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
A89544	The reformed gentleman, or, The old English morals rescued from the immoralities of the present age shewing how inconsistent those pretended genteel accomplishments of [brace] swearing, drinking, [brace] whoring and Sabbath-breaking are with the true generosity of an English man : being vices not only contrary to the law of God and the constitutions of our government both ecclesiastical and civil, but such as cry loud for vengeance without a speedy reformation : to which is added a modest advice to ministers and civil magistrates, with an abridgement of the laws relating thereto, the King's proclamation and Queens letter to the justices of Middlesex, with their several orders thereupon / by A.M. of the Church of England.	A. M., of the Church of England.; Bouche, Peter Paul, b. ca. 1646.	1693 (1693)	Wing M6; ESTC R20084	100,071	189

and the Entring into the Tabernacle and they were punished with Death who were rash and Unprepared in their Approaches How much more should we provide our selves for the partaking of the Holy Mysteries under the Gospel Dispensation And how dangerously Guilty are those who heedlesly and rashly run into those Holy Ordinances Keep thy foot when thou goest into the House of the Lord is Solomon's advice and it was not the not Washing of the Hands but the unclean unpurified Heart that our Saviour condemned in the Pharisees He that so uses the world as tho' he used it not and has God always before his Eyes is a continual Sacrifice and needs not much blowing to raise up his Soul into a Flame But the Carking Worlding who all the Week is fastned to this Earth should take some time to disintangle his thoughts and make them ready for Spiritual Objects He would do well to leave off his Business as early as conveniently he can on the Eve of every Lords-Day to call himself to account and see how cases stand betwixt God and his own Soul He would do well to retire into his Chamber to commune with his own Heart to search it throughly and to examine whether he be sensible of that Majesty before whom he must on the Morrow appear 'T is for want of this Premeditation that the Heart relishes Spirituals so ill on the Day they are offered to it that it is so soon cloyed and glutted with sacred things which had the Mind been prepared would have lain well upon and been easily digested by the Soul 19. Having thus provided for the Approaching Solemnity and made His Addresses in His Closet to the God who hears in Secret Secondly Frequenting the Publick Ordinances of the Church He will find it no such Difficult matter to be present at and demean himself decently and devoutly in the Publick Ordinances of the Church and to stay them out were they something longer than they are And here the Devout Soul needs not to be admonished tho' the Lazy unprepared and unsanctified Hearts should be put in Mind to consider in whose presence it is that they then appear that they may be struck with an awful Reverence and an humble Fear of that Majesty with whom they then and there more immediately converse It is the Assembly of the Saints the Congregation of the Faithful the Confluence of God's Elect a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood a Peculiar People a Holy Nation that they then and there represent to shew forth the Praises of him who hath called them out of Darkness into his marvellous Light 1 Pet. 2.9 Oh how should such thoughts inflame them to lift up pure Hands to cast up pure Eyes to dart up pure Affections to lift up a clean Heart and to pour out Holy Prayers before the Throne of Grace How should such thoughts make them joyn with the Minister in that admirable Form of Morning and Evening Prayer the Church in her Liturgy has prepared to their Hands the Excellency of which appears to none more than to the truly Pious Fixed Warm and attentive Soul How should they be inflamed with Love and not only offer up their Prayers but their Praises also to that Being who gives them the Cause the Power and the Faculty to Praise How should they run out to meet God in his Ordinances to Hearken to his Messengers shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace How would they be Enamoured with the Mercies supported by the Promises and forewarned by the Judgments and Threatnings of the most High How will their Instructed Minds and Informed Wills breath after a Spiritual Participation of the Bread of Life and the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant And in this Mysterious Solemnity a Devout Communicant would not come to offer but to receive his Crucified Master he would sacrifice his Sins and offer up himself a Living sacrifice Holy and Acceptable unto God which is his reasonable service He would offer up his Vnderstanding his Will his Affections his Passions his All to be directed governed and guided by the Royal Will and Pleasure of Heaven 20. Were every Christian that goes to Church thus affected as in some degree all must be that will sanctifie the Lords-Day aright He would not find it so difficult to consecrate the Remainder thereof at Home Thirdly By Family Duties and in his Closet He would not then think it Puritanical or a business Indifferent but absolutely necessary and indispensable to take care that He and his House serve the Lord not only in the publick Solemnities of the Church but in the more retired Duties of the Family He would not then be ashamed nor esteem it tedious and irksom to spend the Close in Reading Exhorting Meditating and Contemplating in Praying to and Praising of the Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity But would think it his Happiness his Joy and his Delight For this inward Spiritual and Caelestial Pleasure I appeal to those who have tasted what a Sweet and Pleasant thing it is to be thankful Holy and Zealously Religious on this Day Motives for the keeping of the Lords-Day Ho●y ●rawn from the the Consideration of the Benefits of Observing it and the Mischiefs of Profaning it both to priv●te Persons and to th● Publick 21. And if the Charms of this Festivity rightly observed be not of force enough to prevail with the Profane to come in and joyn with the strictly Pious yet the Consideration of the Benefits that Redound from a Due observation of the Lords-Day ●nd the Mischiefs of Profaning it that Infest every individual Person as well as the Publick will I hope perswade him to think it his Interest as well as Duty to be strict and exact in remembring a Seventh Day to keep it Holy 22. The first Benefit that naturally flows from the due Observance of the Lords-Day is the upholding a sence of Religion in the Person that thus Observes it The first Benefit of sanctifying the Lords-Day is the upholding a sence of Religion in us It is on this Day that we are taught our particular Duties of Living Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World It is then Grace is administred to the Hearers Grace to assist them in performing what is commanded and Grace to resist and avoid the Temptations of doing Evil. Then are we told of a Heaven and the joys thereof laid up in store for all such as truly Love Fear Obey and Believe in God and are acquainted with a Hell that is prepared for the Unbelievers and Profane There we have the faculties of our Souls enlightened our Understandings cleared our Wills rectified our passions subjected to our Reasons and our Outward in all things made subservient to our Inward Man It is then we have our Faith Hope and Charity Our Love Patience Meekness and Humility Our Sobriety Temperance and Chastity and all the other Virtues of a Christian and Holy Life revived renewed enlarged regulated and

he had first dip'd himself over head and Ears in Aganippes Fountain and got the smack of the Bottle so as to return often to recruit his Flagged Fancy with Nectar and Ambrosia Did'st ever read of any that arrived to Parnassus's Top without the Cordial of Helicon to support and transport his Spirits in the Elevation The Noble strains and Losty Flights the curious Vein and pregnant Fancy the pleasant facetious Air and all the sacred Raptures of a Poet are all owing to the Influence of the great God of Wine For we pay our Adoration to him first in full Glasses and he returns the Duty again in assisting our Genius and sharpening our Conceptions 14. To all which I answer The Objection answered that this method of Drunken Versifying is certainly what most of the Wits of the present Age make use of to render themselves and their Writings infamously famous to these times and Posterity And hence it is that we see so many Obscene and Offensive Brats of Poetry ever and anon peep out into the World which in former days would never have born the light But these vile Dithyrambicks the Product of Inebriated Brains are fitter to be Dedicated to Priapus Bacchus or any other Bawdy Drunken Deity then to be offered at the shrine of the more Chast and Temperate Apollo It seems very unreasonable to think that Intemperance which dulls and he betares should quicken inspire the Fancy that what too often clouds should inlighten the Understanding that the very thing which drowns should heighten our Conceptions But admit those Absurdities yet these kinds of Whettings will quickly Wear the Edge to the Back quickly destroy the Reason tho' not the Man and convert all his high Raptures into * N. L. an Instance of this Frenzy and Delirium I know not who are Lawreats now nor what Qualifications are requisite to make one such But believe me they are not worthy of that Divine Name of Poet if they are so ill-stocked that they are forced to take up supplies from the very dregs of a Nasty gut full of Wine I cannot will not but own that the famous Ingenioso's of past times have highly applauded the Virtues of Wine and declared the Noble Effects it has had in clearing their apprehension and refining the Spirits but then 't is not I presume produced by those Empyreumatick Fumes which our Modern Poetical Chymists draw off by praecipitant hasty burning and surfeiting Excess but the nobler Extracts of Temperance all Sobriety drawed gently off in a Moderate Balneo Maria. And he that was an Ingenious was a Sober Man too tho' now 't is so contrary that if you describe a Poet you must add Vine Leaves to his Lawrel put other Colours into the Mixture and delineate him a Sot at the same time 15. The second sort are such whose Plea commonly runs in some such strain as this 2ly The Objection made by the Worldly Wise Is no Excess at all to be allowed Why then farewel all Opportunities for Trade and Commerce Farewel Law and Physick too As there is no better Vinculum Societatis so there is no greater Support to maintain the Mechanick Practick Part of the Republick then the Innocent cracking a Pot and smoaking a Pipe together We may traverse the Streets walk round and round the Change make frequent Visits to Westminster-Hall and stare in every Face we meet but return home like Fools as we went never a Customer never a Client the more and never a Farthing the heavier in our Pockets But spend we an hour or so in a Tavern or Alehouse over the drinking of a harmless Glass or two with an Honest Friend or so we insinuate so prettily into each others Acquaintance that immediately as the Glass so out several Vocations go round And by mutual Loving Healths we furnish each others needs and get more by the Company at one sitting than we spend in it for half a Year 16. The second Objection answered This is a pleasant Account of the success of Sir John Barley a plea too common in the Mouths of many who think themselves very wise notwithstanding 'T is too true this stratagem of managing business in Publick Houses is what the Evil one has very subtily insinuated as a means to carry on his own designs and this is the method Men take now a days to increase their Trade and gain Customers But let me tell them under the Role 't is a Knavish sly and ignoble way of Merchandizing If a Glass or two were all as they pretend there were little harm done but when they are in for it they seldom come off without a sound Wetting There 's no gain to be had by playing upon the Square 't is safest drinking a Man down and then pick his Pocket after Were he in his right Wits they know he would not have been imposed upon so but 't is no hard matter to cheat him to his Face when his Senses are Sophisticated and Lost So in like manner as to the Law 't is a Contradiction I should think were it not so Customary for a Man to gain Practise by being a great Drinker I know not what his addle Brains might do in winning upon Coxcombs of the same Kidney but I believe a Considerative Man would be far from making him of his Councell lest the sight of the Brief the next Morning might confound his Addlepate which was so deeply Soused in Claret or Nottingham the foregoing Night and make his giddy Head run Counter in the Cause rather then speak any whit to the purpose The same might be said Mutatis Mutandis of sottish and inconsiderate Sollicitors and Attorneys who marr their Clients Cause more by far than all the Exceptions Bills of Errour Demurrers and reversing of Decrees could do So likewise in Physick what Man would be so mad in his sober Senses to make him his Physitian who helped him to the Distemper by joyning with him in the Debauch Certainly he must needs be very Extravagant of both who will prostitute his Life to the Discretion of one that perhaps was the Principal Cause of Vitiating his Health not long before For my part I should be afraid lest he who before was for my Excess in Sack might be as much unadvisedly if not wittingly Immoderate in administring his Cordials and so make it his pleasure to send me as merrily out of the World as before he had seen me Reel out of a Tavern 17. Advance we now in the next place to consider the third and last sort of Men I shall here have occasion to take notice of 3. The Objections made by the Hectors of the Age. as palliating the Crime of Intemperance by a false Gloss and a thin transparent Varnish which instead of hiding exposes the Monster in worse tho' more natural and proper Colours Is all Excess may some say forbidden Is Drunkenness in all its Species and Degrees Unlawful What then shall those poor