Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	believe_v	faith_n	great_a	3,010	5	3.4764	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53275	The generation of seekers, or, The right manner of the saints addresses to the throne of grace in two treatises : the first being a sober vindication of the spirit of prayer, with the resolution of diverse practical cases related thereunto : the second a plain exposition of the Lord's prayer, with notes and application, mainly intended as a directory to those who desire to attain the gift of prayer.	Oldfield, John, 1627?-1682.	1671 (1671)	Wing O221; ESTC R31049	228,802	474

there such a childlike obsequious principle in you can you yield to the Will of God when it crosses yours hee that would try his obedience must take a trying command such as God gave Abraham Gen. 22. 1. about sacrificing his son such as thwarts his humour Interest c. Oh how few will obey where any disadvantage to their carnall Interest attends their obedience Well but I tell you this is so essentiall to a child of God that without it in some measure it is impossible we should be Children 3. Dependnece on the Father is the Genius and disposition of a child especially in its minority so it is with a child of God his dependence is upon God his hope in him his expectation from him Psam 39. 6. and 56. 3. and 4. ult 2 Tim. 1. 12. all these and abundance more of clear Scriptures declare that the whole affiance of a child of God is in his heavenly Father How is it with us where is our confidence It may be wee goe to God when wee want a mercy and wee are not so atheisticall but wee will acknowledge that wee cannot have it without Gods giving yet Doe wee not more rely on the Physician then on God for our health more on our owne wisdom or friends advice then on Gods providence for the management of our affairs Oh there lies much of secret Atheism in this when wee pray to God yet rely on our selves or others well but if thou art indeed a child thou hast learnt to commit thy way to the Lord to east thy burden upon him to intrust thy self and all thy concernments in his hand These may be helpfull to discover your Sonship and consequently to encourage you to goe to God in prayer with considence Use 3 The last Use I shall make is this Let all those who call on God under the Notion of Father carry to him as children This as all other Priviledges is attended with duty In two words 1. Carry as children in your immediate addresses to God in prayer hearing c. And that is by putting on those affections wherewith it becomes a child to approach his Father such are humility reverence awe yet joyned with confidence only remember that your distance from God is infinitely greater then of the child from his earthly Parent and therefore your reverence must be the greater 2. Nor only in your more immediate addresses but in the whole course of your lives It s a wretched thing to goe to God Morning and Evening with Our Father in your mouths and to carry all day as R●bels 1. Pet. 1. 14. As obedient Children and verse 17. If yee call on the Father pass the time of your sojeurning here in fear You contradict your prayers by unchildlike carriages and proclaim to the world that you are not what you pretend you give God just cause to say to you as Mal. 1. 6. If I be a Father where is mine bonour Well then as the Apostle urgeth let every one that 2 Tim. 2. 19. nameth the name of Christ so I let every one that nameth the name of Father that calleth upon God as a Father depart from iniquity and endeavour a deportment suitable to that Relation Thus much for the Relation Father I now proceed to the Ground and Extent of this Relation both implyed in that sweat Monosyllable Our which as Expositors judge hath a double reference To Christ and so it imports the ground of this Relation q. d. Thou O Lord who art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in and through him Our Father Though Jesus Christ be not named in this exact form yet the very Title of Relation Father and this word Our doe intimate in whose name wee ought to come and by whom wee must have access to God 2. To all Beleevers q. d. my Father and the Father of all those that beleeve on Christ The Father of that great family in Heaven and Fph. 3 14 15. Earth And according to this double reference there is implyed a 2. fold grace which wee should especially bring along with us in prayer viz Faith in Christ and Love to the Brethren without both which wee cannot say Our Father in Truth and Sincerity nor call on God with acceptance I shall according to this double respect of the word lay down a 2. fold observation handling them with that brevity as I have done the former and endeavouring to make each Doctrin as it were a particular Rule or Directory in prayer which is my design in this whole work The first of these is taken from the word as it relates to Christ It is the 3d. Doctrine in order Doctrine 3 They that come to God as a Father must bring Christ along with them wee must not say My Father though in regard of each Christians peculiar Interest in God I deny not the lawfulness of it but wee must say Our Father that is the Father of our Elder Brother first and then ours through him However the very word of Relation Father importing our adoption doth sufficiently intimate this Truth Wee cannot come to God as Father but by Christ as Mediatour nor will hee own us as Children if own not Christ as our Elder Brother As no man comes to Christ but by the Fathers power John 6. 44. so no man comes to the Father prevailingly but by the Sons merit and mediation John 14. 6. 1. The Types of the old Testament For proof Shadowed out this Truth Christ was the substance of those shadows and many of them did shadow out this particular of Christ viz. his being our way to the Father This was prefigured by the High-Priest's entring into the Holy of holies in the people's behalf as also by Gods commanding the sacrifice to be brought to the Priest to be offered by him and forbidding the people either to offer their owne sacrifices or to put incense thereto because this must be done by the Priest Read to this purpose Levit. 5. 8 12. and 17. 3. 10. and 8. 11. and 16. 12 13. And what did all this teach but that wee must come by Christ our high Priest unto the Father the same was intimated by the blood of sprinkling the Hysop the scarlet wooll c. which for brevity I omitt 2. The express commands of the new Testament doe teach this lesson hence Christ is called our High-Priest Heb. 2. 17. and 3. 1. and 4. 14. and 10. 21. our Mediatour Heb. 9. 15. and 12. 24. that is one that stands betwixt God and us By him wee have access and Manuduction into the presence of God Eph. 2. 17. Through him wee are commanded to offer the sacrifice of ● praise to G●d Hebr. 13. 15. So that as Joseph's Brethren might not see his face unless they brought Benjamin with them so neither can wee see the reconciled face of God without Christ all our addresses to God in prayer and returns of praise must be through him John 16.

forgiveing others is expressed rather than any other The probable Reason may be 1. Because of the suitableness of this condition to the thing Petitioned for wee ask forgiveness and plead our owne forgiving others so that herein wee desire a kind of retaliation which is alwayes thought the highest equity By asking it upon this Condition wee begge to be dealt with as wee our selves deal with others that if wee shew no mercy wee may find none 2. And this possibly may be a more sensible Hoc modo voluit Christus absolutionis nostrae siduciam quasi impresso sigillo meliùs ratam facere Calvin evidence of our faith and repentance which in themselves are not so discernable and therefore not so pleadable Faith and Repentance are more hidden things 't is easy for a man to deceive himself and others about them though I would not be understood as if I thought it impossible for a man to be certain hee hath them without immediate revelation but this is easily discernable both to our selves and others wee can observe whether our hearts swell with rancour and revengefulness or whether they melt into love and reconcileableness and for the act of forgiveing others can judge Now this I may say Where there is a frame of heart prone to forgive injuries upon right grounds principally upon the sense of the soul's greater injury done to God and its greater need of forgiveness at his hands or else because God hath forgiven it there is certainly both Faith and Repentance for true grace is concatenate such a frame speakes the man renewed naturally wee are injurious 1 Tim. 1. 13. hatefull and hating one another Tit. 3. 3. malicious and revengefull And where there is a renewing work it passes over the whole man the new man hath all his members every grace though not in the same measure so that our forgiveing others being in it self more easily discernable and where it is indeed being demonstrative of the presence of Faith and Repentance in the soul may be possibly put as the condition or argument in this Petition but certainly it must be understood as in Co●j●nction with those two graces which are both principall requisites in those that are in the Covenant of Grace and conditions in order to pardon Let mee add here that there is a natural propensi●y to forgive and forget injuries sound even among the Heathen which being separated from true grace is no such plead●ble condition because it neither arises from the same grounds nor hath the same inducements motives pattern or ends as this which wee are taught to plead Then is our forgiving others of the right stamp when wee doe it in obedience to God in imitation of God in expectation of greater mercy from God not because our forgiving others can merit it but because upon our forgiving others hee hath promised it Matth. 6. 14. or when the sense of God's greater mercy to us inclines us hereunto when wee can argue God hath forgiven mee Talents and shall not I forgive Pence Thus much may suffice in answer to the Queries Use Let us pray according to this pattern use Let us beg forgiveness as a principall mercy and beg it as wee are here taught Do I need to adde motives in a matter of such important necessity Consider Mot. 1. Sin makes you debtors as wee have seen therefore debt if not remitted will be required and Oh how great a debt is it 'T is such as all the world cannot satisfy muchless can you your selves doe it It was an impossibility that hee promised Matth. 18. 26. if wee understand the debt there to be satisfaction for sin as the impor● of the Parable seems to make it and indeed what will not a man promise when the knife is at his throat if his meer promise will secure him from imminent destruction Let Sinners know The price is too great for them to pay Psal 49. 7 8. Mich. 6. 6 7 8. There is no way therefore but to fall down at the feet of God in humble confession and earnest Petition fer pardon Else they are like to be delivered to the tormentors till they shall pay all that is due Matth. 18. 34. and that till will never be eternity only will be sufficient for it they shall ever be paying but never have paid it Should not this make us speedily embrace our Saviour's counsel Matth. 5. 25 2. Consider what encouragements we have the Name of God proclaimed Exod. 34. 6. his gracious promises made to him that confesseth and forsaketh Prov. 28. 13. 1 John 1. ult Isa 43. 25. c. the compleat satisfaction and the constant and ●st 4. 16. prevailing intercession of Christ if Esther would adventure upon the Kings favour though not according to Law well may wee adventure to goe to God having such so many and so great encouragements add this to the former And then 3. Consider what a precious priviledge it is that you are pressed to seek by prayer 't is the in-let to all other mercies the door into happiness Psal 32. 1 2. A pardoned Sinner may have boldness with God hath free access to God audience and acceptance peace and comfort Get this and it brings along with it all other spiritual blessings and priviledges For this end was Christ exalted Act. 5. 31. to be a Prince and Saviour even to give Repentance and Remission of sins and where this is bestowed all other benefits purchased by Christ follow after it Therefore be earnest with God for it Direct 1. Understand what is implyed and included in this Petition and here as in the former 1. Something is implied by way of acknowledgment principally three things 1. Here is a cleer acknowledgment that you are Sinners and stand indebted to the Law and Justice of God in conformity therefore to this Petition you are to confess sins not only in the generall but particularly in the severall Kinds circumstances and aggravations of them To which purpose you may borrow expressions from the acknowledgments of the Saints in Scripture who have lest their confessions upon record such as Psal 40. 12. 51. Ezr. 6. Neh. 9. c. This is a Theme frequently insisted on and the manner how sin is to be confessed is fully taught by others only to give a touch upon it our confessions must be as much as possible 1. Both universal of all sin so far as we know it and particular of every sin in its nature and circumstances 2. Cordiall and affectionate attended with a serious sense of the hainousness of sin and with shame grief self-abhorrency and detestation of the fact 3. Self judging and self-condemning we are to pass a sentence of death upon our selves that Hell is our due and everlasting destruction might justly be out portion Much more might be added But 2. Here wee are taught to acknowledg that we are non-solvent that wee are in an utter incapacity for the payment of this debt Were it possible