Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	act_n	grace_n	habit_n	906	5	9.7429	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68805	The principles of Christian practice Containing the institution of a Christian man, in twelve heads of doctrine: which are set downe in the next side. By Thomas Taylor D.D. and late pastor of Aldermanbury London. Perfected by himselfe before his decease.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.; Jemmat, William, 1596?-1678.	1635 (1635)	STC 23849; ESTC S118277	210,265	656

every thing but the marke c. But thou must bee wiser than to attend them thou hast thy course to intend and thine umpire and thy prize Passe on thy way therefore through good report and evill resolve with holy Paul I passe not to be iudged by any man it is the Lord that judgeth mee I must stand or fall to mine owne Master So of the fourth rule 5. To attaine this marke thou must be carefull to preserve and renew thy strength for so must a runnner doe Quest. How may I doe so Ans. By three rules First hold fast the doctrine of grace hold it strongly both in thy judgement and in thy affection get not onely knowledge but the love of knowledge sticke conscionably to the meanes both publike and private For spirituall strength is maintained by spirituall meanes as naturall by naturall And by meeting God in Sion in his owne Ordinances Gods people walke from strength to strength Psal. 84. 7. Secondly hold fast the degree of grace that thou fall not from thy first love first zeale and heat What hope of his attaining the marke before him that goeth backward Now the way to keepe grace in the degree is partly to repent of all to cast out and keepe out all sinnes small and great open or secret partly to respect all Gods Commandements even the most difficult costly and dangerous Thirdly hold on the act of grace by keeping al graces in exercise and blowing up every grace which else wil lye hid and covered in corruption asfire in ashes Every new act wil grow into an habit and custome and habits are easie Thou that intendest to attaine must get forward and gaine ground never contenting thy selfe with one gift of grace nor with one degree of that gift nor with one or a few acts or exercises but be adding as to vertue faith so faith to faith see 2 Pet. 1 5. and Rom. 1. 17. 6. A runner through haste in his way may easily stumble and fall and if thou fallest in thy running thou must speedily rise by humble confession prayer and repentance Hee that lyes in his fall shall never attaine the marke Wee say it is no shame to fall but it is a shame to lye still But in our spirituall course it is a great shame in such light and meanes to take a fall but a farre greater to 〈◊〉 still in it Hast thou falne in 〈…〉 y way remember whence thou hast fallen up againe and doe thy first worke repent and arise Rev. 2. 5. which is the onely way to prevent utter shame and confusion Quest. But how may I be encouraged thus to strive to attaine Ans. 1. Consider this whatsoever else thou attainest is nothing but a shadow smoake vanity all thy wealth is but beggery all pleasure but bitternesse all mirth but madnesse If thou attainest not this goale nothing that thou attainest can make thee better every thing makes thee much worse 2. As good never run as not attaine for not attaining thou losest all thy beginnings and proceedings and all thy labour is lost thou hast done and suffered many things in vaine Besides thou loosest all thy talents graces profession hearing prayers sufferings all is lost Finally thou loosest all thy righteousnes charity mercy reward and glory all thy hope and expectation E●ek 18. 24. Righteousnes departed from is soone forgotten 3. It is farre worse and more unhappy to run and not attaine then not to run at all For not to run is a note of an Atheist but to run and not to attaine is a note of an Apostate a dogge a swine returned to filthinesse whose end is worse then th● beginning Beside it gives Satan a stronger possession then before he was a slave before to one divell but now to ●even worse then before 4. Consider the goale for which thou runnest both for the excellencie and the eternity of it and if any spurre can pierce and prevaile this will The Excellency is in the worth content fulnesse perfection The worth thou runnest for a crowne of life and glory nothing in earth is so worthy as a crowne and kingdome but these are dead things in comparison and may end in dishonour The content and delight is in enjoying a perpetuall rest from labour an euerlasting Sabbath a lasting feast and supper of the Lamb a marriage-feast for eternity For fulnesse and abundance here we only taste the goodnesse of God there we drinke at the well-head even fulnesse of ioy at his right hand Here wee have drops there we shall swim with rivers of pleasure Here are spoonfuls there a Well of life For perfection we shall attaine spirituall bodies perfectly renewed soules a full image of God perfect vision of God and society with Iesus Christ in perfect glory and this is the top and perfection of our happinesse when in our selves we shall attaine compleat holinesse without spot or wrinckle and ful perfection both of nature and grace Lastly adde to all this the duration which is the crowne of all This good attained shall never perish nor ever change Of this Kingdome shall be no end The pleasurs at our fathers right hand are for evermore The crowne at which we run is incorruptible and so we shall finde it in all eternity If all this will not excite us to earnest labour that we may attaine nothing will THE DIVINE TEACHER AND SCHOLLER PSAL. 119. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keepe it unto the end THIS Psalme notably draweth and allureth men to the study and love of heavenly doctrin in the knowledge and practise whereof consisteth the holinesse and happinesse of every Christian The Sunne in the heavens were unprofitable to us if wee had not some beames from his body The huge Ocean were unusefull to us if some of his streames were not derived unto us So all that light of knowledge and wisdome in God the Sunne and father of lights and all that Ocean of grace and glory in God the full Sea were helplesse and uncomfortable unto us further then the beams of this Sunne and streames of this Ocean are conveyed unto us yea into our mindes and hearts to enlighten and purifie the darke and nasty corners of them This our Prophet well knowing makes no end of study paines prayers search and inquisition how he may store and furnish himselfe with that Divine Doctrin which as a stream may lead him backe to the Sea againe and bring him to the true knowledge of God in the Messiah which is eternall life A good glasse and patterne to see how farre our negligence hath cast us behinde that vvee might and ought to have attained that shaming our selves and bewailing our former security we may now provoke and excite our selves to lay better hold upon wisdome and redeem our future opportunity in the meanes of grace and salvation so graciously still continued