Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	faith_n	fruit_n	justification_n	5,104	5	9.2286	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90296	A vision of vnchangeable free mercy, in sending the means of grace to undeserved sinners: wherein Gods uncontrollable eternall purpose, in sending, and continuing the gospel unto this nation, in the middest of oppositions and contingencies, is discovered: his distinguishing mercy, in this great work, exalted, asserted, against opposers, repiners: in a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, April. 29. being the day of publike humiliation. Whereunto is annexed, a short defensative about church-government, (with a countrey essay for the practice of church-government there) toleration and petitions about these things. / By Iohn Owen, minister of the gospel at Coggeshall in Essex.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1646 (1646)	Wing O825; Thomason E334_15; Thomason E334_16; ESTC R200768	49,154	60

these things But that these apprehensions may not too much prevail to the vilifying and extenuating of Gods mercy in restoring to us the purity and liberty of the Gospel give me leave in a few words to set out the danger of that Apostasy from which the good pleasure of God hath given us a deliveranc● I shall ●●stance onely in a few things observe then that First The Darling errours of late years were all of them stones of the old Babel closing and coupling with that tremendous 〈◊〉 which the man of sin had erected to dethrone Jesus Christ came out of the belly of that Trojan horse that fatall engine which was framed to betray the City of God They were popish errours such as whereof that Apostasy did consist which onely is to be looked upon as the great adverse state to the Kingdom of the Lord Christ For a man to be disorderly in a Civill state yea often times through turbulency to break the peace is nothing to an underhand combination with some formidable enemy for the utter subversion of it Heedles and headles errours may breed disturbance enough in scattered individualls unto the people of God but such as tend to a peace and association cum Ecclesia malignantium tending to a totall subversion of the sacred state are far more dangerous Now such were the Innovations of the late Hierarchists In worship their paintings crossings crucifixes bowings cringings Altars Tapers Wafers Organs Anthems Letany Rails Images Copes vestments what were they but Roman vernish an Italian dresse for our devotion to draw on conformity with that enemy of the Lord Jesus In doctrin the Divinity of Episcopacy auricular confession free-will predestination on faith yea works fore-seen limbus patrum justification by works falling from grace authority of a Church which none knew what it was Canonicall obedience holinesse of Churches and the like innumerable what were they but helpes to sancta Clara to make all our articles of Religion speak good Roman-Catholike how did their old father of Rome refresh his spirit to see such Chariots as those provided to bring England again unto him this closing with Popery was the sting in the errours of those daies which caused pining if not death in the Episcopall pot Secondly They were such as raked up the ashes of the ancient worthies whose spirits God stirred up to reform his Church and rendred them contemptible before all especially those of England the most whereof died in giving their witnesse against the blinde figment of the reall presence and that abominable blasphemy of the cursed masse in especiall how did England heretofore termed Asse turn Ape to the Pope and furnished it with all things necessary for an unbloody sacrifice ready to set up the abomination of desolation and close with the god Maozim who hath all their peculiar devotion at Rome Thirdly They were in the management of men which had divers dangerous and pernicious qualifications as First A false repute of learning I say a false repute for the greater part especially of the greatest and yet taking advantages of vulgar esteem they bare out as though they had engrossed a monopoly of it though I presume the world was never deceived by more empty pretenders especially in respect of any solid knowledge in Divinity or antiquity but yet their great preferments had got them a great repute of great deservings enough to blinde the eyes of poor mortals adoring them at a distance and to perswade them that all was not only Law but Gospel too which they broached and this rendred the infection dangerous Secondly A great hatred of godlinesse in the power thereof or any thing beyond a form in whomsoever it was found yea how many odious appellations were invented for bare profession to render it contemptible Especially in the exercise of their jurisdiction thundring their censures against all appearance of zeal and closing with all profane impieties for were a man a drunkard a swearer a Sabbath-breaker an unclean person so he were no Puritan and had money patet atri janua Ditis the Episcopall heaven was open for them all Now this was a dangerous and destructive qualification which I beleeve is not professedly found in any party amongst us Thirdly Which was worst of all they had centred in their bosoms an unfathomable depth of power Civil and Ecclesiasticall to stampe their apostaticall errours with authority giving them not only the countenance of greatnesse but the strength of power violently urging obedience and to me the sword of errour never cuts dangerously but when it is managed with such an hand This I am sure that errours in such are not recoverable without the utmost danger of the Civil state Let now I beseech you these and the like things be considered especially the strong combination that was thorowout the Papall world for the seducing of this poor Nation that I say nothing how this viall was poured out upon the very throne and then let us all be ashamed and confounded in our selves that we should so undervalue and sleight the free mercy of God in breaking such a snare and setting the Gospel at liberty in England My intent was having before asserted this restauration of Jerusalem to the good pleasure of God to have stirred you up to thankefullnesse unto him and self-humiliation in consideration of our great undeserving of such mercy but alas as far as I can see it will scarce passe for a mercy and unlesse every mans perswasion may be a Josephs sheaf the goodnesse of God shall scarce be acknowledged but yet let all the world know and let the house of England know this day that we lie unthankefully under as full a dispensation of mercy and grace as ever Nation in the world enjoyed and that without a lively acknowledgement thereof with our own unworthinesse of it we shall one day know what it is being taught with briars and thorns to undervalue the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Good Lord what would helplesse Macedonians give for one enjoiment O that Wales O that Ireland O that France Where shall I stop I would offend none but give me leave to say O that every I had almost said O that any part of the world had such helpes and means of grace as these parts of England have which will scarce acknowledge any mercy in it the Lord break the pride of our spirits before it break the staff of our bread and the helpe of our salvation O that the bread of Heaven and the bloud of Christ might be accounted good nourishment though every one hath not the sauce he desireth I am perswaded that if every Absolom in the Land that would be a judge for the ending of our differences were enthroned he spoke the peoples good though he intended his own power the case would not be much better then it is Well the Lord make England make this honourable audience make us all

the boatmen look one way and rowe another cry Gospel and mean the other thing Lord Lord and advance our own ends that the Lord may not stir up the staffe of his anger and the rod of his indignation against us as an hypocriticall people Secondly Take heed of resting upon and trusting to the priviledge how ever excellent and glorious of the outward enjoyment of the Gospel When the Jews cryed The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the time was at hand that they should be destroyed Look onely upon the grace that did bestow and the mercy that doth continue it God will have none of his blessings rob him of his glory and if we will rest at the Cisterne he will stop at the fountain Thirdly Let us all take heed of Barrennes under it for the earth that drinks in the rain that cometh upon it and beareth Thornes and Briers is rejected and nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned Heb. 6. 7 8. Now what fruits doth it require even those reckoned Gal. 5. 22 23. the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknes temperance Oh that we had not cause to grieve for a scarcity of these fruits and the abundant plenty of these works of the flesh recounted ver. 19 20 21. Oh that that wisedom which is an eminent fruit of the Gospel might flourish amongst us Jam. 3. 17. it is first pure then peaceable gētle easy to be entreated that we might have lesse writing and more praying lesse envy and more charity that all evil surmisings which are works of the flesh might have no toleration in our hearts but be banished for nonconformity to the golden rule of love and peace but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Come we now to the last proposition No men in the world want help like them that want the Gospel Or Of all distresses want of the Gospel cries loudest for relief Rachel wanted children and she cries Give me children or I die But that was but her impatience she might have lived and have had no children yea see the justice of God she dies so soon as ever she hath children Hagar wants water for Ishmael and she will go farre from him that she may not see him die an heavy distresse and yet if he had died it had been but an early paying of that debt which in a few years was to be satisfied But they that want the Gospel may truly cry Give us the Gospel or we die and that not temporally with Ishmael for want of water but eternally in flames of fire A man may want liberty and yet be happy as Joseph was a man may want peace and yet be happy as David was a man may want children and yet be blessed as Job was a man may want plenty and yet be full of comfort as Micaiah was but he that wants the Gospel wants every thing that should do him good A Throne without the Gospel is but the Devils dungeon Wealth without the Gospel is fuell for hell Advancement without the Gospel is but a going high to have the greater fall Abraham wanting a childe complains What will the Lord do for me seeing I go childelesse and this Eliezer of Damascus must be my heire much more may a man without the means of grace complain What shall be done unto me seeing I go Gospellesse and all that I have is but a short inheritance for this lump of clay my body When Elisha was minded to do something for the Shunammite who had so kindely entertained him he asks her whether he should speak for her to the King or the Captain of the host she replies she dwelt in the middest of her own people she needeth not those things but when he findes her to want a childe and tells her of that she is almost transported Ah how many poor souls are there who need not our word to the King or the Captain of the host but yet being Gospellesse if you could tell them of that would be even ravished with joy Think of Adam after his fall before the promise hiding himself from God and you have a perfect pourtraicture of a poor creature without the Gospel now this appeareth 1. From the description we have of the people that are in this state and condition without the Gospel they are a people that sit in darknes yea in the region and shaddow of death Matth. 4 16 17. they are even darknes it self Joh. 1. 7. within the dominion and dreadfull darknes of death darknes was one of Egypts plagues but yet that was a darknes of the body a darknes wherein men lived but this is a darknes of the soul a darknes of death for these men though they live yet are they dead they are fully described Ephes. 2. 12. without Christ aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world Christles men and godles men and hopeles men and what greater distresse in the world yea they are called doggs and unclean beasts the wrath of God is upon them they are the people of his curse and indignation In the extream North one day and one night divide the year but with a people without the Gospel it is all night the sun of righteousnes shines not upon them it is night whilest they are here and they go to eternall night hereafter What the men of China concerning themselves and others that they have two eies the men of Europe one and all the world besides is blinde may be inverted too the Jews had one eye sufficient to guide them they who enjoy the Gospel have two eies but the men of China with the rest of the Nations that want it are stark blinde and reserved for the chains of everlasting darknes 2. By laying forth what the men that want the Gospel do want with it 1. They want Jesus Christ for he is revealed onely by the Gospel Austine refused to delight in Cicero's Hortensius because there was not in it the Name of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is all and in all and where he is wanting there can be no good Hunger cannot truly be satisfied without manna the bread of life which is Jesus Christ and what shall a hungry man do that hath no bread Thirst cannot be quenched without that water or living spring which is Jesus Christ and what shall a thirsty soul do without water A captive as we are all cannot be delivered without redemption which is Jesus Christ and what shall the prisoner do without his ransom Fools as we are all cannot be instructed without wisdom which is Jesus Christ without him we perish in our folly All building without him is on the sand which will surely fall All working without him is in the fire where it will be consumed All riches without him have wings and will away mallem ruere