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A10556 Faith and good vvorkes vnited in a sermon preached at the Spittle vpon VVednesday in Easter weeke, 1630. By Richard Reeks minister of the word at Little Ilford, in Essex. Reeks, Richard. 1630 (1630) STC 20828; ESTC S115772 46,778 68

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conuersation honest and harmelesse that the name of God may not be blasphemed among the Gentiles and not only so but that they may winne those that are without by their holy cariage and conuersation according to that of the Prophet Isaiab 61.9 Their seed shal be known among the Gentiles and their of spring among the people All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed that the Lord hath blessed And if this reason bee not sufficient let me lead you yet further Reason 4 Because this is the commandement of God to the performance whereof we are inuited à praemio from the reward à periculo from the danger That God commands it without further reason why is sufficient reason for vs to do it And that it is the command of the highest it appeareth in many places Eschew euill and doe good To doe good forget not Date eleemosynam Luke 11.41 Charge the rich that they bee fruitfull in good workes and heere be doing good And in many places which command implies obedience if we go no further then the command it selfe for he that commanded it to be done is that mighty one high aboue all men and angels by whose command all things were made for dixit factuns est but that the Lord might leaue vs inexcusable and that euery mouth might be stopped he hath enforced the same by a double reason For hoofac vines do this A praemi● and thou shalt liue There is a reward greater then our seruice Againe he that looketh in the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke the same shall bee happie in his deed which happinesse is no lesse then eternall life then which what reward can be greater Againe wee are exhorted by good workes on earth to lay vp for our selues treasures in heauen to bring somewhat into Gods exchequer as the Israelites to the Tabernacle whereof in singular confidence clayming an especiall interest in Gods fauour and expecting the promised recompence we may say with Nehemiah Remember me O God concerning this For albeit the glory of God bee the vltimus terminus of our cogitations actions well doing and principall motiue of our good workes and as it were the primum mobile of our obedience yet as Aquinas in the actions of our obedience whilest we seeke the aduancement of Gods glory in the first place we may as a secondary obiect or adiunct respect our owne commodity and haue an eie to our owne reward for shall Iob or any one serue God for nothing But as S. Augustine saith in Pal. 100. Nisi Deus per misericordiam parceret non inueniret quos per iustitiam corenaret Except God should spare in mercy he should finde none to crowne in iustice For as conscious to our selues of our many imperfections in our best actions of defects and faults in the end matter maner or measure of our obedience we must supplicate and say misericordia tua meritum meum thy mercie is my merie pardon me according to thy great mercy In hope and expectation of which infinite reward we must in our seuerall callings dailie be doing good exercising our selues in works of piety and pity that so our soules as fields of sincerity being daily more and more charged with the deeds of mercy we may at length be accomplisht with the erest and crowne of eternall glory as himselfe hath promised Matt. 5. Blessed be the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy Luk. 6.35 Iohn 14.1 They shall be called the children of the highest and therefore haue a dwelling place in their fathers house For Quimiseretur proximo soeneratur domino he that casts his bread vpon the waters shall after many daies find for a crumme a crowne for one mite a million for a drop of cold water a full draught of that heauenly water wherof hauing tasted he shall neuer thirst any more and in a word for the gleanings and refuse of our vintage a ful measure pressed and running ouer saithfull is he that promised to performe it But if we cannot be wonne by reward let vs be wrested by danger for feare of punishment for feare and anguish shall be vpon euery soule that doeth euill and take and bind that vnprofitable seruant and cast him into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth this is their portion for euer ignorans ignorabitur Primos●●● Aquin. hee that will not know God by doing good shall not be known of God among those to whom he shall shew himselfe good These forenamed reasons first to shew our loue to God in walking as his children secondly to shew our loue to our selues In quieting our consciences In making our election sure Thirdly to shew our loue to our neighbours In witnessing our faith In winning them by our godly conuersation Fourthly in yeelding obedience to the commandement of God In respect of the reward In respect of the danger These reasons I say as a cord diuinely twisted are sufficiently able to moue vs to and to confirm vs in the doing of good Vse 1 First then let vs sling this stone into the brazen foreheads of our Aduersaries which in their shamesse chalenges of our Religion dare tell the world that we are all for faith nothing for good workes all for saying but nothing for doing And that we hold workes to saluation as a Parenthesis to a clause that it may bee perfect without them Heauen and earth shall witnesse the iniustice of this calumniation and the consciences of all which heare vs shall bee our compurgators which testifie that there is no lesse necessity of doing good workes then if you should bee saued by them and th t though you cannot be saued by them as the meritorious cause of your glory yet that you cannot be saued without them as the necessary effects of that grace which brings glory We say and maintaine that fides nuda is fides nulla a naked faith is no true fayth to the conuiction of that lewd slander of Solifidianisme For although we doe not wee dare not make inherent righteousnesse the cause of our iustification yet wee say it is the effect thereof though with the Papists we make it not the Vsher yea rather the Parent of iustification yet we require it as the companion at least the Page thereof But some man may say what matters it if both ascribe the whole worke to God For comes it not all to one if one pay a summe for me or giue it me to pay my selfe These things may seeme little dissonant to some mens cares yet the spirit of God hath made them vtterly incompatible For it is written To him that worketh the wages is not imputed of grace but of debt if by grace now not of works for else grace should be no more grace Rom. 4.4 Ephes 2.8 for neither is it grace any way if it bee not free euery way saith Aug.
the saying Lord Lord a bare externall profession of our faith and outward Communion with the Church is not sufficient vnto saluation except wee lead an vncorrupt life correspondent to the same doing that which is right and good and speaking truth from our heart It is not sufficient to rely vpon the Churches outside as the Papists doe vpon the succession of Roman Bishops vpon the multitude of Roman Catholicks vpon the power and pompe of the Roman Synagogue crying with the Iewes of old templum Domini the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord. It is not enough with the carnall and carelesse Gospeller to place all Religion in the formall obseruation of all outward seruice and ceremonies for a verball Christian only is a reall Atheist according to that of S. Paul In word they professe to know God but in their workes they denie him we must take heed that wee bee not Christians in lip and not in life making as holy Martyr Bradsord sayd a maske of Religion or rather a very vizard with eyes and mouth and nose fairely painted and proportioned to all pretences and purposes but if we be indeed the children of God we must in true sincerity of heart be Doing of good The Kings daughter is all glorious within and also without within as hauing a cleere conscience and truth in the inward affections a cleane heart and a new spirit without as hauing on for a garment a vesture of gold wrought about with diuers colours shee is cloathed with righteousnes as with a garment and hath it wrought most gloriously with the deeds of mercy which as a checker worke of diuers colours embroidered with the pure silken twist of a helpfull and vpright conuersation garnish her holy profession The Doing of good is the certificate of a Christian the character of a mans faith making his calling and election sure And Although it may be obiected that a hypocrite may seem iust in Doing good and yet bee abominable before God not doing that which is good for righteousnesse sake facto pius sceleratus co●em as the Poet pithily spake Wee behold the man not the minde the worke not the will the fact not the faith the action not the end yet the iudgement of charity belongs properly to men but the iudgement of certainty to God From whence wee must labour in our wel doing not so much to approue our selues to men as to God who seeth our hearts And that we may not be negligent nor flouthfull heerin and thinke that because our workes iustifie vs not and God seeth wee loue him well although wee doe little good on earth to encourage vs to well doing on the one side and to preuent such conceits on the other the holy Ghost in Psa 24.3 4. in Esay 33 15. in Psa 15. and many places describes a sound member of the Church rather by workes then faith and of all the fruits of fayth almost innumerable make choice of those that concerne our neighbour in all which saith is yet presupposed according to the Apostolicall axiome whatsoeuer is not of saith is sinne fides est operum fomes as Paulinus spake and as our Church the nest of good workes for bee our birds neuer so fayre and our leaues neuer so fresh and greene all are but lost if they be not brought forth in a true beleefe for admit a man were as iust as Aristides in his gouernment as true of his word as Pomponius as louing and kinde to his countrey as Curtius at Rome Mecaenas at Thebes Codrus at Athens who exposed themselues to voluntary death for their neighbours and countries sake yet if these workes proceed not from a heart purged by faith no happinesse can follow this Doing of good no true peace to the conscience nor eternall rest to the soule for without faith it is impossible to please God Yet when these are conceiued and brought forth in faith the Lord as it is sayd of Abel and his offring hath respect to both the worke it selfe Gen. 4.4 and him that wrought it and as it is said of Noahs sacrifice the Lord smelleth a sweet sauor of rest and is well pleased with them Gen. 8.2 Heb. 13.16 A man may deceiue himselfe and others with a fained profession of faith an inward and hidden grace therefore the holy spirit will haue euery mans fayth to be tried and known by his fruits By their fruites yee shall know them Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles And howsoeuer eternall life be promised to sayth and eternall damnation be threatned to infidelity yet the sentence of saluation and of damnation shall be pronounced according to workes as the clearest euidence of both Matt. 25.34 but with the Apostle I will shew you yet a more excellent way This precept then of Doing good is of large extent in that it concerneth all duties and all degrees of men not only in common as we are men and so bound vnto that ius gentium to render euery man his due but in particular in our seuerall vocations and callings to expresse our fayth by Doing of good as wee are Magistrates or Ministers Masters or Seruants in what estate degree or condition of life it hath pleased God to place vs. For know ye all that not onely those generall duties of Christianity as the hearing of the word c. are required wherein if we fayle all the world can witnesse against vs and euery one quasi digito will point at vs and crie open shame of vs not onely these I say are carefully to be performed but moreouer the particular offices whereunto we are called for the propagation of Religion and piety or the preseruation of order iustice and equity in the Church or Common wealth and our priuate familie are seriously to be attended and executed Hoc agire in the sacrifice of the heathen gods was a precept much vsed and obserued how much more in the seruices of the God of heauen should the said precept Doe yee this that is intend and apply all the faculties of your minde to the doing of it be kept inviolable What other thing doth the Apostle insinuate when he saith He endeauored to haue alwaies a cleere conscience toward God and men but this point in hand That there ought to be a concurrence of our holy carriage towards God and vpright demeanor towards men Requisite it is saith Chry. ut roverēter se quis habeat ad divina landabiliter cōuersetur cum hominib that euery good Christian should serue God reuerently with hearty deuotion and man righteously with a ready minde and a liberall disposition Men are to be regarded in the way of right and equity propter famam God is to be reuerenced in the way of Religion and piety propter conscientiam Holinesse and righteousnesse are the meane parts of Gods image in man Ephes 4. Neither can wee be assurd that we are regenerated vnlesse we finde in our selues a marriage