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	patience_n	temperance_n	1,039	5	11.0856	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17332	The narrovv vvay, and the last iudgement deliuered in two sermons: the first at Pauls Crosse, the other elsewhere, by G.B. preacher of the word at Alphamston in Essex.	Bury, George.; Brian, G., attributed name.; C. B., fl. 1607.	1607 (1607)	STC 4179.5; ESTC S115853	53,682	90

aspexit Remember Lots wife how she was brought indeed out of Sodome because she beleeued God but was changed by the way into a pillar of salt because she looked backe God hath commaunded vs as he did Lot and his wife that wee should come out of Sodome that is that we should forsake our sinnes and not so much as looke back vnto sinne but runne in hast till we come into heauen which is our Zoar. If therefore with Lots wife we wil looke backe in our way to the pleasantnesse of sinne we shall be sure with her to tast the bitternesse of her punishment for as she vbi respexit Gen. 19.26 ibi remansit where she looked backe there she stood still and came not vnto Zoar where her life should haue bene saued so if once we haue abandoned sinne which is the broade way that leadeth vnto death and haue entred into a holy and religious course which is this narrow way that leadeth vnto life if then with Lots wife we go not forward but looke backward to our former delights of sin it is impossible for vs to come to Zoar that is vnto heauen where our soules and bodies should be saued They are our Sauiour Christ his own words in the ninth of Luke and the last verse No man putting his hand vnto the plough and looking backe is fit for the kingdome of God Exod. 16.26 The Israelites were commanded not once in a moneth nor once in a weeke but euery day to gather Manna except vpon the Sabboth day to teach them and to teach vs that till such time as we come vnto that eternall Sabboth of our euerlasting rest in heauen we must neuer stand still in the way of a godly life but euery day be going forward Apelles posie was Nulla dies sine linea Let no day passe from me without drawing one line at the least and Titus the Emperor was wont to say Sueton. in Tit. Amici diem perdidimus Ezech. 47.4 that he had lost that day in which he did no good As the waters in Ezechiel rose by degrees first to the ankles then vnto the knees then vnto the loines and lastly to the head and as the wheate which Christ speakes of Mark 4.28 grew vp riper and riper first there was a blade then the eare then the full corne and lastly came the haruest so like those waters we must grow higher and higher till we come vnto our head Christ and like that wheate we must grow riper and riper til we come to the haruest which is the end of the world There is in Persia a stone called Selenites Plin. lib. vlt. cuius interior candor cum Luna crescit decrescit whose inward whitenesse increaseth and decreaseth as the Moone The deuotion of Christians must not be like this stone still changing and continuing no longer in one moode then a sparrow lights vpon the ground but we must proceed in the way of righteousnesse euen as Abraham went to Canaan that is we must eundo pergere still be going and as those kine of the Philistines which bare the Arke of God 1. Sam. 6. though they were milch had calues at home yet without turning either to the right or left hand they kept on their way to Bethshemesh so hauing once ioyned ourselues vnto the yoke of Christ and bearing the arke of his law vpon our shoulders in the way of a vertuous life though we haue many allurements to draw vs backe as those kine had their calues yet without turning either to the right or left hand we must keepe our way to Bethshemesh that is vnto the house of the Sunne for so the word signifieth where the Son of God raigneth In the 13. of Saint Matthew the kingdome of God is described in this manner It is as a grain of Musterdseed at first the least of al seeds Math. 13.31 but when a man hath sowne it in his field it becometh first an herbe then the greatest of herbs thirdly a tree lastly the birdes make arbours and shades in the bowes of it Now why should the kingdome of God be compared vnto this seede which is still increasing verily no better reason can be giuen for it then this that we may all learne not to stand still in our Christian growth but to preseuere and go on from grace vnto grace till we become perfect men in Christ Iesus As the star neuer ceased going Math. 2.9 till it came vnto the house where Christ was so if we be once entred into the way of a holy and religious life we must neuer stand still but continue still going till we come vnto heauen where God is If we haue faith we must then go from faith to faith if we haue loue we must continue and abide in loue if we haue zeale we must labor to be consumed with zeale if we giue almes we must go a step further and giue it with chearfulnesse and as God hath continued a chaine of his good graces vnto vs first by predestinating secondly by calling Rom. 8.30 thirdly by iustifying fourthly by glorifying vs so must we continue a chain of our graces towards God by giuing al diligence 2. Pet. 1.5.6 as the Apostle Saint Peter speaketh to ioine vertue with our faith and with our vertue knowledge and with our knowledge tēperance and with our temperance patience and with our patience godlinesse and neuer leaue ioyning the linkes of that golden chaine there ioyned till our bodies and soules come to be disioined But beloued if the want of any vertue is to be lamented in this age it is the want of this vertue of all vertues perseuerance For if we take a view of all estates of men euen from the highest to the lowest shall we not be so far frō finding any increase or growth in Christian duties any going forward in the way of righteousnesse from grace vnto grace Indies deficit in agris agricola Cyp. con Deme. and from strength vnto strength that we shall rather finde an vniuersall falling away and defection in them Is there not now as S. Cyprian iustly complained in his time a daily defectiō in the world both of men and of mens manners Is there not a defection of the husbandman in the field of the marriner at the sea of citizens in townes of townsemen in villages Is there not a defection of innocency in the court of iustice in iudgement of concord in friendship of workmanship in arts of discipline in manners Where is that zeale vnto the word that hunger thirst after the waters of the wel of life that was wont to be amōg vs Do we still thirst after these waters of the well of life 2. Sam. 23. as Dauid for the waters of the well of Bethlem Nay rather are we not come vnto that fulnesse and satietie Numb 11.7 that we euen loath these waters of life as Israel loathed Manna If it were not so

him you are not reuiued hath not God called early and late vnto you as vnto his people the Iewes for an absolute relinquishment of sinne hath he not cryed euen out of this place by the shrillest trumpets that our land had to magistrates do iustly to officers liue not by bribes to citizens gaine not by vsury to country gentlemen grow not great by your poore neighbours oppression to all do vnto others as you would be done vnto Verily all this hath God done to bring vs to the wayes of life but with very bad successe for so voluntary an opposition there is betweene mans peruerse will and this holy wil of God that iniquity hath the chaire still triuing writs are in most offices Mammon is the cityzens God and the morter I may not say of al but of many of your goodly buildings abroad are tempered with the teares of Orphanes In this man reignes pride in that man dissention in a third enuy in a fourth dissimulation in some bribery in some periury and in most hypocrisie yea the whole land is couered with a flud of sinne as the old world with a flud of waters and men swim vp and downe in it like fishes in the sea by the motion of their owne passions so that that speech which God taketh vp against the Iews he may fitly take vp against vs and say I haue laboured to purge thy filthinesse but thou art not purged God hath called to the carnal man to forsake his beastly pleasures to the couetous man to relinquish his insatiable desires to the drunken man to forbeare barrelling vp Gods creatures in his belly to the blasphemers to leaue their swearing to the hypocrites to leaue dissembling to all of vs to leaue sinning and to runne the way of his commandements here in earth that hereafter we might receiue a crowne of glorie in heauen but what hath bin our answer surely from the frowardnesse of our hearts and from the obstinate rebellion of our peruerse wils we haue cried with Pharaoh Quis est Dominus Who is the Lord that we should serue him or the God of Iacob that we should regard him If therefore we are desirous to haue this peruersnesse of our wil remoued from vs which we know in most of vs to be a great meanes to keepe vs from the wayes of life then our best course is euermore to subiect our wils vnto the will of God Now the subiecting of our will vnto Gods will consisteth in these three Bernard serm contra pessimū vitium ingratitudinis first that we absolutely will those things which we certainly know God willeth then that we absolutely nil those things which we certainly know God nilleth and lastly that in those things whereof we are vncertaine whether God doth will or nill them neither must we altogether will them neither must we altogether refuse them so subiecting euery way our will vnto the will of God this peruersnesse of will which in most of vs is a second let to keep vs from finding the way of life will be remoued 3. Want of perseuerance Many there be which are willing and desirous to attain eternal life but yet they wil take no pains in the performance of Gods commandements not vnlike vnto Naaman the Syrian who comming to the Prophet to be cured of his leaprosie and the Prophet willing him onely to wash in Iordan seuen times and he should be cleane he stomaketh the matter and breaketh out into these words 2 King 5. I thought saith he that he wold haue come out vnto me and haue called on the name of his God and haue layed his hands vpon me and so I should be healed Here are three things which Naaman would haue done for him first he will haue the Prophet to come forth secondly to call vpon his God thirdly to lay his hands vpon him but in the meane time there is not the least paines mentioned to be vndertaken by himselfe And surely looke how it was with Naaman in the curing of his leaprous body so it is with most of vs in the curing of our leaprous soules we will haue God to do all for vs but we will do nothing for our selues our desire shall be as great for the cleansing of our leaprous soules as Naamans was for the cleansing of his leaprous bodie but if it once come vnto this thou must wash thy selfe in Iordan seuen times that is thou must bathe thy sinfull soule in the poole of repentance and enter in at the straight gate of a holy and religious life then with Naaman we fall to murmuring and we sticke not to say in effect as he said that we looke for a more easie kind of cure in our conuersion But let vs grant that we are willing to performe whatsoeuer is prescribed vnto vs for the finding of this way of life yet vnlesse we do perseuere and continue euen vnto the end in that course it is to smal purpose To haue the Arke of God for a while 1. Sam. 5. did more endanger the Philistines then benefite them and so for men to serue God for a while in a vertuous and religious course of life will more hurt then helpe them 2. Pet. 2.21 for better it is not to haue knowne the way of truth then not to persist in it and farre more happie are those men who haue not entred at all into the wayes of life then Iudas and such wicked ones as he whose ends are worse then their beginnings We do reade in the Gospell Math. 20.8 that some men came into the vineyard in the morning and that some came in at noone but none of these did receiue the reward but such as stayed vntill night to giue vs to vnderstand that they are not initia Christianorum sed fines not the good beginnings but the good endings of Christians which the Lord crowneth The Church of Thyatira in the Reuelation is much commended for this vertue Reuel 2.19 I know thy faith and thy workes and thy loue and that thy last workes are more then thy first and the conclusion of the Epistle vnto that Church and of all the other Epistles is this not he that drawes his sword not he that fighteth the battels of the Lord not he that spends his bloud and after fainteth but he that perseuereth and continueth to the end shall eate of the tree of life Bern. Epist 129 For without perseuerance nec qui pugnat victoriam nec palmam victor consequitur neither he which fighteth the Lords battels against sinne and Sathan can haue the victory nor he which ouercometh can haue the crowne of glorie It is a notable remembrance which our Sauiour Christ giueth vs in the Gospell from the example of Lots wife Luke 17.31 and which Saint Bernard amplifieth very fitly to this purpose Memento vxoris Loth Epist 2. de Sodoma quidem eiectae quia Deo credidit sed in via mutatae quia retro