Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	grace_n	knowledge_n	temperance_n	2,441	5	11.9133	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09463	The combat betvveene Christ and the Diuell displayed: or A commentarie vpon the temptations of Christ: preached in Cambridge by that reuerend and iudicious diuine M. William Perkins; Satans sophistrie answered by our Saviour Christ	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pierson, Thomas, ca. 1570-1633.	1606 (1606)	STC 19748; ESTC S115736	100,567	72

or occasion from vs of all the aduantage he hath against vs his temptations are like fire and bellowes and our infirmities and corruptions are wood and fewell The vse I. Hence then we may behold our miserable estate by reason of sinne for thereby it comes to passe that we beare about vs those darts wherewith the diuel doth wound vs. And sith Satans craft and malice is such to take aduantage from vs for to worke our wo we must labour the more diligently to be throughly acquainted with our naturall dispositions and inclinations yea with our bodilie infirmities for the Diuell will search vs and when wee haue truly found out our own estate we must set a strong watch and guard about our owne hearts in respect of our infirmities and so shall we be the better able to breake the necke of Satans temptations The fourth thing in this preparation is Satans comming to Christ The Tempter came vnto him By which phrase it is probable though not certaine that the Diuell tooke vpon him the forme of some creature and so appeared vnto Christ thus he came to Eue in Paradise abusing the serpent to further his assault against the first Adam And it is like that in his combat with the second Adam he came in the shape of some creature for otherwise he could not properly be said to come and speake Some indeed thinke that these temptations were inward in minde onely and by vision others thinke they were altogether visible and done actually but the safest way is to holde that they were in part actually done in bodily maner and partly shewed in vision And thus much for the preparation to the first conflict II. Point The temptation it selfe conteining matter of great importance being indeed the maine temptation of all in these words If thou be the Sonne of God command that these stones be made bread The Diuell being well prouided for time and place and aduantaged also by Christs bodily hunger doth heere assault our Sauiour Christ like a cunning Sophister and frame his argument Syllogistically thus If thou be the sonne of God thou canst make these stones bread But thou canst not make these stones bread Therefore thou art not the sonne of God The ground of this temptation is this It is no reason that the Sonne of God should starue for want of food but thou must starue vnlesse thou canst make these stones bread and therefore vnlesse thou canst do so thou maist perswade thy selfe it was but a false voice which thou heardest from heauen This is my welbeloued Sonne c. The scope and drift of Satan in this temptation standes in two things First hee labours to ouerthrow the faith of Christ. Secondly to bring him to a practise of vnbeleefe For the first By faith I meane a gift or grace in Christ wherby as he was man he beleeued his Fathers words to be true which said This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased whereby wee may see what the Diuell aimes at principally in his temptations against Gods children for these his assaults against our Sauiour Christ are set down for our instruction in this behalfe Satans maine drift then in temptation is to ouerthrow our faith whereby wee beleeue euerie part and parcell of Gods word to be true See this in his tempting of Eue first he labours to weaken her faith in the trueth of Gods threatning which done he easily brought her to actuall disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit The same course hee holdeth at this day first he will seeke to nuzzell men in ignorance that he may keepe them in vnbeliefe if he faile that way then will he endeuour to plunge their soules into some damnable errour and heresie and by one of these meanes doth he destroy the faith of many for while a man remaines in ignorance he can haue no saith and if he misse of the trueth of God he wants ground for his faith Now the reason why the Diuell labours so much against our faith is because we cannot truely relie vpon Gods mercie nor depend vpon his prouidence nor yeeld any acceptable obedience to his commandements vnlesse we beleeue his word More particularly we are to obserue that special branch of Gods word which the Diuell would haue Christ not to beleeue euen that voice of his Father which a little before Christ heard from heauen at his baptisme This is my welbeloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased And this hath the holy Ghost recorded in great wisedome and mercie to Gods Church for heereby doth appeare a main drift of Satan against Christs members in his temptations namely to make them doubt of their adoption and to destroy this perswasion in them that they are the sonnes and daughters of God for if heerein he spared not the head doubtlesse the members shall not escape his hands This appeares by his vsual assault against them specially when God shall lay vpon them any lingring crosse or affliction either in mind in body or in goods then the diuel will suggest this into their minds If thou werst the childe of God he would neuer lay his hand vpon thee so long a time and in so grieuous maner neuer was any child of God in this case that thou art in But God laies his hand thus heauie on thee and therefore thou maiest perswade thy selfe that thou art not the child of God The vse The consideration heereof must mooue vs aboue all things to labour for assurance of our adoption euen to haue our consciences assured out of Gods word that we are the sonnes and daughters of God in Christ. The diuels drift is to ouerthrow this perswasion in vs and therefore our endeuour must be to confirme and settle our hearts heerein This is the charge of the holy Ghost vpon euerie childe of God 2. Pet. 1. 10. Giue all diligence to make your calling and election sure that is get the assurance thereof sealed vp in your hearts by the comfortable fruition and practise of the sauing graces of Gods spirit ioyning vertue with your faith and with your vertue knowledge with your knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse loue vers 5. 6. 7. And indeed if we would haue true peace and comfort in euery estate whether aduersity or prosperitie let vs labour for the knowledge of our adoption This will be our ioy in want in wealth in bondage in freedome in sicknesse in health in life and in death Heerein is that ioy of Christ which neuer can be taken from vs Ioh. 16. 22. We cannot doe the Diuell a greater pleasure then to neglect the getting of this assurance for heereupon he will take occasion specially in time of distresse fearefully dangerously to seeke to breake the necke of our soules he cares not much otherwaies what men professe and what knowledge and other common giftes of the spirit they haue

they should cleane escape the infection of sinne who do vsually conuerse with those that commit it without controlement He that walketh with the wise sayth Salomon shall be wise but a companion of fooles shall be made woorse so the words signifie and therefore his counsell is not to consent when sinners entise vs nor to make friendship with the angry person nor to go with the furious lest we learne their wayes and receiue destruction to our soules Fiftly in this leading of Christ by the spirit we learne a further thing so long as Christ was a priuat man he liued with Ioseph and Mary a priuate life but being baptized and thereby installed in his office of Mediatour he returnes not to Bethlem or Nazaret where he was borne and brought vp but gets him presently into the wildernesse thereto encounter with Satan and that by the motion of the spirit wherein we may see that all that are appointed and set apart by God for any speciall calling are in some sort changed by his spirit and as it were made other men When Saul was anointed to be king the text sayth God gaue him another heart 1. Sam. 10. 9. And when Dauid was made of a shepheard a king he was furnished for that place as his behauiour shewed which was such as did beseeme a king Thus the Apostles of our Sauiour Christ of poore fisher-men altogether vnlettered by the gift of Christs calling were made able ministers of the New testament and so became indeed fishers of men Mark 1. 17. Which serues to confute such men as plead extraordinary callings as many haue done some saying they were Elias some Iohn Baptist c. For if these were such men and had receiued such extraordinary callings then should they withall haue beene endued with extraordinary gifts fit for those callings but no such thing befalleth them nay it is plaine they remaine the same men they were before without any change at all in respect of gifts fit for such persons as they pretend themselues to be And to apply this to our selues we are all by nature the children of wrath and enemies vnto God but by grace we are made Kings Priests and Prophets Kings to rule ouer the world and the Diuell in respect of their prouocations vnto sinne as also to subdue in our selues our owne euill lusts and affections Priests to offer vp spirituall sacrifices vnto God as prayers and praises for his daily blessings and Prophets to instruct our selues and others in the wayes of God according to our gifts and calling Now then it behoueth vs all to become new men and to leade new liues fitting and sutable to our holy calling giuing our selues wholly to the honour and seruice of God shewing hereby that we are hereunto called by his spirit of grace and holinesse so shall we walke woorthy of the Lord and shew foorth the vertues of him that hath called vs 1. Pet. 2. 9. III. Circumstance How Christ went furnished into this place of combate which though our Euangelist Matthew hath omitted yet hath S. Luke plainly noted saying He was filled with the Holy ghost Luk. 4. 1. If any shall say this seemes to import that Christ wanted the the fulnesse of the spirit all the former part of his life if now only after his baptisme he were filled therewith I answer This fulnesse of the spirit is ascribed vnto Christ after his baptisme not as though he formerly susteined any want of the spirit but because at his baptisme he receiued a greater measure of the spirit than he had before for this we must know that Christ was alwayes filled with the spirit being an infant he had a full measure of gifts fit for his infancie and still as his growth in yeres required moe graces of the spirit he increased therein hauing in his youth in his riper yeres full measure of gifts fit for his estate in those times And at his baptisme being inaugurated into his Mediatourship he receiued such fulnesse of the spirit as was behoouefull for so high an office which because it was farre greater than before he needed therefore is he now sayd to be filled with the Holy ghost so that though Christ were alwayes full of grace yet he increased therein as his estate and calling did require The vse This serues to confute the Papists who teach that Christ had all fulnesse of spirit in his infancie euen from his conception and birth and did not grow in grace at all saue only experimentally as he had occasion to manifest the same more and more in practise But. S. Luke sayth plainly that Iesus increased in wisdome and stature and in fauour with God and men Luk. 2. 52. Againe Christ was like vnto man in all things sinne only excepted and therefore did increase in grace as man doth in gifts from time to time Further Christ goeth thus furnished to this combate that he might be able to encounter with Satan hand to hand and at the end giue him the finall ouerthrow Thus he furnished Moses for his ambassage vnto Pharaoh and Dauid for his combate with Goliah Aholiab and Bezaliel for the worke of the Tabernacle and euery one whom God imployeth about any speciall worke is furnished and fitted thereto of God with speciall gifts whereby in euery age we may see whom God placeth in any calling for they are well qualified for the duties thereof and therefore those that want gifts meet for their callings doe thrust in themselues thereto and are not placed therein of God IV. Circumstance Whither was Christ led to be tempted namely into the wildernesse that is the place chosen of God for this combate There be diuers opinions touching this place some thinke it was a little wildernes betweene Ierusalem and Iericho some the desert of Palestina others the great desert of Arabia where Elias fasted forty dayes and forty nights and where the Israelites wandered forty yeeres But seeing the Holy-ghost doth not define what wildernes this was we are not curiously to inquire after it but only know it was a desert and solitary place Let vs rather search into the reasons wherefore he chose a desert place for this combat and they are diuers First because he was to worke our redemption in great humility euen in the base and low estate of a seruant for the satisfying of Gods iustice in that nature which had sinned therefore he would not goe to Ierusalem there to shew his glory and Godhead as a little before he was proclaimed in his baptisme but he gets himselfe to a desert place void of all pompe and glory where he meant to begin this great worke for vs by encountring with our chiefest aduersary Secondly hee chose this place for the more easie encountering with our aduersarie Satan whom he was to ouercome for vs for if Christ after his baptisme should haue shewed the glory of his Godhead Satan durst not haue medled