Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	wisdom_n	wonderful_a	work_n	25	3	4.1685	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17218	Looke from Adam, and behold the Protestants faith and religion evidently proued out of the holy Scriptures against all atheists, papists, loose libertines, and carnall gospellers: and that the faith which they professe, hath continued from the beginning of the world, and so is the true and ancient faith. Herein hast thou also a short summe of the whole Bible, and a plaine manifestation, that all holy men who have pleased God, have beene saved through this Christian faith alone.; Alte Glaube. English	Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; Coverdale, Miles, 1488-1568.	1624 (1624)	STC 4073; ESTC S108889	66,495	116

they that in their estate are noted according to their generations to reckon backward from Abraham unto the first man though they had not the name of Christian men for at Antioch certaine yeeres after the ascension of Christ was that name given to the faithfull Acts 11. yet as pertaining to the religion and substance they were all Christians For if this word Christian be as much to say as one that putteth his trust in Christ and through his doctrine fastned unto faith unto the grace and righteousnesse of God doth cleave with all diligence to Gods doctrine and exerciseth himselfe in every thing that is vertuous then verily those holy men whom we spake of first were even the same that Christian men boast themselves now to be All these are the words of the foresaid old Christian Doctors But to the intent that no man shall thinke that we build upon men and upon a strange foundation therefore wee will first declare our minds out of the Scriptures and alleage somewhat more for the better understanding of the matter CHAP. II. Of the goodnesse of God and wickednesse of man GOd which hath ever beene sufficient to all perfection and needeth nothing of the creatures to his perfectnesse onely of his owne kinde and nature which is good that is to say of his owne grace and mercy yea even because he would doe good created man for himselfe But before he created him he provided first for him wonderfully and furnished him with unspeakable riches of his goodnesse For when he devised the creation of man and the time was now come which his godly wisdome and providence had ordained he first of all appointed a wonderfull lodging for man and garnished the same yet much more wonderfully At the beginning when the goodly and cleere light was made the Lord prepared the instruments which he afterward sundred one from another and ordained every one to some purpose Over the deepe that is over the water and earth which yet was in the water made he a firmament and spread out the heaven above as a pavilion Afterward out of the water he called and brought forth the earth as much as served for the habitation of men and appointed the water his bounds and markes which it may not overpasse And these three things the water the earth and the firmament that is to say the aire and clearenesse above us unto the height of heaven are the essentiall and substantiall parcels of the world and serve as an house for the habitation of men Neverthelesse as yet all this was but rough and unfinished and nothing garnished at all Therefore did the wise and faithfull master put forth his hand wider to performe and pleasantly to garnish that wonderfull worke yea not onely to garnish it but also to make it fruitfull and profitable for man which was the guest and inhabiter for to come And first in as much as man should inhabit the earth he garnished it aforehand and cloathed it with a goodly greene garment that is with a substance which hee deckt first with flowers and all manner of herbes which not onely are pleasant to looke upon and wonderfully beautified of a pleasant taste and goodly colour but also profitable for food and all manner of medicine To the same also did he first adde sundry trees and plants Then watered hee the earth with faire springs rivers and running waters And the ground made he not like on every side but in many places set it up pleasantly And hereof have wee the vallies plaines mountains and hills which things all have their due operation fruit and pleasantnesse After this also began he to garnish the heaven and firmament and set therein the Sunne and the Moone the Planets and Starres which things all are goodlier and more wonderfull than mans tongue can expresse As for their office and the cause why they are set in the heaven it is to give us light and with their up and downe going or motion to declare the times yeares moneths and daies dividing the daies and nights asunder Thirdly he laid his hand likewise in the water in the which hee had wrought no lesse wonders than in heaven and upon earth For in the water and especially in the sea doe the wonderfull workes of God appeare in the fishes and marvels of the sea if a man consider the nature and disposition of them And in the aire also hath hee created and ordained great tokens of his goodnesse power and wisdome even the fowles that pleasantly according to divers commodities doe sing unto man and refresh him At the last endued he the earth yet more richly and filled it with all kinde of profitable and goodly beasts and sundred one from another pleasantly When the Lord now had prepared this goodly and rich pleasure then first after these hee made man that he might bee Lord of all these things Him also endued he above all other creatures and created him after his owne image He made him of body and soule which should have endured for ever if he had not fallen into sinne Now hath he a fraile bodie and an immortall everlasting soule But the first man made he altogether perfect and without blemish so that verily he was called the image of God not without cause The Lord also was not sufficed in garnishing the earth goodly but first also builded upon the earth a speciall garden of pleasure even a Paradise and therein set he man his deare beloved creature And for as much as he being solitary and alone could not conveniently dwell without a mate he appointed him first to plant and keepe the Garden of pleasure and provided for him a wife even out of the bones of his owne body that she might bee the mans helpe Thus would the goodnesse of God finish and make man perfect to the intent that he should lacke nothing which served to a right wholesome and perfect life Therefore was it equall that man which was endued with reason and high understanding should shew thankfulnesse and obedience unto God for such high gifts Yea God himselfe which is not onely good but also righteous requireth the same of him and that by the meanes of the commandement That he might eat of all the trees of the Garden of pleasure Only he should eschew the fruit of knowing good and evill And this commandement was not grievous nor unreasonable Onely it required obedience and love of God the maker unto whom only the creature even man should have respect and looke for all good at his hand and not to take the forme of good and evill out of himselfe but onely to hold that for evill and forbidden which God inhibiteth as evill and to account that as good and righteous which God alloweth or forbiddeth not For a representation visible token and sacrament God shewed him a right visible and fruitfull tree in the Garden of pleasure and forbade him with earnest

because we may not describe it after our owne judgement we will rehearse the words of the Apostle which writing to the Hebrewes saith after this manner Faith is a substance of things to be hoped for an evidence or certaintie of things which doe not appeare By the which definition it is manifest that when we set forth or teach this faith we meane no vaine faith no false opinion of faith no fond imagination of faith no dead faith no idle faith but a substantiall thing even a sure beleefe of things that are to be hoped for and a proofe experience or knowledge of things that are not seene This faith then is the instrument whereby we feele and are certaine of heavenly things that our corporall eye cannot see Now because none other vertue can so apprehend the mercy of God nor certifie us so effectually of our salvation as this living faith doth therefore hath the Scripture imputed our justification before God only unto faith among all other vertues not without other vertues following but without any other worke or deed justifying This is the faith of Christ which all the Scripture speaketh of This is the faith that S. Paul preacheth to justifie in the sight of God as S. Iames teacheth that works justifie in the sight of men and that it is but a dead faith which hath no works This is the faith without the which it is impossible to please God and of the which whatsoever proceedeth not is sinne This is the faith whereby God purifieth our hearts and whose end is salvation This is the faith that worketh by charitie or godly love is of value before God This is the faith whereby the holy fathers which were afore Christs incarnation did in spirit eat and drinke enjoy the same mercy of God in Christ that we are partakers of To be short this is the same faith whereby God saved those his elect of whō S. Paul maketh mention in the foresaid epistle to the Hebrewes and rehearseth many godly fruits of the same in their conversation This then is no new-fangled faith no strange faith no faith invented by mans braine but even the same that Gods holy spirit teacheth in the infallible truth of his Scripture and that Adam Abel Enoch and all the other servants of God were saved in Why doe men therefore either call it a new-fangled faith or report evill of us for setting it forth Why I feare me this is one cause The old faith that all those servants of God had whom the Apostle nameth in the eleventh to the Hebrewes had a life and conversation joyned unto it which was rich and full of all good works Therefore seeing there be so many bablers and pratlers of faith and so few that bring forth the worthy fruits of repentance it giveth the world occasion to report of us that our faith is but new-fangled They see us not fall to labour and taking of paines as Adam did They see not the righteousnesse and thankfulnesse in us that was in Abel They see us not walke after the word and will of God as Enoch did They see us not take Gods warning so earnestly as Noe did They see us not so obedient to the voice of God nor so well willing and content to leave our friends to forsake our owne wils our owne lands and goods at Gods calling and dwell in a strange country to doe Gods pleasure as Abraham did they see that wee chuse not rather to suffer adversitie with the people of God than to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season They see us not esteeme the rebuke of Christ or trouble for his sake to be greater riches than all the treasures of this world as Moses did To be short they see not in our garden those sweet flowers and fruits of Gods holy Spirit which were in them that had the old faith Ashamed may wee be therefore as many of us as either write teach preach speake or talke of the old faith if wee endevour not our selves to have those old heavenly vertues that were ever plentifull in all Gods true servants in every one I meane according to his calling Not that it is evill to teach or talke of the true old faith but this I say because that according to the doctrine of S. Iames they are but deceivers of themselves that are not doers of Gods word as well as hearers thereof And through such slender receiving of Christs holy Gospell it is now come to passe that like as we haue need of such an Apostle as was holy S. Paul to rebuke this vaine confidence that men put in their workes and to tell us that no worke of our doing but faith of Gods working doth justifie us in his sight Even so have wee no lesse need of such another Apostle as was holy S. Iames to rebuke this horrible unthankfulnesse of men that professing themselves to bee Christians and to hold of Christs old faith are yet dead unto all good workes receive not the word of God in meekenesse cast not away all uncleannesse and malitiousnesse are swift to speake to talke to jangle and to take displeasure are forgetfull hearers of the Word and not livers thereafter boasting themselves to be of Gods pure and undefiled Religion and yet refraine nor their tongues from evill visit not the poore the friendlesse and the desolate in their trouble neither keepe themselves undefiled from this world Reade the first chapter of his Epistle What an occasion might such an Apostle as holy Iames was have to write another yea a sharper Epistle seeing so many pretending to be of Iesus Christs old faith are yet so partiall have such a carnall respect of persons are not rich in faith despise the poore practise not the law of godly love talke and jangle of faith not having the workes thereof clothe not the naked helpe not the poore to their living regard not their necessitie have but a dead faith declare not by good and godly workes the true and old faith of Christ are but vaine beleevers have not the eflectuous the working and living faith that Abraham and Rahab had Reade the second chapter of his Epistle How would holy Iames reprove these bringers up of strange doctrines blasphemers backbiters belie●s of good men false teachers against Gods truth dissemblers with the same cary fire as they say with the one hand and water in the other pretend to be learned and yet bring not forth the workes of good conversation in meekenesse out of Gods wisdome but in frowardnesse and out of carnall doctrine How would he take up these that delight in malice and strife belie Gods truth are given to earthly fleshly and devillish wisdome are unstable full of all evill workes are not in the schoole of Gods wisdome and learning are not given to unfainednesse of heart are not peaceable are churlish uneasie to be intreated c. Reade the third chapter