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
A08552	The Christian conflict a treatise, shewing the difficulties and duties of this conflict, with the armour, and speciall graces to be exercised by Christian souldiers. Particularly applied to magistrates, ministers, husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants. The case of vsury and depopulation, and the errours of antinomists occasionally also discussed. Preached in the lecture of Kettering in the county of Northampton, and with some enlargement published by Ioseph Bentham, rector of the Church of Broughton in the same county.	Bentham, Joseph, 1594?-1671.	1635 (1635)	STC 1887; ESTC S113626	266,437	390

himselfe blessed for ever Act. 16. 31. 7. In regard of the ground of faith the promises in the Gospell which promises are of the greatest blessings 2 Cor. 6. 16 18 1 Tim. 4. 8. 2 Tim. 4. 8. And the surest promises tha● can be made 2 Cor. 1. 20. Heb. 10. 23. 8. In regard of the use and end thereof the salvation of our soules 1 Pet. 1. 9. Thirdly Although sottish and secure ignorant people and loose licentious and lewd lossels content themselves with that false fained and barren faith which is fruitlesse and unworking yea and boast and glory too that they beleeve as well as the best Although this their faith is onely a naturall perswasion which they had from the wombe and suckt from the breasts not that extraordinary speciall gift of God Phil. 1 29. by the sanctified use of the ordinary meanes Rom. 10. 14. Although this their faith is idle and unfruitfull neither purifying their hearts nor sanctifying them throughout nor enabling them to resist sin and Sathan So that although they beleeve as well as the best in their owne conceipt yet they live as bad as the worst 1. Little considering that though faith alone doth justifie yet justifying faith is not alone Faith without workes being a vaine and unprofitable faith Iames 2. 14. A dead and livelesse faith Iames 2. 17. 26. A fained and false faith Iam. 2. ●0 And the faith of Dive●ls Iam. 2. 19. 2. Little considering that saving graces are not to be severed each from other but carefully and continually to be knit together 2 Pet. 1. 5. 8. 3. Little considering that saving graces are energeticall operative or stirring and working graces So that vertue shewes it selfe in action Knowledge practiseth obedience Temperance restraines the appetite Godlinesse desires and endeavours to please God in all things Brotherly-kindnesse exerciseth well-wishing well-speaking and well-doing And faith workes by love 4. Little considering that saving graces are gainefull and fruitfull graces gaining glory to God good to the Church Sonnes to the Father Subjects Servants Sheepe and Soules to Christ as hee is a King Lord Shepheard and Saviour 5. Little considering that the want of some saving graces argues the want of others yea of all others 2 Pet. 1. 9. He that lackes these that is all or any of these alwaies and altogether is blind and cannot see afarre c. 6. Little considering that all his popular plausible and pharisaicall performances in Gods worship are vaine and vacant without that faith unfained of Gods elect Without which Obedience is not acceptable Rom. 14. 23. Prayer not prevailing Rom. 10 14. And confession not available Rom. 10. 10. The fruit not being good which comes not from this roote The water being polluted which streames not from this fountaine Although I say those fond and foolish forenamed people do fondly and santastically deceive their own precious and peerelesse soules yet let every true Christian souldier of Christ Iesus highly prise and labour for that peerelesse precious faith which is proper only to Gods chosen children therfore called the faith of the elect Titus 1. 1. For that faith which is sincere without counterfeting hypocrisie therefore called faith unfained 1 Tim. 1. 5. For that so excellent faith whereby wee obtaine precious things therefore called precious faith 2 Pet. 1. 1. For that faith which increaseth from one degree to another from weaker to stronger from a lesser to a greater Rom 1. 17. For that faith which relyeth upon Christ and his promises esteemes Christ above all more then all desires Christ before all things delights in Christ more then in all things and lookes for the full enjoyment of him therefore called the faith of Iesus Christ Iames 2. 1. For that faith which defends the spirituall warriour from all sorts of temptations cast against him by his spirituall enemies holding out Christ and the efficacie and power of his obedience and suffering against all their viperine and virulent trucu●ent and terrible assaults and temptations therfore called the shield of faith Above all therfore take the shield of faith for without this all is nothing If it were possible to have truth righteousnesse c. and lacke faith all these are nothing Take therefore that is let it not lie unregarded and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neglected but take it up Take it into your defence sitting it close to your hearts using it for your defence and safety against sinne and Sathan Take it againe and againe or recover it if through your owne weakenesse or through the violence of their blowes you let it fall or slip That it may bee to us as it is unto others the substance or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11. 1 Motive 1. prop or tressell or basis and foundation a ground and ankor-hold a certainty and assurance of things hoped for namely The continuance of Gods favour for ever Lev. 26. 11 12 44 45. The victory over all our enemies The full and p●rfect redemption of our soules and bodies Titus 2. 13 14. The resurrection of the flesh I●b 19. 26 27. Act. 24 15. The life everlasting Heb. 12. 23. And the glorification of the Church ● C●r 4. 17. 2. That it may be to us a true cleare infallible undoubtfull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11. 1. and undeceiveable evidence or appearance of things not seene namely of our election adoption justification redemption regeneration and glorification 3. That by this we may come to God Heb. 11. 6. So as To offer acceptable sacrifices or services in his sight Micah 6. So as to seeke for his favour or to be reconciled to him againe So as to please him drawing neere to him being againe united to him by faith from whom we were estranged by sin So as to apprehend hold fast and rest constantly upon the promise of God made in Christ 4. That by this we may see him who is invisible Heb. 11. 27. and his promises a farre off 13 14. Constantly beleeving them although we do not presently receive the same yea So that it may worke in us A thankfull acceptance of those promises though as yet unperformed A contempt of this world acknowledging and confessing our selves strangers in it 13. An endeavour to come to heaven their passing excellent celestiall countrey 14. An earnest desire after a better life estate and condition 16. An assurance of Gods everlasting favour towards us 16. 5. That by this we be invincible and inexpugnable So that the God of this world the divell may not blind our understandings as he doth the mindes of them which beleeve not ● Cor. 4 4. So that That man of sin whose comming is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders may not bewitch and beguile us as he doth them that perish bec●use they received not the love of the truth nor beleeved the same 2 Thes 2. 12. So that nothing may be to us defiled and polluted as all things are to

warrantable Hurtfull because sinfull to the petitioner Needlesse if in heaven Vnprofitable if in hell Impossible to doe good wheresoever therefore not of faith and utterly unlawfull 3. The desperate living capable of some earthly corporall temporall favours but of no heavenly spirituall or eternall grace we may not pray for any such in their behalfe but onely for those other whereof they are capable thus Moses for Pharaoh the Prophet for Ieroboam 1 King 13. 6. Moses was so farre from praying for that he prayed against the cursed conspiratours Numb 16. 15. The Lord forbids Samuel to mourne for Saul 1 Sam. 16. 1. David prayes against the wicked Psal 5. 10. 59. 5. And Saint Iohn telleth us there are sinners for whom we should not pray 1 Ioh. 5. 16. But it being Gods prerogative to know who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. and although they doe oppose God may give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and to recover themselves c. 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. Take wee heed that we pray not against no not wicked men 1. Pray we may against the cause of a wicked man not his person he being a brother 2. Pray we may against the plots of private enemies against us not against themselves 2 Sam. 15. 31. 3. Pray we may and must against the whole body of Satan Iudg. 5. 31. Psal 129. 5. 4. Pray we may against some notorious member of Satan namely 1. If not as our but Gods enemies shunning carnall desire of revenge 2. If they are knowne to be incurable 3. We aiming at Gods glory that it may shine his children bee bettered not simply wishing the destruction of the person 5. Pray we may against them conditionally namely rather that they may perish then any longer reproach God by malice and hinder the salvation of many But to returne and proceed Pray we for Kings Princes and all such who are in authority 1 Tim. 2. 2. 1. That they may have Gods gracious favour and needfull protection from all evill 2. That they may have his good guidance and divine direction in all their waies 3. That they may abound in knowledge prudence wisedome and discretion to know how to goe in and out before their people to understand how to judge them and to discerne betweene good and bad 1 King 3. 7 8. 9. 4. That they may be furnished and fitted to doe judgement and justice Deut. 1. 13. Psal 2. 10. 72. 1. Give the King thy judgements O God and thy righteousnesse unto the Kings Sonne 5. That they may have fortitude courage and upright severity to punish transgressours with fit penalties Psal 101. 8. Pro. 20 8. 6. That they may have temperance and not be given too much to pleasures nor to profits Deut. 17. 17. Pro. 31. 4. for these two have perverted many 1 King 12. 10. 7. That they may have disereet elemency to rule and reigne over their people as their head doing them good and behaving themselves humbly towards them 8. That they may be carefull of their subjects good ruling over them for God as deputies under another King and therefore according to the will of God that great King commanding good forbidding evill being carefull not onely of their bodies and estates Gen. 41. 49. but also and especially of their soules and salvation And therefore that they would 1. Pray to God for their subjects 2 Sam. 14. 17. 1 Chron. 29. 18. 2. As also exhort provoke and stirre them up to religion and pious performances Iosh 3 2 6 8 11. 9. That they may be zealous for Gods glory truth and word such who feare God practising it themselves and seeing that it be practised in their Courts and Countries For as well the knowledge as the practice of a righteous life is the speciall gift of God and therefore to be begged of and prayed for from him Likewise the knowledge and the practice of civill justice is a singular gift of God by prayer therefore to be obtained And all Christian people are bound to pray for their Princes and Governours that God would give them the fore-named kinds of judgement and righteousnesse celestiall and civill Psal 7● 1. For justice is so necessary in Governours supreame and subordinate that S. Augustine saith Iustice being August lib. 4. cap. 4. de Civit. Dei. removed what are kingdomes save great robberies A certaine Pirate being taken answered Alexander the great elegantly and truly For when the King had asked the man wherefore he was so noysome to the seas He with a bold stontnesse answered and why are you so dangerous to the world But because I do it with a little ship am called a theefe because you with a great fleet are called an Emperour And S. Ambrose Ambros de paradiso cap. 3. makes this equivalent to all other vertues saying Where wisdome is there oftentimes is malice Where fortitude there oft times is anger Where temperance there is envy Where upright dealing or justice is there are all vertues The reasons to inforce people thus to pray in the behalfe of Motives their Kings Princes and others in authority are of great variety and validity plentifull and prevalent many and of great moment 1. Thus to do is the prescript and command of our good A praecept● and gracious God our supreme and soveraigne Lord Jer. 29. 7. Seeke the peace of Babylon and pray unto the Lord for it 1 Tim. 2. 1. Pray for Kings and all in authority c. 2. Thus doing we imitate the pious practises of Gods holy Ab exemplo ones whom we ought to follow as they followed Christ We all saith Tertullian pray alwaies for all Emperours that they Tertul. Apol. cap. 30. p. 60 1. may have a long life a quiet government a safe family strong armies a faithfull counsell an honest people a quiet countrey and whatsoever are desired of men and Caesar Yet were Emperours in those times tyrannicall persecutours How unlike are the unchristian tenets and diabolicall damnable practises of our adversaries the Papists to these of the ancient Fathers and the Primitive Christians Heare one of them speake Ioannes Marian. de Rege Reganstat cap. 6. pag. 33 34. Mariana in a booke of his dedicated to Philip the third King of Spaine printed by authority He commends the fact of Iames Clement a Dominican Frier killing Henry the third King of France calling it a renowned constancy of heart a memorable noble act againe the King being slaine he raised to himselfe an excellent name againe speaking of the weaknesse of his body he saith a greater power did strengthen his forces and courage Before he saith that the Monk was resolved by their Divines with whom he consulted that a tyrant may lawfully be destroyed And he himselfe saith in the same Chapter that if Princes oppresse the common-wealth if they are intolerable with vices and filthinesse they may not onely lawfully but also with praise and honour be destroyed Excellently