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
A97011	Certaine reasons why the Booke of Common-Prayer being corrected should continue. By I. W.	I. W.	1641 (1641)	Wing W40; Thomason E176_15; ESTC R14936	7,429	20

commanded by Authority God forbid The reason why some schismaticall and seditious professors are taken notice of to be so guilty of not walking according to the commandements of God the doctrine and rules of our Religion is because they so much overbusie themselves in opposing the lawfull discipline ceremonies of the Church and thereby thinking to give satisfaction to themselves and their erronious consciences in the meane time neglect the honour and dutie to their Governours their charity and love to their neighbours which are the expresse command of God in his word Fourthly Because they have endured opposition the greatest number of the opposers have been either weake and ignorant Christians misled and misinformed or perverse seditious and inconformable to the established government That there are many weake Christians though honestly affected to the true Religion and that there is in the nature of man a perverse and froward disposition and a spirit of contradiction in some none that truly knowes religion the nature of man and the times will denie Solomon goes further and tells us that there is a generation that are pure in their own conceit and yet they are not washed from their silthinesse so that then there may be divers and severall ends in opposition some may only seem to oppose by way of trial inquiry to the end that the truth may be manifested Some may oppose out of simplicitie and ignorance Some out of an intemperate and indiscreete Zeal Some may have sinister ends and by respects in their opposing Some oppose them in envie and malice to the truth and our happinesse therein But although God only seeth and knoweth every mans heart and end in opposing and ponders all their doings yet it is not unknown but well observed That some endeavouring to shake off government and to free themselves from their due obedience out of pride or ambition or out of a blinde and intemperat Zeal or from the effect of them both when they have beene lawfully checked by the reines of Authority they have endeavoured and have sowne the Tares of Sedition and division in the Church and common-wealth and further such is the extraordinary perverse and arrogant disposition and self conceitednes of some transported humours that rather then they will acknowledg their errours though never so apparent the very state and law it selfe must be condemned and condiscend to their distempers I will not therefore condemne any thing meerely because it is opposed Because that the most sacred Scriptures the word of God and our true reformed Protestant Religion hath received no small opposition from time to time and that good and godly Governours and Christians have not wanted opposition and p●●secution too even when they have best deserved and the best men and best things have beene and are still subject to calumnie and misinterpretation And it were to bee wished that it were not observed in these dayes that those that were and are accounted and known to be religious and zealous Protestants constant in the maintenance of the truth and of their reverentiall feare of God and that make conscience also of their duties as Christians to declare their affections to truth and peace and to performe their duties of a subject to their Prince and wholsome Laws that these which deserve commendation and imitation had not so much opposition and such uncharitable censures of being only formall carnall and morall Christians and sometimes worse detractions too frequent in mens mouthes and writings Moreover That which the Apostle calls pure Religion and undefiled before God and that which is the Triall of a good Christian and Subject some slanderously and censoriously oppose and judg Pharisaicall formall c. It is true as they say that it is possible for a morall honest man to go to Hell But it is most certain that none shall goe to Heaven unlesse they have righteousnesse joyned to their holinesse hee that makes not conscience of performing the duties of the second Table there is just cause to suspect his syncerity in the performance of the first The Apostle saith in the fifth of the Galathians That all the Law is fulfilled even in one word Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy selfe and this is that second great Commandement that Saint Matthew speaketh of which is the tryall of the first according to that Assertion of Saint Iohn He that loveth not his brother whom hee hath seene how can hee love God whom hee hath not seene Againe without faith it is impossible to please God now the main tryall of true faith is by the lively operation and expression of it in good works shew mee thy faith by thy works saith the Apostle For as the bodie without the spirit is dead so faith without good works is dead Iames 2.26 and none shal ever be saved by a dead faith Iam. 2.14.17 It were happy therefore if we would see or suspect the policy of the Devil or his agents who envy our happinesse and take advantage either of our judgements depraved or natures corrupted to make us their instruments to breake our blessed unity and peace in Church and Common-wealth and so while we are striving and contending for shadows we may be deprived of the substance and brought into irrecoverable confusion Fiftly Because the oppositions have been divers times fully answered by learned and Religious Protestants but especially so fullie determined in a conference on mature deliberation by our late renowned King Iames of blessed memorie This manifestly appeares by a Proclamation for the uniformity of Common Prayer and the decent service of God dated the fifth of March in the first yeere of K. James and is prefixed before the Booke of Common-Prayer part whereof I will mention the rest wherein you may receive further satisfaction I refer you unto to peruse at your pleasure The words are these In the month of October last we gave intimation of a conference intended to be had with as much speede as convenientlie could be for the ordering of the Church which accordingly followed in the month of Ianuary last at our Honour of H●mpton Court where before our selfe and our privie Councell were assembled many of the grave Bishops and Prelats of the Realme and many other learned men as well of those that are conformable to the state of the Church established as of those that dissented among whom what our paines were what our patience in hearing and replying and what the indifferencie uprightnesse of our judgment wee leave to the report of those who heard the same contenting our selfe with the synceritie of our owne heart therein But wee cannot conceale that the successe of that conference was such as happens to many other things which moving great expectation before they be entred into in their issue produce small effects For wee found mightie and vehement informations supported with so weak and slender proofs as it appeared to us and our Councell that there was no cause why any