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	good_a	temperance_n	1,131	5	11.1758	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67047	A word in season. Or Three great duties of Christians in the worst of times viz. abiding in Christ, thirsting after his institutions, and submission to his providences. The first opened, from 1 John 2.28. The second from Psal. 42.1,2. The third from Jer. 14.19. By a servant of Christs in the work of his Gospel. To which is added, by way of appendix, the advice of some ministers to their people for the reviving the power and practice of godliness in their families.	Servant of Christ in the work of his Gospel.	1668 (1668)	Wing W3548A; ESTC R204145	100,163	272

best of souls are growing but ●●ver come to their full growth Now the ●●titutions of God are the souls food and ●●ment in order to this growth The mark which is set in a Christians eye is The fulness of the measure of stature which is in Christ Perfection Being holy as Christ is holy perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect These are high marks every good Christian levels at them none hits them St. Paul himself had not attained but this one thing he did forgetting what was behind he pressed on to what was before A good Christian never standeth still but is always moving adding to his faith vertue to vertue temperance c. Growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ Going on from strength to strength Now the institutions of God are the means of growth they are the souls food and nourishment 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born habes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby Psal 119.130 The entram● of thy word giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple They make wise the simple enlighten the eyes By them the servants of God are warned c. As well then can a growing child not hunger and thirst after food the prop●● nourishment of its body as soon m● a man not hunger and thirst for his m●● and drink by which his soul is kept●● life as a Christian not hunger and thir●● after the institutions of God by which he groweth and by which he is preserved in his spiritual state 2. Though the weakest of Gods childr● be in a better state than the best unreg●● rate man yet none of their souls are in persect health Now the Ordinances of God are their spiritual physick The child of God while he lives on this side heaven is like a man or woman that hath a weak crazy constitution he is not always alike ill disposed nor always complains of the same distempers but 't is seldom that he is not complaining of one distemper or other One while of an hard heart another while of an heavy ●ull and dead spirit one while of a sad and dejected spirit another while of a di●racted vain spirit c. some ailment or other he always carries about with him and will do while his body of death abides in him the fountain of all spiritual diseases One while he is buffeted by ●●atan another while he is pressed with ●s own corruptions Now the Ordi●●nces of God are the leaves of the tree of life appointed for the healing of the Nations David was sadly distempered with a temptation from the prosperity of the wicked while he was in adverfity till he went into the sanctuary Psal 73.13 Hannab was of a troubled spirit till she went into the tabernacle to pray then her countenance was no more sad Psal 119.81 My soul fainteth for thee but I hope in thy word verse 50. And so in many other Texts As soon therefore may one labouring under daily pain weakness and distempers not desire deliberately what shall heal him as the child of God no● thirst after the institutions of God which are All-heal to his soul The gre●● and easie means for his spiritual cure Thirdly The gracious soul is alway looking after God but never in this liffully seeth him Gods institutions are a● glasses to the soul by which it hath a cleare● and fuller sight of God The power and glory of God are seen in the Sanctuary Psal 63.3 Next to the beholding o● God face to face it this beholding of him in duties of communion with him O● what a communion with God doth the soul of a godly person oft-times enjoy in a Prayer in a Sacrament in the hearing of the Word and every sighted God is exceeding sweet Thus I have opened to you the second thing which is the cause of this singular spiritu● thirst 3. A third is The Saints experiences God in Or dinances There is no gracious soul but at one time or other in Prayer in hearing the Word in receiving the Sacrament hath tasted and seen how good the Lord is Now it is of our nature having tasted that which we have found good and excellent the more to long for it But I shall adde no more to the Doctrinal part of this discourse I shall now come to the Application In the first place we may learn what to judge of those 1. Vse In truct who either despise Gods institutions or at least are very indifferent to them 1. There are too too many that despise them they mock at Preaching at Sacraments at Prayer they like a Play better or see no need of them at all some out of a principle of profaneness fordid souls that savour nothing of heaven and heavenly things nothing of that noble end for which man is created or to which he is obliged to direct his actions whether they have souls or no they scarce understand or if they have whether they differ from the sensitive souls of Dogs or Swines they consider not What the natural and animal life means they understand but what the spiritual life meaneth they understand not The drunkard thirsts after his cups of wine or other liquor the voluptuous man after his pleasures the covetous man after wealth but for those holy institutions of God which are pabulum animae those precious things by which mens souls live they understand them not they trample them under foot and it may be rend them who bring them to them Others there are that are not altogether thus bad but yet are very indifferent as to these things they can hear a Sermon and they can let it alone whether ever they be at one or no whether ever they sit at the Lords Table or no whether ever they pray or no they are very mdifferent O how unlike is the spirit of these men to the spirit of holy David What would you say to a child that should be born and never cry for food would not you sit it had nothing in it of humane nature or that it would not live long● You may as certainly conclude conceming such souls as these that they have nothing in them of the Divine Nature and they do not live at all the life of grace nor ever will live the life of glory There is no sadder sign either of a dead soul dead while it lives dead in trespasses and sins or of a decaying perishing soul than the want of this spiritual appetite this hungring and thirsting after the institutions of God Hence secondly observe 2. Br. How necessarily precious the true able faithful Ministers of the Gospel must be to gracious souls They are the earthen vessels which bring this heavenly treasure It was said of old Blessed is he that comes unto us in the name of the Lord. And Rom. 10.15 Rom. 10.15 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of peace The Ordinance of the Ministry in this hath the preheminence of other