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
A43727	Apokalypsis apokalypseos, or, The revelation revealed being a practical exposition on the revelation of St. John : whereunto is annexed a small essay, entituled Quinto-Monarchiæ, cum Quarto Omologia, or, A friendly complyance between Christ's monarchy, and the magistrates / by William Hicks ...	Hicks, William, 1621-1660.	1659 (1659)	Wing H1928; ESTC R20296	349,308	358

needs be sure and firm for In him according to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 1.20 are all the promises of God yea and Amen and that he may get the better faith and credence thereunto he adds another title The faithful and true witness Paul could publiquely profess That he was a faithful witness of the mind and counsel of God to his discsples and that he had hid nothing back that did necessarily conduce to their salvation and think ye that Christ in these Revelations hath not dealt as the faithful and true witness who is the God of all truth himself O ye of little faith that will not believe the truth of those Prophesies the downfal of the Beast Babylon and the whore together with the resurrection of the witnesses and the churches glorious restored state on earth before the end of the world which are clearly and fully asserted and evidenced from this book of Prophesies Hath not Christ promised it that is the Amen in whom all the promises are yea and Amen and coming from him that is the true and faithful witness that can never fail And to take off all suspition of failure of the truth of those prophesies there is a third property here added The beginning of the Creation of God This hath relation to that description of Christ in chap. 1. v. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It may be rendred either The beginning of the Creation of God or The principality of the Creation of God For Christ is both the beginning of all creatures for by him all things were made and without him nothing were made and he is also the supreme Prince and Governour of all the works of the creation for so it necessarily follows That all things should be subject to his principality and government who did at first create them and give a Being to them Therefore to shut up this The sayings of these Prophesies in this book must needs be sure and come to pass in their appointed seasons seeing the Amen the faithful and true witness and the Creator Preserver and Governour of all the works of the Creation hath said and spoken them who will not then believe them coming first from so faithful and true a witness and from one who is the beginning and Prince of the whole creation and therefore most able to perform them Verse 15. I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot This church of Laodicea as she comes last in place so she comes last in spiritual graces of all her sister churches Christ findes nothing in her that is truly commendable Even in the churches of Sardis and Pergamus though as good as dead and mixed with much corruptions yet there was found in them somwhat praise-worthy some undefiled Names that were not carried aside by the false Doctrines of Jezebel but in Laodicea nothing is found commendable and therefore she hears of nothing from Christ but matter of reproof and of the desperateness of her spiritual state and condition Doubtless there were some sincere faithful Witnesses in this church of Laodicea notwithstanding the Spirit 's silence in it or else she could not be properly numbred as one of the golden candlesticks or as a church of Christ their number being but small they were not sufficient to give a denomination unto the whole for indeed a body politique whither civil or spiritual is to be denominated sound or unsound from the major part as in the case of particular souls or persons if grace be more prevalent in degree in the soul then sin and corruption it is to be tearmed a sincere gracious soul but if sin be most prevalent it may be justly tearmed a sinful and unregenerate soul So is the case of political churches if their frame constitution and matter be most unsound and corrupt such churches are not to be denominated sound healthful bodies We are not to call darkness light or light darkness Though for their profession of their faith they be called churches of Christ yet for the deadness thereof they may with Sardis be rightly tearmed dead ones yea twice dead and to be plucked up by the roots Doubtless under Prelacy both English and Romish there were and are diverse pretious christians and Saints of Christ as in the days of Elijah when the Idol of Baal and his worship and the Priests thereof were exalted yet then in that corrupt state of Israel there were seven thousand that bow●d not the knee to Baal yet them few faithful ones in the days of Elijah or those in the days of Prelacy c. Popery came far short to denominate Israel at that time or our English or Forraign Nations under that corrupt frame or temper of antichristian Prelacy to be praise-worthy churches or sound sincere and healthful in their general matter frame or constitution But to return to the charge against Laodicea I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot Laodicea was of a strange mongrel composure and temper neither cold nor hot moulded and compacted as a certain odd extraction of two contraries cold and heat I thought before this that that maxime was in all things unquestionable In medio consistit virtus It seems true Religion will not admit of that Principle for Laodicea is here blamed to be in the mean that is in a frame or temper which is neither hot nor cold By hot is here understood one that is zealous fervent in spirit for the truth and worship of God that cannot endure any corruptions will-worships or superstitions shall be admitted in the true christian Worship and Religion and such a one is called a hot fervent or zealous christian and this can never be too intense as unto the degrees thereof if it be considerate and according to sound knowledg The ignorant inconsiderate zeal is reproued and condemned as dangerous and pernitious not the sound and orthodox It is not with God's graces as with moral habits of vertues wherein both the extreams straying from mediocrity either in the excess or in the defect are faults and vices as the excess of liberality may run into prodigality and the defect into covetous parsimony or the excess in fortitude may be called temerity and fool-hardiness and the defect cowardise and pusilanimity and so in the rest but in gracious habits the case is different Souls cannot exceed therein Be ye holy as your heavenly Father is holy no less then an aim unto perfection will serve turn be zealous fervent boyling hot for God and his truth it being sound and considerate it will admit of no mediocrity Lukewarmness or half friend to God and his ways is equally an abomination in God's sight for he requires the whole heart as is coldness or deadness it self and therefore this strange commixture of tempers in Laodicea is exploded by Christ as most dangerous and pernitious and therefore adds I would thou wert cold or hot Hence Note Observ A lukewarm temper among