Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A47705
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Pious instructions, in meeter fitted to the weaker capacities.
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Leo of S. Mary Magdalen.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing L1097; ESTC R12062
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112,916
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324
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Lying devill them deceive By Lyes of joys their dear souls to bereave O wicked Parents who while young neglect This dev'lish Vice in children to correct You Lyars guilty of this deadly crime Leave off Repent amend while you have time Speak what is just Eph. 4. v. 25. do not the truth deny The Lying devill and his Lyes defy Love and serve God his just Laws still attend Thus once a Lyar may make happy end THE TRUE ART OF LOVING WELL. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God Math. 22. v. 37. I Shall not here like Ovid teach The Art of brutish Carnall Love But that which did exceed his reach Practis'd by Seraphins above Which God Io. 13. v. 34. made man did teach to men To joyn them to their God agen To love those only who love you Or objects that your senses please Math 5. v. 46. What do you more then Heathens do Or brutes â—ho Belly love and ease Your God above whom you don't see I 'le teach to love and Enemy This Christ did teach v. 44. while he was here By words Luk 23. v. 34. and his most rare example The same to follow do not fear Rom. 5. v. 15. He for you grace hath purchas 't ample He hath rais'd Man unto this state He can love those Act 7. v. 60. who do him hate To do this cast your eye above Contemplate God's most lovely features Then for his sake you 'l learn to love In him all his beloved creatures And most of all Gen. 1. v. 26. his Image dear Which wrap't in flesh is placed here The Elements to Center tend As Water Earth the Air and Fire Where they do rest as in their end To hold them back doth force require The iron doth to Loadstone cleave That it may virtue thence receive Ps 72. v. 26. God Center is to soul of man Which here to Body is confin'd And without him there 's nothing can Give satisfaction to her mind He is the Loadstone where she gains Perfection and content remains For what are objects of Man's love Wealth Power Beauty Riches Glory All these are found in God above In high degree saith sacred story Wisd 1. v. 7.1 Ioh 4. v. 19. God all perfections doth contain Since he loves you love him again He loves you not for interest As if you could him profit bring But that you may with him have rest In glory of your heav'nly King Where you with Angels shall always In joy sing forth his glorious praise Love makes the consort of the Quire For all their Notes are tun'd by Love And Love is all their hearts desire Their God is Love 1. Ioh 4. v. 16. that reigns above By Love you do him perfect joyn To love him truly then incline To gain your loving heart's consent Gen. 1. v. 26. 1. Ioh 4. v. 9 Ioh 1. v. 14. Ioh. 20. v. 17. Behold what here on Earth is don All creatures made for your content Nay he has sent his only son To take your flesh and Brother be From sin and Hell to set you free All objects of true Love are here Laid open to your corp'rall view Since all that 's perfect doth appear In Christ who God and Man is true Ps 44. v. 5. He is the beauty of Mankind In Body features grace and mind He is not only amiable In body but likewise in heart His love to you was firm and stable Ioh. 13. v. 1. Till Death did soul and Body part While here on Earth for your souls sake No pains did he refuse to take He fasted pray'd he watch't he taught Cold Hunger Thirst he did endure Salvation for your soul he sought And to make future Glory sure Ro. 5. v. 8. By bitter pains he dy'd on th' tree Thus much thy JESUS loved thee Now he to heaven is ascended Io. 14. v. 2.1 Io. 2. v. 2. Rom. â— v. 34. Heb. 7. v. 25. Beholding Father face to face His Love to you is still extended He hath prepared you a place That it may be your finall home He is your Advocate become Love this your God-Man who loves you And for your sake hath done all this In all your ways prove to him true Against his Laws nêre do amiss His blessed will be sure obey Math. 19. v. 17. To Heav'n it is the only way THE SECOND PART I say to you love your Enemies Math. 5. v. 44. If you love me Ioh. 14. v. 15. saith Christ our Lord Be sure you keep this my command Ioh. 15. v. 12. Math. 22. v 39 1 Ioh. 4. v. 20. With one another still accord Your Brother love as your right hand Who doth not here his Brother love Loves not his God who is above Not only love him who loves you For blindest Heathen doth the same But love your Enemy Math. 5. v. 44. as true Tender his life his goods his fame So you who Enemies have been To me Math. 6 v. 12.14 shall love and pardon win God made man's soul his image dear To live with him eternally And thô to sin he did not fear And thus became his Enemy Revenge on him he did not take But taking flesh dy'd for his sake Here learn of God Math. 5. v. 45. your Heav'nly Father Who sinner feeds as well as just To feed your Enemy yea rather Than friend so you may humbly trust Luk. 6. v. 38. That God your soul with grace will feed Since you fed Foe in time of need You cannot love his wickedness But as God's Image you must love 1. Ioh. 4. v. 20. To 's Pattern Kindness here express If Peace you love that is above Then mercifull to you he 'l be Who for his sake lov'd Enemy The Just dost lesser stand in need Of love Rom 8. v. 2. than he who is in sin From satan's pow'r the first is freed While this 2. Timi 2. v. 26. his slavery lyes in O pray that God will set him free Then God will mercy shew to thee But if Revenge thou seek'st to take Math. 18. v. 32 33. For injury that 's gone and past Thou liable thy self dost make To guilt forgiven and at last As cruell damn'd thy soul will be Not shewing Mercy shew'd to thee With joy forgive then Man's offence Since Christ our Lord hath promis't you Mark 11. v 25 Eccli 28. v 2. Mark 4. v. 24. For sin it shall make recompense And debt remit which to it's due What measure you give to your Brother The same shall you have and no other His loss is most when he wrongs thee In body goods or reputation Without Repentance his will be The loss of God and soul's salvation Pray you the Father as the Son Forgive Luk. 23. v. 34. he knows not what h 'as don If you saw Beast in danger great You strait would run his life to save And enemy away would beat
Pray'rs neglect Ps 15. v. 9. Bêing confident he 'l hear my cry And mercy shew before I dy Amen THE WORLD'S GLORY IS VANITY TRUE JOY IN VIRTUE All things that are done under the sun are vanity and affliction of spirit Ecclesiastes 1. v. 14. WHat is this World and all therein But Vanity producing sin Except the soul withdraw her love And Eagle-like take flight above And there in contemplation high On God doth fix her piercing eye Where she in God will clear behold Her self her worth and doth unfold The fallacies the World doth use To win mens love and them abuse By representing that for good Which proves disguis'd when understood She takes the Titles that declare God's attributes and Symbols are Of Heav'nly Bliss to name her toys That they may seem to us true joys But when you once do them detect As vain you slight contemn neglect By honour power and Majesty She raiseth some to that degree As Gods on Earth Dan. 3. v. 5. they will be treated As thô their Thrones with God's were seated Riches and Pleasures have some blinded That other Heav'n they never minded Some did in Beauty so excell Like Goddesses on Earth did dwell Puff't up with Pride ador'd by Men And Deify'd by Poets pen This glory now in dust doth ly All 's vanisht in the twinkl'of eye And if ought here of them remains It is their soul 's most sinfull stains Which in God's Justice may require The flame of Hell's Eternall fire Of Worldly Joy this is the end To which she brings her dearest friend Are here her joys from sorrows free No they are mixt with misery Honour doth meet with emulation Hest 7. v. 10. Which often causeth great vexation And when it seems past Fortunes frown Proud Aman-like it is cast down With labours great men riches gain What frights and fears do they sustain Lest they should lose their Idoll Wealth They often hazard life and Health And when death comes they no more have Than a poor Coffin Shroud and Grave Great Alexander in his Throne Was not content thô he alone The world possest he oft did weep His soul found want disturbing sleep Nothing the soul can satisfy That is beneath a Deity The Epicure and Sodomit Whom name of Beast doth most befit Eph. 4. v. 18 19. Like swine in carnall puddle ly By this obscuring Reason's Eye They shame's disease and sicknes find With lost repute true grief of mind Behold a drunkard in his cups What comes to hand clear off he sups With hellish smoke he fumes his brains Till void of reason he remains He curses swears he damn's his soul He spews like swine in it doth roll Wisd 2. v. 6. c. These are the joys and glory great With which the world her friends doth treat This course of life consider'd well To men of sense seems but a Hell Rom. 6. v. 21.23 Leading poor Souls to that infernall Where devills are and flames Eternall Base world who here false joys for true Dost give thy Lovers now Adieu No longer shalt thou Tyrannize On sense and soul to make thy prize No longer joy I 'le seek in thee Hence shall my joy in Virtue be THE SECOND PART HEAVEN UPON EARTH OR TRUE JOY IN VIRTUE A secure mind is as it were a continuall Feast Prov. 15. v. 15. TO stop a floud doth pains require Small hopes with oyl to quench a fire So floud of Vice 't is hard to turn Where Carnall love the Heart doth burn Yet burns asswage by greater heat So Virtues love makes that retreat To win Man's Heart to Virtues love Is properly God's work above Especially where sin is plac't And sense Man's Reason hath defac't Yet Virtue known is of that force It gains the Heart and changeth course The cause is known by its effect So I will Virtue here detect Not by defining as the use But by the fruits it doth produce The which Mans Reason will so please They 'l steal his Heart and love with ease Health Honour Riches to possess May termed be World's happiness But since in Heart Fear doth remain That what it gives ' twill take again They can't be deem'd felicity Where Fear 's 1. Ioh. 4. v. 18. true Joy can never be A Man that is in Conscience clear Is void of sorrow fright and fear He feareth nought the World can take It 's Joy to him Rom 5. v. 3. if for God's sake He loseth all and pains endure Rewards above he knows are sure Math. 9. v. 29. Christ's promise of an hundred fold For what is lost makes him so bold That Persecution he don't fly But runs into 't couragiously If he 's possest with any fear It 's lest he may not suffer here The greatest honours here on Earth Bestow'd by Man or due by Birth He slights as mean and Vanity When he above doth cast his eye To be God's son his Spouse Io. 1. v. 12. 1. Io. 3. v. 1. his friend Are honours which do those transcend On Earth was Alexander great Who sate in hâ—â— Imperiall seat To judge the World seems glory high Math. 19. v 28. 1. Cor. 6. v. 3. Compar'd to his he doth deny Since by Christ's promise judge he shall The Angles and the World with all Croesus with riches did abound Which do command on Earth what 's found These he contemns Math. 19. v 24. Mat. 5 v. 3. Iam. 2. v. 5. since t is a venture If ever they shall Heaven enter He blessed calls his Poverty which from that doubt doth set him free King Salomon Eccli 2. v. 10. who did possess All what was pleasant did confess T was Vanity v. 11. and grief of mind True ioy therein he could not find But Man from these withdrawing love Doth tast the lasting joys above Hence t is no worldly Crosses can Disturb the soul of Virtuous Man Since he all here as vain doth flight And suff'rings are his great delight For if with Christ 2. Cor. 1. v. 7. saith Sacred story He shares in pain he shall in glory Gal. 6. v. 14. This makes him pains and Crosses thirst Th'unsuffring state he deems the worst If others do'nt him mortify He makes himself his enemy With hunger cold and labours great And Discipline Gal. 5. v. 2. his Flesh doth treat To all affronts he 'l open ly What 's Will requires he will deny Still saying Luk 22. v. 42. Father with God's son Not mine but thy bles't will be don 2. Tim. 2. v. 4. Who as he came all men to save So he them glorify'd would have All Virtues are his great delight To practise them both day and night For they to soul do glory bring And wed her to the heau'nly King Where she in ioy shall still remain What price too great for so great gain Here you the reason clearly see Why virtuous Man from grief is free For ought on Earth he hath