Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	charity_n	faith_n	temperance_n	1,943	5	10.7125	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15396	A catholicon, that is, A generall preservative or remedie against the pseudocatholike religion gathered out of the catholike epistle of S. Jude, briefly expounded, and aptly, according to the time, applied to more then halfe an hundreth of popish errours, and as many corruptions of manners. With a preface seruing as a preparatiue to the catholicon, and a dyet prescribed after.; A catholicon.	Willet, Andrew, 1562-1621.	1602 (1602)	STC 25673; ESTC S114006	113,250	270

prooue a dead and withered braunch and so is that faith that doeth not gather daily more strength We ought therefore to growe increase that we may appeare to be liuing braunches graft into the stocke which is Christ. First this doctrine which teacheth increase Error 49. of faith meeteth with an erroneous opinion of the papists who doe require of their people onely a weake and imperfect faith to beleeue as the Church beleeueth and say it is sufficient though they themselues be not able to giue any reason A generall confused saith not sufficient nor render any account of faith for where is nowe this edifying of our selues in faith this spirituall groweth increase of faith they grow not at all which content themselues with a rude weake imperfect general faith S. Peter otherwise teacheth that we should be readie to giue an answer to euery man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in vs. 1. Pet. 3. 15. And thus Origen expoundeth those wordes of the Apostle to our Sauiour Christ Lord increase A d●●ge nobis fidem i habentes eam fidem quae non est secundum scientiam habeamus eam quae est secundum scientiam in c 10. ad Rom. our faith Luke 17. 5. That is hauing that faith which is not according to knowledge let vs haue that also which is according to knowledge Secondly we see what they may thinke of themselues that continue in one stay their faith hope charitie knowledge zeale is the same which it was many yeres since surely such may worthily suspect themselues that their faith is dying in thē for it is most true qui non proficit deficit he that increaseth not decreaseth Wherefore euery man ought to giue all diligence to adde grace to grace vertue to vertue as the Apostle saith Ioyne vertue with your faith with vertue knoweledge with knoweledge temperance c. so shall they not be idle and vnfruitfull 2. Pet. 1. 5 6 8. And as Hierome saith Isti sunt veluti scalae gradus quam vidit Iacob these are as the staires of Fabiolae tom 4. the ladder which Iaacob sawe whereby we must scale the heauens Praying in the holy Ghost The Apostle here sheweth that the meanes whereby Doctrin 2. we are enabled to edifie our selues and to goe forward in faith is by praier he likewise teacheth what manner of praier it ought to be in the holy Ghost that is we must pray effectually zealously as the spirit shall make vs to pray Saint Iames testifieth as much saying If any of you lacke wisedome let him aske of god who giueth to all men liberally c. but let him aske in faith Iam. 1. 5. The prophet Dauid is a notable president to vs in both these points that praier is a meane to obtaine such graces as we want Psal. 109. 4. But I betake my selfe vnto praier and that it ought to be with the heart Psal. 108. 1. Mine heart is prepared mine heart is prepared O God I will sing and giue praise Exor For like as Moses with his rodde wrought wonders Elisha with his staff in such stead is praier vnto Christians but like as the Arke was couered with gold both within without Exod. 25. 11. so our praier must not consist in glorious goodly words but proceede from the golden meditations of the heart Aitiol For as God is so ought our praier to be He is a spirit and we must worship him and pray vnto him in spirit and because Ioh. 4. 24. Christ saith Come vnto me all that are wearie and I will ease you Math. 11. 28. and to him we haue accesse by praier therfore we ought to haue recourse to praier as vnto the hauen and rest of our soules If then our praiers ought to be spirituall whereunto we are stirred by the H. ghost which as the Apostle saith maketh requests for vs with sight that can not be expressed Rom. 8. 26. then first of all all lip-labour Error 50. in praier is condemned such as are all popish Popish liplabour in praiers vain● latine praiers made by simple people without any knowledge or vnderstanding of that which is praied which is contrarie to the Apostles rule I will pray with the spirit I will pray with the vnderstanding also I will sing with the spirit I will sing with the vnderstanding also 1. Cor. 14. 15. For if publike prayer ought to be made to the vnderstanding of others whereof the Apostle here chiefly speaketh much more to the vnderstanding of those themselues that pray Origen saith well vpon these words of our Sauiour If two agree vpon ●arth whatsoever they desire it shall be giuen them Math. 18. 19. that is There must be a consent of the heart in beleeuing and a ●●it consensus cordis crodendo linguae cōsitendo tract 6. Matth. consent of the tongue in confessing And secondly seeing praier is so necessarie an instrument of the soule they are grieuous offendours that so seldome vse it Daniel would not forbeare praier 30. daies vnto God though it cost him his life but vsed to pray thrice euery day Dan. 6. 10. Men now are not onely terrified from praier but comforted and encouraged to pray yet I am afraid that many passe daies weekes moneths yeares and neuer humble themselues in their priuate praier vnto God Great is the efficacie of feruent praier Iam. 5. 16. And Hierome well saith Vim facicbat precum tuarum fidelis ambitio The faithfull ambition ad C●la●ti●● as it were of your prayers was violent and forceable vers 22. Keepe your selues in the loue of God He meaneth brotherly charitie which is wrought in vs by God The loue of God is taken either for that loue whereby God loueth vs 1. Ioh. 4. 9. In this appeared the loue of God toward vs c. or whereby we loue God v. 19. We loue him because he loued vs first or for that loue whereby we loue one an other which is said to be the loue of God because it commeth of God 1. Ioh. 4. 7. Beloued let vs loue one an other for loue commeth of God and so is it taken here The Apostle then in these words exhorteth Doct. ● to perseuerance and continuance in loue that we should take heede of all offences and occasions whereby our charitie might be interrupted or broken off so that it is as great a vertue to cherish and nourish Christian loue as once to haue begunne it Testim Therefore the Apostle saith Endeauouring to keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace Eph. 4. 3. And againe Be angrie and sinne not v. 26. that is so moderate your affections as thereby ye sinne not against charitie Examp. Thus was Abraham desirous to keepe charitie he beeing both far greater then Lot as elder in yeares his vncle by kinred and heire of Gods promises yet thus offereth himselfe vnto him seeking peace Let there be no

strife I pray thee betweene thee and me neither betweene thy heardmen and mine Gen. 13. 8. Thus did Moses seeke to pacifie the strife betweene two Hebrewes his brethren Exod. 2. 13. Exornat The amitie and loue of brethren is like a threefold coard that can not easily be broken Eccles. 4. 12. And the Prophet speaking of brotherly loue giueth it these two properties that it is both bonum iucundum a thing good and profitable as also sweete and pleasant for the sweetnesse thereof he compareth it to the sauour of Aarons oyntment for the profit thereof to the dewe of the hills Hermon and Sion that water the valleies and make them fruitfull Psal. 133. Some things are profitable but not pleasant as affliction and crosses some things are pleasant but not profitable as the pleasures of sinne but Charitie and Loue hath this preheminence The excellen●●● of charitie to be both pleasant and profitable Aitiolog Now the Apostle sheweth the reason why we ought to be carefull to maintaine peace and loue Eph. 4. 5. There is one Lord one faith one baptisme that is like as they which are seruants to one master of one opinion and iudgement and of the same blood will hold togither so should we beeing seruants to one Lord professours of the same faith and of one spirituall kinred in baptisme Applicat Now whereas the Apostle saith Keepe your selues least the Papists and Error 51. other freewill-men should take aduantage by these and such other words as though it Against free-will were in our owne power to keepe or preserue our selues in charitie or in any other Christian vertue we make this answer vnto them 1. That it followeth not vpon these and other such like precepts giuen in Scripture that it is in mans power to performe them for then where S. Iohn Baptist saith Repent for the kingdome of God is at hand Matth. 3. 2. and where Saint Peter saith Saue your selues from this froward generation Act. 2. 40. it might be inforced that man hath power by his free-will to repent and to saue himselfe 2. Wherefore as the Apostle saith the law was giuen vs as a schoolemaster to bring vs to Christ Galat. 3. 29. so to the same end are these and such other precepts set forth in scripture that man seeing his own weaknesse to keepe them may thereby as by a schoolemaster be brought to seeke helpe from God as Augustine well saith Ad hoc lex praecepit ista vt cum in his implēdo homo deficeret nonse extollat superbia tumidui De grat lib. ●rbi● c. 6. sed ad gratiam aufugiat fatigatus Therefore hath the law commanded these things that man fayling in the fulfilling of them should not swell with pride but runne vnto grace for helpe beeing wearied in himselfe 3. Againe another reason is why the Scriptures so exhort vs because man is in deede to will and performe all those things yet not of himselfe but by the strength of grace as the Apostle saith He laboured yet not he but the grace of God in him 1. Cor. 15. 10. And this point is well touched by Augustine Nos velle cum volumus sed ille facit vt velimus bonum certum est nos facere sedille facit vt faciamus That we doe De bono persev c. 16. will when any thing is willed but God maketh vs to will it is certen that we doe when any thing is done but he maketh vs doe it Secōdly we are taught by this doctrine that we ought to be most carefull to keepe charitie and so shunne all occasions which may interrupt it not as they which doe snuffe and puffe vpon euery light matter and beeing once offended are hardly reconciled but let vs remember the prudent counsell of the wise man The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and his glorie is to passe by an offence Prou. 19. 11. Looking for the mercie of our Lord Iesus Christ to eternall life Here we learne that Doctr. ● the hope and expectation of the kingdom of God is an excellent meane as to sustain a mans infirmitie in affliction so to stirre vp his zeale vnto euery Christian dutie Testim Thus the Apostle testifieth 1. Cor. 15. 58. Therefore my brethren be ye steadfast vnmooueable alwaies abundant in the work of the Lord for as much as you know your labour is not in vaine in the Lord that is that God hath a reward in store for the faithfull and fruitfull workes of his seruants Exampl Dauid sheweth the practise thereof in himselfe I should haue fainted except I had beleeued to see the goodnes of the Lord in the land of the liuing Psal. 27. 13. Exorn. Like as the husbandman endureth his labour hoping to receiue the fruits 2. Tim. 2. 6. and as he that keepeth the figge tree shall eate thereof Prou. 27. 18. so the assurance of the reward should make vs diligent and readie to euery good worke Aitiolog The reason is taken from the contrarie 1. Cor. 15. 19. If then in this life we should onely haue hope we were of all men most miserable Now because we know that the condition of Gods children is most happie and blessed we assuredly beleeue that God hath a reward in store the hope whereof bringeth chearefulnes and encreaseth our courage and zeale to euery good worke Applic. First then by these words of the Apostle who ascribeth euerlasting life to Heauen is not merited the mercies of Christ the errour of the Papists is confuted that say heauen may as Error 51. well be merited by good works as hell by euill and that life euerlasting is the stipend of iustice as damnation is the stipend of sinne Rhemist annot in Rom. 6. 8. sect But here the Apostle directly referreth life eternall to the mercie of God and S. Paul Rom. 6. 23. saith it is the gift of God wheras the wages of sinne is death Ambrose agreeth to this Apostolike doctrine Let Intelligant se donum gratiae non operū accepis●e mercedem lib. 1. de ●ocat g●nt c. 3. them know that they haue receiued a gift of grace not a wages of their workes Secondly we must take heede of an oother popish errour they say men ought to doe good in respect and for their reward and recompence in heauen Rhemist Hebr. 11. 26. But we contrariwise affirme 1. that we must not at all expect that heauen should be giuen as a iust recompence We must not doe well chiefly for the reward of our workes as due to the worthinesse thereof because as I haue shewed it is the free and gratious gift of God 2. Though a faithfull man may propounde vnto himselfe the recompence of reward as it is saide of Moses He had respect vnto the recompence of reward Hebr. 11. 26. yet that ought not to be the chiefe or greatest motiue but the respect to Gods glorie and their owne dutie ought most of all to mooue