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	let_v	love_v	4,519	5	6.0059	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96104	Jerusalems glory, or, the saints safetie in eying the churches security, wherein is shewed the captives redress: being an invitation to all the different minded men in the world to become one; with the advantage of unity, and the danger of variety from the example of the saints and servants of God, as well in former as these latter times. Offered to the view of the 97 builders imployed in that work, for the building of the true temple, and all others. / By Thomas Watson, a lover of peace.	Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.	1661 (1661)	Wing W1131; Thomason E1856_4; ESTC R210370	59,985	120

that it is cast into the fire I say if you seek to deal in such commodities you must expect the frowns of these your enemies nay your King will be trying you how your Zeal is agreeable to your Profession But least you should think to escape this scourge or correcting hand of God I will endeavour to shew you that it is good to bear it and continue stedfast to the end though there be a twofold Affliction incident to the peculiar and chiefly beloved of God yet they shall receive a Diadem at the last that will cause them to acknowledge it was good for them they were Afflicted First There is an Affliction that God suffers his Children to be exercised withal as in respect of their having to do or dealing with things of this life Secondly There is an Affliction as in respect of our dejections in things appertaining to our chiefest content as when we are hindred of our commerse with our God and ly sighing complaining as Job and several others of his Servants have done Job sayes I look for him on the one side but he is not there and behind me but I cannot find him no he hideth himself He would not appear to answer Job in what Job did desire neither would he plead with him till his time was come Job cryed out of oppression as you have it Job 23.3 and 19.7 This is the burthensomest Affliction that may befal the Children of God yea yea it seemeth so burthensome sometimes that they may be brought to question their condition to be worse than meer worldlings that have no joy in any thing else but what they grapple after in this life as David plainly instances I said it fareth better with the wicked than with the Righteous but when I went into thy Sanctuary I found it was better to abide one day within thy Courts than in the presence of wicked men for ever Psal 7.73 How doth God see them say the wicked though we scourge them Nay David sayes therefore are his People brought thither and water of a full Cup are wrung out to them But let not any man mistake me herein and think that I speak of Gods withdrawing his affection from his People but my meaning is only thus that God withdraws himself in love to us even as the Apostle hath it Heb. 12.6 Every son whom I love do I rebuke and chasten to keep our thoughts from vain constructions that all men are very prone unto to have high thoughts of their own strength and their own ability and their own righteousness and peradventure never dive into our own hearts to acknowledge to whom we are obliged for it but forget the fountain from whence it flowes and springs to us as the Apostle Paul sayes of the Romans They had a zeal to God but not according to knowledge Rom. 10. and the beginning of the Chapter They being ignoraut of Gods Righteousness went about to establish a Righteousness of their own and did not submit to that Righteousness that was of God Even so we are apt to conclude with our selves we have this good qualification or this good blessing or I am so Just or more Righteous in such a degree than such and such are when we do not consider if we are so that it is Gods mercy to us more than our deserving but rejoice in our selves far above our Sphere and look not back to him that gave it us for this take one Scripture more of the same Apostle 1 Cor. 7. verse If ye have received it why glory ye as though ye had not received it Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. Be sure of this That whosoever doth receive any gift of grace or any benefit to his spiritual refreshment or any enjoyment to his Souls happiness or in general any blessing from the Lord and doth not attribute all the praise all the glory all the preheminence and honour to God that gave it him it had been better that that man or woman had never receiv'd it for he doth nor here in forget God that gave it him but robbeth him of that praise and honour that is due to him also or employeth that to his own praise or the praise of some other thing that is due to God alone so that that which might through due obedience and thanks to God have been a blessing nay herein become a curse to him that employes it thus for to whom much is given much will be required and if that servant shall be accounted an evil servant That laid up his talent in a Napkin and restored it safe to the owner again without any loss Mat. 25.24 What will he be accounted that robbeth his Master and devideth the talent and takes part of it himself for his own use and yet hath the face to say I have improved my talent better than such and such men and doth not account But it is well enough with him that he hath not been behind with the Lord in giving him what is his due and if any man make any thing fit for his use hee will look to have the preheminence of it to himself yet he will not render the same to God O learn of the Beasts of the Field and do not envy their service unless ye will act above pretence The Oxe knoweth his Owner and the Ass his Masters Crib but Israel hath not known me my People have not known their God Isa 1. And as you have it in the eighth of the Prophesie of the Prophet Jeremiah and the 7. verse yea The Stork in the Heaven knoweth her appointed time and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming but my People know not the Judgments of the Lord And I remember the Prophet Ezekiel being shewed the transgressions of the People in his time that the Lord shewed him some that did not let to work abominations in the Temple of the Lord as you have it Ez. 8.16 And he brought me into the inner Court of the Lords House and behold at the door of the Temple between the Portch and the Altar were about twenty men with their backs towards the Temple of the Lord and their faces towards the East and they worshipped the Sun toward the East By the East as some Translate it in this place is meant these peoples looking for the chiefest light to consist in the worshipping of the Sun This is a sad Omen of the stirring or awaking of Gods fury when a people shall bend their mindes to idolize any imaginary conceit of their own devising and bestow that honour to it that is due to God he will have thy whole heart if he hath any thing of thee and that in the right worship too and not in any way that we think is most rare because it is most harmonious in our sight but in the exact way of the foregoing Admonishers even Christ and his Apostles and the Martyrs that were made to seal

himself happy in each step that he addeth to his journey wherein he discerneth that he getteth ground you need not to urge such a one to be wary for he cannot but discern when he getteth ground and when he hath lost for if all men speak well of him and assure him of peace yet if he in searching find any corner of his heart not swept be sure he will not cry peace to himself but will take the Besom of righteousness and truth and will carefully sweep it out and make all clean within for he cannot sleep in quiet till he hath got his house clean As no earthly man can take his rest when he knoweth that there is a thief within his house that will take all advantage to rob him but will rather rise and lock up his chiefest Jewels that they may not be taken away from him if in case he cannot get him forth of the house but though they are locked never so fast and there be not any thief within his house yet if he hath any treasure that he taketh much delight in he will be watchful lest any one should break into his house unexpected and bereave him of that in which he so much delighteth Even so a discerning Christian that knoweth there is a thief within his house he cannot but dread the worst of things so long as any suspected enemy is within his confines but if he know that there is none but he hath tryed all of them thorowly yet he will stand upon his watch and keep his doors locked about him when he is at home and when he goeth abroad he is wary with whom he doth confer as associates fit for his result so that whether he is with the Lord at his home or whether in the turba of the mind yet he will be watchful that strangers do not intermedle with his joy in any way to deprive him of that enjoyment by which he can convey his soul to its most fixed bliss no man can beat him off of this his watchfulness when he hath once tasted the love of God so as to witness that he is satisfied with it not that I think it is enough to seem satisfied or to talk of being satisfied but I speak of them that are really and indeed satisfied you have a notable Text of Scripture in the 4th of John Christ tells the woman of Samaria that he that drinketh of that water that he shall give them shall never thirst again and in the 6th of John he tells the Jews that their Fathers did eat Manna in the Wilderness and were dead but whosoever shall eat of that Bread which I shall give them shall live for ever I will not say but many may taste of this Bread in some measure in many degrees and yet never hardly stand upon their watch to keep Dogs from eating of it out of their mouths as I may so say and carrying it away out of their sight and bring them some of their old dyet even Garlick and Onions these are such as were taken in the Parable for the stony ground in which the seed wanted root yea the heat of the Sun caused it to wither but that which fell on good ground brought forth plentifully even unto the harvest Therefore I say he that warreth in this life must be sure to watch when the enemy doth seek to assault and batter down his Walls and to defame his Weapons and to poyson them with his intermingled seeming delights whereby he doth lye in wait to infect us even as a Fisher doth lay baite for to catch his intended prey So that you shall have baited hooks such as you will think are very rare and agreeable to suit with your disposition as near as may be and to advance his own ends he will fit you if it be possible for he hath variety of pleasant dainties if you will but be perswaded to deal with him he will deal for small profit rather than loose your acquaintance if it be but a making slight of your word or a self-conceitedness in your worship or to worship for custom or to believe because others say it is true when it may be you have no warrant in your own hearts that it is true but because others say it is so therefore you will believe it for you are sure that such men would not say it if it were not so as I have heard many say when they have had no other reason to believe it but because other men have affirmed it Alas my poor Friends you that have no other ground for your Faith than what another doth give you I say that you that satisfie your selves with what others say and do not enquire whether it be according to Gods Holy Word that is left us for an Example you are far from knowing what you fix your Faith upon and you will be like to the Children of Israel that could follow Moses because they saw that God did work many Miracles by him but when Moses was longer in the Mount than they supposed he would have stayed they are presently at a loss and charge Aaron to make them a God to go before them Exod. 32.1 and as we read they were forty years under his Preaching to them and yet it is recorded of them that they knew not the wayes of God there is many Writers that affirm them to be a peculiar and absolute People by their deserts but I find no such thing recorded in Scriptures therefore I shall speak what is made manifest to me though I know it will seem harsh to many to believe what I have here inserted but I would have them to take notice that it is one thing for a People to be made happy by desert and obedience and it is another to be made happy by Gods infinite mercy and forgiveness as you have Israel made happy by Gods love and compassion to them in the Wildernesse but not by desert there is a great difference between Gods loving a People a Peoples obeying God therefore I would desire every one to seriously consider when they read or hear what is the occasion of the words spoken and the time when it was spoken and the dispensation that the People were under when it was spoken and what degree of faith the People were heirs of by knowledge that it was effectually to be made theirs for if your enemy can but intrap you he will soon be more potent if it be possible for he hath an apple for Eve and so to betray Adam and a discontended pride in Cain to bring him to murther Abel Gen. 12. and a fear in Abraham to make him deny that Sarah was his Wife and a Feast for Noah to make him commit fornication with his two Daughters and a Covetousness in Jacob to deny his Brother a Mess of Pottage unless he would assign him his Birth-right Gen. 25. and afterwards he feared that God was not able to help him to the blessing of Isaac