Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A11590
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The Christians strength. By William Sclater. Batchelar of Diuinity and minister of the word of God at Pitmister in Somerset
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Sclater, William, 1575-1626.
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1612
(1612)
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STC 21833; ESTC S116804
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11,631
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22
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are right hands of iniquity Beloved heare Peters exhortation l 2. Pet. 1.5 Ioine to faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge tēperance c Virtutes christianae are Copulativae and so linked in amity each to other that as Nami speaks to Ruth m Ruth 1.16 Qui vnam virtutem habet Aug. ep 29. where thou goest I go where thou dwellest I dwell nothing but death can sever So where one dwels al dwell where one is wanting no one is obtained Passe we vnto the third member the fountaine of the blessing I can do all things through Christ c. These are magnifica that Paule speakes of himselfe and such speeches as these of himselfe made Porphyrie charge him with the crime of boasting But yet this shall ever be noted as the nature of thankfulnesse It is willing to draw out received benefits to the vtmost extent but still with reference to the praise of the bestower I can do all things but the fountaine of this power is Christ So els where n 1. Cor. 15.10 I haue laboured more then all yet not I but grace which is with me And what if we say with Bernard we are not only o Bern. de grat lib. arbit operis ministri per effectum but operantis quodammodo socij per consensum If this be withal acknowledged that God Communicates the worke vnto vs and that will and worke proceed from him p Aug. de haeres cap. 88. Pelagius in Austins old age set this heresy on foot that man in nature as now borne of Adam hath power of himselfe to keepe all the Commandements From him it should seeme the Greekes tooke their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that naturall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe abilitie and sufficiency which they dreamed to be in nature even to things supernaturall as beliefe and repentance My purpose is not to run out into the large discussing of that controversie this only it will not be amisse to shew how farre natures strength reacheth in moralities and to what it extends not This then I thinke may be granted to Pelagius without any preiudice of truth That naturall mē haue some kind of command over the locomotiue facultie and may doe the externall workes of piety towards God and iustice to men without any more then the generall influence of providence or the common worke of Gods spirit which is vouchsafed to hypocrits in the Church yea to some heathen out of it The q Rom. 2.14 Gētiles by nature .i. by instinct direction power of nature doe the things of the law I say not all things I say not any thing in the right manner Yet Seneca spake much if performance were answerable Si scirem Deos ignoscituros homines ignoraturos tamen propter peccati turpitudinem peccare dedignarer Were J sure of pardō fom God and concealement from men yet for the turpitude sin hath in it I would scorne to commit it Magna sunt haec in homine Philosopho and a saying as neere as any to christian sinceritie But yet if this be true that principium finis denominant actionem the motiue and ende denominate the action nature will never reach I say not to do al things but not to doe any thing morally good or acceptable to God The principles of moral actions that they may be acceptable according to the law are two Loue and Dutie Loue inclining the affections Duty pressing the conscience And how of loue to God we should do duties that haue not had Gods loue shed abroad in our hearts I know not seeing Iohn saith r 1. Ioh. 4.19 wee loue him because he loved vs first And who ever could finde a naturall man so rectifyed as that he performed his religious or civil offices for conscience of God The end is ſ Mat. 5.16 Gods glory And if ever heathen or vnsanctified men come thus farre to such intention Pelagius shall soone be acknowledged a teacher of truth Dulce decorum honestum and honorificum Virtutes istae tali fine turpes defermes Aug. cont Iulian. Pelag lib. 4 cap 3. Non ossiciis sed sinibus a vitiis discernendae virtutes Idem ibidem vaine glory and eternitie of fame these were motiues heathenish But for Gods glory who so findes in nature a desire to advance it findes more then the Lord himselfe coulde finde in his most strict surview of man in his naturals t Psal 14 2 3. There is none that vnderstandeth none that seeketh after God And what lacke Papists of Pelagianisme that allow to nature a power dispositiue and ability to prepare it selfe to regeneration The Apostle that u Philip. 3.6 in nature went as farre as any yet acknowledgeth all his power to proceed from Christ And our Saviour himselfe * Ioh. 15.5 Without me yee can doe nothing no saith the Apostle x 2. Cor. 3.5 not thinke a good thought And howsoever it bee true Gods children haue power to practise yet is the fountaine of all power Christ Iesus On him first rested y Isai 11.2 the spirit of strength and z Ioh. 1 16. of his fulnesse wee all receaue grace for grace grace be it what it will bee a Eph. 4.7 according to the measure of the donation of Christ Now brethren beloved longed for what remains for vs but b Ps 116.12 13 to take the cup of Salvation and giue thankes vnto the Lord It is all the recompence the Lord expects from vs for all the blessings he hath bestowed on vs. It may be we can say some of vs that the bloody fluxe of naturall corruption is stopped in vs we shall be vnthakfull if we acknowledge not c Mark 5.30 the vertue to haue come from Christ It may be wee can say our lips are purged that we can now speake to the praise of the Lord but Isai would acknowledge d Isa 6 6. that the coale came from this Altar It may be that we haue receaved e Isai 50 4. a tongue of the learned but can we forget that the Lord hath given it It may be a spirit and power in prayer but shall we not remember that it is the f Rom. 8.26 spirit that helpes our infirmities Yea go over all the good things thou inioyost thou shalt be forced to acknowledge Christ for the fountaine And why may I not againe inferre that seeing our rivers flowe all from this sea they should g Ec. 1.7 thether return as tributaries whence they first proceeded my meaning is the guifts we haue receaved frō Christ we should vse all h Rom. 11. vlt to the honour of him from whome we haue receaved them It is good in Christianity in some sense to circulate and if in the vse of our guifts receaved we could make our whole life a circle to close in the point whence it began the motion were heavenly This doe then Marshall vp your graces