Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
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B05828
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The catalogve of the Hebrevv saints, canonized by St. Paul, Heb. 11th further explained and applied.
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Shaw, John, 1614-1689.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing S3032; ESTC R184043
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112,894
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exemplary Piety Christ hath afforded himselfe and others examples to us that we for him to his glory and to others for their good might likewise be examples It was an excellent expression of Fulgentius in his African stile which he useth to shew the power of examples in Superiours Conversio potentium multùm militat acquisitionibus Christi that is The conversion of men in Authority and such are all those severall capacities fights powerfully for the possessions of Christ or it purchaseth much to Christ for such as these saith he it is in the 6. Ep. de Con. ad Theed either ruine many with themselves or else save and therefore either great punishments attend them if they prove Male imitationis laqueum Instruments of evill example or else great Glory if they be eminent in holy conversation For so he goes on applying this to that particular case he speaks on and holds a perfect Analogy in the other Quis non parvum c. Who will not despise and neglect his poor Cottage when he seeth a Senatour neglecting his stately and spatious Palaces for Christs sake Who will not forsake the World to purchase Heaven when he sees a Consull of Rome leaving all to follow Christ despise Earth and make provision for Heaven And now that the Example of these others and many since may draw us to an imitation of their Graces and Vertues and that we may be exemplary to others to provoke them let us addresse our selves to the great exemplar for grace and strength both to leade others who are under or equall to us and follow Christ and others who have gone before us For Hac itur ad superos this is the way walk in it even the way to him who is the way the truth and life And therefore let us Pray O Almighty and Soveraigne Power who by an infinite all wise goodnesse dost Governc all things in Heaven and Earth and hast and dost order all even the worst things for the glory of thy Name and the good of thy People Be thou favourable unto thy Church thy little Flocke be thou a refuge to it till all tyranny be over-past a sure defence and shield in peristous times to thy People that they may know how to be abased and how to abound how to be full and how to be hungry learne them in every state therewith to be contented Vnder Persecution make them resolved and joyfull under chastisements make them resigned and humble submissive and godly sorrowfull that they be sanctified to them under tryalls make them faithfull and constant considering and exercised thereby to bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse In prosperity and fulnesse make them moderate humble joyfull and thankefull abounding in every good worke make them great Examples of Piety provoking one another unto good works in an holy emulation And that both states and conditions of life may be blessed to them make them followers of Jesus Christ the Captaine of that holy profession to walke in the foot-steps of his most holy life though by unequall treadings and to be followers of the blessed Saints departed Patriarkes Judges Kings Priests Prephets Apostles Confessors Martyrs as they also of Christ that we may be partakers with them and those that follow us at the last of a glorious resurrection to eternall life Graent therefore gracious God that with all purpose of heart we cleave and adhaere to thee with satisfied and contented spirits in every state rely and depend on thee evidencing our faith by faithfull actions or constant sufferings At all times to yeeld a ready sincere obedience to all the commands of Christ And when it is our Childs portion to be repreached spoyled tormented for the name of Christ to possesse our soules in patience and to wait continually on him Make us to conforme to the Iustitutions and Disciplice of holy Iesus and pursue the wayes of godlinesse with all passion and perseverance that no worldly discouragements or sadnesses no worldly hopes nor carnall delights distract or disturbe us in the duties of our high calling but that we adde to Faith Vertue to Vertue Knowledge to Knowledge c. perfecting bolinesse in the feare of the Lord till we arrive with the Saints perfected at the perfection and glory with our Lord Iesus the author and fiuisher of our Faith to whom be glory now and for evermore Amen The Conclusion Confirmed and Continued Heb. 11.39.40 And these all having obtained a good report through Faith received not the Promise God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect ALL these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from Abel till your late Predecessors of this last Age the Maccabces if the induction be good it must be Universall and therefore the Conclusion is Univerfall all both expressed and understood all beleevers the totum aggregatum the whole company of Beleevers and every single Individuall of that company have subsisted by Faith and by Faith onely Without Faith none could have pleased God by Faith all did Without Faith none could look for a City by Faith all did Therefore the Induction helds and proves the first Hypotheset Faith is the substance c. And without Faith it is impossible to please God c. For if there were another Principle of subsistence besides Faith if any other originall Instrument of pleasing God or if any one instance could be produced to evidence the other part of the contradiction viz. That it can be proved that any without Faith did hope c. or did please God then the producing of any such Principle Instrument or Instance would altogether invalidate the force of the Induction and it could not be Argumentative to conclude these Positions thus affirmatively asserted But now this Note of Universality all clears the proofs and makes the Iuduction firme and sure to all intents and purposes All who have subsisted c. have pleased God have done it by Faith and none can be brought from the beginning of the World till this present Day to the contrary Therefore Faith is the substance c. And without Faith it is impossible to please God And for a confirmation of both premises we have good evidence for all these were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Testimonio fidei probati were proved and tryed persons for their Faith and they carryed it and passed and were by an Instrument of approbation attested so to be and by speciall order their Faithfulnesse and Piety was recorded commended and proposed to Posterity for imitation and this order was both from God and his Church And therefore Bezae reades Testimonium adepti they obtained a full and just Testimoniall God and the Church of God freely gave it them and subscribed it Certainly they that honour God God will honour them 1 Sam. 2.30 for he will make their Names greater then that of Sons and Daughters they shall not onely enjoy the advantages of common rights and interests but those who who
formali denotat quid intrinseco malum Every Punishment is truely from a Sentence of condemnation And there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 And we are judged by the Lord that we should not be condemned with the World 1 Cor. 11.32 His judgements on the World are indeed the Sentence of a Judge condemnatory His judgement to the Righteous castigatory they are chastened as by a Father or cured as by a Medicine from a Physician Iob 36.9.10 Then he sheweth them their worke and their transgressions that they have exceeded He openeth also their care to discipline and commandeth that they returne from iniquity Augustine cap. 124. in Ev. Ioh. gives us three grounds of this Gods proceeding with them Ad demonstrationem debitae miserie vel ad emendationem labilis vitae vel ad exercitationem necessariae patientiae and the Righteous are to make one of these uses of them according to the quality and nature of the dispensation For if they be under Persecution from men for Christ and his Gospels sake which is properly to beare his Crosse then this is a tryall of our Faith and Christian Graces and because it conformes us to Christ Phil. 3.10 it carries its joy and comfort along with it he that thus suffers hath abundant matter of joy Acts 5.41 and yet ground of humility to us because it shewes That when we have done or suffered what we can we are but unprofitable servants it s a state we have deserved to passe though not from them under whose hand we passe if temptations or tryalls immediately sent by God then they have the same ends in respect of God inflicting them to humble us for our demerits and to demonstrate how far we are from deserving any thing from God and how insufficient in our selves to secure our selves Yet in respect of us they have not the same use for we the Patients are not herein as in the former to borrow our consolation from the temptation or tryall it selfe but from our deportment and demeanour under this tryall if by the Grace of God we can sanctifie him in our hearts and glorifie him in this behalfe by justifying God condemning our selves Psal 51.4 Dan. 9.7 Psal 39.9 blessing God Iob 1.21 submitting to him 1 Sam. 3.18 but if chastisements from God then they are evidences we have sinned against him and he is displeased with us and they are severities for our cure and amendment and from these we cannot derive any comfort but much ground of godly sorrow and all the comfort we can here depend on is in a continued subsequent and present holy use of them to this end of Reformation Heb. 12.11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous neverthelesse afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby In summe then The wicked in their wicked enjoyments and fulnesse are not happy though visibly prosperous because there is a sentence of wrath and vengeance irreversibly decreed against them and the righteous in their saddest calamities though seemingly miserable yet really are not because they have strong inward consolations and great assurances of a Crowne of Glory And who will not adventure and endure for a Crowne especially when they have security that for the adventure and a little sufferings they may obtaine and having obtained it for ever enjoy it in a most peaceable possession Most excellently and truely Lactantius to this purpose lib. 6. cap. 22. Sicut ad verum malum per fallacia bona sic ad verum bonum per fallacia mala pervenitur Counterfeit good things are the harbingers and fore runners of reall evills and conceited evill things makes way for truely good And as this consideration affords plentifull matter to the righteous Patient of instruction and comfort Non si male nunc olim sic erit so it yeild great occasion of terrour to the thriving triumphing impenitent who is reserved onely and fatted for the day of slaughter For upon this supposition That judgement begins at the House of God the Apostle draws that to them sad dismall and terrible influence What shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel 1 Peter 4.17.18 a judgement so fearfull and terrible that he seems afraid clearly to expresse and yet by that Interrogation gives sufficient notice of it for this Interrogation is the same in effect with that Position of another Apostle Vengeaxce is mixe saith the Lord I will repay And it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10.30.31 You see then here how forcible and prevalent examples especially of those we honour or ought to honour and that not onely of Christ himself whose example ought not onely to be an Argument to perswade which force other examples of holy men hath but it is a certain rule to direct which power the others absolutely and abstractedly hath not John 13.4 1 John 2.6 Hence that of Bernard Quid vobis cum virtutibus qui virtutem Christi ignoratis ubi num quaeso verae prudentiae nisi in Christi Doctrina ubi vera temperantia nisi in Christi vita ubi vera fortitude nisi in passione that is What have you to doe with vertuous conversation who know not the vertues of Christ For where I pray you can true wisedom and knowledge be found but in the Doctrine of Christ Where true temperance and moderation but in the life of Christ True valour and magnanimity but in the Passion and Death of Christ His Life and Death was not onely an Example but a Directory to us how to live godly and justly and soberly as the former sort of these others here prementioned in this praecision and how to die honourably and to suffer patiently as the second sort of these others did Let the Life then and Death of Christ be our Rule to direct us in every estate and condition and let Christs example and the examples also of others be as arguments and enducerments to encline and move us more forcibly and effectually to follow his directions and rules of holy living and dying and let us also be exemplary in our lives and conversations and by our exemplary living adorne the Gospel of Jesus Christ provoking one another unto good works that even others seeing our good works may glorifie God in the day of visitation that we be not onely burning lights having zeale within but shining also holding forth our light to others Especially this concerns Magistrates who have a civill relation to their inseriours To Pastors who have a spirituall affinity with and neernesse to their Flock And Parents who have a naturall tie to their Children our eivill spirituall and naturall Fathers as they are to be respectively honoured so they are to walk as worthy of honour And not onely in relation to their own welfare but to the good of those under their charge whereunto they powerfully administer by