Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	answer_v	know_v	love_v	2,783	5	5.8891	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62877	True old light exalted above pretended new light, or, Treatise of Jesus Christ as He is the light which enlightens every one that comes into the world : against the sense both of the Quakers, Arminians, and other assertors of universal grace, whose light is proved to be darkness / delivered in nine sermons, by John Tombes, B.D., and commended to publick view by Mr. Richard Baxter.	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.	1660 (1660)	Wing T1824; ESTC R21431	110,239	95

that by a faithfull and carefull use of those natural abilities that light of reason conscience and understanding which every person of mankind under heaven receiveth from God he may and shall receive from him yet further that which shall be of saving import and consequence to him Not much short of these is that French divine of much note who maintains universal grace objective though not subjective that is though there be not such an universal working by illumination or other operation of the Spirit of God so sufficient or effectual as to beget saith in every one yet there is so much revealed to every man even those that have not heard of Christ as might if they would apprehend it beget faith in God to salvation Sect. 2. The Opinion of the Quakers concerning a Light within each man is inquired into Out of the Principles of these men whether instilled by Popish Emissaries which have crept into the English Armies and Churches or some other way that sort of people who now go under the name of Quakers from their usual quaking before they began to speak thereby deluding the people as if they waited for a Revelation from God though most of their speeches of all of them have been their usual invectives against Preachers and pressing men to follow the light within them these people I say have drawn their tenet of an universal light in every man that cometh into the world without Bibles Preachers Church-communion Christian Ordinances to know his duty so as that he may be perfect which is indeed the reviving of old Pelagianism or worse and tends to the making of Christian Religion if not all Religion whatsoever unnecessary Those who heretofore or at this day maintain this universal sufficient light besides these Quakers are many of them subtile disputants and do set down their opinion distinctly and argue for it acutely though they decline the expresse owning of Pelagius his grosser expressions and Puccius his natural faith and Hurberus his universal election But the Quakers as they are for the most part destitute of that art of reasoning so they decline all conference in which they may be pressed to state the point in difference distinctly and to deliver their proofs and answer objections but instead thereof by clamour and reproaches which please their silly followers they reject all motions tending to a fair debate of the point in controversie Being desirous to know what they held one of them brought to me James Nailors Book termed A salutation to the seed of God and Love to the Lost which being in many passages obscure I delivered to him that brought me the Book fifty five Queries to be answered by them yea or no as the person had required of me to answer his Queries The Answer though made by one formerly known to me as a person of some ingenuity and learning yet was framed otherwise then I required declining to answer affirmatively or negatively to the Question as by me propounded but shifting off a plain Answer and instead thereof venting personal invectives Yet to my third Question which was thus Do you believe that those men who were never taught the Doctrine of the Law or of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have commonly a light within each of them which may guide them to the true knowledge of God and his waies unto everlasting life Omitting his words of obloquy thus he answered The Law is spiritual and there is no Nation or people into which the sound of it hath not come and the Gentiles which had not the letter were a law to themselves shewing the effect of the Law written in their hearts And Christ is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world with a spiritual light the one loves this light and brings his deeds to it and by this light is led from his evil deeds into the knowledge of God who is life eternal in Christ to know the other hates the light because his deeds are evil and loves darknesse rather then light and there is his condemnation And their sound who were Ministers of this truth went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world Rom. 10. 18. In which Answer there is not an expresse resolution of the Question but sundry shifts to avoid a plain Answer as 1. Whereas he asserts that the Law is spiritual Rom. 7. 14. which is the Law of the ten Commandements or the last Precept of the ten and the Apostle ver 9. saith I was alive without the Law once which intimates that he was once without the Law that is without the right knowledge and understanding of it And Rom. 2. 14. the Gentiles of whom my Question was are said twice not to have the Law yet this Answerer asserts There is no Nation or people into which the sound of it hath not come and to avoid the objection arising from the words useth this expression And the Gentiles which had not the letter whereas the words are expresse they having not the Law 2. He patcheth together different Scriptures Joh. 1. 9. Joh. 3. 19 20. as if the light communicated by Christ coming into the world were the same with that with which in his sense he lighteth every man that cometh into the world not heeding that if every man that cometh into the world had a light sufficient to guide him and that even the Gentiles of whom Paul saith Gal. 4. 8. that they knew not God had a spiritual light and that thereby some were led from their evil deeds into the knowledge of God who is life eternal in Christ to know then none were in darknesse contrary to Paul Ephes. 5. 8. none were without Christ or without God in the world contrary to Paul Ephes. 2. 12. then Christ need not come into the world to inlighten men nor sond Ministers of this truth into all the earth sith they had this light before Christ was come into the world to inlighten them with spiritual light and if Christ doth inlighten with this spiritual light every one that cometh into the world there are none but come to the light they having it within them and it doth reprove their deeds whether they will or no. But it is no marvell that men that boast so much of light within them shew so much darknesse of mind in their expressions it being true of them as Christ said of the Pharisees Joh. 9. 41. Because ye say We see therefore your sin or blindnesse remains However it may be hence gathered that this is their conceit That every man that cometh into the world even the Gentiles that had not the letter by which he meanes the holy Scriptures or Bible or any Preacher or Teacher to instruct them out of it yet had from Christ a spiritual light and that one loves this light and brings his deeds to it and by this light is led from his evil deeds into the knowledge of God who is life eternal in

for him And he is before all things and by him all things consist Col. 1. 16 17. And to like purpose it is said Heb. 1. 2 3. By whom also he made the worlds and upholding all things by the word of his power Sect. 2. Christ enlightens the world with the knowledge of God as the Prophet of the Church There are other sorts of light which are from Christ as his Fathers Officer sent into the world and anointed for the recovery of man sallen by sinne 1. There is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God which is by the enlightening that is in the face or person of Jesus Christ as Paul expresseth it 2 Cor. 4. 6. Whereby it is that we see as through a glass the glory of the Lord with unveiled face 2 Cor. 3. 18. Not as it was with Israel when they could not look on Moses without a veil over his face as it is ver 7. 13. Till Christ appeared in the flesh the Gentiles were darkness Paul saith of the Galatians Gal. 4. 8. Howbeit then when ye knew not God ye did service unto them which by nature are no Gods Of the Ephesians Ye were once darkness but now are ye light in the Lord Eph. 5. 8. Of the Corinthians Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb Idols as ye were led 1 Cor. 12. 2. The Jews also had their mindes blinded the vail remained untaken away in the reading of the old Testament which vail is done away in Christ 2 Cor. 3. 14. The being of the true God was so little known to the Gentiles till Christ appeared to be a light to the Gentiles that they were not only without God in the world Eph. 2. 12. Insomuch that the Athenians themselves sensible of their ignorance of him inscribed their Altar thus To the unknown God Act. 17. 23. confessing God was unknown of them But they were also so vain in their imaginations that they imagined those things to be Gods which were no Gods but creatures made to serve them being imparted unto all nations under the whole heaven by God Deut. 4. 19. Yea and under divers resemblances the meaner sort of living creatures Rom. 1. 23. And dead men and Devils 1 Cor. 10. 20. And for the Jews they understood not the counsel of God in giving of the Law and the appointing sacrifices and ceremonies till by the light of Christ the end of these things was revealed But the only begotten Son which is in the besome of the Father he hath declared God Ioh. 1. 18. revealing his true being and thereby undeceiving the Gentiles and his counsels in the giving of the Law and appointing the legal worship and thereby hath enlightened the Jews And this enlightening is proper to him who tells us Mat. 11. 27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father and no man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father but the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him This light is derived from Christ as the great Prophet of the Church of God Sect. 3. Christ as high Priest enlightens with the light of peace and joy in God 2. There is a light of peace with God which is by Christ who is our peace reconciling both Jews and Gentiles in one body by the cross having slain the enmity thereby Ephes. 2. 14. 16 This is that peace which Christ calls his peace which he promiseth to his Apostles Joh. 14. 27. where he saith Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid And again Joh 16. 33. These things have I spoken unto you that in me you might have peace in the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good chear I have overcome the world So that this light of peace with God begets the light of peace and joy in the hearts of those that are Christs insomuch that being justified by faith and having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ they rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God and not only so but they glory in tribulations also Rom. 5. 1 2 3. This peace of God which passeth all understanding keeping as a guard their hearts and mindes through Christ Jesus Phil. 4. 7. Hence it hath come to pass that even when the wicked are driven away in their wickedness as with a storm yet the righteous hath hope in his death Prov. 14. 32. As Oecolampadius when his light failed him near his death told them about him that he had light enough within him Hereby the holy Martyrs and Confessors when the heavens were black over them the rage frowns threats tortures of tyrants violently rushed upon them yet stood unmoved without being shaken by any terrour or grief from them Who shall separate us saith Paul Rom. 8. 35 36 37 38 from the love of Christ Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword Nay in all these things we are mare then conquerours through him that loved us For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This light is derived from Christ as the high Priest of the people of God Sect. 4. Christ as King of Saints enlightens with the light of glory 3. There is yet a higher and more illustrious light from Christ to wit the light of glory which is termed by the Apostle Paul Col. 1. 12. the inheritance of the Saints in light and by our Lord Christ Joh. 8. 12. the light of life which is that eternal life which is said to be the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 23. This is that blessed light of the new Jerusalem which hath no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof and the nation of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it Rev. 21. 23 24. Of this light the glorified Saints shall be fully partakers at the resurrection when the righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Mat. 13. 43. Their vile body or body of debasement shall be changed by the Lord Jesus Christ that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Phil. 3. 21. which is now more glorious then it was on the Mount Mat. 17. 2. and yet then he was transfigured and his face did shine as the Sun and his raiment was white as the light And for their spirits doubtless they shall then have farre greater light Now we see through a glass darkly or in a riddle but then face to face Now I know in part but then shall I know