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	wrought_v	5,634	5	9.6527	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01711	Certaine sermons, vpon diuers textes of Holie Scripture Whereof some haue been seuerally before published, and other some for the greater benefit of the godly reader are here now added. By M. George Giffard, preacher of the worde of God at Mauldon Essex.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.; Gifford, George, d. 1620. A sermon on the parable of the sower. aut; Gifford, George, d. 1620. Two sermons upon I. Peter 5. vers. 8 and 9. aut; Gifford, George, d. 1620. Foure sermons uppon the seven chiefe vertues of faith. aut; Gifford, George, d. 1620. A godlie, zealous, and profitable sermon upon the second chapter of saint James. aut; Gifford, George, d. 1620. A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the thirtie day of May. aut; Gifford, George, d. 1620. A sermon on the third chapter of Saint Iames. aut	1597 (1597)	STC 11848.5; ESTC S120470	152,707	288

naked and destitute of daily foode 16 And one of you say vnto them Depart in peace warme your selues and fill your bellies notwithstanding ye giue them not those things which are needfull to the bodie what helpeth it 17 Euen so the faith if it haue no workes is dead in it selfe 18 But some man might say Thou hast the faith and I haue workes shew me thy faith out of thy workes and I will shew thee my faith by my workes 19 Thou beleeuest that there is one God thou doest well the diuels also beleeue it tremble 20 But wilt thou vnderstand O thou vaine man that the faith which is without works is dead 21 Was not Abraham our Father iustified through workes when hee offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar 22 Seest thou not that the faith wrought with his workes and through the workes was the faith made perfect 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which sayth Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse and he was called the friend of God 24 Ye see then how that of workes a man is iustified and not of faith only 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot iustified through workes when she had receiued the messengers and sent them out another way 26 For as the bodie without the spirit is dead euen so the faith without workes is dead I Haue chosen this portion of scripture to interpret because there is very great vse and commoditie in the true and right vnderstanding thereof and the doctrine therein contained is most necessarie for all Christians to know First because it doth directly and fully ouerthrow beat downe all carnall profession of the Gospell shewing that the common and dead faith cannot saue a man Secondly because it is the principall piller which the Papists doe leane vnto and the chiefe place of Scripture which they doe peruert and abuse to prooue and establish Iustification by workes and the merits of men and to ouerthrow the free Iustification wee haue in our Lord Iesus Christ through faith The hold which they take in this point is vpon the speeches and phrases which the Apostle doth vse as when he saith Abraham our father was iustified through workes Also Rahab the Harlot was iustified through workes Likewise ye see that of workes a man is iustified and not of faith onely Herein the two Apostles of Christ Saint Paul and Saint Iames do seeme to be flat contrarie the one to the other for whereas Saint Paul saith Abraham was iustified by faith alone and not by workes Saint Iames saith he was iustified by workes Saint Paul saith and prooueth by sundrie and inuincible reasons that a man is iustified by faith alone without the workes of the law Saint Iames saith ye see that a man is iustified by workes and not by faith only This contrarietie is but in appearance for they both wrote by one spirite which is alwaies like himselfe and alwaies agreeth with himselfe The whole blame thereof is to light vpon vs that wee are so dimme sighted as not to see how these two seruants of GOD doe iumpe and agree together without any iarre at all I thinke it needefull for this cause before I come to handle the words of the Text as they lye in order first to take away this shewe of discorde If any man will demaund what cause there was which made them to appeare in outward shew so contrarie the one to the other I answere that although there be no contrarietie in the matter it selfe which they teach yet the diuersitie of the schollers which they lighted vpon the contrary affection of those whom they instructed caused them to vse a diuers and contrarie order of teaching Saint Paul hauing to deale with such as would seeke to be iustified partly by faith in Christ and partly by their owne deedes or the deedes of the Law vseth this order first shewing that we were lost and condemned in our selues then next iustified and saued through the merites of Christ afterward that we are sanctified in him and must shew foorth the fruites of our faith in a pure and holie life Saint Iames lighting vpon another sort of men which confessed the free iustification through faith in Christ yet in this they were deceiued that they did not consider how all those that are iustified are sanctified how all those that are in christ Iesus are new creatures that they are new borne and walke not after the flesh but after the spirit that the true liuely and iustifying faith doth bring foorth the fruites of righteousnesse in a holie conuersation Now because this cannot be remooued or separated from the right and liuely faith Saint Iames goeth as it were backward and prooueth that where this latter that is to say the fruites of faith are wanting there faith is wanting and so his drift is to shew that all vngodly and carnall professours of Christ haue but a dead faith which in no respect is able for to helpe or saue them A second cause why they seeme so much to differ is herein that men doe not marke well how they handle not the selfe same matter nor haue not the same drift For Saint Paul laboureth to prooue that the true faith doth ioyne vs to Christ and thereby saue vs. Saint Iames here beateth vpon this poynt that the dead faith which is but a bare image of the right faith cannot profite a man this shall appeare in the wordes of the Text and also a third cause is that they doe not take this word iustified in the same sense but diuersly as it shall bee prooued afterward Now will I come vnto the Text. What auaileth it my brethren though a man saith hee hath faith when he hath no workes can the faith saue him This is his proposition and the matter which he will dispute vpon in the whole text following thus much it is in effect that it doth not auaile a man to say he hath faith nor it doth not profit him to boast and bragge and to make profession thereof when he hath no good workes the reason is this because it cannot saue him marke and obserue this well for here at the first enterance the blindnesse of the Papists and their follie doth manifestlie bewray it selfe when as they doe not see nor vnderstand that it is not the purpose of the Apostle in this place to dispute vpon this point whether the true faith doth saue iustifie or not but to shewe that such as haue not good workes haue not the true faith in them and therefore whatsoeuer they professe they cannot bee saued For hee doth not propound his matter thus what auaileth it though a man haue faith and haue not workes but What auaileth it though a man say hee hath faith and hath not workes Whereby it is very manifest that when Saint Iames doth attibute the name of faith vnto this dead image hee doth it not in proper but in abusine speech and after

cause that the Diuels haue no hope and the wicked men thinke they haue hope Is it because they haue lesse faith Nay it is because they are more wise and because they giue credite to that which GOD hath threatned against them They beleeue that hee will powre out his wrath vpon them because hee hath sayd it but the wicked men they are more foolish and where GOD hath pronounced against them for their sinnes eternall fire they doe not beleeue him and so indeede their faith commeth short of the faith of Diuels they should beleeue the Lord when hee telleth them that all those which doe not turne from their vngodlinesse when hee calleth them to repentance shall bee cast into Hell But they blind themselues and will seeme to beleeue quite contrarie vnto that which GOD affirmeth this is not to shut the doore to repentance but to mooue men to seeke for it while GOD doth offer himselfe for they shall not bee able when they will It is GOD which must beget vs to himselfe and giue vs the newe birth and sanctifie vs by his spirite to bring foorth the true fruites of faith and not to haue such a dead beleefe which doeth chaunge vs no more then the faith which the Diuelles haue doth chaunge them For there bee verie manie at this day who being stuffed as full of wickednesse as euer they can hold and their words and deedes doe plainly shew that they are no more changed then diuels which will so brag of their faith and the strength thereof that if there should be but tenne in the whole Countrie saued they hope to be of them they neuer vnderstood the doctrine which the Lord teacheth in this place God giue vs vnderstanding that we be not seduced but that wee may seeke at the hands of Christ to giue vs a faith which may differ from that which the diuels haue Here also shall appeare the ignorance of the Papists They would beare men in hand that Saint Iames doth speak of the same faith which Saint Paul doth and that he plainly affirmeth it doth not alone iustifie But see here as he said before What auaileth it if a man say he hath faith and hath no workes can that faith which is but in words or the dead faith saue him So now hee telleth more plainly what faith it is which he speaketh of which cannot helpe a man euen that which the diuell hath Is not that beleefe which S. Paul saith doth iustifie wrought by the holie Ghost Shall we bee so blasphemous as to say the Diuels are partakers of him You may well perceiue therefore that Saint Iames doeth speake nothing against that which Saint Paul hath prooued how Christ alone is our righteousnesse whom wee take holde of onelie by Faith for hee doeth but shewe that the dead picture of Faith doeth not saue Remember well then what Faith is here spoken of and the controuersie is soone decided The Apostle now proceedeth to his last reason which because it is wonderfull strong he vseth as it were a certaine Preface vnto it least we should passe lightly ouer it without due consideration But wilt thou vnderstand saith hee O thou vaine man that the faith which is without works is dead See how vehemently hee thundereth here against the carnall professour calling him a vaine man likewise wilt thou vnderstand can not those former reasons satisfie thee are they not strong enough to perswade thee or plaine enough to teach thee I will let thee see such a reason that neither thou norall the world shall be able for to gainsay it is so strong and so manifest that it will stoppe the mouthes of all the cauillers and force them to confesse will they nill they that the faith that is without workes is dead See how marueilously the holy ghost doth labor to driue vs from trusting to this broken staffe and to force vs to seeke after the true and right beleefe if wee haue any care to saue our soules And doubtlesse daily experience doeth teach vs how needefull a thing this is For the greatest number of professours thinke nothing lesse needful then to seek increase of faith they suppose and they will say they beleeue well enough they feele no want at all what should preaching doe they can but beleeue In very deed this dead faith of theirs seemes to them to be verie strong it cannot be shaken neither is it tried or tempted for to what purpose should the Deuill much labour to ouerthrowe it but those which haue any faith indeed do feele what neede there is to vse all meanes to strengthen it But let vs come to the matter hee prooueth now by examples that the true faith is knowen by good workes the first example is of Abraham thus it is to be opened yee know that Abraham was an holy man and a right man indeede hee was highly in fauour with God the couenant was made with him that in his seede all nations of the earth should be blessed ye will then confesse that hee had the right faith there is no doubt at all in that Likewise ye must needs graunt that as there is but one God one mediatour so there is but one faith whereupon it followeth that as many as haue such a faith or the same faith which was in Abraham shall be saued and none els for although euery one of the children of Abraham doe not attaine to the same measure and strength that their father did Ephes 4.5 1. Tim. 2.5 yet they are like him and haue the same beleefe Then I beseech you obserue well the second part wherein is declared how the faith of Abraham was fruitfull and did declare and shewe forth it selfe by good workes Gen. 21. for hee offered his sonne Isaac vpon the Altar Whereupon it doeth also follow that all his children and all the sonnes of God doe declare and shewe forth their faith by their good deeds And whosoeuer they be which doe not so they are degenerates and bastards none of his children nor yet partakers of any blessing with him for their faith is dead and therefore they are not aliue do you not see dearly beloued the marueilous force of this reason and that it is as cleere as the sunne Heere is no starting hole left for a man to hide himselfe in nor to creepe out at but hee is holden fast to this that if hee will be saued he must so beleeue that he declare and shew forth to the worlde by his good workes an holy life how hee walketh in the steps of his faithfull father Abraham But why doth he choose this one worke of Abraham before all the rest For his life did shine with holy workes he was mercifull to the poore he entertained lodged strangers he was peaceable with all men iust and true in all his dealings doubtlesse this did excell all the rest and so farre passe them that it may well enough be mentioned instead of them all it did

to his promises and because the plaine testimony of the scripture compelleth them they affirme it constantly and condemne the contrarie as a soule errour that God hath chosen men and men come to feele and to know this And therefore because it is a true doctrine they say also that they themselues are sure that God hath chosen them but when they take not the way to become sure which S. Peter hath here set downe but goe in a contrarie path and are spotted with filthy crimes wee may boldly say they be lyars for although they brag with their tongues of that that they should be yet there is a birde in their brest which doth sing in a cōtrary note telleth them plainly what they be Another kind of men there be which in no case can be perswaded that any man can be sure of saluation and therefore with scoffes they aske of them which professe the word when God told them so If it were a thing which were not to be or could not be knowen then the Apostle hath greatly ouershot himselfe in telling vs how wee shall come to be sure But aske a question of them whether they doe not beleeue in God euery one will answere I put all my whole trust in him reason then a little further and tell them that the Scripture which can not lie saith That all which trust in God shall be saued how then will they ioyne these togither that they trust in God and yet doubt whether they shall be saued can God deceiue or say they they know not what Vndoubtedly if they did know that they haue trust they should also know they can not perish But let vs learne by this the miserie of our time in which men do still thinke this doctrine to be strange Now let vs come to the particular application of this doctrine in which euery one must come home to himselfe remembring first that such as God hath called home to himselfe and chosen to be his children he doth also giue vnto them true faith and feeling that they bee his elect and such as perceiue no such thing in themselues are in a verie miserable case and as yet wee may say forlorne creatures therefore euery man in himselfe must aske this question of his owne soule How goeth the matter with thee Art thou sure God hath chosē thee Doest thou feele any assurance of eternal life The conscience will answere vprightly if wee be not negligent to make inquirie then if we find this within I am not sure for I doubt and stagger we must inquire with our selues thus what is the cause God is faithfull which hath promised eternall life vnto all which beleeue our heart will make answere Thou regardest not the feare of God thou art full of foule sinnes euill lustes doe reigne in thee thou doest not study for the knowledge of Gods worde thou art vnfruitfull and barren in good workes therefore thou canst not say I am led by the spirit of God and therefore sure I shall be saued If he be wise he will not stay here as the manner of fooles is saying I am not sure indeed neither do I thinke any man can be I commit it to God let him doe with me what he will these speeches may seeme to haue some wit godlines in them but they are indeed deuilish and madde because God hath taught vs a contrary lesson in this place but go this steppe further may I come to this assurance and which is the way The Lord doth answere by his Apostle Thou maiest come to this assurance and pointeth him out the way euē that which you haue heard wherein he must painefully trauell and goe forwarde not for a gird or a braid and waxe idle againe but still labour for these men had gone a great way and yet they are willed to proceede still if the Lorde guie not this assurance we are to labour so much the more and to be so much the more importunate to suspect our iudgement and to seeke for knowledge to call our selues to a more strait account to set a watch ouer our affections to see with what mind we doe things to foster no sinne willingly in vs nor to be slacke to any good worke which God hath appointed to call crie vnto God for faith and his spirit to guide vs to vse the means diligently which God hath appointed as the hearing searching meditating in the word thus in time for it is wroght in mē by degrees they neuer come to the full God wil let thē see that he is their God That neither life nor death height or depth things present or things to come Angels principalities nor powers nor any creature shall separate vs from his loue in Christ It followeth in the next verse For by this meanes an entring shall be ministred vnto you abundantly into the euerlasting kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ This is a confirmation of the last clause of the former sentence where he saith If you doe these things you shall neuer fall and why because you shall haue a great entrance into the eternall kingdome of Christ as that is a confirmation of the other where he saith Make your calling election sure as the reason followeth there Ye shall come to be sure how because he which proceedeth so far that he knoweth he shall neuer fall away from God to destruction he is as it must needs be sure also that he is chosen for hee speaketh not here of euery particular fall into sin which is of the most godly but saith S. Peter I tell you if you do these things ye shall neuer fall not because there is any such stablenes in our selues or in our own works but we know that they be the fruits of Gods spirit in vs which is his seale set vpon none but those whome he doth marke vp to life eternall he is vnchangeable so it followeth here Ye shall not fall for they that haue a rich entrance into the kingdome of Christ which is euerlasting so that Christ doth raigne in them as hee doth in all the faithfull by his spirit can not fall vntill the power of Christ faile and his kingdome come to an end For we must note that the force of the reason resteth in the difference which is between the kingdome of Christ and the kingdomes of this world in which though they be neuer so mightie and full of pollicie and wisedome yet they should come to an end and therefore a man can not rightly say vnto the subiectes you haue a mightie prince who is bountifull and gracious your peace therefore and happie estate shall endure for euer nay the mightie may bee ouercome if not by men at least wise by death and so they may bee to day in peace and good estate to morrow all in an vprore to day vnder a louing and gracious prince to morrow vnder a fierce tyrant so vncertaine is the state of the kingdome of

the manner of those men which called it saith when as in very deede it is none but onely a certaine resemblance and shadowe thereof Thus much for this enterance and state of his disputation now follow his reasons by which hee doth prooue that this kinde of faith cannot auaile or profit a man for hee doth prcoue it very strongly and pithelie The first of them is taken from a comparison or similitude which hee setteth downe thus If a brother or a sister bee naked and destitute of daily foode and one of you say vnto them Depart in peace warme your selues and sill your bellies notwithstanding ye giue them not those things which are needfull to the booie what helpeth it This is the summe of the matter There commeth vnto you a poore man or a poore woman which lacketh clothes and sustenance you giue them gentle and faire words God helpe ye God succour ye and send yee releefe but yee giue them nothing can this helpe the poore man or the poore woman Shall they not for all your louing words sterue for cold and dye for hunger if euery man should serue them so and giue them no other almes Why doe ye not see then that as this almes and liberalitie to the poore which is but in faire speeches is colde and doth not helpe so in like manner the faith which is but in words and outward profession of speech although it be with neuer so great bragges is dead and then further why doe ye not vnderstand that a thing which is weake and dead in it selfe can by no meanes haue power to giue life and to saue But obserue it a little better thus the comparison standeth if that liberalitie which is onely in words bee cold or dead and doth not profite the poore nor make him a liberall man which vseth it then it followeth also that that faith which is onely in speech is dead and therefore cannot saue or profite him which hath it if words onely could profite or cause it to be faith why should not words also profit the poore man or woman which is destitute If words onely can make a faithful man why shuld not words make a liberall man If for a man to say he hath faith be of that power to do the greatest things as namely to couple vs to Christ to raise the soule frō death to life to put the diuell to flight to ouercome the world should it not be able to do the lesser that is to say so far to preuaile with vs to haue such power in vs as to bring forth good works Deere brethrē know that if it be aliue do the former it must needs do this if it do not this latter thē surely it is dead and can doe nothing to saue vs. This is a most plaine and forcible reason to proue that the faith of a carnall and worldly Gospeller is but a dead shew of faith and therefore he is not iustified nor saued neither can be iustified nor saued thereby seeing it hath no life in it selfe to worke and to bring foorth fruites it cannot giue life vnto him for how should it bring that which it hath not To set it foorth more plainly thus the Apostle addeth but some man might say thou hast the faith and I haue workes shew mee thy faith by thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my workes He sheweth here how euerie simple man which is a true Christian may be able to deale against the greatest and most skilfull Doctor that is to prooue that hee hath no faith if he haue not good works for when he saith Some man will say it is as much as if he had sayd any man may say thou hast faith that is thou makest thy boast that thou hast faith shewe it by thy workes because faith is an holy thing wrought by Gods spirite and a liuely and mightie thing therefore it cannot be without holy and good actions For as a man is knowne to bee dead when he doth not breathe cannot stirre see heare and such like and contrariwise when hee doth any of these he is knowne to bee aliue euen so is it with faith if it can or do bring foorth no good works then is it dead on the contrary part the actions and stirring thereof doe shew it to be aliue This is a strong place against all those which doe not onely vaunt themselues of a vaine and dead beleefe but also would leaue no mark to know who are of God and who are of the diuell Let a man take them tardie in any foule vice wherein they wallow and say vnto them ye are out of the way ye haue not the true beleefe in God ye are couetous ye are a worldling ye are a drunkard and an adulterer or such like their answere is readie Who made you able to iudge can you tell how I beleeue will you take vpon you to see what is in my heart whatsoeuer you say I haue as good a beleefe as your selfe Marke well now I pray ye for here ye may learne how to answere such sellowes say thus vnto them Faith indeed of it selfe is a secret thing in the heart but yet because it can no more be without good deedes then fire can be without heat the Lord doth bid vs by his Apostle to say vnto you shewe mee your faith by your workes and when your tongue is foule and your deedes are wicked most certain it is that the heart is vncleane there is no right faith for that doth purge the heart as S. Peter saith Act. 15. Looke but vpon mens words and outward brags of their beleefe and ye would thinke there were such plentie of faith that there could be almost no more euery man doth so strongly beleeue in Christ But come to this touchstone and triall which is here giuen vs shew thy faith by thy workes and it shall by and by carrie vs so farre on the other side when wee see such flouds of all horrible and beastly sinnes that it will cause vs to thinke vpon this saying When the sonne of man commeth shall he finde faith vpon the earth For if this be true as it is most true because God himselfe hath set it downe that the faith which is without good workes is dead and those are Infidels which like bruit beasts care not but for the things of this world and make no conscience of committing all kinde of euill workes Doe ye suppose that if the sonne of man should now come that he should finde any great store of faith Alas alas how many are the sinfull deedes of the most men which shew that they haue no faith How few are the good workes and how weake euen in the small remnant of the godlie which doth declare how poore and slender their faith is But wee must yet proceede further in this matter and as it were strike it a little deeper As men are wilie to deceiue themselues so they will here

declare a wonderfull faith and loue towards God as we may easily see considering all the whole circumstances of the storie God hath called him out of his natiue country and from his fathers house into a strange land hee had promised him a sonne by his wife Sara of whome the blessed seed should come he performed this promise in his old age euen when Sara was by nature past childbearing Gen. 21.12 he had no other child by her the promise was made in none but in him In Isaac shall thy seede be blessed Ech man shall now be driuen to confesse that here was a great triall when God doeth bid him take his onely sonne euen Isaac and goe three daies iourney to the place which he would shew him and to offer him vpon the altar a slaine sacrifice How great a griefe is it for a louing father to loose a sonne which hee loueth dearely especially when hee hath no more sonnes then how much griefe might this be not onely to see his sonne slaine but also to slay him with his owne handes and most of all that childe in whome the couenant of eternall life was made because Christ should come of him who beeing dead all hope of saluation did die with him All this did not withhold but the faith of Abraham carried so great a loue in him and feare towardes God that hee neuer grudged at the matter nor neuer made delay but went indeed to haue slain his sonne hauing bound him vpon the wood and hauing taken in his hand the sacrificing knife to kill him Then the Angell of the Lord from heauen did forbid him Before the Lorde it was as if it had been done because Abraham did fully purpose to doe it then wee see plainly by this what the true faith is But if any man should obiect and say this example is not fit euerie man can not be like Abraham nor haue such a faith as hee had hee was a rare man few or none to be compared with him Saint Iames doth answer If ye thinke this example to be too high and that yee are not to be measured by it I will shewe you another as low what say yee to Rahab the harlot was not shee iustified by workes did not her faith declare it selfe by good workes Can ye take any exception against this example Will yee not be ashamed that your faith should not be like hers As the faith of Abrahā did vtter it selfe to the world so did hers whereby she shewed her selfe to be a right daughter of Abraham although shee were not of his posteritie according to the flesh but came of one of those cursed nations which God had commaunded the children of Israel to roote out and destroy yet I say shee was his daughter according as Saint Paul setteth it forth in the Epistle to the Romanes that hee should be the father not onely of them which are of the Circumcision but also of those that walke in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham like as all his children both of the Iewes and Gentiles must doe which will be blessed with their faithfull father Abraham Then wee haue here the example of the father of all the faithfull with the example of one of his daughters which had been a poore harlot what excuse remaineth or what can wee pretend shall wee not blush and be ashamed to say that we beleeue well and take our selues to be the children of Abraham and the children of God when we are no more like him then as the common saying is an apple is like an oister Christ our Sauiour doeth vse this reason against the Pharisies in the Gospell of Saint Iohn If yee were Abrahams children saith he ye would doe the workes of Abraham but now you go about to kill mee a man that hath tolde you the trueth which I haue heard of God this did not Abraham And a little after Ye are of your father the deuill and the lustes of your father yee will doe What would ye haue more plaine than this Euen the verie seed and posteritie of Abraham which tooke themselues to be the children of Abraham and the children of God yet Christ Iesus telleth them plainely they are the children of the deuill and why Because their workes were not like the workes of Abraham their beliefe was not like his but it was dead Shall wee not then as boldly say at this day nay rather doth not Christ speake as plainly as he did and telleth vngodly men to their face howsoeuer yee bragge of your faith it is but dead and howsoeuer yee boast and take your selues to be the children of God yet in verie deede vnlesse yee returne from your vngodly waies and shew forth the fruites of a true liuely faith yee are the children of the deuill trust not vnto your vaine hope and deade faith for it will but deceiue you Dearely beloued let vs not be so mad when God telleth vs this with his own mouth as to beleeue the contrarie and to perswade our selues wee shall doe well enough although we continue in our sinnes This is a most pestilent craft of Sathan and commeth from the roote of Infidelitie as yee may see in our great grandmother Eue God had told her and Adam that what day soeuer they should eate of the tree they should die the death the deuill told her yee shall not die she beleeued him but beleeued not God shee thought euen as the deuill tolde her shee should doe well enough or els shee would neuer haue eate thereof we haue sucked this poison from her breastes when God telleth vs if your faith bring not foorth good workes it is deade it can not helpe yee if yee continue in these wicked deedes yee are the children of the deuill yee must speedily repent for yee can not when yee would No no saith the deuill on the other side that is not true your faith is good enough goe on yee shall doe well God hath mercie in store yee may repent afterward Now the most doeth beleeue the deuill in this and giue no credit at all vnto God and neuer seeke to trie themselues whether they be in good case or not When the Apostle saith here that Abraham was iustified by workes and that Rahab was iustified by workes c. Wee must note that this word Iustified is taken diuers waies in the scriptures which is one cause as I noted before why Saint Paul and Saint Iames seeme to be contrary Saint Paul proouing that we are iustified by faith taketh it as contrarie to this worde condemned for being by our sinnes guiltie and to receiue the sentence of condemnation we are in Christ into whose mysticall body wee are incorporate thorough faith acquit and discharged which is called iustification this cannot be by the workes of the lawe because there is no perfection in the deedes of any but euen the most pure are vncleane and spotted Therefore as Saint Paul saith they are all

vnder the curse which holde of the workes of the law for it is written Cursed is euerie one which continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the lawe to doe them The reason of this is to bee considered in the most holy and pure nature of God vnto whome no vncleane thing can be coupled no vnpure thing although it be but in part can abide his presence or haue fellowship with him The word Iustifie is also taken in this sense as when a man doth declare and shewe forth before men that hee is a righteous person also before God and that is the meaning of the word in this place that looke how by faith wee are iustified before God so by the fruits of our faith wee are iustified that is declared to bee iust before men For proofe that the Scripture doeth vse the word Iustified in this fense looke vpon the saying of Dauid That thou maiest be iustified in thy saying and pure when thou iudgest there it can signifie no more but that God might shewe and declare himselfe to be iust In the Gospell of Saint Luke chap. 16. vers 15. You are they saith Christ to the Pharisies which iustifie your selues before men but God doth know your hearts In this saying it is most apparant that there is a iustifying before men which the Pharisies in coloured hypocrisie did seeke for but Christ telleth them they were neuer the better because they were not of vpright heart before God The word is also taken in another sense which I omit If any mā will now demand how it can be prooued that Saint Iames doth vse it in this latter sense rather then in the former I answer that the verie place it selfe and goe no further doeth declare this thing for when the Apostle saith thus Some man will say shew me thy faith by thy workes is it not apparant that hee speaketh of that which is before men or declared vnto men and not of that which is before God In like manner when he saith Abraham was iustified by workes when hee offered his sonne Isaac vpon the altar Doth not the scripture shewe that before God Abraham was iustified long before by faith If it be obiected againe that it may also be said how hee was before that time iustified before men or that hee had shewed by his deeds vnto men that hee did feare and loue God and then what should hinder but that it may bee taken for a more full and perfect iustification or an increase thereof as wel before God as before men I answere that before God a man beeing iustified to speake properly there is no increase thereof for hee is fully and wholly discharged and acquite or els it is no iustification But because wee haue receiued the grace of iustification but in part and not in full measure therefore our iustifying before men is more and more declared by degrees as good workes doe more and more abound in vs and so Abraham was by this one worke more iustified before men then by all the rest of his deedes and therefore it may well be set downe in stead of all the rest We see here then that because by the scriptures this must needs be taken for an increase of iustification in our father Abraham that it must necessarily be vnderstood of that iustification which is before men ye see now the meaning of this text and the drift and scope of the Apostle is laid open vnto ye but my chiefe purpose is yet behinde and that wherein wee are to be wrought vpon yet remaineth which is a more particular application and handling of this doctrine For we must not passe away thus with the matter vnlesse we mind to take small fruit thereby Yee will confesse these things which I haue handled to be true as of necessitie we are forced thereunto wee can not but graunt that the holy Ghost hath giuen a perfect touchstone then am I to exhort you in the name of God as ye tender and loue the saluation of your soules to giue attentiue heede a little and not to let this thing slip away from yee Doe ye graunt that the faith which is without workes is dead and that it is no better then the faith of deuils And yet will yee still suppose that idolators swearers railers adulterers couetous worldlings and griping vsurers and such like are in good case or continuing such can hope for mercie Doe yee confesse that there is but one true faith which was the faith of Abraham and Rahab Doe yee also acknowledge that the same faith in them did shew it selfe by good deedes And will yee still accept it for a sufficient proofe of a good and sound testimonie of a true beleefe when any man can say I doe hurt no man I liue vprightly and pay euery man his owne I haue alwaies beene reputed and taken for an honest man what would ye require more of me I liue as my neighbours doe I trust God will hold me excused although hee haue no regard of any obedience to the worde of God to consider wherein his glorie doth consist nor yet any care of men to profite either their soules or their bodies but contenteth himselfe with this if hee doe them no good to do them no harme I will shewe you dearely beloued how these sorts of people are declued by two foule errors which this text doth most strongly ouerthrowe the first is this that they looke but vnto men and restraine their dutie vnto them whereas they shoulde chiefely looke vnto that which they owe vnto God and then to that which belongeth to their breethren the second is that they suppose themselues bound no further but to abstaine from hurting without regard of doing the duties of loue wherein one man is to profit and further another As concerning the first of these both the example of Abraham and also of Rahab doe manifestly conuince them because the fruites of their faith or the workes whereby they were iustified did not so much respect man as God for in Abraham there appeareth only a loue towards God for whose sake he was contented to forget the affection of a father to shew that although he loued Isaac dearly yet he loued God more so that if we feel our loue to the Lord our god to be so small that it can not preuaile with vs to kill mortifie the lustes of sinne and vaine pleasures of the flesh how shall we perswade our selues that wee are like Abraham which had denyed the loue of himselfe so farre that he did neuer grudge but would willingly haue killed his sonne Rahab after shee had made confession what she did beleeue concerning the God of Israel for the same Gods sake for the true religion for the Church and people of God tooke the messengers did hide them to the hazard of her life and all that shee had affirming to the king when hee sent to seeke them that they were