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
A97227	Vnbeleevers no subjects of iustification, nor of mystical vnion to Christ, being the sum of a sermon preached at New Sarum, with a vindication of it from the objections, and calumniations cast upon it by Mr. William Eyre, in his Vindiciæ justificationis. Together with animadversions upon the said book, and a refutation of that anti-sidian, and anti-evangelical errour asserted therein: viz. the justification of infidels, or the justification of a sinner before, and without faith. Wherein also the conditional necessity, and instrumentality of faith unto justification, together with the consistency of it, with the freness of Gods grace, is explained, confirmed, and vindicated from the exceptions of the said Mr. Eyre, his arguments answertd [sic], his authorities examined, and brought in against himself. By T. Warren minister of the Gospel at Houghton in Hampshire.	Warren, Thomas, 1616 or 17-1694.	1654 (1654)	Wing W980; Thomason E733_10; ESTC R206901	226,180	282

after that adde he p. 67. l 16. blot out for p. 71. l. 30. after being blot out that p. 74. l. 13. for affirming r. affirme p. 91. l 1. blot out but p. 99. l r. blot out the fi●st as p 108. l. 14. for malem r. mallem p. 134. l. 27. blot out for p. 145. l. 25. for there read theirs p. 146. l 16. fo● no● not p. 150. l. 26. for the first is r. as p. 154. l. 11. for my r. mee p. 158. l. 5. after unto adde were elected p. 159. l. 33. for these r. thee p. 176. l. 26. after but adde we p. 180. l. 29. for at r. as p. 183. l. 2. after the first foresight add but and for nor r. not p. 195. l. 37. blot and p. 199. line 34. for soile r. soule October 13. 1654. Imprimatur EDM. CALAMY A Christless-estate A HOPELESSE-ESTATE EPHESIANS 2.12 That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world THe Scope of the Apostle in this Chapter is the same with that in the former to set the forth freeness of Gods grace in Christ proving sometimes in hypothesi that the converted Ephesians sometimes in thesi that all the faithful are saved by grace And he useth many Arguments Arg. 1 to this end the first is drawn from their natural estate O Ephesians if ye consider your selves in the common estate of nature you will finde that such was your condition that you could not be delivered from it but by grace which Argument he amplifies by a sixfold consideration of their natural condition First in the state of nature they were not onely defiled with sinne but were altogether dead in sinnes and trespasses and were no more able to help themselves then the dead is able to arise from the grave and therefore unlesse the same Almighty power that raised Christ from the dead had beene exerted to quicken them they could never have beene saved In the second place verse 2. He telleth them that their whole life was a life of sinne though they were dead to grace and spiritual life yet they were alive to sinne Yea thirdly that they lived after the custome of natural and unregenerate men who did minde and savour onely the things of this life And fourthly that they lived as those that had Satan the God of this world for their guide and were so farre from being led by the Spirit of God that the same uncleane spirit and enemy to mans salvation did rule them which now effectually worketh in the children of disobedience Fifthly in the third verse he sheweth that they had their conversation in the lusts of the flesh doing what their vaine minde did dictate their corrupt appetite and sinful affections did desire Sixthly The Apostle amplifies this by comparison shewing that the estate of himself and the beleeving Jewes was no better then theirs both in respect of sinne and punishment being all by nature the children of wrath as well as others In the fourth verse the Apostle layeth down a second Argument Argument 2 to prove the freenesse of Gods grace in our salvation drawn from the Author of our salvation the inward impulsive moving cause prevailing with him to do this for us the rich Author is God the moving cause his free love but God who is in mercy for the great love wherwith he loved us did deliver us In the fifth verse he shewes the order of Gods dispensing grace to us and that is by the redemption of Christ amplified from the time that while we were yet dead in sinnes God quickened us with Christ and therefore by grace we are saved that is while we were dead in sinnes and trespasses a Covenant passed between God and Christ our Redeemer and God gave us unto Christ that by him we should be redeemed and when he raised Christ he gave us a pledge of our redemption and justification in him In the sixth verse he telleth us that we are not only quickened and raised to life begotten to a living hope of eternal life but we were in a manner raised with him and ascended with him as in our head and set down together with him in heavenly ace spl that is in respect of our right purchased we had it before faith but in respect of actual possession and application of these mercies this is not conferred upon our persons untill we do beleeve In the seventh verse the Apostle sheweth what end God had in all this that in the ages to come be might shew the exceeding riches of his grace and kindnesse towards us in Jesus Christ In the eighth ver he concludes from his former discourse that therefore we are saved by grace And goeth on to prove it by a third Argument taken from the meanes whereby this grace is received and applied we are saved by grace because we are saved by faith where faith is taken metonymically for Christ apprehended by faith yet not excluding faith as a meanes to apply Christ to us and that which is due to Christ is attributed to faith because it alone is the onely instrument to apply Christs righteousnesse unto justification Now the Apostle to prevent a mistake lest any should think because faith is our act that therefore we are saved by something in us he answers that though it be our Act it is Gods gift and therefore we cannot challenge any thing in the work of Salvation because we are passive in this work it is a grace wrought in us by God to apply Christ to us and therefore in 9. verse he removes all works whether performed by grace or nature from being the cause of our salvation knowing how deeply this error is rooted in all men by nature to seek righteousnesse in themselves and he gives a reason why God will not have salvation by works because as they cannot stand with grace as faith may so they are enemies to the glory of God and will lift up the heart of man to glory in himself therefore God will have it to be by grace received by faith that no man might boast In the tenth verse the Apostle having shewed that our salvation is only of grace and the meanes by which we are made capable of all saving good in Christ by faith excluding all causes in man lest he should boast he layeth down a new reason why we cannot be saved by works because in the work of regeneration we are wholly Gods workmanship in Christ created to good works and we are as meerly passive in this work as in the first work of creation for as no creature contributed any thing to its own being and as there was no disposition in man to make himself a man so there is naturally no ability in us to contribute any thing to our new creation therefore seeing all we have and are inabled to do is by grace we are not saved

in his death and resurrection Oh what a blessed unspeakable mercy is this without which Christ himself would not save us and therefore though the world slight the Word preached yet if we did rightly consider it as a meanes of union to Christ we should think it a greater blessing then to be made heires of the world and should God take it away from a people it would be a greater losse then the Sun out of the Firmament But if it be such a blessing to have the Word preached which is the meanes to beget faith whereby this union is made what a mercy is it to that soul to whom the Lord hath blessed it as a meanes of his insition into Christ that the preaching of the law hath been in the hand of God as the Gardners knife by which he hath cut thee off from the old stock● the stock of nature and that the preaching of the Gospel hath been the means to implant thee into Christ as into a new stock by whom thou that wert dead in sins and trespasses art now spiritually alive unto God in Christ and thou that wert a childe of wrath a fire-brand of hell art now made a child of God an heire of eternal life If to be without Christ be the fountain of all misery then to be one with Christ is the spring and fountaine of all blessednesse If all the generations shall call the mother of Christ blessed because she bare Christ in her wombe all the Angels of heaven shall call thee blessed that hast Christ dwelling in thy heart by faith Oh what a comfort was it to Noah when he was in the Arke when he saw so many thousands sinking and drowning in the waters without any hope of escaping and yet he sate secure in his Arke without any feare and as the waters did arise so his Arke did arise So what a comfort will it be to a soul in Christ when he shall see so many roaring and damning going to hell without mercy and he himself that was united to Christ saved Oh what a comfort was it to Lot when all Sodome was of a light fire burning and flaming about the ears of the Inhabitants and they crying out for anguish and extremity of paine that he who was an Inhabitant in that place and had no minde to go out was by the hand of God mercifully snatcht out of those flames and had a Zoar to flie unto where he might be safe from those burnings So when the world shall at the great day be of a light fire about mens ears and all the wicked that are without Christ in the world shall be condemned to hell to dwell with devouring fire and everlasting burnnings that then thy self who wert a childe of wrath by nature as well as others and as unwilling to go out of thy self unto Christ for life as ever Lot was to go out of Sodome and yet by the merciful hand of God he did pluck thee as a brand out of the fire and by his Spirit did draw thee unto faith in Christ that in him thy soul might finde everlasting rest and safety in Christ Oh what cause hast thou to be everlastingly thankful unto the Lord for this mercy The 3d. Use shall be to put you upon the trial whether or no you be united unto Christ for otherwise whosoever thou art thy estate is wretched thou art a hopelesse man without God and without any well grounded hope in the world Now this may be known by several signes The first that I will give is this There will be much fruitfulnesse in that soul that is united to Christ for Christ is a very fruitful Vine and every branch in him bringeth forth much fruit John 15.5 Every branch that abideth in me the same bringeth forth much fruit Where observe that Christ is compared to a Vine and his Members that are really united not by profession only are compared to Branches that abide in the Vine for a dead branch is cut off and cast into the fire and an abiding branch brings forth much fruit And as a branch of a Vine is worth nothing unlesse it be for fruit a man cannot make a pin to fasten in a wall of the branch of a Vine so that an unfruitful Christian is the most unprofitable person in the world and there is nothing can be pleaded to keep a dead branch of a Vine from the fire it is good for no other use if it bring not forth fruit it must serve for fuel So then all such as are in Christ must be fruitful it is the end why a Christian is ingraffed into Christ to make him fruitful wherefore doth a man put a graft into another stock but for fructification this is Gods end in uniting a soul to Christ God looks for much fruit and better fruit as a man would never be at pains to ingraft a cion unlesse he did expect better fruit and more fruit then he had before Eph. 2.10 Hence we are said to be Gods workmanship in Christ created unto good works the Lord of the Vine-yard sent his servant to demand some fruit Mark 12.2 and Christ is a very fruitful stock there is much sap and fatness in this spirituall root and it 's a dishonour to Christ the stock into which a Christian is planted if he bring not forth fruit but what is this fruit why Matth. 3 8. 't is such as Iohn the Baptist called for fruits meet for repentance such as may evidence and testifie the truth of repentance and its fruit unto holinesse as Paul tells the Romanes That being made free from sin Rom. 6.22 and become servants of God they had their fruit unto holinesse And in another place this is called fruits of righteousnesse Phi. 1.11 when a Christian is filled with the fruits of righteousnesse which are to the praise and glory of God when a man is fruitfull in every good work both in works of piety towards God and charity towards men when there is not only leaves of external profession Col. 1.10 but reall fruits of holinesse and sanctification and observe it it is fruitfulnesse in every good work so that our fruit must be good for the quality much for the quantity Art thou such a fruitfull Christian doest thou bring forth fruits meet for repentance may the change of thy heart be read in the change of thy life is it such fruit as may evidence the truth and power of grace art thou no longer a servant to sin but a servant of righteousnesse is thy affection to sin mortified They that are Christs Gal. 5.24 have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts thereof Art thou like a tree planted by the rivers of water bringing forth fruit in its season do'st thou bring forth fruit when God expects it do'st thou bring forth fruit not to thy self but unto God as a tree brings forth fruit for the Master so do'st thou live to God