Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	darkness_n	sin_n	wit_v	33	3	16.3292	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17183	Fiftie godlie and learned sermons diuided into fiue decades, conteyning the chiefe and principall pointes of Christian religion, written in three seuerall tomes or sections, by Henrie Bullinger minister of the churche of Tigure in Swicerlande. Whereunto is adioyned a triple or three-folde table verie fruitefull and necessarie. Translated out of Latine into English by H.I. student in diuinitie.; Sermonum decades quinque. English	Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; H. I., student in divinity.	1577 (1577)	STC 4056; ESTC S106874	1,440,704	1,172

the blasphemie against the holie Ghoste shal not be forgiuen vnto men And whosoeuer speaketh a worde against the sonne of man it shal be forgiuen him but whosoeuer speaketh against the holie Ghost it shall not bee forgiuen him neither in this worlde nor in the world to come The same sentence of our Sauiour is thus expressed in the thirde Chapter of sainct Markes Gospell All sinnes shal be forgiuen vnto the children of men blasphemies wherewith soeuer they shal blaspheme but he that speaketh blasphemie against the holie Ghoste hath neuer forgiuenesse but is in daunger of eternall damnation In the twelfth Chap. after Sainct Luke these woordes in a manner are vttered thus Who soeuer speaketh a worde against the sonne of man it shal be forgiuen him but vnto him that blasphemeth the holie Ghoste it shal not be forgiuen In these woordes of the Lorde we haue here mention made of blasphemie against the sonne of man and of blasphemie against the holie Ghoste of which that against the holie Ghoste is vtterly vnpardonable but that against the sone of man is altogether veniall Blasphemie against the sonne of man is committed of the ignoraunt which are not yet inlightened doeth tend against Christ whome the blasphemer doth thinke to bee a seducer because he knoweth him not Suche blasphemers the woorde of the Lorde doth manifestly testifie that Paul him selfe before his conuersion a greate parte of the Iewes were For vppon the crosse the Lorde prayed crying Father for giue them for they wott not what they doe And the Apostle Paule sayth If they had knowen the Lorde of glorie they would not haue crucified him Wherevpon Saincte Peter in the Actes speakinge to the Iewes saith I knowe that ye did it through ignorance nowe therefore turne you and repent that your sinnes may be wiped out Act. 3. But the blasphemie against the holie Ghost is saide to be a continual faultfinding or reproche against the holie spirite of God that is against the inspiration illumination and woorkes of the spirite For when he doth so euidently worke in the minds of men that they can neither gainesaye it nor yet pretend ignorance and that for all this they do resist mocke despise and continually snapp at the trueth whiche they in their consciences do knowe to be moste hoalsome and true in so doing they do blaspheme the holie Spirite and power of god As for example the Phariseis being by moste euident reasons and vnreproueable miracles cōuinced in their owne minds could not denie but that the doctrine woorkes of our Lorde Iesus Christe were the trueth and miracles of the verie God and yet against the testimonie of their owne consciences they did of méere enuie rebellious doggednesse and false apostacie continually cauil that Christ did al by the means inspiration of Beelsebub the diuel And little or nothing better than the Phariseis are those which when they haue in these dayes once vnderstoode that the verie trueth and assured saluation are moste simplie and purely set forth in Christe doe notwithstanding forsake it and allowe of the contrarie doctrine condemning and with mockes rayling vppon the sounde and manifest trueth yea and that more is they ceasse not to clappe their handes and hisse at it as a damnable heresie As this sinne is of all other the filthiest so is it not veniall but vtterly vnpardonable For in the Gospell the Lorde hath expresly saide it shall not bee forgiuen him neither in this world nor in the worlde to come Whiche sentence in Saint Marke is thus pronounced He hath neuer forgiuenesse but is in daunger of eternall damnation The cause is manifest For it is vnpossible without faith to please god Without faith there is no remission of sinnes Without faith there is no entraunce into the kingdome of god But the sinne against the holie Ghoste is méere apostacie flatt rebellion against the true faith which the holie Ghoste by his illumination doth powre into our heartes Whiche illumination these vntoward Apost ataes doe incessantly call darkenesse they name it a meere seduction and do with tauntes blaspheme it openly Therfore the sinne is neuer forgiuen them For they tread vnder foote the Grace of God and do despise make a mocke of the waye which leadeth to saluation Wherefore Sainct Paule in the tenth to the Hebrues saith If wee sinne willingly after we haue receiued the knowledge of the trueth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shal deuour the aduersaries Nowe I pray you what is it to sinne wilingly Forsooth to sinne willingly is not to sinne through infirmitie or oftē times to fall into one the same sinne but to sinne willingly is with a moste stubborn cōtēpt to sinne as they are wont to do which wittingly and willingly do reiecte and spurne at the Grace of God not ceassing to make a mocke of the crosse death of Christ as thoughe it were foolishe and not sufficiently effectuall to the purginge of all oure sinnes For to such there is prepared none other sacrifice for sinnes And suche the Apostle calleth the aduersaries that is the contemners and enimies of god And therefore the same Apostle in the sixte Chapter of the same Epistle saith It cannot be that they which were once lighted and haue tasted of the heauenly gifte were become partakers of the holie ghost and haue tasted of the good woorde of God and the powers of the world to come and they fall away should be renued againe into repentaunce crucifying to them selues the sonne of God afreshe and making a mock of him He speaketh not here of euery fall of the faithfull but of wilfull stubborne apostacie For Peter fell and was restored againe throughe repentance which happeneth to more than Peter alone For all sinners are through repentaunce daily restored But vnrepentant Iudas is not restored because he was a wilfull apostatae Mockers and blasphem●rs are not restored through repentance because they do obstinately stande against the knowen veritie and ceasse not to blaspheme the waye by whiche alone they are to be ledd vnto eternall life Therefore those places of S. Paule do make neuer a whit for the Nouatians but do expound to vs the nature and enuenomed force of the sinne against the holie Ghost Sainct Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist disputing of this sinne in his Canonicall Epistle saith If any man see his brother sinne a sinne which is not vnto death he shal aske he shal giue him life for them that sinne not vnto death There is a sinne vnto death I say not that thou shouldest praye for it All vnrighteousnesse is sinne and there is a sinne not vnto death We knowe that whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth him selfe and that euil toucheth him not Sainct Iohn here maketh mentiō of two sortes of sinnes The one vnto death that is mortall

will not haue the power to iustifie or to merite life euerlasting to bee simply attributed vnto them For by that meanes Christe shoulde waxe vile and contemptible whoe hath with his death alone merited for vs the heauenly kingdome of God Almightie Neither do we by this as manye thinke we do separate good woorkes from faith Our doctrine is that workes and faith are not seuered but cleaue together as closely as may bee so yet notwithstanding that iustification is properly ascribed to faith and not to workes For workes do consist in our worthinesse but faith doth leane to the promise of God which setteth before vs both righteousuesse and life in the onely begotten sonne of God Christ Iesus our Sauiour And Christe is sufficiently able of him self and by his owne power and vertue to iustifie them that beléeue in his name without any ayde or helpe of ours at all I will not winke at some mennes obiection but fréely confesse that the Scriptures here and there do after a sorte attribute both life and iustification vnto good works But the scripture is not contrary to it selfe therefore we must searche and examine in what sense and howe life and iustification are ascribed to our woorkes Sainct Augustine dooth so aunswere this obiection that hee referreth our workes vnto the Grace of God. For in his booke De gratia et libero arbitrio the eighth Chapter hee writeth If eternall life be of duetie giuen to good works as the scripture doth moste plainly testifie saying Beecause God will rewarde euery man according to his workes then howe is eternall life of Grace consideringe that grace is not giuen as due to workes but freely and without desertes as the apostle Paule doth say to him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of grace but of duetie And againe The remnant saith hee are saued by the election of grace And immediately after be addeth If it be of grace then is it not nowe of workes for then grace is no more grace Howe then is eternal life which is gotten by workes a gift Or else did not the Apostle say that euerlastinge life is a gifte Yes verily he saide it so plainly that we cannot denye it Neither are his words so obscure that they require a sharpe vnderstander but an attentiue hearer For when he had saide the rewarde of sinne is death he addeth streightwayes but the gift of God is life euerlasting in Iesu Christ our Lorde Mee thinketh therefore that this question can bee none otherwise resolued vnlesse wee vnderstand that euen our good workes to which eternall life is giuen must be referred to the grace and gift of God because the Lord Iesus saith without mee ye can do nothing And the Apostle when he had saide ye are saued by grace through faith doeth presently adde and that not of your selues it is the gifte of God not of workes lest any man shoulde boast Thus much hitherto out of Saincte Augustine Nowe although this aunswere of Sainct Augustine be godly and plain enough to him that simply searcheth for the trueth yet I am sure that some there are which neuer will bée aunswered with it They wil I knowe go about vppon Sainct Augustines wordes to inferre y works and not faith alone do iustifie vs men For thus they argue wee are iustified and doe obteine eternall life by grace good workes doe belong to the grace of God therefore good workes do iustifie vs. Nowe it is not amisse to cloase buckle hande to hande with these disputers that in this little ye may perceiue that they bée méere shiftes of sophistrie which they set to sale vnder the name and colour of verie sounde arguments And firste of all there is no man so foolishe if hee hath read the doctrine of Sainct Paule but knoweth verie well that those two propositions cannot hang together wee are iustified by grace and we are iustified by workes For that sentence of Saincte Paule is as cleare as the Sunne where he saith If of grace then nowe not of workes for then grace were no grace Wee do freely graunt both their propositions to wite that we are iustified by grace and that woorkes belong to the grace of God or be the gifte of god But wee denye their consequence and say that it is false to wite that workes do iustifie For if that be true then may we in like manner truely saye a man doth see an hande doeth belong vnto a man and therevppon inferre therefore a hande doth see But who would gather so vaine a consequent For all doe vnderstande that a man doeth consist of sundrie members and that euery member hath his effectes and offices Againe what is he which knoweth not that the grace of God whiche is otherwise vndiuided is diuided and distinguished according to the diuerse operations which it worketh For there is in God a certeine as it were generall Grace whereby he created all mortall menne and by which hee sendeth raine vppon the iust and vniust But this grace doth not iustifie For if it did then should the wicked and vniust be iustified Againe there is that singular grace whereby he doeth for his onely begotten Christe his sake adopt vs to bee his sonnes he doth not I meane adopt all but the beléeuers onely whose sinnes hee reckoneth not but doeth impute to them the righteousenesse of his onely begotten sonne our Sauiour This is that grace which doeth alone iustifie vs in verie déede Moreouer there is a grace which beeing powred into our mindes doth bringe foorth good woorkes in them that are iustified This grace doeth not iustifie but doeth ingender the fruites of righteousenesse in them that are iustified Therefore we confesse and graunt that good woorkes belong to grace but after a certeine manner order and facion Againe they obiect and saye but Grace or faith and woorkes iustification also and sanctification are so ioyned together that they cannot be seauered one from another therefore the thinge that agréeth to one is also applyable vnto the other I verilye neither dare nor doe in any case gainesaye that faith and woorkes do cleaue together but I do vtterly denye that they twaine are all one so that the thing which is attributed to the one may also bee applyed vnto the other For faith although it bée weake and vnperfect in vs doeth notwithstandinge leane and staye vppon Christe his perfection alone and so farre foorth it doth iustifie vs But our workes haue in them for I vse the myledest phrase of speache some sprinkling of vice and sparckle of errour beecause of the originall disease that is naturall in vs all but it followeth not therefore that the grace of God is polluted by any vice or fault of ours which should of necessitie followe consequently if by reason of the streight knott betwixte them the properties of the one were common to the other Although the light of the Sunne bée not separated from the heate therof yet is not the light