Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	follow_v	good_a	justification_n	5,141	5	9.3069	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39279	A defence of the Thirty nine articles of the Church of England written in Latin by J. Ellis ... now done into English ; to which are added the Lambeth Articles ; together with the judgment of Bishop Andrews, Dr. Overall, and other eminent and learned men upon them.; Articulorum XXXIX Ecclesiae Anglicanae defensio. English	Ellis, John, 1599?-1665.; Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626.; Overall, John, 1560-1619.; Church of England. Thirty-nine Articles.	1700 (1700)	Wing E587; ESTC R1641	74,086	146

Rebellion of the Powers of our Souls that disposes us to all manner of Sins ART X. Of Free-Will THE Condition of Man after the Fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural Strength and Good Works to Faith and calling upon God Wherefore we have no Power to do Good Works pleasant and acceptable to God without the Grace of God by Christ preventing us that we may have a Good Will and working with us when we have that Good Will Against this Doctrine it is Objected Obj. 1. That God commands Men to turn to him and to believe in him Zach. 1. 3. Mark 1. 15. and in many other places to perform all Works of Piety Therefore this they can do otherwise it would be commanded to no purpose Answ. From a Precept to an Ability to perform it we can draw no Argument We can indeed do Offices of Piety and that only when we are acted and excited to them God gives what he Commands and helps what he has given without Him we cannot be good and without our selves he will not make us so Obj. 2. It is tyrannical to punish any one for not doing what he could not so much as Will or Desire Answ. He would be indeed a Tyrant that should command such things to be done as are not in Mens Power But God made Man with Abilities to fulfil his Commands And then God requires of Man Obedience to his I aw not by setting himself upon the exact fulfilling of it by his own feeble Strength but upon considering the impossibility of the thing with respect to the Powers of Nature to betake himself to Christ through whom the Faithful are able to do all things Obj. 3. If Man had not a Free-Will he would Sin necessarily and then ought not to be punished and so all Use of Exhortations Reproofs and all endeavour after Good Works would be taken away Answ. A Man without the help of Grace sins necessarily whosoever is under this necessity it is his Fault for he has drawn this necessity of sinning upon himself and therefore is justly punished by God And then as for the Use of Exhortations that is not taken away with those that have the sufficient Assistance of God The Precepts which cannot be performed by the strength of Nature are useful in this respect that they put us in mind of our Weakness invite us to an earnest endeavour to pray and so lead us to Christ who is wont to assist the weak And these are the efficacious means that God together with his Grace makes use of in Man's Conversion that what is impossible to Nature may in this way become very easie Obj. 4. Men are called Labourers Mat. 20. 8. and Labourers together with God in the business of Salvation 1 Cor. 3. 9. Answ. Men do indeed co-operate with God by Grace not by their own Strength and therefore they are said to co-operate in respect of assisting and not of preventing Grace ART XI Of the Justification of Man by Faith WE are accounted Righteous before God only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works or Deservings wherefore that we are justified by Faith only is a most wholsome Doctrine and very full of Comfort as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification Obj. 1. In this Article there seems to be a Contradiction when it is said we are accounted Righteous only for the Merit of Christ but afterward it is said this is done by Faith Answ. Here is no Contradiction at all We are only accounted Righteous by the Merit of Christ as by an impellent Cause yet this is done likewise by Faith as by an instrumental Cause whereby we obtain that Merit Obj. 2. By Justification we are restored to that State from which by the Sin of Adam we were fallen Rom. 5. 19. Since therefore we lost inherent Righteousness by Adam's Fall we recover it again by Justification Answ. We are restored by the Righteousness of Christ and partly by inherent Righteousness too The one as the most perfect is imputed for perfect Righteousness Rom. 4. But the other is too weak for us to be able to stand before God Esa. 64. 6. In the afore-cited place Rom. 5. the Word as does not determine the manner or the quality but the original Author of Righteousness Obj. 3. It is said Rom. 8. 24. By Hope we are saved Answ. By Hope is there meant Trust and so it falls in with Faith Even by Hope we are said to be saved because we are not actually possessed of Salvation but by Hope not that we are justified by any peculiar Vertue of Hope Obj. 4. Many Sins were forgiven Mary Magdalen because she loved much says the Text Luke 7. 47. therefore by Love she was Justified Answ. The Particle because does not denote any forcible cause of Justification but only a significative one for Love is a sign of Justification and is the fruit and companion of Faith but yet it has not an equal share with it in the Act of Justification Here is no Consequence her Sins were forgiven because she loved therefore Love is the cause of Forgiveness So neither does this follow A Man lives because he walks therefore walking is the cause of Life ART XII Of Good Works ALbeit that Good Works which are the fruits of Faith and follow after Justification cannot put away our Sins and endure the severity of God's Judgments yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a Tree discerned by the Fruit. Obj. 1. Many Men believe the Articles of Faith to be true that do yet lead wicked Lives therefore Good Works are not always the Fruit of Faith Answ. Such Men as always live wickedly have not justifying Faith but only the empty Profession of it Obj. 2. The Integrity of Job is described Chap. 1. 2. David asks to be judged according to his Righteousness n●y and boasts of it too Psal. 7. 8. And then we read of Zachartah and Elizabeth that they were both Righteous before God Luke 1. 6. It seems then that their Works would bear the Judgment of God Answ. A partial Perfection which is Sincerity is attributed to the Godly but not an absolute one such as is called a gradual Perfection as if they could be able to stand the severe Trial of Divine Judgment Job says he could not do so Chap. 9. 2 3. It is one thing to speak of the Righteousness of a Cause and another of a Personal Rightcousness in respect of which latter David himself confesses that he could not bear the Judgment of God Psal. 130. 3. 143. 2. Obj. 3. St. James concludes Chap. 2. 24. That a Man is justified by Works and not by Faith only Answ. St. James speaks of Justification or the proof of Justification

before Men as is plain from Verse 18. Shew me thy Faith by thy Works and Ver. 21. Abram was justified by the Work of Offering up his Son i. e. he was declared Righteous whereas before by the righteousness of Faith he had been pronounced Just before God Gen. 15. 6. Rom. 4. Obj. 4. Evil Works condemn therefore Good Ones justifie for the same reason holds in things that are opposite Answ. These Opposites here are not equal which that Axiom supposes for Evil Works are perfectly Evil but Good Ones are imperfectly Good Obj. 5. We are justified by Faith as appears by the foreg●ing Article but Faith is a Good Work for he that believes does well therefore we are justified by Faith which is a Good Work Answ. The major of that Argument is in one sense true and in another false for Faith properly speaking is not our Righteousness nor is it so imputed to us but it is the object of our Faith that is so to wit the Merit of Christ. ART XIII Of Works before Justification WOrks done before the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God forasmuch as they spring not of Faith in Jesus Christ neither do they make Men meet to receive Grace or as the School Authors say deserve Grace of Congruity Yea rather for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done we doubt not but that they have the nature of Sin It is Objected Obj. 1. That God has rewarded some Works of Unbelievers as for Example the Egyptian Midwives Exod. 1. 21. and therefore they seemed to be acceptable to him Answ. From any Temporal Reward we are not to gather that the Work was in it self pleasing to God Obj. 2. The Gentiles do by Nature the things of the Law Rom. 2. 14. Now with such God is well pleased Answ. The Gentiles do indeed by Nature the things of the Law in some external Duties But not as to all other requisite Circumstances because they do them not in Faith nor to the Glory of the true God Obj. 3. Cornelius was a Gentile But before his Conversion to Christ his Alms-deeds were praised as good and acceptable Acts 10. 1. So that his Good Works seem to have disposed him to Grace or to have deserved as the School-Men say the Grace of Congruity Answ. Cornelius was endued with the extraordinary Grace of God and God rewarded him accordingly And he seems to have had a knowledge of Christ to come for his Prayers had not been heard but by Christ our Mediator and upon that account he is thought to have been Regenerate Obj. 4. If the Works of the Unregenerate have the nature of Sin as the Article expresses t it were better not to do than to do them because by doing them they sin and by not doing them the Sin would not possibly be so great And therefore it were better if such Men neither relieved the Poor nor taught the Ignorant Answ. Unbelievers would sin in omitting what they ought to do and the Sin of Omission is sometimes greater than the Sin of Commission However Works are not to be forbid for any accidental Fault of the Man but the Gentiles and the Unconverted are to be perswaded to do all Good Things which they are even obliged to by Precept The Works of an unregenerate Man have the Nature of Sin only accidentally as to the Manner and the End of Acting and not as to the Substance of the Works ART XIV Of Works of Supererogation VOluntary Works besides over and above God's Commandments which they call Works of Supere●ogation cannot be taught without Arrogancy and Impiety For by them Men do declare that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do but that they do more for his Sake than of bounden Duty is required Whereas Christ says plainly When ye have done all that are commanded to you say We are unprofitable Servants Obj. 1. Christ said to a certain young Man Mat. 19. 21. I●●hou wilt be perfect sell all that thou hast and give to the Poor This was Counsel t●at did not indeed oblige all Men but if it were put in practice 't would procure a 〈◊〉 exc●llent deg●●f Glo●y Answ. This was a particular Precept given to this young Man and what is here commanded that every one is obliged to perform if the Necessity of his Brethren require it which also was practised by the Primitive Christians Affirmative Precepts although they always oblige yet not in all Conditions simply considered but on Supposition there be found requisite Circumstances Obj. 2. The Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 7. 25. Concerning Virgins I have no command yet I give my Advice which whosoever follows will do more than is absolutely necessary Answ. We cannot gather from hence that there is any thing more perfect than the Observation of God's Commands or indeed conducing to eternal Life Neither does this Opinion of St. Paul respect all times but only that present Necessity whilst the Church was under Persecution And then be it the Apostle's Council that Virginity is to be preferred to Matrimony this is directed to none but those to whom God has given the Gift in which Case this Counsel becomes a Precept to those who have the peculiar Gift of Continence There are indeed many Counsels concerning indifferent things but we reject such as ascribe a meritorious and greater Power to things purely arbitrary than to the Commands of God Obj. 3. St. Paul 1 Cor. 9 15. boasts of his Works of Supererogation because be had preached the Gospel freely which was not necessary for him to do Answ. St. Paul preached the Gospel freely that he might give no occasion of Reproach to false Apostles as if he took upon him that Office for the sake of Gain The avoiding of Scandal is not then a Work of Supererogation but every ones Duty for woe to him by whom an Offence cometh Mat. 18. 7. ART XV. Of Christ alone without Sin CHRIST in the Truth of our Nature was made like unto us in all things Sin only excepted from which he was clearly void both in his Flesh and in Spirit He came to be a Lamb without Spot who by Sacrifice of himself once made should take away the Sins of the World and Sin as St. John says was not in him But all we the rest although baptized and born again in Christ yet offend in many things and if we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us Obj. 1. It is said That God made Christ to be Sin for us who knew no Sin 2 Cor. 5. 21. Answ. God is said to have made Christ to be Sin for us because he gave him as a Sacrifice for Sin and no otherwise Obj. 2. Every one that abideth in God sinneth not 1 John 3. 6. Therefore the Regenerate ●hat so abid● do not offend in many things Answ. By this we are to