Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	4,322	5	5.9067	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69038	The theatre of Catolique and Protestant religion diuided into twelue bookes. Wherein the zealous Catholike may plainelie see, the manifest truth, perspicuitie, euident foundations and demonstrations of the Catholique religion; together with the motiues and causes, why he should perseuer therin. ... Written by I.C. student in diuinitie.	I. C., student in divinity.; Copinger, John, b. 1571 or 2, attributed name.; Colleton, John, 1548-1635, attributed name.	1620 (1620)	STC 4284; ESTC S115632	314,600	666

endes because Pharao against godes mercie did oppose his free will Nabuchodonosor beinge touched with godes discipline bewailed his owne impietie And in another place he saith that if two persons had equall graces and equall temperature both of bodie and soule one of them may behaue himselfe well by his free will another by the same free will may behaue himselfe ill 2. That a man must dispose himselfe to receaue godes grace S. Thomas proues it by naturall reason D. Tho. q. 1. 2. q. 11 T for the forme can neuer be receaued into the subiect without aswell the disposition of the forme as of the subiect especially when the subiect hath alreadie a disposition repugnant to the forme but a miserable sinner is loaden with sinne then the which nothinge is more repugnant to godes grace by which wee be gratefull vnto him therfore that this may be introduced there must be a conuenient disposition which ought to be correspondent vnto man This is proued for as sinne was voluntarilie comitted therfore a man must haue a voluntarie disposition to forgoe sinne almightie God would haue al men to be saued therfore man is in faulte and not God that he is not saued Otherwise if this doctrine had not bene true in vaine did the Prophetts Apostles and preachers in their sermons admonitiōs and exhortations crie vnto the people that they should turne them vnto God and prepare themselues with due pennance and other blessed workes to reforme themselues and to dispose themselues to serue God to obtaine his grace and remission of their sinnes by meanes of those vertues which are giuen vnto man to saue him It is proued likewise by the holie councelles Aurant ●●lest epistola 1. and namlie by the councell of Auransican of which Celestine pope makes mention to the Bishoppes of France It is defined saith he that wee ought to cooperate with the helpe of godes grace in these thinges that appertayne vnto our saluation that by the meanes of our cooperation and disposition wee may be saued before God 3. This is also proued for that wee haue alreadie proued that sinners are iustified by a certaine forme or grace inherent in man therfore there must be some disposition in respect of the free will to receaue that forme or grace For accordinge to the ordinance of God noe subiecte receaues any forme without a disposition in the subiect accordinge to the naturall inclination of the subiect but naturall subiects are disposed naturallie therfore free subiects are to be disposed freelie accordinge to the exigence and condition of their nature 4. Heretiques doe obiect against this doctrine that of the Romaines Non volentis neque currentis c. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth Ad Titum 3. but of godes mercie Not of the workes of iustice that wee haue done but accordinge to his mercie he saueth vs. Isa 64. Hier. 18. Rom. 9. Man in respect of his owne iustification is as it were a masse of claye in the handes of the potter or els a deade instrument without any proper motion as Isayas saith Isa 10. shall the axe glorie or boast against him that cuttes with the same or shall the sawe lyft it selfe vpp against him that draweth the same otherwise it should not be said that man is iustified freelie but for his good woorks and rather that he should iustifie himselfe 5. Wee answere that the whole worke of our iustification is attributed vnto God because he is the principall doer and agent thereof not onlie by powringe his grace vpon vs but also in disposinge our wills to receaue the same by a speciall motion of his diuine grace Notwithstādinge it is ascribed vnto man also in that wee cooperate and that wee doe somthinge in the worke of our iustification as I haue allreadie alleadged out of scripture otherwise they should not be praysed that with all their harts should turne vnto God neither should they be dispraised that doe resiste godes vocation otherwise they should contradict the prophett Expandi manus meas tota die ad populum incredulum contradicentem mihi I haue stretched my handes all the whole day to an incredulous people and contradictinge me And also it should not be said Vos durae ceruicis resistitis Spiritu sancto You stif-necked people you resiste the holie ghoaste Sess 9. c. 5 6. Therfore the Councell of Trentt hath damned those heretiques that said that wee haue noe free will in the worke of our iustification and that wee are dead without life in those actions For though a man beinge lefte to his owne naturall forces and strenghte hath noe actiue force to obtaine the grace of God or yet any disposition therevnto notwithstandinge as a man is holpen and moued of God and eleuated aboue his owne nature by Godes helpe he doth cooperate actiuelie freelie disposinge himselfe to receaue the same And therfore S. Paule saith Non ego sed gratia Dei mecum not I in respecte of myne owne nature and force but in respect of the grace of God with me And to that which you obiect ou● of S. Paule videlicet wee should not be said to be iustified gratis or freelie I answere it is not soe taken but in respect of meritts which is called meritum decondigno that is to say that a man hath done woorks before Gods grace worthie of Godes grace which catholiques doe not say and that gratis takes not away the freedome of man neither doth it followe that a man can iustifie himselfe yet may it be said that a man maie dispose himselfe to receaue Gods grace as 2. Eccl. In conspectu illius sanctificabunt animas suas And Ezech in his sight they shall sanctifie their soules and he hath quickned his owne soule 7. This is proued by naturall reason as also in all supernaturall actions for the meanes by which man doth turne vnto God is by the acts of faith hope and charitie and a penitent harte but it should be an implication against all reason that a man should beleeue in God hope and loue God and be penitent for offendinge God and that he should doe nothinge therein or that when a man doth pennaunce or loueth God it should be said he loues not God or doth noe pennaunce in which wee see two contradictories true which cannot be for one must be false when the other is true for if it be true that a man hath faith or beleefe in God therfore the contradictorie is false that man hath no faith nor doth not beleeue in God euen as it is false that the fire doth burne and the sunne giue light and yet that none of them doth any thinge For to beleeue or to hope or to loue in man are called vitall and immanent actions which cannot be supplied by any other cause then by such principles out of which they be produced but to beleeue or to loue are produced out of the two principles of man I

meane vnderstandinge and will for it is not the action of God immediatlie but the action of man of whome immediatlie and next it is produced for it is not said that any other creature doth loue God but man when man doth loue God and therfore you must not saie that man beleeuinge hopinge in God and louinge God are not the actions of man when he hath the principles I meane vnderstandinge and will out of which they procede Whether wee derogate from the merittes of Christ in making our meritts partakers of his meritts CHAPTER IV. 1. GOd forbid that the merittes of the iust should derogate from Christs B. passion or should be iniurious vnto him they rather are a great glorie vnto Christe beinge the fruicts of the merittes of his passion which of themselues haue noe valour or excellencie but as they are bedewed and sprinckled with the blood of Christe vnto whome wee owe the merittes of them by his grace and not vnto our selues as Albertus magnus saith Iustitia meritorum Christ fulge● in virtutibus sanctorum Albett ar 3. q. 2. in 29. d. The iustice of the merittes of Christ doth shine in the vertues and woorks of the Sainctes Take awaie this iustice from them and they may be condemned yea they cannot be saued Therfore wee saie that a reward is giuen vnto them not as they come from vs but as they come from his grace which worketh in vs. And he himselfe saith Matt. ● Merces vestra copi●sa est in Caelis your reward is great in heauen which reward is giuen vnto our workes by Christ whoe makes our workes worthie thereof 2. This argument is weake Christ sufficientlie merited for man therfore a man ought not to meritt anie thinge himselfe Christ prayed Christ suffred Christ preached Christe fasted and offred himselfe vnto God for our sinnes therfore wee should not merite wee should not praye nor suffer nor preach nor faste nor offer our selues to God Whereas Christ merited prayed fasted suffred and offered himselfe that I should merite fast praie suffer c. When as the actions of Christe are our instructions and although Christ suffred for all yet he left vs as S. Peter said an example to followe his stepps And though the meritts of Christs passion are of themselues sufficient to purchase and merite life euerlastinge for all men yet he would not haue the efficacie thereof to be applied vnto vs vnlesse wee would endeuour by his grace to ioyne also our meritts therunto which yet derogates nothinge from the passion of Christ for it is more excellent to obtaine glorie by deserts then without the same and therfore our meritts are not required for the insufficiencie of the meritts of Christ but rather are required for the great excellencie of the meritts of them and of his great loue and charitie towardes vs. 3. Wee saie with the whole catholique church the good workes of iust persons if they proceede of the grace of God doe deserue and meritte life euerlastinge which doth consiste in the cleere vision and fruition of God this is proued by many places of scripture Gode giues euerie man accordinge to his workes and in the Apocalips I come and my reward is with me to giue euerie man as his worke shal be Psal 65. Matt. 16. Rom. 2. 1. Cor. 3. with the Apostle Euerie man shall receaue accordinge to his owne labour where in trueth he spoke of the reward of life euerlastinge And when our Sauiour saith blessed be the poore in spiritt blessed be the poore in hart he concludes reioice and be glad Matt. 5. for your reward is great in the kingdome of heauen in another place he saith Come yee blessed of my father Matt. 25 I haue bene hungrie and you gaue me to eate come and possesse the kingdome of heauen And as the Apostle saith Gal. 8. qui seminat in Spiritu he that soweth in the spiritt or spirituall workes he shal purchase life euerlastinge if you will enter into life keepe the comaundements Euerie one that shall forgoe howse c. he shall receaue an hundreth fould and he shall possesse life euerlastinge Matt. 19. Blessed is that man that suffers tentation c. when he shal be tried he shall receaue a crowne of life which God promised to those that loue him The Apostle saith pietie is profitable to all thinges hauinge promise of the life that now is and of that to come 4. Some heretiques aunswere these places that God giues life euerlastinge to those that worke well vnto the end but not that our workes deserues the same Vnto this I replie when it is said that life euerlastinge is the reward of good deedes and that by the promise of God it is giuen to those wotkes it is sufficiently explicated that good workes doe merite life euerlastinge Merites and rewardes are correlatiues which are said to be the promise hire or recompence that are giuen for works the verie woord is declared by S. Paule Heb. 13. And beneficence and communication doe not forget Eccles 16. for with such hostes God is promerited and it is said in another place all mercie maketh place to euerie one accordinge to the merittes of his woorks Con. Arā cap. 16. It is auouched by the counsells Debetur merces bonjs operibus si fiant sed gratia quae non debetur praecedit vt fiant Reward is due vnto good workes if they be done but grace which is not due doth goe before that they may be done Lateran sub Innocent 3. By the councell of Lateran cap. firmiter de summa trinitate Omnes iusti cuiuscunque conditionis sunt statim per opera bona praelucentes Deo merentur ad aeternam vitam peruen●re All iust men of whatsoeuer condition they be Con. Floren in decreto de purg Con Trid. sess 6. cap. vlt. shininge by theire good works before God they deserue to come to euerlastinge life The councell of Florence saith that by diuersitie of workes one sees God more cleerer thē another This is proued by al the fathers Ignatius Ireneus Iustinus Origines Basil Chrisost Nazian and Nisse Tertul Cyprian Hillar Ambro August Paulinus Prosper Gregorius Papa Bernard as Cardinall Bellarmin cites 5. S. Augustine saith Sicut merito peccati tanquam stipendium redditur mors ita merito iustitae tanquam stipendium redditur vita aeterna As sinne is rewarded with death soe iustice is rewarded with life euerlastinge Ad Epis Galliae cap. 12. and as Celestinus saith Tanta erga homines est bonitas Dei vt nostra velit esse merita quae sunt ipsius dona Soe great is the goodnes of God towardes men that he would haue to be our desertes which are his guifts He that laboures in the seruice of any man whatsoeuer he is promised by his bargaine he ought to receaue the same accordinge to the promise made but the iust people doe labour in godes