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	love_n	temperance_n	1,495	5	11.3666	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03104	The mirror of pure devotion: or, The discovery of hypocrisie Delivered in sixe severall sermons, in the Cathedrall Church of Chichester, by way of an exposition of the parable of the Pharises and the publican. By R.B. preacher of the word, at Chidham in the county of Sussex.	Ball, Robert, fl. 1635.	1635 (1635)	STC 1323; ESTC S113587	64,577	210

or the Ipse Ego in his owne eyes is quite cast out of the sight of God excommunicated the congregation of Saints and sent home to his owne pest-house an infectious leaper as white as snowe This man went home to his house justified rather then or and not the other Againe would you know the Application of all this then reade the latter part of the Text and you shall finde that these things were written for our learning and instruction that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope For this Parable was propounded not onely in terrorem populi as was promised in the Preface for the terrour and confusion of hollow hypocrites as places of execution are set up on hills or hie wayes to terrifie the like offenders but also in consolationem sanctorum for the comfort and consolation of true Saints And therefore legehistoriam nè fias historia Read this Parable lest thou be made a parable Reade the effect of it to thy profit lest thou feele the Event of it to thy punishment For He that first propounded it to some applyes it now to all yet so that as hee would have all in generall to note it so hee would have every one in particular to apply it For this purpose like that good Shepheard he shews us both virgam baculum both to comfort us hee hath a rod to beate downe our pride hee hath a staffe to raise up our humilitie For every that exalts himselfe shall bee abased but hee that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted And lastly would you know how to beleeve all this why here is more then Pythagoras his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or dixit Aristotel●s Christ himselfe averres it the Truth it selfe speakes it the eternall Word himselfe hath given the word and his testimonie must needes bee true I say unto you Hee that justified the ungodly justified the Publican and filled his hungry soule with good things and he that alwaies resisteth the proud sent home the rich Pharisee empty away He that did it spake it and hee that spake it did it the Event then must needes be true And for the Application wee may well demande with the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who so able to apply the doctrine as the great Doctor himselfe who is both Doctor and doctrine too who so able to confect and administer the potion as the great Physician himselfe that is both Physician and Physicke too Hee that is the Subject of all Text read unto his auditours this Text Hee that spake as never man spake preached and delivered unto them this Parable And He that is the eternall High-Priest and Bishop of all our soules hath framed both for them and us this usefull application That every one that exalteth himselfe shall bee abased but hee that humbleth himselfe shall bee exalted Rest we then fully satisfied Rev. 19. and say with that beloved Disciple Revel 19. These words of God are true upon the authenticke warrant of an Ipse dixit It was Christ himselfe that spake it it was Christ himselfe that did it So that now wee see the two last generalls of the whole Parable are become the two considerable particulars of this Text the former presents unto us the Event the latter the Application The Event is this The humble Publican that stood trembling a farre off not presuming so much as to lift up his eies to heaven but smiting his breast and crying O God be mercifull to mee a Sinner is justified by our blessed Saviour and not the arrogant and presumptuous Pharisee that was perched up to the highest place in the Temple not praying to his God but prating to himselfe advancing himselfe and vilifying his brother The Pharisee that justified himselfe is condemned and the Publican that condemned himselfe is justified This man c. Videte fratres magis placuit humilitas Aug. in malis factis quam superbia in honis fact is And indeed it is right worthy our note and observation that of the twaine the Publican that was humbled for his weakenesse was justified rather then the Pharisee that boasted of his worthinesse The waies of God it seemes are not as mans waies nor his thoughts as mans thoughts He neither judges according to the outward appearance nor yet iustifies according to the 〈…〉 ●olinesse Non vox sed votum non musica chordula sed cor Non clamans sed amans cantat in aure Dei It is neither our great words nor good workes nor high conceit of either that strike any stroke at all in the act of justification before God Not great words for how many shall meete our Saviour in the cloudes at the last day with these swelling words Lord Matth. 7. 22. Lord have wee not in thy Name prophesied and by thy Name cast out Devils and by thy Name done many great miracles but He shall shall shake them off with a Non novi vos I never knew you Not good workes for righteous Abraham was justified by faith onely The Apostle Saint Paul testifies that his faith was onely accounted unto him for righteousnesse onely we are bold to enter into his secret chamber where he desires to enjoy the companie of his Spouse by faith alone It is not fit that any of the family of servants should rush in to interrupt their privacie But afterwards when the doore is opened and the Bridegroome come forth with his Bride into the waiting roome to present her unto men and Angels all faire and without spot then in the name of God let all the servants and hand-maides attend Then may wee give all diligence to adde unto our Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godlinesse and to Godlinesse Brotherly kindnesse and to Brotherly kindnesse Love For if these things bee in us and abound they will make us that we shall neither bee barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ Though Faith 2 Pet. 1. 5. then bee Sola alone yet she is not solitaria but gloriously attended by a whole guard of g●aces As the eye in regard of its beeing is not alone from the head but in respect of seeing it is alone it is the eye onely in the head that sees So a true and lively Faith cannot possibly subsist without a whole traine of graces What shall wee say then to this controversie to speake in the Apostles language Doe we therefore make voide the Law through Faith God forbid yea wee establish the Law Doe wee therefore make voide good workes through Faith God forbid yea wee establish good workes Only wee say it were no way of preferment for the hand-maid either to take the wall of her Mistris or to goe equall with her If Bilhah supply the defects of Rachel and beare children unto Iacob let her remember notwithstanding that Rachel is above her and singular in some respect If Ioseph be mounted

turne him out of doores with slender wages but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at most the perishing pleasures of sinne for a short reason like Iona● his gourd soone Worme-eaten and soone withered But why spend wee time about these vicious men This leaven of the Pharisee a secret conceipt of the Non sum sicut caeteri hath both sowred and swelled the greatest professors in the schoole of vertue and godlinesse too In so much that it is observed by some that this devillish pride hath not onely raised all vices either publikely or privately but all vertues against humility too For Concute tecum habita te consule dic tibi quis sis Let every man plumbe deepe into his owne conscience and tell me whether hee bee not secretly proud of his giving of almes proud of his fasting proud of his praying and if he pay his tithes duly whether he be not secretly proud of that too It is likewise observed further that this infernall haggard hath set humility at variance with her selfe lift up her hand to offer violence to her owne person and by a monstrous unnaturall prodigious kinde of birth to bring forth pride In so much that the humble man is too often as proud of his humilitie as Diogenes of his ragges It is high time then for that great Actor and Teacher of humility it selfe to deliver unto us that wholesome caveat in the Gospell Beware of the leaven of the Pharises for it soures all and it swels all when the heart is once secretly infected with it it sends up such a bitternesse out of the stomacke in●o the mouth that men sorbeare not to speake evill of such as are in authority much lesse to vilifie their equals or inferiors with a Non sum sicut caeteri I am not as other men are or as that Publican Oh that men would once purge out this old leaven that they might bee a new lumpe and celebrate a perpetuate feast of sweet bread unto the Lord their God with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth which with hearty prayer and honest Christian endevour they might in time accomplish if they would but observe and practise this our rule When a man lookes upon his neighbour let him observe his vertues and not his vices when he lookes upon himself let him take notice of his owne vices but not his vertues An excellent pill to purge out the old leaven if it be truly observed and duly kept the breach of either clause whereof opens a large gap unto the Non sum sicut caeteri I am not as other men are or as that Publican For example sake when a man undertakes the burden of his owne actions hee put his vices into the hinder part of the Wallet and casts them behind his backe but his vertues he will be sure to carry before him in the former part of the Wallet His vices are no sooner acted but forgotten but his vertues are many times proclaimed before they are acted Let him bee taxed for vice and presently hee pleades Either Dr. King in Ion. non feci Or si feci non male feci Or si male non multum male Or si multum male non mala intentione Or si mala intentione aliena tamen perswasione Either he did it not Or if that be prooved then he did not ill in so doing Or if that bee made manifest then it was not very ill done a small fault God knowes Is it not a little one and my soule shall live Or if it bee prooved to bee a great one horrendum facinus then God forgive him for it it was done against his will hee had no intention in the world to doe it or if his ill intent be discovered then true it is indeed it was a great weaknesse of his to be so foolishly lead and drawne to it by the perswasion and instigation of others Thus are most men too familiar in begetting but too strange in fathering their bastard vices they will bee sure to have one tricke or an other to slip them if it may be possible into the hinder part of the Wallet and carry them unto their graves as if they had never beene But let him bee commended for vertue and hee presently answers like a pert Trojan Coràm quem quaeritis adsum and if no man take notice of his goodnesse hee commonly proclaimes it himselfe he carries it in the former part of the Wallet and for a need he can be the trumpeter of his owne praises But when a man beares the burden of another mans actions hee puts his vices into the former part of the wallet and his vertues into the hinder part to verifie that old proverbiall distichon Doe a man ill he heares of that ever Doe a man well he heares of that never As it was affirmed of Peter after he denied his Master Pe●cata vides lachrymas non vides And as the accusers of the Adultresse behaved themselves Ioh. 8. Good God how Ioh. 8. skilfull and busie they were in detecting the poore womans folly First they tooke her saith the text Secondly In the act Thirdly they set her in the middest Fourthly they urge the Law of Moses and needs they must have her stoned to death forsooth Peccata vident they see her sinne it is plaine and evident and they aggravate every circumstance to the full Lachrymas non vident her teares of true repentance they see not they cast them into the hinder part of the wallet And therefore our blessed Saviour that knew all secrets both hers and theirs gives the wallet but the right turne bids him that was without sinne cast the first stone And presently saith the text they went out one by one and Iesus and the woman were left alone So the womans accusers became their owne accusers they found that writing which our Saviour drew in the dust so deepely ingraven in their owne hearts with a pen of iron it could not be dissembled So that you see if that every man would but doe as he ought beare one anothers burden in love and give the wallet but the right turne this leaven of the Pharisee which is no better then secret pride and divellish hypocrisie would quickly bee converted into the unleavened bread of truth and sinceritie If every man when he carries his owne burden would but turne his vice before him and his vertue behind him it would both mightily further his humiliation and slacken his ostentation If when he carries an other mans burden he would but turne the vertue before him and the vice behind him it would mightily further his owne edification and slacken the contempt and vilification of his brother Then would hee judge no man rashly before the time but passe the verdit of guiltinesse only upon himselfe here that hee may escape the severe censure of the Lord hereafter Then would the ugly shape of his owne vice mortifie him and the exemplary vertue of his neighbour quicken him And then