Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	knowledge_n	lord_n	temperance_n	1,588	5	11.7145	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96969	A short view of the principal duties of the Christian religion with plain arguments to perswade to the sincere and speedy practice of them : to which is added, a prayer suited to the whole, to be used morning and evening / by a divine of the Church of England for the use of his parishioners.	Wrench, Jonathan, 1667?-1741.	1700 (1700)	Wing W3679A; ESTC R42878	40,968	65

Carnal to Spiritual and this requires more ●●me and pains than most Men think for let ●●en but try the Experiment upon one Lust ●●d see what Pangs and Throes of Mind what ●●ruglings and Conflicts what Watchings and ●rayers are necessary before they can make a ●erfect conquest of that one And then they ●ill tell me that a greater and more early ●●re than e're they dream't of is but requi●e to carry on the great Design of Religion which is the Life and Happiness of their Souls ●ith good Success And therefore Religion as wisely as well as kindly provided us with ●●rious helps both to prevent the Trouble of ●●forming a bad Life and to promote an early ●nd succesful progress in a Good one to which ●urpose we are when Children admitted in●o the Christian Religion by Baptism and by ●eing therein made Members of Christ Children of ●od and Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven we ●ngage all the Powers of Heaven on our side ●● enable us to begin continue and end our ●ives in a constant Observance of our Duty ●s which end there are Securities given of ●ur being educated in the Truth and as we ●●ow up we have the daily Administration of ●he Word and Sacrament the one to put us ●n mind of our Baptismal Vow the other ●o give us the Opportunity of renewing it We have also the inward Influences of the Di●ine Grace to encourage and assist our constant ●ndeavours of proceeding on from one degree ●f Grace to another in our Christian Course ●or so we are required to add to our saith Vertue 2 Pet 1. 5 6 7 8. 3. 18 ●● Vertue Knowledge to Knowledge Temperance and ●● on and so to grow in Grace and in the Know●●dge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And ●astly to perfect holiness in the fear of God By 2 Cor. 7. 1. ●ll which you plainly see that to defer or ●ut off our Duty for the present with design ●o betake our selves to the practice of it 20 or 30 Years hence or at the latter end of our Days is directly contrary to the Nature and Design of Religion and is an open Violation o● Breach of our sacred Vows and Obligations made in our Baptism which is so far from being innocent that it is highly sinful and will infallibly betray Men into eternal Damnation in the other World if Death should chance to cu● them off as 't is probable he will before they have executed their Intentions of conforming to the Duties of Religion and 't is yet more unlikely that they may not have what they so much trust to the Opportunity of being Religious afterwards As will further appear if we consider Thirdly That as this Life is the only Time of Probation on which our Eternal Happiness or Misery depends so it is but a very uncertain Cast to have things of so great Moment depend upon it for What is our Life it is even a Vapour James 4. 14. that appeareth for a little Time and then vanisheth away a Vapour which we can take no Hold of but for all we know may slip through our Fingers before to morrow Morning So that Prov. 27. 1. the only Time we can be sure of is the present and That is so swift that whilst we are thinking Job 7. 6 7 8 9. and speaking of It it is gone and past Recovery And therefore there is no Delaying with Things of so slippery a Nature and so quick a Motion 'T is in vain to think that Time should leave its natural Property to stop a while and wait our Leisure it were Impious as well as Vain to desire that God would alter the Nature of Things to gratifie our lazy Humour no fond Men Time as it stays for no Man so whether ye will think fit to enjoy it or not will most certainly hurry you o● to a long Eternity And therefore to make suitable Preparation for This ye had need be as nimble as Time it self and employ every Minute that is given you to the best Advantage whereby ye should best comply with the wise Design of the Donor of it for how liberal so●ver God has been of all his other Blessings to ●s yet this of Time he has been pleased to ●ispense in a less plentiful manner choosing ra●her to give it by Minutes to signifie how pre●ious It is and that we should be sparing and ●hrifty of it diligent to Redeem That which is Eph. 5. 15 16. 1 Pet. 4. 2. Heb. 3. 13. ●ast and careful to improve That which is to ●ome To Day therefore whilst it is called to Day ●e exhorted to the Practice of your Duty lest any of ●ou be hardned through the Deceitfulness of Sin For Fourthly Supposing that God should be so ●ind to us beyond our Deserts though not our Desires as to prolong our Days yet it were un●easonable to expect that the Divine Grace ●hould be always at our Beck and continually ●ait our Leisure This were to desire that ●he Grace of God would be more kind and ●onstant to us than we are to our selves that whereas we intend to bestow no more than our ●xpiring Breath in calling upon God we would have his Grace attend us through the several ●tages of our Sins and court us to our Duty ●o the very last Gasp But Be not deceived what●oever Gal. 6. 7. Prov. 21. 24 28. a Man soweth that shall he also reap What God threatned to the Old World he will most ●ertainly make good to all old habitual Sin●ers viz. That his Spirit shall not always strive Gen. 6. 3. Luke 19. 42. ●ith Men but the Things belonging to their Peace if they will not know them now in this their Day ●ill most assuredly be hid from their Eyes And his our Blessed Saviour has signified to us in the ●arable of the Talents where he says at the Conclusion of that Parable from him that hath Matth. 25. 29. ●ot shall be taken away even That which he seemeth ●● have It is therefore the most seasonable and ●holsom Advice that either the Prophet could ●ive or We could take viz. Seek ye the Lord Isaiah 55. 6. 2 Cor. 6. 2. ●hilst he may be found call ye upon him whilst He ●● near For now is the accepted Time now is the Day of Salvation But as for the Time to com● 't is every whit as uncertain whether we sha●● fall to the Practice of our Duty hereafter if w● live as whether we shall live to Hereafter ●● fall to the Practice of our Duty For if Go● should now withdraw his Grace as Men ●● their resolved Contempt of it justly provo●● him they are left in as great an Incapaci●● of becoming Religious as if He had withdraw ● their Lives It being as possible to repent witho●● Life when we are Dead as without God's Grace wh●● we are Living as a late Divine has observed Dr. Scot's Christ Life Part First So that