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	merit_n	merit_v	6,691	5	10.7705	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19499	A mirrour of mercie or The prodigals conuersion briefely, and learnedly expounded, and full of comfortable consolations for all penitent sinners. By William Cooper, minister of Gods word, and B. of Galloway.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1615 (1615)	STC 5928; ESTC S119161	51,916	283

thou wouldst seeme to be if it bee a good thing to appeare to be godly is it not better to bee godly indeed and if thou thinke shame to appeare to be of an euill life shouldst thou not much more think shame to bee euill indeed Thus as the fish Sepia is bewraied by the blacke colour which she casteth out to couer her sō is the hypocrite conuinced by the very shew of godlines vnderwhich hee hoped to haue lurked And truly most iust and fearefull is that recompence wherewith God paieth home such hypocrites for as they take the name of God in their mouth when the loue and reuerence of God is not in their hearts so shal not they bee in the heart of God as Dauid was nor grauen on the palmes of his hand as his Church is Nor written in the beoke of life as his elect are but God shall haue them in his mouth like luke-warme Laodicaeans to spew them out of it their doome is set downe by Ieremy Will yee steale murther and commit adultery and sweare falsly and burne incense vnto Baal and walke after other Gods whom yee knowe not And come and stand before mee in this house wher my name is called vpon before your eies and therefore will cast you out of my sight The fourth euill pointed out heere in him is a great presumption 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giue me the portion of goods that befals me Men not regenerate by grace make the Lord a debtor to them not content to receiue good things from the Lord they challenge Patris bona quasi sibi debita their fathers goods as debts dew to them for their merits and good deseruings Of the which it is euident that the doctrine of merite is learned out of the schoole of nature wherein all proud Iust●tiars what euer shew of externall pietie they haue are but condisciples with this forlorne childe for if the Lord should giue vnto man the portion that is due vnto him then hee should raine sire and brimstone vpon him for that is the portion of his cuppe Thou art neuer able to recompence the Lord for the good hee hath giuen thee already and how then shalt thou deserue that which hee hath promised Is there any comparison betweene that which thou giuest the Lord and that which thou gettest from him for from thee that hast no more he will gratiously accept the sacrifice of one cuppefull of cold water or a tribute of teares and shalt thou for this brag of thy merit and make him a debtor to thee of eternal life Si quis a diebus Adami vsque ad consummationem saeculi viueret fortiter contra Satanam pugnaret non posset tamen tantam gloriam promereri quato minus qui tam breui tempore militat If a man should liue from the daies of Adam to the end of the world and strongly fight against Satan yet were he not able to merit so great a glory farre lesse are we able to do it who so short a space are militant on earth Our reioicing saith the Apostle is the testimony of our conscience this testimonie saith Bernard consisteth in these three Necesse enim primo omniū credere quod remissionem peccatorum habere non potes nisi per indulgentiam Dei For first of all thou must beleeue that thou canst not obtaine remission of sinnes except onely by the indulgence and mercy of God Deinde quod nihil prorsus habere queas operis boni nisi hoc dederit ipse Secondly that thou art not able to do any good work except God giue it vnto thee For wee are not of our selues sufficient to thinke a good thought Postremo quod aeternam vitam nullus potest operibus promereri nisi gratis detur illa And last that no man is able by good works to merit eternal life it is the free gift of God If we do any good let vs say with the Apostle Not I but the grace of God in me If we get any good ascribe it not to our merits but let the praise of it alway be returned to his mercies Fiftly that he seeks a portion of his fathers goods but not his fathers fauour blessing represents to vs the earthly minds of naturalists who preferre the gifts of God to God himselfe all creatures that the Lord made he made them for man and man for himselfe but this is a fearefull contempt of God and vile disestimation of his maiesty when the creature which God hath subiected vnto man in the heart of man is preferred vnto God and better loued then God himselfe as Euah for the loue of an apple lost the loue of the Lord and Esau for a messe of pottage sould his birth-right which hath annexed the blessing and the Gadarans counted their swnine more precious then the Sonne of God Christ Iesus It is written of them who tame the Tigre that when they haue taken away the yong one knowing that incontinent they will bee pursued by the old they set looking glasses in the way by which they flie wherunto when the olde Tigresse comes and seeth some representation of themse●ues lingreth about them a good space deceiued by the shaddow and deteined in a vain hope to recouer their young againe and in the meane time the hunter most speedily posts away with his pray So dealeth Satan with the men of this world hee castes before them the deceitfull baites of worldlie pleasures and profits beeing indeed no other thing but shadowes and representations of good yet are men so delighted with these that they dote about them hauing no care to pursue their enemy for recouerie of that image of God which Satan hath stolen from them Not without a sore and vnrecouerable losse to themselues Cum vsque adeo hominibus charus est hic mundus vt sibi ipsis vilescant When this world is so much esteemed of man that to obtaine it hee debaseth yea he loseth himselfe liuing like a drudge of the earth and a vile slaue to euery creature hauing a reasonable soule captiued vnder subiection to vnreasonable creatures A most pittifull estate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the which to speake with Chrysostom what can befall more shamfull and vnhonourable to man for if wee ouercome not sensible things how shall wee encounter with insensible enemies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or how shall wee subdue principalities powers and spirituall wickednesse But the children of God illuminate with his light renewed by his grace hauing there eies opened in a part to see that high prise of the calling of God and the riches of that glorious inheritance prepared for the Saints beginnes to account with the Apostle the most excellent things of this world to bee but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dung in respect of our Lord Iesus Christ and haue a ready answer to giue their aduersarie when he