Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	dead_a	faith_n	lively_a	5,187	5	10.6802	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27259	Psychomachia, or, The soules conflict with the sins of vain glory, coldnesse in professing Christ, envie, photinianism (of the last resurrection), ingratitude, unpreparednes to meet the Lord, revenge, forgetfulness of God : pourtrayed in eight severall sermons, six whereof were delivered at St. Maries, and Christ-Church in Oxford, and two at Sherburn in Glocestershire / Henry Beesley ...	Beesley, Henry, 1605-1675.	1656 (1656)	Wing B1691; ESTC R13325	163,090	260

because that wickednesse perverts the judgement and makes it erroneous in that which concerneth practique dutyes the like saith Aquinas touching proud persons Aquin secundae secunde q 162 citans Gregro that they may attain to the understanding of deepest mysteries but can not perceive the sweetnesse of of them si noverunt quomodo sunt ignorunt quomodo sapiunt see they may but can not tast how good the Lord is By faith with the heart then is understood not onely light G. Paris de fide to shew wbat is to be beleeved but life and spirit to act and move us to do good workes and decline the contrary It no sooner enters into the Soule but by its lively heat and vigour all obstructions and impediments are removed from the mind depraved habits and corrupt desires like Sampsons cords are burst asunder A dead faith indeed may move the understanding to apprehend and discourse of an object laid before it but not with a vitall motion it is but as the trembling or panting of the body when the head is smitten off but no compleat and perfect motion such as that of walking is which is not found in a Carkcase Nay a walking there may be too or seem to be to the eyes of men and yet proceed from no principle of life but as the devil can borrow a body Delrio Magic disquisit whose Soule is newly departed from it and by the heat therein remaining make it seem to be alive and to performe all the offices of life So many there be of these walking Carkcases Pharisees Hypocrites as our Saviour joynes them Revel 3.1 2 Tim. 3.5 that have a name that they live and are dead having as the Apostle speakes a forme of Godlinesse but denying the power thereof But then as these Corpses are soon discribed to be what they are and within a little while Ficto citò adnaturam suam redeunt Nemo personā diù ferre potest 1 P●t 11.7 relapse into their state of corruption so here the inconstancie or imperseverance at length discovers the imposture and shewes what metal their faith is made of sure not of Gold that is tryed with fire although it glistres never so much in the eyes of men That ours is not of that allay we shall best assure our selves if we find 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St 2. Thes 1.11 Paul termes it the work of faith in our souls whose worke it is as to implant us into Christ so to bring forth in us the fruits of his spirit his spirit can not be idle or barren but will still be doing somewhat toward the forming of Christ within us purifying the heart Gal. 4.19 Act. 15.9 Eph. 4.23 Heb. 6.14 Gal. 5.24 Rom. 8.19 juxta Crellium in cap. 5. ad Galat. renewing the spirit purging the conscience crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts This one for all If Christ be in us the body is dead as unto sin hath lost as it were the power of tempting us to fulfil the lusts thereof but the spirit is life as unto righteousnesse Our inward man is fresh and lively to do the will of our heavenly Father To conclude this point If Christ be rooted and dwell in our hearts by a lively faith Eph. 3.17 and do not onely hover in the brain by an aerie knowledge we make him the Centre of our affections fixing our love hope joy desire in him we live no longer to our selves but to him that died for us 2 Cor. 5.15 all our study is how to please him we set our selves to obey his commands though never so harsh to our nature or interest offering our service with the Apostle Lord What wilt thou have me to do and ready with him Acts. 9.6.21.13 not onely to be bound but also to die if there be cause for the Name of the Lord Jesus Such was the effect of St. Pauls knowing Jesus Christ and him crucified and there is hope it might produce somewhat at least like in us if we determined as he did to make it the principle marke of our knowledge O si Jesus crucifixus in cor nostrum veniret Tho. de kempis de imit Chr●l 1. citò quàm còito sufficienter docti essemus So resolved by one that excelled in the practical science of Christianity That if Christ were fixed in our hearts as he was to his Crosse we should become sufficiently learned in a short time This Booke of the Lamb that was slaine would supply the reading of many books Revel 5.9 and 13.8 and teach such vertues as we can not meet with in all the Doctors of moralitie Io. arnd de vero Ch●istianismo lib 2. cap. 19. 2. Tim. 3.7 Esai 55.2 Honesta col mus quantum vacat Seneca And for want of studying this it is no marvail if there be so very many non proficients Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth spending their time strength and labour for that which can not satisfie the soule however it may please the phancie and mean while neglecting the one thing necessary or intending it but on the by when they can be at leasure from other employments How defective men are in this kind it is not more against our charitie to judge then beyond our power to know 't is a secret belongs to God alone If our hearts condemne us not he is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things 1. Ioh 3.20 1 Co. 4.5 The time commeth when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed such as we could not know our selves by reason of our hearts deceitfulnesse Ierem. 17.9 But if our faith be cordiall indeed or with the heart it will not be impris●ned there 2 C●nfession but come forth at the mouth there will be confession joyned with it the other duty that we mentioned which is then necessary unto salvation when the glory of God and our Neighbours edifying are concerned in it Aquin. secunda secunde ● 3. And for want thereof our Rulers are thought not to have had a lively faith which will not consist with the spirit of feare or gracelesse bashfulnesse Rom. 1.16 so as to be ashamed of the Gospell of Christ But if this be it that proves good Christians no fear on our part we have given our names to Christ in our Baptisme and are known to all the world by the name of Christians and if our faith be not spoken of too like that of the Romans through out the whole world Rom. 1.8 it is not for lack of our not professing it Mat 6.17 Onely here we should do well to take our Saviours direction along with us that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to discerne the tree Clem. Stromat lib. 3. not by the leaves and the blossoms but the fruit never indeed more leaves and blossoms to be seen we are all become Gnosticks men of knowledge that the Heathen

man might better have said it of this age Sene●a Epist 106. literarum intemperantia laboramus when most are for that which St. Paul termeth Oppositions of science or the science of opposition 1 Tim. 6.20 and few for the conscience of Christian duties to informe the head with curious notions not reforme the life by true repentance Divinitie for the form thereof is in every womans mouth to be arguing or rather * verse eodem babling the Apostles word in the highest and deepest mysteries Gods secret decrees can not escape them they make but a shallow of that great deep and can found it to the bottom but for the power of it when all is done it is but talke a zeale that vapours out in words and thus Religion in effect becomes a Comedie or an art of pure dissembling the discourse whereof hath so filled the world Sir W Ralegh preface as it hath well neare driven the practise of it out of the world But if St. Cyprian may be heard nihil prodest verbis proferre virtutem factis destruere veritatem it availeth nothing to build religion with our tongues and destroy it with our deeds to professe a beleeving on Christ with our mouths but in works to deny him So it may be done no lesse Ioh A●nd de vero Christ l. ● c 9. 2 Pet. 2.22 and such there were of whom the Apostle St. Peter and Jude do both complaine ungodly men that turned the grace of God into wantonesse and so denied the Lord that bought them Nay such there be in this last age the the lawlesse libertine that transformeth Christian liberty into carnal licentiousnesse and returneth to his wallow Z●ch 13.1 because of the fountain that Zechary mentions opened for sin and for uncleannesse the presumptuous Predestinarian that holds himselfe to be in Christ without feeling any change in himselfe by repentance from dead works and that have he but faith Heb. 6.1 live how he list he can not chuse but be saved Now what is this else but Ethnicum agere sub nomine Christiani To walk as other Gentiles walke Eph 4.18 in the vanity of their minds being alienated from the life of God! nay worse then these if the judgment of Salvian may be credited atrocius sub sancti nominis professione peccamus we offend more hainously being invested with a sacred Title the higher our prerogative is so much the greater is our fault for the very religion that we professe helps to aggravate our sin and to make it much more sinfull there may be some excuse for ignorance the chief of sinners as he calls himselfe obtayned mercy to nomine because he sinned ignorantly in unbelief 1 Tim. 1.13 but contempt of wilfull sin will not find such easy pardon Scienti non facienti saith St. Iames Iam. ● 17 To him that knoweth to do good and doth it not it is the encreasing of his sin consequenly of his punishment to be seen by the Servant that knew his Lords will and did not accordingly Luke 2.47 It is that which Nacianzen so passionately bewailed under the person of such wretches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 woe unto me that ever I was cleansed if after my cleansing I am fouled againe Orat. 24. if I see those Heathen that are not baptized cleaner and purer than my selfe It is no more than St Peter warranteth It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousnesse 2 P●t 2.21 then after they have known it to tu ne away Too many such Apostates there be among us that for every trifling circumstance are so ready to part with Christ for a momentany flash of sensuall pleasure for a little dust of shining clay G Parisiens de Moribus cap. 4. Act. 3.14 for a vaine blast of popular praise which is all one as with the Jewes to dery the Holy one and the just and preferre a Barrabbas any wicked lust before him This is worse yet then we can charge our Rulers withall we can not blame them for staining their profession with a vitious conversation all their fault was not confessing for fear of men what they beleeved concerning Christ not that perchance they were utterly dumb or speechlesse that way but because their confession was not free and ingenious the Evangelist brands them for non professours as a point of abatement in the praise of their faith Calvin h c Wherein had they been rightly grounded at their first entrance thereinto Augustin on the place they would have profited so well as to have conquered the love of humane praise to have fixed their glorying with St. Paul in the Crosse of Christ and to esteem all the pompe of the world beneath it * Ad hoc enim et ipse dominus Crucem suam ubi eum dementia superbae impietatis irrisit in e●rum qui in illum crederent frontibus fi●it ubi est quo dammodo sedes verecundior ●t de nomine ejus fides non erubescat Augustin ibidem for to this end our Lord was pleased for the confounding of proud impietie to consigne his Crosse on the forehead of his servants on that very part which is as it were the seat of shame facednesse in token that they should not be ashamed to confesse the faith of Christ crucifyed and manfully to fight under his banner against sin the world and the Devil And such was the zeale of the primitive Christians the noble Army of Martyrs and Confessors whose heart was warmed with the reaking bloud of Christ they thought nothing to much to loose or suffer for the Testimony of his truth Multò avidiùs t●nc mortyria gloriosis mortilus quaerebant quam c. Sulp. Sev. lib. 2. seeking more earnestly the glory of Martyrdome then the most ambitious to aspire unto the height of wordly glory It is that which may exercise our thoughts in wondring how they should suffer what they did with so much chearfulnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sozom. lib. 1. cap 1. as though it had been in other bodyes considering they had no more to move them thereunto then what we reckon our selves to have that is a good Captain to lead and encourage them a righteous cause to prompt and embolden them a gracious God to relieve and succour them and a glorious Heaven to receive and reward them But what shall we think then of these poor s ules that wanting all these yet endured no lesse torments such as we find in the Heathen Martyrologie as Zeno Socrates Anaxarchus c that sealed such leane and barren truths as Phylosophy taught them with the expence of their dearest blood Hac non sine causa dominus in seculum admisit so thought Tertullian Tertullian ad Marty●●s these examples God permitted to be in the world not without some speciall providence but either to exhort us in this our day or to confound