Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	draw_v	iron_n	loadstone_n	1,525	5	13.0457	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07536	Sapientia clamitans wisdome crying out to sinners to returne from their evill wayes: contained in three pious and learned treatises, viz. I. Of Christs fervent love to bloudy Ierusalem. II. Of Gods just hardning of Pharaoh, when hee had filled up the measure of his iniquity. III. Of mans timely remembring of his creator. Heretofore communicated to some friends in written copies: but now published for the generall good, by William Milbourne priest.	Jackson, Thomas, 1579-1640.; Donne, John, 1572-1631. aut; Milbourne, William, b. 1598 or 9.	1638 (1638)	STC 17918; ESTC S112664	68,848	322

of falling into evill as an actuall state in goodnesse If then you aske Could not God by his almightie power have prevented Adams eating the forbidden fruit None I thinke will bee so incredulous to doubt whether he that commanded the Sunne to stand still in his sphere and did dead leroboams arme when he stretched it out against the Prophet could not as easily have stayed Adams hand from taking turned his eye from looking upon or his heart from lusting after the forbidden fruit All these were acts of meere power But had he by his omnipotent power laid this necessity upon Adams will or understanding or had he kept him from transgression by restraint hee had made him uncapable of that happinesse whereto by his infinite goodnesse hee had ordained him for by this supposition hee had not beene good in himselfe nor could he be capable of true felicitie but he must bee capable likewise of punishment and miserie The ground of his interest in the one was his actuall and inherent goodnesse communicated in his creation nor was hee liable to the other but by the mutability of his goodnesse or possibilitie of falling into evill In like manner hee that gave that knowne power and vertue to the load-stone could as easily draw the most stony hearted son of Adam unto Christ as it doth steele and iron But if hee should draw them by such a necessarie and naturall motion hee should defeat them of all that hope or interest in that excessive glorie which hee hath prepared for those that love him If againe it bee demanded why God doth not save the impenitent and stubborne sinner it is all one as if wee should aske why hee doth not crowne bruit beasts with honour and immortality That this he could doe by his infinite power I will not deny And if this he would doe no creature justly might controll him none possibly could resist or hinder him yet I may without presumption affirme that thus to doe cannot stand with the internall rule of his justice goodnesse and majestie Nor can it stand better with the same rule to save all men if wee take them as they are not as they might bee albeit hee hath indued all with reason to distinguish betweene good and evill For many of them speake evill of those things which they know not but what they know naturally as bruit beasts in those things they corrupt themselves It stands lesse with Gods infinite goodnesse or power if we consider them as linckt with infinite justice or majestie to bring such into true happinesse than to advance bruit beasts unto immortality It is a people saith the Prophet of no understanding therefore hee that made them will not have mercie on them and hee that formed them will shew them no favour God out of the abundance of his goodnesse mercie and long-suffering tolerates such as the Prophet and Apostle speakes of and out of his infinite love seekes by the preaching of the Word and other meanes not prejudiciall to his justice and majestie to gather them as hee would have done Jerusalem here in my text But finally there is a certaine measure of iniquity which where it is full an height of stubbornnesse and prophannesse whereunto if once they come the stroake of his infinite justice fals heavie upon them for wilfull contempt of his infinite mercie that as hee himselfe somewhere saith Hee cannot any longer endure them The suspitions to which these resolutions seeme liable are specially three First that they derogate from Gods extraordinary favour towards his elect Our answer is briefe the offence if any there be is taken not given seeing wee onely affirme that none so perish but that they had a possibility to be saved we deny not that many are so saved as it were not possible for them finally to perish yet so saved they are not by Gods infinite power laying a necessity upon their wils but by his infinite wisdome preparing their hearts to bee fit objects of his infinite mercy and fore-casting their finall salvation as necessary by assenting not altogether necessarily to the particular meanes whereby it is wrought That is in fewer termes unto their salvation an infinite power or infinite mercy matched with justice infinite without an infinite wisdome would not suffice To call some how many none may determine extraordinarily as hee did Saint Paul may well stand with the eternall rule of his goodnesse because hee used their miraculous and unusuall conversion as a meanes to win others by his usuall and ordinary calling Speciall privileges upon peculiar and extraordinary occasions doe not prejudice ordinary lawes Albeit to draw such privileges into common practice would overthrow the course of justice It is not contrary then to the rule of Gods justice to make some feele his mercy and kindnesse before they seeke that others may not despaire of finding it having assured all by an eternall promise that seeking they shall finde and that they which hunger and thirst after righteousnesse shall be satisfied The second suspition and imputation is that this doctrine may too much favour free will In briefe wee answer there have beene two extremities in opinions continually followed by the two maine factions of the Christian world The one That God hath so decreed all things that it is impossible ought should have beene that hath not beene or not to have beene which hath beene This is the opinion of the ancient Stoicks which attribute all events to fate and is no way mitigated but rather improved by referring this absolute necessity not to second causes or nature but to the omnipotent power of the God of nature This was refuted in our last meditations because it makes God the sole author of every sinne The second extremity is That in man before his conversion by grace there is a freedome or abiliment to doe that which is pleasing and acceptable to God or an activity to worke his owne conversion This was the errour of the Pelagians and communicated to the moderne Papists who hold a meane indeed but a false one betweene the Pelagians and the Stoicks The true meane from which all these extremities swerve may bee comprised in th●se two propositions the one negative In man after Adams fall there is no freedome of will or ability to due any thing not deserving God● wrath or just indignation the other affirmative There is in man after his fall a possibility left of doing or not doing of some things which being done or not done he becomes passively capable of Gods mercies doing or not doing the contrary he is excluded from mercy and remaines a vessell of wrath for his justice to worke upon For whether a man will call this contingence in humane actions not a possibilitie of doing or not doing but rather a possibilitie of acknowledging ou● infirmities or absolute impotencie of doing any thing belonging or tending to our salvation I will not contend with him Onely of