Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	body_n	eye_n	foot_n	6,516	5	6.8863	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05360	An excellent treatise of Christian righteousnes, written first in the French tongue by M.I. de l'Espine, and translated into English by I. Feilde for the comforte of afflicted consciences, verie necessarie and profitable to be reade of all Christians, as well for establishing them in the true doctrine of iustification, as also for enabling them to confute the false doctrine of all Papistes and heretickes; Excellent traité de la justice chrestienne. English.	L'Espine, Jean de, ca. 1506-1597.; Fielde, John, d. 1588.	1577 (1577)	STC 15512; ESTC S106720	64,303	130

mercie it is bestowed vpon vs. But here a doubt maye be moued by the righteousnesse of an other seeing that this is a personall qualitie which can not be communicated to an other no more then health wisedome strength and bewtie Now can I be otherwise in health then by the health that resteth effectually in my bodie how can it be then that I shoulde be righteous by the righteousnes that dwelleth in an other We must aunswere that this is done by imputation And as a man maye be acquited of his creditour by the paymente which some shall make of his owne money in the name of the debtour euen so we maye be righteous by the righteousnes of an other when he is accepted in our name as that is of Iesus Christ when we are vnited and knit vnto him All the members of the body without the eye are altogether blinde of them selues and yet notwithstanding they cease not euery daye to do their duties rightely The feete go without stombling the handes without offending in such sort that ech one of them is led in his worke by the light of the eye which illuminateth directeth them and as the sight of the eye is communicated to all the members of the body who see by it and in it euen so we in like manner are profited by the righteousnes of Iesus Christ which is imparted with vs as the sight of the eye with the members to the ende that we maye vse it in the iudgemente of God there to be acquited and iustified and pronounced altogether innocente and discharged from all our faultes and offences Now let vs come to the other point which is to know by what meane we maye obtaine this righteousnesse and appropriate it to our selues The onely meane is Faith as we maye know by many places of the scripture For S. Paule sayeth that the righteousnes of God is by faith Also that righteousnes is reueiled in the Gospell and communicated by faith And in an other place being iustified by faith we haue peace in our conscience And the Prophet also sayeth That the righteous man shall liue by faith And Iesus Christ in the worde wherupon we altogether reste sayeth that who soeuer beleueth in him shall not come into iudgement And to them alwayes that were sicke and were healed he sayth commonly that their faith had saued them to the end to teach vs that faith is the meane which is necessarie to obteine not only righteousnes but also the adoption of children the vndeserued fauour and blessing of our God and generally all the benefites of Iesus Christ And altogether like as we apprehende coullors by the sight soundes by the eare euen so we apprehende by Faith Gods promises in which he offreth life vnto vs and all other his graces As Ambrose sayeth Faith is such a vertue and of so great strength that it obtaineth all that God hath promised vs we beleuing in him But when we speake so of Faith we vnderstande not by this name a bare opinion which we maye haue of the truth or a simple perswasion and consent wherby we allow all that is contayned in the scripture but we vnderstand by this Faith a liuely apprehension of the truth of Gods promises and an assurance of his grace and fauour in Iesus Christ Also a full confidence that is sufficient to beare all the tentations that can be laid vpon vs and to beate downe death the deuill and all the gates of hell and further to set it selfe against wrath in the iudgement and malediction of God the which it turneth from vs as a tempest storme when we are threatened Now when we earst sayed that the lawe contayneth the promises of God and in them his vnderserued fauour and grace as the eye doth the colour and the eare the sounde and the other senses their proper obiect we vnderstande this of the assuraunce and certaintie onely and not of any carnall feeling For the thinges that we beleeue they can not be felt with the hande nor seene with the eye nor by any reason or other sense of man be comprehended and yet neuertheles they are more certaine then the thinges that we feele because our senses maye be deceaued As the eye which wil iudge a peece of wood in the water to be crooked although it be verie streight But Faith when it is once grounded resteth it selfe vpon the worde of God it is assured of all that is therein taught and specially it embraceth Iesus Christ and draweth from him euerlasting life And albeit that oftentimes considering the estate disposition of those matters it seemeth to vs that all thinges goe quite backwardes contrarie to that which God hath promised vnto vs yet notwithstanding in this case we must beleue as S. Paule sayeth in hope against hope and in no wise doubt but his promises shal be accomplished For sooner shall heauen earth and all the worlde perish then the least iote of that which God hath promised vs and which is proceeded from his mouth faill to be fully wholy accomplished in his time When our reason then or sense will doubte of that which God hath sayd or vnsaye and murmure against it or any manner of waye distrust his promises we must resiste and sette our selues manfully with all our might against it as Abraham did and staye our selues as he did wholly vpon this that God alwaye hath both will and might to performe what soeuer he hath promised And when we come to consider the corruption and vice of our nature the rebellion of our will against the will of God our infirmities imperfections our distrust also that we haue oftentimes of his loue and other doubts that we make of his prouidēce we must not then doubt but that our faith is mightely assailed and that we haue to fight wonderfull sharpe and daungerous combats but that we maye auoyde them it is needeful as in all other tentations to keepe our selues alwayes to the worde of God and to make it a buckler against all that the deuill our reason and sense can alleage against his will and those promises that he hath made vnto vs. We must as S. Augustine sayeth shutte our eyes from all that we maye see and from all considerations that may turne vs awaye or feare vs and open our eares only to heare and meditate vppon that which God sayeth And if on the one side considering the things that are present we perceaue our selues a falling readie to be cast headlong into any distrust we must on the other side for to comfort our selues behold Iesus Christ of whome we are members sheep of his pasture we must oppose his righteousnes against our vices his life against our death his obediēce against our rebellion his fauours rich grace against our wretchednesse and pouertie his satisfaction against our debtes his mercie against our miserie

then in will and desire alone S. Augustine vpon the first Epistle of Iohn sayeth that the whole life of a Christian is no other thing but an holy desire and good will And in his 9. booke of the Trinitie he hath a saying seruing to this purpose worthy to be noted He sayeth he that knoweth righteousnes and loueth it perfectly that man is righteous notwithstanding that outwardly he hath not yet shewed by his workes in any sort that good affection of his harte To conclude looke where and how often so euer God hath commended vnto vs the studie and keeping of his lawe he doth it alwayes in these tearmes Thou shalt take heede to do those thinges which I commaunde thee To giue vs to vnderstand that the principall point that he requiers of vs is that we haue a desire to please him and a ready good will to do that which he hath commaunded vs according to that grace and strength that he hath giuen vs which is the thing that he most esteemeth in vs As we see a father a great deale more to contente him selfe with that his sonne doth be it neuer so litle then of all that his seruaunt can do because he esteemeth their works not according to their greatnes or the paine and time that they haue spente in doing them but according to the will and readynes which they haue that do them We must then conclude that the holynes of a Christian man the deutie diligence which maketh him to employe those graces that he hath receaued of God to profite in his feare and continually to better him selfe in the exercise grougth of good workes are imperfect in many respectes And as S. Ierom sayeth the perfection of all the righteousnes that is in the flesh is maymed to be perfect it is necessarie that we acknowledge confesse and feele with an inward feeling that we are imperfect S. Augustine confirmeth the same saying that a righteous mans vertue maye be sayde to be perfect with this condicion that his perfection consisteth in hauing the knowledge of his imperfection and in making humble confession thereof before god And how soeuer there be great lacke in vs in this point that our righteousnesses are as vnperfect beginnings in this worlde yet neuertheles we must not thinke that he will reiect and denie them For he is not as other creditours rigourous and not to be intreated who will not be contented with him that is bounde before they be payd and satisfied the vttermost farthing but he is gentle and gracious and is pleased with vs when we denie not our debtes and will not excuse our selues in this that we are not able to paye but without all dissimulation or constrainte we frankly and freely confesse shewing him the desire we haue to satisfie him which yet we can not doe by reason of our pouertie and therefore humblie besech him that he will take in good parte that litle we haue and offring that vnto him which he hath giuen vs of his owne speciall grace When we thus submitte our selues wholly vnto him and praye him to vse such fauour and gentlenes as shall please him towardes vs we likewise bearing and shewing such a sinceritie and vprightnes towardes him in the affaires we haue to do there is no doubt but he will in like manner take in good part that litle which we present vnto him and that both we and our workes how imperfect so euer they are shall be accepted and approued of him in the fauour of his sonne as if they were perfect and absolute in euery point For a father casteth not away his children because they are sicke croke backt blinde or maymed of hande or foote or otherwise counterfait and imperfect but handleth them more tenderly dealeth more softly with them then with the others respecting their debility and feeblenes We cast not away wine though it haue lyes or groundes nor golde how soeuer it be couered with durte A housband man refuseth not lande though it be ouergrowen with brambles and bryers but will vse the greater diligence to stocke it and to plowe it hoping with his diligence that it will bring forth fruite plentifully God likewise will not refuse and put vs awaye because he seeth manye imperfections and infirmities in vs naye rather that is an occasion that he will take the greater pittie vpon vs as Dauid sayeth Albeit sayeth S. Ambrose the light be oftentimes hidden by a cloude which is caried before the sunne yet therfore it is not quite put out And the sunne ceaseth not to be the sunne though his beames be stopped and can not pierce vnto vs euen so likewise howsoeuer our faith oftentimes be disfigured and corrupted by many errours doubtings and distrustes it is not therfore quite choked and we leaue not to be faithfull for these imperfections But before I ende this matter it is meete that we yet handle two pointes one of which is the reason why our holynes is acceptable vnto God and the seruice which we doe vnto him seeing both the one and the other are imperfect and seeing in his lawe he reiecteth all the sacrifices which had in them any imperfection at all The other point is concerning the cause wherefore he regenerating sanctifying vs by his holy spirite hath yet lefte such an heape of vices and imperfections in vs and so much corruption in our nature and life which notwithstanding all the diligence and labour we can to correct and mortifie it yet we can not come any thing ●eare to be wholy deliuered and exempte from it Touching the first of these two pointes there are two reasons for which our vertues and workes are approued accepted before God how imperfect so euer they be One is because Iesus Christ hath couered and taken them vnder the cloke of his righteousnes assone as we are vnited and knit vnto him so as no such spotte appeareth in vs that can offend god And for that he is our Mediatour towardes God his father we see God no otherwise then in him and by him As the father in like manner will not see nor beholde vs other where then in Iesus Christ through his humanitie as members and partes of his body And this is the cause that maketh vs to appeare altogether other then we are For euen like as loking aside through any glasse be it blew or yelow or of any other coulor all the thinges we see seeme to vs to be of the coulor of the glasse through which we did beholde them So God also beholding and looking vpon vs in his sonne we seeme to him to be of his coulor and we haue the appearaunce and brightnes of his innocency and righteousnes which causeth that in seeing and touching vs he thinketh he seeth toucheth his owne naturall Sonne As Isaack speaking to Iacob his yonger sonne and feeling his necke and handes thought it had