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work_n	bring_v	good_a	tree_n	9,027	5	9.0012	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11377	Dorcas: a true patterne of a goodly life, and good end With a pithy exhortation to the practice of faith and good works. In a sermon preached at Totnes in Deuon, Ianuary 14 16[...] at the funerall of Mrs. Mary Bab, widow. By Thomas Saltern, sometimes lecturer there; and preacher of the word at Bradford. And now published, at the request of sundry godly persons.	Saltern, Thomas, b. 1579 or 80.	1625 (1625)	STC 21636; ESTC S112139	17,242	24

fruits of faith the many branches growing out of the tree of holinesse and righteousnesse the seuerall Commandements of the two Tables are not more wide thē the name of good works is Whatsoeuer is commanded in any of those precepts faith it selfe alone excepted which is included in the first Commandement is comprehended vnder the name and title of good workes euen as the proper branches of our faith doe spread themselues as far as the Articles of our Creed doe the sum of that which a Christian ought to beleeue to his soules health Let no man therefore thinke it enough for him to bee carefull and zealous in performing the Commandements of the first Table while those of the second Table are neglected by him if not by his open or actuall transgression of the letter yet by too ordinary violating the sense of them in his truely disobeying vnder an vntrue pretence of greater obedience by his pride and malice and couetousnesse breach of charity of Christian yea of naturall affection hypocrisie double-dealing and deceitfulnesse into which crimes many I feare that thinke well of themselues and would be so thought of others do yet run headlong and doe not heed it nor on the other side will it serue our turnes to abstaine in some good measure from violating the precepts of the second Table which fear or worldly shame or other temporall respects may make vs carefull in while wee make no conscience of the Commandements of the first perning our Religion with the Weathercockes of the time diuiding our affections betweene God and Baal allowing Dagon a roome as well as the Arke gracing as wee thinke our speeches with oathes and blasphemies making our selues Gentiles on Gods Sabbaths for feare of being Iewes God hath ioyned these two tables together the first he calls the great Commandement and we make least account of it and of the second he saith that it is like vnto it and no man must if he wil be a true Disciple seuer the things which God hath ioyned they may be distinguished in our bookes and learning they must not bee diuided in our practice and liuing Now workes are then good when first the ground of them is good and that is the word of God the touchstone by which we must try the compasse by which we must direct the square by which we must frame and the rule whereby we must order all our actions if wee will bring them within the compasse of religious good workes Secondly when the roote of them is good and that is faith without which whatsoeuer hath the name of a good worke hath yet as our Church speakes art 13. seeing not done as God hath willed the nature of sin in it and all such things though they appeare specious and beautifull in the eies of men yet are as S. Austin speakes but splendida peccata they are not gold though they do glister And thirdly when the end of them is good that is Gods glory therefore sayth our Sauiour Christ Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heauen And the Apostle Whatsoeuer you doe do all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 And from good works thus vnderstood and thus qualified none are exempted all haue their peeces of money all haue their talents giuen them Luk. 19. to some in one measure and to other some in another but to all to imploy according to the Law of their Master and all to giue an account for their vse of them euery man hath his burthen and hee must beare it himselfe Gal. 6.5 Works of supererogation are works of superarrogation and he that wanting righteousnesse himselfe hopeth to be saued by another mans doth but mock himselfe as Pope Symmachus did when he said and as the Canonists doe the Pope in saying so too as it is dist 40. c. non nos that In Papa si desint bona acquisita per meritum c. If the Pope haue none or little goodnesse of his owne as it seemeth by this it may bee in that most holy Father himselfe he shall haue enough deriued vnto him from his Predecessor if none in possession enough by succession if little by purchase enough by inheritance no no the Saints in heauen though they haue Crownes to weare yet they haue none to spare And God shall reward euery man according to his not according to anothers workes Euery man is a tree and should be a good tree whose root is faith whose sap is hope whose branches the seuerall branches of Gods Commandements and of euery tree without exception that bringeth not forth good fruit it is said Mat. 3.10 it is cut downe and cast into the fire And vpon euery soule of man that doth euill shall bee tribulation and anguish Rom. 2.9 O now if I would looke about the world for a Dorcas and in the troope of Disciples too should I not need with the Cynicke Philosopher to light a candle and yet should not find not many The fruits of the spirit are loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse c. Gal. 5.22 These are fruits of faith these are workes of righteousnes But where are these And in stead of these what are the too common fruits of faith is your swearing and blasphemy a fruit of faith is your lying and periury a fruit of faith and what say you to your riot and drunkennesse to your chambering and wantonnesse to couetousnesse and oppression to vsury and extortion to strife and contention to enuie and malice in one towards another and the like to these If these were the signes of Christian profession if these were the badges of Christs Disciples if these were the works that God did looke for God might come when he would hee should finde these things amongst vs find vs full of them O iudge with your selues B. is this the way to make your calling and election sure as S. Peter willeth you or is it not the way rather to seale vnto your soules the assurance of your condemnation in the day of iudgment No no if you will as all good Christians ought to doe striue to attaine to a certainty of your future blessednesse these things ought not to be so among you the workes of darknesse are not the way to heauen the workes of righteousnesse are though no meritorious cause of our comming thither You must giue diligence saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.5 c. and all diligence for all will be little enough to adde to your faith vertue for faith without workes is dead to vertue knowledge or else you may doe that which is good but you shall not doe it well to knowledge temperance otherwise your knowledge will puffe you vp rather then edifie you to temperance patience for as you must doe so you shall suffer for your wel-doing to patience godlinesse for you may else giue your bodies to bee burnt in the fire and it shall

Saint Paul I beseech you that you walke worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called Ephes 4.1 And let your conuersation be as becommeth the Gospel of Christ Phi. 1.27 that the Gospell of Christ the profession of Christianity the name of disciples the truth of God bee not ill spoken of as the Apostle telleth the Iewes saying The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you Rom. 2.24 and willeth Titus to teach all degrees so to behaue themselues that the word of God be not blasphemed Tit. 2.5 for if we play the foolish painters part and humane capiti ceruicem adiungere equinam put a mans head on an horses necke looke like disciples and liue like Deuills confesse God in our mouthes and deny him in our workes shall it not be said of vs in scorne and derision as it was of the Iewes by the Heathen Ezek. 36.20 These are the people of the Lord these are the Protestants of our times these are the Professors of our dayes these are they that call themselues disciples and are not But as many as walke according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and vpon the Israel of God Gal. 6.16 O beloued when the doctrines and deeds the words and workes the profession and practice of Christians of Disciples of Professors shall not agree together but be at oddes and at iarre with one another consider and thinke on it in the feare of God what aduantage you giue to any the enemies of God and his Truth of Christ and his Religion of goodnesse and good men to speake euill of your God to lay a blemish on your Religion to condemne your profession because they will not easily bee made to thinke that there can be any good root or foundation there where they see no better fruit so bad a building This holinesse of life I mean not that alone which the Philosophers speake of and we call it morall honesty which yet commends vs vnto the world is good in it selfe is necessary to saluation but is not sufficient when it is the fruit and effect of a liuely faith in Christ Iesus and a right affection to Godward is a token and testimony of our vnion with Christ of our state in grace of our being as we would bee taken for true disciples indeed a testimony I say and a token not to our owne consciences only but to other mens hearts also wheras to professe well and liue ill or to make a shift to liue morally ciuill and not care of what profession we be is to beare false witnesse against God whose seruants we boast our selues and would be taken for and yet haue not on his liuery Gods liuery is a good life and the badge or cognizance thereof is a right profession this ioyntly is it which should this is it which doth this is it which will declare when words shall proue but winde and shewes shall bee but shadowes whose seruants we are in deed Wee all desire and are glad to bee accounted good Christians honest men true professors the children of God faithfull brethren and the like but let vs striue to be what we desire to be accounted godly names will neuer iustifie godlesse men nay pium nomen est reatus impij saith Saluianus wee are but openly mockt and vpbraided secretly accused and conuicted when we are honoured with names and titles whereto our liues and manners are not sutable Therefore try your selues beloued what measure of righteousnesse is in you let not the names of honest men and good Christians and such other puffe any of you vp try and examine your owne hearts with what loue you heare the word with what care you are fitted to doe thereafter what conscience you make of sinne what ioy you conceiue in the workes of righteousnesse what griefe you feele when your frailty doth make you to fall thus try and so like or dislike of your selues Certainely a Christian though he cannot be sine peccato culpa without sinne yet he should labour to be sine crimine quaerela without being scandalous and offensiue No man shall euer be able to say absolutely as Christ did Iohn 8.46 Which of you can conuince me of sin for in many things we offend all Iam. 3.2 And if we say that wee haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the the truth is not in vs 1 Iohn 1.8 And therefore wee pray with Dauid Psal 143.2 Enter not into iudgment with thy seruants Yet in respect of men and of the world we ought all of vs to labour and endeauor to striue with might and maine to bee able to say as Moses did to God Numb 16.15 I haue not taken so much as an Asse from them neither haue I hurt any of them as Samuel did to the people 1 Sam. 12.3 Beheld here I am beare record of me before the Lord and before his Anointed Whose Oxe haue I taken or whose Asse haue I taken or whom haue I done wrong to or whom haue I hurt c. As Saint Paul did to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my selfe So to liue in sincerity of heart that we may be able to say with Iob We haue our witnesse in heauen and a witnesse in our owne consciences and outwardly to follow such integrity and righteousnesse as that we dare challenge either common fame to accuse vs or our very enemies to condemne vs if they can And in thus doing wee shall bring glory to God comfort to our owne consciences and benefit vnto others God shall be glorified and therefore saith S. Peter Haue your conuersation honest among the Gentiles that they which speake euill of you as of euill doers may by your good workes which they shall see glorifie God in the day of the visitation 1 Pet. 2.12 Others shall be ashamed hauing nothing concerning you to speake euill of Tit. 2.8 and by this good shame won vnto the word through the conuersation of the rest and aboue all our owne consciences shall receiue that peace and quiet which the world cannot giue nor the vnderstanding of man comprehend And so I come to speak more particularly of the fruit of this womans profession out of those words she was full of good workes and almes which she did In which words the fruit of her profession is commended from the matter of it from the measure of it from the quality from the quantity of it the matter or quality twofold in generall good workes in speciall almesdeedes the measure and quantity in the word full full of good workes and full of almes First full of good workes Now when I speake of good workes I will not bound and impale them within the too narrow compasse of the workes of mercy onely and charity towards men nor doe I thinke my text inforceth me so to doe neither will I speake in the language of Gentilisme that knoweth no other good works then those which we call morall vertues no the seuerall

against the lust of the eies couetousnesse for hee might easily be perswaded not to loue the world that would duely consider how soone hee might leaue the world and the things of it against pride of life it would bee auailable for what should make him lift vp his heart aboue his brethren whose head hee may happe to trample vnder his feet that now kneeles before him O if a man would but thinke on it how vile Christ became for him what himself is in himself weaknesse in his birth wickednesse in his life the subiect of rottennesse in his end in his comming into the world miserable in his liuing in the world sinfull in his going out of the world the heire of corruption if not the child of perdition too this would make to stoope the necke of pride as white as Iuory which must shortly be as the clay in the streets And lastly against the lusts of the flesh which though neuer so much doted on and euen made an Idoll of must first breed a multitude of wormes then be deuoured of them nay there are three things that wait to share vs and what we haue betweene them the wormes to haue our flesh the world to haue our wealth and the Deuill to haue our soules and euery of these so well contented with his owne part that he will not leaue it for both the other the world will not care for our soules or for our bodies so it may haue our goods the wormes will not care for our goods or for our soules so they may haue our bodies and the Deuill will not care for our bodies or for our goods so he may haue our soules but let vs therefore care more then we doe if not for our bodies let death make his best of them that he can yet for our substance and for our soules to put both our houses in order before wee dye our outward and our inward house the one for setling of peace both our owne and theirs whom wee leaue behinde vs and the other for our soules eternall happinesse and both these because it may be said to any of vs thou shalt dye and not liue before it can be said put thine house in order that so the houses especially of our hearts may be in order alwaies Conclusion And thus we haue followed Dorcas as farre as my text did lead vs Is there now euer another Dorcas for me to speake of sure this towne had and habuisse decus The memoriall of the graces and godly end of Mistris Mary Bab. it is a credit to them that they had for shee was a credit to them while they had her in a good degree such another Dorcas Concerning whom though I should be silent and shall be sparing yet this Church which she duely frequented those poore whom she continually releeued this towne which she alwayes loued nay not Ioppa onely and this her dwelling place but all that knew her by acquaintance and many other that did not know her but by the eare will yet say and it will be said hereafter perhaps with more feeling then now that this place hath lost a Dorcas who was as the name I told you signified in the root of it cleare-sighted to bethinke herselfe how she should and to prouide in some measure that she might so lead her life here that shee might afterwards liue eternally with God as her good life and right Christian end doe assure vs that she now doth Why is shee dead then what else meanes our meeting here at this time what this great concourse of people in all whose faces a man may easily read the loue and griefe that brought you hither and shall I not think you thought her worthy of loue I am sure you had reason so to doe you the poore of this place to whom I cannot say as Dauid to the Daughters of Israel weepe for Saul that clothed you in Scarlet but weepe for Dorcas who was alwaies ready and to her end and at her end to succour and releeue in great measure your wants and necessities wherein if other women did well yet shee surmounted them Yet doe not weepe for her weepe for your selues and for your sinnes serue God in holinesse and godlinesse of liuing expresse so your thankes to God for blessing her a●●●●ntinuing her so long among you till shee was aged fourscore yeares and fiue for your good and then doubt not but if ye serue God as ye ought hee will prouide for you as you need or else feare that God will take away more Dorcasses from you if at least there bee more and it fare worse with you yet then now it doth But our Dorcas did not dye till she was sicke first and in her sicknesse O how did God shew that whom hee loueth hee loueth to the end and toward the end expresseth it more abundantly as he did to her who as if shee knew that this sicknesse should be her last and because she knew that the least thought of worldly things is of force to withdraw the mind from necessary meditations left presently the care of these things to others whom by her Will many yeares before made she had trusted with these things spent euen al the rest of her time as I am and you may be informed by those to whose report you can make no scruple to giue credit in a right Christian preparation for her last end by an often confession of her trust in God sorrowfull acknowledgement of her owne wretchednesse admirable patience in the middest of her paines earnest desires to be with her Sauiour yet with Christian submission of her will to Gods to the great comfort of them that came to comfort her till euen at her last moment as if shee saw heauen open and her Sauiour ready to receiue her into his armes shee desired to be heaued vp into the armes of her Sauiour who did not stay long from her nor would let her stay long from him but receiued her soule into his heauenly Kingdome leauing her body to be by vs brought vnto it long home there to sleepe in its bed of rest till at the last day it rise againe and be made partaker of that endlesse happinesse which her soule in the meane while doth alone enioy and whereto God in his due time bring vs all for his great mercies sake and the merits of his Sonne and our Sauiour Iesus Christ To whom c. Her Epitaph DEare is the death saith Dauid in God● 〈◊〉 OF all his Saints of her among the re●● RIch in good workes and almes and day and night CArefull to serue God loued of the best AGed in yeares in goodnesse mercy loue SHee sickned died and now doth liue aboue FINIS