Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	grace_n	merit_n	merit_v	4,519	5	10.8011	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10261	An exhortation to his dearely beloued countrimen, all the natiues of the countie of Lancaster, inhabiting in and about the Citie of London; tending to perswade and stirre them vp to a yearely contribution, for the erecting of lectures, and maintaining of some godly and painfull preachers in such places of that country as have most neede, by reason of ignorance and superstition there abounding: / composed by George Walker pastor of St. Iohn the Euangelists ...	Walker, George, B.D., d. 1651.	1641 (1641)	Wing W357A; ESTC R186166	17,398	26

Northumberland to make against Queene Mary in that great assembly at Cambridge where the Duke himselfe with many nobles and men of warre were assembled to goe and apprehend her that he gaue content to the Duke and yet the Queene and her party could not from thence take any aduantage against him who also after many troubles persecutions and imprisonment escaped with great difficultie and fled beyond the seas and from thence returning in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths reigne after his learned disputations against the Popish Bishops was in the judgement of that noble Queene and her wife counsell esteemed worthy of greatest promotions in the Church and was preferred first to be Bishop of Woreester after Bishop of London and lastly Arch-bishop of Yorke in all which seas he flourished and was famous for his promoting of pietie aduancing of learned preachers and for publike workes of charitie among the rest for his erecting indowing of a free schoole at Hauxhead where he was borne and where I one of the meanest of his kindred was in my youth trained vp in learning who also dying in a good old age left behind him a no ble progenie and race of sons diuers of whom do vntill this day florish in wealth honor and are famous for wisdome eloquence and experience in matters of religion and pollicie obteined by their trauells in many forraigne Countries and are men noted for other noble vertues in this state and kingdome The time would faile me if I should reckon vp by name all our Country-men famous in this kind should relate their worthy acts as Mr. Alexander Nowell Doctor of diuinity and Deane of Paules whose tast of persecution and banishment with other troubles and afflictions which he endured in Queene Maries dayes wrought in him such charity and compassion to the poore that he became a patterne as of piety towards God so of pitty to the poore and hauing spent his dayes and his wealth in continuall workes of charity left also after him worthy monuments of his piety and charity which remaine in Oxford and other places to the worlds end for the benefit of young Schollers borne in Lancashire and for their education in learning and good literature I might also adde among all the rest one of mine owne name and neare kinred Iohn Walker Doctor of diuinitie and sometimes Arch-deacon and residenciary of St. Pauls Church in London in whose breast godly zeale began to burne in his youth and tender yeares so feruently that in the dayes of He●ri● the eight when Popery began to decline the way was but a preparing for reformation of religion he together with the godly Arch-bishop before named out of their detestation and hatred which they bare to Popish superstition and Idolatry did like Gideon secretly out mangle and deface the Popish Images in the Church of Hauxhead the place of their natiuity and mine vpon suspicion whereof he was forced to flee out of his Country and was secretly nourished and brought vp in Cambridge where he became a man of note for his great learning and after persecution and banishment which he suffered in Queene Maries time he was aduanced in the happy dayes of Queene Elizabeth to the dignities fore named of which how worthy he was may appeare by his disputation with Campian the Popes Challenger yet extant in print against whom he was by the publike authority of the state chosen and appointed to dispute among other chose learned men of the Kingdome Now these with many others most godly and zealous professors holy martyrs being the first fruites of our natiue Country of Lancashire which it brought forth and offered vnto God in the first day spring of the reuiuing Gospell I see no cause why we may not conclude and vpon this ground assure our selues that our Country and the generall body or multitude of our people are an holy lumpe or masse chosen of God and holy according to the election of grace and that in due time they shall be generally conuerted and actually called to the knowledge and profession of the true faith For thus the holy Apostle Paul doth reason conclude concerning his Country-men the Iewes Rom. 11.16 That if the first first fruites be holy the lumpe also must be holy Wherefore let no vaine scruples no vncharitable doubtings no euill surmises disturbe vs in this good worke of piety and charity nor withdraw our hearts nor cause vs to withdraw our hands from a liberall contribution which is so necessary and commodious for the aduancement of religion in the place of our natiuity and which hath so much hope of gaining many soules of our brethren to God Although I haue no warrant in Gods word to perswade you with Popish motiues 〈◊〉 merit that by cheerfull performance of this pious worke you shall merit great rewards and blessings at Gods handes no not if you should sell all that you haue and bestow on works of this nature because all that we haue is Gods he ●ath l●nt it vs and if we giue all to him we giue him but his owne neither can we by all we haue be profitable to God for he needs nothing of ours our well doing is akogether for our owne good and the good of our brethren and serues to glorifie Gods grace in vs not to adde any glory to him in himselfe and to magnifie his name and his goodnesse before men not to make him any better in his owne nature or person yet thus much I assure you that if out of loue to godlinesse and out of humble obedience to Gods majestie and true charity to the soules of his people all proceeding from a liuely faith in Christ you be stirred vp to shew your selues cheerefull forward and bountifull in this pious and charitable worke according to the ability which God hath giuen to euery one of you this your well-doing shall vndoubtedly receiue from God great recompense of reward of his free grace and bounty and for the merit of Christ and the mere good workes that you do of this kind the more euidence and testimony you shall haue of true faith and of the spirit of God dwelling in you and making you one body with Christ and partakers of his merits which euidence shall not onely confirme you against all temptations and comfort you in all afflictions and make your prosperity sweet vnto your soules in this life but also shall stand vp in judgement for you and proue you true members of Christ that in him and for his merits sake you may receiue the eternall kingdome and inheritance prepared for all the elect and faithfull before the foundation of the world Now my deare brethren and beloued Country-men as I in this hope haue many yeares studied and desired to set this good worke on foote for the good of my Country and the saluation of my brethren and as I haue spent both my labour and some money and much precious time within the space of these two yeares last past in attempting and beginning this worke about the gathering of your names seuerally and particularly and solliciting some of you among whom I haue found diuers very forward free and bountifull farre beyond expectation and as I am ready euen to the vtmost of my ability to goe before you by my example in this contribution So I beseech you that for the same hopes sake you will be ready to joyne with me and others who haue begun well and that you will goe on with vs and accompanie vs to the perfecting of this worthy worke And for a conclusion of this exhortation I humbly beseech the Lord to enlarge your hearts according to the meanes and abilitie which hee hath giuen you that you may extend the bowells of compassion to your brethren who sit in miserable darknesse and in the shadow of death that they being called to the fellowshippe of the same grace with vs we may all glorifie Gods name before men in this life and bee glorified of him with endlesse glory in the life to come and may all reigne with Christ our head the King of glory for euer world without end To whom and to the word of whose grace I commend you all now and euer Amen Your most affectionate Country-man fellow-seruant in Christianity and brother in all Christian loue GEORGE WALKER Pastor of St. Iohn Enangelists in Watling-streete in LONDON FINIS

An exhortation to his Dearely beloued Countrimen all the Natiues of the Countie of Lanenster inhabiting in and about the Citie of London tending to perswade and stirre them vp to a yearely contribution for the erecting of Lectures and maintaining of some godly and painfull preachers in such places of that Country as haue most neede by reason of ignorance and superstition there abounding composed by George Walker Pastor of St. Iohn the Euangelists in Watlingstreet in LONDON MY deare and louing Countrimen whom God by his gracious prouidence hath together with my selfe transplanted out of our natiue Country the Countie of Lancaster which as it is at this day so hath much more in the dayes of our youth and within our memorie beene as a rough vntilled barren desert ouer-runne with ignorance superstition and poperie and hath planted vs by the waters of comfort in a wealthy and fruitfull place where all blessings needfull for soule and body are extended vnto vs as a flowing streame Isai 66.12 Luke 12.48 you are not ignorant of that saying of our Sauiour That to whom much is giuen of them much shall be required yea I doubt not but ye haue all learned this lesson that as God after grear deliuerance from great euills dangers and miseries requires much thankfulnesse to himselfe at the hands of the deliuered so also much compassion towards their brethren who still remaine in the same miseries and dangers and a readinesse to helpe and succour them vpon euery occasion and opportunity which shall bee offered This our Sauiour teacheth vs by his example and continuall practise in that he is touched with our infirmities and by the things which hee suffered being tempted Heb. 4.15 and 2 18. is become a mercifull high Preist able and readie to succour them that are tempted And this hee enjoynes vs all to put in practise in that charge which he gaue to his Apostle when thou are conuerted strengthen thy brethren Luke 22.32 Iohn 13.17 Now my brethren if ye know these things happy and blessed shall you be if ye also doe them as our Sauiour affirmeth in the Gospell And that you may by so doing obteine more easily this happinesse and blessednesse lo here I will shew you a short cut and a ready way euen one only worke of piety and charity which I will commend vnto you in which worke alone if you shall wisely and conscionably begin it and therein carefully cheerfully and constantly proceed and continue to the end according to that ability which God hath giuen to you ye shall at once performe all these workes and duties of Christianitie that is you shall render and returne vnto God increase and fruit according to the talents which he hath committed to your trust and the seed and cost of planting and tilling which he hath on you bestowed you shall offer vp to his majestie a most acceptable sacrifice of thankfulnesse for his deliuerance of your soules from dangers of ignorance superstition and prophanesse which ouer-spread the place of your natiuitie and withall you shall shew all Christian compassion and exerci●e brotherly charity and commiseration rowards your brethren and Country and by Gods grace and blessing on your indeauours become powerfull instruments and effectuall meanes of sauing many soules Acts 28.18 by turning them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan vnto God that they may become fellow Saints with your selues Colloss 1.12 and coheires and partakers of the inheritance of glory in light This worke to describe and set it forth plainely in that nature as it is here commended to you is no more but a free voluntary cheerfull and charitable contribution of such yearly summes of money as euery one of you by means of that wealth and ability which God hath bestowed vpon him may very well without impouerishing pinching or any way ouercharging of himselfe or impairing of his estate bestow for the maintaining of godly painefull and profitable preachers of Gods word in those parrs and parishes of our natiue Country of Lancashire in which ●●ere is found to be greatest need and most grieuous want scarsity of preaching and maintenance for preachers that by their continuall labors zealous preaching and conscionable paines ignorance and superstition may be rooted out true religion planted Gods true worship set vp and established and that by the conuerting of many soules and instructing and consirming the weake Gods true Church may there increase and flourish and so that Country which is now in many places like a barren wildernesse may become a fruitfull garden and pleasant vineyard of the Lord of hosts well watered with plentifull showers of Gods heauenly and spirituall graces distilling from heauen and with fountaines springs and flowing streames of earthly and temporall blessings which follow and accompanie the publike enterteinment of the Gospell and the aduancement of Christs true Church in euery land This worke if wee should seeke no further but looke vpon it and take a view of it in it selfe as it is here in plaine words propounded to vs hath in it motiues sufficient of all sorts to draw vs and moue vs to put it in present practise First whereas in many other workes of bountie and liberalitie grace and nature are sound contrary and while the one perswades vs to doe them the other disswades vs from them as for example in the purchasing of great houses lands and reuenues for our children while naturall affection doth incite vs to disburse great summes and to imploy all out wealth and estate Grace on the contrary forbids vs to spend all on our children and fleshly kinred which perhaps may proue wicked prodigalls and abuse our riches to sinne and mischiefe and tells vs that we ought rather to honour God with our wealth by spending a great part there of in workes of piety and charity vpon the poore members of Christ And while Grace drawes vs to this naturall affection doth draw and pull vs from it vnto the other Now in this worke here commended to you there is no such opposition betweene grace and nature nor any such cause of distraction but both together doe draw pull and allure vs with ioynt forces Grace tells vs that this being a worke of pitty tending to Gods glory by the sauing of many soules the increase of his Church and aduancement of true religion and his holy worshippe no good Christian can refuse to put his hand vnto it but euery one ought to be and will be forward in it And because this worke is also a worke of charitie not towards strangers but towards our Countrimen and kinred according to the flesh euen towards our owne brethren and tends to this as one maine end to make our natiue Country blessed with all blessings heauenly and earthly therefore naturall affection doth strongly and vehemently pull vs and perswade vs vnto it and as we all naturally loue our Country and kinred so we cannot but by the instinct