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	grace_n	kindness_n	1,104	5	9.7077	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29932	Dwelling with God, the interest and duty of believers in opposition to the complemental, heartless, and reserved religion of the hypocrite / opened in eight sermons by John Bryan ...	Bryan, John, d. 1676.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1670 (1670)	Wing B5243; ESTC R31994	149,472	465

of sound words Let us hold fast our profession of Christian Faith and Religion in words and deeds That which ye have already hold fast till I come Especially this grace and gift of assurance which is a Jewel of the greatest worth in the World For as the happiness of having it so the misery of wanting it is unspeakable We cannot love God heartily when we doubt whether he loves us We can have little heart to pray our spiritual fight will be uncomfortable our peace unsetled our patience heartless all heat to holy duties will be utterly dampt in us This is made an effect of lively Faith and an assured mark of those who are living Members of Christ namely to hold fast that degree of assurance Christ was faithful as a Son over his own House whose House are we If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end See an example of this fast holding and keeping this Pearl of Price in the Spouse of Christ how servent her desires were how forcible her endeavours to make his singular presence with her familiar with her alwayes It was but a little that I passed from the Watchmen great worldly wise Men but I found him whom my Soul loveth I held him and would not let him go We are as oft exhorted to add unto those good things which we have and hold to increase our spiritual store to grow in all Graces Besides this giving all diligence add to your Faith Virtue to Virtue Knowledge to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience to Patience Godliness and to Godliness brotherly Kindness and to brotherly Kindness Charity Grow in Grace We beseech you brethren and exhort you by the Lord Jesus that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God So ye would abound more and more That ye would increase more and more with the increase of God Grow up into him in all things which is the Head even Christ This will be both for our comfort and credit profit Lord thy Pound hath gained other Five Pounds be thou over Five Cities Especially we should desire and add degrees to our Faith as of adherence so of experience and evidence make it our Prayer Lord increase our Faith and this will bind others praises of God on our behalf We are bound to thank God alwayes for you Brethren as it is meet because that your Faith groweth exceedingly The great benefit and necessity of this knowledge of assurance may be motive sufficient to perswade you to give all diligence in the use of all means to preserve and increase it You will be sure to meet with temptations to doubt of your interest in God of your being in him to question whether you are Children of this Family Christ himself was thus assaulted though dwelling in the bosome of his Father If thou be the Son of God You must all dye shortly you may presently For what is your life it is even a Vapour which appeareth for a little Moment and vanisheth away Now if you be without assurance that you dwell in this heavenly House when Death drives you out of your Earthly How full of Horror and Torment must your Hearts needs be not knowing whether Heaven or Hell must be your dwelling place to all Eternity Whereas if you knew you were in the same House with Christ this would quiet your heart from all fear As soon as Christ was come into the Ship wherein the Disciples were tossed the Wind presently ceased God through Christ being your Habitation your Light and Salvation whom or what should you fear while you live and when you die God is our refuge therefore we will not fear And this and this only is able to make and keep your hearts lightsome in every condition Yea knowledge of your abiding in God will give a sweet relish as to every comfort So to every cross I have lost a dear Husband Wife Child Friend a comfortable dwelling but not my dear God And the more assurance the less fearful and more chearful Now the means to preserve and increase assurance are the same wherby you gained it The outward are those Ordinances of God and exercises of his holy Religion which he hath sanctified to this end to bring us unto and into himself and to work in us a comfortable assurance thereof especially the Word Sacrament and Prayer The more inward and spiritual are care to keep a good Conscience Diligent observation of your own ways Consideration of the experiments you have had of God's favour towards you renouncing your selves Resting only upon the free Grace of God in performance of the conditions required on our part looking oft over your evidences and holding the Conclusion To learn by heart and put in practice all those duties that are incumbent upon all those to whom the Lord even the most High vouchsafeth this high Prerogative of admission to and possession of his blessed Self to be your proper Habitation The general duty is to walk worthy of the Lord who hath effectually called you out of the World and out of your selves into himself and hath justified you and partly glorified you with glorious priviledges graces and comforts For whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified This the Apostle Paul frequently presseth I beseech you that you walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are called You know how we exhorted and charged every one of you that ye would walk worthy of God who hath called you into his Kingdom of Glory Of God whose Livery you wear whose Image you bear of whose Houshold you are To walk worthy of your Vocation is to walk holily for the general Vocation of all Christians is to be holy as God is holy unto whom they are called in Jesus Christ As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation And as he presseth them to this worthy walking So he presseth God by Prayer for them that they might by his grace be enabled to walk declaring withall sundry Ingredients and Concurrents that make these paces and steps they take regular and graceful and the end of the course joyful We cease not to pray for you and to desire that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdome and spiritual understanding that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all well-pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness Let knowledge shew you the wayes you should walk and sanctification carry you on an end therein and patience uphold you till you come to the end of your Journey when you shall receive the end of your Faith even the salvation of your Souls The

sitting with him presented Him with the exercise of her Virtues And of his sitting down with his Twelve Disciples to eat the Passover and before this with many Publicans and Sinners All penitent Sinners whose habitation the Lord is ever had still have and ever shall have this Priviledge to sit with Christ in Heavenly places which are no other than the Loves of God in Christ from which Seats neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to seperate them Nor any such Beds to take rest in which the now named Loves make Herb. Evens My God thou art all Love Not one poor Minute scapes thy Breast But brings a favour from above And in this Love more than in Bed I rest The softest down Beds compared to these are harder than stones on which as little true rest can be taken as Ahasuerus took the Day before Mordecai was to be hanged on that Night could not the King sleep or as Job had when he wanted the sense of these Divine Loves When I say my Bed shall ease me my Couch shall ease my Complaints then thou scarest me with Dreames and terrifiest me with Visions In this Bed of assurance of Divine Love Jacob slept sweetly comforted by a Vision made by a Sign namely a Ladder set upon the Earth the top whereof reached unto Heaven c. and in words promising the Land whereon he slept a numerous posterity and protection in his going out and coming home when his Body lay on the cold Ground and his Head on a Stone And in the same Bed David slept securely when surrounded with Enemies I laid me down and slept and I will not be afraid of ten thousand of People that have set themselves against me round about Yea when their Bodies are upon Sick-beds God himself twines them makes them soft stirring up Feathers of Consolation under them The Lord will strengthen him upon the Bed of languishing Thou wilt make all his Bed in his Sickness Nor is there in any House such Linnen for Bed and Board which is spread and used as oft as rest or repast is taken and hath an influence into both making them comfortable yea into the very Dishes and Vessels wherein the Meat and Drink is served up making them precious and permanent and into the Couches or places of repose corporal as well as spiritual without which those would have no grateful relish nor these any refreshing sweetness Such as Jeremy found wrapped therein upon this I awaked and beheld and my sleep was sweet unto me But especially this Linnen serves for the cloathing this Houshold imparting not only warmth to which sufficient hath been spoken but also Ornament beyond compare To her speaking of the Church the Lamb's Wife was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Linnen clean and white for the fine Linnen is the Righteousness of Saints Of old great and honourable Persons were cloathed with fine Linnen Pharaoh arrayed Joseph in Vestures of fine Linnen Mordecai went out from the presence of the King in Royal Apparel and with a Garment of fine Linnen Dives was cloathed in Purple and fine Linnen The High Priests Garments were made of Gold and of Blue and of Purple Scarlet and of fine Linnen The Ephod and the curious Girdle the Coat and the Miter and so were the Vestures of his Sons which are said to be for Glory and for Beauty that is to make them Venerable and Majestick in the executing of their Office Every faithful Christian Man or Woman is a sacred King a Royal Priest hath Royal blood running in his Veins Was born not of blood is not such by natural Generation nor of the will of the flesh But of God by the power of his Spirit unto his own Image and so is higher than the Kings of the Earth hath Power as a King to subdue and keep under the rebellious motions and lusts of his own corrupt reason and will and is by faith partaker of Christs royal Dignity and Will being with him annexed Heir of an Heavenly Kingdome He is also made partaker of the Dignity of Christ's Priesthood better than the Levitical Priesthood which was not after the Order of Melchisedeck having God propitious to him by his Death having access to God by Prayer through his intercession and to offer spiritual sacrifices to him the Sacrifice of Prayer that is the fruit of the Lips giving thanks to his Name To do good also and to communicate for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased The Linnen wherewith these spiritual Kings and Priests are apparelled being the Righteousness of Christ's humane Nature called the Righteousness of God Because he is the Supream Author of it and appointed his Son who was true God for to fulfil and to acquire it out of his meer grace and imputes it to the Elect and accepts it for their absolution as far surpasseth in fineness purity and whiteness that wherewith Earthly Princes and Priests were arrayed as the finest Flax doth the coursest Sack or Hair-cloath For it is Angelical yea more pure and bright and transcendently glorious and makes them appear so The Kings Daughter is all glorious within Yea Glory it self in the abstract yea they do appear so not only in the Eyes of God but even in the Eyes of the Nations of the World as appeares by these words of admiration uttered by them Who is she that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an Army with Banners And this by reason of those gorgeous outward Garments and Jewels that cast a shining lustre wherewith they are invested and adorned Cap a pe like Herod in his Cloath of Silver which being beaten by the Sun-beames dazled the Peoples Eyes The exercise and exerting of those glorious Virtues mentioned by the Apostle Bowels of Mercies kindness meekness of mind long-suffering and charity which is the Bond of Perfection make them to shine as lights in the World He that will look into the Wardroab of this House shall finde besides these very many changes of rich Rayment fitted for all Sexes and Ages which being put on and worn abroad must needs make them glorious in the Eyes of all beholders And as there is no such Vestry in any House as this so neither is there any such Armony In the Tower of David which was builded for an Armory there hang a Thousand Bucklers all Shields of Mighty Men. There is in this one Shield of more worth to all intents and purposes than all those a thousand times told over The Shield of Faith a spiritual Shield serving to beat back and bear off all the fierce Temptations of Satan To quench all his Fiery Darts to hinder their pernicious working By