Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
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A51845
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A practical exposition of the Lord's-Prayer by ... Thomas Manton.
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Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing M532; ESTC R30512
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305,803
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534
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his Harness boast himself as he that putteth it off 1 Kings 20. 11. When a Field is won then they will rejoice But a Believer when he goes to fight is sure to have the best of it before-hand in Bello the War though not in Praelio the particular Conflict Why Because the Father and Jesus Christ are stronger than all his Enemies they cannot pluck the Believer out of his Hands John 10. 28 29. I give to them Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my Father's Hand My Father which gave them me is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's Hand This is the Priviledg which Christ conferreth upon his Sheep upon those which have an Interest in him tho they have many shakings and tossings in their Condition yet their final perseverance is certain Christ is so unchangeable in the purposes of his Love I will give to them Eternal Life and so invincible in the Power of his Grace None shall pull them out of my Father's Hand nothing shall be able to hinder their perseverance Now though the Fight be long and troublesom yet this is one of God's Encouragements you are sure of Victory at last Therefore how much doth it concern us to get an Interest in Christ that we may keep on in this Way and in this Hope Secondly Let us be provided and prepared against Temptations And to this end I shall First Give some Directions how to resist Temptations in General Secondly What to do in a special Hour of Temptation which comes upon the World When there are Terrors without and we know not what Evil may be a coming and our Hearts are full of Doubt how we may support and bear up our selves First To direct you as to Temptations in General 1. You must be compleatly armed Ephes. 6. 11. Put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil Not a piece only but the whole Armor of God otherwise you will never come off with Honour and Safety from the Spiritual Conflict The Poets feign of their Achilles that he was vulnerable only in the Heel and there he got his Death's Wound A Christian though he be never so well furnished in other parts yet if any part be left naked you are in danger Our first Parents were wounded in their Heel Who would have thought that they which had such vast knowledg of God and his Creatures that they should be inticed by Appetite And Solomon who had the upper part of his Soul so well guarded that he should be enticed by Women To see Men of great knowledg to be unmortified and miscarry by their sensual Appetite is sad A Christian must have no saving-Grace wanting 2 Pet. 1. 5. Add to your Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledg c. There 's all the Graces and they must come out in their turn We need Faith and Vertue Zeal and Holiness and Knowledg to guide it and Patience to arm it against the Troubles of the present Life and we need Temperance to moderate our Affections to our worldly Enjoyments and Godliness that we may be frequent in communion with God and brotherly-Brotherly-kindness that we may preserve Peace among our Brethren and may not make Fractions and Ruptures in the Church and we need Charity that we may be useful to all that are about us There is use and work for all Graces one time or other Sometimes we shall be tempted to a neglect of God at other times we shall be tempted to make a breach upon Brotherly-kindness at other times there will be a breach of Charity Sometimes the Devil seeks to tempt us to fleshly wickedness therefore we need Temperance sometimes to spiritual Wickedness to Error therefore we need Knowledg sometimes to raging with despair then we need Faith We need the whole Armour of God for Satan hath his various ways of Battery and Assault sometimes through Ignorance we miscarry and run into Error sometimes for want of Faith we run into Despair and Discomfort sometimes for want of Temperance violent corrupt Lusts over-set the Soul 2. We must often pray to God for renewed Influences we must not only get habits of Grace but pray for a renewed Influence It is notable next to the Spiritual Armour the Apostle mentioneth Prayer Ephes. 6. 18. Praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all Perseverance We never receive so much from God upon Earth as to stand in need of no more And therefore though you put on the whole Armour of God yet praying always with all supplication in the Spirit Why Because without the Lord 's special Assistance whereby he actuates those Graces we can never defend our selves nor offend the Adversaries or do any thing to purpose in the Spiritual Life Strength of Grace inherent will not bear us out against new Assaults Habitual Grace it needs Actual Influence partly that these Graces may be applied and excited to work Phil. 2. 13. He giveth to will and to do God giveth to do that is excites that strength you have and carrieth it out to work and then that it may be directed in work 2 Thess. 3. 5. And the Lord direct your Hearts into the Love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ. Every time we would make use of the Helmet of Salvation when we would lift up the Head and wait for the Mercy of God the Lord direct you we must be directed And not only so but that it may be supplied with new strength for it is said Isa. 40. 29. He giveth Power to the faint and to them that have no Power he increaseth strength And he doth continue it Luke 22. 32. I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not Thus will God keep us in dependance for those liberal Aids and constant Supplies of his Grace without which we cannot use the Grace that we have 3. You must resist 1 Pet. 5. 9. Whom resist stedfast in the Faith James 4. 7. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you Stand your Ground and then Satan falls In all those Assaults Satan hath only Weapons Offensive as fiery Darts none Defensive We have not only the Sword of the Spirit which is an Offensive Weapon but the Shield of Faith that 's a Defensive piece of Armour Therefore your Safety lieth in resisting Now this Resistance must be 1. Not faint and cold but strong and vehement 2. Thorow and total 3. Constant and perpetual 1. Not faint and cold Some kind of Resistance may be made by general and common Grace The Light of Nature will rise up in defiance of many Sins especially at first but this must be earnest and vehement it is against the Enemies of your Soul Paul's Resistance was with serious Dislikes and deep Groans Rom. 7. 15. 24. The Evil that I hate And O wretched Man how shall I be delivered In