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
A28445	Religio laici written in a letter to John Dryden, Esq.	Blount, Charles, 1654-1693.; Dryden, John, 1631-1700. Religio laici.; Herbert of Cherbury, Edward Herbert, Baron, 1583-1648. De religione laici.	1683 (1683)	Wing B3314; ESTC R2743	24,729	118

their Reward hereafter as well as that Wicked Men who were happy here should have in the next World condign Punishment Which I say because there is no other Universal Rule whereby to guide our Belief concerning God's Justice hereafter but that his Punishment is proportionable to the Offence whilst Reward passing all Proportion is given to us not onely according to his acceptation of our pious Endeavours and Actions but also according to the Extent and Latitude of his Infinite Goodness and Mercy in Creating Redeeming and Preserving us Now these Five Points may be matter of great Joy to all Men since hereby they may perceive that the Vniversal Providence of God hath proceeded thus far in giving Means for Salvation to all Mankind and therein declared himself Communis Pater Neither can I imagine so much as any one Article more in Common Reason that could make Man better or more pious when the aforesaid Five Articles were rightly explicated and observed Merits and Satisfaction of others I did perceive indeed divers Points added hereunto which gave much ease and relaxation to Mens Minds while they were taught to trust chiefly to the Merits and Satisfaction of others for the obtaining of their Everlasting Happiness so that although the Doctrine of Good Works and Repentance were seriously inculcated into Mens Minds yet it may be found that they did not usually so much fix themselves there as on the aforesaid Satisfaction while they said all their Works were corrupt and abominable and that of themselves they could not so much as think a good Thought and consequently pretended to Heaven out of an Implicite Faith and Belief that this Business was done to their Hands rather than out of those Works they seemed so much to disclaim Like two Apprentices both of equal Parts and bound to the same Master and Trade when nevertheless one of them for want of any other Relief depending wholly upon his Trade follows it diligently and grows vastly Rich whereas the other his Fellow-Prentice having an Expectation of some Paternal Estate of Inheritance does so much depend thereon as makes him not only neglect his Trade but fall into those vicious Courses as makes him out-run his Estate before he has it And the contrary is rarely seen tho not impossible Predestination and Election Again I did find in others a Doctrine of Predestination so taught that Men did chiefly trust to God's Eternal Election of them before all Worlds For as they said there was a certain Mass from which God out of his good Pleasure chose some and reprobated others And these Men I noted to be rather inquisitive through the help of their Teachers whether they were of the Number of the Elect than studious to work out their Salvation by the good Degrees above related So that although their Teachers did indeed exhort them to a Good Life and Repentance no less than the former yet as Men derived not the next Causes of their Salvation from their own good Endeavours or Actions so much as from the Secret Counsels of God so they commonly intermitted much of their proper Duties as believing either they could not fall grievously or at least that such Remedies are provided for them as they should not finally perish From whence one may observe that Vertue hath suffered no small Detriment thereby Merit by Good Works Notwithstanding all which I would not have Men conceive that they could by their Good Works merit any thing of God any more than a Subject of England doth of the King by his forbearing to commit Felony or Treason but that I hope Men may assure themselves that when really they do the best they can it were better to trust God's Infinite Mercy for the acceptance of those Good Works joyned with Faith in and Love to God than to draw Conclusions of the Certainty of their Salvation from those secret and hidden Counsels of the Great God which no Power of Man can reach unto Remission of Sins Moreover I found others who though they did not say they could tell who were Predestinated but in stead thereof recommended Good Works as the most effectual Means on our Parts for the coming to God did yet otherwise teach divers things which being not rightly understood derogated not a little from the Severity of Vertue For as they said they had Power to remit Sins and this Remission again was granted upon no very difficult Terms Men did not fear to return to Sin again when they found Pardon so easie Which Abuse as also some of those above-mentioned I conceive rather to proceed from the proneness of Men to Sin than from the Doctrine of their Priests and Teachers I could enlarge my self much upon this Argument but that I am unwilling to transgress my Bounds especially since I believe my self sufficiently understood Besides I find I cannot speak more of these several Doctrines without entring into Controversies and making use of those Polemical Weapons and engaging into such a Spiritual Warfare which as a Laick I mean never to trouble my self with However I hope I may so far express my self as to wish all those Points that concern Pardon and Forgiveness of Sins in any extraordinary way on what Side soever may be warily taught and on such Terms that upon what Promise or Comfortable Doctrine soever presented to Mankind nothing may be detracted from that Vertue and Goodness which ought to be the perpetual Exercise of our Life lest occasion be given to make Men more ready and bold to sin again since while Men attend chiefly to those outward Helps or Remedies they usually comply not so entirely with their proper Duties Now these Five Articles being thus declared which if Men did embrace would alone assert a Catholique Church and it being likewise demonstrated how Necessary it is for every Man to begin there before he descend to the whole Context or Bulk of any one Religion which he may find controverted in divers Ages and Countries I shall now deliver the Reasons for which I principally embraced them First Because there is no other open and manifest Way extant to Mankind whereby it is possible to establish God's Universal Providence which yet is his highest Attribute Secondly That I find nothing can be added to them which will make a Man really more vertuous and good than the aforesaid Five Articles or Points when they are sufficiently inculcated in Mens Hearts Thirdly That however the Doctrines added thereto were indeed comfortable and full of Promise to those who believe them yet since I observed in general that Men took occasion thereby to grow more bold in Sinning I began to doubt whether they did not derogate from the Severity of Vertue And besides I found that those Points were more controverted than that the Age of any one Man could untie and dissolve the Intricacies in them Fourthly That I found all Mysteries Sacraments and Revelations tended chiefly to the Establishment of these Five Articles as being at least the