Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	brotherly_a	faith_n	patience_n	2,987	5	8.7056	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73267	The dignitie of Gods children. Or An exposition of 1. Iohn 3. 1.2.3 Plentifully shewing the comfortable, happie, and most blessed state of all Gods children, and also on the contrarie, the base, fearefull, and most wofull condition of all other that are not the children of God.	Stoughton, Thomas.	1610 (1610)	STC 23315.5; ESTC S117855	406,069	519

of the sobriety of Gods children in prosperity and in aduersity as also of that watchfulnesse which doth alwaies accompany and associate the said sobriety For whereas the wicked in prosperity swell and rage are proud and insolent contemning and despising all men as if they would beare down all before them and so do fall into infinit outrages the children of God looking to him that giueth prosperity considering for what end they haue more then other regarding the vncertainty of all that they haue and remembring before the account that one day they shall make of the emploiment of all that they haue receiued are kept from the former euils So whereas the wicked in aduersity do mutter and murmur against him that sendeth the same and particularly in the times of need and great penury do occupy their heads with many wicked imaginations and put in practise many vnlawfull shifts of stealing of borrowing without purpose of paying againe of promising much and performing nothing of deceiuing cosening and such like the children of God liuing euen this life by their faith and belieuing the promises of God as well for this life as for the life to come and remembring the performance of them in all ages and calling to mind the experience that themselues haue had of Gods prouidence c. do so commit their waies vnto him and cast their care vpon him that they are kept from those former scandalous euils These things might be prosecuted more at large but the religious reader by these instances may consider of other the like Touching the other point before named the raising againe of them that after regeneration doe fall to disgracefull sinnes Dauid also is a most worthy example thereof For how gratiously he was raised after his foule adultery with Bathsheba and his most horrible murder of her husband Vriiah it is manifest by the confession of his sinne to Nathan the Prophet 2. Sam. 12. 13. and by that dolefull and no lesse heauy then heauenly one and fifty Psalme written afterward by him in further testimony of his most serious and vnsained repentance When he was againe afterward ouertaken with numbring of the people yea though Ioab coūselled him very grauely to the contrary how was he raised out of the same being admonished thereof by Nathan and corrected with a great pestilence amongst his people by the angell of the Lord Yea did he he testifie that his rising againe by acknowledgement of his sinne and by praying for the people that the hand of might be turned from them vpon himselfe and his own house saying I haue done wickedly but these sheepe what haue they done Let thine hand I pray thee be against me and my fathers house 2 Sam. 24. 17. How did Hezekiah humble himselfe and cause the inhabitants of Ierusalem to humble themselues when hee saw wrath to come from the Lord vpon him and Ierusalem because he had not rendred vnto the Lord according to the reward of health miraculously bestowed vpon him 2. Chroni 32. 25. 26. How bitterly did Peter weepe after his foule and shamefull denying and forswearing of his master Yea how zealous was he from that time forward for him For being with other and Christ being there vnknown to his disciples and hauing bidden them to cast out their net on the right side of the ship with promise to finde for they had laboured all night and taken nothing and the net according to the former promise of Christ hauing comprehended a great multitude of fishes whereby Iohn discerned him to be Christ that had so spoken vnto them Peter no sooner heard Iohn say It is the Lord but presently he girded his garment vnto him and leapt into the sea and so came swimming vnto Christ whereas all the rest staied in the ship and so at leisure brought it and came themselues therein vnto the land Ioh 21. 1. To these things let me heere insert this one point more viz. that whereas the children of God regenerated doe sometimes fall into greater sins then the common sort of eiuill men not regenerated as Dauid in the things before spoken of and Salomon in many things this falleth out by the speciall prouidence and wisedome of God the better to teach what men are of themselues without God and beeing left vnto themselues as also to admonish such as thinke they stand to take heede lest they fall 1. Cor. 10. 12. and to instruct all to finish ther saluation with the more feare and trembling Phill. p. 2. 12. So by their sinnes they are made schoolemasters vnto other Is not this a singular priuiledge so to haue the old man more and more mortified so to bee preserued from great sinnes after regeneration So to arise out of them being by frailty and naturall corruption fallen into them and so by falling into them to bee made schoolemasters of such excellent things vnto other Verily we cannot but acknowledge it to be a great priuiledge if we shall consider with what greedinesse all the wicked and vnregenerate commit sinne continue in sinne and like wilde horses doe runne on and proceed from one sinne to another without any restraint But to proceed yet further as the childrenof God do daily more and more die vnto sinne and are preserued from notorious euils wherein the wicked wallow and welter themselues like filthy swine in the mire and will not be plucked out or if they fall into such euils yet they rise againe As I say the children of God do thus so also hauing by the vertue of their regeneration once brought foorth the fruits of the spirit and of righteousnesse they are made more and more abundant in them As the Apostle hath often exhorted the children of God so to doe viz. to abound alwaies in the works of the Lord 1. Cor. 15. 58. to encrease more and more c. 1. Thes 4. 1. to bee rich in good works c. 1. Tim. 6. 18. to consider one another to prouoke to loue and to doe good works Heb. 10. 24. to toyne vertue with faith and with vertue knowledge with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godlinesse with godlines brotherly kindnes with brotherly kindnes loue and not onely to haue all these things but that also these things should abound in them 2. Pet. 1. 6. 7. 8. And as the Apostle praied most earnestly to be with the Philippians to this end that their loue might abound more and more in knowledge and iudgement and that to these ends first that touching their inward man their minds might be able to iudge things that differ and their hearts might be pure as the Sunne Cantic 6. 9. that is cleer and sincere without mixture of hypocrisie and touching their outward man both without offence euen till the comming of Christ and also filled with the fruits of righteousnesse Philip. 1. 9. 10. 11. As I say the Apostles haue exhorted the children of God so to abound in all goodnesse as also whiles they liued praied

in glorie at his appearing and of seeing him as he is must purge himselfe so also not some but euery one that hath the said hope must purge himselfe according to this patterne This therefore especially condemneth that strict sect of the Papists called Iesuites which in a kinde of extreame pride in name and in a more precise kinde of imitation of Christ as they pretend do both single themselues from all other and also aduance themselues aboue all other For doth not the Apostle in the place before alledged reprooue the Corinthians as well for holding some of Christ in a speciall maner as for holding some of Paul some of Apollos some of Cephas And doth he not also thereby teach that as albaptized into Christ are Christians alike so all if any must be also Iesuites alike Though in Cambridge Christ Colledge and Iesus Colledge be two distinct colledges yet in profession the names Christ and Iesus are not so to be distinguished To conclude this point touching this patterne according to which we are to purge our selues Let vs remember what Iacob did to haue blacke and white spotted lambs yea what he did in that behalfe not of his owne head but by direction of God himselfe as also let vs consider the successe thereof Cōcer●ing this it is said that Iacob took rods of greene poplar of hasell and of the chesnut tree and pilled white strokes in them and made the white appeare in the rods and then put the rods which hee had pilled into the gutters and wairing troughs when the sheepe came to drinke before the sheepe because they were then in heat when they came to drinke Wherefore did he all this Because before he had made a couenant with Laban to haue no other wages then the party coloured sheepe with great and little spots all that were so spotted before beeing first taken out of the flocks and committed to the other sonnes of Laban to bee kept by themselues three daies iourney from those that remained in the keeping of Iacob What was the successe of this practise It is further saide that the sheepe beeing then in heat because it was then ramming time and seeing those reds so pilled with white strokes lying before them by the impression of them but chieflie by the speciall prouidence of God brought foorth yong of partie colour and with small and great spots Genes 30. 37. c. To apply this to our present purpose as those sheepe by beholding those rods so pilled with white strokes amongst the naturall greene that was left on them through the speciall prouidence of God did bring forth yong partie coloured like to those said pilled rods in that maner laid before them so if euery one that hath that former hope in him of being at the appearing of Christ like vnto him in glorie and of seeing him as hee is for the purging of himselfe would alwaies lay before his eies this excellent patterne of Christ himselfe heere commended vnto vs and seriously marke and obserue the same it could not bee but that through the gracious working of God the sight of this pattern would make so deepe an impression in the heart of such a man that hee should purge himselfe as Christ is pure and bee made like vnto him in holinesse and righteousnesse for his better assurance of his future likenesse vnto him in glory But therefore indeede doe men continue the longer in their spirituall filthinesse and bee not transformed into the likenesse of Christ in the foresaide holinesse and righteousnesse because they doe not so behold and consider this excellent patterne as they should doe And this is a manifest argument that whatsoeuer some men speake of their knowing Christ and of seeing Christ as also of their hope of beeing made like vnto Christ at his appearing as well as any other yet indeede all these are but words because they doe not purge themselues as he is pure For if they had that hope they speake of if they did so know Christ and behold Christ as they boast they do then doubtlesse they would purge themselues as he is pure This must bee applied to particular vertues wherein Christs puritie doth speciallie consist as to walking in loue as hee hath loued vs Ephesians 5. 2. To running with patience the race that is set before vs looking vnto Iesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the ioie that was set before him endured the Crosse and despised the shame Hebrewes 12. 1. 2. and suffered for vs leauing vs an example that wee should follow his steppes c. 1. Pet. 2. 21. so likewise to humilitie that in meekenesse of minde euerie man esteeme other better then himselfe not looking onlie on his owne things that is on his owne gifts that himselfe hath receiued but also on the things of other men as hauing the same mind that was euen in Christ Iesus who being in the forme of God and thinking it no robberie to be equall to God made himselfe of no reputation but tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto man and was found in the shape of a man and humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse c. Phil. 2. 3. c. The like may be said of other speciall vertues and particular branches of that puritie that was in Christ Iesus All these things that I haue now written of the dignitie of the children of GOD God himselfe write in the hearts of all that shall read them thus written in paper And hee that hath loued them with such admirable and incomprehensible loue as to aduance them to this vnspeakable dignitie continue this his loue in them vnto the end and so purge and transforme them into the holinesse of Christ Iesus in this world that as heereby they doe alreadie know that howsoeuer they bee heere of the world contemned and made the off-scouring and as it were the skumme of the world yet at the appearing of Christ they shall bee made like vnto him and see him as hee is so indeede they may bee so made like vnto him and so see him and his glorie and enioie the same for euer and euer Amen FINIS Faults escaped partly at the Presse partly by the default of him that copied out part of the Booke PAg. 5. l. 25. put out vnto p. 18. l. 5. after not r. only and after but r. also p. 19. l. 32. r. all p. 20. l. 21. r. alwaies p. 22. l. 19. r. mediatly p. 24. l. 3. r. euen vs. p. 29. l. 2. r. taking only p. 41 l 15. r. alone p. 64. l. 30. r. cleare p. 69. l. 6. r. to beleeue it p. 76. l. 30. r. 1. Cor. 12. 3. p. 108. l 32. r. gesture p. 129. l. 21. after abiding r. or p. 167. l. 23. r from p. 169. l. 13. r. from some p. 187. l. 3. r. Gad. p. 194. l. 4. r. giue p. 198. l. 14. r. as p. 208. l. 28. r. Ps 19. 7 p. 221. l. 14. r. inueh reading p. 223. l 5. r. Rom. 6. 3. 4 p. 236. l. 22. r. other p. 238. l. 33. r. Iames 1. 18. p. 260. l. 11. r. high Priest p. 271. l. 8. r. Psal 94. p. 306. l. 34. r. euen p. 308. l. 17. 18. r. vnspeakable p. 312. l. 10. r. meanes p. 324. l. 36. r. smack p. 325. l. 2. r. whom p. 326. l. 21. r. beheld p. 328. l. 1. r. we heard l. 10. r. oppresse l. 28. r. collowed p. 335. l. 7. r. viz p. 339. l 32. r. Ps 102. 2. p. 348. l. 33. r. Melas 34. Rhinocurura p. 368. l. 21. r. children of God p. 387. l. 29. put out one p. 408. l. 25. r. and therfore p. 412. l. 35. put out the wicked p. 436. l. 24. r. great p. 467. l. 3. read comming p. 469. l. 32. r. Now. p. 475. l. 15. r. worke p. 488. l. 30. r. so likewise