> as lemmas

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Phil. ii. 12 Euen so worke out youre awne saluacion with feare and tremblynge.

1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. i. 86 With Crosses, Relicks, Crucifixes, Beads, Pictures, Rosaries and Pixes: The Tools of working out Salvation, By meer Mechanick Operation.

1818 J. Keats Let. 9 Oct. (1931) I. 243 The Genius of Poetry must work out its own salvation in a man: It cannot be matured by law and precept, but by sensation and watchfulness in itself.

1881 T. W. R. Davids tr. Buddhist Suttas i. vi. 114 Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your salvation with diligence!

1891 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 88 Only those who have worked out their own photographic salvation can realize the difficulties to be overcome.

1911 L. T. Hobhouse Liberalism iv. 80 Let every people be free to work out its own salvation.

1948 A. Toynbee Civilization on Trial x. 210 It is for other Muslims to work out their salvation for themselves as may seem good to them.

1957 A. Thwaite Ess. Contemp. Eng. Poetry ix. 142 His [sc. Robert Graves'] self-imposed isolation from English literary life has left him free to work out his own poetic salvation and to take an idiosyncratic view of what everyone else is writing.

1981 Daily Tel. 12 Jan. 14/3 There are those..who resist the radicals' attempts to force their ‘rights’ upon them, and prefer to work out their own salvation.