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	zeal_n	zealous_a	45	3	9.3824	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02180	A most sweete and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in consciscience [sic], or troubled in minde. Written by that godly & zealous preacher, M. Richard Greenham. With two comfortable letters to his especiall friends that way greeued.	Greenham, Richard.	1595 (1595)	STC 12321; ESTC S117895	37,612	192

and serch our owne hearts at the bottome whether we respect our sins past or present whether we we looke to our priuy pride hidden wants or secret corruptions And to retourne from whence wee were digressed to the examination of our heartes In sinnes to come let vs obserue that in Gods children there is such a iealousie that they tremble at the verie first motions and quake at the least occasion to sinne although because vice will sit in residence very nere vnto vertue there may be in thē somtime too much scrupulousnes this feare causeth the dearest of the Saintes of God to reason on this sort O Lord I see how many excellent men in gifts and constant in profession for a long time whose end hath not answered their Beginnings whose death was not like to their liues This is true whether we looke into the word or into the world and it is a thing that maye much humble vs. For though we maye remember what wee haue been and knowe what wee are yet who can tell what may come vnto him heereafter Oh that the serious meditation heereof would dwell long vpon our consciences that with a holie iealozie wee might preuent that sin that is to come But alas there bee some wayne people whych thinke it no masterie to offer themselues to masking minstrelsie and dauncing nor to runne into quarrells braules and contentions as though they had theyr eares theyr eyes theyr hands and theyr feete in their owne power and at commaundement to vse gouerne as themselues list Howbeit GODS Children better fenced with hys grace than those bolde buzzardes are afrayde of these occasions as knowing full well that theyr eyes maye soone bee prouoked to lust their eares maye quicklye listen vnto vnchast delightes their handes maye sodainely strike a deadly blowe and their feete may easely be snared in the spreaded nettes of carnall pleasures Beware O man bee circumspect O Woman that thou prostitute not thy selfe to too much libertie for althogh in comming to such lasciuious cōtentious places thou diddest purpose none euill yet for thy ventring with out warrant thou mayst bee ouer thy shooes in sinne and plunged in some wicked attempts ouer head and cares ere thou beest aware And yet because vice is so confine vnto vertue beware also of superstition for still the enemie laboureth to make thee too hardie in sinne or else he will cause thee to be too fearfull and superstitious eyther hee will puffe thee vp with presumption or assault thee with desperation To these tentations our nature is very appliable first to presumption as maye appeare by our common speech tush the Preacher is but a man as I am I am sure he hath infirmities as others haue wee are no Angels our nature is corrupt we are but men I am sure you would not haue vs Gods Thus the diuell commeth to tempt but he apparelleth himselfe in another sute when hee commeth to accuse and then of a flye he maketh an elephant of the very smallest pricke of a pin a gloabe of the whole earth of a moal-hill a mountain presseth silly soules with fear terror that they know not how to winde themselues If he cannot bring thē to make conscience where they shuld make conscience hee will labour to bring them to make conscience where they need make no conscience He careth not whether thou be remisse or superstitious so thou be one of them If he cannot get you to follow the epicurisme of the world as Libertines in diet and apparell hee wil make you so precise as to thinke it a hainous sinne to eare one bit of meate or to weare one ragge of cloath more thā for necessity How needfull therefore it is to saile with an euen course we may coniecture by other thinges which will bewraye the corruption of our nature In the time of a plague we shall see some will be so bold that without anie lawfull calling or godly warraunt they will rush into places infected and then falling sicke their conscience pricks them for their tempting of God by an vnaduised boldnes in the instaunt moment of theyr death Others plunged as deeply in a quite contrarie extremitye are too fearefull when they doo but heare of sickenesse and for very feare haue been brought to deaths dore onely by imagining themselues to haue been infected when they haue beene most free who oftentimes haue euen died and that without anie naturall cause that euer could be knowen but onely through immoderate fear the iudgement of God comming vpon them for their infidelitie and vnbeliefe Thus it is with vs in Christianitie in that as well the oppressing our selues with too much feare to be ouercome as the carnall securitie in not fearing to bee ouercome maye bring sinne vpon vs. God his childrē must labor for a measure and that must be sought for in the Word which wyll teach them how they shall neither decline on the right hand nor on the left but wil guide them in the narrowe way showing in euery thing what is the vertue what is the vice what is the meane what is the extreame Among manie Examples let vs consider of zeale a most precious vertue in Christianitie so long as it is free from the extremities If we be cold in zeale it is a sinne on the left hand if we bee zealous without knowledge it is preposterous and becommeth a sinne on the right hand But can wee not come to some perfection No if you vnderstand it for an absolute vnspottednes albeit to that perfection which the Scripture taketh for soundnesse truth and sinceritie of hart which is voyd of careles remissenes we may come Neither doth the lord deal with vs after our sins nor reward vs after our iniquities in whole eies the most glorious actiōs of men are but as waters flowing purely from the Conduit but defiled by passing through a filthy chanell Wherefore although wee haue our imperfections let vs not seeke to be more righteous than we can be saying for euerie errour of this life Oh I am none of Gods hys sonnes I am none of hys daughters for I cannot find that perfection in me which is to be required But let vs comfort our selues in the truth of our hearts and singlenes of our desires to serue God because he is God and so wee shall bee accepted of God I speake this to this end that poore soules might haue cōfort know that if they abhor sinne as sinne if they examine themselues for it if they feare to fall into it the Lord will not pursue them with the rigor of his lawe but wil giue them the sweetnesse of his promises they are no more vnder the curse but vnder grace But farther to inforce our Exhortation to auoyde too scrupulous feare which hindereth the true examination of our heartes let vs thinke that it happeneth in the spirituall conflict as in ciuill war Wee read that manie Citties being in great securitie haue sodainly both