Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	conscience_n	dead_a	purge_v	5,027	5	9.3264	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10018	Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1630 (1630)	STC 20270; ESTC S120145	80,456	162

well as the best In a word they are ignorant what belongs to this life saith the Apostle and therefore they are strangers to it Partly againe they are strangers because of the hardnesse of their hearts that is either because they are so distracted and possessed with worldly businesse that they cannot attend it or they are so soaked and surfetted with pleasures and delights that they are not sensible of the things that belong to this life and therefore they are strangers to it that is they are not able to judge of it whether they have this life of grace or not You will say vnto mee How shall we know it I answer from those properties of life and death that wee take from the similitude of the naturall life and death First a man may know whether hee remaine in the state of Nature whether hee be a dead man by considering whether hee have anie change wrought in him For as it is said of Christ he was dead and is alive so it is true of everie man that is in Christ he was dead and is alive and this implies a great change There are manie changes in a man age makes a change place and companie make a change education and custome and experience make a change but when a man is translated from death to life it is another kind of change it is such a change as if another soule dwelt in the same bodie that a man thus changed can say Ego non sum Ego When his old lusts his old acquaintance his old temptations shall come he is able to answer them and to say hee is not the same man though they knocke at the same doore yet there is another inhabitant come into the house and they finde not him they looke for Even as you see when a graft is put into a Crab-tree-stocke it changeth all the sap and the fruit and the leaves and all are of another fashion so it is when the life of grace is put into the heart of a naturall man it changeth the inward man and the outward it changeth the whole frame of the soule For my Beloved this is not a light alteration but as the old stampe must bee obliterate before the new can be imprinted as the old building must be pulled downe before you can set up a new so this old nature of ours in a great measure must bee broken in pieces new moulded before a man can be made a living man which is done by the infusion of the supernaturall qualities of grace and holinesse I say supernaturall for even as the earth may bring forth grasse and common wilde flowers of it selfe but it must be plowed and sown before anie choise plants can grow there even so these common natures which we all have may bring out things that are morally good but before they can bring forth fruits of true righteousnesse they must be plowed and sowne Plowed that is a man must be broken in heart with an apprehension of his sinne and of Gods eternal wrath he must see himselfe but a dead man and hee must be pricked and wounded in heart with the sense of it as those in Act. 2. after the sermon of Peter who were pricked in their hearts and cried out Men and brethren what shall wee doe to be saved For this is the plowing the breaking of the heart And againe they must be sowne too that is there must bee an implanting of spirituall graces which change and renew vs according to that which you shall find Rom. 12. 2. Fashion your selves no more after this world but be ye changed or metamorphosed by the renewing of your minde and this is one way by which you may discerne whether you bee dead or alive Secondly when there is no action when there is no motion in a man you say he is dead when a man acts nothing when hee stirres not himselfe we reckon him a dead man now this is the case of every naturall man he is not able to move hand nor foot in the waies of true godlinesse If you say I but they are able to doe something they are able to pray to heare the Word to receive the Sacrament they are able to doe many excellent dueties of justice and righteousnesse amongst men I answer it is very true but yet the Scripture speakes of certaine dead works as Heb. 9. 14. The bloud of Christ is said there to purge our consciences from dead workes that is all these may bee done by naturall men and they are good works in themselves having all the lineaments of works truely good as you know a dead bodie hath of a living but yet indeede they are but dead workes that is they may have a golden out-side and bee verie beautifull in the sight of the doer and likewise in the sight of men but yet as Christs speakes be abominable in the sight of God A naturall man you see therefore may pay a certaine debt of duetie and obedience to God but hee paies it in counterfeit coine that hath the stampe and colour and similitude of true coine yet it consists if you looke to the inwards but of base mettall I remember a storie that Remigius tels who was a Iudge in Loraine under whose iudgement many hundreds of witches were condemned vpon their owne confession saith he the devill did bring them many boxes that had currant coine in them to the appearance of the witches but when they came to use them they proved nothing but withered leaves I say after the same manner Satan couseneth natural men in things of greater moment hee suffers them to thinke well of the good workes and of the dueties that they do to make them thinke they are currant coine but when they come to make use of this treasure at the day of death in the time of extremity at the day of judgement they finde them to bee but withered leaves such as God will not accept The Apostle speakes 1. Tim. 3. of certaine men which had a forme of godliness but denied the power thereof that is that had a formall customary performance of good works and of good duties with which the conscience is satisfied because it is ignorant and is not able to judge Satan doth with men in this case as we are wont to do with children we take from them true gold and silver and when they fall a crying stop their mouthes with counters So I say Sathan labours to keep men from the lively and through performance of good workes and of holy dueties and then satisfies their consciences with that which hath but a forme of godlinesse without the power of it But you will say How shall a man discerne it whether those good works that are good in themselves be good indeede whether they be good in such a manner as they are wrought by him I answer you may know it by these two things First it is certaine that except they be vitall actions