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	lie_n	truth_n	3,607	5	5.8982	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30814	A glimpse of God, or, A treatise proving that there is a God discovering the grounds of atheism, with arguments of divers sorts against atheists : shewing also, the unity of the Godhead, and the trinity of the persons ... / by ... Mr. Thomas Byrdall ...	Byrdall, Thomas, 1607 or 8-1662?	1665 (1665)	Wing B6404; ESTC R14883	155,901	472

omnia therefore most perfect therefore but There 's none good but God verè perfectè summè simpliciter one God who is infinitely wise infinitely good infinitely powerful infinitely holy there is none good but God truly perfectly chiefly simply If there should be more Gods then one then there should be a distribution of excellencies there would be some perfection in one God which is not in the other so each of them would be imperfect neither should be God because each imperfect for there is no imperfection in the Godhead an imperfect God is no God Because that which hath Being from Arg. 2. himself and is an absolute independent Being can be but one now God hath an absolute independent Being from himself therefore he calls himself Jehovah which implies two things for our purpose sc that he hath being from himself and gives being to all other things In him we live and move and have our being Act. 17. and of him are all things Now that there is and can be but one Being from himself this reason may evince because otherwise there would be progressus in infinitum if God's Being be from another then that which gave God his being should be God and that had his being from another and so you may reason infinitely so t is absurd both in Divinity and Philosophy There can be but one first Cause Arg 3 and one first mover and one last end of all things therefore but one God who is the first cause of all things and the last end of all things Rom. 11. 36. There can be but one infinite Being one Almighty Being one Omnipresent Arg. 4. being therefore but one God who is onely Infinite Omnipo●ent and onely every where Cujus centrum est ubiqùe circumferentia nusquam as T●ismegist● Trismegistus speaks of God There can be but one Infinite for if there were two distinct Infinite Beings then there would be something in one which is not in another then where there is any thing wanting that is not Infinite and so no God There can be but one Omnipresent Being as Athenagoras argues well if there be more Gods where are they seeing the one onely true God is every where The fifth Argument is from the Arg. 5. Gentiles who though they Worshipped ●any Gods yet still did acknowledge there was but one true God Because the Divine nature is indivisible A●g 6. cannot be divided into parts it is indivisible because God is one simpliciter unum simplicissimum one most simple thing admitting no parts nor number if the Divine Nature were divisible into parts then were it not one simple but a compound entity CHAP. III. Sheweth the grounds how it came to pass men made so many Gods besides God NOw the grounds whence it cam● to passe that men made so many God's besides the true God wer● Jon. 1 6. these 1. One Reason was the great benefits which sometimes they receive● from men who were eminent in som● Heroicall vertues the blinded Gentiles would therefore honour and reverence them as Gods 2. The creatures that were usefull were worshipped as gods because of their usefulness by those deluded Heathens thus the people of Judah when they fell to Idolatry burnt incense as they termed it to the Queen of heaven poured out drink offerings to her and made her cakes to Worship her Jerem. 44. for say they to the Prophet When we did thus then had we plenty of victuals and were well and saw no evil ver 17. Therefore the Egyptians would worship Fire Cattel Onyons Doggs c. and the Persians would worship the Sun Moon and Stars 3. From a conceit that Devils did all mischief to them therefore they would worship even Devils themselves to pacify them 4. The Devil himself did earnestly labour to blind the eyes of the Heathen by foretelling things to come which begot in them an opinion of a Deity therefore they did offer sacrifice to them and would go to their Oracles to demand future things which gave them an ambiguous answer 5. Sometimes they would frame a God according to their own lusts and wicked conditions as those that were given to lust and adultery made Venus their Goddesse they that w●re given to theft made Mercury their God they that were given to murther and war made Mars their God 6. The Apostle gives the true reason of all sc God's judgement upon them giving them up to a blind mind and vain imaginations for their contempt of the true and only God R●m 1. 21. 22 23. Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish hea●t was darkened professing themselves wise they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things therefore God gave them up to their own hearts lusts and so they changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the Creature more then the Creat 〈…〉 who is blessed for ever Amen ver 25. This is the reason why God gives men up to idolatry in these daies 2 Thes 2. 10 11. The Apostle having described the coming of the man o● Sin to be after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might b● saved he then tells us that for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie when men shall resist the revealed truth of the onely true God he gives them up to believe lies 7. Another ground why they made more Gods then one was the very ground and argument of the Manichees affirming there were two pri●ciples or beginnings of things a summum bonum and a summum malum a summum bonum from whence sprang all good a summum malum from whence issued forth all evil Their argument and reason is from the contrary effects of things and the contrary works that are done there are divers and very contrary effects to one another Now two things will give full answer hereunto The diversity and contrariety of effects Arg. i. argu●s not a contrariety and diversity of causes one thing may be the principle from which issueth divers contrary effects as for instance As the Sun is one and the same cause and yet worketh diversly upon divers subjects his presence causeth light his absence darknesse it hardens clay soften's wax the Sun is the cause of the great heat in the Summer and of the cold in the Winter it ripeneth and rotteth fruit it ●awneth the Blackmore's skin it doth not do so to another Nation If contrary effects should argue contrary causes then there should be two Suns if one Sun can by his light and heat produce contrary effects why not one God form

Use 4. saw him that is invisible When you are alone then walk circumspectly because the invisible God beholds you Say to thy self Shall I being alone sin this or that sin to which I am tempted the invisible God beholdeth me and if he see me it is more then if all Angels and Men did look upon me in the act What though I may take away a Babylonish garment a golden wedge and there may be all possible secresie offered me yet I will not touch it because the invisible God sees me and sure he will find me out and make my sin find me out I have set God always before mine eyes saith David and this kept him in his uprightness Though God be invisible yet walk thou so as having God before thine eyes as if thou didst continually see him So it is said of Moses Heb. 11. 27. By faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him that is invisible He did not fear the wrath of Pharaoh King of Egypt he durst not abide in Egypt he was contented to endure his share as seeing him who is invisible he feared the wrath of the invisible God more than the wrath of visible Pharaoh 5. If God be invisible then doubtless Use 5. there are glorious things prepared for the godly which are yet invisible The best things of Christianity are invisible the sincerity and truth of grace is hidden from the world Your life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 3. your life of grace your life of comfort and your life of glory too The Saints themselves are a mystery the world knoweth them not 1 Joh. 3. 1. But the reward which God hath in store for his people is much more invisible God hath prepared such things for his people as eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive Therefore a Christian with an eye of Faith should look not to the things that are seen which are temporal but to the things which are not seen that are eternal 2 Cor. 4. ult Sect. 3. 6. This may justifie the godly man's Vse 6. self-denial and willing parting with the visible things of this world All visible delights honours and advantages they are content to part with all all miseries visible they patiently undergo which the world counts madnes here is the Reason They live by Faith and not by Sense have hopes of better and invisible things invisible Riches invisible Joys and Pleasures they see invisible treasures of happiness and in the hopes of these they can part with all visible things They see invisible torments treading on the heels of visible pleasures therefore they regard not the visible pleasures of sin which are but for a season Therefore the godly are happy because they have hopes of invisible happines and the hope of those excellent and invisible things doth blast the glory of all visible excellencies and quench the flame of all visible miseries 7. Here 's comfort to the godly in Use 7 two things 1. Against invisible Enemies the Devil is an invisible enemy and by secret ways such as we see not seeketh to destroy our immortal sou●s but this may comfort them that they have an invisible God to confound the invisible stratagems of invisible Devils 2. Against all afflictions whatsoever 1. Because God hath invisible ways to work out our deliverance and salvation for us God's working is invisible though his works are manifest and visible 2. He hath invisible comforts to revive the hearts of his people when their hearts are ready to faint within them He hath also Promises of invisible rewards wherewith to succour them Lastly Though God be invisible Use 8. yet we may come to the sight of his glory to our unspeakable joy and endless comfort Will ye see God hereafter then labour for pure hearts pure eyes shall see God and a pure heart shall enjoy him Without holiness no man shall enjoy God nor see him in his glory As light is necessary to enable us to behold things here which are visible so is holiness necessary for the man that will behold him that is invisible What is that blackness of darkness which eternally hindreth the damned from seeing God but the woful impurity and uncleanness of their hearts and lives A Discourse of God's Perfection Matth. 5. 43. Be ye therefore perfect as your Father which is in heaven is perfect CHAP. I. OUr Saviour having given the true and full sence of the Law and refuted the gross Interpretations and errors of the Phar●sees in the close of the Chapter sets down Rules of Behaviour towards our Enemies which he urgeth from God's own dealing he is kind to the unkind good to the evil and watereth the unjust with showers of his blessing theu let your love be extended to all to thy Enemy as well as to thy Brother Are the mouthes of thine Enemies full of cursings do thou bless even such Do thine Enemies seek thy ●uine do thou seek their good Let thy Prayers ascend to the throne of grace for such as persecute thee and bring thee before Rulers for Christ's N●m● This is God's way his glory his perfection and where we see such effects of love in any man we may say that God is in that man of a truth one made partaker of the divine nature he so well resembleth God My Text is an extraordinary conclusion pressing us to imitate God whom we call father Be ye therefore perfect c. Erasm in loc For explication Erasmus render's the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the future tense ye shall be perfect But among the Hebrews the future of the indicative is often taken for the Imperative mood Beza making it an Hebraism translateth imperatively Be ye perfect ●ez Annot. and gives this sense of it by loving your enemies you declare and make it evident that you are perfect and the children of God or Be ye perfect Strive after perfection A Christian is said to be perfect three ways 1. Conatu by endeavouring after perfection St. Paul acknowledged that he was not al●eady perfect but saith he I follow after perfection Phil. 3. 12. And to the Hebrews he saith let us go on unto perfection Heb. 6. 1. 2. Affectu by breathing and panting after perfection a Christians being sensible of imperfection makes him to breath after perfection he desireth to be perfectly holy 3. Inchoativè or seminaliter he hath in him the seeds of all grace as a Child hath all the parts of a man Perfectio p●rtium Perfectio graduum though he hath not the growth of a man a Christian hath all the graces of the Spirit in him though he hath not all the degrees of them he hath a perfection of parts not of degrees the one a Christian hath the other he strives after But how must we be perfect it is thus laid down As your father which is