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	justify_v	see_v	4,351	5	4.4708	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70241	The vanity of man at his best estate, and the vanity of Dives, his desire when at his worst viz. to have a preacher sent from the dead to his fathers house / discoursed of in two sermons, the first before the University of Oxon, the other at Ayno in Northamptonshire, at the anniversary for the foundation of the free-school there, by T.H., B.D., sometime rector of Souldern in Oxfordshire.	Hodges, Thomas, d. 1688.	1676 (1676)	Wing H2325; ESTC R38792	37,311	52

Leviticus chap. 9.9.14 Stella upon Luke Chap. 11 v. 29. and Erasmus upon the first Epistle to the Corinthians the 13 Chap. and 13 verse 4. If the power of Miracles should be continued in the Church most probably it would be exerted for the conversion of infidels and consequently the gift of languages should be given to them now a days who are sent to preach to the Indians or other heathens but we have no sufficient or credible witnesse or testimony that those preachers of late times or for many years have had or ever have been endued with the gift of languages Again doth Abraham in heaven direct to Moses and the prophets as above-said 2 Vse of Confutat Coufut 1. Of the doctrin of the Papists then this may serve to confute the Doctrine and practice of the Church of Rome their Doctrine in exalting the testimony of the present Church above the Authority of the holy Scriptures the judge and touch-stone of the Church Our Saviour said to the Jews you have one that accuseth you even Moses in whom ye trust John 5.45 't is observable that Abraham takes no notice of any infallible judge or interpreter of Moses and the Prophets In this the Papists out-wit the scribes and Pharisees when they disputed with Christ yea they out-do and go beyond the devil himself that old subtil serpent when he tempted our Saviour for when our Saviour quoted Scripture neither the pharisees nor the devil ever thought of replying I but who must interpret the Scripture who must be judge it belongs not to thee to reade them much lesse to interpret Scripture this belongs to the Jewish Church who is the only supream judge of Scriptures and of controversies Again hence we may see Confut. 2. Of the practise of the Papists that the Papists erre in withholding the Scriptures from the Laity what an unreasonable and unrighteous thing is it that Gods children must not be permitted to reade their fathers will without the licence of man first had and obtained for their so doing Abraham saith they have Moses and the Prophets let them bear them 3. Hence then we may be exhorted greatly to prize and value the Scriptures the Bible as the book of books 3 Vse Of Exhortat Exhort 1. as a cabinet of most rich and precious jewels as a fountain of water of life as a fiery pillar to lead us through this wildernesse to Canaan 2. And let us blesse and praise God for his word Exhor 2. how highly did David esteem the holy Scriptures how doth he magnifie them and yet he had but a third part of what we have now and if Moses applauded the Jews happinesse when he had finished his Pentateuch if he accounted the law as the inheritance of the congregation of Israel and as 't is in the Psalm he hath not dealt so with any Nation neither hath the heathen the knowledge of his law how should we prize and praise and blesse God for the law and Gospel the whole Canon of the Old and New Testament and let 's know this that our best way of praising God for the Scriptures will be to reade study meditate on them but above all to conform our hearts lips lives to the rules and precepts contained in them doubtlesse obedience to the law is the best way to honour both the law-giver and the law To draw towards a conclusion From the text and context the parable of Dives and Lazarus we may learn many useful and profitable lessons such as these 1. That rich men must give an account how they have laid out their riches rich men are stewards and it is requisite in stewards that they be found faithful they must not lay out their Lords money upon themselves their own backs and bellyes and let the poor such as Lazarus their fellow-creatures and fellow-servants and their own brethren to starve at their gates manus pauperis the saurus Christi And rich men must cast into Christs treasury of their abundance 2. That rich men must be careful not only not to hurt the poor but to relieve them they must not be Dives's to do good to themselves only but like the good Samaritan do good unto them that are in necessity and in extremities Dives is blamed and condemned not for taking away from the poor by oppression or injustice but for not communicating to poor Lazarus in his necessity in his extremity 3. That men may sin in the misuse of lawful things of outward comforts and enjoyments purple fine lynnen delicate fare Musick were all lawful to be used but Dives did not use them lawfully In licitis perimus omnes we must not use our lawful enjoyments unseasonably nor excessively nor make every day a Feast-day We must not forget the afflictions of Joseph in the prison nor themiseries and necessities of Lazarus at our Gates 4. That good men may have evil things in this life and evil men good things Dives had his good things here and Lazarus his evil things I know this is a bard saying who can bear it This is it that hath troubled heathen philosophers Jewish Rabbies and the Doctors of the Christian Church yea that it was malis bene and bonis male hath been a trouble to some of the best men in the Scriptures to Job to Jeremy to David to Habakkuk but let 's not judge of Gods works till he hath finished them wait but a while and thou shalt see a Dives in hell and a Lazarus in Abrahams bosome and then God will be cleared and justified and all the world will become silent before God 5. That some men are more kinde to their dogs then to the poor some there are who take the childrens bread and give it to the dogs but grudge to give the dogs portion to the children to such I should commend the Example of Amideus Duke of Savoy sometimes chosen Pope but too good a man for so bad an office who shewed a hall full of poor people fed by him daily when it was expected he should have shewed his hounds and said these are the hounds wherewith I hunt after the Kingdom of Heaven 6. That Lazarus received more kindnesse from Dives his dogs then from himself Humaniores saith one fuerunt canes hominibus The dogs were more hospitable then the master or his servants and yet saith one Canis est latrare peregrinos mordere abigere Hospites 't is the property of dogs to bark at to bite strangers and to drive them away not to sawn on guests that are strangers 7. That like master like servants no man gave unto him the master would not give him a bit from his table and the servants would none of them give him a crumb that fell from the table 8. That even Dives in hell seems to have more Charity and kindness to his brethren especially to their souls then many men on earth and in the bosome of the Church he would have used means to save

his brethrens souls and now many do what they can in a manner to damn their own and their brethrens fouls also 9. That there are rewards and punishments after this life there 's a future Estate of happiness or misery for rich and poor there 's an Abrahams bosome for some and hell-torments for others those that have done good and suffered evil things here shall be comforted and those who have done evil things and enjoyed good things here they shall be tormented 10. That some of the Children of Abraham finde no place in the bosome of Abraham Dives cal'd Abraham father and Abraham cal'd Dives son but yet Dives had his place and portion in hell 11. That rich men must expect mercy in the other world according as they have shewed mercy to the poor in this he that giveth to the poor lendeth unto the Lord and the Lord will repay him his own again with usury Giving to the poor is but sowing of feed and in due time they that sow plentifully shall reap plentifully shall I say thirty or sixty yea I dare say an hundred-fold even in the world to come life everlasting 12. That the way to escape hell and attain heaven is to hearken to to obey the holy Scriptures these are they that shew unto us the way of salvation the only way of peace and reconciliation with God and remission of sins namely repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ These these are they that are as a voice behinde us or within us saying this is the way walk in it when that which is holy just and good is proposed to us But when we are tempted unto evil these are unto us as the Angel to St. John saying see thou do it not Let us not in the least question the divine authority of the holy Scriptures either of the Old or New testament both are confirmed by the exerting of supernatural power in miracles and of supernatural wisdom and knowledge in fulfilling of prophesies and forasmuch as Abraham in heaven sends us to Moses and the Prophets and even Christ himself a greater then Abraham appeals to Scripture proves by Scripture though he received the spirit without measure and resolves as it were his own authority into the divine authority of the Old Testament 13. And again that if one of the Testaments be true neither of them can be false let 's know and believe all that is written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Christ and all that is written in the Gospel in the Acts in the Epistles and the Revelation concerning Christ and Christians our Saviour or our selves and let 's not only hear the Scriptures but do them so that we may be blessed in the deed And when we hear any new or strange doctrines let 's be noble like the Bereans and search the Scriptures to see whether things be so or no as these men teach Let 's try opinions doctrines and actions our own and others by this touchstone Let 's weigh them in this ballance of the sanctuary and accordingly judge them And that I may speak a word in season both as to the text and the occasion and that some good account may be given of this days concourse let 's all of us labour to shew forth our faith by our works and as we hold that our faith justifies our persons before God so let our good works justifie our faith before men They are like the hand on the dial of a Clock which shews how it goes although it doth not cause it to move Le ts feed the Hungry Clothe the Naked make our selves friends of the mammon of unrighteousnesse that when we fail we may be received into everlasting habitations Let 's be confident that our cruise of Oyl shall never fail so long as we pour it out in these empty vessels and that one penny laid out upon Gods poor upon Christs brethren will redound more to our account at the great day then many thousands laid up in our Coffers or laid out upon our vain delights and pleasures and should the Lady of this Manour arise from the dead this day I dare say she could testifie that the widows mite so as I take it she called the donation and benefaction we now commemorate was of more avail and advantage to her then the thousands she laid up in her treasury therefore whilst we have opportunity let us do good unto all men especially to them who are of the houshold of Faith to the bretheren of Christ and what soever good we finde in our hearts to do let 's do it with all our might for there is no wisedome nor counsel in the grave whither we are going Let 's beg of God that we may not have our good things in this life and our evil in the other that we may not be like Dives of the number of those worldlings who have their portion in this life as the Psalmist speaks Or as those fools who lay up for themselves treasures on earth and are not rich towards God And let 's manifest that our treasures are in heaven because there are our hearts also let 's set our affections on things above and not on things on the earth considering God has made the earth to set our feet upon not to set our hearts upon let us not be like blinde Moles ever rooting digging in the Earth living here as in our proper Element for when a few years perhaps weeks or days are gone and death comes our eyes shall be opened as the Naturalists say the eyes of the Moles are when they come to die and then we shall see clearly that we have laboured in vain in vain have we risen early gone to bed late eaten the bread of care fulnesse for Riches Miser-like hoarded up or Epicure-like laid out upon our selves profit not in the day of death To conclude all let 's not suffer any poor Lazarus to starve at our gates for want of crumbs and let none of us that are ministers suffer any poor soul for whom Christ died to starve at the gates of the Temple for want of our breaking to them the bread of life we are all by our profession children of Abraham now then let us do the work of Abraham let 's walk in the steps of Abraham let 's be rich in faith full of self-denyal full of good works chariry Hospitality let 's go out and invite strangers on occasion as he did and then he will not be ashamed to be called our father nor unwilling to take our soul into his bosome yea let 's imitate Lazarus let 's make God our help our trust so he did and so his name as the name Eleazar imports And let 's patiently bear all the evils that God lays on us himself or suffers man to lay on us in this world and then when we die God will send his Angels to do the like office for us which they did for Lazarus even to carry our souls into Abrahams bosome Errata PAge 3. line 12. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 8. l. 1. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 20. l. 6. for sumus r. fumus p. 25. l. 2. for which r. who p. 15. l. 8. for powrs r. pours p. 27. l. 3. for them r. him p. 3● l. 32. for any r. an p. 37. l. 22. for an r. and. FINIS