Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	evil_a	good_a	righteous_a	5,888	5	9.2258	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04608	Certaine sermons preached of late at Ciceter, in the countie of Glocester vpon a portion of the first chapter of the Epistle of Iames: wherein the two seueral states, of the riche and poore man are compared and examined, the differences in quality, and duety betwixt them shewed, both directed to such Christian parts and offices, as the sufficiencie of the one may, and ought to performe, and the wants of the other do necessarily require. Penned at the earnest requests of diuers well affected inhabitantes of the place: and now published as wel for the vse of others, as for the further profit of that particular congregation. By Philip Iones, preacher of the word of God in the same towne. Allowed by authoritie.	Jones, Philip, fl. 1589.	1588 (1588)	STC 14728; ESTC S119440	57,767	138

liues are heare subiect to some externall difficulties In the holy storie of Iob we read that when his three friendes hearing of the euil that was come vnto him came from their places to see him and to lament his case with him beheld the great and straunge miserie wherevnto hee was brought and the lamentable plight wherein he stood they were so caried away with the streame of a false imagination and conceit concerning him that whereas before they tooke him for an vpright and iust man and hygh in the fauour loue of God they now vpon the appearance iudged him to be an hypocrite and spared not rashly to affirme that he was in that sort measure iustly plagued of God for his his sins for Eliphaz the Temanite wished him to remēber and cal to minde who euer perished being an innocēt or where the vpright were destroied Iob. 4.7 I haue seen it said he that they which plow iniquitie and sow wickednes do reape the same so cōcluding that Iob could not be innocent or vpright or free from wickednes because the fruit effect of such misfortunes calamities was fallen vpō him And I doubt not but that in the same Eliphaz is a patterne of al carnally minded ignorantly conceited worldlings who vse cōmonly to draw arguments from the afflictions of the children of God cēsuring thereupon that they are not good nor honest nor such as they would seeme to be because they liue not in such a free happy glorious state of life as others doe Wherin they discouer thēselues to be as brutish Now called Malta barbarous as those barbarians of the I le of Melita whereinto Paul happened after his escape from shipwracke who vpon the leaping of a Viper vpon his hande Acts. 28.4 from the fire condemned him by by for a murderer for such a one as vengeance would not suffer to liue This is in cōmon that rash verdits of our Atheistes Epicures Libertines prophane Gospellers who respecting nothing but the outward accident and not considering by reason of their naturall blindnes the course of God in his workes commit sinne in their sentences speaking good of euill and euill of good Ier. 5.20 ill of the righteous well of the couetous whom God abhorreth They may learne to correct their erroneous iudgments both by the sequell of that place of the Acts before cited and by the answere of Iob who to purge himselfe to defend his innocencie against the ouerhastie opinions of his friends affirmed that the Lord knew his way tryed him that he should come forth like the golde Iob. 23.10 meaning that although the world was ignorāt of the true cause of his miserie yet the knowledge therof was with the Lord who vsed the same as a mean to bring to passe his greater profite Let vs make some vse then of this matter for our selues know assuredly that as on the one side it is no sufficient reason to proue the vertue and goodnes of a man because hee hath welth and riches in possession so on the other side it is no necessary conclusion to condemne a man for wicked and vnrighteouse because he is afflicted with pouertie and lacke of sufficient reliefe for himselfe the remembrance and consideration wherof wil work in vs a charitable and Christian opinion concerning our poore brethren not to thinke that they are the worse men in the sight of God because of their harde happe in that case they are our brethren still in profession and essence flesh of our flesh bone of our bone of the same proportion in making and of the same mettle in substance whereof we our selues bee wee neuer so daintie are created and therefore they are not to be vsed of vs with such contempt and indignitie as they receiue generally of the worlde forasmuch as it is not their pouertie that doth either alter their nature which is still common with ours or proue them to be disfauored of the Lord Heb. 12.6 the case so standing that whom God loueth he chasteneth and hee scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth and the affliction of a base estate is many times to the man rather an argument of the loue of God then a testimonie of his wrath as appeareth expresly by the wordes of the Prophet Dauid who being greeuously afflicted himselfe knowing the purpose of God therein sufficiently doth pronounce a blessing to those that did pittie his case and conceiue a good opinion of him and of all those which should be in the like sort visited for he breaketh forth into this effectuall speech Psal 41.1 blessed is he that iudgeth wisely of the poore the Lorde shall deliuer him in the time of trouble Meaning such a one as doth not condemne that man for accursed whom God doth afflict with pouertie knowing that there are many causes why his hand is in such sort heauie vpon a man Secondly by this appellation and title of brother which the Apostle doth heere apply to the poore man we may learne by his example how to vse our words and temper our speeches concerning men of base place and state To giue them the best stile that we can and to auoyd the intemperate humors of many disdainfull persons who cannot frame their tongues to any indifferent words respecting their inferiors but reuile them and taunte them and loade them with such contemptuous tearmes as are nether comely in their owne mouthes nor in any sorte fitting the persons towardes whom they vse such immoderation Prou. 17.27 Salomon affirmeth that he that hath knowledge spareth his words Iames. 4.11 And our Apostle Iames will haue vs in no case to speake euil one of another A third matter there is also in these wordes which is not to be omitted without note and obseruation namely that in the Apostles directions heere to the poore man and in the vse of his name he doth not cal him the poore brother or beggerly brother but the brother of low degree although in so doing it may seeme that part of his meaning is to increase and magnifie the glorious exaltation of such a man to the kingdome of God which by a comparison made with a precedent basenes is made so much the more high and magnificent by how much the more low and simple his condition was before in the world because that contrary things being one set against another are then most cleerely and perfectly seen what they are yet I doubt not but that the commodities of the low estate of a poore man are heere insinnuated and regarded by the vse of the phrase for the low degree of a man although it bee accompanied with some wants in respecte of the abundance of the richer sorte who are commonly destitute of nothing seruing to the outward prosperitie of this life yet it is free from those hazardes and perilles whereunto the hygh estate of the welthy is continually subiecte

thēselues in conscience are bound vnto Which thing I take to be most requisite for their consideratiō most worthy of their christiā attendance carefulnes that so al stumbling blocks of offence occasions of slander to our common cause may bee remoued wherby the enemy that speaketh euill of vs as of euil doers 1. Pet. 2.12 may by our good works which he shal see glorify God in the day of visitation so that I hope you now conceiue by the premises the ful sense reason of the former allegation or speech of Christ pronoūcing the impossibility of entrance into the kingdome of God against the rich man standing in the difficultie of applying himselfe by occasion of his wealth to the practise of good things and in the impediments which doe accompanie the possession of riches withholding a man from the free course of christian duties obedience which otherwise he might in good measure yeelde himselfe vnto the experience whereof is very large and plentiful amongst vs forasmuch as wee finde not one riche man almost amongest a hundred wel giuen religious zealous a louer of the trueth a regarder of his soule and saluation more then of his luste and pleasure but from the least of them to the greatest Iere. 6.13 with one minde and consent they drawe after couetousneesse following the way of Caine cast away by the deceite of Baalams wages Iude 11. so that wee may runne to and fro by our streetes as by the streetes of Ierusalem Iere. 5.1.5 in the dayes of Ieremie and seeke and enquire in our open places if there bee any one man amongst our great mē that executeth iudgement and seeketh the trueth but wee shall not finde him they haue altogether broken the yoke and burst the bondes and haue not knowen the iudgement of the Lorde so that in this case I cannot resemble our time better then to the time wherein Christ liued wherein the mysteries of the kingdome of God were hid from the wise prudent and men of vnderstanding Mat. 11.25 and were opened to the simple yea vnto babes and wherein the great men the princes the Scribes and the Pharisees and the richer sorte despised Christ and counted the preaching foolishnes but the poore by his owne testimonie Mat. 11.5 and triall receiued the Gospel were not offended in him I will not here although good occasion is offered enter into a rehearsall of the common speeches of our great worldlings and Atheistes who swelling with pride and almost renting asunder with disdaine and rancour because of the libertie of the Gospel and the passage of the word maugre their hearts beards doe breake out into that same wicked aunswere of the Pharisees to their officers concerning Christ who beeing amazed at the grace of his woordes and stricken in their heartes with the efficacie of his doctrines were so farre from doing violence vnto him as the high Priests had commaunded them as that contrariwise they bare witnes of his power and confessed the excellencie of his sayings affirming that neuer man spake as he did Ioh. 7.46.47 But what said the Pharisees are yee also deceiued doe anie of the rulers or of the Pharisees beleeue in him but this people that knowe not the lawe are cursed these are the very formall words of the loose liuers of this time who of purpose to disgrace as much as they can the Preachers of the worde and to diminishe the glory of the Gospel if they coulde doe vsually make comparisons betwixt the base condition of such as are louers of the trueth and diligent hearers of the worde preached and the high degree of those that make a mocke of Christ and apply themselues to the persecuting of him in his saintes and members looke say they what a sort of beggerly and poore fellowes doe follow him such as haue scarce a peece of siluer in their purses or of bread in their houses they are his disciples and are become great holy folkes and will shortly proue Preachers and proceed Doctors but who of vs doe fancie him doe not wee that bee Gentlemen rich men rulers and magistrates speake euill of the man doe not wee report the woorst we can of him among our selues and to strangers doe not wee contemne his pulpit talke make a iest of his threatnings and preferre accusations articles and billes of enditements against him there are none of vs that doe loue him and therefore both hee and they that heare him are deceiued and accursed Thus the Pharisees of our time deale with vs and shewe themselues as it weee in print to bee such maner of men as were the Iewes whose hearts vpon the hearing of Stephens words brast for anger Act. 7.54 and whose teeth gnashed vpon him and such also as were the Priests and captayne of the Temple and Saduces in Ierusalem who being not able to containe themselues by reason of the malicious spirite wherewith they were possessed because that Peter and Iohn did suche and suche thinges in their ministerie Act. 4.1.2 they came vppon them and tooke it grieuously that they taught the people and preached in the name of Iesus the resurrection from the dead but they are condemned by their owne mouthes as euill seruauntes disclayming from the loue and knowledge of that thing and of those men who ought to bee their ioye 2. Cor. 2.16 and pleasure and would bee a sauour of life vnto life in them if they were ordayned to saluation Wee confesse that in externall braueries and in the glorie of fleshe and pompe of the worlde they exceede and goe beyonde vs but this is not a thing that maye breede a iust offence in anie of vs forasmuche as the cause of fayth and religion doeth not hang vppon the sleeues and authoritye of men neither doth consist in multitude nor in the degrees of persons but the same is to be iudged by the eternal and immutable worde of God which is the word of trueth Coloss 1.5 of life of saluation of reconciliation of the spirite the onely rule direction of the faithful so that although the heathen do rage and the people murmure the kings of the earth band themselues and the princes do assemble together yet all this may bee against the Lorde and against his Christ with purpose to cast off the yoke of his seruice Psal 2.2.3 and to breake the band of their obedience for multitude is no priuiledge for trueth neither is gentilitie any warrant for godlines The true wisedome of God which is the Gospel was not known of any of the Princes of the worlde for had they knowen it 1. Cor. 2.7.8 they would not haue crucified the Lorde of glorie And therefore albeit in number we be few in estate poore and in byrth not Gentlemen yet in the knowledge of God wee may be noble in faith riche Iames 2.5 and in the sight of God as precious as the honorable Yea