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	justify_v	meaning_n	4,398	5	9.4322	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55748	The mysticall match between Christ and his church by the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston ... The leading sermon to that treatise of his called The churches marriage.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1648 (1648)	Wing P3303; ESTC R33951	90,892	160

and set upon him Now there are things further mentioned in that place as meanes of this growth To receive all from him from whom as the words are c. and therefore to keepe the heart nigh to him that therefore which hinders growth is that which causeth distance betwixt God and us Now the cementing qualities that doe joyne us to him are faith and love and that which looseneth us from him is selfe dependance and selfe seeking and all things else which thrust in betwixt God and you as vaine hopes and vaine feares Keepe in the fellowship of the Saints for they receive from Christ onely as they are knit and compacted together if the branch be divided from the tree and the roote there is no growth Let them looke to it that take no heed of their company There are many mutuall duties to be performed together by which the Saints grow be one of their fellowship in conference prayer c. if thou wouldest grow By that which every joynt furnisheth to us There are certaine Commissurae bands and sinewes by which grace is conveyed by which is meant all those vehicula of grace all the ordinances of God he therefore that prayes most heares most conscionably and is in company of those most which excell in grace whence something will drop that may increase grace and truth such men grow most though Christ be the fountaine yet grace is conveyed by these as the meanes therefore using these meanes looke up to him to open the fountaine There is an effectuall power a nutritive faculty in every one that hath life in him which is a meanes of growth according to the effectuall working in the measure of every part by which a man makes use of every thing suggested to him still receives profit from the word read or preached or from Gods providence some nutriment from them all as you say of good wits that they make use of every thing so of good hearts and that is according to the measure in every part yet so as the least bud hath this effectuall power in it's measure to draw from the root as well as the greatest branches some have a greater measure because they take in not for themselves but digest and deliver it to others for in the body there are some members that receive for themselves and for distribution as the liver heart c. And therefore thinke with thy selfe I have a greater degree in the Church of God therefore I must looke to receive more then others or else there will be an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I must pray more and read more that so growing more in thy selfe thou maist be able to distribute unto others Let me adde this take heed you doe not dead this effectuall power for then you will not be able to draw much or else not to concoct it You will say how may it be deaded by worldly mindednesse or by Sinne not repented of This weakens the nutritive faculty the more spiritual every man is the better conscience that he keepes and that will quicken the nutritive faculty for what makes a member to draw nourishment but emptinesse and hunger so that the more we thirst after other things the lesse we shal draw from Christ. The use is of Triall whether you be in Christ or no by your obedience and subjection to him The Church that is every member of it is subject unto Christ and obedient unto him in all things That which God maketh a rule of his owne judgment as that by which he judgeth of every man that is a sure rule for every man to judge himselfe by that which we shall be judged by at the last day is a sure rule to apply to our selves for the present Now by our obedience and workes hee judgeth us Hee will give to every man according to his workes Rom 2. that is he will not looke to their good meanings and profession but to their actions and workes because our reall taking of Christ appeareth in them Isay. 1. 19. If yee consent and obey yee shall eate the good things of the Land that is if yee will consent to take Iehovah for your Lord and King if you give consent there is the first thing But that is not enough but if you also obey the consent that standeth in the inward act of the mind the truth of it will bee seene in your obedience in the acts of your lives if you consent and obey You shal eate the good things of the land that is you shall take of all that he hath that is good and convenient for you for then you are married to him in truth and have an interest in all his goods The Lord would have sacrifice exactly performed but the Prophets make light of that in comparison of obedience and the complaint of the Lord is of your disobedience you are a disobedient and rebellious people Your necke is like an iron sinew you plucke away the shoulder and will not obey It is not a sacrifice which was a typicall taking of Christ but obedience must goe with it so in the new Testament the two maine things the Apostles beate upon were Faith and new obedience fruits worthy of amendment of life Acts 20. 21. The Apostle summes all his preaching in these two things repentance towards God and Faith towards Iesus Christ and he joynes them together because they are never severed That was his businesse if you should have heard him conferre or preach you should have heard him beate upon these two Faith and obedience or subjection to the commandements So it was the scope of Iohn Baptist he preacht the baptisme of repentance and the washing away of sinnes now they would be ready to take the sweet therefore he tells them they must be obedient and he urgeth it on particulars as they that are souldiers must offer no wrong to any and so of the rest the Lord will not take any thing of an enemy a stranger 2 Cor. 8. 12. Hee that giveth almes and giveth not his person first to the Lord the Lord accepteth it not but yet on the other side workes must justifie our faith it is but an empty faith except it hath an actuall reall obedience accompanying it It is a dangerous rocke to thinke our sins are forgiven and we have accepted Christ and have good meanings and yet we have no obedience accompanying this hee that is in Christ hath crucified the flesh and walketh after the spirit and he that is in Christ is subject unto him in all things Aristotle saith not he that had a strong body but he that runne well had the crowne in the Olympian games it was not an athleticall ability but he that wrestled best and it is the similitude the Apostle himselfe alludes to and takes up 1 Cor. 9. towards the end Exhorting to strictnesse of obedience unto Christ as without which a man will loose his labour It

and heavy laden c. and wee are Ambassadors beseeching you to bee reconciled These and the like are the sure Word of God upon which thy faith must bee grounded so that thou commest to say thus to thy selfe well whatsoever come of it I am sure there is a corner stone on which whosoever is built shall not be ashamed nor deceived I am sure of it from a word that the Lord hath confirmed with a seale and with an oath and therefore I rest upon it And it is not a bare word that Christ hath given to assure us of this which is a signe it is a hard thing for us to beleeve it it is no easie thing for there is added to the word a seale and it is confirmed with an oath so then that is the first thing thou art to consider whether thy faith hath beene pitcht upon som such word and whether thou hast applied that word to thy selfe or no. In the next place beside this word there is a witnesse from the spirit there is a wondrous worke of the Holy Ghost which saith to a mans heart bee of good comfort feare not I am thy salvation If you say to me what needs the witnesse of the spirit is not the Word enough if Christ declare himselfe so farre that in plaine tearmes he is willing to match with us what need the speciall witnesse of the Holy Ghost I answer there is very great neede of it because the Word of it selfe is not able to comfort and quicken and releeve us it is not able to beget in us peace and joy and righteousnesse but it is even like a dead letter it is a cold dead thing able to doe nothing with the heart of man without the Spirit this we finde by experience the clearest arguments and the most comfortable that the Scripture useth to comfort a man in distresse that hath his Conscience troubled with the apprehension of his sin and of Gods wrath they are all nothing till it please God to send his owne Spirit to beare witnes to a mans spirit You will say what is this witnesse of the Spirit I answer it is a certaine divine expression of Christ to the soule whereby a man is secretly assured without any argument or reason that hee is his salvation for you must know that there are indeede two things besides that confirme this truth to us that is the ground wee have in the Word and the effects and fruits of sanctification but both these doe it by way of argument for when a man argueth thus I see this generall proposition All that believe shall bee saved but I am one that believe therefore I am one that am contained under the generall pardon this I say is by way of argument So againe I finde in my selfe the fruits and effects of sanctification and I am sure none are sanctified but they are also justified and they have received the Spirit of Christ therefore I know I am one that belongs to him all this is but the witnesse of our owne spirits for these are but collections that our owne spirits gather as a conclusion from the premisses but now the witnesse of the Spirit the witnesse of the holy Ghost it is a distinct thing from this therefore Rom. 8. 16. it is said to witnesse together with our spirits and therefore is a distinct witnesse from our spirits that indeede witnesseth the same things but the witnesse is distinct from that of our owne spirit and that is without any argument or reason at all being a secret manifestation made to the soule whereby wee are comforted and assured that our sinnes are forgiven and that Christ is willing to match with us Now consider if thou wouldest know whether thou bee one that is matched with Iesus Christ whether thou have this double witnesse or no of the Word and of the Spirit You will say hath every one this secret testimony I answer that every one hath it in some degree more or lesse for that same in Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit witnesseth with our spirits is a generall proposition it concernes all beleevers even with every mans spirit the Holy Ghost beares witnesse but then wee must take the words in the right sense It is true in some the Spirit speakes more evidently and audibly with joy unspeakeable and glorious the flashes of comfort are much more bright and glorious to some then to others and such speciall witnesses of the HOLY GHOST are very rare and dispensed to us for some speciall purposes commonly after some great humilitation or prayer or to prepare us for some great enterprize or some speciall conflict they are even as the apparitions to Abraham and Iacob and Paul were Acts 23. 11. Be of good courage Paul thou must beare witnesse of mee at Rome c. so when he was at Corinth Paul bee of good comfort I am with thee Acts 18. 9. All these were on speciall occasions so I say there are some speciall witnesses of the HOLY GHOST when the HOLY GHOST speakes evidently and these are dispensed to us according to the good pleasure of God and commonly it is added for some speciall purpose now I say not that every one hath this kinde of testimony but every one hath so much witnesse from the HOLY GHOST as doth uphold his spirit that Christ is willing to match with him that hee hath or may have interest in him and in all the priviledges of his death this I say every one hath more or lesse although those speciall degrees of the evident speaking of the Holy Ghost are dispensed but to some and to those that have it but for a speciall time this is the first thing The second thing thou art to enquire into if thou wovldest know if there bee any such match betweene Christ Iesus and thee what thy owne consent hath beene and is which herein is not in words onely but is given then when they heart and affections doe or can make this answer that thou art willing to match with the Lord Iesus and this I give as a signe to examine thy heart by for it is not in the power of any man living to bring his heart to this consent nor is any creature able to doe it you may as well bring fire and water to agree together as to bring the heart of a naturall man to be willing to match with the Lord but it is a speciall worke of the holy Ghost that must mould the spirit a new and breake all in pieces and cast thee into a new frame that must make thee willing to come into so neare a Communion with the LORD IESUS for our spirits are quite contrary to it Onely concerning this take this caution that it is not so much what thou art willing to say in any case or condition for it may bee a man may bee willing sometimes to match out of feare or hope or out