Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	good_a	great_a	nature_n	3,197	5	5.0212	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06710	A comfortable epistle, too Goddes faythfull people in Englande wherein is declared the cause of takynge awaye the true Christen religion from them, & howe it maye be recouered and obtayned agayne, newly made by Thomas Becon.	Becon, Thomas, 1512-1567.	1542 (1542)	STC 1716; ESTC S101288	27,898	66

healthe amonge all nacions Turne vntoo me sayeth the LORDE of hostes and I wyll turne vnto you Zacha. 1. Remember howe fauorably God at all tymes dealte with hys people bothe whan they were captiues in Egipte and also in Babylon yea and at all other tymes whāsoeuer they were in anye distresse For though he worthely plagued them for their wickednes yet so sone as they vnfaynedlye returned vnto hym he deliuered them frō their enemies and gaue them their hartes desyre For God is neuer so angry with his people but that in the myddes of hys anger he wyll remember hys mercie And though he somtyme punisheth vs yet will he be pleased agayn if he seeth oure vnfayned cōuersion as Tobie sayde in his praier Tobi. 3. After a storme O Lorde thou makest the weather fayre and calme After weping and heauines thou geuest great ioye Thy name O God of Israell be praysed for euer Onely let vs returne vnto the Lorde oure God and become new men and withoute all doubt we shall se out of hāde the myghtye working of God Repent betymes therfore repent humble your selfs in the sight of God beleue hys promyses call on hys holy name abyde paciently hys godly pleasure become new men in lyfe and conuersacion walke worthy your profession and so behaue youre selfes in all thinges that God maye be glorified by you Fare ye well dere Brethren and accordynge too the admonicion of the holy Apostle watche ye 1. Cor. 16 stande faste in the faythe quyte you lyke menne and be stronge The Grace of the Lorde Iesus Christe be wyth you all Amen ¶ Gyue the glorie to GOD alone ¶ Manne Howe longe o Lord Psal. 13. Christe I come quickely Apoc. 22 Manne Oh come Lord Iesu. Apo. 22. Prophet He will come and not tarye Abac. 2. ☞ The C. iij. Psalme made in Englishe meter by Thomas Becon for a thankesgeuing vnto God immediatly after hys deliueraunce out of pryson whose emprysonmente began the. 16. daye of August the yeare of oure Lorde 15 53. and ended the 22. of Marche then nexte ensuynge ¶ Psalm 103. BE thanckefull o my soule vnto the LORDE And all that within me haue theyr beynge Laude prayse magnifye with one accorde Hys holy blessed name aboue all thynge O my soule once agayn to the I saye Be thankeful vnto the Lord euer more And looke thou forget not night nor daye All hys benefites that thou haste in store For he it is yea he it is alone Which pardoneth al thy synnes both more and les He deliuereth the from all griefe mone And sendeth the health in tyme of sykenes He saueth thy lyfe from destruccion Which otherwyse should perish withoute doubte He of mere ' grace ' and tender compassion Crouneth the with louing kyndnes round aboute He with good thinges thy mouth doth satisfye To eate drinke gyuing the abundance He maketh the ioyful yonge and lustye Euen as an Egle that is ful of pleasaunce The LORD dothe minister iustice and iudgement To suche as are oppreste with violence He defendeth the good and innocent But the wicked he casteth frō his presence He shewed hys wayes vnto faythfull Moses And his workes to the sonnes of Israel That all hys people myghte knowe bothe more and les In all kynde of vertue for to excel O the Lord God euē of his own nature Is bent vnto gentilnes and mercye Yea frendly is he aboue all measure Longe suffering eke of great petye For though oure synnes be bothe greate and many Yet wil not the Lord be alway chyding Neither will he for euer be angry But shew him self toe vs bothe gentle and louyng After our synnes he dealeth not with vs Neither according to our wickednes But lyke a father bothe gentle gracious He forgeueth al our sinnes both more les For loke how hye is the heauen supernal In comparison of the earth full lowe So great is hys mercy toward them all That feare hī wickednes away throwe And loke howe wyde the Easte is frome the West So farre hath he set all our synnes frō vs Because oure conscience should be at rest And nomore trobled with workes odious Yea lyke as a father gentle and tender Pittieth hys owne chyldren natural Euen so is the Lorde merciful euer Unto thē that feare him both great smal For he beyng our maker knoweth cer●…es Of what mater we be made and formed He remembreth we are but dust and ashes All of vyle and slymye earth created A man in his lyfe is like vnto grasse Hys dayes are few but a whyle endure Lyke the floure of the felde awaye he passe Flori●…ing for a tyme but nothing sure For as a flour with fears w●…d assayled Fadeth shortly away cometh to nought So dothe man of cruel death oppressed Departe hēce vnto nothing is brought But the mercifull goodnes of the Lorde Dothe continew for euer and euer Upon thē that feare him with one accorde And hys iustice vpō their chylders chylder I meane vpon such as kepe his coucnaūt And do them selfs diligently applye To kepe hys preceptes likewise do graūte To frame their whole lyfe accordingly In heauē hath the Lorde a seat prepared For him self both glorious and royall And his prince like power is so outstretched That it raygneth ruleth ouer all O prayse the Lorde all ye aungels of hys Ye that excel bothe in strengthe and vertue Ye that do hys will without any mys Ye that harken to hys voyce that ensue O prayse the Lorde our God omnipotēt All ye hys hostes and armies supernall Ye seruauntes of hys whiche alwayes are bent To do hys wil o prayse the Lord aboue all Yea all thinges that euer God created Prayse ye the Lorde that God of myghte and poure But thou o my soule with hart vnfayned Looke that thou prayse the LORDE at euery houre ¶ Geue the glory to God alone ¶ Psal. 112. O Blessed is the man at eche season That feareth the LORDE God omnipotent For suche one hath all his delectation To accomplysh the Lordes commaūdemēt Hys sede vpon the earth shall be mighty Florishing aye lyke the grene olyue tree The generacion of the godly Shall be blessed in euery degree Suche a man in hys house shall haue alwaye Of honour and ryches great abundaunce And hys righteousnes shall neuer decaye But in all ages haue continuaunce Whan that other in darkenes do remain Unto the godly pleasaunt light shal spyne For such one dothe loue mercy to mayntain To kyndnes iustice his hart he enclyne A good man is bent all vnto mercy And gladly lendeth to such as haue nede As for his talke he ordreth discretly So that his wordes vnto vertue do lede From hys place shal he neuer be moued But alway abyde both constante sure The remēbraunce of the iuste true harted Shall for euer and euer styll endure The righteous shal be nothinge afrayde Of any euel tidinges whā they be brought For hys hart on the Lord is wholy stayde Thorow stronge faythe that God therein hath wrought Yea his hart is so throughly stablished That he wil not thrynke in no condicion Untyl he seeth hys desyre satisfyed On hys enemies and their destruccion He disperseth abrode plenteously And geueth to the pore their nede to sustain Remembred therfore continually Shal he be his prayse euer remayn The vngodlye seynge these thinges shall ware woode Gnathe with hys teeth consume away Yet shal the vngodly with all his moode Shortely come to nought perish decay ¶ Geue the glorie to GOD alone

THOMAS BECON ❧ A confortable Epistle too Goddes faythfull people in Englande wherein is declared the cause of takynge awaye the true Christen religion from them howe it maye be recouered and obtayned agayne newly made by Thomas Becon Abacuk 2. Thoughe the Lorde tarye yet wayte thou for hym for he will vndoubtedly come yea and that oute of hande Imprynted at Strasburgh in Elsas at the signe of the goldē Bibel in the moneth of August In the yeare of the LORDE M. D. LIIII The Epistle ¶ The fyrst Chapter TO the faythfull Christians wheresoeuer they be dispersed thorowoute the realme of Englande Thomas Becon wis●…heth grace mercy and peace from God the father with perfect knowlege of hys dearly beloued sonne Iesu Christ our Lorde and alone sauyour thorow the halowinge of the holy Ghoste vnto the true and vnfayned obedience off Gods moste blessed will with an earnest fayth in the merciful promises of God and assured hope of obtayninge thesame vnto euerlastinge lyfe AMEN IT greatly reioyceth me mos●…e deare brethren to heare of thys youre constancye and stedfastnes in beleuing confessing the glorious Gospell of our sauiour Iesus Christe whiche as the apostle Rom. 1. sayth is the power of God to saue so many as beleue namely in these perillous and troublesome dayes wherin we se so many sturte backe and runne awaye from the cō fession of Gods trueth whiche whan the weather was calme they semed constantly to professe and folowe the fonde fantasyes of menne that speake not Gods worde but theyr owne drowsy dreames and idle imagi nacions brought into the church of Christ by suttle sathan and hys marked marchaū te●… vnto the great disturbaunce of the Chri sten common wealth so that if it were possible the very electe and chosen people off God thorow theyr ●…ugsing might be seduced Mat. 24. and led from the waye of truthe As ye haue godly begonne so manfully go forthe vnto the ende that ye maye receaue a full ioye and a perfect reward of the Lord your God in that daye whan he gloriously shal apeare and rendre to euery one accordinge to hys dedes that is to saye prayse honor and immortalite to them which continew in good doyng and seke eternall lyfe But vnto them that are rebellious and disobey the trueth and folowe iniquitie shal come indignaciō and wrath tribulacion and anguishe But be it knowen vnto you deare brethren that this thing that hath happened vnto vs in thys realme of Englande Roma 2. I meane the takynge awaye of Gods true religion and the thrusting in of pa●…istrye in the steade therof vnto the greate vnspeakable sorowe of all true Christen hartes ought not to seme vnto you newe straunge and vnloked for but rather suche a thynge as hath hytherto many tymes bene declared vnto you by the preachers and ye your selfs godly cōsydering the corrupt maners and vnluckye chaunces of thys realme did ryghte well the same aforesee and greately lament For diuers signes had we longe before besydes the godly admonicions of the faythfull preachers whiche playnly declared vnto vs an vtter subuersyon of the true Christen religiō to be at hande except it were preuented by has●…ye and hartye repentaunce What shall I speake of that godly and mighty prince Edward duke of Somerset whiche in the tyme of his Pro The 〈◊〉 of Somerset tectorship dyd so banyshe Idolatrye out of this our realme and bring in agayn Gods true religiō that it was wōder so weyghty a matter to be brought to passe in so 〈◊〉 a tyme Was not the vngentle handlyng of hym and the vnrighteous thrustinge hym out of office and afterward the cruel mur thering of hym a man yea a myrrour off true innocencye and Christen pacience an euident token of Gods anger agaynste vs The sudden takynge awaye of those mo●…e goodly verteous yonge Impes the duke of Suffolke and hys brother by the sweating The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 and his brother syckenesse was it not also a manifes●… token of Gods heauy displeasure towarde vs The death of those two most worthy godly learned men I speake of M. Paulus M. Paulus Fagius D Martine Bucer Fagius of D. Martine Bucer was it not a sure Prognostication some greate mishappe concerning Christen religion to be at hāde But as I may passe ouer many other at the laste come vnto that whiche is moste lamentable and can neuer be remembred of any true English harte without large teares I meane the death of oure most godly Prince and Christen kyng Edwarde the. VI. that true Iosias that earnest Rynge Edvvarde the 〈◊〉 destroyer of false religion that feruent setter vp of Gods true honor that mooste bounteous Patrone of the godly learned that moste worthy mayntayner of good let ters and vertue and that perfecte liuelye myrrour of true nobili●…e and syncere godlines was not the takyng away of hi alace for sorow asure signe and an euident tokē that some great euel hāged ouer this realm of England Who considering these thynges as I may speake nothing of the wicked Grosse gospelers nes of those mē which made the worde of God a cloke of their naughtines of their insatiable couetousnes of their intollerable pryde of their volupteous wanton lyuing c. perceaued not a shepwracke of the Christen religion too be at hande as it is alace for pytie come to passe at thys daye All good men feared the decaye of Goddes true honoure in thys realme that we feared that hathe chaunced howe coulde it otherwise come to passe Gods blessing was offered vnto vs ▪ but we thorow our wicked and vnthankefull lyfe refused it Shal not therfore blessing be taken away cursinge come in the place therof as it is written he wolde not haue the blessing it shal therfore Psal. 109. be farre from hym ¶ The. ii Chapter IF the kingdom of God be proffered vnto vs and we set not by it are we not worthy Englande blessed ▪ 〈◊〉 to loose it What realme synce the Apostles tyme was euer so abundantly replenished with the knowledge of Christes Gospel yea that in so few years as this realme of England was But alace howe was it regarded Who repēted who know ledged hys synne from the very hart Who called on the name of God in spirite and truthe Who framed hys lyfe accordynge to hys knowledge It is therefore come too passe as our Sauiour Christ longe before threatened the kyngdō of God shal be takē Math. 21. frō you shal be geuē to a natiō that bringeth forth the frutes thereof God planted this realme of Englād a pleasāt goodly vineyarde dressing and trymming it after Esa. 〈◊〉 the beste manner lokynge contynuallye to haue some worthy frut therof but w●… in the stead of naturall grapes it broughte forthe wylde beryes vnwholsome and vnnaturall was it not worthye too be layde wayste to be troden vnder foote and to be