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	patience_n	temperance_n	6,100	5	12.1333	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10255	The highest end and chiefest work of a Christian set forth in two plain discourses, concerning the glory of God, and our own salvation / By J.W.	Waite, Joseph.	1668 (1668)	Wing W223; ESTC R186143	132,020	230

to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity viz. to all Men as well 〈◊〉 Strangers and Enemies as Brethren to distinguish it from brotherly kindness or kindness to the Brethren that is to all Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore the rather Bretheren give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an Entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Where note these three things 1. That to give diligence to make our Calling and Election sure is the same thing as to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling For Calling and Election do signifie the free Grace and Mercy of God whereby Christians are called and elected to the state of Salvation by him that hath given unto us all things that pertain to Life and Godliness through the Knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Vertue vers 3. Life and Godliness Glory and Vertue are the things that comprehend the full sense of the word Salvation first declared as it signifies The being saved from our Sins that is from the power and practice of Sin as well as from the guilt and punishment thereof And to give diligence to make our Calling and Election sure is to take care that this Grace by which we are Called and Elected may prove effectual 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 firm and permanent and that we may obtain the benefit which was designed us thereby 2. The Direction given by the Apostle to this end is to add to our Faith Vertue c. that is to apply our selves with all diligence to the constant practice of all these Vertues and to labour for a proficiencie in them If these things be in you and abound and if ye do these things c. which agrees with the interposition of those words in the Vulgar Latin and some ancient Greek Copies vers 10. Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by good Works to make your Calling and Election sure Our Calling and Election is to be made sure that is firm and effectual by good Works in the practice of the above-named Vertues And this is to work out our own Salvation 3. This Direction is urged with an Argument drawn from the assured success in the use thereof in those words If ye do these things ye shall never fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For so an Entrance shall be ministred or afforded unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ The latter words do plainly shew that the assurance of our Calling and Election 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressed vers 10. doth not referr only if at all in this place to that certitude of the Subject as it is ordinarily called that is to our being assured or confident that we are Called and Elected or to our acquiring a certain Plerophorie of faith or hope that we are at present in the favour of God and in a state of Salvation but signifies also and rather a certainty of the Object that is that our Calling and Election shall be and remain firm and effectual See Rom. 4.16 and 15.8 unto our entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of Christ which certitude ariseth from the performance of the conditions of the Promise of entrance into that Kingdom A second Text of like general direction to this end is in Tit. 2. v. 11 12 13. For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath appeared or hath appeared to all men For the Greek words are indifferent to either Reading teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed Hope c. Where we are taught by the grace of God that bringeth Salvation that is by the Gospel what manner of Conversation is required of them that look to be partakers of this blessed hope of Salvation to wit that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts not indulging themselves in any known Sin against first or second Table they should live soberly in reference to themselves and their own Bodies in all temperance and chastity and righteously towards all others in all acts of Justice and Charity and Godly to God-ward in all Piety and Holiness of inward and outward worship both private and publick Hereunto agrees that of S. John 1 Joh. 3.2 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure And a compleat paraphrase of that Text we have in the words of S. Paul 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Salvation is promised in the Gospel under condition of sanctification 2 Thes 2.13 And is therefore no otherwise to be wrought out than by a through cleansing of our selves from all kinds and degrees of pollution both of Soul and body as far as is possible and labouring to perfect holiness in the fear of God I shall mention but one Text more by way of general Direction what a Christian should do to work out his own Salvation and that shall be from the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The word therefore referrs to the precedent discourse that takes up the whole chapter containing an ample confirmation and explication of that grand Article of Christian Faith viz. the Resurrection of the Faithfull to Everlasting life and the final accomplishment of their Salvation from sin and death The truth of which Doctrine to him that believes it affords an argument abundantly sufficient to perswade and incourage him to all that may be necessary or profitable to the attaining unto this blessed estate wherein his labour will be so fully recompenced And therefore together with this argument from the certainty of the reward the Apostle concludes his discourse with special directions how it is to be attained shewing 1. What that work is which is to be done to this end 2. How it is to be persued viz. with all constancy and diligence 1. He sheweth what that work is which is to be done by him that looketh for this reward It must be the work of the Lord and what 's that our Saviour hath told us in the Text before quoted Joh. 6.29 This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent But this

brought to understand or believe there can be any true felicity or pleasure in any thing which is not carnal and sensual But this is not only an infallible Symptom of Infidelity but a degree of Sottishness beneath that of the better sort of Epicureans There is yet one branch of Reprehension remaining and that belongs to the presumptuous The persons I have hitherto been speaking of are such as do either obstinately oppose or wretchedly neglect this duty as not having it in design to work out their own Salvation and so are most directly peccant against the matter of this precept But there are others no less to be reproved for their deficiency in the manner of performing it Being such as do indeed project and expect to be saved but are extreamly far from any such thing as that fear and trembling which the Text requires But instead of that they are transported with presumptuous confidences and vain hopes built upon the sands of their own Imaginations promising themselves to be saved upon far easier terms than those which from the Gospel have been declared As upon a meer idle fruitless faith that is either an historical dogmatical beleif of the truth of the Gospel of Christ that indeed there was and yet is such a Person as Jesus Christ and that he was a true Prophet sent from God and the Messiah the Son of God and that which is written of him in the Gospel is no fable but real truth Some of which things are as well believed by Turks and all by the Devil more effectually than by them for the Devils believe and tremble Or else nothing but a certain fiducial confidence in Christ as a Saviour only without regarding him as a Lord or having any respect to his precepts as of any necessity to Salvation Hereupon they never doubt of their Salvation or if they do against their wills they account it their greatest sin as if it were indeed no less than the doubting the truth of Gods promises This hath been taught by many to be the only true justifying saving Faith And no wonder that men have been apt to entertain such an easie Doctrine and that having entertained it they are carried away with presumption to think nothing else of necessity required to qualifie them for Salvation Certainly flesh and blood cannot wish an easier way to Heaven than this is But this error in them that can and do read or hear the Scriptures of the New Testament as well as the Old can be no other than willfully affected There being so many hundred Texts of the same Scriptures altogether as clear and positive as any that can seem to favour this Doctrin that require other conditions and qualifications for Salvation than that of Faith besides many that do sufficiently declare that this is not the Faith to which Salvation is any where promised I say hundreds of Texts are found in Scripture which do as plainly and as positively as is possible declare that Repentance Holiness of Life Mortification of fleshly Lusts with all Duties of Piety and Love to God and our Neighbour are Conditions of Salvation no less necessary and indispensable than Faith is And many Texts before alledged that do clearly shew the true justifying Faith to be no other than such as works all these things in the unfeigned Believer and therefore comprehends them all in those Texts where it is made the sole Condition of Salvation Faith that purifies the heart that overcomes the World that is obedient to Christ If these Texts be as good Gospel and as Authentick as any of those which make mention of Faith alone without any additions or interpretations what can it be but wilful presumption to expect Salvation upon such a Faith as is not joyned with these Conditions Others there are who do quit themselves of all this fear and trembling all the sollicitude which the Text requires upon a summary Consideration and Confidence of God's mercy Let their Lives be what they will God is merciful they are sure especially to such as trust in him and that they are resolved to do whatever Duty else they neglect And though they do not deny his Justice yet they will hope in his Mercy even against Hope And why may not the Devil do so too if he could Doth not he know that God is merciful O but he knows He will not be so to him And how doth he know that Hath he any greater assurance of it than this Revelation of his Will And is not his Word so Yet they will never believe that God will be so severe in his Last Judgment as he seems to be in his Threatnings but that his tender Mercies Psal 145.9 are above all his Word as well as his Works That he is more merciful than not to save his own Creature though he saith the contrary He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them Isai 27.11 will shew them no favour more merciful than just or true or holy more merciful in his Deeds than true in his Words That he doth not mean as he saith though he swear to it when he threatens damnation to men Heb. 3.11.18 19. and that they shall never enter into his Rest Divers other grounds there are of Presumption whereby wretchless Souls in favour of the Flesh to ease themselves of the Yoke as well of the Gospel as of the Law are wilfully deceived Such are all single Instances of partial Vertue as Temperance Continence just Dealing some Works of pretended Charity some particular practices of External Piety an outward Profession of Religion siding with Parties Forms of Godliness without the power thereof Freedom from some kinds of gross Vices that others live in The Pharisee's plea They are not as other men are Extortioners Vnjust Adulterers c. they are no Murtherers Thieves common Drunkards no Hereticks nor Schismaticks nor Rebels c And what then Why without doubt if they say true they shall not be damned for any of these Vices And therefore they shall be saved They Fast and give Tithes and Alms too yet have no Charity 1 Cor. 13.3 as did the Pharisee And shall not they be saved No surely if our Saviour must be the Judge and will keep to his Word For I say unto you saith he that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5.20 But I shall conclude my Application with a serious endeavour to give force and efficacy to the Exhortation of my Text first by some powerful Arguments Secondly by some general Directions for the practice of this so important a Duty I shall begin with the Arguments or Motives whereof the first is to be drawn from the Consideration of the infinite Concernment of this Business The infinite weight worth and moment of this End hath been already declared in the beginning of this Discourse in answer to the