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 good_a tree_n 9,027 5 9.0012 5 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A15502 Selfe deniall: or, A Christians hardest taske. Written by Christopher Wilson; preacher of the Word of God, &c. Wilson, Christopher, 1579 or 80-1624. 1625 (1625) STC 25767; ESTC S120182 37,902 86

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

are externall And Fiftly they so looke at our cariage towards men as duety to God is neglected For we must annihilate our selues Rom. 10.3 that wee may extoll the grace and goodnesse of God This the Prophet Esay taught Esay 64.6 Iob. 25.5 All our righteousnesse is as a defiled cloth Yea with Iob let vs say That the starres are not cleare in Gods sight how much lesse man that is a worme Gen. 18.27 This was in Abraham let me that am but dust and ashes speak Let God be true and euery man a lyar Thus Daniel Dan. 9.8 Phil. 3.8 2 Sam. 7.18.19.22 1 Chro. 29.11 12 13 14. 2 Sam 9.8 To vs belongs shame and confusion Thus Paul Phil. 3.8 I count all things losse and dung See it in the example of Dauid 2 Sam. 7 18 19 22. 1 Chron. 29.11 12 13 14. And sure since man to man will do it Mephebosheth saith to Dauid 2 Sam. 9.8 What is thy seruant that thou shouldest looke on such a dead Dog as I. How then in the lowest of humility should we abiect our selues when wee thinke or speake or heare of the great and fearefull Maiesty of Almighty God Had this lesson beene learned of them that professe themselues the deuoutest in humility A note of humility and selfe Deniall they would neuer haue dared to enter plea with God to iustifie themselues in his presence before whom the mountaines tremble and the Rockes melt as wax there should no word haue beene heard of the worthinesse of Man of free-will of merrits workes of Supererogation all these with other spring from this bitter roote of Philautia selfe loue The Elders teach this duty by casting their Crownes at the Lambes feete Besides that if to these there bee adjoyned an outward profession of Religion they thinke themselues so perfit as that they want nothing This was the distruction of the Pharisees as appeares both by Nicodemus who knew not what Regeneration ment as also of that Pharisee Luke 18.11 Luke 18.11 Who so rested in his fayre carriage that hee neyther asked pardon for any sinne nor begged any grace And this was Pauls case before his Conversion Phil 3.4 5 6 7. but when he had learned better see how hee renounces all these Phil. 3.4 5 6 7. Yet hee counts them all losse and dung So that seeing they are so many dangerous barres to grace and saluation they are in this regard so farre to be denied as not to bee rested in nor counted of as acceptable in Gods sight This was the right Christ challenged as defectiue and to be excluded of all that would enter Heauen Mat. 5.28 Except c. Vse 1 The consideration of this poynt is necessary to shew how falsly and weakly many lay the ground of their saluation thinking that they are in state good enough and in high fauour of God if they leade a fayre harmlesse life if they giue men their due though not God and though they suffer many secret and spirituall corruptions to lurke in their hearts At least they are in such a dangerous case as that they are not sensible of the want of Christ but as some ill humour filling the mouth of the Stomacke causes a crauing of vnwholsome things and takes away desire from healthfull meate Euen so many are heereby so dulled in their desire after the true foode as that they feede one swades and huskes that starue the foule Vse 2 This must teach vs so to know the weaknes of all these things as vnable to commend vs to God as that wee may bee stirred vp to looke after that that is effectuall and sound indeede And to to this end wee must remember that if these had beene sufficient then many Heathen were saued and that mans natures so corrupt by the fall that euery action comming from an euill cause and instrument cannot but bee euill as Christ auouches Mat. 12. Either make the Tree good Mat. 12. and his fruit good c. Shewing that the heart must be renewed ere it can bring foorth any good worke yea we must bee transplanted out of the old Adam and set in the new and that euery Branch that beares not fruite in me sayes Christ shall be cut off so that these are but as Adams Figge-leaues so couer our nakednesse and thus much of the fourth Branch beeing externall defectiue hollow and hypocrite vaine-glorious stinking through inward corruption The fifth Branch is higher then all these The fifth branch of Deniall of our Religion and good-workes and such as at first may seeme strange It is the Deniall of our owne Religion Goodnesse of good-Workes the best Graces and the best seruices that wee haue done These are not so to be denied as not to be laboured for or as if opposite to Religion of themselues For they are the workes of Gods spirit in the heart of his Children rich euidences of Saluation and of the life of grace Yet these are in such sort to be denied as they hinder vs from cleauing to Christ or obscure any way the glory of Gods free grace Excellent is the practise of the Apostle Phil. 3.8 9 10. Phil. 3.8 9 10. Who hauing in the former Verses renounced ciuill righteousnesse doth after that renounce his graces giuing a double reason First for the excellent knowledge of Christ Secondly that hee might bee found in Christ not hauing his owne righteousnesse shewing that while hee rested in any thing that was in himselfe hee could not so earnestly lay hold on Christ and his Righteousnesse his owne though in great measure appeared beggarly Hence it is that the faithfull haue acknowledged their very righteousnesse to be as a defiled Cloath Esay 64.6 their best workes to be full of imperfections and so partly haue entreated the Lord to be remembred in goodnesse when they haue done best and partly haue reiected and put from them all prayse and admiration of themselues when they haue beene most fruitfull and zealous in God As Paul I laboured more then they all yet not I but the grace of God which is with me and many other the like So that our very spirituall goodnesse is to be denied First in regard of the excellent perfection of Christ Secondly in regard of challenging any part of the prayse as if by our owne strength wee had done them Thirdly in regard of any considence to bee placed in them as being either meritorious or perfect Vse 1 Breifely that wee may not haue in our selues any manner of boasting either to obscure Gods free grace to vs from the beginning to the end or of empareing either in themselues or in our sence and feeling the riches of Christ but that still hee is and must bee our wisdome Iustification Sanctification and Redemption and indeede be all in all Vse 2 The consideration of this poynt is sufficient to ouerthrow all Popery for while they stand to emplead their good workes as meritorious and perfect they
Martyre Bishop Hooper whose words were these 4 Bish Hooper Pray we vnto God so to furnish vs with Faith and patience that wee may rather dye ten times then deny Christ once what though man hate vs so God loue vs if man kill the body and God bring both body and soule to eternall life the exchange is good for vs and profitable The same spirit wee haue in that Reuerend Martyre of Christ Iesus Bishop Ridley 5 Bish Ridley who let euer bee a patterne for our immitation in this chiefe worke of Selfe-Deniall who sayd Wee neuer had a better or more iust cause eyther to contemne our life or shed our blood Wee cannot take in hand a more certaine cleare and manifest truth For it is not for any Ceremony for which wee contend but it toucheth the very substance of our whole Religion yea euen Christ himselfe for the which by Gods grace I will willingly ieopard here to loose life lands and goods name and fame and what is or can be vnto me pleasant in this world rather then Deny my Maister Christ Iesus So then if these seuerall and singular workes in all these Worthies bee duly considered it will plainly appeare they had perfectly learned this Lesson of Selfe-Deniall and shewed themselues to bee couragious and vndaunted Souldiers of Christ Iesus who therefore can deny but that this duty is most excellent Briefly whosoeuer haue euer renounced glory and greatnesse in the world or haue vndergone ignominy and rebuke for Christ and a good conscience beeing content to bee counted fooles in the world It is manifest that with Paul they consulted not with flesh and blood Gal. 1.16 Gal. 1.16 Yea this was the cause of that absolute obedience in Christ and by this euery Christian offereth vp spiritual Sacrifices farre more acceptable then the Iewish Insteed of a Ram wee killeth our irefull passions Insteed of a Goate Our vncleane affections Insteed of Birds Our wandring imaginations And briefly by suppressing the motions of sinne make Martyres of our selues Oh then how aboue all things must this excellent duty be learned and enquired how it may be taken forth For who hearing a thing to be necessary and excellent doth not desire it and to that end seekes how it may be attained Now then the Meanes briefly may bee these Meanes to attaine to this deniall 1 Prayer Surely first by earnest Prayer to God in this behalfe as Christ taught in two Petitions Of the comming of his Kingdome in vs And that wee may do his Will For of our selues wee can do nothing in this high poynt Secondly 2 Acknowledgment of our corruption vnto prayer there must bee adioyned a sight and acknowledgment of our owne naturall corruption and a diligent obseruation of our daily sinnes and a suppressing of them by a continuall pressing and vrging of the authority of God vppon the conscience for that must make the rest to heare for by reason of our naturall corruption the minde reason and iudgment the wil and afections are so corrupted blinde peruerted and euery way distempered that they are altogether vnfit to iudge of heauenly and spiritual things and so not to bee conceited of them nor to trust them in that kind Heereuppon wee must labour for Regenneration whereby our minde iudgment will 3 Regeneration affections are renewed ordered and made conformable to the minde and will of God so that the more wee are Regenerate the more wilingly wee subiect our sence and reason to God and minde and affect the same things with him Fourthly 4 Faith Faith is an excellent meanes to make vs deny our selues for when wee shall by it haue learned to liue not by sence or light or reason but to shut the eye of all these and to open the eare to follow the voyce and direction of God then it wil bee no hard taske as wee haue seene in all the former examples who the more strong in faith the more ready in the practise of this Fiftly 5 The consideration whose we are by couenant the consideration whose we are and how wee haue entered a couenant with God wherein wee promised to renounce the World the Flesh and Sathan and all the vanityes and pleasures of this life and to consecrate our selues both soules and bodies wholy to God and being his seruants to resolue to doe his will so that it is not free to vs and in our power to dispose of ourselues as wee would but remembering that both by couenant on our part wee owe whatsoeuer wee are and are to bee nothing in our selues of our selues and for our selues but all things in God by God and for God Seeing this is so chiefe a duty of Christianity 1 Vse of reproofe it serues first to reprooue sundry sorts who professe Christianity yet are farre from this such as liue in open prophanesse as swearing lying drunkennesse breach of Gods Saboths vncleannesse wantonnesse and pleasures for if they haue not learned to Deny vngodlinesse and worldly lusts how shal they deny themselues for a man may so farre proceede and yet come much short of a Deniall of himselfe it serueth also to reprooue al those the ground and rule of whose religion is either their good meaning or humane reason Secondly 2 Vse of instruction this shewes how difficult the practise and workes of Christians are euen a fighting and an offering of violence to themselues reiecting and denying of al the suits motions placets and requests that arise of our selues and are made plausible as tending to our owne content this whosoeuer tryes shal finde it a most hard thing as to bee thus and thus conceited of himselfe and yet to giue no regard vnto it to be carried with a strong inclimation of Will to such a thing as is presented vnto vs as good and yet to refuse and deny the same to renounce that which the bent of affections and the earnest suite of desire hath carried vs after as was the worthy example of Dauid who when hee had earnestly desired the water of the well of Bethelem powred it out vppon the ground and would not drinke thereof as on the contrary when our affections carry vs to the mislike off and flying from a thing as grieuous yet to imbrace that with ioy and delight oh how happy a thing it is this is a worke farre passing the feuerest Popish discipline which in their blinde deuotions men inflict on themselues As to wallow in the snow and to cast themselues into the cold of waters or to lye in hayre cloath or in shirts of male yea or with Baals Preists to lanch their owne flesh yea or this also to sacrifice our owne Children to an Idol Thirdly 3 Vse of triall this serueth to bee as a touch-stone to try our estates by for if we haue not attained this denyall in some measure wee are yet to learne and to lay the first foundation of religion but if by Gods grace wee are inabled to this worke wee haue cause of much comfort in our selues Lastly 4 Vse of exhortation seeing this is so necessary and excelent a duty let these bee as two spurres in our sides to stirre vs vp and put vs forward to a labouring with our selues the practising of the same as being that whereby we enter the schole of Christ as also being that whereby we continue in the same without offence oh how singular and worthy fruits would ensue of glory and obedience vnto God and of Loue and Vnity amongst our selues when all and euery of our owne Wills would meete in the one onely will of God as in a center what though it bee as greuious to vs to Deny our selues as it was to old Iacob to part with his beloued Beniamine yet when he heard there was no remedy but either dye or yeald then hee willingly refignes himselfe Gen. 42.36.38 Gen. 43.8.10 Simile and his sonne to God and as Iacobs sonnes told their Father that had it not bin for that they had returned againe fresh victualed so certainly were it not that our beloued sinnes and inamored affections did restrayne vs wee had bin richly leaded with all spirituall grace but if at last wee shall willingly yeald as Iacob met with ioy he looked not both in hearing of his sonne Ioseph and in seeing him in honor so if we would resigne our selues ouer to the Lord the Lord would aboundantly bleffe vs and fill our hearts with ioy and at death send his chariot of angells to fetch vs to himselfe to inioy his glorious presence who is more deare and honorable then Ioseph and that not in an earthly and fickle glory but in that eternall and vnchangable happines in Heauen to which end pray wee the Lord that Lee would make the weapons of our Spirituall warfarre 2 Cor. 10.5 soe mighty to cast downe all strong imaginations and bring euery thought into the subiection of Iesus Christ that so in the end God may bee All in All. Amen Glory to God alone FINIS