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
A77593	Ton anexichniaston plouton [sic] tou Christou. The unsearchable riches of Christ. Or, Meat for strong men. Milke [for] babes. Held for th in twenty-two sermons from Ephesians 3.8. By Thomas Brookes, preacher of the Word at Margarets New-Fishstreet.; Anexichniastoi ploutoi tou Christou	Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.	1657 (1657)	Wing B4919; Thomason E841_8	318,122	353

c. he may be burnt for all that therefore he must be active and stirring he must run from place to place and call out for helpe and must worke even in the fire and bestirre himselfe as for life in the use of all meanes whereby the fire may be quenched so if Grace be not acted it s not all a mans praying and crying c. that will profit him or better him grace must be exercised or all will be lost prayers lost teares lost time lost strength lost soule lost c. 1 Tim. 4. 7 8. But refuse prophane and old wives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make a faire excuse fables shift them off as the word is sett them by say thou art not at leisure to attend them make a faire excuse as the word notes tell them thou hast business of an eternall concernment to look after and exercise thy selfe rather unto Godliness or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be taken in a sense wherein little signifies nothing at all but as when it is set in comparison and opposition to some greater matter as here in opposition to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for all things Let the Patient take such or such a potion that in its selfe is good yet if it want such or such a particular ingredient it workes not it do's no good 't is so here lay aside thy upper Garments as runners and wrastlers doe to which the Apostle alludes and bestirre thy selfe lustily for says he in the 8 ver Bodily exercise profits little but Godlinesse is profitable unto all things and hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come The Babylonians are said to make 360 severall Commodities of the Palme Tree but what are those hundred Commodities to those thousands that attend holiness that attend the exercise of grace nothing makes a man rich in spiritualls like the frequent and constant actings of grace In the fourth of the Heb. 2. The word did not profit them that heard it because it was not mixt with faith He doth not speake there of unbeleevers but of those that had Grace in the habit but not in the exercise and therefore the word did not turne to their Accounts they heard and were never the better and what was the Ground of it why it was because they did not exercise Faith upon the word the words that fell from the Preachers lips into their ears were a sweete potion but they did not worke kindly because there wanted the Ingredients of faith faith is one of those Glorious Ingredients that must make every Sermon every truth worke for the souls advantage nothing will worke for a beleevers good for his gaine if his graces lie asleepe Sixthly Because it is the end of all the Dignity and Glory that God hath conferr'd upon his people therefore they must exercise and Improve their Grace In the 1 Pet. 2. 9. But ye are a chosen Generation a Royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people that ye may shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of Darkness into his marvelous light Ye are a chosen Generation that is a pickt people the dearely beloved of his soule such as he first chose for his love and then loves for his choice A Royall Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people The Greeke is A people of purchase such as comprehendeth as it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were all Gods gettings his whole stocke that he makes any reckoning off That ye may shew forth or as 't is in the Greek that ye may hopos tas aretas exaggeilete preach forth that ye may publikely declare the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light that ye may so hould forth the vertues of him that hath conferr'd all this Dignity and Glory upon you as to excite others to Glorifie your father which is in heaven You know the picture of a deare Friend is not to be thrust in a Corner but in God himselfe is wronged by the injury ●hat is done to his Image The contempt is done to the King himsel● that is done to his Image or Coyn. As Suet●nius wri●es some Conspicuous place of the house why our Graces are the very Image of Christ they are his picture and therefore to be held forth to open view These Candles must not be put under a bushell but set up in a Candlesticke Jewels are to ware not to hide so are our Graces It was a Capitall Crime in Tiberius dayes to carry the Image of Augustus upon a ring or coin into any fordid place and shall not Christians be more mindfull and carefull that their Graces which are Christs Image be no wayes obscured but that they be kept alwayes sparling and shining Christs glory and thy comfort oh Christian lies much in the sparkling of thy graces Pearles are not to be thrust in mudd walls or hung in swines snoutes but to be hung on the breasts Seventhly Gratious soules must exercise their Grace because the more Grace is exercised and impro●ed with the more Psal 40. 7 8 Psal 119. 97 ●8 99 100 103 104 111 112. ease and delight will all religious services be performed When grace is improved and exercised gracious services are easily performed As the more naturall strength is exercised and improved with the more ease and pleasure are all bodily services performed so the more grace is acted and improved with the more ease and delight all Christian services are performed Such soules finde wages in their very worke they finde not Rom. 6. 22. onely for keeping but also in keeping of his commands there is Psal 19. 11. great reward all the wayes of the Lord are wayes of pleasantnesse Prov. 3. 17. P●al 65. 11. to them and they finde that all his pathes drop marrow and fatnesse Ah Christians as ever you would have the services of God to be easie and delightfull to your soules looke to the exercise and Improvement of your Graces and then your worke will be a joy Eighthly You must exercise and improve your gifts and graces because the more grace is improved the more God will be Abrahams saith made him rejoyce and obey Heb. 11. Faith is as the spring in the watch that moves the wheeles not a grace stirs till faith sets it on worke Rom. 4. 3. c. honoured In Rom. 4. 19 20 21. And being not weake in faith he considered not his owne body now dead when he was about an hundred yeares old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs womb he staggered not at the promise of God through unbeleefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to performe He gave glory to God But how did he give glory to God was it a dead habit of faith that set the Crowne of honour upon the head of God no it was the lively actings of his faith

Seventh of England believed h●m not therefore trusted him not with shipping and so lost all the purchase of that faith which purchase may yet be recovered if the Lord shall please to own and crown the just and noble designe of Generall Pen c. that moves all the golden wheeles of obedience In Heb. 11. you read what those Worthies did they left their Countrey their kindred upon a bare command of God Faith hath Rachel's eye but Leah's womb it makes soules very fruitfull in wayes of well-doing Faith is as the spring in the Watch that moves the wheels not a grace stirs till faith sets it on work Faith is like Solomons virtuous woman that sets all her maidens to work Faith sets joy on work Abraham desired to see my day and saw it and rejoyced Faith sets love on work It workes by love Gal. 5. 6. It sets hope on work Rom. 8. 24 25. It sets godly sorrow at work Zech. 12. 10. It sets patience at work I believe that God is wise and loving and what he does is out of some noble designe to doe my soule good this spins out patience Faith fits a man to doe to suffer to waite to walk c. therefore labour above all to be rich in faith And then sixthly Of all graces faith renders the soule most invincible and therefore you should labour above all to be rich in faith It renders the soule invincible and unconquerable under all the hardships and tryalls it meets with in this world Faith makes a man triumph in all the changes and conditions of this life It was their faith that made them invincible in Dan. 3. 16 17 18. O Nebuchadnezzar we are not carefull to answer thee in this matter if it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand O King But if not be it knowne unto thee O King that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship thy golden Image which thou hast up And so Daniels faith stopt the Lyons mouths it made him too strong for the strongest Beasts of prey as you may see in Dan. 6. Though the Enemies of a believer are very subtile strong and experienced and though the battell be hot and long yet a soule rich in faith shall have the day Faith will render a believer victorious in the close He may suffer death as Mori posse vinci non posse Cyp. Cyprian said to Cornelius but never Conquest Faith renders the soule a Lyon a Rock c. It is reported of some of the Roman and Grecian Captaines that they proved alwayes As may be fully seen in the Book of Martyrs and in Heb. 11. victorious and were never beaten by any Such is the nature of faith it renders a soule victorious in all ingagements In all ingagements faith brings a man bravely off and inables him to keep his ground and triumph Psal 60. 6 7 8 9 10. God hath spoken in his holinesse I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem and meet out the valley of Succoth Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine Ephraim also is the strength of my Faith alaers the Tenses it puts the future into the present Gilead is mine c. head Judah is my Law-giver Moab is my wash-pot over Edom will I cast out my shooe Philistia triumph thou because of me c. 'T is not great resolutions nor bigge words nor high looks but faith that will make a man stand fast in shaking times No hand can put the Garland upon a Christian but the hand of faith c. And then seventhly Above all labour to be rich in faith because Satan will labour might and maine to weaken your faith Oh! the great designe of Satan is not so much to weaken you in externalls as it is to weaken you in internalls Satan can be contented that men should have their heads full of notions and their mouths full of Religion and their baggs full of gold and their chests full of silver and their shops full of wares so their soules be either voyd of faith or but poor and low in faith Satans greatest plot is to weaken the faith of Christians Luke 22. 31 32. And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift Satan knowes that Nihil retinet qui fidem perdidit you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Satan hath an akeing tooth at thy faith his designe is upon that he will labour might and maine to weaken that to frustrate that and therefore I have prayed that thy faith faile not And then eighthly Consider this of all graces faith contributes most to the bringing downe of mercies and blessings upon your selves and friends and therefore you should above all labour to be rich in this particular grace of faith Faith contributes to the bringing downe of blessings upon our selves In Dan. 6. 23. Daniel was delivered saith the Text because he believed in his God 'T was his faith and not his prayers 't was his faith and not his teares 't was his faith and not his sighes that stopt the Lyons mouths and wrought deliverance for him So in Psal 27. 13. I had fainted unlesse I had believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living So in 2 Chron. 20. 20. Believe in the Lord your God so shall ye be established believe his Prophets so shall ye prosper and so they did That 's a very famous Scripture to this purpose 2 Chron. 13. 15 16 17. Then the men of Judah gave a shout and as the men of Judah shouted it came to passe that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel Were men more rich in faith they would be more rich in other blessings c. before Abijah and Judah and the Children of Israel fled before Judah and God delivered them into their hands And Abijah and his people slew with a great slaughter so there fell downe slaine of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men Here was a dreadfull slaughter no wars no slaughters comparable to those the Scripture speaks of And the reason is rendred vers 18. Because they relyed upon the Lord God of their fathers And as faith is the onely way to bring downe a blessing upon our selves so faith is the onely way to bring downe blessings upon our friends and relations Though another man cannot be saved by my faith yet he Gen. 39. may be blest with many blessings upon the account of my faith In Mat. 15. 22. to 29. it was the Canaanitish womans faith that brought a blessing of healing upon her daughter And so in Mat. 8. 6. to 14. the Centurions faith heal'd his servant that was sick of a Palsie and from that very houre he was healed The servant got well by his Masters faith And so likewise in Mark 9. the faith of the father prevailed for the

exercised Phil. 2. 12. Worke out your owne salvation with feare and trembling The Greek is Worke till you get the worke through The reason why many mens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Katergazesth● hearts tremble and are so full of fears and doubts is because their salvation is not wrought out they doe not make through work in their soules They put not that question home whether they have grace or no an interest in Christ or no. They doe not rise with all their strength against sin nor with all their power to serve the Lord and therefore feares and doubts doe compasse them round about So in 1 Cor. 15. ult Be stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Grace is bettered made more perfect by acting Neglect of our graces is the ground of their decrease and decay Wells are the sweeter for drawing Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. Be stedfast 'T is a Metaphor taken from a foundation on which a thing stands firmly or a seat or chaire wherein one sits fast Vnmoveable signifies one that will not easily move his place or opinion Abounding or Excelling in the worke of the Lord. Knowing that your labour is not in vaine The Greek is Labours unto wearinesse The Apostle would have them labour unto wearinesse For saith he 'T is not in vaine It will turne to a good account it will yield you much of heavenhere and make you high in heaven hereafter There are onely two things that I shall endeavour to doe for the opening of the Point 1 To shew you why persons must improve imploy and exercise the graces and gifts that God hath bestowed upon them And then 2 The End to which they are to exercise those graces and gifts For the first There are these twelve Reasons why gracious soules should exercise and improve their gifts and graces Friends this Point is a Point of as singular use and of as great concernment to you as any that I know the Scripture speaks of and therefore I desire you to lend your most serious and solemne attentions First They must exercise and improve their graces Because the exercise and improvement of their graces is the ready way to be rich in grace Our graces are like Gideo●s Army but a handfull in comparison● but our sins are like the M●dianites in numerable as Grathoppers As sin is increased in the soule by the frequent actings of it so grace is nourished and strengthned in the soule by its frequent actings The exercise of grace is alwayes attended with the increase of grace Prov. 10. 4. The diligent hand maketh rich or the nimble hand the hand that 's active and agile that will see nothing lost for looking after that hand maketh rich Ruth 2. How did Boaz follow the businesse himselfe his eyes were in every corner on the servants and on the Reapers yea on the Gleaners too It is recorded of Severus That his care was not to looke what men said of him or how they censured him but to looke One day God will require of men Non quid legerint sed quid egerint nec quid dixerint sed quomedo vixerint what was to be done by him He will rise in judgement against those Professors that look more what this man and the other man saith of them then what is to be done by them The heart of a Christian is to be taken up with what is to be done by him and not with what this man thinks or the other judges of him Pacunius hath an elegant saying I hate saith he the men that are idle in deed and Philosophicall in word God loves saith Luther Curristas not Quaristas The runner not the questioner Grace growes by exercise and decayes by disuse Though both armes grow yet that which a man most useth is the stronger and the bigger so it is both in gifts and graces In Birds their wings which have been used most are sweetest the Application is easie Such men as are contented with so much grace as will bring them to glory The reason say some why Christ corsed the fig●●ee tho the time of bea●ing fruit was not come was because it made a glorious shew with leaves and promised much ●ut brought fo●● nothing with so much grace as will keep hell and their soules asunder will never be rich in grace nor high in comfort or assurance such soules usually goe to heaven in a storme O how weather-beaten are they before they can reach the Heavenlyharbour Secondly They must exercise their gifts and graces Because 't is the maine end of Gods giving gifts and graces to them Grace is given to trade with 't is given to lay out not to lay up Grace is a Candle that must not be put under a bushell but set upon a Candle-stick Grace is a golden treasure that must be improved not hoarded up as men doe their gold Grace is a Talent and 't is given for this very end that it should be imployed and improved for the honour and advantage of him that gave it The slothfull servant in Gods account is an evill servant and accordingly God ha's denoted him and doomed him for his ill husbandry to destruction Mat. 25. 24 -- 31. What a shame is it saith one that faith should not be able Hierom. to doe that which infidelity hath done What not better fruit in the Vineyard in the Garden of God then in the wildernesse What not better fruit grow upon the Tree of Life then upon the root of nature c. And then thirdly Because grace exercised and improved will doe that for us that all other means in the world can never doe for us I shall evidence this truth in some remarkeable instances Suppose the guilt of sin be upon a mans soule even as a heavy mountaine there 's nothing but the exercise of grace now that can remove this guilt The man prayes and yet guilt sticks upon him he heares and yet guilt as a mountaine lyes heavy upon him he mournes he sighes he groanes and yet guilt sticks upon him he runs from Ordinance to Ordinance No Israelite that was bit or stung with the fiery Serpent could be hea●ed but by looking up to the brazen Serpent and from ordinary services to extraordinary and yet guilt followes him he runs from man to man Sir was ever any mans case like mine I have prayed thus long I have heard thus long I have mourned thus long c. and yet guilt lyes as a mountaine upon my soule There 's nothing now below the exercise of grace that will remove this 't is onely faith in the Promises of remission that will remove the guilt of sin that lyes so heavy upon the soule 'T is onely faith's application of the righteousnesse of Christ that can take Those spots a christian finds in his owne heart can only by a hand of faith ●e washt out in