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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	abraham_n	justify_v	scripture_n	4,588	5	6.7299	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06512	A methodicall preface prefixed before the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes very necessary and profitable for the better vnderstandyng of it / made by the right reuerend father and faythfull seruant of Christ Iesus, Martin Luther ; nowe newly translated out of Latin into English, by W.W. ...	Luther, Martin, 1483-1546.; W. W.	1594 (1594)	STC 16985; ESTC S1353	22,201	55

them al as from the plague and pestilence But now set vs come to handle the Epistle it selfe Seeing therefore it is the duetie and office of an Euangelist or preacher of glad tydings 〈◊〉 godly in●●●uction for ●eaders first of all to preach the Lawe and to shewe how that all men which are without the circuite and compasse of grace and fayth in Christ are the sons and children of wrath are sinners and can do nothing but sinne that so they acknowledging theyr miserye and wretchednes with an humble and contrite hart myght thirst after grace the Apostle S. Paule in this first Chapter dooth first of all finde fault with the vnbeleefe Chap 1 and checketh and rebuketh those grosse sinnes which aptly and playnly were knowen to be manifest offences The maner of S. Paules doctrine as were the Idolatry and such grosse sinnes of the Gentiles as also are of those mē which at this day being ignorant of God voyde of grace and without the Spirit doo lyue in blyndnes and darkenes The wrath of God is reuealed by the Gospell sayth the Apostle from heauen agaynst all vngodlines and vnrighteousnes of men which withholde the truth in vnrighteousnes For though man myght knowe by the Creatures that there was a God yet notwithstanding his nature is euil and wicked insomuch that it dooth not glorify hym nor geue hym thankes but being blynded dooth alwayes geue ouer it selfe to worse and worse vntill they doo not only commit idolatry and all kynde of wickednes but also fauour them that do them and geue their consent and agreement to those which commit such things In the second Chap. he doth more at large shew that euē those little holy ones Chap. 2 The Iewes ●…yll or woorse sinners than the Gentiles and those glorious hypocrites as namely the Iewes then and now in these dayes all the Iusticiaryes which go about by their owne strength and power to fulfill the lawe are also sinners who dooing outwardly the good workes of the lawe notwithstanding inwardly nourishing that greife of their hart doo hate the lawe And these as ryght hypocrites commonly vse to doo are very quicke to condemne and iudge other men counting themselues holy and pure when as they are full of malice and enuy fraude deceyte and all kynde of fylthines and vncleannes as Christ sayth Math. 23. And these are they which fayning themselues holy contemne and despise in very deed the great goodnes of God and accordyng to the hardnes of theyr hartes heape and treasure vp vnto them selues wrath agaynst the day of wrath Paul therfore as a true Euangelist fyrst of all preacheth the Law 〈◊〉 are sinners conclucludyng all men alyke to be synners and denouncyng to all the wrath of God Wherefore they whiche marke well by the power of theyr owne nature or free wyll are so farre from beyng any better than those grosse and open sinners mentioned in the fyrst Chapter that the Apostle calleth them obstinate stubborne men that cannot repent aliantes and straungers In the thirde Chapter he declareth that both the Iewes the Gentiles are alyke sinners before God Chap. 3 Difference betwixt Iewe and Gentile notwithstanding that the Iewes are preferred and excell the Gentiles in this prerogatiue namely for that the promises of God did belong to them and also for that the words and Oracles of God were committed vnto them And thoughe some of the Iewes did not beleue yet for all that their vnbeliefe made not the faithful truth of Gods promise vayne voyde or without effect and to proue this he allegeth that place of the. 51. Psalme as it is written sayeth he That thou mightest be iustified in thy woords and ouercome when thou art iudged After thys he returneth agayn to his cause and purpose and proueth by the Scriptures that al are equally sinners without any exception and that no man is iustified by the woorkes of the lawe but that onely by the lawe commeth the knoweledge of sinne Finally he teacheth the true and right waye of righteousnes and saluation All sayeth he haue sinned The hye way to righteous●nes is by fait● in Christ and are destitute and depriued of the glory of God but they are iustified freely by his grace thorough the redemption that is in Christ Iesus whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliatiō through fayth in his blood And a little before But now sayth he is the righteousnes of God made manifest without the law being approued by the Testimony witnes of the lawe and the Prophets to witte the righteousnes of God by the faith of Iesu Christ vnto all vppon all that beleeue So then the lawe is established through fayth althoughe woorks and glorying in the works of the law are excluded by fayth Seeing therfore in the three former Chapters he hath taught that all men are sinners also hath shewed that onely fayth in Christ is the waye vnto righteousnes and meanes to iustification Chap. 4 by by in this fourth Chapter he answeareth to certayne obiections and cauils As for the most part when Christ or fayth is taught that is that our woorkes are nothing that we are onely iustified by fayth streight wayes certayne Iusticiaries obiect If fayth alone dooth iustifie then we must cease altogether to do good works then good woorks are to be omitted and left vndone The Apostle answeareth proposing the example of Abraham What shall wee say then that Abraham our Father hath found concerning the fleshe Did he merite nothing at all by hys woorks He concludeth that Abraham was iustified onely by fayth without any woorks insomuch that the Scripture sayth that Abraham before hee was circumcised beleeued God and it was counted and reputed vnto hym for righteousnes Genesis 15.6 If therfore the woorke of circumcision which God commaunded which was a precious woorke of obedience profited Abraham nothing to iustificaton then it is most sure and certaine that there is none other worke which is auaylable to iustification But as circumcision being an outward signe 〈◊〉 apt simili●…de was vnto Abraham a seale of his righteousnes by faith so good woorks are onely an externall signe whiche doth not iustifie but which doth signifie vnto men that a man is inwardly iustified before God and they doo testifie and approue as certayne signes and fruites that liuely faith which worketh in the hart By this as by the most graue weighty and authentike example the Apostle doth confirme and build out of the Scriptures his doctrine of fayth delyuered out and taught in the third Chapter Furthermore the Apostle allegeth the testimony of Dauid in his 32. Psal to proue this matter Also in most playne woords he affirmeth that a man is iustified by the imputation of righteousnes without woorkes althoughe as I haue sayd before woorkes doo followe those that are iustified by Faith Moreouer he dilateth and amplyfieth the example against all other woorks of the lawe inferring that the Iewes are

not therfore streightwaye the true heyres of Abraham bycause their stocke and pedigrue is deriued from the circumcised Abraham or bycause they receyued the lawe vnlesse they tread and followe the steps of fayth Abrahams chyldren must haue Abrahams fayth and beleeuing in Christ imitate the fayth of Abraham specially chiefly seeing that Abrahā before the lawe whether it were of Moses or of the circumcision was iustified onely by fayth and called the father of many nations that is of al beleeuers Finally he concludeth thus Seeing that the lawe cannot giue that effectuall working wherby it may willingly and cherfully be satisfied also seeing that the grudging and murmuring stirred vp by the lawe abideth and remayneth in vs and disdayneth and taketh it greuously that there should be any positiue lawe set downe for her I saye that this hatred against the lawe and the lawgeuer God himselfe still continuing it cannot de that the woorkes of the lawe should please God Nay rather seeing they proceede from a hart that abhorreth the law God they are nothing els but sinne and doo alwayes incense and kindle the indignation and wrath of God Wherfore Fayth onely dooth obtayne the blessing and grace promised to Abraham Now it is not writtē for hym only but also for vs as Paule saith in the latter end of this Chapter that fayth might also be imputed and reckened to vs for righteousnes In the fifth Chapter hee intreateth of woorkes and of the fruites of faith which be these peace ioy of conscience loue towards God our neighbour a profitable couragious bold cōfidence and a stoute manfull perseuerance pacience in tribulations and afflictions for streight waye these fruites followe wheresoeuer this true faythe is in the hart Surely that most excellent riches and abundant wealth of the grace of God offered and exhibited to vs in Christe whom God would haue dye for vs when we were as yet weaklings yea enemies to God if so be by fayth it be knowen and acknowledged of vs in our harts it cannot but inflame vs and make vs strong and able to doo moste willingly cherefully and readyly all those things which we knowe wyll please this our most gentle father Therfore the chiefe sentence drift and scope of this Epistle stands stedfast and sure namely that by fayth alone we are iustified wythout woorkes and yet for all that good woorks are not condemned For those wookes that in deede and truely may be called good and those good fruites doo followe fayth and wheresoeuer fayth is it cannot choose but woorke Lyke as the flame can not but geue good lyght Of these that be truely good woorks the Iusticiaries who haue nothing so rife in theyr mouths as works works works know nothing at al They do but only imagine in thēselues certayne cold woorks which bycause they haue no sparke of faith in them are void of all spirituall affections as ioye peace of the conscience and that bolde trust and assurance in God and are rotten fruites of a rotten tree After this the Apostle maketh a pleasaunt digression shewing how sinne and righteousnes also how death and life came vpon vs. And there he compareth those two Adam and Christ Wherefore he reasoneth thus The Apostles argument It was therfore needefull and necessarye that Christ should be sent who shoulde make his righteousnes to be ours by the newe birth or regeneration in fayth and the spirit euen as the old man Adam by propagation left vs his sinne throughe that olde generation according to the flesh Againe by this argument another proposition is surely grounded namely that no man by hys owne strength and power is able to deliuer hymselfe from sinne or to iustifie himselfe For it was not in our choyse to be borne or not to be borne of the olde Adam and according to the fleshe which by other Argumēts is euident and cleare inoughe For if the lawe of God which surely if any other thing in the world myght haue iustified ought to haue preuayled and auayled for righteousnes dooth not onely not iustifie but rather encreaseth and augmenteth sinne in vs namely that grudging and fretting of our nature dayly stomacking and murmuring at God yea the more it dooth presse vs the more it styrreth vp sinne in our nature which goeth agaynst all whatsoeuer is forbidden Nitimur in vetite semper cu● pimusque negata Therfore the more perfitly we knowe the lawe the more misery we behold in our selues and we see the better howe that we haue more neede of Christ In the Sixth Chapter he handleth that great and chiefe woorke of our fayth to wit Chap. 6 the warfare and conflict of Christians betwixt the fleshe and the spirit The warfare of Christians For the fleshe sighteth alwayes agayust the spirit and the spirit wageth warre agaynst the fleshe to the end that the desires of the fleshe and reliques of sinne which remayne in vs after iustification might be quite suppressed quelled and quenched in vs. And in this Chapter the Apostle teacheth that we are not so iustified freed from sinne by fayth that sinne is quite taken awaye and altogether abolished in vs ●●liques of ●●nne but that the reliques of sinne as yet remayne in vs. Neuertheles those renmaunts of sinne are not layde to our charge by reason of fayth which continually wrastleth wyth the desires of the fleshe Wherefore as yet bycause wh lyue in the fleshe that strife and combate endureth in vs and they that are already iustified haue inoughe to doo and haue labour inoughe to turne them vnto yea all their lyfe tyme they may toyle vntill they sweat agayne by endeuouring to tame their fleshe to represse the lusts of it Mortification and to make it subiect vnto the Spirit And by that mortification of our fleshe and newenes of our spirtuall lyfe we expresse the Death and the Resurrection of Christ as also that signe of mortification in Baptisme which dooth signifie and represent vnto vs no other thing but this continuall mortification of the fleshe and dayly viuification and quickening of the spirit For Baptisme that is this mortification dooth woorke in vs so long vntill sinne being abolished and abandoned by the death of our bodyes we rise in our bodyes wyth Christ and raygne wyth hym for euermore And this thing namely the dayly mortification of our fleshe we may performe bycause we are not vnder the law but vnder grace Nowe what it is VVhat it is not to be vnder the Law not to be vnder the lawe he himselfe expoundeth For not to be vnder the lawe must not to be so vnderstood as thoughe it were lawfull for vs to doo what we list but not to be vnder the lawe is this that our harts are so made newe by the spirit through fayth that freely willingly and of our owne accorde we may doo that whiche the lawe requires though there were no law at all For grace dooth endue