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	temperance_n	1,083	5	11.6849	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53721	A practical exposition on the 130th Psalm wherein the nature of the forgiveness of sin is declared, the truth and reality of it asserted, and the case of a soul distressed with the guilt of sin and relieved by a discovery of forgiveness with God is at large discoursed / by John Owen.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1669 (1669)	Wing O794; ESTC R26853	334,249	417

tells us could not make perfect the worshippers v. 1. which he proves v. 2. because they did never take away throughly and really Conscience of sin that is depths or distresses of conscience about sin But now saith he Jesus Christ in the Covenant of Grace hath for ever perfected them that were sanctified v. 14. providing for them such stable peace and consolation as that they shall not need the renewing of Sacrifices every day v. 18. This is the great mysterie of the Gospel in the blood of Christ that those who sin every day should have peace with God all their dayes Provided their sins fall within the compass of those infirmities against which this consolation is provided Thirdly There is provision made of Grace to prevent and preserve the soul from great and enormous sins such as in their own nature are apt to wound conscience and cast the person into such depths and intanglements as wherein he shall have neither rest nor peace Of what sort these sins are shall be afterwards declared There is in this Covenant Grace for Grace Joh. 1. 16. and abundance of Grace administred from the All-fulness of Christ. Grace reigneth in it Rom. 6. 6. destroying and crucifying the body of sin But this Provision in the Covenant of Grace against peace-ruining soul-perplexing sins is not as to the administration of it absolute There are Covenant Commands and Exhortations on the attendance whereunto the administration of much Covenant-Grace doth depend To watch pray improve faith to stand on our guard continually to mortifie sin to fight against temptations with stedfastness diligence constancy are every where prescribed unto us and that in order unto the ensurance of the Grace mentioned These things are on our part the condition of the Administration of that abundant Grace which is to preserve us from soul-entangling sins So Peter informs us 2 Ep. 1. v. 3. The divine power of God hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness We have from it an habitual furnishment and provision for obedience at all times Also saith he v. 4. He bath given unto us great and pretious promises that by them we might be partakers of the Divine Nature What then is in this blessed estate and condition required of us that we may make a due improvement of the provision made for us and enjoy the comforting influence of those Promises that he prescribes unto us v. 5 6 7. Giving all diligence 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 That is carefully and diligently attend to the exercise of all the Graces of the Spirit and unto a conversation in all things becoming the Gospel What then shall be the issue if these things are attended unto v. 8. If these things be in you and abound ye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not enough that these things be in you that you have the seed and root of them from and by the Holy Ghost but you are to take care that they flourish and abound without which though the root of the matter may be in you and so you be not wholly devoid of spiritual life yet you will be poor barren sapless withering creatures all your days But now suppose that these things do abound and we be made fruitful thereby Why then saith he v. 10. If you do these things ye shall never fall What never fall into sin Nay that is not in the Promise and he that sayes when he hath done all that he hath no sin he is a Lyar. Or is it never fall totally from God No the preservation of the Elect of whom he speaks from total Apostasie is not suspended on such conditions especially not on any degree of them such as their abounding imports But it is that they shall not fall into their old sins from which they were purged v. 9. Such Conscience wasting and defiling sins as they lived in in the time and state of their Unregeneracy Thus though there be in the Covenant of Grace through Jesus Christ Provision made of abundant supplies for the souls preservation from entangling sins yet their Administration hath respect unto our diligent attendance unto the means of receiving them appointed for us to walk in And here lyes the latitude of the New Covenant here lyes the exercise of renewed Free-will This is the field of free voluntary obedience under the Administration of Gospel Grace There are extreams which in respect of the event it is not concerned in To be wholly perfect to be free from every sin all failings all infirmities that is not provided for not promised in this Covenant It is a Covenant of mercy and pardon which supposeth a continuance of sin To fall utterly and finally from God that is absolutely provided against Between these two extreams of absolute perfection and total Apostasie lyes the large Field of Believers obedience and walking with God Many a sweet heavenly passage there is and many a dangerous depth in this field Some walk near to the one side some to the other yea the same person may sometimes press hard after Perfection sometimes be cast to the very border of destruction Now between these two lye many a soul-plunging sin against which no absolute provision is made and which for want of giving all diligence to put the means of preservation in practice Believers are oftentimes overtaken withal Fourthly There is not in the Covenant of Grace Provision made of ordinary and abiding consolation for any under the guilt of great sins or sins greatly aggravated which they fall into by a neglect of using and abiding in the forementioned conditions of abounding actual Grace Sins there are which either because in their own nature they wound and waste conscience or in their effects break forth into scandal causing the name of God and the Gospel to be evil spoken of or in some of their circumstances are full of unkindness against God do deprive the soul of its wonted consolation How by what means on what account such sins come to terrifie conscience to break the bones to darken the soul and to cast it into inextricable depths notwithstanding the relief that is provided of pardon in the blood of Christ I shall not now declare that they will do so and that Consolation is not of equal extent with safety we know Hence God assumes it to himself as an act of meer Soveraign Grace to speak peace and refreshment unto the souls of his Saints in their depths of sin entanglements Isa. 57. 18 19. And indeed if the Lord had not thus provided that great provocations should stand in need of special reliefs it might justly be feared that the negligence of Believers might possibly bring forth much bitter fruit Only this must be observed by the way that what