Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	create_v	good_a	workmanship_n	4,350	5	11.8942	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95352	None but Christ, or A sermon upon Acts 4. 12. Preached at St. Maries in Cambridge, on the commencement Sabbath, July 4. 1652. To which is annexed, an enquiry after what hope may be had of the salvation of [brace] 1. Heathens. 2. Those of the old world, the Jews and others before Christ. 3. Such as die infants, and idiots, &c. now under the Gospel. / By Anthony Tuckney, D.D. and Master of St. Johns Colledge in Cambridge.	Tuckney, Anthony, 1599-1670.	1654 (1654)	Wing T3217; Thomason E1523_3; ESTC R208588	57,811	146

notoriously guilty of in their conversations And that this may not be taken for an uncharitable surmise and suspicion let us reflect a little upon some of the fore-mentioned particulars for which they have been and are so much applauded whereas they are cryed up for their freedome from passion although it be very farre that either affectation or morality may carry an Heathen in matters of this nature which were their highest perfections and so brute creatures often exceed men in matters of sense as being their highest top yet it is well known how greater pressures and dangers have uncased them and put them out of their Spanish gravity the storm affrighted the stiffe Stoick out of his Lethargicall Apathy I need not tell you how Cato Brutus and Cassius handled themselves when brought to such extremities Seneca would discourse and write elegantly of Bounty and Liberality who yet was notoriously covetous and that even our England in part paid for And as for their high soaring souls Abstractions from and Dominion over their bodies the very best of them are very much wronged and that by their own Authors if they were not foully debauched and that with unnatural bodily lusts and unclean practises Fornication not accounted a fault especially in young men which some think was the reason why the Apostles reckoned it amongst the Indifferents Acts 15. 29. And even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that unnatural boye's-play Plutarch indeed dare not justifie nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet dare he condemn because ●ven Socrates practised it And what ever others may say of them I am sure the Scripture giveth another character of them and that foul enough 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles that know not God and this not of the basest and worst as some would so put off such places but of the wisest and best of them as appeareth from Rom. 1. 22 23 24 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 1. 19 20. their knowledge in it self being too dark and uncertain to cause any powerful and vigorous impression on their wills and affections natural conscience being over-powered by the weight of natural corruption and God taking vengeance on their abuse of natural light by giving them up to unnatural works of darknesse 3. But how true soever they were to their own principles or how true soever others reports may be of their virtuous carriages yet in the third place I may safely and boldly say they were not truly good works or saving gracès urenda flammis non condenda horreis as Leo speaks This what ever it may be accounted by any of us now was of old esteemed true wholesome Christian Doctrine so Cyprian treating De bono patientiae of patience saith Hanc sectari Philosophi quoque profitebantur sed tàm illis falsa patientia est quam falsa sapientia And Hierome is bold to say that sine Christo omnis virtus in vitio est and In Gal. 3. Theophylact is punctual and peremptory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Johan 3. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He granteth that there may be bad Christians but that there may be any good Heathens he can in no wise believe Prosper alloweth them nullam veram virtutem but only virtutum imaginem But Austin the most serious faithful Champion of the grace of Christ is herein most full ever and anon upon this argument up and down in his writings against the enemies of it he calleth them virtutes non veras sed verisimiles nay he Contra Julian l. 4. c. 3. averreth them to be truly and really peccata though splendida sinful although they made a great deal of glittering He doth not believe that Extra veram Ecclesiam veras virtutes reperiri non posse lib. de patientia Contra Julian ubi prius there were any true virtues out of the true Church of which God himself saith all my springs are in thee Psal 87. 7. and abhorre's with an absit the very thought of any true virtue out of Christ Absit ut sit aliqua vera virtus nisi fuerit justus absit autem ut sit justus verè nisi vivat in side justus enim ex fide vivit And so in particular for Chastity Quomodo verà ratione pudicum corpus asseritur quando à vero Deo animus fornicatur Quis infidelis ita quis haec sapiat nisi desipuit and therefore he urgeth Julian with that of our Saviour that an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit and when he answered that the Heathens were steriliter boni he telleth him aut jocaris vel deliras qui sterilium fructus arborum laudas He choaketh him also with that of the Apostle That we are Gods workmanship and that we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works Ephes 2. 10. not brought to them either by natural disposition or moral acquisition And he telleth him again and again that he must bear with him if he stil object that of the Apostle to him That without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. And he would not have him think to terrifie him with the great names of Fabritius Fabrius c. for sit licet Fabritius c. quorum me nominibus putasti esse terrendum yet of the best of them all he dare say that voluntas infidelis impia non est bona that an unbelieving will is no good will nor can any live well who liveth not by faith in Christ and that only hac fide prudenter fortiter rectè sapientérque justus vivit quia fideliter vivit It is faith which worketh by love that effects any thing that is truly good and I must needs say they have too low thoughts of Christ and his grace who think that those dull Moralities of the Heathen should reach that salvation which faith only lead's to That they who never truly knew their first fall though they bemoaned some felt effects of it as the blind man may mourn in fense of the pain of that wound when yet he knoweth not how he came by it That never knew what Original sin meaneth nor the true sinfulness of any sin as the breach of a spiritual Law of God and so could never truly repent Were wholly strangers to the true means of our recovery by Iesus Christ and so could never truly believe Were notoriously blind and abominable in their Ignorance Superstions and Idolatries and in a totall neglect in a manner of the first Table Were also manifestly guilty of and yet approved themselves in many notorious breaches of the second Table So that in their writings and doctrines of Morality they made vices virtues as Arisiotle doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Paul condemneth Ethic lib. 4. cap. 14. as unseemly for a Christian Ephes 5. 4. and in his description of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or noble generosity are divers Lib. 4. c. 7 8.