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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	declare_v	faith_n	justification_n	4,851	5	9.4048	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15738	Sermons vpon a part of the first chap. of the Gospell of S. Iohn. Preached by Antony Wotton, in the parish church of Alhallowes Barking in London, and now by him published	Wotton, Anthony, 1561?-1626.	1609 (1609)	STC 26008; ESTC S120315	346,604	476

faith we must remember that the act of faith not the gift or quality it selfe is signified Wee Iewes saith the Apostle who Gal. 2. 16. knowe that a man is iustified by the faith of Iesus Christ haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that wee might bee iustified by the faith of Christ It is certaine that Iustification is by saith the Apostle shewes vs how Namely by beleeuing in Christ So must wee vnderstand that which the same Apostle hath in an other place To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse Shall we say that the habit of faith was counted for righteousness S. Paul had opened his meaning touching that point a verse or 2 before Abraham Verse 3. beleeued God it was counted to him for righteousnes What was counted His beleeuing not his faith as it was a grace or vertue in his soule We may the rather be perswaded hereof if wee call to minde obserue both that our Euangelist Saint Iohn alwaies vrgeth beleeuing and not once mentions faith in so many places where this matter is spokē of euen diuers times in some one Chapter and also that our Lorde himselfe doth most commonly in all the other Evangelists follow the same course and wheresoeuer hee giues any commendation to faith it is manifest hee doth it in respect of the act thereof I haue not found saith hee of the Centurion Mat. 8. 10. so great faith in Israell How greate faith As to rest vpon the very worde of Christ for the curing of a sick man that was absent Speake the worde only saith the Captaine and my seruant shall bee healed It woulde bee Verse 8. too long to stand vpon particulars That one example may serue for all It may bee some man hearing that fayth and beleeuing breed such wonderfull effects will be desirous to knowe how this may bee What excelllency is there in faith more then in other Christian vertues Why should beleeuing in God bee preferred before louing of God First I must put you in minde that it is the act of faith as I haue often said by which these sauours are obtained and not the vertue it selfe And therefore our Papists who will haue their first iustification as they mince matters to consist of faith loue charity as they are vertues habits graces qualities beautifying and sanctifying the soule cannot reasonably imagin as they all commonly doe that the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans entreates of their iustification because he so often requireth the very act of beleeuing which in that iustification of theirs hath no place This being markt and remembred I say that the act of fayth or beleeuing doth not bring iustification and adoption or either of them by any speciall excellency that it hath in it selfe but meerly only by the place office which the Lord of his own will mercy hath assign'd it to be the condition on our parts required for the atchieuing of these fauours and honours The couenant of the law stood in these tearmes Hee that doth these things shall liue thereby So that the Leuit. 18. 5. condition was righteousnesse according to the exact rule of the lawe By the Gospell the Lord enters into a new couenant with man the condition whereof Act. 16. 31. is Beleeue and thou shalt be saued This is that which the Apostle teacheth vs concerning the Lords accounting of faith for righteousnesse Wheras by the lawe righteousnesse was necessarily required that a man might haue an interest to heauen now by the Gospell faith is accepted insteed of righteousnes Do this saith the law Beleeue in Christ saith the Gospell So that when the question is of reconciliation and the parts thereof or either of them whether it be by faith or no the meaning is this whether beleeuing bee the condition which we are to performe that wee may bee reconcil'd to God or no. To this doubt the Apostle answereth that Abraham beleeued God it that is His beleeuing Rom. 4 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was counted to him for righteousnes Pardon me I pray you if I doe but touch these things or rather but point at them as I passe along At some other times if it please God now one then an other of them shall bee cleered and proued Yet for all my hast I may not forget to deliuer the ground of that which I haue said touching the Lords accounting of faith for righteousnes I shew that the Apostle is so to be expounded by 2 places of this same Epistle where the very same maner of speech is vsed If the vncircumcision saith Saint Paul keepe the ordinances of the law shall not his vncircumcision bee counted Rom. 2. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for circumcision VVhat is this For circumcision Insteed of circumcision as if he were circumcised The other place affords vs the like wordes and meaning Rom. 9. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The children of the promise are counted for the seed There is no other place in all the newe Testament out of which wee maye learne the sense of this phrase these two are plaine being alike in themselues and agreeing with the Apostles wordes and purpose in that other Text. What should hinder vs then from expounding the Apostle as we do Or rather with what reason can wee refuse such an interpretation as the Apostle himselfe points vs to The waightinesse of the matter hath carried mee farder then I meant to haue gone I will bee the shorter in that which remaines It is faith then or rather beleeuing which the Lorde requires of vs that we may become his children not as if there were any excellency in the thing or merit in the vse of our freewill for the worthinesse whereof such a fauour and honour should be vouchsaf't vs but onely and meerely because this is the course by which the glory riches of the mercy of God may bee declared Therefore the Apostle concludes touching iustification the former part of Reconciliation that it is by faith without the workes of the law because thereby all boasting is excluded Rom. 3. 27. 28 The Papists that make their first iustification to be inherent righteousnesse consisting of faith hope charity their second actuall obedience to God by the performance of the workes of the lawe draw away the glory and thanks from God to themselues For the former I haue shewed that they will haue the difference whereby it comes to passe that one man receiues iustifying grace and an other does not To proceed from euery mans freewill and not from any speciall grace of God inclining the soule to beleeue Neither rest they there but hauing thus begun to magnify themselues by the getting of this grace they go forward to rob God of his honour thanks for our saluation to that ende they set out the dignity of that righteousnesse whereof they make account they

vessell Therefore are they aduised and charged to kisse the Son least he be angry to their destructiō Verse 12. There is good cause then why he should be stiled the Lord of lords and King of kings What though he be the Lambe meeke and tender yea bound and slaine yet * Reuel 17. 14. shall he ouercome the 10. kings that fight against him For he is the Lord of lords and King of kings yea a Reuel 19. 16. he hath that name written vpon his garment vpon his thigh The king of kings and Lord of lords His glory his strength shew him to be no lesse And can we doubt whether hee bee God or no If I should recite the Attributes or Epithets which being proper to God are belonging to our Sauiour Christ If I should but name those admirable effects of his which are aboue the strength of any and all creatures the time would sooner faile me then varietie of matter which doth offer it selfe to me so plentifully that it is harder to find where to make an end thē what to say Do you wonder at the eternity of God as a thing not to bee reacht vnto by the conceit of man Behold him that is b Reuel 1. 8. A Ω the beginning the ending which was which is and which is to come What say I was is is to come Thus indeed hath it pleased our gratious Sauiour to speake of his eternall being to our capacity But let vs heare him speake more like himselfe that is more like God c Iohn 8. 58. Before Abraham was I am This is a speech better beseeming his maiesty For nothing can be properly said of him concerning his being but onely that he is That which was either is not at all or at the least is not in all respects the same that it was That which is to come as yet either hath no being at all or surely no such being as is signified it shall haue in time to come But what stand I repeating that which before I deliuered Let vs passe from this infinitenesse in time which wee call eternitie and come to another like attribute which wants a name but belongs to quantity and might be tearmed Immensitie if our eares and vnderstanding were acquainted with it As eternity signifies the infinitenesse of God in time so doth Immensitie in greatnesse d Isai 61. 8. Thus saith the Lord The heauen is my throne and the earth is my footstoole There is no number of yeeres that can expresse the Lords Eternitie no compasse of place that is able to containe his Immensitie e Psal 139. 7 Verse 8. Whither shall I flee from thy presence saith the king of Israel that had choice enough of roome wherein to hide himselfe If I ascend into heauen thou art there If I he downe in hell thou art there Let me take the wings of Verse 9. Verse 10. the morning and dwell in the vttermost parts of the Sea yet thither shall thy hand leade me and thy right hand shall hold me But what need many particulars Hee that is present in heauen and in earth can be shut out of no place whatsoeuer our Sauiour is ascended into heauen yet is he still present with his children here in earth f Matth. 28. 2● Behold I am with you till the end of the world By his power you wil say not by his presence Doubtlesse an infinite power such as protecteth the Church of Christ cannot be in a finite nature Let vs heare him speake more plaine g Matth. 18. 20 Whersoeuer two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Or if this also may applied to power yet that place is without exception h Iohn 3. 13. No man ascendeth vp to heauen but he that came downe frō heauen the Son of man which is in heauen He came downe frō heauen because being God he became man he was for all that still in heauen because being man he ceased not to be God Therefore also while he was aliue on earth before his passion he doubted not to auouch that hee was euen then in heauen i Iohn 17. 24 Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am that they may behold that my glory Where is that to be seene but in heauen For so hath our Sauiour said himselfe before in that prayer And now glorifie me thou father with thine Verse 5. owne selfe with the glory which I had with thee before the world was Not as if heauen or neuer so many heauens were able to conteine that his infinite glory which can be no way bounded by any meanes but because there i● shews it self most apparātly Shal I need to add hereunto his power or rather Almightinesse k Reuel 1. 8 I am A Ω the beginning the ending saith the lord which is which was which is to come euen the Almighty And twice afterward in the same booke he is called l Reu. 4. 8. 11. 17. The Lord God Almighty But if the Scripture had not said any such thing of him yet his admirable works sound out his power glory The heauens m Psal 19. 1 sayth the Prophet declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth the worke of his hands Yea the signs which he did in the sight of his friends enemies were so high aboue the power of man that they may assure vs n Ioh. 20. 31 that our Sauiour Iesus Christ was the Sonne of God But of these in the Gospell oftentimes hereafter if it please God euen God the Sonne IESVS CHRIST of whom we speake But ere I proceed any farder I must againe encounter the Arians who bend all their forces to ouerthrowe the God-head of our Sauiour Christ Do you not perceiue say they that although hee be called God yet he is not so indeed by nature but by fauour Haue you not obserued that in the second clause where the true God is spoken of there the article is added in the text o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Word was with the God as you would say The true God but here in the third part the same article is omitted as if the holy Ghost would haue vs know thereby that he hath his God-head such as it is onely by grace and that diuers from him that is the true God O that foolish men should take such paines to kick against the prickes and to procure their owne destruction Can there be more force in the omitting of one poore letter to make you denie our Sauiours diuine nature then in so many reasons to wring out of you a confession therof p Origen in Ioa. lib. 2 Too much curiosity in an opinion of this learned obseruation hath deceiued you Is not Iesus Christ the true God because the article is not added Or is the article neuer omitted where