Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	belong_v	commandment_n	general_a	937	5	10.1254	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10945	Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading and guiding to true happines, both in this life, and in the life to come: and may be called the practise of Christianitie. Profitable for all such as heartily desire the same: in the which, more particularly true Christians may learne how to leade a godly and comfortable life euery day. Penned by Richard Rogers, preacher of the word of God at Wethersfield in Essex.	Rogers, Richard, 1550?-1618.	1603 (1603)	STC 21215; ESTC S116354	833,684	644

and carnall and that we doe but fauour our selues in worldlines or profanenes idlenes and ease when we reason against it as being too precise The publike duties are the reuerent assemblies of Christians in the preaching of the word in prayer and administring of the sacraments on that day especially to be vsed howsoeuer on other dayes by occasions oft intermitted All of them are most blessed helps for the establishing of vs in an holy life Of the priuate some doe particularly concerne our selues alone some are as well for the benefit of others as for our owne comfort for our selues we are to meditate on the works of God vpon his wonderfull workes which he hath done for the sonnes of men that so we may feele his goodnes many waies and from the sweetnes which we perceiue in the creatures we may be lifted vp to behold the beautie and fauour of the creatour We are also to thinke of the doctrine which we haue heard that it may the easilier be imprinted in vs. And on this day we are more freely to consider of our estate how we proceede in the religious keeping of our couenant with God and how we grow in the assurance of Gods mercie and our redemption or whether we goe not backe or stand not at a stay And euery way as our neede shall most require we are to vse our examinings of our selues meditations and thanksgiuings on this day not only for our present comfort but for our more fruitfull walking all the weeke following Conference of good things tendeth as well to the edifying of others as our selues Beside the which there are other duties to be don to them as to do the workes of mercie to them as well in visiting them in their sickenes releeuing their necessities breaking off their disagreements and reconciling them who were at variance as in spirituall comfortings of them as God doth inable vs. And these al laid together are as a continuall direction for the holy vse of the Sabboth to vs euen as the daily direction which I shall adde afterwards is to serue a Christian daily as long as he shall liue for the profitable and heauenly spending of the Sabboth is the market of the soule in the which he who is wise will prouide and store himselfe for all the other dayes of the weeke wherein it is like he shall haue little helpe but much discouragment as in the world may be seene And this holy passing of the Sabboth must be religiously regarded of al the Christian family as the charge giuen to the gouernor thereof doth shew and of the stranger also who shall come vnder his roofe This is the sum of the holines which we are to shew towards God he that desireth to heare more fully of this matter which I may not handle at large let him reade such treatises as are written of that argument CHAP. 16. Of certaine duties to men in the fift sixt and seuenth commaundement the obeying whereof is a part of the godly life NOw followeth another branch of the second part of this godly or Christian life requiring of vs righteous dealing towards all men Where by the way this is to be carefully regarded that seeing there is an apparant distinction and difference betwixt those forenamed duties of holines to God and these of righteousnes to men which shal follow and yet both alike commaunded therefore that no man disioyne in his practise or separate the one from the other seeing the Lord hath set them downe ioyntly together I speake this because there are many who delighting in hearing the word preached and prayer and reading which are duties directly appertaining to God yet are very negligent in performing that which is due to men as in doing workes of charitie to the poore liuing peaceably and comfortably in mariage or in shunning hastie iudging of their brethren and in being dutifull to superiours as magistrates parents maisters when yet they commaund in the Lord and so contrarily some shall be found doing many things commendable to men and no religion in them towards God Which thing if it be of ignorance is a shamefull blemish in them who are guiltie of it seeing they haue had so long a time graunted them of God in which they might haue learned better but if after it bee knowne it remaine still it plainely testifieth that there is in them a wilfull disobedience against God and that the best of their workes are in vaine And before I enter into the particular duties of righteousnes to all sortes of men it is here as in the fittest place to be taught which cannot be afterward so conueniently added That we haue this minde in vs that we beare loue towards all men euen our greatest enemies from which ground and roote of loue we may be readie to performe all the duties which we shall know to belong to them from vs required particularly in the commaundements following And secondly that we ioyne with it an other generall vertue which is brotherly kindnes to Christians which are brethren with vs which is an holy and especiall loue of one faithfull brother towards another And these two are those which Saint Peter speaketh of when he saith ioyne with brotherly kindnes loue where this vertue is they haue learned to giue euery one of the faithfull their brethren according to the knowledge wherewith God hath inlightened them the seuerall duties required in the second table A rare and singular gift of God which if we could see the practise of it what light of good example it giueth and what profit it would inflame vs wonderfully to the practising of it Now follow the seuerall parts of righteousnes to men as they are distinctly set downe in the sixe commaundements following to be performed of Christians and which helpe to make vp the second part of a godly life In all which although there are many more particular duties to be mentioned then were in the former part because we haue so many dealings and that with infinit persons yet I will set them downe with the like breuitie as neere as I can that I haue done the duties of holines to God leauing the reader to learne the other as I haue said before by other ordinarie meanes And first the dutie which men owe as they are inferiors to others and the superiors to them againe come here to be considered both generally and one particularly towards another Where this is required of all inferiours that they so carry themselues in their whole course to them which by Gods appointment are aboue them or excell them that they may shew in their whole course that they honour them for so the will of God is not to require any one especiall action or dutie of them but that their whole conuersation be such towards them that the person which they take vpon them and the place wherein they are may haue more credit and estimation

Prophet by his example teacheth them in the like case whilest it stoode free from the disease of temptation when they found comfort in the spirit through an acceptable measure of faith Further the triall of their faith is likewise to be taken by those fruits which are euident to the eye of others who can iudge more sincerely then the afflicted themselues whose vnderstanding is much altered by Sathans terrours And here as in fittest place I alleage the strong faith of the woman of Canaan when Christ seemed to giue her the repulse vtterly yet she would not be moued from her faith when firie darts were thrust into her three or foure one after another The same I say to other their obiections of like sort as I haue said to these As when they reason thus against themselues that they do not liue as Gods children doe nor so holily as God requireth and therefore they cannot haue such comfort as they haue What then are they reprobates haue they no grace because they want that which they would haue Ought they not to consider that they being the Lords plants take not their full perfection at once but according to the nature of a plant require a daily watering and dressing whereby in the end they attaine to a full growth in Christ Oh but they feele not the testimonie of Gods spirit which might assure them I answere neither doe any of Gods children at all times feele it but that they may see their owne frailtie God doth as it were hide himselfe sometime for a season as the mother doth from the child to try the affection of it to her that they may with more earnest desire mourne for Gods wonted grace and when they haue obtained it againe may with more ioyfulnes of heart praise him and yet God doth not withhold comfort from his many times when they walke heauily who if they could giue credit vnto him may assure themselues that they may liue in safetie vnder his protection all the day long but their owne frailtie and the vehemencie of the temptation which oppresseth them diminisheth the feeling thereof But patience and constancie with a resolute mind to beare Gods triall will bring a good end yea and by the meeke going vnder Gods hand in these they shall learne experience afterward to wade thorough greater and yet in the middest of them to haue hope that shall not make them ashamed And thus it may appeare that although the weake faith of Gods deare seruants may be many waies assaulted and their saluation by meanes thereof to their feeling be doubted of yet that such are vndoubtedly the Lords and cannot be taken out of his hands because they are not destitute of faith as I haue proued whereby they apprehend Christ though weake and which hath brought vnto them much comfort in times past though for a season the Lord working all for their good it seeme to them farre otherwise And of the former point of this second head or generall part of this treatise that is how the weakest of Gods people are to be vpholden in vehement temptations thus much be said CHAP. 9. The difference of beleeuers from them that are none NOw followeth the second point wherein for the cleerer manifestation of that which hath been said I must now discerne from the former sort such as haue great shew of faithfull ones and beleeuers and yet are nothing lesse and shew that the weakest Christians of whom I haue spoken may see their estate apparantly different from theirs who yet come neerest of other vnto beleeuers and then answere some doubts which I know doe sticke in the mindes of diuers about this matter And first whereas some may maruaile that I in the describing of Gods children haue not rested in these as infallible markes thereof namely 1. sorrow for their miserie 2. confession of their sinnes to God 3. feare of his displeasure for the same and 4. desiring some kinde of amendment of life seeing they are also in them who are effectuallie called of God I answere I haue followed the Scripture herein and that I haue in shewing who are the Lords made mention rather of those graces of God which are properly belonging to the faithfull then of them which may be in hypocrites and hollow hearted professors Seeing we finde both by Scripture and experience that these forenamed affections and many good and commendable vertues as they seeme to be may haue place in those which doe not appertaine to Gods election For a man may be much burthened with the weight of his sinne his conscience terrified by the spirit of bondage he may be pensiue afterward for his sinne committed and wish it were vndone afraide for the punishment and may promise amendment and walke heauily and expresse it by outward signes and yet not released nor set free from that which he feareth So the same person by the hearing of the promises of the Gospell may finde ioy and delight in the glorious tidings which it bringeth and take sensible pleasure in the exercises of religion He may haue a taste of the life to come as Balam he may reuerence and feare the Ministers of God as Herod and begin to amend some faults in his life as hee and others of whom wee reade in the Gospell did and yet for all this though fearefull to thinke of not sealed vp to saluation euen thus farre a man may goe in the profession of Christian religion and yet a stranger from the power of faith from the life of godlines and from that which accompanieth both I meane a good and peaceable conscience Of the which argument because much is written and where the Gospell hath been preached of some places I may speake of mine owne knowledge it hath been often handled and largely I thinke I may say the lesse Neither doe I speake that which I haue said about this matter to discourage any but partly to driue them from deceiuing themselues which loue to stay themselues they care not vpon what rotten hold and broken staffe partly to make the true testimonies of eternall life to be more pretiously esteemed of those which haue them and such as are without them to bestowe more diligence in seeking of them For the weakest faith findeth Christ Iesus no more to lose him seeing he hath said that he will not breake a brused reede nor quench the smoking flaxe and the most glorious shewes of godlines and boldest crakes and most loude boastes of faith where yet it is not indeede shall all vanish away in the ayre and come to nothing not hauing any part in him euen as Sauls bragges that God had deliuered Dauid into his hands when he was shut in the citie were frustrated to his owne shame 1. Sam. 23.14 24.5 The which how true it is may appeare not only by some examples mentioned out of the Scripture but also by the liues of sundry in the Countrey who