Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	apostle_n	faith_n	temperance_n	815	5	10.9534	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10916	The glory and happines of a true Christian A sermon preached by Master Rogers at Needham in Norfolke the 28 of Iune. 1617	Rogers, John, of Chacombe.	1618 (1618)	STC 21186; ESTC S100039	21,430	65

vse no meditation good conference and harty prayer c. Alas If it were not for the world many would be far better then they are Many Christians are like Vrchings that grow not they increase not in grace Wee call such Children as doe not growe and thriue Changelings and so are many Christians that stand at a stay and say they hope yet Christ dyed for them Doe they say so Why doe they not run on chearefully in their race and say what shall they render to God for their redemption Thou art deliuered as it were from the Red Sea and seest so many behinde thee scramling and scrawling in the same Doth this deserue no better seruice to God and thanks If thou hopest for saluation is it so little a mercie that thou giuest him so cold and lazie seruice I would saith Christ c The Lord loueth not the lazie seruice of Christiās nor their cold hearing of his word or cold praying If wee serue him chearefully heere we shall haue some present blessing and a farre greater heereafter but otherwise let vs be assured we shall finde little comfort in cold seruice Hitherto of the reprehension of the two former sorts of Christians whereof the first were stone dead The second decayed and drowsie ones Be awake or be watchfull and strengthen the things which remaine that are readie to dye for I haue not found thy workes perfect before God After the reprehension for their deadnes and sleepines he commeth now to shew them the remedie that they may recouer their dangerous estate which is by bidding them Awake and strengthen the things that are ready to dye Wee know that such as cast behinde their company in a Iorney had neede ride faster then others And they that are cast behinde hand in the world had neede also rise earlier and worke harder then their neighbours Euen so these drowsie and dead harted Christiās had neede now awake betimes and rise sooner then they were wont and fall harder to worke and vse all good meanes for their good and to recouer their estate which once they had or should haue had And being awaked in this sort let them consider what it was that cast them behinde hand and rowsing vp themselues by earnest prayer let them call to minde what was the hinderance of their zeale whether it was the neglect of the meanes as Prayer hearing of the word or else this vilde worlde and hauing found the causes thereof let them euer after shake and cast them off Awake God will not haue men that professe religion to lie snorting in sinne Is this a time for Christians to sleepe euen in the midday of the Gospell He that sleepeth in haruest time is the sonne of confusion When will men be zealous for God if not now when wee haue so many meanes to incite vs thereunto as the preaching of the Gospell peace in our land c. Are not they very lazie that will lie and sleepe till ten or a leuen of the clocke Is this a time of sleeping when the Lord doth shoote off so many warning peeces by our eares As namely so many strange sicknesses and diseases fearefull fiers and invndations of waters vnseasonable weather both in winter and sommer The Lord doth not so much looke at the prophanes of the world as at the deadnesse coldnesse and drowsinesse of Professors This moueth him to anger that they be no better although by the Ministers of his word and by his Iudgments he doth cry aloud vnto vs yet most men are still a sleepe Awake for shame thou that now sleepest The Lord seeketh to rowze vs vp out of this greedy loue of the world for why doth he else take away so many of our neighbour goods some by fire some by water Hee pincheth vs of our former allowance but not to the end wee should esteeme of this world Our long peace hath brought in riches and that hath eaten vp religion Many haue a desire to be doing some good dutie but alas it is dōe very poorely They pray but it is very coldly and faintly They heare the word but without meditation and so it becommeth as it were in a manner vnprofitable And strengthen the things that are ready to dye Here is still more good counsell Wee must strengthen then our selues in graces receiued and grow stronger therein then when wee first receiued them Euen as children the older they grow the stronger and taller euen so must Christians grow stronger and taller in grace The Apostle Peter wisheth vs to ioyne Vertue with Faith and with Vertue Knowledge and with Knowledge Temperance c. And the Apostle Paule also sayeth Couet after spirituall giftes 1 Corin. 14. 1. We should be couetuous after grace As men are not content to haue a little poore Cottage to hide their heads in and so much as may keepe them poorely to keepe life and soule together but they are more desirous to grow more wealthy so as they may well maintaine themselues and their familie yea to haue also somewhat more to releeue and helpe others if neede be when they come vnto them So ought Christians to grow so in graces of the spirit as they may haue not onely sufficient for their owne store and necessitie but also so much as may helpe to further others in godlinesse that they may as it were keepe open house for their friends If wee haue much grace wee shall the more glorifie God and draw on others towards saluation but hee that hath little grace God shall haue little glory by him Where God vouchsafeth the meanes of attaining to grace abundantly God thereby expecteth that wee should grow strong and wealthy Christians But some man may say they hope they be Gods children but they cannot very well tell There are a number of Christiās that are so poore in grace that if they had any lesse they should haue none at all If thou hast beene sicke art thou content that thou art aliue and canst onely crawle vp and downe thy chamber No but thou wouldst faine be so strōg as thou maist goe abroad about thy worke So likewise i● wee haue got ten a little wealth in our soules wee should desire to become strongmen like Dauids worthies But there are many poore Christians who would doe some good thing but they know not how to goe about it They haue a little faith and a little zeale Now if persecution shonld arise in the Church these men would be ready to runne away for all this That being so let vs blow vp the fier of our zeale as a maide seruant in the morning finding but a little fire in the hearth doth put fit matter vnto it cherish it till it be much increased So seeing the Lord giueth vs his word which is the meanes to kindle to cherish and increase grace in vs as his word Sacraments godly companie c Let vs labour to blow vp the fier of zeale and of godlinesse which was languishing and