Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	bring_v	faith_n	justification_n	4,461	5	9.1163	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23667	The mystery of iniquity unfolded, or, The false apostles and the authors of popery compared in their secular design and means of accomplishing it by corrupting the Christian religion under pretence of promoting it	Allen, William, d. 1686.	1675 (1675)	Wing A1066; ESTC R10549	54,027	163

they before suffered from them and by degrees thereby to reconcile them to themselves and to their Religion This Device of theirs occasion'd those jealous apprehensions St. Paul had of the Corinthians after the False Apostles got among them which he thus expresseth in 2 Cor. 11.2 3. I am jealous over you with godly jealousie for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chast virgin to Christ But I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ S. 3. First for the unbelieving Jews they we know were fierce Enemies against all that professed the Christian Religion labouring to raise Persecution against them every where To take off the edge of which as I said the False Apostles became Factors for Judaism and so fell to perswade the believing Gentiles to mix and compound Judaism and Christianity together as an Expedient both to save themselves from Persecution and to win their Adversaries to a liking of Christianity Of this attempt we read in Acts 15.1 Certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved And again ver 5. There arose certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed saying That it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses That such a thing as this was done to avoid Persecution from the Jews appears from Gal. 6.12 13. As many as make a fair shew in the flesh they constrain you to be circumcised onely lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ That they did it not so much out of Conscience as for this politick end appears by ver 13. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law but desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh as having now made them as well Proselytes to the Jewish way as before they were to Christianity That this way of compliance in the Christians with the Jews was effectual to secure them from Persecution from the Jews appears likewise from Gal. 5.11 And I brethren if I yet preach circumcision then is the offence of the cross ceased Upon this account doubtless it was that some corrupt Christians pretended themselves to be Jews who were not but were of the synagogue of Satan as we read Rev. 2.9 3.9 Now this way of joyning and commixing Judaism and Christianity together set on foot by false Teachers under the Pretences aforesaid took dangerously among Professors of Christianity which was the occasion of those large Discourses touching Justification by Faith without the Works of the Law which we have in St. Paul's Epistles both to the Romans and Galatians The plain meaning of which was That the observation of the Law of Moses in the Jewish way was not necessary to Salvation in Christians as the false Apostles had taught it to be and that it was unnecessary for the Gentile Believers to be brought over to it and that the Religion revealed and prescribed in the Gospel called The Faith and this alone without adding Judaism to it was both necessary and sufficient to Salvation And by the way those that from the Apostles Reasoning hereabout would oppose the Works of Evangelical Obedience to Faith in the Point of Justification do greatly mistake the Apostle in his design and way of Reasoning S. 2. Secondly the false Teachers to avoid Persecution and the loss of all for the Gospels sake from the Heathen or unbelieving Gentiles struck in with them also in part and taught the Christians that it was lawful for them to comply with their Idolatrous Neighbours so far as to go with them to their Idol-feasts and to eat things sacrificed to Idols so long as they did not intentionally and in their minds do it in any honour to the Idol but kept their mind to God Some such as these were in the Church of Pergamos Revel 2.14 I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balac to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to Idols and to commit fornication Such also were in the Church of Thyatira ver 20. I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezabel which calleth her self a Prophetess to teach and seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols That this was taught and practised as lawful so long as it was not done intentionally to honour or worship the Idol as the Infidels did I gather from St. Paul's Discourse in 1 Cor. 8. In ver 1. he saith Now as touching things offered to Idols we know that we all have knowledge Knowledge of what This he delivers more expresly in ver 4. We know that an Idol is nothing in the world and that there is none other God but one This it seems was that which they pleaded in justification of their Practice of going to the Idols Temple and of eating of things sacrificed to the Idols They knew that the Idol was nothing and therefore did not intend any worship to it in what they did The Apostle supposeth this to be true and grants indeed that they and all Persons generally that owned the Christian Faith did know that an Idol is nothing and that there is no other God but one and that therefore probably such could not be suppos'd to eat of the Idol-sacrifice with intent to worship the Idol But yet this Knowledge was not universal among all without exception that had begun to own Christianity as he shews in ver 7. saying Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge for some with conscience of the Idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an Idol and their conscience being weak is defiled And so argues the unlawfulness of their Practice upon the account of scandal to weak Brethren to the end of the Chapter But in the tenth Chapter where he reassumes this Business again he argues plainly That whatever their knowledge or intention was yet that by that Practice they had communion with the Idol or Devils to whom indeed the Offering was made See from ver 14. to ver 22. It was for this Seduction by false Teachers that St. Peter and Jude do so earnestly inveigh against them as following the way of Balaam for reward 2 Pet. 2.15 Jude 11. And Balaams way we know was to teach Balac to draw the Israelites to Idolatry and Whoredom by enticing them to eat with the Moabites of their Idol-sacrifices Numb 25.2 31.16 And it was against this Seduction by false Teachers that St. John admonished the Christians when in the close of his first Epistle he said Little children keep your selves from Idols How far this device of sinful compliance with Unbelievers both of Jews and Gentiles did succeed