Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	son_n	write_v	7,330	5	6.5418	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32746	A conference of faith written in Latin by Sebastianus Castellio ; now translated into English.; De fide. English	Castellion, Sébastien, 1515-1563.	1679 (1679)	Wing C3731; ESTC R11201	20,516	79

I will give you Examples If one should say that the Goods of Christians ought to be common whether would more readily believe this the Rich or the Poor Lud. The poor Fed. Why Lud. Because the poor should loose nothing by it but rather gain Fed. What would the Rich Lud. They would hardly or not at all believe it because thereby they should become poorer which they would not Fed. What if one denyed Souls to be delivered out of Purgatory by saying Mass Whether would more hardly believe it the Priests or the Lay Lud. The Priests because by that opinion their profit would be diminished Fed. What if one should say Usury is unlawful to Christians could that be perswaded to them that live and grow Rich by Usury Lud. Scarcely Fed. And what if a man Teach this Doctrine that men are not to be put to death for Religion whether would be more apt to believe it They that have Authority with the Magistrate and are themselves Divines and persecute or desire to persecute others or they that are contrary to them Lud. They that are contrary to them For I have known some Divines who when they wanted that Authority and were infested for Religion have taught that for Religion no man ought to be infested the same having gotten Wealth and Authority have both taught and done quite otherwise Fed. You see then that self-love is an impediment of Faith That is men do not easily believe what is contrary to that they love Lud. I see it clearly Fed. Let us now consider if the same be the Impediment of our Faith in Christ In the Institution of Christ there be Histories Promises Precepts Almost all believe the Histories and Promises wherein no duty of man is required nor do any Controversies among Christians arise whether Christ hath done the things that are related of him in Holy Writ or hath promised the things that are therein contained But the Precepts why do so few believe them Lud. Do fewer believe the Precepts than the History or Promises Fed. Do you doubt First that which the Masters are wont to teach in General touching Gods commands that they are not delivered that we should keep them but that we should acknowledge our infirmity what is it else then to derogate Faith from his commands and not to believe them For when the Lord hath said All things are possible to him that believeth And St. Paul I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Certainly whosoever doth not only not obey the Precepts but believes it impossible for them to be obeyed he does not truly believe the Precepts Whence it follows that how few soever they are that obey the Precepts and they are very few so few they are that believe the Precepts Lud. But that which you say All things are possible to him that believeth seems to have been spoken not of obedience but of miracles Fed. 'T was spoken in General of all the works of Faith which we have discoursed of before alledging that place out of the Epistle to the Hebrews The Saints by Faith have subdued Kingdoms wrought righteousness For to work righteousness certainly is the act of Faith Moreover if it were Gods pleasure that by Faith miracles might be wrought which yet are not necessary to mans Salvation much more would he have obedience to his commands possible by the same Faith since without obedience man cannot be saved and besides it being not more difficult to obey than to do miracles and to obey being the duty of all Believers to do miracles not of all as afore we have demonstrated Lud. These things are true Federic but there remains one thing which I desire you to Explain for me You have said before that almost all believe the History not the Precepts But if men did believe the whole History of Christ and especially the Resurrection the rest also as I think would be believed No doubt if men did believe that Jesus Christ is Risen they would believe withal that he is truly the Son of God and so believe all his sayings likewise For this cause St. John saith These things are Written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that Believing ye might have life through his Name Fed. When I deny that they believe his Precepts I would not have it so taken as if they believe not that he hath given Precepts and given them well as is worthy of the Son of God but whereas they believe the things he hath commanded either not possible to be done or not necessary or else interpret them amiss and according to their own will not according to the mind of Christ I say they do not believe his Precepts that is not believe them well Which that you may the more easily understand I will bring an example When God having brought the Israelites out of Egypt commanded them to invade the Land of Canaan did they believe God commanded it Lud. Yes surely otherwise they would never have sent their Spies into Canaan Fed. Why then did they not obey Lud. Because they did not hope the Canaanites could be overcome nor think that God had brought them out of Egypt to possess Canaan but miserably to perish in the Wilderness Fed. Therefore they did not believe Gods commands according to Gods mind when his mind was that they should invade and subdue the Canaanites Lud. You say the truth Fed. Therefore they did not believe well Lud. Not well Fed. Are they then to be called Believers or Unbelievers Lud. Vnbelievers in that respect Fed. Directly Unbelievers Ludovic for God calls them Unbelievers in these words Numbers 14. How long will this people provoke me And how long will it be e're they believe me for all the signs which I have shewed amongst them Now if these be rightly named Unbelievers they may also by the same reason be called so and said not to believe the Precepts of Christ who interpret them no better than these Israelites did the commands of God For Christ hath shewed us as many miracles as Moses them as seriously commands us to subdue our sins as they were commanded to subdue the Canaanites nor are we less contumelious and diffident in respect of Christ if when he commands us and promiseth strength we deny it possible to subdue our sins then they were in respect of God while they deny it possible to subdue the Canaanites nor do we less offend against the mind of Christ while we say what Christ commanded he did not command with a meaning that it should be done or be possible then they while they drew the meaning of God another way from the sense of his plain words Wherefore in that I deny them to believe the precepts of Christ I do them no wrong As to the place of St. John cited by you it is to be understood as if one had said then to the Israelites God hath done those miracles for you in Egypt that ye may