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	grace_n	temperance_n	1,517	5	11.5641	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77022	The churches glory, or, The becoming ornament being a seasonable word, tending to the provoking, encouraging, and perfecting of holiness in believers ... : whereunto is added, A glasse for the unconverted ... as also, several articles of faith briefly laid down for the further establishment and confirming of the faithful / by Josias Bonham, sen. of Byfield in Northamptonshire.	Bonham, Josias.	1674 (1674)	Wing B3592; ESTC R42680	146,195	373

agreeth those words of St. Paul Col. 3.10 The new Man is renewed in Knowledge after the Image of him that Created him in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.24 Whence note also by the way that in and through a true Knowledge of God in Christ are the Mortifications of the Old Man of Sin and the qualifications of Grace wrought in a Soul O what 's the Reason that there is so little Renewedness in the qualifications and Conversations of many people in our days and so much abusing of the Sacred Name of God by Swearing and Cursing and many prophane speeches as also the abuse of the Creatures by Drunkenness and the like excess Also the many vain carnal loose licentious practices acted and observed with delight therein Is it not the want of this Knowledge of God in Christ Is not Ignorance the Mother of such Prophaneness and Impieties and what 's the Reason that God's dear Children are many times hated and reproached reviled and villified Yea saith Christ the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think they do God Service Christ gives us this Reason All these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father nor me Joh. 16.3 O consider all ye that content your selves in an Estate of Ignorance and solace your selves in Carnal and Worldly Vanities and are careless and negligent in applying and improving the means of Knowledge to the end you might glorifie God and thereby be enabled to answer the end of God in your Creation his end in giving his Son to die for your Redemption and his spiritual Word Counsel and Advice therein for your Sanctification that thereby in a good improvement of the same you might be made meet to glorifie his Name and to enjoy his glory O consider the loss and damage that you hereby sustain by slighting or carelesly neglecting such precious means granted forth unto such gracious ends for a little Carnal Vanity Consider how you will answer it in the day of account when for all these things God shall bring thee to Judgment O! how do many Parents in this case not only prejudice their own Souls but also the Souls of their Children and those within their jurisdiction whereas it is the requirement of God that Parents should lay up the words of God in their hearts and teach them to their Children that they might know the Lord and set their hope in God they not only neglect this great concernment but also by their own viscious lives evil example rather teach them the Vices of Swearing Cursing Drunkenness and much Prophaneness to God's dishonour and their own ruine both of Body and Soul not considering that God will require it of them and bring them to Judgment for the same O how many Parents although not so vicious and prophane yet are so earnest in their pursuit after this worldly interest to gain for themselves and enrich their Children with great Portions of this earthly Treasure as wholly to give up themselves thereunto not minding those Treasures that are Divine and of a more greater concernment to the gaining an interest in Christ either for their selves or Children by instructing of them thereunto until death seise upon them and summon them to the Grave and then perhaps send for a Minister to pray for them the which I do not condemn because I know God is merciful yet I know that God is also just and will bring Souls to Judgment and then whither God will accept this last Sacrifice for the whole I shall leave to the only wise God to determine But know and consider that it is the undoubted Will and Requirement of God that Parents should Treasure up the word of God in their hearts by Consideration Meditation and Application believingly and diligently endeavour to plant the same word of God in the hearts of their Children as they come to be capable of the teachings of it to the end that they might know the Lord and reverence his Holy Name observe his Will and place their hope in him To this purpose see and consider Deut. 6.6 7 8. Deut. 11.18 19 20. Deut. 4.9 10. Psal 78.5 6 7. to these Testimonies of the Will of God do those words of the Apostle Paul bear witness Eph. 6.4 Solomon saith by Humility and the Fear of the Lord are Riches and Honour and Life Would we have our Children truly Rich and Honourable and live Everlastingly so then lay up the Word of Grace in our own hearts treasure it up there Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all Wisdom Col. 3.16 Secondly Let your diligent endeavours be to answer God's Will in making forth the same unto your Children to their Edification to the planting of that Immortal Seed of the Word in their hearts that they may set their hope in God and fear before him and humbly walk with him in the way of his Commandements Train up a Child in the way that he should go and when he is Old he will not depart from it Pro. 22.6 Objection If God hath Elected me or my Children unto Salvation he will one time or other bring us to an Estate of Salvation But if God hath not Elected us thereto all my labour in that kind will be to little purpose for if there be a particular Election of persons as there seemeth to be then what I do in that case is but needless or to strive against the stream Answer That there is an Election is certain and that God hath placed this Election in his Son Christ is as certain see Eph. 1.4 and that persons do partake of and witness this Election in themselves as they imbrace Christ believingly and conform to him in holy Sanctity is also true See 1 Thes 1.3 4. 2 Thes 2.13 And therefore so much the rather should you give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure by a growth and increase of Grace unto an attainment of the qualifications of grace wrought in you according to the qualifications of Jesus Christ and as the Apostle teacheth Giving all diligence saith he add to your Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly-kindness and to Brotherly-kindness Charity 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7. And as there is an Election in Christ unto Salvation through believing in Christ and conforming to him in the way of Holiness attainable through a careful applying and improving the means thereunto appointed so also is there a Reprobation determined and decreed of God from Eternity unto those persons that in love to their Lusts and carnal and worldly Vanities do obstinately persist in opposing or carlesly neglecting do slight the means afforded so as not to imbrace it in the love thereof and carefully improve it to the glory of the Lord that like as they reject God's Counsel and his Love and Mercy in the same to satisfie their Lusts in worldly and sinful Vanities so

stand in their Unregenerate state demonstrated by these four Reasons First They bare her Name Secondly They bare her nature Thirdly By their subjection to her Law Fourthly by their Conjunction with the world and self-renouncing God and his Covenant as not having any true love or desire thereunto and that by the influence of Corruption whereby they are brought forth into that Estate The Inference drawn from the words thus considered is briefly thus That Corruption hath brought forth a separation of the Creatures affections from God and joyned them in a Conjunction with Self and the World in which Estate the Creatures affections are very insatiable and greedy after Self and the Worlds interest by which conjunction God is dishonoured and every faculty and member of soul and body enslaved in such servil motions and actions as may promote the said interest in order to the satisfying of these greedy Worms until by their continual instigations of Give Give they have drained out of the poor soul all its spiritual blood or life of God and power of Godliness to its eternal ruine except a supernatural means be timely applyed and effectually improved for the reducing the said affections unto their first Estate Now for proof of this inference here asserted I think there needeth no further Testimony then what is contained in the explication of the words especially if Doctor Woful experience his evidence may be heard and credited by you yet for order-sake and lest I should be thought wanting in the case of evidence I would produce some further evidences that will give in their Testimonies to the separation and conjunction aforesaid as first Those many Testimonies of God in Scripture whereby God calls to the Sons of men to return unto him O Israel return to the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thy Iniquity Hos 14.1 Secondly Gods Expostulation with man about his Apostacy thus saith the Lord What Iniquity have your Fathers found in me that they are gone far from me and have walked after Vanity Jer. 2.5 See Ezek. 18.23 32. Thirdly Those many Exhortations the Lord hath laid before us in his word Set your affections on things that are above not on things on Earth Col. 3.2 Love not the World if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him 1 Joh. 2.15 Yea the Lord calls for self-denyal and crucifying of the world to mortifie every member of the body of sin and to set our love and delight in him and that with all our hearts and soul and strength all which do imply and hold forth their evidences in witness of the aforesaid Conjunction Fourthly I would add one Testimony more among many that might be produced and that is the multiplication of that Succession or natural Generation that is conceived and brought forth by vertue of the aforesaid Conjunction of those Horse-leach Daughters corrupt affections in affinity with Self and the World as the off-springs thereof And for brevity sake I shall only name some few of this off-spring and leave the rest to Doctor Woful's experience his evidence to evince one part of the generation conceiv'd and brought forth by the said Conjunction is Pride Envy Mallice Hypocrisie Infidelity and Sloth in God's Service and Voluptuousness These as a part of that Brood and Generation of the Horseleach and her Daughters in affinity with Self and the World are by their influence conceived and nourished up in the heart of Unregenerate man where the said conjunction hath dominion These do evidently demonstrate themselves to be of that race by their natural qualities and language insatiable greedy Worms alaways crying Give Give as for Pride that is an insatiable greedy Worm of an aspiring nature insatiable and greedy after self-honour and the worlds applause It looks high and lofty as if it was one by whose influence that generation was steered by which Agur speaketh of Prov. 30.13 There is a generation saith Agur O how lofty are their Eyes and their eye-lids are lifted up Agur here seemeth as not able to express the Latitude of the aspiring nature of Pride and those whose course is steered thereby but stands in admiration at it as if by the influence of Pride those Creatures in whose heart it is predominant were carryed up into that airy Region with that Prince spoken of Ephes 2.2 as Retainers to his Court. But into the third Heavens where Christ sitteth at the Right Hand of God they have no inspection for saith the Spirit of God by the Prophet David The Wicked through the Pride of his Countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts Psal 10.4 Whence Note that Pride by its influence doth work the thoughts of God and his ways out of the minds of those in whose hearts it is predominant Yea This Brat bred and nourished in the heart of Unregenerate man by those Horseleach Daughters Unsanctified love and Carnal desire through their affinity with Self and the World doth not only plunder a soul of its thoughts of God but also of the qualifications of Humility Penitency Charity and all the peaceable habits of true Humanity as considered in its first estate Yea like a greedy heart-Worm it devours and eateth up the very bowels of tender Pitty and Compassion and Commiseration and yet like one of Pharoahs lean Kine is never the better This Brat is still crying Give Give always moving the Creature to satisfie its greedy Appetite in order whereunto the Creature must improve its Time and Opportunities Pains Labours and Meditations Considerations Moneys Lands Livings Lordships yea all must be improved and dedicated to the satisfying of this Brat in beautifying the Face powdering the Hair new fashions in Apparel sumptious Buildings delicious Fair places of Honour and worldly Preferments and honourable Greetings and to be called Rabbi Rabbi Mean while God and the power of Godliness and the souls happiness is little considered Yea where Pride is predominant in the heart and unsanctified love and carnal desire joyning therewith produceth very sad and dangerous effects to the Creature for it maketh Angels to become Devils and Men to become Slaves to their Lusts Enemies to God Persecutors of the Godly and themselves Subjects of Perdition The Wicked in his Pride doth Persecute the Poor Psal 10.2 It seems this greedy heart-Worm of the Horseleach brood is a great mover to and stirrer up of Contention so saith Solomon Only by Pride cometh Contention Prov. 13.10 Another greedy heart-Worm of the Horseleach-race and her Daughters is called Envy this is a bloody Brat as greedy after blood as the Horseleach and her Daughters by whose influence it is in mans heart conceived This Envy seems to be of a nature cruel and blood-thirsty of Countenance fierce and grim yea this Brat looks as if it would devour all the interest of God and Godliness with the Profession and Professors thereof Those persons whose course is steered by the influence of Envy through

believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son Joh. 5.10 O what an obstruction is here to the Creatures attainments unto Holiness and Heavens Happiness O what a sad consequence doth follow hereupon He that believeth not is Condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God Joh. 3.18 O what a heart-worm is here that eateth out the very life of the Creature to Gods great dishonour and the Creatures ruine except such obstructions to be timely removed Another of this brood is Sloath in God's Service This greedy Heart-worm is a great obstruction to the use and efficasy of God's word and to the efficacy of the Creatures performances in God's Service This greedy Worm by its influence and operation in the heart devours all the Creatures Zeal for God and fervency in any performances in order to the worship and service of God This worm doth much hinder the Creature and obstruct its improvement of Gods Word and Ordinances to Gods Glory and its own benefit by application and meditation and action as it ought to do and hence or hereunto are those words of Solomon The sloathful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting Prov. 12.27 that is he doth not improve the means afforded as aforesaid What need saith Sloath so much strictness and preciseness in spending so much time in reading hearing preaching prayer meditation and assembling so often it is time enough for these things hereafter and the like the which 〈◊〉 of sad consequence for hereby God wants that honour that is due from the Creature unto his Name and the poor soul wants that spiritual nourishment to refresh comfort strengthen and support it in the way to its eternal rest whereby the poor soul is impoverished and destitute or at least much weakened in its knowledg faith hope love zeal and comfortable assurance in the Lord which in a good improvement of the means through Gods blessing hereupon happily it might have enjoyed Consider the foolish Virgins and the sloathful Servant that improved not his Talent Another of this Generation is Voluptiousness whose nature is most delightful in excessive feasting and drunkenness with other carnal delights and pleasures This Brat once getting residence in the heart and suffered doth much obstruct and destroy those vertues of moderation temperance sobriety and charity c. This is likewise an insatiable greedy Worm and doth much enslave the Creature for by its influence and operation it doth strongly work upon the Creature to yeald both Person and Purse Lands Livings and Lordships Time and Opportunity though never so precious all must be dedicated to the use and service of this greedy-guts this unsatiable heart-worm by whose influence those persons seem to be steered that Paul to the Philippians speaketh of chap. 3.19 Whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things but as Solomon saith A word to the Wife is sufficient So I do but give a hint of these things to put you in mind of the sad effects of sin and of that conjunction wherein the Creatures affections and the world and self are united I have heard an Astrological story that when two malignant Planets as Mars and Saturn happen in Conjunction together in one Aspect House or Sign that that altogether operate to the prejudice of man by producing the sad effects of losses crosses sicknesses wars contentions death and the like But whether this be so or not sure I am that this is truth that when there is a Conjunction between the Creatures affections and self and the world that the operations and effects thereof is sad indeed for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it for thereby the understanding is darkened and the clear light of the Son of Righteousness eclipsed from the Soul the apprehensions be-nummed the judgment mis-informed the will obstinate and averse to the things of God the bowels of compassion shut up the hand of pitty clinched fast so that God may call in his word his spirit may strive Christ may weep and Lazarus may beg and Christs Ministers may like a Candle spend themselves to give light to others and yet all will do but little and why Corruption hath wrought a Conjunction between the Creatures affections and self and the world and therefore self-denyal and the loss of the worlds favour to follow Christ in his ways is become a hard saying who can bare it Many of the Rulers believed on Christ saith the Scriptures but they did not confess him for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God and many could follow Christ for the Loaves for self and worldly interests but when it cometh to pass that this conjunction must be broken and self and the world must be denyed to follow Christ in all his precepts and examples of sanctity and true holiness of life then the young man and the old also goes away sorrowful Demas must rather forsake Christ and his ways and all those of Asia forsake Paul and the true profession of the Gospel rather than self and the world must be parted with Oh saith Corruption that Horseleach and unsanctified Love and carnal desire her Daughters favour thy self let not these things be Yea so prevailing are these Blood-worms even in many Gospel-professors that it was the sad complaint of the Apostle Paul in his days that he had no man like-minded to Timothy whose special care was for the promoting of Christs interest in his truth and people for saith he all seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ And therefore it is that God doth so often give unto his own people even his chosen ones and dear Children the bitter cup of the wormseed of Afflictions on purpose to break the bed of these Heart-worms and subdue them and the oftner because his people do often through carelesness and negligence of improving the means afforded suffer these greedy worms to breed and multiply in their hearts whereby the stomack groweth weak as to a spiritual digestion of the Heavenly Manna of Gods word and the conjunction between the affections and self and the world the more strengthened It is Gods usual way in such cases ever and anon to give his people a cup of that wormseed-bitter-afflictions yet mixt with Divine love and saving ends as to break the aforesaid conjunction and to cleanse the heart of corruption and to bring the affections home unto himself and to quicken the appetite unto a good digestion of the administrations of his grace in all his dispensations In their affections they will seek me early But is it so that corruption hath brought forth such a separation of the Creatures affections from God unto a conjunction with self and the world to the conception of many evils which cannot be cured but by a supernatural means it may put us into an admiration upon a two-fold account as first we may stand and wonder with