Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	godliness_n	grace_n	kindness_n	1,199	5	9.8511	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52355	A brief exposition of the First and Second Epistles general of Peter by Alexander Nisbet ...	Nisbet, Alexander, 1623-1669.	1658 (1658)	Wing N1165; ESTC R37734	248,842	354

through the knowledge of Christ So here he saith it is given at first through the knowledge of Him 6. Then Christ is savingly known and so saving grace wrought when the heart consenteth to Him calling in His Word to eternal life by grace and holinesse the way to it They may quit their part of glory who come not to Christ to be made vertuous or gracious and holy for He hath called us to glory and vertue Vers 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust Both the means of working and the nature of this saving work i● here further cleared The means are the promises of the new Covenant containing such worthy and dear-bought blessings as the pardon of sin taking away the stony-heart c. the fulfilling of which Promises to sinners by the divine power of God doth make them partakers not of the infinit Essence of God which can neither be divided nor communicated to any creature but of such heavenly qualities as make them in some weak measure like their heavenly Father and so doth free them from the disposition fashions and estate wherein unregenerate men live and perish Hence Learn 1. As the Promises of the new Covenant are beyond all expression great and precious because of the spiritual and eternal riches which they do contain and will be therefore highly esteemed and commended by all that have faith to imbrace the gift of them So the way how the Lord worketh saving grace at first is by making out these Promises enabling the guilty gracelesse and cursed sinner to believe and apply the pardon grace and blessednesse freely offered in them for so the Apostle expresly affirmeth that by the divine power of God these Promises are given to us that by them we may be changed 2. The receiving of these Promises by faith maketh a wonderfull change upon sinners for so soon as a sinner getteth grace to believe and apply the free promises of the Covenant as soon doth the Lord begin to make out upon his heart the things promised so stamping it with His own Image that the sinner receiving these Promises beginneth presently to look like God his Father and in some weak measure to resemble Him in heavenly wisdom holinesse uprightnesse and other of His communicable properties especially in humility self-denial love and pity toward other miserable sinners zeal for the Lords honour and such other perfections as were eminent in the Man Christ and this is to partake of the divine nature This change kythes also in abhorring and flying from the filthie fashions which flow from the unmortified corruption of these that are yet living in nature and so eschewing the wrath and ruine which such are liable to both which may be understood by escaping the corruption which is in the world through lust and is here made the effect of receiving the Promises and where this work is it proveth a right to the Covenant and giveth ground of confidence that that work shall grow The study of the growth whereof the Apostle presseth in the next place Vers 5. And besides this giving all diligence adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge 6. And to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse 7. And to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity To the end that this saving work of grace described in the preface may thrive The Apostle doth here seriously exhort gracious 〈◊〉 not to satisfie themselves with the sight of one or some few graces in themselves but to give more than ordinary diligence that they may see every grace drawn forth to exercise and kything in fruits for which cause he reckoneth forth a number of these graces in the exercise whereof a Christians growth doth consist Hence Learn 1. Even they who discern in themselves a saving work of grace and know the priviledges spoken of before to be theirs are not now to sit down idle and satisfied but to be the more active and diligent in the exercise of grace and holy duties for so saith the Apostle Besides this that ye have precious faith and promises and do partake of the divine nature give all diligence 2. As it is not that ordinary diligence wherewith most Professors satisfie themselves that will be blest to make a thriving Christian but such as goeth through all means and waiteth upon all opportunities of profiting that their ability and calling will permit them to follow and gets the flower of a Christians wit affections and time which is here called all diligence So a Christian's end in being thus diligent must not be his own credit before others or the satisfaction of his conscience only But that the exercise and fruits of one grace may be still added to another and so Christ may be honoured in him and by him Giving all diligence adde to your faith c. 3. Saving faith which gripeth Christ for pardon and strength and daily flyeth to Him for both must be holden fast and renewed in the exercise of it by all that would thrive in any other grace or be fit for any duty if either we loose the grips of faith or do not frequently renew them we can thrive in nothing therefore is faith here made the first stone in this spiritual building to which all the rest are to be added Add to your faith c. 4. With the maintaining and renewing the acts of saving faith a Christian that would grow must so mind his duty as that he keep himself in the nearest disposition for it for no lesse is signified by vertue than the working habit of every grace which keepeth a Christian in such a fitnesse for doing or suffering that when he is called to them either of them are lovely to him and he is in some measure ready for them which the Scripture calleth elsewhere the having of the heart at the right-hand Eccl. 10.2 and standing with the loyns girt Eph. 6.14 and here is called Adding to faith vertue 5. There is more than this readinesse of disposition for duty requisit to make a growing Christian even the use of holy reason to time and mannage duties wisely that as the heart lieth to duty there may be skill to go about it with prudence and circumspection as the word knowledge here signifieth which is to be added to vertue 6. Because there remaineth in the best many immoderate and unruly affections and passions which as they are ready to exceed bounds even about lawfull objects so the excesse of them doth darken reason indispose the heart for duty mar the exercise of faith and so hinder all the former three Therefore a Christian that would grow must labour to have by the power of God's grace in him such a command over his passions of anger fear grief c. and over his affections of love joy and the like

called himself Lord or Head of the Church but discharged it in all Ministers 1 Pet. 5.3 and here taketh a lower title to himself A Servant 2. It is necessary for Christ's Ambassadors to know and assert their Calling from Him that Truth may have weight with People and they may have courage what-ever their faithfulnesse may cost them for while the Apostle knoweth himself to be a Servant of Jesus Christ he dare avow himself by name and surname even when he 〈◊〉 publishing Truths that cost him his life Simon Peter a Servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ 2. He describeth these to whom the Epistle is mainly directed from the worth of their faith equal to the faith of the Apostles for all saving effects and cleareth the way how they came by it to wit by the vertue of the faithfulnes of God and the merits of Christ Hence Learn 1. The Scriptures are not only given for converting sinners and working grace where it is not Psal 19.7 But also for their sake who are already converted and gracious fine places being mainly intended for them to further their growth guard them against temptations and to fit them for their last meeting with Christ which are the ends of this Epistle directed mainly to them that have obtained precious faith 2. Although some Believers are more strong in believing and so have more joy and peace than others 1 Joh. 2.13 14. Yet is the faith of them all of alike worth in so far as it uniteth them all to the same Saviour from whom the weakest faith shall never shed interesteth them all in the same spiritual promises priviledges and glorious reward and is bought for them all with the same price in all which respects the true faith of the meanest Believer is alike precious with the faith of the Apostles 3. The way how saving faith cometh to the Elect and is wrought in their hearts is by vertue of the faithfulnesse of God who promised to Christ in the Covenant of Redemption the bestowing of it upon the Elect Psal 110.3 and to the Elect in the Covenant of Grace Isa 54.13 Joh. 6.45 It being God's righteousnesse to prove himself faithfull in making all these promises and it comes also through Christ's righteousnesse which is his doing and suffering to purchase it and other saving graces for us and so although we have it freely Yet Christ bought it dear and God is righteous in giving what Himself promised and Christ paid for 1 Joh. 1.9 So the Apostle makes this precious faith to come to all that have it through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Vers 2. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. In this Salutation he wisheth to them a daily growth in their hearts 1. Of the sweet sense of God's free favour making the graces of His Spirit to thrive 2. Of true spiritual peace flowing from the former and carrying with it every necessary blessing as the signification of these words grace and peace and their order doth import and all this through their growing in that knowledge of God and his Son Christ which hath faith affection and practice with it Hence Learn 1. No lesse than what is here wished for is the Lords allowance to every Believer if they get it not they have themselves to blame for His Majesty doth nothing to mar the multiplying of grace and peace upon all that have precious faith 2. They that would have this rich allowance must not only expect in this order Grace or God's free favour first and then Peace with every necessary blessing But they must study to grow daily in the knowledge of the nature and will of God the purchase fulnesse and offices of Christ so as by the use-making of all heart and life may be changed for such a knowledge is this through which grace and peace is multiplied 3. It is not formality or vain repetition to use frequently the same expressions to God or to others when they flow from new sense of the worth and need of the things for this Apostle and others do ordinarily use these same expressions in the beginnings of their Epistles Grace and peace c. Vers 3. According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godlinesse through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and vertue Followeth the ground of his confidence which might also hearten them that it should be acording to his wish to wit That Gods powerful gr●●●●ad already begun a saving work in them by bestowing freely upon them all that is essential to a gracious frame of spirit within and a holy life without and this he had done by making them so to know Christ as to consent to Him calling them by the Gospel to glory or eternal life as the end by vertue which is grace and holinesse as the way or means Hence Learn 1. The seen beginnings of a saving work of grace are comfortable pledges and confirmations to faith that that work shall thrive it being suitable to the Lords wisdom power and constancy to carry on and perfect what He hath begun for the Apostle wisheth grace and peace to be multiplied According as His divine power had begun the work 2. To give grace to a graceless soul is a work of Gods infinit power there being so much unworthinesse guiltinesse and opposition to hinder that work in all the Elect Therefore the cause of this work is here made divine power 3. The Lord in the bestowing of saving grace worketh both irresistably and freely neither can any for whom it is appointed and purchased so oppose as to hinder the bestowing of it for it is divine power that worketh it Nor can any in nature so use their naturals as to prepare themselves for or merit the bestowing of it for divine power worketh by giving freely all things that pertain to life and so the very preparations for the new life 4. The substance of every saving grace though not the full measure and a right to what may enable for honouring God in practice is given at once in conversion As a Child when it first liveth or is new born hath all the essential parts of a man Therfore to these to whom the Apostle wisheth encrease of grace and upon whom he is to presse growth he affirmeth to be already given all things that pertain to life and godliness 5. The very first beginnings of grace is wrought in the heart by making a sinner drink-in the knowledge of Christ the Law indeed prepares for this work by discovering sin and deserved wrath and terrifying the conscience But the Gospel which holde●● out Christ the Saviour from sin and wrath having in Him the fulnesse of grace and a heart to let it out freely upon gracelesse sinners is the Spirit 's instrument of working grace for as the Apostle wished grace to thrive in the former Verse