Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A36466
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Rex meus est deus, or, A sermon preached at the common place in Christs-church in the city of Norwich by G.D. ...
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G. D. (George Downham)
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1643
(1643)
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Wing D2061; ESTC R209871
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32,251
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33
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then barâ—arous in the words for what Papist of them all can for outward respects doe a better work then Cains who yet neither shewed vertue to God nor merited reward unto himself â—ittifull to think how many famous worthy works they have spoiled in their People by their false doctrine either erecting them upon false grounds or directing them vnto false ends For when I read in Bede and others of so many Churches built hospitalls edified monasteries erected schooles founded Colledges endowed c. I cannot sufficiently admire our ancestours devotion but when I go further and finde that these works were done in remeaâ—um ani aeâ—â—n remissioneÌ„ peccatorum iâ— honorem divae virginis ad promerendâ—m Deâ—m c. for their soules health for remission of their sins in honour of our Lady and to merit heaven I cannot but lament their teachers ignorance and do often wish that they had some of our science we more of their conscience they our knowledge we their devotion Finally away with each hypocrite and prophane person The hypocrite vult bonus esse inordiâ—ate he desires to be good without the order outwardly acting some laudable deed inwardly respecting some detestable end and the prophane person would have faine have well at death but he is not willing to doe well in life he is angry at his punishment but delighteth in his sinne Let both these learne of Iohn the Baptist of whom our Saviour saith that he was Lucerna ardens or lucens a burning and a shining light Wicked men doe but one of these The hypocrite will not care much to gliste like a glow-worme with the false fire of holinesse he is content to shine but he will not burne with the true zeale of piety and the prophane person will not grudge to burne with Balaam with the love of heaven o that he may dye the death of the righteous Yes by all meanes but he will not shine with the light of vertue in his life that men seeing his good workes may glorifie God at lucere parum ardere vanum lucere et aâ—d re perfectum to shine onely is in vaine without profit to burne only is in vaine to no purpose but to shine and to burne too is perfect Would we then be perfect let us burne with the true love of God sacrificing to him what Cain kept to himselfe that is our hearts he wil coole us cum potabit é torrente voluptatis when hee shall drench us in the river of his pleasure let us also shine with the light of grace so will God adde more lustre to us by making us shine in the light of glory And 〈◊〉 much shall suffice to have spoken of the worke Doe with the manner of performing it well wee come now to the person upon whom it was urged Cain shadowed under the pronoune thou If thou dowel Thou that hast offered me sacrifice with an hypocritical and deceitfull heart thou that hast conceived against me unjust anger in thy breast thou that repinest at thy brothers integrity thou that harbourest in thy heart a bloudy resolution to slay the innocent without a cause and he thy brother there being but one man more in the world and he thy father thou that art guilty of al this wickednes yet if thou do wel shalt thou not be accepted A like place to this wee have in the 19th of Saint Lukes Gospell where our Saviour Christ comming neere he City of Ierusalem weeping over it said If thou hadst knowne even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy pâ—ace thou that hast alwayes beene a stiffenecked and rebellious people thou that killest my Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee thou that hast drawne iniquity with cords of vanity and sinne as it were with a cart-rope yet if thou hadst known even thou How free is the Lord in the dispensation of his grace 〈◊〉 there is no man so abominably wicked to whom he doth not proffer it if hypocriticall envious bloodthirsty Cain will at last doe well hee shall be accepted herein God shewes himselfe to bee a God of mercy and compassion not desiring the death of a sinner but rather that he turne from his wickednesse and live Witnesse those passionate wishes that wee heare in scripture comming from him oh that there were such a heart in them to feare me that it might go wel with them Deut. 5. 29. Witnesse his mournefull expâ—stulations as Esaiah 5. 3. judge I pray you between me and my vineyard what could I have done more for my vineyard and turne yee turne yee why will you dye oh house of Israel Ezek. 33. 11. witnesse his melting commiserations of the lamentable condition of foolish men that will not bee reclaimed Oh Jerusalâ—m Ierusalem how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and you would not Matthew 23. 37. But now that men will not apprehend the doctrine of salvation nor accept of grace thus freely offered them but will goe to hell after all this debemus nos iâ—orum vitio non Christi gratia adscribere wee ought to lay the blame upon them and not upon the grace of Christ The raine falls upon the stony rocks as wel as upon the fruitfull soyle but doth iâ— prâ—duce the same effect from both No for the soyle is made fruitfull but the rocks remaine hard and barren as before is the fault then in the raine no but in the rockes which because of their flintie hardnesse will not bee mollified and made fruitfull God in like manner raineth downe the showres of his ordinances upon the wicked as well as upon the righteous the meanes of salvation are held out to all if thou or thou or any thou in the world wilt doe will thou shalt be accepted But the same effect is not produced from all for some doe lay hold upon grace thus freely offered others againe stand out rebell and will not yeeld The believer and unbelieve are like waxe and clay before the fire the same heat which mollifies the one hardens the other Let not men therefore cavill at Christs intention and Goâ—s election but let them looke into their owne hearts and they will tell them that they are rebels and live in prophane and wicked courses in neglect of all holy duties they carry their owne sentence and cause of their damnation in their owne breasts As for Gods secret purpose in electing some and rejecting others it is hid from the world and therefore that cannot bee the rule of our obedience but look to Gods revealed will looke to what is commanded thee in his word and if thy conscience tell thee that thou hast not accepted of grace being offered thee nor yeelded that obedience unto God that thou oughtest and mightest hereupon comes thy condemnation to be just
and right And so I passe from the worke supposed If thou doe wâ—l to the reward promised shalt thou not be accepted the interrogative put for the affirmative It is well observed by Pareus upon the place that the word here translated accâ—pted which is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a verbo {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} among other things signifies to lift up and so is also turned by some actively erit tibi elevare if thou doe well thou need'st not goe hanging downe thy head like a condemned man but thou maiest bee able to lift up thy countenance in sincerity of conscience as well as thy brother Of some againe passively erit tibi â—l vari if thou doe well thou shalt be promoted and advanced with the blessings of earth iâ— this life and with the crowne of blessednesse when this life is ended If you joyne them both together you shall finde that well-doing hath a double acceptance the gratulation of conscience within our selves and the gratuity of blessednesse from almighty God Concerning the first comfort of conscience is no small reward unto a righteous man many men reckon it enough and solely rest therein Virtus in seipsâ mercedem habet a good work carries her reward with her even the testimony and congratulation of a good conscience which is a precious jewell a hidden treasure our heaven upon earth our cheifest glory untill we come to the Kingdome of glory according to Saint Paul this is our glory even the testimony of our conscience Inaestimabile bonum est testimonium bonae insontis conscientiâ—… the testimony of a good conscience is an inestimable good thing without which no man can be truely merry and with which no man certainely sad for what can cast a man downe if conscience be upright or what can raise a man up if conscience once deject him what made Belshazar fall into his melancholy dumps in the midst of his cups and boone companions why nothing but an evill conscience is a continual fiend to haunt him and what made Saint Paul sing Psalmes at midnight in prison but a good conscience a continual feast to cheere him Finally I demand with a Father what thou accountest in this life pleasant and comfortable Mensanè deliciosa a table furnished with continual delicates Dives had this and yet was turned into hell Bona valetudo corporis Is it strength and soundnesse of body Goliah had this and yet knockt downe with a pebble stone Ingens gloria Great magnificence and glory Herod had this and yet was eaten up of lice Divitiarum â—â—pia aboundance of wealth and riches The glutton had this and foolishly lost his soule What then he concludes nihil aliud jucundum est quam conscientia proba et res futurorum certa nothing nothing truely comfortable in this world but a good conscience within our selves and a strong confidence in the God of heaven Had 〈◊〉 at the time of his oblation but knowne the benefit of a good conscience which was in Abel before he suffered his martyrdome and the woundâ— of an evil conscience which were fallen upon himselfe after he had committed his murder he would have laboured more earnestly to doe well in action that hee might more joyfully have sped well in acceptation And such would be the desire of all men were conscience valued at his true dignity and worth excellently Saint Bernard unicuique est liber propria câ—nscientia ad hunc librum discutiendum em â—dandum omnes alij inventi sunt every mans conscience is a booke and to cleare and refine this book all other books are invented and found out All our reading to our selves all our preaching to you all your and our hearing is joyntly for one end ne dissideat unu quisque a seipso that no man should be at oddes with his owne soule The benefit and comfort whereof were it sufficiently knowne to many men and earnestly loved of all men the shop-keeper would not by making short measure unto others make himselfe fall short of heaven the lawyer would not plead so long against the truth till his own conscience pleaded against himself the extortioner would not grinde the face of the poor til faenus pecuâ—iae proves funus animae his monies birth his soulâ—s death The Bankrupt would not so often compound with his creditors till the devill without compounding carries away his soule finally the whoring drunkard the roaring swaggerer and the raving blasphemer would not dance themselves in jollity into hell as they doe if they were but perswaded that a good conscience were but worth halfe so much as it is Againe besides gratulation of conscience well-doing getts acceptation from God and so it purchaseth reward without as well as partaketh of comfort within Indeed it hath ever been the devils pollicy to make men believe it is in vaine to serve God in Iâ—b 21. 15. the wicked will needs make it a question what profit they should have if they should serve God A base demand seeing as one observes every good man knows etiam submotâ mercedem virtuteÌ„ ipsâ— coronaÌ„ ac ornamentum esse that vertue carrieth her reward in her bosome and cannot want the comfort that is due unto her she is both the work and the reward herselfe yea and that in this present life Gods children want not comfortaâ—le blessings which are as it were the first fruits of their full inheritance God being gracious unto them dum per res parvas et in aspectum cadentes majoribus invisibilibusque fidem astruit whilest by outward things he strengthens their faith for greater and more glorious matters And they content themselves with his good pleasure and depend upon him without distrust saying one to another with Saint Paul Rom. 8. 32 He that loved not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shal he not with him also freely give us all things and to their owne soules with Origen quid de opâ—bus dubitas qui herum habes what doest thou doubt of the inheritance when thou hast the heire himselfe bestowed upon thee Yet herein they are discreet too for they have learned with Pelusiota that combatings appertaine to this world comfortings to the other world here crosses there crownes Such is Gods wisedome that generally he hath proportioned the worke for earth the wages for heaven and yet such is his goodnesse too that here also many goe not unrewarded For saith Augustine if God should reward no good man in this life it would be thought these temporal lessings did either belong to God for to give or to good men to receive and againe if he should reward every good servant with these outward things they would be thought the onely good and men would serve him for earthly commodities and so non pios nos fâ—e rei talis