Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	affection_n	heart_n	mind_n	2,955	5	5.1791	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55301	Armatura Dei, or, A preparation for suffering in an evil day shewing how Christians are to bear sufferings, and what graces are requisite thereunto : suited for all good Christians in this present time / by Edward Polhil ..., Esq.	Polhill, Edward, 1622-1694?	1682 (1682)	Wing P2750; ESTC R3431	68,313	156

or Notion but it is an active and lively thing it doth not meerly look to the glory above but puts the Soul into a posture for it Every one that hath in him the hope of so great a thing as the seeing the blessed God is purifieth himself even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 He knows Darkness cannot have communion with Light unclean eyes cannot be opened in so pure a place as Heaven is the earthly heart is too gross to be in the Region of holy Spirits he that drowns himself in Sensual Pleasures is not meet to drink of the pure Rivers that are above Malitious Spirits cannot be capable of dwelling there wher infinite Love opens it self in all its sweetness The false-hearted Hypocrite can never be admitted to see Truth in the Original nor the evil man to drink Goodness at the Fountain-head He therefore that hath a right hope of being with God in Heaven will purifie himself for such an high estate he will labor to have more of the light of Faith to fit him for that of Vision to have more purity of heart to make him meet to see the holy One to have more of Heaven in his affections to prepare him for that blessed Region to have more spiritual delight here that he may be capable of entring into the joy of his Lord hereafter to have his heart more filled with holy Love that he may be in an apt posture for the rich effusions of Love in Heaven to have more truth and goodness in his heart that he may be the more ready to enjoy the Fountain and Fulness of both I mean the blessed God who is All in All Thus this lively Hope makes a man meet for Heaven and in so doing it makes him meet for those Sufferings that lie in his way thither That Purity which disposes him to enjoy God in Heaven doth also dispose him to suffer for him on Earth and the greater disposition is to Heaven the Center of blessedness the stronger will the motion be to break through all difficulties that are in the passage thereunto Let us therefore get a purilying Hope that we may be fit for the Cross 3. Hope doth not only dispose us for the good things to come but it waits for them unto the end Hope is a waiting grace it makes a Christians life to be a perpetual waiting All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come saith Job Chap. 14. Vers 14. Job had many changes but he waited for that great one which should bring him into a state of unchangeaale happiness Whatever holy men are a doing still they are in a waiting posture When Jacob was blessing his Sons he did not for get this but broke out in a Sudden sweet Ejaculation I have waited for thy Salvation O Lord Gen. 49.18 Hope makes Christians to wait for the good things to come at all times but in a Special manner in time of Sufferings St Paul speaking first of the suffering Saints and then of the groaning World Expresseth himself thus We our selves also which have the First-fruits of the Spirit groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption the Redemption of our Body for we are saved by Hope Rom. 8.23 24. Here we may observe the true state and posture of the Saints Afflictions make then groan but the Divine Hope the First-fruits of the Spirit make them wait for a better World in which Adoption and Redemption shall have their compleat perfection A Chrisstian in Afflictions being tormented in this World will wait for a better The Martyr Agatha having her Breasts cruelly cut off for Religion told the persecutor That yet she had two breasts remaining such as he could not touch the one of Faith the other of Hope which afforded her great Comforts in her Torments Faith adheres to the Promise Hope waits for the good things promised both strengthen in a day of Trial It is the very nature of Divine Hope to wait for the good things to come When the Sun of Prosperity Shines it waits in a way of obedience Lord I have hoped for thy salvation and do thy Commandments saith David Psal 119.166 He waited in a way of obedience to Gods Commands And when the storm of Perfecution comes it waits in a way of Patience Hence the Apostle speaks of the patience of hope 1. Thessal 1.3 That hope which in Prosperity waited in a way of Obedience will in Adversity wait in a way of Patience Hope would have the Christian to be always waiting for the upper World but when the Cross comes it presseth upon him more vehemently and will speak after this manner to him what hast thou waited for the great reward in Heaven in Duties and Ordinances and wilt thou not wait for it in Sufferings too Heaven is the same still and Sufferings are not worthy to be compared with it Do but suffer a little and thou shalt be there When the Martyr Ananias in the Persian Persecution seemed to tremble at the approaching Cross Pusices spake thus to him Sozom. L. 2. cap. 10. Paulisper O senex oculos claude nam statim lumen Dei videbis Shut thine eyes a little O old man and immediately thou shalt see the light of God Excellent is that of the Apostle Our light Affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 2. Cor. 4.17 18. Here it is observable Affliction is light and momentary but glory is a weight and eternal there is no proportion between them If by hope we look at the invisible and eternal things this will support our hearts that it is but a little short suffering and we shall be in Heavenly bliss for ever Let us therefore labor after a waiting hope that we may patiently bear the Cross CHAP. X. The Seventh Direction for Suffering is holy Fear not the Fear of man but of God not a diffidential Fear but a fiducial one not a servile Fear but a filial one Holy Fear looks at Sin more then at suffering at Sufferings in Hell more then at those on Earth at Spiritual and Eternal losses more then at Carnal and Temporal THe Seventh Direction is this if we would be in a fit posture for suffering we must get an holy Fear in our hearts The wise Solomon begins his Proverbs with this The fear of the Lord is the beginning or head of Knowledge Prov 1.7 and ends his Ecclesiastes with this That to fear God and keep his Commandments is the whole duty of Man Eccl. 12.13 Other things appertain to the Beast or the Devil but holy Fear is the All of man it makes him a perfect man not only to do Gods Will but to suffer under it In speaking to this I shall first consider

Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame Let us consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest we be weary and faint in our minds Hebr. 12.2 3. The noble Alzearius being asked Arr. Tact. 161. how he could so patiently bear injuries answered thus Converto me ad injurias Christi I turn me to the injuries done to my Saviour We must look to Christ's Cross that we may bear our own it being now no longer meer suffering but sanctified by the sufferings of our Saviour 3. Faith looks to Christ as an Head and Helper He is not a meer Pattern but an Head and Helper too Were there no other supporting Grace for the Saints but that little in their own bosome they might expect to fail in the Trial but there is an inexhaustible Fountain of Grace in their Head in Heaven and that will bear them up in all their Sufferings This made St. Paul glory in Persecutions because the Power of Christ would rest upon him and when he was weak in himself he was strong in that 2. Cor. 12.9 10. St. Cyprian speaking of Christ in the Martyrs saith Qui pro nobis mortem semel vicit Epist 9. ad Mort. semper vincit in nobis he that once overcame death for us alwais overcomes it in us This the Martyr Blandina though weak in body found by experience being bore up in the midst of Torments by the Power of Christ Euseb L. 5. cap. 1. and finding a fresh refreshment as often as she said Christiana sum I am a Christian The same was seen in the Martyr Sanctus who bore various Torments above all humane Strength because he was bedewed and confirmed out of the Celestial Fountain of living water flowing down from Christ Whatever thou doest O Christian be sure to apply thy self by Faith unto the neverfailing Fountain of Grace in him that thou mayst have such Supplies of Grace as may bear thee up in an evil day 3. Faith hath a respect to the Promises These are the Breasts of Consolation the Channels in which the Grace in Gods heart flows down to the Sons of men Here the Christian may provide himself with Cordials against the time of suffering I shall here only mention three kinds of Promises for Faith to live upon in a day of Trial. 1. Faith must live upon the Promises of Gods gratious Presence God tels his People that he will be with them in the fire and in the water Esay 43.2 that is in all danger and calamities whatsoever neither shall this Presence be for a little time only but constant and perpetual He will never leave them nor forsake them Hebr. 13.5 This is a choice comfort to good men that in Tribulations they are not left alone but God is with them St. Paul had experience of this all men forsook him but God stood with him and strengthned him 2. Tim. 4.16 17. The Presence of God was to him more then a World and able to support him against all his Adversaries St. Cyprian speaking of the Martyrs in his time Epist 9. saith That God was not a meer spectator in their sufferings but ipse luctatur in nobis ipse concongreditur ipse in certamine coronat pariter coronatur he strives in us he encounters our adversaries he crowns us in the Battel and is himself crowned therein Let us therefore by Faith rest upon the promise of Gods Presence and assure our hearts that he will be with us in our Suffering All the Promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ and his being Immanuel God with us in the humane Nature is a Pledge to the Saints that God will be with them in their Sufferings for him 2. Faith must live up on the promises of Confirmation The Apostle tels the Corinthians That God shall confirm them unto the end and adds this as a reason God is faithful by whom ye are called into the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Cor. 1.89 God doth as it were pawn his faithfulness upon it that they being once brought into union with Christ shall never fall off but be confirmed unto the end The gates of hell shall never prevail against them they shall be kept through faith unto salvation nay and their Faith shall be kept too Christ did not only pray for Peter that his Faith fail not but he prays so for all the faithful Oh how comfortable are such promises to the Saints Let us by faith lay up these rich Cordials in our hearts to keep up from fainting in Persecution 3. Faith must live upon the Promises of a good Issue All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to his people Psal 23.10 All things shall work together for their good Rom. 8.28 Persecutions and all God alters the property of his Peoples Afflictions and by an Almighty Alchimy turns Dross into Gold he makes persecution turn to the refining of the Saints Graces and to the glorifying of his own great name O! what great good things doth he bring out of evil How much of his Love and faithfulness may be seen in the Cross Let us therefore fix our hearts upon such promises that passing through the fiery Trial we may see the good end the Lord makes of it CHAP. VIII The fift Direction for Suffering is Love to God and Christ Love to God such as value him desire him delight in him and will and endeavour to serve and honour him Love to Christ such as value him desire him delight in him and will and endeavour to serve and honour him THe fist Direction is this if we would be in a fit posture for suffering we must get a sincere Love to God and Christ St. De Civit. Lib. 14. cap. 28. Austin saith That two Loves made two Cities the Love of self made the Earthly City the Love of God makes the Heavenly one the persecutor dwels in the one and the Martyr in the other There is an assimilating efficacy in Love whereby it casts the mind into the Mould of the thing beloved Siterram amas terra es si Deum quidni dicerem Deus es Aug. If thou love Earth thou art Earth if thou Love God thou art partaker of the Divine Nature and dost resemble God himself The greatest impediment to pious suffering is the Love of the World and self and the greatest preparative to it is the Love of God and Christ I shall first speak of love to God as a preparative thereunto and then of Love to Christ as such 1. Love to God is a preparative to suffering If we love him above all things no outward Object will draw us from him if we love him with all the heart no inward Lust will make us fall from him Love to him stands in four things each of which will dispose us to suffer for him 1. Love to him stands in an high