Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
work_n good_a know_v tree_n 4,740 5 8.9177 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A15765 A summons for sleepers Wherein most grieuous and notorious offenders are cited to bring forth true frutes of repentance, before the day of the Lord now at hand. Hereunto is annexed, a patterne for pastors, deciphering briefly the dueties pertaining to that function, by Leonard Wright. Wright, Leonard, b. 1555 or 6. 1589 (1589) STC 26034.3; ESTC S121115 49,627 64

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

wicked impes Amongst eight persons in the arke with Noah was one naughtie packe Amongst the twelue chosen Apostles with Christ himself was one Iudas and therefore as if in Sodom there had béene found but tenne good men the whole citie had béene saued for their sakes so though some of their fellow ministers lacke grace to liue as they ought yet would charitie rather beare with some badde because of the good then openly to deface discredite their brethren because of some bad The spirit of wisdome is louing gentle The Apostle S. Paul would not haue those that are endued with greater giftes to disdaine their brethren hauing lesser neither an elder rebuked rigorously nor accusation receiued against him vnder 2 or 3 witnesses But forasmuch as we are all fellow seruants none of vs without his imperfections hee would haue one to suffer and beare the weakenesse of another one to helpe and comfort another that nothing be done through strife or vaineglory but in méekenes of mind euery one to estéeme another better than himselfe and whereas we haue diuersitie of gifts and difference of administrations as euery one hath receiued the gift so one to minister to another euery one to meddle with his owne businesse knowing that euery one shall beare his owne burthen and receyue his rewarde according to his owne labour hée that stands to take héed least he fall as for his brother whether he stand or fal that perteineth to his owne master who bestoweth not his gifts alike vnto all men neither will he require ten talents where he gaue but one to whom much is giuen of him shall much be required Some are indued with wisdom knowledge iudgement to discerne truth from falshood home with vtterance memorie and boldnesse to instruct with stongue some with godly deuotion christian charitie and honest disposition to teach by example of life and conuersation hée that carryeth bricke and morter may be a mason though not so expert as the maister of the building hée that diggeth ground may be a good gardener though not so cunning as he that draweth the knot hee that cutteth the timber may bée a good Carpenter though not equall to him that contriueth the house Euen so the meaner sort of ministers béeing honest men working in the Lordes vineyard in some measure whether it be by writing reading or speaking without booke may be good Preachers though not so fitte for the Pulpet as those which are indued with greater gifts and no doubt their diligence in doing their best shall be accepted with the poore widowes oblation Though the Fletcher want strength to draw the bow yet is hée a speciall meane to further shooting though the Smith want skill to holde the plough yet is he a necessarie instrument to helpe forwarde the worke though the whetstone can not cut of it selfe yet is it néedfull to make sharpe the Sithe so though some want the gift of memorie and boldnesse to instruct by preaching with tongue yet may hée bee a profitable member in the Church by teaching with penne Our God is louing and gentle and taketh in good part the good will euen of the poorest and simplest of his children pardoneth their imperfections accepteth their obedience and rewardeth them as liberally as the greater A good Preacher also must be carefull to kéepe in credit the authoritie of his office not to vary in doctrine from his fellowe labourers neither to minister any matter amongst the ignorant people that may bréede contention or discord Finally he must be a man of honest life and conuersation for none can effectually teach the waie to die well except himselfe bée such a one as liueth well The Priestes of the olde Lawe were chosen without blemishe to signifie theyr liues without blame The Apostle woulde haue them well tried to bée honest men and of good reporte before they be admitted into that reuerend function He that will profite in teaching must labor with both hands or els as fast as the one doth gather the other doth scatter as the one doth build vp the other doth pull downe hée must haue both Vrim and Thumim knowledge and vertue persuasion in words and example in déeds to thunder in doctrine and shine in life and manners True Christian religiō consisteth not onely in bare preaching dumbe hearing but rather in deuout praying vertuous liuing charitable working It is naturally grafted in man to speak holily praise good sayings and desire rather to know much that liue well Knowledge no doubt is a goodly gift and a great blessing of God yet knowledge without vertue or learning without good liuing are nothing els but as trées without fruit At the last day we shal not be demanded how much we haue knowen but how well we haue liued What auayleth it a man to be able to define what faith and repentance is not féelyng Gods holy spirite working faith and repentance in his heart or to tell a faire smooth tale in words yet stammer in his déeds or to haue al the Scriptures witty sayings of Philosophers at your fingers ends yet want grace to liue accordingly or how is he able to gouern others that hath no power to gouerne himselfe Vnto the vngodly said God Why doest thou preach my laws or takest my Testament in thy mouth whereas thou hatest to be reformed he that imploieth his tongue vnto vertue his déeds vnto vice 〈…〉 carrieth treacle in one hand to resist death and poyson in the other to take away life A wicked liuer though his tongue be neuer so plausible yet the infamy of his life decayeth all his doctrine and other gifts whatsoeuer for if one praise that he saith a number will blame that he doth A teacher without vertue is compared to a painted fire without heate or a faire vizor put on a deformed face or the ship wrights that made Noahes Arke to saue others yet perished in the floud themselues or an Idiot standing by the sea side and séeing straungers passe by in daunger of the tide crying vnto them away away the tide cometh who looking back and séeing the foole stand still begin to say one to another surely this fellow doth but ieast for if it were so dangerous as he saith he would certainly make more hast away himselfe S. Ierom saith Maius est voluntatem Domini facere quàm nôsse A vertuous liver though he say litle yet is he a good preacher a good piller of Gods Church and a right Lay mans booke whose honest life is a seale to confirme his doctrine Gods building is compared to a stone wall the Magistrates ministers vnto squared stones framed on each side and the people vnto litle ones filling vp in the midst and if any of the squared stones chaunce to slip down a number of the litle ones will follow euen so if the Magistrate or teacher
sacrifice vnto God it is a greater fault to let goe a Wolfe than to kill a lambe in the flocke and a greater offence to pardon a rebell or a traitor than to kill a true man but these are not called rebelles as they are because they are not hanged vp as they should He that hath a dogge that is a shéepe biter must by lawe either hang him vp or else pay for the shéepe he hath wearied euen so the Christian magistrate whome it hath pleased God to set in authoritie and giuen charge to gouerne and defend his poore shéepe knowing notorious biters lying in waite to deuoure them must either hang vp those curres or answere to God for those shéepe that they doe wearie The bridle sayth Salomon belongeth to the horse a whip to the Asse and a rod for the fooles back Correct a wise man with a nod but a foole with club we sée that nodding will not serue nor becking will not serue nor winking will not serue it must be a club a hatchet or a halter or else such busie headed fooles as disdaine to be ruled will neuer be quiet till they may rule themselues without controulment Their wordes and reasons vnto many séeme big in sound yet in truth are but small in weight great in shewe little in substance full of terrour voide of wisedome rather bugs to fray babes than matter to moue any staide Christian greate persuasions to seduce weake flesh yet not sufficient to satisfie consciences they may stirre vp coniectures in some vnstaide braines which like weake réedes will moue and wagge with euerie blast of winde yet not able to staie assurance in such constant Christian subiectes as stande firme and faithfull to God their Prince and Countrie like oaks so that Helleborus were more fit to purge their frantike braines than arguments to confute their trifling errors To procéede our delicate and fruitfull Countrie hath ingendered a multitude of daintie and vicious people proude prodigall wasters miserable pinching proulers false dissembling liars faire lookes and smooth tongues without good meaning some cruell as Lions some craftie as Foxes some rauenous as Wolues some enuious as dogges some lecherous as Goates some filthie as Swine the most part either hypocrites wicked liuers or ignorant of God euery one in loue with his owne face like Narcissus the higher sort contemning their inferiors with snuffing scorne and the lower sort sto●●aking their superiours with grudging spight It is said that a Cameleon can transforme himselfe into al colours saue white and our people haue all conditions saue honestie I thinke in Sodome was neuer more filthines in Flanders more dronkennes in Crete more lying in France more dissimulation nor in Iewrie more hypocrisie than is now practised in England And as good men would gladly haue euill men amended so euil men would rather haue good men consumed The multitude of sinners haue to chased awaie the shame of sinne that common wickednesse is taken for no priuate offence there is such vnmerciful bribing oppressing and wringing the poore as though there were neither God to honour deuil to dread heauen to hope for nor hell to eschue Euery one is more liberall to lend another his conscience than his money and his seale is of more credit than his soule One crowe will not picke out the eies of another but for mony one man wil not sticke to picke another to the hard bones according to the Prouerbe Homo homini Lupus est Man to man is no man but a Wolfe These people therefore are possessed with deuils they sleepe in sinne and it is high time to awake thm The glory of the Romanes in olde time was to speake lyttle and doe much of the Gréekes to speake much and doe lyttle and of our dissembling Protestants to talke much but earne to amend nothing at all Our Elders were rude in spéech and ciuil in manners we ciuil in spéech and rude in manners they beléeued as Pagans and liued like Christians we beléeue as Christians and liue like Pagans they preached not the word nor we liue according to the word the name of God is in our tongues but his feare is not in our hearts the Papists doe call vs Solifidians but our workes declare vs rather Nullifidians wee are like the Athenians the more good we know y e lesse good we do or pepper which is hotte in the mouth but colde in the bellie so wee frie in wordes but fréese in deedes speake by elles but worke by inches We reade of one Pambo who after he had heard one lesson would heare no mo till hée had learned to practise that one wée desire to heare thousands and yet frame our selues to practise none our preachers for the better instruction of the people in all truth and godlynesse haue paynefully indeauoured themselues to beate downe the superstitious abuse of fasting prayers and almes déedes commending the thing it selfe as verie pleasant and acceptable in Gods sight but they vnderstanding as it were with theyr héeles vpon a wylfull neglygence haue taken occasion thereby to cast awaye both fasting prayer and almes déedes with feastes of the poore and all together Againe some Preachers teach the people at the hearing of the name of Iesus to bowe the knee another sorte denie it as vnlawfull to yeelde more reuerence to that name than to God the Father and the holy Ghost the people hearing that thinke scorne to bowe their knée to any of all the thrée Thus they make theyr libertie a cloake of loosenesse turne the grace of God vnto wantonnesse and the Gospell of Christ vnto lewdnesse they haue changed works into wordes godly deuotion into bare knowledge and are become rather lippe Gospellers than life Gospellers The Papistes were not so zealous to gilde their Temples with golde but our Protestantes are as neglygent to gilde theyr soules with vertue They were beneficiall and diligent both in decking the false dead pictures of Saincts and féeding the true liuely members of Christ and wee séeme to condemne the one and leaue the other vndone They vsed fasting from meates we neither from meate nor sinne they praied often we seldome or neuer they were bountifull to the poore but we liue onely to our selues they wrought of intent to merit heauen but we neither do good for merite nor yet of charitie and duetie yea wée are come from blinde zeale to wylfull wickednesse and from superstition to no religion For the worlde is nowe growen to this point that if a man of godly zeale and deuotion doe accustome orderlie to frequent the Church he is accounted an hypocrite If he bee giuen religiously to fast and praie he is taken for a Papist And if he kéep a good house for reléefe of the poore he is called a merite monger Wherby fasting is despised praier contemned and almes déeds abhorred Thus haue we cast off the workes of Simon Peter are become in manners