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	justification_n	sanctification_n	5,739	5	10.7034	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90897	God the father glorified: and the worke of mens redemption, and salvation finished by Iesus Christ on earth. Opened in a sermon before the Right Honorable the Lord Major, and the Right Worshipful the sheriffes, aldermen, and recorder, of the Citie of London, the second day of the tenth moneth (called December) 1649. / By Vavasor Powell, a willing (though weake) labourer in Christs Vine-yard in Wales.	Powell, Vavasor, 1617-1670.	1649 (1649)	Wing P3087; Thomason E584_15; ESTC R206284	43,217	67

on his grace 1 Encour and that I may incourage you to come in I will give you foure or five inducements and motives The first is this That God gave this worke to Christ to do The worke saith he which thou gavest me to do note that God the Father had his hand in this worke of mans redemption and salvation and it could not have been effected but that God was willing to have it effected in this manner This incouragement that God did put Christ to doe this worke is a speciall intentive and motive to you to believe for had Christ done this worke without his Fathers approbation you might have questioned whether he would have accepted of it but it being done by his appointment and by order from him he must needs accept of it Secondly consider this 2 Encour that there is nothing of the worke left undone no the Lord hath not left so much as a stone for you to turne not one thing for you to do Christ tels you here he hath finished the worke and you may believe it for he would never undertake or begin a businesse or worke and not go through it Oh that you had hearts to believe this that Christ hath done all and that there is nothing of that worke left for you to do Obj. But you wil say by your favour Sir he hath not done all for he requires I should believe and repent and turne from my sinnes and be obedient unto him and surely he hath thereby put enough of work upon me and more then I am able to do O poor soules hearken to this Jesus Christ hath not left the worke of beliveing repenting turning from sinne or obeying upon you but he hath that worke still to do in you he hath done one worke in his person and now he hath another worke to do by his Spirit and Jesus Christ he looks upon that worke as belonging to him Marke how he spake of calling sinners in John 4.4 John 4.4 He must needs go through Samaria And why because he was to call and to work faith in some of the poore Samaritans this he makes his worke So in John 10.16 John 10.16 Other sheep I have saish he that are not of this fold them also I must bring into the fold he saith not there are other sheep and I must go and send shepherds to drive them home or send dogs after them to course them home no but I must go seeke them and bring them home he puts a me oportet I must up on it Marke this that as Christ hath perfected the worke of redemption in his owne person so he will also create the worke of sanctification in your persons as he did that worke in his owne flesh so he will do the other in your flesh This is the tenour of the Covenant of grace I will do all yea this is the nature of it I will do all freely God in the Covenant of grace doth no condition from me but what he promised to worke in men It is true you must believe and repent before you can go to heaven but the Lord undertakes this worke himself For saith the Lord (d) Heb. 8 1● I will put my Law into their mindes and write them in their hearts That is he will teach them to know him believe in him and to be obedient to him he doth not say in the Covenant of grace do these things your selves but he saith I will (e) See Jer. 32.40 Psa 54.13 Math. 12.21 Joh. 6● ●4 45. Heb. 10.16 worke all your works in you and for you Obj. I but then Sir you will say we must have these things wrought in us before we goe to Heaven Ans Very true you must have them wrought in you but how and by whom Not by any strength of your owne but you are to goe to the Lord and say unto him Lord thou requirest knowledge faith repentance and obedience of me and thou sayst no ignorant person unbeliever or impenitent person shall goe to Heaven Lord if thou wilt not worke this knowledge faith repentance and obedience in me thou hadst as good never have borne my sinnes Lord Jesus seeing thou hast wrought Redemption and salvation for me now worke Sanctification in me thou hast done the worke out of me and for me now come and worke the worke in me Sue out the Covenant of grace and if thou hast no meanes to sue by then sue by forma pauperis as men use to doe that wants money you know they come with a white paper and sue thereby and are heard so you want knowledge faith strength power and holinesse sue in that way take the promises of the Lord and goe with them as tickets and say Lord is not this thy hand and is not this thy promise is not this thy writing hast not thou ordained this for me to take hold on Lord I bring thine own tickets to thee Lord doe for me as thou hast said It is thy promise thou wilt open the blind eyes stand to thy word thou hast said thou wilt worke faith here comes a poore unbelieving at least a doubting sinner to thee I will try whether thou wilt worke faith in me goe and put the Lord to his promise and thou shalt see he will never deny his owne hand-writing nor his owne word well there be two incouragements for you The third incouragement I pray you consider it well It is the speciall will of the Lord that you should believe 3. Encouragement and will not you doe his speciall will If the Lord command you to pray or command you to fast or mourne you will doe that worke but this is the worke or the most acceptable worke to God Marke John 16.28.29 When one came to Christ and asked him What shall we doe to worke the works of God Iesus answered and said unto him this is the workes or the worke that will be wel-pleasing to God to believe on him whom of God he hath sent As if Christ had said unto him If thou wilt be doing or will please my Father by working I tell thee there is no such way as by believing in me The fourth encouragement is this 4. Encouragement a man that hath no worke at all in him no performances no qualifications nor preparations yet such a one hath free liberty to come to the Lord Jesus Christ yea as free as any other man whatsoever I tell you Whoremasters drunkards and swearers that have dishonoured God as much as you could dishonour 〈◊〉 the Lord speake this to your heart here is an open doore here is rich grace and free grace the heart of Christ is as much towards you as any other sinners If there be any plea for any sinner there is a plea for this sort of sinner yea such a one may say Lord then camest not to call the rightecus but sinners to repentance never was there any greater sinner then I

a faith begotten and wrought by the Gospel and spirit it is not a precious purifying powerfull working soule-humbling faith such as is the faith commended in the Seriptures and such a faith as does undoe you and strip you naked of all you have This is the faith of the godly which most want and which is worse are not sensible that they want it Thirdly Take heed of making your faith to be the cause of your Justification For thereby you may misse it as well as others miss'd it by making their works the cause Note that faith is but the Instrument and meanes whereby you do apprehend and enjoy your iustification Christ is your righteousnesse and by him and his death sufferings you are justified 2 Cor. 5. ●9 Rom. 8.33 yea and that truly and really too I meane virtually in Christ and before God before you do beleeve Object But doth not the Act of beleeving iustifie men Rom. 4.6.3 Gal. 3.6 for it is said of Abraham that his faith was reckoned to him for righteousnesse Ans 1. It s true that Abrahams faith was reckoned to him for righteousnesse But mark when was that reckoned to him and what was it that he did beleeve Do but read Gen. 15.6 where this Text is first found in Scripture and you will find there that this beleeving of his was the beleeving the promise concerning the giving of Isaac and the multiplying of his seed Gen. 12.3 13.3.9 14.19 and this Promise was made a long time after his first beleeving Gen. 12.3.3 13.3 9 14.19 Also the Apostle Jamee apply's this expression to Abrahams work even to the offering up of Isaac Jam. 2.21 23. 2. The same expression is used of Phinehas for killing Zimri and Cozby Psal 206.13 That saith the Text was counted unto him for righteousnesse will any now conclude from hence that the killing of these two uncleane persons was the cause of Phineas justification from sinne No the meaning of it is this that this Act did testifie his faith and righteousnesse and God did reckon and account it as a righteous Act. Object But the Scripture is cleare that men are iustified by faith and by beleoving Ans So the Scripture is cleare that men are justified by (a) Iam. 2.2.24 25. Works by (b) Mat. 12.3 Luk. 18 14. Words But you are to understand in what sense men are justified by these Mark therefore By (c) Gal. 2.1 Rom. 3.24.1 Cor. 6. ●● Christ his death sufferings and Resurrection men are really and virtually justified By faith men are personally and apprehensively justified and by Works and Words men are declaratively justified In the first sense men are justified before God in the second sense they are justified in their own consciences and in the third sense they are justified before men So having directed you what you should take heed of and not do I come in the next place to shew you and direct you what you should do I shall give you but five directions and those in short First Labour to eve all that Christ hath done as done for others and not for himselfe for Christ was not like the High Priest under the Law Heb. 7.27 that was to offer first for his owne sins and then for the sins of the people No he had no sinne of his owne to suffer for as I shewed before therefore what ever he did suffered he did suffered the same as a surety Saviour Object I know that Christ dyed for others and not for himselfe but then it was for his elect I feare I am not one of them Answ Thou art not to enquire after or once to question thy election till thou dost first believe And so the Apostle teacheth Say not in thy heart ● Rom. 60.1 who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ from above Or who shall ascend into the deepe that is to bring up Christ againe from the dead i.e. look neither upon Election nor preterition but look upon the word of faith which is preached to thee and which commands thee to beleeve Secondly Stay not from Christ till you set and find humiliation preparations and qualifications in your selves for this in a sence is either to look upon Christs satisfaction as not sufficient or else to look upon Christ as unwilling to make you partakers of it unlesse you bring somewhat in lieu of it at least till you are fitted for it you cannot have it Consider I pray you where and from whom can you have that humiliation preparation and qualfication unlesse it be from Christ God the Father saith that he will give him i e. Christ for a Covenant unto the people Esa 42 6.7 to open the eyes of the blind c. Here you see Christ must open the eyes of the blind before they can see So Christ himselfe saith without me ye can do nothing Joh. 15.5 if men can do nothing without Christ why then should they think to fit themselves for him Object Because that those that are so fitted and humbled are called to Christ and have the promise belonging unto them As Christ saith Ho every one that thirsleth come ye to the waters and in another place Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you Ans You and many others doubtlesse have been much mistaken in those and such Scriptures for the meaning is not that Christ inviteth and maketh promise only to such that are thirsty heavy laden c. Though it be true that he invites those and makes promises unto such in a more speciall manner yet not excluding others As a Phisitian that comes to two Patients to cure them both yet if he see the one in greater paint and torment then the other he will take him in hand before the other but not him only for he will cure the other also that paradventure may be lesse sencible yea altogether sencelesse of his disease or wound Object But yet me thinks a man that is not wounded will never desire to goe to the Phisitiam nor have the Phisitian come to him So a sinner that is not fensible of his sinnes will not goe to Christ neither will hee bee willing that I should come to him Ans Though poore senceles sinners will not go to Christ nor desire their Phisitian Christ to come unto them yet Christ knowing their want and danger will come to them as he went to the Samaritans others Object But he saith he is come to seek and to save that which is lost Ans Very true but he doth not say those that did see themselves lost those I grant he comes more specially to seek heere he means See Luk. 19 ● with Mat. 9.11.1 but to those that were the greatest sinners and lost in the eyes of others as the Publicans and Harlots were in the apprehensions of the Iews This is the true meaning of that Text. Thirdly

Thirdly Distinguish between Christs work of Redemption that he hath done without men in his own person by obedience the other wch he works in men by his spirit Observe that men are not to look for any thing in themselves either before beleeving or after as causing justification For Iustification is Gods reckoning those that were sinners to be no sinners or those that were Debtors no Debtors and this through Christ upon his account But sanctification is a putting forth of aholy and heavenly power to the changing of mens carnall principles and making them spirituall and to the purging of mens filthynesse and making them cleane So that the Apostle ascribes Iustification to the name righteousnesse of Christ and sanctification to the spirit or Christ. 1 Co. 11. 1 Cor. 6.11 Fourthly Fourthly When you come to Christ to look for justification or to be justified then you must come as sinners and not as Saints As the Apostle saith If while we seck to be justified by Christ we our selves also are feund sinners that is in the capacity of sinners Gal. 2.17 For indeed it is improper for a man that is a Saint to come to look for Justification for he is justified before unlesse he comes to have his Justification cleared and renewed in his own Conscience As a man that hath a pardon for his life may if his pardon be blurd or broken get it renewed yet the renewing of it is not the first grant so Saints may get their pardons renewed and transcribed in their Consciences but yet when they ask pardon of God they must consider that the former pardon granted up on Christs resurrection and likevvise upon the first Act of beleeving is recorded in Heaven Therefore Saints if you loose your Evidences and vvritings for Heaven committed to you yet know they are enrolled in the Court of glory Fifthly And lastly you should get an experience of vvhat Christ hath done in his ovvne person in your persons I meane that you should not only have a sight Rom. 5.11.4.5 by faith of the vertue of Christs death to justification but that you likevvise get a feeling of that vvarme bloud of his to comfort and chear up your soules Get experience placed as the Apostle places it betvveen Faith and Hope or betvveen Iustification and Salvation So much for the second use The third and last VSE is of Exhortation unto all but especially unto you that are called to do the vvork of the Lord that you would be follovvers of Iesus Christ Here Christ could say He had finished the work which was given him to do But many of you may say that you have not yet begun the vvork though you are ready to go to your graves I vvould exhort you to imitate Christ for you cannot have a better Example But before I come to the particular Exhortation Consider 3. things First F●● That every man hath a work or his work to do upon earth God leaves no man Idle but he turnes all into the Vineyard and gives every man his work Mar. 13.34 So saith our Saviour in the 13. of Mark and the 34. And he gave to every man his work Now I beseech you consider that the Lord hath given you som work to do you that are Magistrates the Lord hath given you some work to do The Lord help you to know what that work is he hath highly honored you to cal you to his work he might have left you as you were unworthy to have taken his work in hand there is none of you worthy to doe the worke of Jesus Christ yet he hath so farre exprest his willingnesse to exalt you to see whether you will exalt him Joh. 1● 49 You know Jesus Christ he did very often look upon this work in the 12. of John and the 49. verse I have not spoken of myselfe but the Father which sent me he gave me Commandement what I should say and what I should speak So the Father hath given you a Commandement what you should doe know that there is a work given unto you that is the first thing Secondly Then the Second thing is this that you have but a time to doe this work in There is a time saith Solomon in the 3 of Eccles the first for every thing under the Sun Eol 3.1 the Lord hath peradventure given you a long time to do the work and you have not don is well when the Lords Glasse is run you must be taken away and the work out of your hands Remember you that are in Authority what befel sometimes your Predecessers that were good men when they had done their work they were taken away you know not but that the Lord hath called you this yeare to do his work and peradventure after this yeare is out your time is out and your Glasse run therefore think of that also that every man hath his time as well as his work Then thirdly every man must give an account of his work and Stewardship Thirdly Know this that from the greatest to the smalest from the highest to the lowest you must come and appeare before the Iudgement seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5.10 and Christ will say to one You that I have made chiefe Magistrate of London what have you don in that yeare of your Office and say to others Act. 26.25.27 you Sheriffs you Recorder what have you done yea this must be spoken particularly to men is Paul spake to Festus and Agrippa I speak with humility to you and submission to the will of the Lord you will one day be called by your names such a man in such a place in such an Office that ruled in such a yeare what hast thou done Thou must render an account to me what thou hast done how thou hast improved thy talent what good thou hast done in thy place what glory thou hast brought to my name what comfort thou hast wrought in my peoples hearts what terrors thou hast wrought in the hearts of my adversaries In the 20. of the Revel and the 12. Revel 20.12 There when they are called to account of what they have done you have both small and great standing before God Mat. 12.36 many * As Rom. 14.12 such Scriptures besides now considering this that first you have a work to do Hebr. 13.17 1 Pet. 4 5. c. and secondly you have but a time to do that work and Thirdly that you must give an account of this work I come to the exhortation and I beseech you Brethren beare the word of exhortation The exhortation is this to be followers of Iesus Christ particularly in glorifying God for that end I shall but hold forth how Iesus Christ did his work and paralel your work with his work and shew you how you are to do it and so conclude The first is this that Iesus Christ made it his maine designe and busines to glorifie his