Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	eternal_a	good_a	reward_n	7,006	5	8.9757	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42313	The noveltie of poperie discovered and chieflie proven by Romanists out of themselves / by William Guild ...	Guild, William, 1586-1657.	1656 (1656)	Wing G2209; ESTC R42060	50,925	169

preserue men from hurtes and snares out of the confidence of the fore-named beeing moved to worship them that they may obtaine some of the former thinges Whence it is also sayeth hee that they vowe obliedge themselues to vnder-goe Pilgrimages some to this and some to that Church according as they respect the Images beli●ving that this Image in such a place to bee of greater vertue than in another and to bee more famous for miracles and of greater power And if at anie time miracles bee wrought vpon men who haue recourse vnto them this is not by the vertue of the Images s●yeth hee but some-tymes by the operation of the Devill to deceaue such Idolatrous worshippers GOD so permitting and their infidelitie so deserving the same CHAPT. XIV The Noveltie of the doctrine of Merite HEEREIN the Romanistes are so grosse that BELLARMINE sayeth not onlie That good workes merite a rewarde for their owne worthinesse and condignitie but the Rhemistes adde also that they are so fullie worthy of eternall lyfe which GOD of His j●stice oweth to the workers of the same that GOD should bee v●just if Hee rendred not Heaven for them Yea the Iesuit Vasquez goeth so farre in prowde and open blasphemie that hee sayeth Seeing the workes of the righteous by their owne worthinesse merite eternall lyfe as an equall recompence and reward there is no neede of the interveaning of anie other merite of condignitie such as the merite of CHRIST that eternall lyfe should bee rendered vnto them To come to the confessed Noveltie of which prowde errour beside Scripture cleare in this poynt their owne Cassander telleth vs what was the constant and vniforme doctrine of the primitiue Church and ancient fathers therein saying Wherefore this doctrine is not to bee passed by which with a full consent all the ancient Fathers delyvere to wit that our whole confidence of the remission of our sinnes and the hope both of pardon and of lyfe eternall is to bee placed in the onelie mercie of GOD and merite of CHRIST Whence it is that their Waldensis sayeth I esteeme him a sounder divyn● and more faythfull Catholicke sayeth hee and more agreeable to the Scriptures who simplie deny●th anie such merite and who granteth according to the Apo●tles and Scriptures manner of speach that simplie a man meriteth not the kingdome of Heaven but onelie that it is given him of the meere favour of GOD and will of the giver a● all the ann●ient holie Fathers vnto the latter Schoole-men haue held and as the whole Church did professe accounting it an Heresie to profe●se the contrarie The trueth of which speach of these two fore-named may bee seene at length in the cleare testimonies of the Fathers themselues who showe how the godlie get eternall lyfe from GOD ratione pacti non facti or by reason not of our wo●kes m●riting but his mercie promising Therefore sayde Augustine what-so-ever GOD hath promised Hee promised the same to these who were vnworthie that the reward might bee seene to bee promised not for the merite o● the worke but of free●grace as the word it selfe importeth Which doctrine of trueth overthrowing merite was also professed of olde in the Churches of BRITANE as may bee seene in the order appoynted in the ●uncient Liturgie of E●GLAND for visitat on of the sicke chiefelie in Ansel●es time Arch-bishop of Canterburie Anno 1080 wherein the Priest sayeth to the sick● person Doest thou belieue to come to Glorie not by thy owne merites but by the vertue and merite of the Passion of the LORD IESVS CHRIST and that none can bee saved by his owne merits or by anie other meanes but by the merite of His Passion To which the sicke partie was taught to answere All this I belieue The contrarie of which doctrine mayntayned now by Rom●nist●s was also long agoe condemned by the whole Facultie of Divinitie at PARIS Anno 1354 as most Hereticall and Blasphemous in their sentence agaynst one Guid● an Augustine Friar by way of recantation prescrybed vnto him saying I saide against a Batchelour of the preaching Friars in my conference with him that a man meriteth eternall lyfe for the worthinesse of the worke that is so as if the same were not given vnto him there were wrong done vnto him which opinion I recant as False Hereticall and Blasphemous Therefore their owne Cardin●ll Bellarmine was forced to conclude saying Because of the vncertayntie of our owne vnrighteousnesse and the danger of vaine glorie it is most safe sayth hee to put our whole confidence in the onelie mercie of GOD and His onlie goodnesse An advertisement to the Reader THE Noveltie of this prowde errour beeing d●scovered yet lest with the vaile of the Word MERITE oft vsed in Antiquitie they should craf●ilie palliate the Noveltie of their doctrine of merite their owne Vega in his booke written in defence and for the vnderstanding of the Councell of Tren● and wherein hee was a chiefe Disputer plainlie confesseth saying I am not ignorant that the word mer●te is vsed ost-tymes sayeth hee where there is no meaning of deserving eyther by condignitie or congruitie And therefore wee finde that sometimes improperlie i●simplie signifieth to o●tayne favour without doing eyther good or evill as where Ambrose sayeth That Iohn the Baptist in his birth obtayned so great a favour as to bee the fore-runner of CHRIST the wordes beeing tantam gratiam nascendo meruit Sometimes also it is put for obtayning favour quyte contra●ie to deserving as where Pope Gregorie speaking of PAVL'S conversion sayeth When hee was labouring to extinguish the Name of our Redeemer on earth hee obtayned that favour to heare His wordes from Heaven where the wordes are Verba de coelo meruit audire And sometimes it signifieth generallie workes whether good or evill as Aug. Epist 46 and sometimes speciallie good workes yet excluding all worthinesse in them to merite eternall lyfe as where Bernard sayeth Neyther are mens good workes of such worth that for their merite eternall lyfe should bee due vnto them or that GOD should doe wrong except Hee gaue the same for them where the wordes are Neque eni● sunt talia hominum merita c. and which speach of Bernand's is diametralie opposit in ipsis termin●● to that prowde assertion of the Rhemistes who say that GOD should bee vnjust and doe wrong if Hee rendred not Heaven for them CHAPTER XV The Noveltie of Pv● GATORIE FIrst then if wee aske their owne Bishop of Rochester and great Champion against Luther whether this new Article which avarice hath hatched ignorance doeth foster and fire and ●aggo● maintaineth was knowne of olde or believed by the primitiue Church hee will tell vs saying It was not so necessarie to belieue Purgatorie in the primitiue Church And if wee aske him farder to wit how long it was before eyther Purgatorie or indulgences which depende vpon it was knowne or receaved by