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
A54843	The law and equity of the gospel, or, The goodness of our Lord as a legislator delivered first from the pulpit in two plain sermons, and now repeated from the press with others tending to the same end ... by Thomas Pierce ...	Pierce, Thomas, 1622-1691.	1686 (1686)	Wing P2185; ESTC R38205	304,742	736

The third has humbly recorded his own Experience Psal. 30. 6 7. And also That of the Generality of God's own People Psal. 78. from v. 24. to v. 35. When God rain'd Manna and sent them meat to the full and gave them all that they desir'd Then saith he they were not estranged from their Lusts. But when he slew them they sought him and inquired early after God Then they remembred that God was their strength and that the high God was their Redeemer So that Prosperity was the thing which made them forgetful of their God and heavy Affliction was the Instrument which brought him back to their Remembrance When Riches do interpose between God and the Soul they are apt to intercept the Attractive Vertue whereby God is wont to draw the Soul unto Himself As an Adamant intervening between the Iron and the Loadstone does intercept the magnetique force wherewith the Loadstone allures the Iron But as if we take away the Adamant the Iron will leap unto the Loadstone so take away Riches as in the abovenam'd Experiment and the Soul will be the apter to fly towards God It is so natural for Mortals to be transported with Prosperity that it extorted from Moses an extraordinary Caveat before he thought he could with safety admit the Israelites to taste of the Sweets of Canaan Now if Prosperity is so dangerous even when God Himself gives it how great a Curse must it be when the Gift of Satan If Riches honestly gotten are such a Clog unto the Soul as does oftentimes hinder her flight to Heaven How shall she hope to mount thither when both her Wings and her Talons are full of Prey Prosperity sure is such a Weapon as none but They who can contemn it can safely use And too much Ease to which it tempts us is wont to prove a sadder Curse than what at first was denounced by God to Adam That in the sweat of his Brows he should eat his Bread § 7. Again we learn from this Doctrin as to suspect our own Treasures when present with us so not to seek them being absent with too much fervour For the Son of Sirach tells us that He who seeketh Danger shall perish in it And that Riches are Dangers has not only already been made apparent but may be farther made clear by our common Experience of its Effects For notwithstanding there are some who do make themselves Friends with the unrighteous Mammon that is by giving it to the Poor do truly lend it unto the Lord and lay it out upon Life Eternal yet we find it too general that the greater mens Qualities and Fortunes are by so much the greater are their Vanities and Vices too And That War of their Lusts which is a very great Plague they are so strongly wedded to as to call it Peace Wisd. 14. 22. And I suppose it was Experience which taught the Italians to use those Proverbs That a great deal of Wealth brings a great deal of Woe And the greater the Happiness 't is to be trusted so much the less Proverbs so wholsom as well as True were they as diligently consider'd as they are easily understood that they deserve the next place to those of Solomon For if our Riches are from God we are by so much the more obliged And if from Satan the more indanger'd If from God they are intrusted with us as Talents of which we must give an exact accompt And he that sits at the highest Rent has by so much an higher Accompt to render If from Satan they are but well-baited Hooks wherewith to catch our Hearts from us and with Them our Adoration How apt they are to prove mischievous the Devil himself discovers to us by his parting with them so easily We may have them for no more than an Act of Worship And that Condition being premis'd they go a begging for our Acceptance Thus at once they are the cheapest and dearest things to be imagin'd The cheapest in regard they are so easily come by for a man may be damn'd with a wet finger and the dearest in regard we part with our Innocence to acquire them Adam did not eat gratis of the fruit that was forbidden though the Serpent ask'd nothing but let him have it for taking up 'T is easy to steal and to be caught And as easy to be hang'd as it is to turn round and to make Grimaces But sure the man would not be thank'd who should commend the thing to us for its Facility This I know to be the subject of the last Observable in the Text of which I shall take no further notice than by shewing how it is useful to poor and rich 'T is matter of comfort to the Poor such I mean as God himself has made such that they want not the Riches they are without and that their Poverty is their Option as well as Lot For 't is evident if they would they might be easily as rich as the Devil can make them 'T is matter of sorrow to the Rich and of great reproach too that they should take so vast pains for things so easily to be compass'd Or think they get by those things which are purchas'd at the price of so rich a Iewel as a man's Soul Or put their Trust in those things to which the Title of uncertain is fix'd in Scripture As when St. Paul exhorts Timothy to charge the Rich not to trust in uncertain Riches Or make their Boast of those things which 't is in every Fool 's power to get or part with But not in the power of one in a Thousand rightly to use or to injoy To find Darius dying with Thirst whilst he was owner of many Rivers and Alexander frozen up with cold even then when he had master'd the Eastern Sun and Midas beggar'd by his Wealth when every finger of his was turn'd to a Philosopher's Stone is of it self enough to teach us that none have ever been more in want than They into whose Bosoms the Tempter has emptied his Cormicopiae § 8. But now besides these several Lessons which the Devil 's large offer is apt to teach us there is a Lesson to be drawn out of all these Lessons and such as the whole Discourse premised has an aptness in it self to dispose us for This is a Season not more proper for private Austerities to the Rich than for a bountiful Contribution to the Necessities of the Poor These should Injoy our Self-denials and be fill'd by our Fastings in Time of Lent Nor can we better be exhorted seeing the Tenor of the Text does suggest it to us than to beat the Devil with his own Weapon To make our selves Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness To worship God with those things for which we are tempted to worship Satan Not to be honest only and just but also merciful and munificent even in spite to That Devil who is so earnestly desirous to make us