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	life_n	merit_v	5,864	5	10.8367	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04701	A present consolation for the sufferers of persecucion for ryghtwysenes	Joye, George, d. 1553.	1544 (1544)	STC 14828; ESTC S103802	45,372	104

beloued sone or any mother hir owne tendre frutes of hir owne bodye soukinge at hir brests And were it in case that the mother perchaunce might forgete hir yonge lytle infant yet shall our mercifull father neuer forgete vs Isay. xlix We haue a redemer and a delyuerer euen the moste myghtiest Lorde Christe Iesu to whom is geuen all powr in heuen and erthe Whiche raigneth our all he loueth vs he hath taken vs to be his brethern we are his members he hathe deserued for vs all goodnes and all felicite He hath geuen vs the glorye whiche his father gaue him that we shulde be all one in Chryst and in the father as the father and sonne be one out of the whiche vnite all the treasures of the diuine goodnes of rightwysenes lyfe consolacion and helthe be geuen vnto vs. Thorowe owr faith in Christe and for Chrystis sake we are one that is to saye of one consent mynde and felowship with the father and the sonne and the holy goste so that as the sone cannot be diuidid from the father nor the holy gost from them bothe nomore may we beinge the faithfull in Chryste be separated from Cryste For Christe wolde that where so euer him selfe were there shuld we be with him whiche thinge aftir our departure is as certaynly trwe as is him self the verite which so said it prayd for it and obtayned it for vs of his father Furthermore If our faith be yet to weake to apprehende fermely these infinite so riche benefits thē let vs flye vnto the promises of god which as they be right many so are they the most trwest certayne whiche ought to be depely printed into our hertis neuer to be forgoten ▪ Owr hertis verely are ●o narow and to skant to receyue the greatnes the multitude of these riche tresures ād goodnes For these benefits be immense and infinite And therfore let vs thus thinke that right great and mighty is he which promiseth these riches to vs ād that he is the very god him self euen owr god Whiche in and for his owne onely begoten derely beloued sonne hathe he promised vs this lyfe euerlastinge For all the promises of god are made in and for Chrystes sake to be ferme and fast and inuiolable Certayn it is that god sent vs his sonne in that full apoynted tyme as the prophetes had prophecied it ●o fulfyll these his cleare and gloriouse mighty riche promyses This is trwthe For we haue them confirmed ād sealled wi●he his owne spirite of trowthe with his gospel preched and with his owne blode shed in his passion and autorysed with his owne gloriouse resurrecciō which is owr head and raigneth aboue all both in heuen and in erthe and in hell And howe then maye we his members for whose sake all these things he hath done and suffered ●arye in synne and in deathe There may nothinge more certaynly stablisshe and confirme our myndis our selues to ryse agen immortal bothe in body and soule then the resurreccion of eryste We can haue no fermer nor stronger argument of our resurreccion then the resurreccion of our Lorde Chryst whiche is the most certayn and sewerest The very sonne of god is made man and toke our nature vnto him selfe which willingly not constrayned suffred death for vs vpō the crosse But yet he arose ageyne wolde aftir his resurreccion be sene handled his woundes sene and felt herde spekinge and teachinge his disciples eatinge and drinkinge with them of the whiche his re surreccion his disciples were so certayne that aftirward withe their owne deathes thei cōfirmed it And if Chryst be rysen from death so be we certayn that our synnes be cle●sed ād deathe deuicted Wherfore in the Lorde we ought to reioyse for euer ād to geue him high thanks immortall for these inestimable immense benefits Let Satan with his wyked whelpes freat fume and gry●ne with all his idle emnio●s impes whom eternall dampnacion abideth But let vs abyde in the faith of the gospell and so abyde we the lyuely members of Chryste And then where so euer is Chryste there are we also Death cannot pluk vs from Chryste For we are the members of his bodye out of his owne flesshe and bones Ephe. v. But if our ferefull infirme consciences doutinge of these so certayn promise● for that we be all sinners caste awaye all hope thinkinge our selues therfore to haue lost all these benefits promised vs sayinge with owr selues We heare god ●o haue promised vs all these riche benefits but because we so syn dayly ād fall from him doinge no good thing perfitly we are vnworthei to haue thē With siche though tis verely satan tempteth and troubleth many a good man But this do I answere That if our rightwysenes and saluacion shuld stande vpon our owne good workes and worthynes then sewerly had we lost in euery minute all these riche benefits of god then might we be vncertay ne of all these promyses and of any remission of our synnes and lyfe eternall if lyfe and remission were promised vs vpō siche a cōdicion that is if we fulfill gods preceptis and so by owr good dedis merit our saluaciō so were we without all hope of saluaciō For we are euery hower synners and all our beste works are imperfect yea thei be as Isaye saith corrupt sinfull if they shulde be expended tryed in the rigour of gods lawe and exammed at his straight iugement If the hope of our saluacion shulde stande vpon the merits worthines of owr workis we must nedis despeyre neuer to haue peace in our consciences when there is no man so holy and perfit of lyuinge whiche may verely glorye him self at altymes so to haue had fulfilled the lawe as it ought to be fulfilled But prayse be vnto god our moste mercifull father whiche hath so intyrely loued vs for Christes sake that he hath taken our saluacion out of owr owne feble handis ād hathe set it vpon a sewerer and more certayne foundacion that is to weit euen vpon his mere grace and mercye promysed in Christe our faithe reachinge it vnto Chrystes blode wasshinge away al our sinnes If we beleue this promise so be we iustified absolued saued Nothinge els requireth he of vs concerninge our remission and saluacion then thus to beleue in Chryste euen him selfe by his death to haue obtayned vs remission an lyfe eternall Wherfore when siche temptacions assawte vs then let vs crye for faithe to beleue these promyses in Cryste And suffer not our selues to be thruste from them Of the whiche thus saith Paul For owr faith is the heretage geuen vs that frely of grace and fauour ferme fast and sewer shulde the promise stande vnto all the sead not to it that is of the lawe onely but vnto them that are of the faith of Abraham This is our consolaciō this is our hope onely Who so reacheth this promyse

with his faith he shal neuer despeper For certain it is the some of our helthe to stād vpon fayth in Iesu Chryste vpon this growndsole is the dore of our saluacion turned and returned Let vs therfore apprehende with our faith this diuine promise whiche we nother may nor can deser ue and we haue all these celestiall benefitis euen remission of our sinnes the holy goste and eternall lyfe All these hath god promised vs in Christe and for Chrystis sake In this promise consisteth all our cōsolacion our hope our rightwysenes reconciliacion and helthe Beleue god to be trwe of his promise and caste not awaye the gospell of his sone preched vnto the but receyue it thankfully with all thy herte enbrace it with bothe thyne armes ād dout it not this gospell to be as well thyne as Pauls and Steuens as mightely to saue the as it saued them Doute not of the grace mercye powr trowth of God and thou art iustifyed and as salfe as is Abraham and all the sayntis in heuen To do good workes commanded of god studye and endeuour thy selfe ernestly with all diligence so that thou doiste nothinge els but well Studye to excell almen in innocencye of lyuinge in al●ose dedis doing be merciful counfortable piteouse and helping all men yea and euen thyne enemyes But vse these deadis continually as thy dewtye seruice dewe vnto god as testimonyes of thy faithe and obedience vnto his lawes Euermore aknowledginge them to be farre inferiour vnpurer weaker and vnperfitter then that thou maist of them reioyse and glorye before god or by thē to deserue any rightwysenes Think thy self an vnprofitable seruant yea when thou haste done all which is but thy dewtye and no deseruinge And beware lest thou thinkest thy workis to be meritis of right wysenes and helthe before God For this opinion and persuasion is an vngodly blasphemie ageynst Chryste For in the cause of our saluaciō we may not truste in any parte to our owne workis but onely by faithe cleaue to the promises of God in Chryst. The workis merits of Christe onely geue vs frely our saluacion not ours nor yet the workes of any creature els Let vs therfore with faithset fast holde vpon the promyses of god in the gospell nether be we diuelled from them by any engyne of tentacion or persecucion Let vs consyder the verite of God to be inuiolable promisinge and geuinge vnto vs his faithfull in Chryste lyfe eternall for Chrystis sake It is he onely that hath deserued it for vs. It is his onely benefit vnto him onely must we ●●●der the thankis Unto him onely must we cleaue by faith And so shall we with stand all temtacions wrestle out of and ouercome all difficulties If the promyse as concerninge vs shulde not be out of fauour frely made so could it not be ferme and certayn because our workis and obedience to the lawe of god be so vnpure miserable filthei and so imperfit and naught if they shulde be compared layd ageynst the severe iugement and extremite of the lawe of god Thus therfore dothe the holy goste counfort vs vtwardly in the holy scryptures and inwardly with this lyuely testimonye of the spirit as Paul affirmeth sayinge Ye haue not receyued the spirit of bondage ageyne vnto feare But ye haue receyued the spirit of adopcion by whom we crye father father The same spirit witnesseth vnto ours that we be the sonnes of god If we be his sonnes so be we the ayers of god and euen the felowe ayers with Chryste if we suffer with him to be also glorifyed with him Which con firmeth vs also in Cryst for it is god that hath anoynted vs and sealled vs vp geuen vs the pledge of his spirit in ou● hertis Agene saith Paul Aftir ye had beleued the gospell of your saluacion ye were vp sealed with the holy promised spirit which is the pledge of our heretage into the redempcion of our purchased possession into the prayse of his glorye Also the spirit helpeth our weaknesses For trewly the thinge that we shuld prayfore and how to aske it we knowe not But the spi rit him selfe maketh intercession for vs with sythes vnable to be expressed Nether is it any lesse counfort whiche our god and father hath ordined for vs in his great felowship emonge the faithfull congregaciōs of whom mencion is made emonge the articles of our faithe We beleuinge thē to be the holy catholyke chirche Whiche all be our members we all togither beinge one bodye as techeth vs Paul right counfortably i. Cor. xij One mēber to be carefull for a nother of whiche if one of vs suffer all the rest haue compassion and if one of vs be hole and well all the other membres reioyse with the fame So that we beinge thus k●it to gither with the bondis of loue haue all thing is hothe mierth and sorowe heuines and ioye comon And if one of vs suffer for Chrystis sake in Englōd all the trwe brethern and sisters in the same londe in France in Germany orels where suffer the same And where one of vs being p●● sent cannot counfort another yet beinge neuer so farrof we praye incessauntly one for other vnto god our father to be counforted with his holy spirit that it wolde please his goodnes for Chrystes sake to lyft vp to restore and confirme our persecuted brethern and syste●● and to make thē constāt in all Crysten paciēce strongly in faithe to endure in our affliccion to perseuer ●o bere awaye a gloriouse victorye And if the prayer of one faithfull mā may do so miche with god as the scripture teacheth of howe mighty efficacye muste then be the comō prayers of all the hole holy congregacions ioyned togither in faith and loue Uerely we are not a loue in our affliccions we wrestle and fight not aloue in these labours nether suffer we a lone persecucions But euen Chryste suffereth with vs. For who so thus per secuteth and molesteth vs he iniuriethe persecuteth Christ and all the hole chirches of Chryst. For we be al one bodye hauinge one head euen Chryst one holy spirit withe all his spirituall giftis comon to vs all And whiles we thus praye together we doutles be herde of god For we haue the moste grave and plentuouse yea many ād that the moste present promises of god full of all consolacion that he will heare our mutuall prayers ād be present with his helpe in all our distresses nede and trouble If we shuld here a lone wrestle and buckle with Satane we were all to weake and shulde despayer ouercomen in our affliccions whiche is our own pusilla●i●ite and naturall feare But sith we be sewer to haue Chryste with all the hole chirche of Chryst on ower sydes to fyght for vs with their mutuall and continuall prayers yea and all the aungels of heuen defending and fightinge for vs howe can we