Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	justify_v	righteousness_n	work_n	23,271	5	6.5234	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27259	Psychomachia, or, The soules conflict with the sins of vain glory, coldnesse in professing Christ, envie, photinianism (of the last resurrection), ingratitude, unpreparednes to meet the Lord, revenge, forgetfulness of God : pourtrayed in eight severall sermons, six whereof were delivered at St. Maries, and Christ-Church in Oxford, and two at Sherburn in Glocestershire / Henry Beesley ...	Beesley, Henry, 1605-1675.	1656 (1656)	Wing B1691; ESTC R13325	163,090	260

an object they cannot discerne things spirituall and remote from the senses or at least esteem them little Merc Trismeg Pimander cap. 4. at so great a distance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Trism●gist divinely observed for the things that we behold too much content us in the certainty of possessing them whereas those that are absent and invisible beget a distrust in our imaginations whether they have any being or no as having no sensible shape or figure to commend them unto our capacities And this seemeth to have been the proper disease of the ruling Scribes and Pharisees that being immersed in earthly desires and namely those which the scripture termeth the lust of the eyes and the pride of life 1 Io. 2.16 they were not in case to set their affections on things above for touching the former the sin of covetousness Col. 3.2 that we may see how fitly our Saviour compar'd it to thornes Mat. 13.12 that choke the seed of the word that is sown and will not suffer it to grow up we have in these a clear example that being present at the delivery of his heavenly doctrine concerning the soveraigne use of riches in being laid up for another life it is said expresly that being covetous they derided him Lu. 16.15 were so far from receiving his counsel that they despised him that gave it and this because their hearts were forestalled with the worship of their Mammon which kept them from serving a better Master And who can say then that God is unrighteous who taketh vengeance on such Idolaters though he suffer the God of this world to blind their eyes Rom. 3.5 2 Cor. 4 4. and least the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them Then for the latter that is vaine glory how it raigned in them we shall need but to looke how our Saviour emblazons them Math. 23. Mat. 23 5. Accuratly displayed by B Andr. on the ●6 verse of Math. 6. That all their workes they did for to be seen of men Their fasting praying and almes giving all are levelled at this marke The eyes of God will not serve their turne but like so many stage-players they play religion under the maske of godlinesse to entertain the eyes of men get them attire for this purpose broader phylacteries then were usually worne and larger borders on their garments as if that were to keep the law of God more exactly then others to have it embroydered on their apparell more sumptuously then the common people And yet this hypocrisie as gross as it was might be fine enough to deceive the more simple spectator but that to prevent this danger our Saviour proceedeth in the discovery and layes down such markes as none could but see with what spirit they were acted for to affect as they did the uppermost rooms and the chief seats to be in love with publique greetings and glorious titles These made it appeare vers 6.7 what wind it was that filled their sailes and that they sought rather to be honour'd of men then to be approved of God Now what an obstacle this vanity is in the way of faith he made it unquestionable by that demand Io. 5.44 chap. 5. How can ye beleeve that receive honour one of another being as they were such slaves of glory it was not possible they should be the servants of Christ but they must part with that which was dearer to them then their soules that is their esteem and fame with the people In pursuit whereof verse 44. they seeke not the honour that is from God onely but make a blast of empty praise their summum bonum mind no happinesse beyond it Nay rather then faile of this wretched end they seek the honour that is due to God only deprive him of his prime-Crown-Jewell that which of all things Isay 42.8 he will not part with to another For what lesse do they that glorify themselves instead of God by a proud confidence of their own excellencies which was the sin of these Lordly Pharisees Who being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse Rom. 10 3 seeking to stablish their own righteousnesse did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God That ignorance was the effect of their pride Rom 9.32 because they sought to be justified not by faith but as it were by the works of the law And therefore no marvaile if they could not beleeve when presuming on their workes ipso suo tumore caecati saith St. Austin that very presumption did so blind them as to make them stumble at that stumbling stone That stone is Christ verse eod they may thanke their pride for so transforming him For pride as it is of a swelling nature so with the swelling it darkneth the mind that it cannot discerne the truth you may hear it from St. Gregory Tumor mentis dum inflat Moral l. 23. obnubilat It is the high mountaine that stands in Christs way and hinders the influence of his grace If he offer to heale such men as these Mark 2.17 Revel 3.17 they are whole enough and have no need of the Physitian if to relieve them they are rich and abound in goods and have need of nothing if he speake of freeing them from the bondage of sin Valles pluvia rigan tur ad facundi tatemquum intereà summi altorum montium vertices sicci manent vallis ergo fiat qui celestem gratia pluviam vult suscipere Calv. in 2 ad Corinth cap. 12. Superbaedactus est dei contemptus Aquin 2. 2ae q. 162. ut 6. they are Abrahams children and were never in bondage to any man they That well might St. Austin say Superbis Pharisaeis viluit Christus The Pharisees pride made Christ contemptible in their eyes And then it is most just with God to withhold his grace from them that so scornfully reject it let even the heathen man be Judge Superbus miser indignus est misericordiâ The disdainfull wretch deserves no mercy and how much lesse if he contemn the Author of it which is the formal act of pride as the Schoole defines it for whereas other sins turn from God through ignorance or infirmity or the desire of some seeming good pride departs from him eo nomine that it will not be subject to him and his rule that we may say of the proud what St. Paul doth of the carnal mind Rom. 8.7 It is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be like the sin of Rebellion which is such a turning away from the Prince that it turnes upon him and fights against him Insomuch that God is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to resist the proud Jam. 4.6 Isay 42 1● v. 25 As if these did p●ovoke him more then any to stir up his jealousy l●ke a man of war to powre upon them the fury of his anger and the strength of battel

and the fire of zeale enkindled in his breast then was the time he should speak with his tongue And could those Rulers beleeve on a Saviour whom they would not confesse or rely on his divine promises which they durst not approve before impotent men 1 Joh. 5.4 Could that faith whose victoriousnesse should vanquish the world be thus easily vanquished by the infirmities of feare and ambition By the same weakenesse as they feared to acknowledge Christ they would sooner have denyed him by how much the presence of dangers doth more affright us then the possibility of them whose degenerous practise had others repeated by imitation how would Christianity have become abortive and even been ruined in its infancie Calv. excusatio ad pseudo Nicodem Could they be so injurious to the providence of the Almighty as to leave him no other means of protection but the dastardly stratagem of shrinking flesh Or so ungratefull to his bounty as thus to smoother the riches of his grace in shamefull obscuritie Nay could they be so malitious unto their own goodnesse as by this absurd hypocrisie to make themselves suspected of that evill which they inwardly detested to seem opposers of that doctrine which in conscience they allowed To counterfait sin is the Plague of fiction which beyond a single mischief inveagles others into the society of perdition Whereas on the contrary to personate vertue however it doth condemn the Actors may yet by a charitable cozenage beguile the spectators to a serious goodnesse The courtesy of some would needs put such a religion on Seneca that reserving to himselfe a dissenting mind Non quidem ageret fingentem scenicum in theatro sed imitaretur in templo eò damnabiliùs quod illa qua mendaciter agebat sic ageret ut eum populus veraciter agere existimaret Scenicus autem ludendo potiùs delectaret quam fallendo deciperet Aug. de Civit. lib. 6. cap. 10. he did but mock his heathen Idols with a mimical worship But herein their charitie doth only render him a more impious Tragedian thus to make the temple his Theater and consecrate his dissembling under a faigned idolatrie which was so much more damnable here then if he had acted it on the stage as the people were thereby deceived mistaking his fiction for realitie Nor are these Rulers less worthy of blame whose seeming judaisme either hardned the ignorant in their errour or offended the conscience of weaker converts But notwithstanding this heavy charge others there be that from a sence of humane fraility step in to the rescue of these Rulers and bestow on them a true though a weake and implicit faith alledging for them that as to have denied their Saviour after examination had been solemn apostacie so being not asked Corse● Ph l M●● to suppress him was onely infirmity and might consist with the Infant faith of the springing Gospel when to avoid the tumult and danger of sudden innovation they could not so soone conforme themselves to the publique profession of a new religion whose nature it was to proceed rather by insinuation then by violence Neither could these legall ceremonies imprinted by education be hastily abolished which must be suffred a while to give testimony unto their succeding truths but were wholy discharged by the fullnesse of faith which was perfected at the ascending of our Saviour and descending of the Holy Ghost So that following ages are as far from the priviledge as the necessity of this silence nor can justly pretend the weaknesse of these Rulers to cloake them in their mask'd devotion Though many desiring rather to impute a fault to some patron then to want a patron for their fault Iohn 3 2 19 39. Calvini excusatio ad pres ●do Ni o present to themselves the example of Nicodemus He that came to Jesus by night as if this might excuse them from comming by day in the open profession of his truth But if they will turne their eyes from Nicodemus the Jew Rev 22.16 Iohn 7.51 Iames 2.18.22 Joh. 19 39. to Nicodemus the Christian and behold him enlightned with the bright morning star They shall find him in the midst of raging conspirators the onely advocate in defence of Christ and vouching the equity of their Law in his vindication And if they will accompany him to the funeralls of Christ They shall find him manifesting his faith by his works in his hundred pound of sweet Odours when the chief Rulers were now prosecuting the victory of their malice on the scattred beleevers and by a greater wickedness strive to blot out the memory of their wickedness in blotting out the memory of our Saviour yet not wholly to deprive them of the favour of so great a protection they may perchance resemble him somewhat in the burial of Christ whom they carry sepulchred in their stony hearts although herein also they may note the incongruity that whereas he honourably enterr'd his Body with costly ointments They Bury his divinity in their rotten breasts and with unexcusable violation entomb to themselves the Lord of Glory Pharisees You have seen the subjects of this fear and now if you please to reflect on the Authors of it to your just wonder and commiseration you shall find them the learned and zelous Pharisees Eorum nomen Epiphan lib. 1. cap. 19 appositissimè a separando deducit quod vè spontaena quadâ et superflua religione et ficta vitae morumque sanctitate a reliquis se seperarent Corn Betram de pol Iud Cap 19 Men so incapable of Christianity that they disgrace revile and persecute all that countenance and embrace it They were the Doctors of the Law Chrysil serm 15 7. de St. Palo from the direction of these mistick ceremonies expected the accomplishment of a Messias and would you think these so uncivil as not to welcome him in the flesh nay so unskilfull as not to know him in the flesh whose life and preaching dayly unridling their types and prophesies They yet accuse him not to fulfill the Law but to destroy it Adeo per zelum legis impugnabant legem et in Deum dei amore peccabant Thus by a strange maladie of judgement they abhorred the truth of that doctrine which they admired in figures and as if their heresie would make a schisme in the Trinity think they did God good service in fighting against him If you do but severely examine the Chronicles of our Saviours warfare you shall find this busy faction his fiercest adversaries and almost paralelling every action of his with unwearied opposition Somtimes you may find them attempting to ensnare him with subtil questions as if they would entrap him in his own words that knew the wickednesse of their thoughts before ever they sounded in blasphemy Sometimes you may find them detracting from his applauded miracles and rather ascribing goodnesse to Beelzebub than divinity to the Son of God He casteth out devils