Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	add_v	faith_n	temperance_n	2,660	5	11.1051	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86356	The good old vvay, Gods vvay, to sovle-refreshing rest: discovered in a sermon preached to the Right Honorable the Lord Maior and court of aldermen of the citie of London, at their anniversary meeting on Wednesday in Easter weeke at Christ-Church, Apr. 24. 1644 being the day of the monethly publike fast. By Thomas Hill B.D. Pastor of Tychmersh in Northampton shire. Imprimatur, Charles Herle.	Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.	1644 (1644)	Wing H2023; Thomason E48_4; ESTC R11496	52,548	61

soules then thou art utterly and everlastingly undone This you should know and consider seriously The first meeting between God and the Soule must bee here on earth in this Good way they runne a desperate hazzard that will venture an immortall Soule and hope of Heaven upon a Lord have Mercy upon them at the last day when they know not whether God will then accept of it or imbrace and owne their Soules yea or no Oh it is a sad thing to think wee should put off God with the dregges of our old age and after our Soules have beene drenched and steeped in prophanenesse and covetousnesse and ungodly cours●s forty fifty yeares together then to think hee ownes our prayers to be as cock-sure of Heaven as any Doe not deceive thy selfe on such uncertaine termes if thou wilt have the right Method to obtaine indeed rest for thy soule Oh! come into Gods way and the sooner you come the better Whatsoever competition commeth betweene thee and secular advantage let all stand by and resolve first to provide for the rest of thy Soule There is a Story of one Marinus a Souldier having hopes of preferment to some place being a Christian It was suggested to him that hee must first forsake his Religion before hee should bee invested in his preferment It was so strong a temptation to him that hee beganne to stagger between his preferment and his Christianity But by the providence of God there commeth one Theodistus to him brings him into the Temple and layeth by him a Sword and the Gospell the Sword was the Ensigne of his place and preferment hee was to have but one now saith hee whether will you have rather the Bible or the Sword and dealt so seriously with him that it pleased God at last to overcome him hee would rather have the Bible and let goe the Sword and preferment and hopes and all worldly pompe and chose the Gospell that so hee might save his Soule Oh that there were many in this Congregation raised to this Heroick resolution this day whatsoever the competition bee Is it a place is it preferment is it an Office Lay the Testament by it and thinke if ever thou wilt save thy Soule thou must let goe thy hopes preferment and possession and deny thy selfe in them rather then let goe thy share in the Gospell whereby thou hast a title for the eternall happinesse of thy immortall soule Let soule bee more deare and precious to thee and the injoyment of God and finding communion with him then all other worldly blessings whatsoever It was a rare disposition worthy of imitation in that great Souldier Terentius when hee might have asked what he would of the Emperour this petition hee would onely beg a Temple for the Orthodox Christians when the Arian persecution did so much prevaile the Emperour denying him that in the behalfe of Christians though he had leave he would not ask any thing more for himself here is a man that did value Religion and the good of soules at an high rate what ever becommeth of his own preferment of his own dignitie Let us say let Religion flourish let the Gospell of Christ runne and bee glorified in the power and purity of it what ever become of our preferment And truely did you know the excellencie the sweetnesse the goodnesse of walking in the wayes of God you would not now like lukewarme reconcilers and moderators accept of a reformation upon any termes so you might save your owne advantages and promote your owne designes there is many a Cassande that would bee such a reconciler that would undertake the arbitration betweene God and man so hee might drive on his project hee would be content to abate somewhat in Religion so hee might serve his owne carnall purpose But let us not bee thus penny wise and pound foolish and in the meane time neglect comming into Gods way this is the onely method that leads to this great advantage to soul-refreshing rest If walking in the good way be Gods method to find soule-refreshing rest then shew your selves good travellers and bee sure you doe indeed walke in this way doe not satisfie your selves in that you know the way but rather say as they in Micah 4. 5. every one will walke in the name of his God Come we will walke in the name of our God for ever and ever you must bee walking stirring moving on many people if they have but got a little smattering knowledge and have their tongues tipped with some Gospell Language that they are able to discourse of Religion they thinke they have made great progresse therein wee know indeed so much as wee practise they onely are good Schollers in Christs Schoole that have learned to turne the knowledge into action and turne precepts into practice to draw confidence out of promises and imitation from good examples Neither is it enough to come into the way when known and to stand still there Many men if they bee once got into a religious forme if they bee but accounted professors they move in such a track of duty and goe plodding on from yeare to yeare and if you had a picture drawne of them now and a picture seven yeares agoe no more light nor no more heate nor no more spirituall vigour then formerly they had this is not to walke in Gods way what progresse make you what addition to the stock of graces what fruit bring you forth the Apostle giveth this counsell in 2 Pet. 1. 5. Adde to your faith v●… c. First indeed if you would be good Christians you must have faith for the justification of your persons faith for the warranting of your duties faith to carry you to Christ to fetch strength to inable you to your duties But then adde to your faith vertue there must bee grace conforming the dutie to the rule of Gods Word doe it in a gra●ious manner vertue adde to your vertue knowledge you must rightly circumstantiate your actions doe them with a proper hi● nunc and adde to your knowledge temperance you must bee sober and temperate in the exercise of gifts and in the injoying of comforts and adde to your temperance patience as you must have sobrietie in the use of comforts so you must have patience in your tryals and adde to your patience Godlinesse you must not have a sullen Stoicks patience be patient of affliction be impatient of sinne and therefore adde to your patience godlinesse and then further adde to your godlinesse brotherly kindnesse Oh love all the members of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2. 17. Love the brotherhood the corporation the societie of Saints And what must you have no love to them that are not yet Saints adde to your brotherly kindnesse charity you have a love of complacencie to them that are Saints but you have a love of pitie to them that are without what though they scoffe at you pray for them what if they cannot