Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	attain_v	law_n	righteousness_n	5,866	5	9.1807	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39813	A fathers testament. Written long since for the benefit of the particular relations of the authour, Phin. Fletcher; sometime Minister of the Gospel at Hillgay in Norfolk. And now made publick at the desire of friends.	Fletcher, Phineas, 1582-1650.	1670 (1670)	Wing F1355; ESTC R201787	98,546	240

right and prosperous 1. That the place Where 2. That the time when 3. That the manner how be all right He that seeks Grapes of Thorns or Figgs of Thistles neither finds what he seeks no● indeed seeks to find for he seeks in a wrong place He that seeks Grapes of the Vine and Figgs of the Figg-tree but out of season in Winter seeks not in due time and finds nothing but his own folly He that observes time and place but neglects the right manner of seeking is still out of the way of finding The soul of the sluggard desireth and ha●h nothing Prov. 13.4 He will not Plow by reason of cold therefore shall he begg in Harvest and have nothing Prov. 20 4● If a man go with his Cart into the Field a place of Corn and in Harvest the time of Corn but never Ploughed sowed c. he may load all his Harvest in an empty Wayn and return with an empty belly Where then must we seek Not in our selves not in our Righteousness or works we are meer Thorns and Bryars Ezek. 2.6 The blessed fruit of the true Vine grows not in our cursed nature Nothing there but sowre and wilde grapes Isa. 5.4 Erring Israel following after the Law of Righteousness attained not unto the Law of Righteousness Wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law Rom. 9.31 32. Only we find and enjoy God in Christ only in Christ he is appeased● 2 Cor. 5.19 only well-pleased in Christ Mat. 3.17 In him we are accepted Ephes. 1.6 By him we have access to God with confidence Ephes. 3.12 One cannot possibly come to God as a Father but by him Joh. 14.6 In him adopted Ephes. 1.5 In him begotten to an incorruptible inheritance 1 Pet. 1.3 4. In him blessed with all spiritual blessings Ephes. 1.3 But where shall we seek Christ who shall ascend into heaven to bring down the fruit of Christs resurrection and ascention for life unto us who shall go down to the deep to fetch thence the death of the Lord Iesus and apply the vertue of it to our souls The Apostle answers The word is nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart This is the Word of faith which we Preach For if thou confess with thy mouth and believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.6 7 8 9. Christ therefore is offered thee in the Word given by faith the Word brings him to thee thy faith receives him holds him leads him into the chamber of thy heart and there he dwells with thee Ephes. 3.17 As therefore only Christ brings thee into favour with God so the Word brings Christ to thee and faith grafts thee into Christ. But although the Lord Iesus Christ with his own mouth and his blessed Spirit have so frequently and cleerly testified that the Word Preached is the incorruptible seed whereby we are born again to this incorruptible inheritance Luk. 8.11 1 Pet. 1.23 Jam. 1.18 and the food strong meat and milk whereby we are nourished and grow up into our Head in this life of God yet what in the World is more despised and rejected If you look to the judgement of some professed and in name Christians they account it as those Greeks foolishness 1 Cor. 1.18 23. and therefore utterly despise it Act. 13.41 They dare deride it even in the mouth of Christ himself Luk. 16.14 how much more in the mouths of his poor messengers If you look unto their wills they are resolved against it Ier. 44.16 will not hear but reject it Ier. 8.9 If to their affections they hate it hate the knowledge of it Prov. 1.22 29. hate him that brings it Amos 5.10 yea even him that sends it Ioh. 15.22 23 24. Indeed if they would enquire of Christ and hearken unto him teaching us where to find him he would direct us Go thy way forth by the foo●steps of the flock and feed thy Goats by the Tents of the Shepherds Cant. 1.8 But proud fond men know not as that Eunuch Act. 8.31 the need of a Guide Their ●taff can better grope out their blind wayes Hos. 4.12 They walk after their own devices Jer. 18.12 and will have no other Counseller but their own mouth Ier. 44.17 Some again seek him at ease on their beds and so find him but in a dream Cant. 3.1 some look for him in the broad wayes of a common profession as those Iews Matth. 3.9 Joh. 8.33 They are children of Abraham Circumcised c. so many Christians They are born in the Church Baptised call Lord Lord c. but how should they find the True way in the false the narrow in the broad There they shall hear him thundering as a Iudge I never knew you Depart from me ye workers of iniquity Matth. 7.14 23. Know assuredly when the Spouse her self thus sought she found him not She sought him on her bed but found him not sought him in the streets and broad wayes but found not but when she enquired of the Watchmen she soon found him Cant. 3.1 2 3. Hear him ●herefore in his word Watch daily at his ●ates and wait on the posts of his doors and he will make thee blessed Prov. 8.34 Secondly what is the season or right time ●f seeking Gods time not ours There is ●n acceptable time 2 Cor. 6.2 a time when ●od will be found Isa. 55.6 The longest ex●●nt reacheth no fur●her than the limits of this short life After death instantly follows Judgement Heb. 9.27 where the tree falls it lies 2. There is a time when the decree brings forth Zeph. 2.2 which if we prevent not we perish As far as I can discern by the word God limits a time and after the Date is out we are shut out Heb. 4.7 and specially Luk. 13.25 A time when the door stands open to give us entrance a time when the door is shut and we knock beg● and plead hard but all in vain For though God never excluded a repentant humbled and softned heart yet when men have despised his patience forbearance and offers of grace God may justly and doth frequently give men up to hardness and leave them to their impenitency to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Ezek. 24.13 Rom. 2.4 5. 3. There is a set time the Lords Day or as our Homilies call it the Christian Sabbath And for mine own judgement I am perswaded that as a Sabbath is the bond which holds the Church in the true Worship of God so the neglect and contempt of that Ordinance is the bane of true Religion the root of all profaneness and Atheism and the great breach wherein Superstition Errour and Schism have overflown and surrounded the Christian Churches In this matter therefore consider and ponder these few observations 1. A Sabbath is nothing else but a day of rest separated from the labours of our earthly and consecrated to the labours of our

our whole service to God is holiness This he frequently and straitly charges upon us Be holy as I am holy Lev. 44.45 As obedient children not fashioning your selves according to your former lusts in your ignorance But as he is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 1.14 15. It must be our daily work set work which we must continually ply and follow until it be perfect 2 Cor. 7.1 Much I desire if it please God to furnish me with means and you with parts to see you bred up in all humane literature that you may not be as too many a burthen only to others meer cyphars in the world to fill it up with idle numbers but much more do I longue to see you trained up in the School of Christ to be taught of him as the truth is in Iesus To put off the old man corrupt in lusts and to be renewed in the Spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man which is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.21 22 23 24. Reason gives you a formal difference from other creatures and the polishing of it by humane learning will distinguish you from other almost brutish men but religion and pietie only maketh you Christians perfect and blessed Should I say you cannot be complete men without holiness it might seem a paradox to carnal wisdom but is a sure truth of Gods wisdom For if Philosophie will teach you that a man is a reasonable creature Theologie will assure you that man was an holy creature framed after the likeness of God without which likeness he is not perfect according to his creation It is an amiable sight to behold a mind beautified with all the lovely Ideas of humane knowledg and framed into a pleasant Garden where all the various flowers of earthly literature are planted rooted and fairly flourish But oh what a glorious Parad●se is that spirit of man which is grafted with all those fruitful trees of Life It is even Gods garden of pleasure in which his soul delighteth What an Heaven is that soul where all those glorious stars of Prophets and Apostles are fasten'd in the understanding and the Throne of God set up in the heart where the Lord Iesus reigns attended by all Saintly thoughts and Heavenly graces Now that you may willingly nay joyfully yield up your spirits to be this Paradise and third Heaven where God will dwell work and reign let me shew you in brief● 1. What holiness is 2. How excellent 3. How necessary For the 1. As it is very easy for us to know the picture if it be well drawn when we are throughly acquainted with the person whose picture it is so it will not be difficult to know what holiness is in man when we are informed what it is in God ● because this holiness in us is nothing else but the image and likeness of the divine holiness Holiness in God is that substantial and incomprehensible purity of the divine nature whereby he is wholly averse from all sinful filthiness and infinitly adverse to all filthiness of sin He is a God of pure eyes that cannot behold evil that cannot look on iniquity Hab. 1.13 nay in this respect he is a consuming fire Heb. 12.29 to Hypocrites and sin●ers a devouring fire and everlasting burnings ● Isa. 33.14 Answerable in our measure i● mans holiness For we are pure as he is pure 1 Ioh. 3.3 In man therefore holiness is that essential property of pureness whereby he is averse from all sinful uncleanness nay contrary to all impuritie of sin 1. Essential I call it only in that respect as being the form differencing the true Christian from other men the spiritual from the carnal And as in that gold with was dedicated for the work of the Temple the form or shape of the golden Cherubims was essential to that piece distinguishing it from the Candlestick snuffers c. framed of the same matter so this renewing of the Spirit of our mind which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness howsoever it be not of the substance either of body or soul yet is it essential to the new man or faithful Christian and of his being by which he is a new creature Secondly this purity or divine nature of man consists of an averse nay adverse disposition to sinful uncleanness It flieth the corruption which is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1.4 hating it Rom. 7.15 loathing the garment stained with it Jude 23. nay themselves polluted with it Ezek. 20.43 And no sooner is this new life brought forth in man but instantly it stands as adverse to sin as life to death accounting it to be as indeed it is nay so feeling and accordingly hating it as death Rom. 7.24 a most cursed wretched divelish hellish death 2. Secondly the excellencie of holiness will clearly appear in this that it is in man Gods likeness To be like the Creatour is the highest pitch of honour to which the most aspiring ambition of the creature can look To be above God cannot enter into a reasonable thought As that excellent Father August so reason will testifie that every creature will contend for the excellencie of God and ca●not conceive God to be a substance than which any can be better To be equal to God and independent may be the ambition of the divel his Son Antichrist or some transported with the like folly and furie which yet ordinary reason will manifestly evince can never be attained but to be like to God is the supreme honour of the creature and is not only possible to be obtained but obvious to Christians God himself proffering inviting nay intreating us to receive it And surely if any thing in God could be more excellent than other holiness were it For man verily swears by the greater but because God could not swear by a greater he swore by himself Heb. 6.13 16. but when he chuseth out any particular Attribute in himself to swear by it it is constantly his holiness See Psal. 60.6 18.35 Amo. 4.2 Holiness in God is his face and beautie frequently termed the beautie of holiness Psal. 110.3 which the faithful soul most longues after Psal. 90.17 and God stamps upon his beloved Ezek. 16.14 And as in excellent substances their excellence consists in their puritie when they are simple and unmixt with baser natures Thus in corporal substances gold the more pure the more precious and in spiritual only the pure Angels not the impure are glorious so certainly in God his holiness being the puritie of the divine essence is the glory of it He is glorious in holiness Exo. 15.11 a glory farr surpassing all thought or possibilitie of admiration in which regard those blessed Spirits which stand in his presence omitting other excellencies but ravished with the glorious beautie of his holiness cry out in heavenly ecsta●ies Holy Holy Holy Lord God! the whole Earth is full of his glory