Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A75227
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A New-Years gift: or, Advice to a god-son. By P.A. Gent.
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P. A., Gent.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing A25A; ESTC R203728
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16,553
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78
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then ask them whether ever they repented of their faithful serving God in walking in that seeming streight and narrow Way of Vertue and true Christianity And they will presently tell you That he was the best Master in the World and that his Service was perfect Freedom That there is no such Life of Pleasure Joy and Satisfaction and true Tranquility and Peace of Mind as in an honest sincere Christian Life Ecclesiast 2.10 11. They will say with the Son of Syrach Look at the Generations of old and see did ever any trust in the Lord and was confounded Or did ever any abide in his Fear and was forsaken Or whom did he ever despise that called upon him For the Lord is full of Compassion and Merciful long Suffering and very pitiful and forgiveth Sins and saveth in time of Affliction You will hear even the best of them bewailing much their own Unprofitableness and that they have done so good a Master so little Service and you will find them rejoicing in God even when grim Death looks them full in the Face and they returning him a Smile of Disdain for his Frowns And to speak the Truth they are so full of Joy they are not able to express it in Words it being better felt than expressed and what they have all along met with in their holy Christian Course For what great Encouragements have they had daily also from their clear and full Prospect of a glorious celestial Crown awaiting for them in the other World But this future great and transcendent Felicity that neither Eye hath seen nor Ear hath heard nor ever entered into the Heart of Man to conceive how can they or I represent it to you O how great is thy Goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee c. Psal 31.19 Now God-son you are enter'd into their Christian Race and may become as Happy as they if you will but follow their Example and walk in their Steps you may assuredly partake of their Satisfactions and Comforts in this Life and also of their Reward and Crown in the other World Consider the seasonableness of the time of your Youth which is the most acceptable time with God now you may assure your self the golden Scepter is held forth How pleasing must it needs be to the Divine Majesty of Heaven the supreme Lord the Creator to have the First Born of his Creatures their Youth and Strength their First virgin Thoughts and Affections devoted and dedicated to him and his Service O how rejoicingly will he now receive you yea embrace you in the Arms of his tenderest Affections And how may you now exspect the all-powerful Assistances of his Grace the strongest Gales of his Spirit to assist your Indeavours Now what wise Man think you who having a long and difficult Voyage to take wherein he is like to meet with a strong Tide and Current against him but will be very ready to take the Advantage of Wind and Weather for his Help and Furtherance in his Voyage Now God hath assured to you the Gift of his Spirit if you earnestly beg it of him and make diligent use of it both to encourage assist and comfort you in your Christian Race that at last you may gain the Celestial Crown How seasonable also will this Time of your Youth Health Strength and Vigour be to your self for the easy effecting and accomplishing this great Work Now before you have tasted the Pleasures of Sin or however before you have taken too deep Draughts of that poysonous and pernicious Potion of Vice and Sin before you have contracted Evil Habits those Customs in Sin which are as a Second Nature and before you are immersed in the Cares and Troubles of this Life now to receive the Impression on your tender and pliable Minds of Heaven of Vertue and the Love of God O have therefore a more especial Care at this time of those dangerous Rocks of Ease and Pleasure and ill Example upon which so many are daily shipwreck'd in their Youth and tender Years herein take the Advice lately given by a worthy Author to young Persons The chiefest Instances of Vice saith he consist in the extravagant Affectation of sensual Delights and Pleasures The Judgment of Youth is raw nor hath its Reason attained to any Consistency is easily imposed upon by Shews and Appearances of things it sees but the Surface of them the Inclinations of Sense are strong and prevalent and the Powers of Reason weak and imperfect are easily fired and captivated by any thing that proposeth present Gratification and satisfying its carnal Appetites It therefore very much concerns you not to trust to your own Judgment but take in the Advice of wiser Heads than your own and now to labour to mortify and subdue your Lusts and carnal Appetites and Passions and to get the Conquest over them betimes as the Son of Syrach adviseth thee Ecclesiast 18.30 32. Go not after thy Lusts but refrain thy self from thine Appetites Take not Pleasure in much good Chear c. Now let it be your great care to break off such sinful Customs you have contracted especially those of lying and swearing too much abounding in young Persons in our days Use not to make any manner of Lyes for the Custom thereof is not good as the Son of Syrach adviseth thee Ecclesiast 7.13 And accustom not thy Mouth to swearing neither use thy self to the naming of the Holy one As he further adviseth For a Man saith he that useth much swearing shall be filled with Iniquity and the Plague shall never depart from his House c. Ecclesiast 23.9 11. I pray you consider it well and abominate and detest this horrible Sin of swearing and cursing this blasphemous Contempt of the divine Majesty of Heaven which in young Persons may be well looked upon as the Seed of all Vice and Wickedness in them to end in that Plague and Curse before mentioned And in the next place engage and fix your Affections strongly upon God and things above now a quarter part of the Pains and Labour will do the Business which you must be forced else to use afterward if you let pass this best time now strike while the Iron is hot In respect of your Mortality How seasonable is this time to do this great and necessary Business of Life Consider the Frailty and incertainty of your Life which may more especially be compared in Youth to a Bubble a Vapour a Flower quickly nipt in the Bud when least expected by your self Death is your great Enemy who awaits for your Life every day be therefore beforehand with him and prepared against his Assaults which only can be by making use of the present time which is only yours to make your Peace with God and to secure to your self eternal Happiness that you may be made Holy and fit for Heaven that when Death comes it may not be able to hurt you but advantage you in translating you