Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A44126
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Two sermons preach'd at the funerals of the Right Honourable Robert Lord Lexington and the Lady Mary his wife by Samuel Holden.
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Holden, Samuel, fl. 1662-1676.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing H2382; ESTC R28098
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32,373
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60
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i. e. Fortitude or Valor For so is Virtus render'd when importing a single Virtue Some Grammarians will informs us that it signifies Manhood from Vir in the Latine and Courage from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the God of War in the Greek from whence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Join to thy Faith Fortitude Fortitude that nothing may enfeeble thy Resolves That no bad Times prevail upon thy Principles though thousands on thy left hand tumble down and break the neck of Conscience to preserve the lives of their Estates or Liberties though at some other time even in thy greatest danger thou shalt discern the fall of a lov'd Friend submitting to the frequent menaces and haughty looks of an outlandish Foe yet still keep Fortitude that thou may'st stand in the evil day and when thou hast done all may'st stand But yet to this Virtue must be added 3. Knowledge whereby you may discern 'twixt good and bad and not be lead by an implicite Creed but have a Faith according to knowledge and be able to give a reason of the Faith that is in you In vain is Courage where there is no Sight what signifies stout Hands and ne're an Eye Not that we should with too much eagerness pursue Speculations nor read much that we may know how to talk much but study to know Christ and him crucifi'd For it is life eternal to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent therefore to wake to Happiness take Knowledge and to that add 4. Temperance By Fortitude Man overcomes another by Temperance himself Not only in affair of Eating of Drinking and of things of Pleasure but even of Passion too still entertaining from malevolent spirits whatever actions of hostility yet keeping still a temper that shall never vary with provocation To Temperance add 5. Patience which does empow'r a man to embrace Affliction Patience which overcomes by being beaten which lives on Death and dyes for want of danger for where no peril is no patience can be What although Children which are at once mens images and hopes lie down in Dust and Graves short as their Lives of a span long What though they fall greater and of nearer expectation of Manhood What although Wives though Husbands excellent Husbands languish groan and dye What although cruel and prolong'd Distempers poyson our Constitutions And what though much more cruel Tongues poyson our Reputations Yet still we must submit to Gods disposure and gratefully receive whatever he permits to be inflicted knowing that our Saviour enter'd not into joy but first he suffer'd pain that we following the example of his patience may when the Heavens shall be no more awake up after his likeness But add to Patience 6. Godliness which does enroll men Citizens of Heaven whil'st they are Sojourners on earth This does unteach remissness in Devotion and suffers not mans Temporal Calamity to hinder or disable Spiritual Piety This renders men zealous for Prayer and ardent in it forward themselves and instigating others Above all things make supplication sayes the Apostle First seek the Kingdom of Heaven sayes his Master That when ye shall be rais'd ye may awake to a new Heaven Take 7. Brotherly Kindness which teaches men not to exalt themselves but clips the wings of Arrogance It treats the lowest and the poorest affably instructing ev'n the powerful to bow and condescend to the necessities of the most abject All Mankind is our Brother earth and each man should be kind to his Brother earth that when he shall be waken'd from his Mother earth he may for ever live with God the Father of Heaven But above all take 8. Charity which loves God above all things for his own sake and her Neighbour as herself for Gods sake Which doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provok'd thinketh no evil which beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things (l) 1 Cor. 13. vea 5.7 Which relieves Friends and remits Enemies praying for those that despitefully use her This Virtue shall endure when Faith and Hope are superseded by Fruition this shall attend us when they shall be no more when the Heavens shall be no more when we shall be awaken'd out of our sleep Therefore be diligent to get these Virtues looking for Christs coming that you may be found of him without spot and blameless 2 Pet. 3.14 I have been long addressing to your Ears now I apply my self to your Memories Out of St Peter I have read you words how you may fit you for the Resurrection but if you 'll learn by Deeds then There 's the Text Read it and Read it well O make the old Rule true which tells us how much President instructs beyond Precept She dyed indeed and there 's our loss indeed but being dead she speaks there 's our advantage yea and still lives there 's her felicity She sought for Health Eternity she found In a strange Countrey she went to her long home and travel'd herself into everlasting rest Like Israel She went through Amalek to Canaan We all deplor'd that her infirmities would not dispense with her abode with us we coveted that She might reside with us but Providence deny'd it O let us then be sedulous to live with her that Providence invites to But of that life we must obtain fruition by this lifes imitation to accompany her in Heaven we must pursue her on earth What shall I say Get Faith get Virtue get Wisdom get Temperance get Patience get Godliness get Brotherly Kindness and get Charity And these be diligent to get and get them while 't is call'd to day when the night comes farewell to diligence to opportunity farewell For man lieth down and riseth not till the Heavens be no more they shall not wake nor be raised out of their sleep Now to him that then shall wake us the Watchman of Israel that never slumbers nor sleeps be Honour and Glory evermore AMEN FINIS
's still the Justice Will any say the Bodies being dead and separated from the Soul for ever is its eternal punishment But can there be punishment and nothing suffer As soon as dead the humane Body is not it was the humane Body when it sin'd by death it leaves to be the humane Body And how can that which is not suffer Or will you say with Pomponatius that sin is its own punishment O strange Philosophy And more strange Justice In all Philosophy the offence is still cause to the punishment if sin then be the punishment to itself 't is its own cause and 't is its own effect But others in Philosophy will tell us That Nihil est causa sui ipsius (h) Quisquam ne mortaâ—ium idem vocat facinus poenam Quintil. And in all Justice punishments design'd to mend the Sufferer or to disencourage others from the like offence But what sin ere which had no other punishment deter'd another from attempting it And as for the Offender I presume none will conclude that sin can much amend him Many would wish their strength might ne're decline that they might ne're be impotent for sin If sin be then its proper punishment 'T is a most strange one which the Offender ever would request to undergo and prize beyond rewards (i) Nullapoena est nisi invito alibi Supplicium quisquam vocat ad quod prosilitur quod exposcitur Quintil. If sin were the sole judgment on the Malefactor O what a means had the Almighty found to bring his Justice in contempt And then where were his Wisdom too And then where the God Therefore whoe're thou art that art possess'd with Dreams like these Awake thou that sleepest lest ere thou dream'st of it it may be said Awake and come to judgment But 2. How shall Men arise And with what Bodies shall they come I answer with St Paul 1 Cor. 15. they shall rise 1 Incorruptibly it is rais'd in incorruption ver 42. 2 Gloriously it is rais'd in glory ver 43. 3 In agility it is rais'd in power ver 43. tanta facilitas quanta faelicitas sayes St Austin 4 Very near to the nature of Angels much more resin'd than formerly not only from carnal lusts but also from the grossness of our substances The natural Elements shall be resin'd so shall our Bodies it shall be rais'd a spiritual Body ver 44. Not but that we shall have flesh and bones and integral parts answerable to the pattern of our Saviour after his Resurrection Luke 24.39 Handle me and see for a spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see me have But yet improv'd they shall be much Aquinas (k) in Eph. 4 ver 13. Corpus Christi fuit perdâ—ction ad plenam aetem virilem scilicet 33 annorum in quâ mertuus est hususâ—todi autem aetatis plenitudini corformâ—…itur aetas sanctorum resurgâ—…tium So a so the Author of these Sermons or Homilies father'd on St Ambrose vol. 3. pag. 44. Ibi enim nec infaâ—s nec senex nec parvus erit qui non impleat dies suos utpote silius resurrectionis in mensuram venict plenitudinis Christi ut nec desint aliâ—ui annorum spacia nec supersint yet goes further and assures us That we shall rise in the complete age of our Saviour viz. 33 years old For whereas we read Till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect Man to the measure of the STATVRE of the fulness of Christ he as also our old Translations reads the measure of the AGE of the fulness of Christ. But this we safely may leave undetermin'd being assur'd that Man shall awake destitute of nothing essential to his perfection but not so secure of what God may esteem so essential But this is the Resurrection of those who have part in the first Resurrection Others shall want the glory but yet shall be endu'd with bodies free from corruption to protract their torture to eternity with bodies agile to entitle them to the greater restlessness for the more active the Sufferer the more tormenting the Chains and Anguish Nor shall he want the prejudice of a refin'd body that all his senses may be more acute for entertaining each its proper torment to the most high improvement So now we see Men shall be raised up and we see how Unhappy then are they that put far from them here the evil day to be shut up in worst of nights hereafter Woe to him that eats and drinks because to morrow he shall dye since after that to morrow he must rise and be waken'd out of his sleep But happy he thrice happy who being to forego his life hid it with Christ in God at the last day they shall know where to find it In the mean time foolish are those that lament him since they again shall see him if yet they are not still more foolish by their neglecting to lie down like him How is our industry concern'd to care that our uprise be to felicity by death to sin and rising again to newness of life to furnish our selves for a Resurrection free from a second death And will you know how 't is to be atchiev'd By doing so as did the Subject of this dayes Solemnity If you expect her Character consult each man his loss in her departure None need commend an absent Friend to those who by that absence find much detriment Go ask the Poor Go ask the Sick whose Consolation and Relief are now in a great measure gone to Heaven with her How have the glories of the ancient Heroes liv'd in Records of blackest Ink So 't is with her for in our sable fortunes in our dark wants her worth is largely written We need no tedious toil to prove her happy as to her Soul and ready for the Resurrection as to her Body our greatest Task will be not to learn how she is but to be like her fit for our going and our Saeviours coming But you 'll ask how Let the Apostle tell you St Peter designing to display Christs dreadful coming in his third Chapter of his second Epistle endeavors to prepare men for it in his first Chapter advising diligence in procuring 1. Faith which believes God true in all his promises which teaches Man to lay aside his Reason that so he may be more than Man and apprehend things much beyond the reach of natural capacity Faith is the evidence of things not seen Faith which layes all our sins down at Christs Cross Faith which applies Christs merits to our selves In short Faith which depends on the Fathers mercy through the Sons sufferings and intercession by the Spirits support and consolation to evade deserved destruction and attain most undeserved bliss therefore to wake to happiness take Faith and add to your Faith 2. Virtue Not Virtue in the general because Temperance follows as a particular but Virtue