Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	faith_n	godliness_n	temperance_n	4,219	5	11.6041	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29505	A treatise of prayer with several useful occasional observations and some larger digressions, concerning the Judaical observation of the Lord's Day, the external worship of God, &c. / by George Bright ...	G. B. (George Bright), d. 1696.	1678 (1678)	Wing B4677; ESTC R1010	210,247	475

whosoever do shall not inherit the Kingdom of ●od But that we be filled with all the Fruits of the Spirit Love Joy Peace Long-suffer●●g Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance Galat. 5. Verse 16. c. That all ●itterness Wrath Anger Clamour Evil-speaking and Malice may be put away far from us ●nd that we may be kind one to another ten●er hearte● forgiving one another even as God for Christ'● sake hath forgiven us Ephes 4. Verse 31. That we may add to our Faith Virtue Knowledge Temperance Patience Godliness Brotherly-kindness Charity that these things may be in us and abound that as Christians we may not be unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Pet. ● 1. Verse 5. Further still In order to all these pray we for other excellent instrumental Graces or Virtues as that God would cause us to ad●ire his most excellent Nature and Perfections to imitate him in what we are capable ●nd ought to resemble him to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect but especiall● Holiness and Universal Beneficence that ● may be holy as he which hath called us is ● That he would grant us to obey him sinc●ly resolvedly universally that he w● give us an obedient Heart and consque● be universally holy righteous and go● and practise all manner of Virtue and e●cially in the hardest Lessons when i● his Will we should undergo any Evils or ●flictions then presently to comply wit●● Will and to submit ours to it nay perfe● acquiesce in it nay out of choice to make ● Will to be ours That also God would g● unto us to trust in him have Faith in ●● and Dependence upon him to believe w● soever he teacheth us willingly to ●● our Applications to him as our best F● upon all Occasions to acknowledge ●stantly that whatever inherent Strength ● Ability in any kind we have we ha●● from him to be heartily thankful to ●● for all good things to rejoyce in his F●● which cannot be had without Holi● which when we have we have all we● wish or desire in Effect and we need as ●● trouble our selves about any thing but ●●ing our selves in all dutiful Demeanour ● Temper towards him as the innocent and ●dient Child of a loving Father Further still In order to the obtai●● ●nd practising these and all other Virtues and ●races we may put into our Prayers that ●od would bestow upon us both natural ●arts and supervenient Gifts That he would ●ake us knowing and wise furnish our under●andings with the Knowledge of many and ●f the most excellent things especially spiri●ual and more especially that he would di●ect us to the Knowledge of the Truth and ●rue Goodness of things That we might ●ot be foolishly led away with things that ●re false erroneous vain trifling swelling ●nd puffing up and much pleasing sometimes ●or the present but of little Profit to our Selves or the World which make us little ●ruitful in good Works to others and con●equently the least acceptable to God Pray ●e that God would illuminate our Minds and make us clearly to discern things especially spiritual things such as are Truth and ● Goodness the excellent and invaluable effi●cacy of Holiness and all Virtue to make our Selves and the World happy the Mischievousness and consequently Unreasonableness of Sin and the real Contemptibleness of all other Qualities in compare with Holiness and that we might be affected accordingly that is that God would spiritualize our Understandings and Affections Particularly that he would give us to apprehend and understand and consider there is the greatest sincerest constantest Pleasure and Satisfacti● in a holy virtuous wise and consequent● godly Life and Temper that is in Imitati● of and Obedience to God much naturall● especially after much use and we know ●● how much by the Influence of the Spirit ● God that this will give us great Con●dence and Comfort in the Day of Death● Boldness Joy and Triumph in the Day ● Judgment when shall be seen so many trembling Knees and amazed Countenances of th● haughtiest Sinners and finally that it certainly fits us for and leads to a most perfec● and happy Condition or State of Life hereafter That God would give us I say ofte● to think of consider apprehend be affected with and feel these and any other Motives to ● holy Life Add we further That God would bestow● upon us a sober considerative advised cal●● Mind as a great preparation for Wisdom an● Virtue Pray we That God would instil● into us the most generally useful and instrumental Graces of a most ingenuous impartial● sincere Love of the Truth and more particularly a sincere Love to Christianity as ● Systeme of the most certain and useful Doctrines That we might believe most firmly and with a sense of their Excellency Sublimity Nobleness Delightfulness and Usefulness all the things that are therein taught and delivered and most especially those concerning our Tempers Lives and Actions that we may be hearty not superficial Believers And in order to this that we may the more mind and love these things Pray we that we may have a very great Admiration of and Love to the excellent Qualities of our Saviour Jesus Christ his mighty miraculous Power and high Favour with God ●ay his being united so intimately to God or the Divine Nature his great Wisdom his ●ncomparable Holiness and Goodness and Virtue in the highest degree particularly that of his Charity and so of all other particular Virtues to us and all Mankind his being so great a Benefactor to us as he hath been in revealing and confirming so many excellent sublime noble and useful Truths and Doctrines to us in going through the most calamitous Life and Death to give us an Example of the most perfect Virtue and Holiness and thereby meriting and procuring for us the Remission and free Pardon of all our Sins or our Justification in case of true Repentance and Amendment in his procuring for us Grace and Assistance to repent amend and be converted which is in some measure afforded to the worst and the most negligent Finally in being the Author of Eternal Life to us by thus bringing us by his Grace and Merits to be good and to be pardoned and consequenntly not to be unmeet to enter into a State of great Perfection and Happiness after Death and the final Judgment of all Flesh of which he shall be the Judge and the Distributer After these may follow the things which for the most part are useful and subservient while we are in this Life and some of them proper thereto to make and keep us good or make us better or any way enable us to do more good to execute our Goodness more immediately or remotely Such as are long Life especially till we come to be good to be converted to repent that we may have the Experience of our own Sincerity and Strength in Goodness be profitable to the World by our good Example as we have been

by thy Tempor Life and Actions especially in Spiritual things if thou canst to be perfect and happy thy self here and hereafter If thou prayest with a fervent Spirit according to the goodness of things thou prayest every whit as well as if thou hadst invented all thy self and possibly a hundred times better than many conceited Persons but ignorant and vain-glorious do whose Prayers of their own composing may be stuffed with untrue unjust and trifling things and either they are cold and formal in them or else much hypocritical or superstitious that is either they have the signs of great Affections to things when they have not those Affections really in them at all or not so much out of a judgment and sense that things do deserve them as out of vain-glory Or their great Affections are to trifling things Men have been apt to attempt to run and fly too before they could go to attempt greater things before they could do less to attempt to do things before they were furnished with such Qualities which if they wanted they had better not do them at all or might have done them much better another way than that which they used This is the first step and may be used for some time only if we find our selves sufficient and let it not be carelessness and sluggishness that we are not to advance further This is no other than what all beginners to learn do They first read good Authors more or less who treat concerning the Matter they would learn The Second Step may be for Persons to take Parts of several Prayers and to attempt to put them together and compose them and then commit them to Memory To take such things out of them which they best understand and apprehend by Experience or otherwise which they think most proper and useful for them for their Temper Employment or Calling which they may be most affected withal Thus they may begin to use and exercise their own judgment in what things are best and what is best for them always with an humble and modest mind ready to be more informed A Third Step may be to add and interpose something of their own Invention or Observation especially if there be any particular Occasion As for Example If thou shouldst find any Sin or Lust more troublesome to thee and be more in danger of being overcome thereby if thou shouldst fear any particular approaching Evil or be under it either thou or thy Family If thou shouldst be so happy as to have overcome any Temptation or to have received any especial Favour If thou shouldst find thy self upon some special occasion very sensible of some Attribute of God as his Goodness his Power his Omniscience his Justice c. thou needest not stay till thou findest the Thing or the Expression in thy Book In order hereto therefore use thy self before thy Prayers to reflect and consider This which I now say principally concerns secret Prayer where it may be done more freely though it be imper●ectly and brokenly either conceived or expressed Fourthly and lastly Proceed to Imitation of others as much as thou canst that is to consider invent examine and judge the Matter or Sense of thy Prayers thy self what things are the most important great just true useful for thee and to affect thy self accordingly and to express and signifie them well and so to compose and make entire ones of thine own Which may be often varied by insisting now upon one now upon other things according to some Advices I have heretofore given that is what things may be the most seasonable best apprehended most affecting I could heartily wish all Mens Abilities and Employments were such that they might do more in this kind and imitate and exceed the best Patterns I wish to that End they were more spiritual in the Employment of their Thoughts and Affections and that there were no fault in their wills that they are not so I wish they might make use of what Time and Ability they have and ought so to use I wish they had more of those Qualities which may fi● them for the best Performances thereof the principal of which are as of all others Charity and Humility Finally Would God that all the Lord's People were Prophets and that the Lord would put h●s Spirit upon them SECT XX. 4. PRay we to God sometimes that he would help and assist us to pray as we ought to have more of all those due Qualifications whereby we are fitted to pray well This Prayer it self supposeth some already for that once or ●o often as we make it which may be often Ejaculatory Whatever kind of Prayer we think best and we desire to use there may be some or other of the fore-named Qualifications which may be prayed for As if one should pray a Prayer composed by another he might pra● that God would give him Sincerity and Fervency in that his Prayer that God would keep him from Vain-glory Formality Coldness that he might do it in all sincerity of Heart as his Duty to God and to make and keep him good and that he might be enabled and disposed both by the Performance of the Duty it self and by the good things he shall receive upon his asking to serve God by doing good That he might not only have Words in his Tongue and be upon his Knees or any other Posture signifying Devotion but that he might also well understand and mind and attend to what he says with his Mouth and have proportionable degrees of Affection and Motion of Soul of Honour Love Reverence Faith Joy Desire Resignation and Submission towards Co● of Grief for and Detestation of Sin of Thankfulness for Benefits received of ardent Desires for Holiness and Virtue especially and hearty ones for all other good things Nay a man may pray for Frequency that is that God would excite and dispose his Mind to pray in Secret and Private as often as he hath Opportunity that he might not be so backward and averse therefrom so dull and inept thereto and that God would give him more Opportunities if it should happen he should want them I say these things a Man may pray for though he always prayed a Form and he could not pray that what he prayed might be just true important seasonable c. because all this was done already and the matter was supposed to be such or else it would not be made use of But in the other Steps of Prayer if a Man finds he can or ought to ascend to them such as composing out of more Prayers or out of his own Observation and Invention he may pray for the other Qualifications also as that God would excite him to use the Means forementioned of Reading Meditating Hearing or otherwise to pray what was true just important with Sincerity Fervency prudent Seasonableness and to express and signifie these things if he be to pray with others most aptly and conveniently that God would keep him from