Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	fortitude_n	justice_n	temperance_n	2,097	5	10.3230	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17343	The first part of youths errors. Written by Thomas Bushel, the superlatiue prodigall	Bushell, Thomas, 1594-1674.	1628 (1628)	STC 4187; ESTC S114222	35,791	180

humilitie thy honour let loue be thy laurell and loyaltie thy louer let aduersity be thy fortitude and fortune thy flatterer let vertue by thy veritie and patience thy paterne let wisdome be thy wealth and reason thy ruler let sinne be thy enemy and thy selfe her sister let truth be thy tongue and temperance thy taster let iustice be thy iudge and conscience thy Iuror let faith be thy father and obedience thy brother let children be thy blessing and education their portion let mercy bee thy matron and meeknesse thy minion let curtesie be thy kinsman and chastitie thy cosen-german let virginitie be thy affection and vtilitie thy afliction let repentance be thy profession and prayers thy peregrination let confession be thy contemplation and contrition thy regeneration Let life be thy lamentation and death thy preparation Let thy speech be plausible and thy protestations irreuocable Let thy studies be celestiall and thy sorrowes supernaturall Let thy sighes be Sacramentall and thy groanes coëternall Let thy diet be debility and thy attire decencie Let want be thy infirmitie and Will thy integritie Let thy hope be heauenlie and feare thy frailty Let grace be thy guide and God thy glory Thus in a word thou pledge of my posteritie thinke speake and deale with God as if all the world did behold thee and liue and conuerse with man as if God saw thee So shalt thou appeare the liuely image of thy maker the crowne of thy mother the honour of thy name and the repairing of the Angels God leade thee by the hand and a fathers blessing goe with thee as thou perseuerst in the practise of these precedent precepts To his louing brother Edward Bushel Esquire BEst beloued to annihilate your least suspition of my fidelitie or selfe-wild imbecilitie in this my retirde pleasing life I ingenuously acknowledge that mutuall fraternitie ioyned with inward spiration to glorifie God is best pleasing most accepted and greatest rewarded So that I am confident a publique religious life is better than any monasticke priuate liuing by how much virginitie is esteemed aboue mariage yet the leaw warranted to be honourable according to the Apostles words If thou doest marry thou doest well but if thou canst abstaine 't is better So likewise if tho● canst liue priuate without wilfull sinne it is well but if thou canst publique it were better And where he saith better to marry then to burne 1 Cor. 7.9 euen so my conscience assures me that it is better to liue priuately without sinne than burne publiquely in sinne for you know in the one there is hope of saluation but in the other certaintie of damnation Which reduc'de mee to apply for experiment this soli●ary course to prohibite mee from former follies and preuent futur● perils For you know from min● infancie I so much naturally delighted in a male-contented life a● our parents disciplinde gentle correction to withdraw me fearing 〈◊〉 was bewitched Likewise in the height of my prodigallity both your selfe and others were witnesses how I then made triall at a poore fishers habitation which God knowes would haue long continued had not my popula● name beene knowne yet in those dayes such was my childishnesse that more fear'd the preiudice of my base reputation then the displeasure of my Sauiour like iesting Pilate which beleeued the innocencie of Christ howsoeuer to satisfie the Iewes crucified him Luk. 23.14 Besides for almost three yeeres you know I was tost vpon the waues of time in expectation of a familiar companion who at last to my great griefe vnfriendly left mee for no other reason I could imagine but that he would verifie our Sauiours speech Mat. 20.16 Many that are first shall be last and the last first So that it is no new fantasie but hatching from my cradle as God knowes some particular friends that my determination was long agoe bent to leaue the world deny my selfe regaine the time and follow him were it within the caues of the earth if his Diuine pleasure allotted mee But what through the rawnesse of yeeres natures frailtie and instigation of others I remain'd so long with taking leaue of my houshold and striuing to satisfie the humours of mortall friends that almost my vitall hope was turned into despaire of immortall glory But thankes be to the Diuine prouidence my own conscience is enlightened by the Gospel of Christ to warrant mee his mercies will heare my supplications from a poore Cell as hee did Ionas in the Whales belly Ion. 2.1 So that if now I should reuolt hauing had a yere of vnparallel'd experience for either temporall fortune or fear of corporal affliction I must account the offence vnpardonable when the pensill of holy Ghost hath dictated the same by these irremarkeable fatall words If wee sinne wilfully Heb. 10.26 after the receiuing the knowledge of the truth there remaines no more sacrifice for sinne but a fearefull looking for iudgement Therfore I hope by Gods permission your beliefe of my fidelitie will expell all doubts scruples or feares knowing that I haue bequeathed these lines to ensuing memorie as a recorded witnesse on the contrarie against mee at the Day of Iudgement 2 Pet. 2.21 In the meane time let him that is tied to loue you as his owne soule perswade your diligent search into the world without partialitie and then I dare boldly say you will find nought worth louing no fortune worth valuing nor no pleasure worth following but he that first made you in conscience then he ought onely to be lou'd valu'd and seru'd For my owne part I by woefull experience haue found it you by tradition from a brother may shun it Let not then others ends set a● end to your owne happinesse no natures frailtie barre the fruition of your future felicity but be sur● to curbe the one and scorne the other in so doing your conscience shall say I was your friend no● your flatterer as mine must alwaies acknowledge you a father more then a brother Yet giue me leaue louingly to chide your wilfulnesse since by Diuine prouidence I haue rebuked my ignorance Your causes of discontents it s knowne rise early will you therefore keepe them in perpetuall waking Those crosses that stand betwixt you and happines are mortall must you then make your sorrowes perpetuall and immortal The way to shorten them is to sleight them and the best meanes to mitigate them is not to minde them I by experience doe sensibly feele it you by practise may bee sure to finde it O then gentle brother let not griefe for a wildernesse Mar. 8.36 preuent your birth-right in Paradise for vnder correction deerest Sir if you cannot brooke a temporall misfortune in my conscience you will neuer attaine to a spirituall blessing when our Sauiour and all his Elect are witnesses against you Mar. 10.24 yet I must confesse your afflictions are greater then mine though my sinnes are a thousand for one of yours Howsoeuer not equall