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A14032 An exposition vpon the canonicall Epistle of Saint Iames with the tables, analysis, and resolution, both of the whole epistle, and euerie chapter thereof: with the particular resolution of euerie singular place. Diuided into 28. lectures or sermons, made by Richard Turnbull, sometimes fellow of Corpus Christie Colledge in Oxford· now preacher and minister of the word of God and the holy Sacraments, in the citie of London. Turnbull, Richard, d. 1593. 1591 (1591) STC 24339; ESTC S118931 472,056 683

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things are done of many men which haue the shevve and outvvard appearance of goodnes yet proceeding not from faith vvhereby they are sanctified neither from the same causes neither after the same manner neither to the same end Whence hovv and vvhereunto the vvorkes of the Saints come are done and tende they are farre from good vvorkes So that there is a great difference betvvixt the vvorks of the Saints and faithfull people of God and the vvorkes of heathenish people Phylosophers as betvvixt siluer and tinne golde and copper vvhich are like yet not the same The vvorkes of the heathen come from the lavv and force of nature only vvhich is corrupt and vitiate they are attained vnto by vse custome and exercise continuall their ende is credite glory renoume and estimation in the vvorlde But the vvorkes of Christians proceede from faith grovve of loue spring out of the knovvledge of the Gospell tend to the profite of our brethren and the glorie of God These mens vvorks shevve foorth and testifie their faith but not the vvorkes of the heathen Pharisies or hypocrites vvhose vvorks are not good neither please God Faith maketh not only our selues but all other things Heb. 11. vvhich vve doe vvith the good liking of God to be accepted and pleasant before him Frō vvhich fountaine vvhat soeuer flovveth not cannot please him For vvithout faith it is impossible to please God And be our vvorkes neuer so braue or beautifull in our ovvne eyes neuer so glittering and glorious in the sight of others yet if they come Rom. 14. not from faith they are not only nothing but naught also because vvhatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Saint Augustine therfore disputing against the Pharisaicall Contra duas Epist Pelag. lib. 3. c. 5. Bonifac. pride and presumption of the Pelagians saith very well Our religion discerneth the iust from the vniust not by the law of works but by the law of faith without which faith whatsoeuer seem good works are sinnes and turned into sinnes The workes therefore of the heathen Pharisies and hypocrites are not to be reputed for good yea all works which are either before or without faith are not good as Tertullian Apol. 39. 46. Saint Augustine in the place cited vpon Psal 31. 67. in his booke of the Citie of God chap. 20. against Iulian lib. 4. chap. 8. of grace and free will chapter 7. to Sixtus in his Epistles Epist 105. and other places infinite sheweth Who to Honoratus and to Sixtus and in his booke of the spirite and letter chap. 26. affirmeth that Epist 120. 105. no works are good but in that they folow iustification by faith through which they are reputed onely for good Wherence then it may be apparant that all workes shewe not ne argue true faith neither is it here the mind and meaning of the Apostle to conclude in this manner Workes shew faith therefore all workes shewe faith Or thus Good workes shew and argue faith therefore euerie one that hath works apparantly good hath therefore true faith But his scope and drift is to shew that where there is true faith in deede there cannot be but good works will appeare and follow and that men boast of faith in voine whose faith is not accompanied with good works christian actions Seeing that there is no good tree but in due time bringeth foorth her fruite in conuenient measure Whereof in summer time destitute it is accounted naught dead fruitlesses and rotten Which good workes as they haue shewe and do testifie of our faith so that men gather probablie hee hath works therefore faith but necessarilie from the negatiue which here is respected chiefly he hath no works therfore no true and liuely faith So are these works counted for good and reckned pleasant vnto GOD not for their owne sake but for the faiths sake wherence the budde spring out and issue Moses therfore to intimate thus much in Abel and Gen. 4. Heb. 11 his sacrifice putteth Abell with his faith first then afterward his sacrifice when he saith God had respect to Abell and his sacrifice to shew that because God accepted Abels faith therefore he respected the sacrifice proceding from him and not the man or his faith for the sacrifice Saint Gregorie thereof in a certaine place speaketh to the same purpose In the iudgement of almightie God there is regarde Grego had not so much what is done or giuen as of whō and how Herence is it that God is said to haue looked vnto Abell and his gift For Moses being about to say God looked vnto Abels gift he setteth downe carefully before That God looked vnto Abell By which thing it is manifestly shewed not that the offerer hath pleased for his gift but the gift for the geuer pleased God For this cause the gifts of the wicked please not God because they come from them with whō God is not pleased Thus workes are good in respect of mens faith whereby they are accepted with fauour before God and are such tokens of our faith as without which wee boast in vaine of faith Which thing in this place the apostle geuing vs to vnderstand with a mocking quippe beating downe the vayne pride of hypocrites saith But some man might say euery man might thus mock thee thou hast the faith and I haue works shewe me thy faith by thy workes and I will shewe thee my faith by my works And this is the first reason why true faith cānot be with out works which reason is from a similitude wherof and of the other things in that reason The similitude it selfe the application and the mocking and ironicall preoccupating and preuenting of the obiection This is sufficient to be spoken The second reason why iustifiing faith cannot bee 2. Reason without good works is drawen from an absurditie if that faith which is without workes be that true faith wherby we are iustified then the deuils might bee iustified for they haue a bare faith to beleeue there is a God albeit they applie not themselues obediently to walke in his commandements But it were an absurd thing to say the deuils be iustified for because they are not iustified therfore they tremble at the iudgements of God whereby it appeareth that their faith is not true nor sufficient Now to boast of such a faith as is common to deuils what vanitie what follie what absurditie is it This reason the Apostle in these words expresseth Thou beleeuest there is one GOD thou doest well the deuils also beleeue it and tremble It were an absurd thing to say the deuils are iustified yet if thy faith be but a bare faith in worde without workes in tongue without trueth in shewe without substance they may as well be iustified and saued as thou by thy like faith maist be saued but by such faith which is destitute and voide of the workes of true sanctification the deuils cannot be iustified therefore neither cāst thou O
worde what it worketh in the children of men 2 The remouing of certaine faults which hinder our attending to this worde so excellent 3 Against these faults he setteth downe certaine exhortations and admonitions flowing out of the worde and they are foure as shall appeare from the 21. verse to the ende Now touching these verses they are of this fourth and last part Wherein are two things set downe by the Apostle and to bee considered of vs. 1 The excellencie of the worde of God i● selfe 2 The remoouing of hinderances to the attending therunto and they are two 1 Babling and talking when we should heare 2 Wrath and anger when wee are taught and reprooued Touching the former of these the excellencie of the worde of God it selfe in speciall thereunto he discendeth by the former treatise Wherein disputing of the goodnes of God he here sheweth that his goodnes especially appeareth in the worke of our regeneration the instrumentall cause whereof is the worde of God whereof in this place he speaketh So then in this 18. verse the Apostle giueth vs as it were a taste of that which in generall he had spoken that God is the fountaine of all goodnes which as in sundrie other things appeareth so especially in the worke of our regeneration the most expresse testimonie of his goodnesse towardes vs which being apparant and manifest wee must needes confesse that all good giuings and all good giftes come from him so that wee can not say without blasphemie nor thinke without impietie that GOD is authour or cause of our euill temptations and in as much as GOD both first created man in perfect innocencie and afterwarde regenerated him to bee like the image of his owne sonne in excellent vertue his great goodnesse doeth so appeare to all men that it were incomparable iniquitie in any wise to make him cause of our wickednesse To come therefore to the excellencie of the worde which is the meane of our regeneration the Apostle setteth downe the other causes thereof also so that in this 18. verse there are three causes of our regeneration the most apparant testimonie of the goodnes of God towards man 1. the efficient 2. the instrumentall 3. the finall cause 2 The efficient cause of our regeneration is the free will of God Of his owne will sayth Iames begate he vs. The good will of God the gracious fauour and free purpose of God is the first and efficient cause of saluation and regeneration in men to the trueth whereof all the Scriptures of GOD beare witnesse The electing preferring and aduauncing the Iewes aboue all other people beeing as it were a figure and resemblaunce of the eternall election and regeneration of the Saints was not for any merite of man but of the onely mercie and loue of GOD towardes them as Moises witnessed But Saint Paul speaking not of a temporall Deut. 7. 9. calling as was that of the Iewes but of an eternall calling of Gods Saintes to regenerate them to eternall Ephes 1. 1. Iohn 12. 13. life maketh the onely true and efficient cause thereof the free-will and goodnesse of God whereof he sayeth God hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Whereunto that is agreeable in another place all haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God and are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption Rom. 3. that is in Christ Iesus Thus of his owne will and freely hee electeth thus of his owne goodnesse hee iustifieth thus of his meere mercie hee regenerateth vs vnto life The holy Apostle noting this cause of all these wonderfull workes of God in man affirmeth that God worketh Philip. 2. in vs both to will and to doe according to his owne good pleasure To like sense soundeth that to his scholer and sonne Timothie God saith he hath saued vs called 2. Tim. 1. vs with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was giuen vnto vs in Iesus Christ before the worlde was Finally to Titus when the bountifulnesse and loue of God Tit. 3. our Sauiour towards man appeared not according to our workes but according to his mercie he saued vs. Thus in this place of regeneration he maketh the good will and free mercie of God the cause of our regeneration As God therefore freely and of his owne will worketh in all things So in the election iustification and regeneration Ose 14. of the Saints it is apparant Herence is it that God saith by his Prophet I will loue thee freely and of mine owne wil. The Prophet Dauid saith therefore vnto God Thou hast saued vs for naught what is that for naught saith Saint Augustine but this Thou foundest nothing in vs wherefore Psal De verbis Apost 15. John 15. thou shouldest saue vs yet hast thou saued vs Freely doest thou geue freely doest thou saue This our blessed Sauiour to expresse telleth his Disciples that hee chose them not they him because there was nothing in them wherefore he should choose them yet of his owne free wil he chose them Saint John subscribeth hereunto in that hee saith 1. John 4. Herein is loue not that we loued him but that he loued vs first and gaue his sonne to be a reconciliation for our sinnes Saint Paul to ouerthrowe all foreseen workes Rom. 11. merites in man and to shew that in election iustification predestination and sanctification God worketh all after his owne will freely he thus concludeth Who hath geuen him first he shal be recompenced for of him through him and for him are all things to him be glorie for euer Amen Thus his free will and fauour towardes man is the onely efficiencie as of al other his vnspeakeable graces so of regeneration in his children That therefore saith Beda which he said before that euery good geuing and ouery perfect gift commeth from aboue from the father S. Bede of light that doeth he consequently confirme by adding that not for our merites but by the benefite of his owne will through the water of regeneration he hath changed vs from the children of darcknesse to be the children of light In this place therefore not only plainly Saint Iames but agreeably to the Scripture reuerende Beda condemneth the doctrine of done or foreseene works held by the Papists and out of this Epistle as they dreame most specially concluded For if regeneration be through the free will of God if predestination election iustification and sanctification be from the mercie and fauour of God as from the first and efficient cause then are none of all these by-workes or deserts of men for there is a playne contrarietie betwixt fauour and merite grace and deseruing so that Paul reasoneth from the opposition thereof against workes in the matter of iustification To him that worketh the wages is not counted of fauour
but of debt Rom. 4 Rom. 11. And againe in the question of election If it be of grace it is no more of works els were grace no grace if of works it is no more of grace for then were workes no more works This contrarietie Saint Augustine confessing sheweth that grace fauour and free gift cannot be mingled Epist 120. with works and therefore concludeth and defineth what grace or free gift is Haec est gratia This is fauour free gift grace which is geuen freely not for the merites of the worker but by the mercie of the geuer Seeing therefore that wee which were all by nature the children of wrath the sonnes of Adam subiect to eternall death and Eph. 2. damnation replenished in minde heart and will with iniquitie and sinne compassed about with thick darke and mistie cloudes of error and wickednes loathing heauen and louing earth caried away of our owne desires to work wickednes with greedines are now not for our merites but of Gods meere mercie not by our workes but by his Eph. 4. grace not of our deserts but of his owne will begotten againe and regenerate We must referre this whole work to his good wil and account his goodnes for the only efficiēt cause of our regeneration Whereby it appeareth that he is the fountaine of all goodnes and that our wickednesse must not be imputed vnto him The regeneration then of Gods Saints a most manifest testimonie of his goodnes sheweth that he is ōly author of good not of euil which th'apostle here prouing addeth of his own wil begat he vs. 2 The good will and fauour of God being the first and efficient cause of regeneration The second cause which is the instrumentall cause and meane whereby wee are regenerate is the word of God which Saint James expresseth in this place in this manner of his owne will he hath begotten vs with the word of trueth In which place he slideth and falleth into the cōmendation of the worde of God the chiefe thing in this laste parte to be obserued Which words are as it were the circumscribing and setting foorth of the word of God and the gospell of Christ whereunto is attributed specially aboue all other wordes that it is the word of trueth Which addition the Prophet Dauid geueth to Gods word because therein onely is the Psal 86. sound trueth to be found and in no other In which word as in many other places he desirous to be instructed geueth that addition to the word that it is trueth Teach me thy waies O Lord saith the Prophet and I will walk in thy trueth And in another place calling the word of God by Psal 119. the name of trueth saith Thy word endureth for euer in heauen thy trueth is from generation to generation Our Sauiour Christ in his most holy praier to God hereunto subscribeth who desiring that the Disciples might be sanctified Iohn 17. with the trueth sheweth that by the trueth he meaneth the word and gospell Sanctifie them saith he with thy trueth thy word is trueth This name of excellencie this marke of difference S. Paul geueth vnto the gospell 2. Cor. 13. 3. Gal. C. 5. 7. 2. Cor. 6. 7. 1. Col. 5. Ephes 1. 13. Heb. 10. 16. Ephes 4. aboue other words whē he affirmeth he could do nothing against the trueth but for the trueth Who vpbraiding the Galathians for reuolting and sliding away frōthe gospell crieth out O you foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that ye should not beleue the trueth To like purpose exhorting the Ephesians to be constant in the profession of the gospell calleth that the profession of trueth where fore he thus exhorteth Let vs folow the trueth in loue the gospel the profession of the trueth it is therfore an excellent ornament and an honourable addition in this place geuen to the word of God that it is the word of trueth And this addition to be called the word of trueth most fitly agreeth vnto the holy word and Gospell of Iesus Christ and that in foure respects and for foure chiefe considerations 1. in respect of God 2. in respect of Christ 3 in respect of the holy Ghost and spirite of God 4 in respect of the particular things them selues in the word contained 1 In respect of God the word and Gospell is the word of truth because it is Gods word and Gospell who is true and cannot lie therefore this his word is then the word of truth That this word is Gods word and Gospell it is euident 1. Rom. 1. Cor. 1. 1. Rom. Saint Paul calleth it therefore the power of God to saluation to al that beleue and in another place the preaching of the crosse is to them which perish foolishnes but vnto vs which are saued it is the power of God he saith in the beginning of his Epistle to the Romās that he was seperated to preach the Gospell of God and cleering him selfe from the surmised suspicious of his aduersaries 2. Cor. 11. he thus writeth haue I therefore offended because I abased my selfe that you might be exalted and that I preached freely the Gospell of God vnto you Saint Peter subscribeth thereunto the time is come that iudgement beginne first at the house of God if iudgement beginne first at vs what shal be the end of those that beleeue not 1. Pet. 4. the Gospell of God And this God who is the author of this word and Gospell is true and cannot lie Balam the Numb 23. prophet could say of God that he is not a man that hee should lie neither as the sonne of man that he should repente Moyses in his song beareth recorde to the truth of God perfect saith he is the worke of the mightie God for Deut. 32. all his waies are iudgements God is true and without wickednes iust righteous is he Samuel telleth King Saul that indeede the strength of Israell wil not lie nor repente 1. Kings 15. John 8. Rom. 3. for he is not a man that he should repent Our blessed Sauiour Christ speaketh of his father and saith I haue many things to say and iudge of you but he that sent me is true and the things that I haue hard of him those spoake I vnto the world Saint Paul defending Gods trueth saith Rom. 3. Let God be true and euery man a lier as it is written that thou maiest be iustified in thy words and ouercome when thou art iudged And for this cause holy Dauid calleth god Psal 31. the God of truth into thy hands I commende my spirite thou God of trueth Seing the Gospell is the word Gospell of God and God the God of trut hand cannot lie thē must needes this word be true and the word of truth 2 As in respect of God the author thereof the Gospell may rightly be called the word of truth so in respect of Christ who is the matter the very substance