest The couenant of the lawe which is Do this and thou shalt liue And if thou wilt enter into life kepe the commundementes An. How this couenant is to be vnderstoode it is to bée sene by the threatning which is set against the promyse And that is this by the witnes of the apostle cursed is euery one that abydeth not in all the thinges that are written in the booke of the lawe that he may kepe thē But the law requireth perfect loue And no man but onely Christ hath euer performed the law to the full therefore life is dew to none by the couenant but only vnto Christ As for vs we haue it giuen vs by mere grace from out of him who also is himselfe giuen vnto vs by mere grace Quest VVherfore call you them good woorkes then if they deserue not eternall lyfe An. Surely the Latin diuines yea euen the aūcient sort of them haue vnproperly vsed the word Merit or Deserue in sted of Obtein and the woord Desirt or deseruing or Merit for a good worke whiche thinge ye shall neuer finde in the holye scriptures Now although the works of y regenerate are not so good as thei shold deserue eternall life yet are they good so farforth as they proceede from the good spirit of God from a hart y is clensed by faith And agein they be good bicause y by thē the lorde is glorified our neighbor helped and we our selues also reape this excellent fruite of thē that they bee witnesses vnto vs of our faith and consequently of our election Quest Let thus far then suffice concerning both the partes of Sanctification Now remayneth that which the Apostle saith also namely that Christ is become our redemption Ans By the woorde redemption the Apostle meeneth in that place not the verye act of redeeming but the effect of it that is too say the end whervnto the sayde Iustification and Sanctification lead vs the which is this that being redeemed from synne and death by Christ we should also be made partakers of eternal life in him whose pledge and earnest penny wee haue euen in this lyfe that is to wit the holy Ghost by whom we bee sealed vp Que. But Dauid groūdeth this redemption and blesing in the release of sins VVhy then adde you also the imputation of the sanctificatiō that sticketh in Christ and his fulfilling of the law An. What if I shold incounter thee with these textes Blessed are the cleane in hart blessed are the blameles in y way and suche other like woldest thou gather here vpon y the releasing of sinnes is excluded I think not So now then sanctification is ment by the terme of iustification bycause these twoo go neuer a sunder And why maye I not make answer thus also that somtimes there is mention made but onely of y releasing of sinnes not to the ende to exclude all other pates that make men blessed but by cause the rest are couerfly comprehended vnder it And if thou wilt vrge mee yet further I may also fitly answer that a● the other are ment by y releasing of sins For who can denye but that euen originall sin hath néede of clensinge Ergo it is comprehēded in the releasinge of sins Also who can saye that he only is too bee taken for an offender y doth some thinge which he is forbiddē not he also which performeth not that which is inioyned him Ergo not to haue fulfilled the lawe is also sin whiche also hath néede too be released Now remaine the sinnes that is to say the déedes that are don ageynst the law wherof there is no question but they haue néede too bee satisfied for All these are released by Christes satisfaction whiche is imputed too vs all Nowe let vs come too the name of Release That man is properly saide to release a dette whiche fréely yea and vtterly dischargeth his detter so as hee reserueth no action too himselfe ageinst him Now then wee bee all of vs the children of wrath not onely bycause we be corrupted or bycause wee fulfill not the lawe or bycause wee doo the thynges that are forbidden vs but also bycause wee ought too appeare pure béefore God such as he made vs and not only not too be transgressors of the law but also to be performers of the law Therfore too she ende that we who else must perish may haue full perfecte release of all sinnes this foresaide release muste of necessitye matche with the other release