Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	good_a	know_v	knowledge_n	3,077	5	7.3450	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06524	A treatise, touching the libertie of a Christian. Written in Latin by Doctor Martine Luther. And translated into English by Iames Bell; Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen. English	Luther, Martin, 1483-1546.; Bell, James, fl. 1551-1596.; Leo X, Pope, 1475-1521.	1579 (1579)	STC 16996; ESTC S108948	46,058	126

hée made thereby neuer a deale the more holy or the more a Christian for this is the work of faith only yea rather vnlesse hée did first beléeue and were a Christian before all his works would not be worth a straw but rather very wicked and damnable sinnes And for this cause these two sayings bée true namely Good workes doe not make a good man but a good man doth make the workes to bee good And euill workes doe not make an euill man but an euill man doth make the workes to be euill so that it behooueth alwayes that the substance or person bee good first before all good works and that good works follow then by order and procéed from a good person as Christ himselfe witnesseth An euill tree doth not bring good fruit and a good tree doth not bring euill fruit For it is euidently knowne by experience that the fruit doth not beare the trée and that the trée doth not grow in the fruit but contrariwise the trées doe beare the fruits and the fruit doth grow in the trées Therefore as it is necessary that the trée bee first before the fruit and that the fruit doth not make the trées good or euill But contrarily such as the trée is such is the fruit so is it necessary that the person or man himselfe be either good or badde first before hee make a good or bad worke and that his workes make him neither good nor badde but the man himselfe maketh his owne workes good or badde Semblable héereunto may wée sée in all occupations An euill house or a good house doth not make an euill or a good Carpenter but a good or bad Carpenter maketh a good or badde house And so generally in all kindes of manuall occupations and sciences no péece of worke doth make the Artificer good or bad but such as the Artificer is such worke maketh he euen so fareth it in the case of mēs works Such as the person is either in faith or in vnbeléefe such is his work if either done in faith and so good or done in vnbeléefe so euill But contrariwise it is not so to wit such as the worke is such is the person made in faith or vnbeléefe for as workes doe not make a man to be a beléeuer so neither doe they make a man righteous But faith as it maketh man beléeuing and righteous so doth it make his works to be good For as much therefore as works doe not iustifie any man and that it behooueth man to be righteous before he worke any good worke it appeareth most manifestly that faith onely by the mere mercy of God through Christ Iesu in his word doth make worthy and sufficiently iustifie and saue the person and that a Christian man néedeth no worke nor law at all thereby to attaine saluation for that through faith hee is frée from all law and doth fréely worke all things that he worketh of his owne mere good will respecting therein neither profit nor saluation but only the good will of God for as much as he is now already fully replenished and made safe by the grace of God through his owne faith Euen so no good worke auaileth to righteousnesse and saluation to the vnbeléeuing person On the other side no euill worke maketh him euill or damnable but his owne vnbeléefe which both maketh the trée euill and withall maketh the workes euill and damnable whereupon in this that any person is made good or badde he doth not receiue this being good or badde by works but this his good or euill taketh beginning from the roote of faith or vnbeleefe as the wise man recordeth The beginning of sin is to fall from God which is in effect to be vnbeléeuing And Paul in the 11 to the Hebrewes It behooueth him that commeth to God to beleeue The same also speaketh Christ Either make the tree good and the fruit thereof good or make the tree euill and the fruit thereof euill as if he might say who so will make good fruits must begin at the trée first plant vpon a good stock so who so will make good works must begin not at the working but at the beléeuing which beléefe doth make the person good for nothing maketh the person good but faith nor any thing maketh him euill but vnbeléefe Indéed this is true that by works man is made good or euill in the iudgemēt of men but this is as much in effect as to doe it to vnderstand and let it be knowne who bee good or who bee euill whereof Christ speaketh in the seuenth of Matthew You shall know them by their fruits But this knowledge consisteth only in shew and outward appearance semblance wherein many are deceiued that presume to teach and prescribe wherby men may bee iustified in the meane time making not once so much mention of Faith at all masking still in their own mismaze alwayes deceiued and deceiuing others going forward from worse vnto worse blind guides of the blind wearying themselues with a multitude of works yet neuer attaining to true righteousnes of whom Paul writeth in the 1. to Tim. the 3. Chap. Hauing indeed an vtter shew of holines but denying the power thereof alwayes learning but neuer attaining to the knowledge of the truth Therefore behooueth him that will not wāder out of the way with these blind guides to enter into a déeper cōsideratiō thā the vtter shew of workes of lawes doctrines of workes but must rather with a quite contrary aspect pry into the person and note diligently the reason whereby man is iustified and here shall he finde that man is iustified and saued not by workes nor by the law but by the word of God that is to say by the promise of his grace and by faith that so the glory thereof may redound to the maiesty of God Who hath saued vs that beleeue not by the works of righteousnesse which wee haue done but according to his owne mercy through the word of his owne grace Wherby it remaineth easie to be knowne in what respect good works are to be reiected or embraced in what sense all the doctrines of men touching workes ought to be vnderstood for if workes be compared to righteousnesse and be practised by a peruerse Leuiathan and of that false perswasion to presume vpon the obtaining true iustification therby they do now enforce a necessity vnauoidable do vtterly extinguish liberty faith withall and so euen by this meanes are now no more good but méerely damnable for they be not now frée but blasphemous to the grace of God whose onely property is through faith to iustifie and saue which things workes doe affect to bring to passe not of any their ability but by a wicked foolehardinesse only issuing from our own grosse ignorance by reason whereof they doe violently rushe and intrude into the office of grace and the glory thereof For this cause

enquire of the person that maketh the works that glorifieth and bringeth foorth the works And the same is the very Fayth of the heart the head and substance of all our righteousnesse whereupon it followeth that the doctrine that teacheth the satisfaction of the law by meanes of works is blinde and perilous for as much as before all works it behooueth that all the Commandements bee accomplished and that works doe follow after this fulfilling of the law as wee shall heare more at large afterwards But to the end wee may more manifestly behold this grace which this our inward man doth possesse in Christ it is to be obserued that in the old Testament God did sanctify to himselfe the first borne of euery mankinde the first brith was wonderfully estéemed surmounting all other in double honour Namely in the Priesthood and in the kingdome for the first begotten brother was Priest Lord of all other vnder which shadow Christ was prefigured vnto vs the true and only first begotten of God the Father of the virgin Mary and the true King and Priest but not according to the flesh and the world for his kingdome is not of this world he raigneth and sanctifieth in spirituall and heauenly things which are righteousnes truth wisdō peace saluatiō c. Not as though all things of this world and of hell were not also in subiection vnto him otherwise how could he preserue and defend vs from them all but because his kingdome doth consist neither in them nor of them Euen so neither his Priesthood doth consist in outward pompe of apparell and gestures such as the humane Priesthood of Aaron was and as our ecclesiasticall Priesthood is at this day but in spirituall things by the which he doth make intercession for vs vnto God the father in heauen by a certaine inuisible office and there doth offer vp himselfe and performeth all things that behooued a Priest to doe Euen as Paul doth describe him by a figure of Melchisedech in his Epistle to the Hebrues Neither doth he only pray and make intercession for vs but also doth teach instruct vs inwardly in spirit with the liuely doctrine of his spirit which two are the peculiar properties of a Priest which also is figured in carnall Priests by praiers visible preachings And euen as Christ by his first birth did obtaine these two dignities so doth he impart and communicate the same to euery his faithfull spouse by the right of the foresaid mariage wherby they are al spouses whosoeuer are espoused to the husband And hereof commeth it that we all that beléeue in Christ are Priests and kings in Christ as in the first of Peter the second Chapter You be a chosen kindred a people of adoption a kingly priesthood and a priestly kingdome to the end you should shew forth his power who hath caled you from darknesse into his maruellous light which two are thus to be taken First as concerning the kingdome euery faithfull Christian through Fayth is so aduanced aboue all other things that in spirituall power he is become Lord ouer all so that none of all the creatures can doe him any harme at all Nay rather all things are made subiect vnto him and compelled to serue for his safety according to the testimony of Paul in the eight to the Romans All things doe worke together to the elect to good Likewise in the first to the Corinthians the third Chapter All things are yours whether it be life or death things present or things to come but you are Christs Not that to euery Christian all préeminence is giuen in bodily power to possesse and rule ouer all things which furious frensie hath bewitched many our Prelates euery where for this dominion is proper to Kings Princes and Potentates of the earth whereas the very vse and manner of our liues doth sufficently teach vs that we are subiect to all that we doe endure many tribulations yea euen die the death Nay rather by how much a Christian doth excell in Christianity by so much the more is he subiect vnto all inconueniences vexations and deaths as wee may easily sée in the very flower of the first borne Christ himselfe and all his holy brethren This power is spirituall which doth beare dominion euen in the middest of enemies and is mighty euen amiddest the very tortures which is nothing else in effect but that power is made perfect in weaknesse and that in all things I may make gaine for my safety insomuch that the crosse and death it selfe may bee compelled to serue for my behoofe and to worke my saluation and this is that high and notable dignity yea that true omnipotent power the spirituall kingdome wherein nothing is so good nothing so bad which shall not worke to my good so that I beléeue And yet haue I néed of nothing sithens only faith doth suffice to saluation but that faith may in the same exercise her force the dominion of her liberty Behold now this is that inestimable power and liberty of Christians So also we be not only most frée kings of all other but we be Priests also for euer which doth farre surpasse all kingdomes For through our Priesthood we are made worthy to appeare before God to plead and pray for other men one to instruct the other the things that are of god For these be the offices peculiar vnto Priests which can in no wise be committed to any vnbeléeuer Such a prerogatiue hath Christ obtained for vs that as ioynt brethren coheires and ioyntkings so also we should be vnto him ioyntpriests presuming boldly with confidence through the spirit of Faith to preach vnto the presence of God and to cry vnto him Abba Father and to pray for each other and to doe all things that we see to be executed figured by the visible and corporall function of the Priests But vnto the vnbeléeuer nothing serueth or worketh vnto good but hee is become seruant of all other to whom all things turne vnto euill because he doth wickedly employ all his endeauor for his owne behoofe and not to the glory of god And by this meanes he is neither Priest but prophane whose prayer turneth vnto sinne nor doth appeare before God because God doth not heare sinners Wherfore who is able to comprehend the preheminence of Christiā dignity which through her own kingly power executeth dominion ouer all things ouer death life sinne c. and which through her priestly glory is able to work all things in the sight of God because God doth bring to passe the things for the which he doth pray wish as it is written He shall worke the will of them that feare him shall heare their petitions shall saue them To this glory surely is no possible accesse by working but onely by faith and beliefe By the premisses may euery man easily perceiue