Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	love_n	love_v	world_n	20,088	5	6.2970	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85734	Christ the Christians choice. Or A sermon preached at the funerall of Mr John Cavvs one of the magistrates of the famous corporation of Plymouth. March the 29. Anno Dom. 1645. By Alexander Grosse. B.D. and pastor of Bridfoad.	Grosse, Alexander, 1596?-1654.	1645 (1645)	Wing G2069; Thomason E286_19; ESTC R200080	22,210	24

Christ the meditation of Christ is sweete unto him the motion of his und●rstanding is to the knowledge of Christ hee desires to know nothing but Christ and him crucisied the motion of his faith is to the alsufficiencie worth and efficacy of Christ be i● rooted and built up in Christ the motion of his love is to the beauty and excellency of Christ he is the fairest of ten thousand in his eye and his soule is sicke o● love to Christ every way the motion of a sanctified is to Christ the travellers motion is to his home the the thirsty mans motion is to the fountaine the good mans motion is to Christ he never attaines his desired perfection untill he hath gotten the full possession of him and therefore leaves all to enjoy him In regard of that union which a gracious soule hath with Christ by saith and love he is not so united unto any thing as to Christ he is so united to him that he is be come one with him boxe of his bone ana flesh of his flesh he is united to Christ with a separating and singling union with an union separating him from the world as a woman joyned in with an union separating him from the world as a woman joyned in wedlocke is separated from her owne people and her fathers house with an union crucifying the world unto him and him againe unto the world he is united unto Christ with a deriving and enriching union drawing from Christ grace for gra●e filled with Christs fulnesse and made compleate n him he is united unto Christ with a translating and transforming union an union transforming him into the very image of Christ making him pure as Christ is pure he is united to Christ with an inflaming and soule ravishing union kindling a fire in his heart which no waters can quench many floods cannot drown he is united to Christ with an indissoluble union so united that neither the powers of hell nor earth can dissolve it he is united unto Christ with a victorious union an union overcomming all the proffers and oppositions of the world a prostrating union casting a man and all his gifts and abilities downe at the feet of Christ making a man willing to be nothing in the eyes of men that Christ may be exalted an aspiring union ascending unto more and more perfection never ceasing untill the soule is wrought into a full communion with Jesus Christ making a man willing and industrious to cast away whatsoever may hinder his enjoyment of Christ to breake prison to come to Christ to leave all to be with Christ as Elisha left his yokes of oxen to follow Eliah In regard of that preheminence which Christ hath in the heart of a gracious man above all other things he giveth Christ preheminence First in his choice he chooseth Christ rather then all or any other thing whatsoever the traveller chooseth the Sun rather then any other light to guide him the builder chooseth the rock rather then the sand to build upon and the wise merchant the pearle rather then the pebble to enrich him the gracious man preferreth Christ as the onely wise Counseller able to advise him the ovely racke able to support him and the onely ●ear●e wherein is all worth to inrich bun he chooseth the gifts and graces of Christ before all other treasures bee preserreth the love of Christ the light of his countenance above all other pleasures and earthly abundance there is nothing without this can give him contentation Absolon thought it a small thing that he lived at Ierusalem nay he esteemed his life as nothing unlesse hee might see the Kings face a good man esteemes it a little thing to live at Jerusalem I meane to have all Gods ordinances unlesse he enjoy the face of Christ with them his very life without this seemes but a burthen when the face of Christ shines there is exceeding great joy and rejoycing when this is hidden there is a cry much mourning and lamentation Secondly in his feare men give preheminence in their feare to their Soveraigne above the subject children to their fathers above the houshold servants wives to their husbands above strangers good men feare Christ as their Soveraigne as their fathers as their husband with an awfull a spirituall a filiall an affectionate and submissive feare choosing rather to offend all the world then to offend Christ they feare the command of Christ more then the command of man the wrath of Christ more then the wrath of men the losse of Christ favour more then the losse of any or all men whatsoever they chuse rather to expose themselves to mans greatest rage and indignation then to provoke Christ in the least sillable of voluntary and witting deviation from the rule which Christ hath prescribed to them Thirdly in his love the wife preferres the husband in her love above all other persons he that is married unto Christ loves Christ more then all creatures he loves him not carnally but spiritually his love ariseth from a seed of grace sowne in the heart it is a fruit of Gods Spirit he loves him not constrainedly but freely his love moves to Christ like water flowing from a living spring he loves him not with a niggardly but a bountifull love with a love moving him to give all that he hath to Christ he loves him not with a sinister but a sincere love not in a shew but in truth not in word but in deed he loves Christ not with a faint and languishing love but with a strong and victorious love a love overcomming all opposition a love carrying him home to Christ a love causing him to abide with Christ in all changes to rest upon him in all conditions a love like the love of Jonathan to David Jonathan so loved David that he was contented to run the hazard of his fathers displeasure to be abased that David might be exalted and disrobe himselfe for Davids sake the gracious soule so loveth Christ that he is ready for Christs sake to incurre the hatred of his dearest friends according to the flesh to humble himselfe belowe the dust for the exaltation of Christ and to put oft this garment o● the flesh that he may honour and enjoy Christ Fourthly in his possession he had rather possesse Christ then all things else all other possessions are but an empty vessell to the posessing of Christ the King of Sodome sometime said to Abraham give me the persons take thou the substance the gracious man is ready to say to his neighbour give me Christ and take the goods house honours body and whatsoever else he that will all other possessions are but a wildernesse to this paradise a b●amble to the vine the fig-tree and the olive-tree as Iotham in another case expressed himselfe in this parable Fifthly in Communion men of generous disposition prize communion with princes above communion

the lame and the sick for sacrifice but not that which was sound and without blemish they will spare the tongue but not the hand their bodly presence but not their hearted soule presence they will spare some but not all for Christ when they are put upon this to leave all and take Christ alone they goe away sorrowfull some will spare their goods but not their lives they will not with Paul be dissolved Peter once left all but he would not at that time leave his life for Christ but denyed his Master to save his life now these men doe herein and hereby plainely discover First an overprizing of the creature so esteeme it that they value the unworthlest of their possessions as the Gaderines did their swine above Jesus Christ so love it that upon the losse or likely hood of taking it away they goe weeping after it as sometimes ●haltiel went weeping after Mical to Bahurim so adore and serve it so rest and relie upon it that when it is gone they runne up and downe like Mica after his idole and cry out as men undone Secondly a shamefull underprizing of Christ he that will not leave a pebble for a pearle a broken bottell for a river a barren branch for a fruitfull tree under values the pearle river tree all creatures excellency is nothing in comparison of Christs glory they very wickedly and shamefully disparage Christ that preferre or equalize any thing to Christ let such men with the invited guests in the parable never look to partake of Christ with comfort whose love unto or delight in the creature withholds them from giving their hearts unto Christ Thirdly hereby they hazard the very losse of what they retains and get by leaving Christ their losse is ever greater then their gaine usually they loose the very thing which they withhold he that will save his life shall loose it he that will save his honours his riches his liberty his favour with men shall loose the same how ignominious to all succeeding generations hath beene the name of the Scribes and Pharisees who for the maintenance of their owne name and honour studied and consulted the eclipsing and obscuring of the name and honour of Christ how odious is the name of Judas who laboured his own gain more then gaining of honour and soules to his Master Christ take this for thy portion whosoever thou art that seekest to make thy selfe rich and honourable with the losse and dishonour of Christ thy name and riches both shall be everlastingly buried in the dust of dishonour and reproach Fourthly hereby they draw a curse on themselves and on their possessions they having of Christ like the Arke to the house of Obed Edon makes all to prosper like the ●rce to the waters of Marah it makes the bitterest condition pleasant and comfortable the deniall of Christ the losse of Christ turnes all into a curse like the evill herb that turned the prophets pot into a pot of death all that men get against Christ all that men keepe with the dishonour of Christ proves like Achans golden wedge and Babylonish garment a curse and ruine to their whole possession therefore thus saith the Angel of the Lord curse ye Meroz curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty Fifthly hereby they contract shame raise a cloud of dishonour upon their owne heads that never shall be blotted out is it not the shame of all shames to a wise to forsake her husband for the love of an unworthy servant for a sonne to leave his parent and with the Prodigall to run a rioting with loose and dissolute companions to a souldier to leave his captaine and betake himselfe unto the enemies quarters is Christ your husband your father your Captaine will you leave him for the gaine the honour the pleasure of the world will you leave him and enter consort with profane people will you fly from him and joyne with his enemies be assured then your memory shall rot your name shall goe out like a candle leaving nothing but an unsavory smell behinde it Your honour shall lie in the dust your name shall everlastingly perish This by way of counsell should advise all men to work their hearts to alow prizing of their present estate and every thing they have here incompart on of the enjoyment of Christs Gods children desire to be dis●ed they know it to be better to be with Christ then to continue here therefore looke on all your outward priviledges and prerogatives as on d●gand drosse in comparison of the excellency of Christ nay look on the gift and on all the best things of God which you have here in this ●●e in comparison of the full enjoyment of Christ even a few gleani●●s●n comparison of the full vintage as on the daw●ing in comparison of the Noon-day as on some small love-tokens in comparison of the compleate enjoyment of the bridegroome we have the good things of God now as waters in a bottle then we shall have them as waters in the fountaine now we have them as an earnest peny then we shall have them in the full summe This ministers matter of sweet and singular consolation to the surviving friend of all the godly deccated it was their desire to be dissolved it is better yea farre better for them they have a possession now the least mite whereof is better then all the possessions of the earth we may say of this as Gideon did of the gleanings of Ephraim the gleanings of Ephraim are better then the vintage of Abiezer here they were as ●itors now their mairrage is consumm●●e here they were as men walking in setters now they are as men walking in chains of gold here their bread was mingled with grav●ll and their drink with gall now they have a sumptuous and a costly feast here they were as souldiers in the Battel now they have a glorious crowne put upon them here they were 〈◊〉 seed-men sowing in teares now they are as harvest men reaping in great job here they were as runners in a race now they have obtained the prize here they were as wor●s and no men obscured with many clouds now they have a name as glorious as the Sun here their dw●lling was as in a dungeon as in a house continually dropping thorow and ready to fall now they have a glorious ●al●ce wherein to dwell here they had consortship with men who were as thornes in their sides now they have communion with God with Christ with the glorious Angels and glorified Saints in a word now they are ceased from their labours and heir works follow them therefore as we sorrow at our owne losse so let us rejoyce in their gaine remembring that of the Apostle I would not brethren have you ignorant concerning them which are a sleep that ye sorrow even not as