Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	knowledge_n	patience_n	temperance_n	4,684	5	12.0601	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12996	A treatise on the First Psalme. By Mathew Stonham. Minister and preacher in the cittie of Norwich	Stoneham, Mathew.	1610 (1610)	STC 23289; ESTC S117850	168,319	238

to this perseuerance may bee drawne from our present good beginnings and by likely-hood forward proceedings in the fruites of godlynesse and shall wee now shrinke shall wee now giue ouer shall wee hold on all the heate of the day and shall wee faint and languish and yeeld in the coole as it were of the Euening Haue wee prosperously guided our vessell through the maine and deepest Seas and shall wee suffer it to bee wracked at the very entrance of the Port of our happinesse oh zealous speech of holy Polycarpus worthy to be a perpetuall president of our serious and religious imitation who made it Euseb e●cl●s Hist lib 4. cap 15. an argument that hee was still to serue Christ because hee had so long a time formerly serued him therefore in the middest of persecutions more hott in zeale then his tormenters in blood-shed brake hee forth into this protestation Sexaginta et sex annos seruio Christo et nihil me l●sit vnquam quomodo possum maledicere ei et blasphemare regem meum qui salutem m●hi dedit Sixty and sixe yeares do I serue Christ and he hath neuer hurt me at any time how can I now speake euill of him and blaspheme my King which hath giuen sauing-health vnto me Of this so holy a speech may wee make an holy vse vnto our selues That for as much as wee haue so and so many yeares beene as fruitfull Trees in the Lords seruice wee should not now in any case become barr●n Is it reported of Socrates that hee neuer changed his countenance and shall wee change our Religion Ought wee to forget that which is Philip. 3. 13. behinde and endeuour our selues to that which is before and shall wee goe backe from Christ to follow the world with Demas 2. Tim. 4. 10. Oh no ●let that bee farre from vs but rather as God hath continued a chaine of his graces towards vs whereof the first ●incke is by predestinating vs the second by Calling vs the third by lustifying vs the fourth shall bee accomplished by glorifying vs in the world to come Rom. 8. 30. Let vs also recontinue toward him a Chaine of those graces which wee haue receiued from him that so there may bee grace for grace for which purpose are wee to giue all diligence that wee may ioyne vertue with our faith and with our vertue knowledge and with our knowledge temperance and with our temperance patience and with our patience goodnesse and with our goodnesse brotherly kindnesse and with our brotherly kindnesse loue that so wee may not bee standing still idle and vnfruitfull 2. Pet. 1. verse 5. to 9. but going on working and fruitfull in the knowledge of our LORD IESVS CHRIST like Trees that still will and will still bring forth fruite The fourth motiue or reason which may perswade vs to this perseuerance may bee drawne from the nature of God himselfe with whome is no variablenesse nor shadowing by turning vnto the which wee ought to bee conformed Iam. 1. 17. and become like it First because it is necessary we should so bee in regarde hereof that wee are sayd to bee partakers of the diuine Nature The Diuine nature is without 2. Pet. 1 4. Variablenesse so must wee which are pertakers therof not change but immutably goe on to bee fruitefull Secondly because it will bee most acceptable vnto God if wee so bee who beeing our heauenly Father will reioyce no doubt as earthly fathers vse to doe in those Sonnes which are most like him Thirdly because in so being wee shall bee most honorable vnto our selues for the greatest honor as writeth Greg Nazianzene is to come nearest the Image of God wherein we were cr●ated whose Image wee then without ●reg Nazian ●rat● 26. question doe represent when we become vnchangeable as hee is vnchargeable whose name is like his nature I am that I am Exod. 3. 14. The fifth and last reason or motiue which may perswade vs to this perseuerance is the hazard which otherwise may and will bee that we shall neuer be saued He that indureth to the end shal be saued Mat. 24. 13. Wee are in the Church of God as in a vineyearde where we must labour and continue our labour vnto the end before wee canne receaue our penny as in a race wherein wee must run and continue to the end before wee can bee recompensed as in a warrefare wherein we must fight vnto the end before wee can be crowned For wee ought to bee faithfull vnto the death if we looke to receaue a crowne of life Apoc. 2. 10. to which purpose saith Saint Cyril Nolite vobis blandiri fratres c. S. Cy●il Doe not flatter your selues br●theren that yee haue heard and receiued my speech This is but the beginning onely of saluation vnlesse ye shal abide in the same it shal not auaile you Non qu●ritur initium sed finis sayth S. Ierome The beginning S. Ierome is not sought after but the end Saul and Iudas began well but ended euilly The one killed him-selfe and lost his kingdome the other hanged him-selfe tha● hee mought go to his owne place Act. 1. 25. Paul on the other side begun euilly but ended well so farre forth as he was resolute in it that for as much as he had fought a good fight ended his course there was laid vppe for him a crown 2 Tim. 4 7. 8. of righteousnesse 2. Tim. 4. 7. 8. We must in the compasse of our profession be like a circle in Geometry wee must continue a puncto ad punctum from point to point from Alpha to Omega from the first to the last as Trees euer fruitfull Will bring forth This perseuerance here required sheweth that the life of a good man ought to be the life of such a man as shal testifie him-selfe to bee First Laborious in alwayes bearing and bringing forth the fruite enioyned him No ease no idlenesse which the Fathers call D●monis puluinar the diuels cushion But sweate but labour must bee his taske his portion Saint Chrysostome witnesseth writing vppon S. Cryso●● in Math. 24. 13. 〈◊〉 the wordes Hee that continueth to the end shall bee saued Nomen tollerantiae est nomen sudoris The name of Tollerancie is a name of sweate and that which is translated to abide or continue is in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is One that remayneth vnder as it fa●eth with the porter in the bearing of his burthen as a Tree laden with his fruite Secondly this perseuerance sheweth that the good man ought to testifie him-selfe to bee Couragious to withstand the lettes which may hinder him in this his will of ●uture fructifying Religion is a thing though inwardly sweete and comfortable yet outwardly sharpe and bitter Like Iohn the Baptist whose inward milde vertues were cloathed with an outward rough vesture not better then camels hayre Math. 3. 4. Many difficulties will affright him dangers represse him crosses

〈◊〉 Christi Aug. in psal 90. Aug. 〈◊〉 de Verbis Apost 7. gr●ce of free will but by sinning hee hath lost it The same Father else-where breaketh ●orth into this Paetheticall ●●clamation Oh free will which without God art euill The same Father in another place calling as it were fora Psalme of mercy at the handes of God Vttereth these speaches Miserere mei deus c. Haue mercy vppon mee O God againe haue mercy vpon me O God and the third time haue mercy vpon me O God as if he would therein include a mistery of the Trinity Wherfore saith he because I haue vertue by the which I may deserue thee Notse Wher-ore then Because I beare the freedom of wil wherby my merrit Orig. in Rom. Ierom in Jerem cap. 16. Chrysest ser 1. de ad●ent domini ●m●● os de voca ent lib. 2. cap. 2. Bernard de gra liber arbitrio may go before thy grace Not so But of thine own mercy The like but that I would bee short mought bee alledged to whome I referre the Reader out of Origen Ierome Chrysostome Ambrose Bernard with many others By all which and more that mought be alledged it is cleare and euident that man in this his estate of depraued nature hath no Free-wil vnto good as he which is dead to vertue wholly prone to vice in his will which is blind in truth sharp-sighted to error in his vnderstanding Let vs not therefore presume on the sinewes of our strength as if therby wee could make our selues good neither yet trust to the wings of our own worthinesse as if we therby could mount into heauen for how shall we be able being borne alost with the sicke feathers o● those feeble wings to mount vp into glory When the freedom of our wil to goodnes is so inthralled eclipsed as we cannot therby plant our selues in Grace vpon earth for we are as Trees not planting our selues but planted by God For he shall be as a Tree planted Secondly this doctrine in that man this misticall Tree must Be planted establisheth and confirmeth the free Grace of God by which when we faile to plant our selues yet as yet appeareth by the text are wee planted The Lord must first turne him-selfe vnto vs before wee can bee turned vnto him Lament 5. 21. Fulgentius a reuerend Father first will haue al the good Fulgent Epist ad Thcodor Senatorcm wee doe ascribed to the Grace of God second that when wee faint in any good action wee should craue a supp●y at the hands of God third that this minde of ours wherby we craue Grace is the worke of Grace which beginneth first to bee powred into vs that it may afterward bee begged of vs euen as the light of the ayre doth first go into the eye to cause it to see before it can see which otherwise though it were made to see remaineth blinde In his owne might shall no man bee strong and it is the 1 Sam. 2. 9. Lord which keepeth the feete of his Saints as in the same place From whence I may note vnto you two things first that euery man is vtterly dis-abled in him-selfe in his owne might shall no man bee strong second that the whole inable of man is from the grace of God It is the LORD which keepeth the fcete of his Saintes The Prophet Dauid Psal 119. 22. saith I will runne the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt inlarge my heart Whereout wee may obserue first that Dauid cannot runne the way of Gods Commandements vntill his heart bee enlarged second that none can enlarge his heart but God VVhen thou shalt enlarge my heart When as excellently writeth a learned late Writer all Z●nb de Religi Christ cap. de liber A●bitrio good things may be reduced to three heads The first is y● good which appertaineth vnto the Sensitiue and Vegetatiue soule which is common with vs and the Beasts viz. to eat drink to be nourished to be healthfull to begett our like c. The second is y● good thing which belongeth to the reasonable soule life of man only viz al arts both Liberal and Mechanical Vertues Moral Political and ciuil Science and the whole body as it is called of Philosophy The third head of good things respect concerne a Spirituall Diuine and Super-caelestiall life begun here in this world consisting in the true knowledge of God and in faith and in the effects thereof regeneration obedience charity c. In the two former God saith he is a great helpe yea in the latter of the two the good things which doe concerne the humaine and reasonable soule of ●●n Saint Augustine goeth so farre as hee will haue all Augus● cont Juli. Pelagi lib. 4. cap. 3. Artes to bee the gift of God but how-so-●uer it bee it must needs bee granted that GOD hath the maine and principall stroake therein as experience may teach vs that those gifts doe more eminently appeare in some then they doe in other-some for no other reason but because it pleaseth God so to dispose of them But in the third head of good things of the life spirituall super-caelestiall diuine Man is wholy to bee excluded GOD is onely to bee admitted and his grace alone to bee acknowledged This is Gods dooing to the end that no flesh should reioyce in his presence but that euery mouth and tongue 1. Cor. 1. 29. mought bee open to confesse with the Apostle By the grace of GOD I am that I am and his grace which is in mee was not in vaine For his Grace is both the Fountaine 1. Cor. 15. 10 from whence any good thing is originally ordeined vnto vs and the conduict-pipe whereby it actually falleth vpon vs As when wee were made it was GOD that made vs and not wee our selues so when wee were redeemed it was GOD that bought vs and not wee our selues when wee became righteous it was GOD that iustifyed vs and not wee our selues when wee were made holye it was GOD which sanctified vs and not wee our selues To conclude if wee bee Planted Trees it is GOD that hath planted and not we our selues After the planting of this Tree am I in the second place to consider the situation By the Riuers of waters M●ller in Psal 1. It is by the greatest likelyhood supposed that the Tree where-vnto the godly-man is heere compared should be the Palme-tree because Pliny saith of the Palme-tree Plini lib. 13. cap. 4. Palma gaudet riguis totoque animo biberc amat The Palme-tree reioyceth in watery places and hartely loueth to drinke much that is to bee much watered and this Tree in this place is sayd for the better fructifying of it to be planted by the riuers of waters First it is said to bee planted by the waters Secondly By the riuers of those waters By Waters in this place are to bee interpreted the holy Scriptures of God as they are