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
B04886	No power but of God, and yet a power in every creature, or, A word in season, to all men not void of grace, or deprived of reason wherein is held forth that the Almighty God is not wanting to us in impowering of us, but we are wanting to him, in not improving our talent for him ... / by Robert Purnel.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1651 (1651)	Wing P4238A; ESTC R187132	119,586	280

thee a●● not to faile thee nor forsake thee For I d●… know no precept but hath its promis●… though not alwayes in the same chapter 〈◊〉 verse 4. For our more careful practising 〈◊〉 ●●g and observing all the commands of our God consider these three things 1. As he hath promised to enable thee 2. So he hath promised to reward thee ●…or doing thy duty so that to every pre●●pt there is two promises the one to en●●le thee the other to reward thee and ●…oth to encourage thee 3. And in case of slothfulnesse and neg●…gence in leaving undone what we ought ●…nd might have done 1. The Lord complains on us 2. He exhorts us Be not slothfull in busines ●●t servent in spirit serving the Lord. 3. He threatens us saying Because I have ●●lled and you have refused you shall call and I ●…ill not answer 4. He tels us that we have forsaken our own ●…ercy He put a price into our hands but ●…e as fools had no heart to it and so our ●●struction is of our selves O Israel thou ●…ast destroyed thy self Oh then that all the Lords inheritance ●…aints by calling Sons of Sion would take ●●e Lords advice in these and the like com●…ands yea in all the will of God! Phil. 2. ●…2 Wherefore my beloved as you have alwayes ●…eyed not only in my presence but now much more 〈◊〉 my absence work out your own salvation witle ●●ar trembling Q. How shall I do that thou wilt say A. Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost shewes thee and me how we ma●… do it 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 c. And besides this giv●● all diligence adde to your faith vertue and 〈◊〉 vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and t●… brotherly kindnesse charity For if these things b●… in you and abound they make you that you sha●● neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowled●● of our Lord Iesus Christ but he that lacketh the●● things is blind and cannot see afar off Wherefor●… give all diligence to make your calling and elect●● sure for so an entrance shall be ministred unto yo●… abundantly into the everlasting kingdome of 〈◊〉 Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Wherefore I will imploy my power saith Peter vers 12. I will not be negligen 〈◊〉 put you alwayes in remembrance of these thing yea I think it meet aslong as I am in this tabern●…●…le to stir you up by putting you in remembranc●… Now if Peter had no spiritual strength ho●… could he stir them up to spiritual things and if the people to whom he spake had n●… power how could they be doing the thing commanded Now thou O most excellent peece of a●… Gods workmanship Man and Woman whosoever thou art that readest these lines ●●deavour to know thy own strength that ●…ou mayest imploy and improve it for him ●…at gave it Study thy self examine what 〈◊〉 I able to doe by vertue of that power ●…hich I have received from God Surely I ●…ave left many things undone for this very ●●ason I was unable to do it It is true I saw ●…n the one hand that I could of my self do ●…othing but I did not see on the other and that I could do all things through ●…hrist enabling me It is a blessed thing to improve the power ●●ceived in making use of the present op●…ortunity and it is a dangerous case to ●…eglect it 1. Because it may be thou mayest not ●…ave another opportunity Prov. 1. 24. 26. ●…at 23. 37 38. 2. Because if he give another opportu●…ity thou art not sure to live to see it 3. Because if he doth give another op●…ortunity and thou live to see it yet thou ●…aving sleighted the Spirit at first thou art most like to do so still Heb. 3. 13. Act. 7. 51. 〈◊〉 Tim. 3. 8. 4. Because if the Lord doth give thee an●…ther opportunity and thou live to see it ●…nd imbrace it yet thou hast hindred thy self exceedingly and hast lost thy sight o●… Christ for many dayes Joh. 20. 24 25 A man that knowes not his own strength is like unto a man that hath a great summ●… of mony that lieth in a corner and he dot●… not improve it and so gets nothing by it for he knows not of it he hath a Talen●… but it is hid in a napkin and buried in th●… earth 1. I do but ask thee O man whosoeve●… thou art that readest these lines dost tho●● not think in thine own conscience tha●… there is many a man and woman belongin●… to the Election of grace that do die in d●…spair as it were and without assurance i●… point of manifestation that might have r●…signed up their souls to God in full assurance if they had obeyed God in giving 〈◊〉 diligence to make their calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. 2. Again let me ask thee whether tho●… dost not think in thy conscience that mo●● men and women with Martha are trouble about many things whereas they might wit●… Mary choose the better part Luk. 10. 41 42. 3. Again I do but ask thee whether tho●… dost not deprive thy self of thy comfortabl●… well-being here in this life by thy not looking more narrowly to thy conversation 2 Cor. 1. 12. Many things more might be here recited 〈◊〉 the confirmation of this truth That ●●re is a power natural and a power spiritual ●●d the neglect of the improvement of each is sin●●ll But at present I shall be silent to make ●…y further progresse therein only I shall ●●deavour to answer some objections that ●●ply may arise against it and then I shall ●…e you a few reasons why I have written ●…is and shew you the necessity that we have 〈◊〉 knowing this power by the danger of ●●t knowing it First I shall endeavour to answer a few ●…bjections that haply may arise in the ●…oughts of some against it and so much ●…e rather because I know that we live in 〈◊〉 age wherein some men make it the great 〈◊〉 peace of their Religion to lie at catch ●●d to esteem very highly of themselves and ●●eir own judgments and undervalue o●…ers as the proud Pharisee Luk. 18. 11 12. ●●d quite contrary to the command of ●…od Phil. 2. Let each esteem others better then ●●emselves But to proceed Ob. 1. If there be a natural power in all ●●d a spiritual power in some by vertue ●…hereof they can act and do act then I ●…umbly conceive that you must either by ●…olding this dostr●…y Free-grace or else hold ●…ree-will A. I answer In all that I have said 〈◊〉 done concerning the natural or spiritu●● power I have endeavoured to fail b●…twe●● these two rocks that I might not deny t●● one nor hold the other for if my 〈◊〉 should sail against either of these two roc●● all hopes of coming safe to land would 〈◊〉 taken from mine eyes First I have not destroyed Free-gra●● neither undervalued it in

plant●… his Spirit by vertue of which these men a●… women can pray in the Spirit rejoice 〈◊〉 the Spirit and in some measure worsh●● God who is a Spirit in spirit and in trut●… These can read and understand the letter 〈◊〉 the spirit they can discourse of spiritu●● things understandingly and feelingly b●… this power they can pull down strong hol●… cast down imaginations Read for the proof 〈◊〉 this 2 Cor. 10. 3 4 5 6 7. By this power th●… can keep down their natural or corrupt●…ble body as Paul 2 Cor. 9. 27. But I ke●● under my body and bring it unto subjection left should be found to preach that to others that should not practise my self Now this spiritual power as it was r●…ceived from God so it is to be improv●… for God which if we be faithful and di●●gent so to do then First the Lord will have the glory M●● 5. 16. Secondly it will redound to our gre●●est good Mat. 21. 22 23. And that there is a spiritual power it ●●ll further appear from the several com●…ands from the Lord to his people to be ●…ing in spiritual things which were all 〈◊〉 vain if there be no ability given forth to ●…e Creature to do that which is required ●…ight instance in as many places as there 〈◊〉 Chapters in the Bible to prove it but ●…r brevities sake I shall mention but a few ●●t 11. 23. Barnabas exhorted them all that ●●th purpose of heart they would cleave unto the ●●rd They did not answer him and say ●…at they had no power they could not doe it ●…il 2. 12. Work out your own salvation with ●…re and trembling These people did not ●…y there was Free-will in the Text. As King ●…AMES once said upon the like occasion ●…ere was Treason in the Text when a ●…inister that preached before him had taken Text of Scripture that did treat of the a●…se of Kingly power the King burst forth 〈◊〉 a passion and said There was Treason in the ●●xt But if Kings will not cast down their ●…rowns at the feet of Christ Christ will ●…uck them off and lay them at the feet of ●…en If there be no power in man Natural nor 〈◊〉 man Spiritual then away with all the ●…dmonitions Instructions Informations and so with the whole Bible cease to tea●● Man As good go teach the Sun Moon an●… Stars which way they shall go the Wind 〈◊〉 blow or the Sea to ebb and flow go tea●● the Fish to swim and the Bird to flie f●● they have power but man hath none And indeed if man regenerated if ma●… spiritualized have no power to act go an●… race out these ensuing Scriptures as requ●…ring that of man which man hath no abili●● to do Luk. 13. 24. Strive to enter in at t●● strait gate Many shall seeke to enter ●… Rom. 15. 30. Now I beseech you brethren f●● the Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the love 〈◊〉 the Spirit that you strive together with me yo●… prayers to God for me H●…b 12. 4. You have n●● yet resisted unto blood striving against si●● Heb. 12. 1. Let us lay aside every weight and t●● sinne that doth so easily beset us and let us 〈◊〉 with patience the race that is set before us 2 Pe●… 1. 5 6 7. And besides this give all diligence ad●… to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge a●● to knowledge temperance and to temperance pa●●ence and to patience godlinesse and to godline●● brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindne●● charity c. 2 Pet. 1. 10. Give all diligence 〈◊〉 make your calling and election sure 2 Phil. 1●… Work out your own salvation with fear and tre●…bling Jer. 4. 14. O Ierusalem wash thine he●● 〈…〉 m wickednesse that thou mayest be saved ●●r 18. 11. Return from your evil wayes and ●…ake your wayes and doings good saith the Lord. ●…at 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and ●…e heavy laden and I will give you rest J●…r 3. 13. ●●ly acknowledge thine iniquity I wil pardon it Now as many as have received this spiri●●al power are able according to its mea●●re to doe the thing required As to in●●nce The Lord said to David Seek my face ●…avid's heart being enlightened and im●●wered by God makes this answer to the ●●rds command Lord thy face will I seek ●●d sometimes God conveyes the power ●●gether with the precept to enable them 〈◊〉 do what he commands them to do And ●●en if a man do it not or do the contrary ●…e Scripture tels thee thou art slothfull ●●d dost not use thy power or covetous ●●d so abusest thy power 1 C or 9. 18. Now let me ask thee O thou enlighten 〈◊〉 Christian hast thou since thou wast en●●ghtened by Christ done as much for Christ thou mightest have done Doth not thy ●…nscience tell thee thou hast been negligent ●●d slothful and left undone those things ●…hich thou oughtest to have done and done ●…ose things which thou mightest have left ●…done In a word hast thou avoided so much evil and done so much good as th●● mightest have done What thou wilt 〈◊〉 now I know not but when thou an●… shall appear before the Searcher of all hea●● at●… the last day we shall not tell the Lo●● we wanted power to obey him in his co●…mands Surely if there be no life vigor pow●● in men and women regenerate then in va●● are all those stirrings perswafions and i●… treaties in Scripture as to instance in a fe●● 2 Tim. 1. 6. Wherefore I put thee in remembra●● that thou stirre up the gift of God which is in th●… 2 Pet. 1. 13. Yea I think it meet as long as I 〈◊〉 in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you remembrance c. 2 Pet. 3. 1. This epistle 〈◊〉 loved I now write unto you in which I sti●● up your pure minds by way of remembrance ●… Heb. 3. 13. But exhort one another daily whil●… is called to day lest any of you be hardened thro●… the deceitfulnesse of sin Heb. 10. 24. Let us 〈◊〉 sider one another to provoke one another to l●● and good works 1 Cor. 4. 16. Wherefore I seech you be ye followers of me 1 Pet. 1. 15. 〈◊〉 as he which called you is holy so be ye holy in manner of conversation 2 Tim. 2. 19. Let e●●● one that nameth the name of the Lord depart fr●● iniquity Ephes 4. 22. That you put off the 〈◊〉 man which is corrupt Mat. 5. 16. Let your l 〈…〉 ●…shine before men that they may see your good 〈…〉 s and glorifie your Father which is in heaven Tim. 4. 13. Till I come give attendance to ●●ding to exhortation to doctrine c. Now if there be no power in a man re●●wed to do what is commanded then rase ●●t all the Commands for they be all in ●…in they be worse then Pharaoh they re●…ire heavenly bricks to be made of earthly ●…aw Away with all exhortations perswasi●●s intreatings