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
A10027	A sermon of spirituall life and death Preached before the king, at White-Hal, Nouember, 1616 by the late faithfull minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. In Diuinity, chapplaine in ordinar[y] to his maiesty, Mr. of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1630 (1630)	STC 20278; ESTC S114308	21,702	38

and the outward it changes the whole frame of the soule For my beloued this is not a light alteration but as the old stampe must bee obliterated before the new can be imprinted as the old building must bee pulled downe before you can set vp the new so this old nature of ours must in a great measure be broken in peeces before a man can be made a liuing man which is done by the infusion of the supernaturall qualities of grace and holinesse I say supernaturall for euen as the earth may bring forth grasse and common wilde flowers of it selfe but it must be plowed and sowen before any wheat or choice plants can grow there euen so my brethren these corrupt natures we haue may bring out things that are morally good many morall vertues but before they can bring forth fruites 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 eternall wrath hee must see himselfe but a dead man hee must be pricked and wounded in heart with the feare of it as those Acts 2. 37. after the Sermon of Peter it is said They were pricked in their hearts and cryed out Men and brethren what shall we do to be saued This is that plowing and breaking the heart But this is not enough it must also be sowne that is there must be an implanting of spirituall graces which change and renew vs according to that which you shall finde Rom. 12. 2. Fashion your selues no more after this world but be ye changed or metamorphosed by the renuing of your minde And this is the first way by which you may discerne whether you be dead or aliue Secondly when there is no action when there is no motion in a man you say hee is dead when a man acts nothing when hee stirres not himselfe wee reckon him a dead man and this is the case of euery naturall man he is not able to moue hand or foot in the way of true godlinesse And if you say Yea but they are able to pray to heare the word of God to receiue the Sacrament they are able to doe many excellent duties of iustice and righteousnesse amongst men I answer it is very true but yet the Scripture speakes of certaine dead workes as Heb. 9. 14. The blood of Christ is there said to purge our conscience from dead workes that is all these before mentioned they may be done and they are good workes in themselues hauing all the lineaments of good workes as you know a dead body hath of a liuing but yet indeed they are but dead workes that is they may haue a golden out-side and be very beautifull in the sight of the world and also in the sight of men but yet as Christ speakes be abhominable in the sight of God For so a naturall man may pay a certaine debt of duty and obedience to God but he payes it in counterfeit coyne that hath the stampe the similitude and colour of true coyne yet it consists if you looke to the inwards but of base mettall As I remember a story that Remigius tels who was a Iudge in Lorreigne vnder whose iudgement many hundred of witches were condemned vpon their owne confession who said that the deuill did bring them many boxes of currant coyne to the apearance of the witches but when they came to vse them they proued nothing but withered leaues I say after the same manner Sathan cozens naturall men in things of greater moment hee suffers them to thinke well of the good workes and duties that they doe to make them thinke they are currant coyne but when they come to make vse of this treasure at the day of death they finde them to bee but withered leaues such as God will not accept of in the time of extremitie at the day of iudgement The Apostle in the 1 Tim. 3. 5. speakes of certaine men Who had a forme of godlinesse but denied the power thereof that is that haue a formall customarie performance of good workes and good duties with which the conscience is satisfied and not able to iudge because it is ignorant And therefore Sathan doth with men in this case as wee are wont to do with children take from them true Gold and when they fall a crying stoppe their mouthes with Counters So I say Sathan labours to keepe men from the liuely and thorow performance of good workes and holy duties 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 this whether these good workes which are good in themselues be good in such a manner as they are wrought by him To this I answer you may know it by these two things First it is certaine that except they be vital actions that is except they proceed from an inward principle of life within they are not good actions they are such as the Lord regards not Now you know there are motions as the motions of clockes and watches that proceed not from life but from Art so it is in this matter of religion many good actions may be done many good motions in the waies of godlinesse which yet may not proceede from the life of grace but from outward respects to men from feare of hell from feare of iudgement or in sickenesse from the apprehension of death and calamity In such cases we may be stirred vp to do them and then euen as the wheeles that are set a going by the spring when it is downe you know they cease their motion So commonly it is in these good fits in these good moodes of godlinesse when that which set them on worke is remoued There is an end of them And therefore if you would know whether the workes you do bee right or no such as God will accept at the last day consider if they proceede from an inward principle from a principle of life within 2. You shall know them by their coldnesse For coldnesse you know is a symptome of death Now these good workes when they are done by a naturall man there is no life in them there is no warmth in them no viuacitie nor quicknesse in them where as you know it is said Iames 5. 16. Prayer if it be feruent preuailes much Rom. 12. 16. Be ye burning in spirit seruing the Lord that is all those duties that haue not heat in them that haue not fire in them why the Lord regards them not the reason is this because if there be no heat there there is none of his Spirit there and then you know our prayers are but the voyce of our owne spirits the workes we doe are but dead workes because they are but the fruits and effects of dead flesh if there be none of the Holy Ghost there Now if there be no