Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	call_v	heart_n	spirit_n	2,759	5	4.7175	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44695	A sermon preach'd on the late day of thanksgiving, Decemb. 2, 1697 by John Howe ... ; to which is prefixed Dr. Bates's congratulatory speech to the King, Novemb. 22, 1697, in the name of the dissenting ministers in and about London.	Howe, John, 1630-1705.; Bates, William, 1625-1699. Congratulatory speech to the King, Novemb. 22, 1697.	1698 (1698)	Wing H3040; ESTC R6550	23,177	33

Blessings to the World When there is a Rising Generation of such Not proselyted to this or that Party but to real substantial Godliness and Christianity When Multitudes are thus turned unto the Lord When there are numerous Conversions a new Creation is springing up in visible and multiply'd instances so as that Holiness comes to be both an extensive and illustrious thing when Multitude comes to give Reputation to serious Religion when it is no longer a Reproach to be a visible Fearer of GOD because generally Men are so When it is look'd upon as no fashionable Thing to be a despifer of God and Heaven and to breath out Contempt of the Divine Power that gave us Breath And 7. WHEN hereupon the Divine Government obtains and takes place in the Minds and Consciences of Men. When his Authority is owned with Reverential Submission Then GOD does Bless a People when his Fear spreads far and near GOD shall bless us and all the Ends of the Earth shall fear Him as in that Psalm 67 the latter end And again 8. WHEN there is a manifest Power and prevalency of Divine Love amongst Men that bear the same Name of Christians when that Peace of GOD Rules in their Hearts unto which they are all called in one Body When they observably keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace When they have Peace one towards another so as that it may be seen that they are all the Sons of Peace the Children of the same Father who has conveyed it into them as part of that Divine Nature which he communicates to the Regenerate Seed when there is a natural Propensity to one another that they can no more Violate and Tear that vital Bond of Love and Peace that is among them than they can endure to Tear their own Flesh or pluck out their own Eyes When Peace among Christians appears to be a connatural Thing not the product of Conveniency and prudential Considerations only but a Nature which none can more endure to Counter-Act than to offer Violence to themselves a Thing which Nature admits not whose Laws never allow it to Act against it self And Lastly WHEN upon all this GOD appears to be Reconciled unto such a People For in His Favour is Life When all these Things do concur as so many Indications of His being at Peace with them i. e. That He has intirely Forgiven them All Former Offences That their Sins and Iniquities He remembers no more And these concur with such Things as partly Make and partly Argue them the Objects of His Delight That He has Written His Law in their Hearts He has Put His Spirit into them He has made them a Company of God-like Creatures like Himself whose very Nature is Love they are his Living Resemblances in that very Respect expressing herein His Vertues who has Called them out of Darkness into His own Glorious and Marvelious Light Hereupon such a People may reckon themselves secure of GOD's own Prefence He is in the midst of them and His Glory ceases to hover becomes with them a Fixed Thing settles its Station as not about to discontinue or remove their Land may now be called The Land of Immanuel and bears the Inscription GOD with us The Tabernacle of GOD is with them and He is resolved to Dwell with them and be their GOD and a-vow them before all the World for His Peculiar People After the many things that do concur together in an Inferiour kind as the concomitants of a meerly External Peace as That their Sons grow up as Plants their Daughters as so many Polished corner Stones that join together the Walls of a Pallace that their Garners be full their Sheep numerous their Oxen strong that there be no complaining in their Streets after all these things it is subjoned Yea Happy is the People whose GOD is the LORD All the foremention'd things alone will never make a Blessing worthy of a People peculiar to GOD. But when it can be said That the LORD is their GOD they are an Happy People indeed Psalm 144. 12. 15. Such as these are the Things Requisite to make Peace a Compleat Blessing But now we are 2. TO shew you the Requisiteness of the Concurrence and Concomitancy of such Things to the mentioned Purpose or how it may appear that such Things as these are necessary to compleat this Blessing or to make it a truely valuable or a special Blessing In Order hereto Note 1. THAT there is such a Thing as a special Blessing very distinguishable from such Blessings as are meerly Common We read of one Jabez 1 Chron 4. 9 10. said to be more honourable than his Brethren And somewhat very remarkable as we are to reckon when to the Divine Wisdom it was thought fit to be inserted amidst a Genealogical Discourse is further said of him viz. That he called to the GOD of Israel saying O! that thou wouldst Bless me indeed c. And 't is added GOD granted what he Requested It seems besides what goes under the Common Notion of Blessing he reckon'd there was somewhat more Peculiar which he calls Blessing indeed There is a known Hebraism in that Expression What we read Bless me indeed is Bless me in Blessing me q. d. Let me have a Bleessing within a Blessing Let me have that Blessing whereof the other is but a Cortex the outside Let me have that Blessing that is wrapt up and enclosed in the external Blessing And because 't is said And GOD granted his Request we have Reason to understand it was som●what very peculiar that GOD vouchsafed unto him And that account which some give us has a look that way that GOD vouchsafed him somewhat more extraordinary in the kind of Mental and Intellectual Endowments For we are otherwise informed that this Jabez became a noted Doctor among the Jews and that the City called after his Name was thereupon afterwards the Residence of such as were most Learned in their Laws Vatabl. apud Critic That is to be Blessed indeed to have these Things conferr'd that do reach the Mind and affect the inner Man to be blessed with Spiritual Blessings from the Heavenly Places as in that Eph. 1. 3. There is a Spiritual sort of Blessing that may be enclosed in the External Blessing And particularly in this of Peace which while it is common to the People of GOD with other Men is it self not common 2. I further Note That the things I have mentioned to you they are of that special kind they are either immediate Spiritual Blessings or Subservient to such Whereupon now we may from several considerations evince to you that without them such an External Good as this of Peace is not a compleat Blessing 1. IT is no Argument of GOD's Special Favour The Best and most Valuable Blessings are from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good pleasure of His Will Eph. 1. 3 4 5. Other Men may enjoy External Benefits may both

to Almighty GOD for this Blessing of the Present Peace if we did consider BOTH what it hath Cost AND whereto it is Improvable BUT the Former Consideration I shall not insist upon lest any should make an undue use of it AND the Latter I leave to the following Head which we are next to proceed to Viz. Secondly TO shew what matter of Supplication remains to us upon the latter Account that is with Reference to such things as are yet wanting to make this Blessing of Peace a Compleat Blessing and without which it cannot be understood to be such but we may be left at last a most miserable People and so much the more miserable by how much the higher Favours we have to account for that not being Improved must have been thrown away upon us The Mercies included in the Peace will be unimproved and lost without the mentioned Additions Whereof all the several Heads that were Recited belong to one Viz That of Spiritual Blessing That therefore in the General we have to pray for that GOD may be said to Bless us indeed to Bless us in Blessing us viz. That He would Bless us with Spiritual Blessings in the Heavenlies i. e. in Heavenly Things or from the Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus as Eph. 1. 3. LET us I Pray you Learn to distinguish between a Self-desirable Good that in its own Nature is such so immutably and invariably that it can never degenerate or cease to be such And what is only such by Accident and in some Circumstances may be much otherwise SPIRITVAL Good that of the Mind and Spirit and which makes that better especially that which accompanies Salvation Heb. 6. 9. That runs into Eternity and goes with us into the other World is of the former Sort. EXTERNAL Good is but Res Media capable of being to us sometimes Good and sometimes Evil as the Case may alter Blessings of this kind may become Curses Mal. 2. 2. I will Curse your Blessings yea I have cursed them already A Mans Table may become his Snare and that which was for his welfare a Trap Psalm 69. 22. MEERLY External Blessings are Curses when they become the fewel of Lusts when they animate Men unto Contests against Heaven rebellions against the Divine Government when like Jesurun Men wax Fat by them and Kick against Heaven Deut 32. This we are always liable to till Spiritual Blessings intermingle with our other Blessings And nothing should more convince the World that the kindest and most benign Part of the Divine Government lies in immediate Influences on the Minds of Men and that consequently their own Felicity depends thereon Let all things that can be imagined concur in the kind of External Good and they can never make him an Happy Man that has an ill Mind He will always be his own Hell and carry that about with him wheresoever he goes He will be a constant Spring and Fountain of Misery to Himself Misery and he cannot be separated from one another There is no Peace to the Wicked saith my GOD but he will be always a troubled Sea whose Waters cast forth Mire and Dirt Isa. 57. 20 21. The Philosophy of Pagans would have made them ashamed to Place their Felicity in any Thing without or Foreign to themselves BUT we are Christians and shall we not much more be ashamed to take other or even opposite Measures of Blessedness to those which are given us by our Divine Master TO be Toor in Spirit upon just accounts Mourners Meek Hungry and Thirsty after Righteousness Merciful Pure in Heart Peace-Makers To submit to be persecuted for Righteousness-sake These are his Characters of a Blessed Man And He places that Blessedness it self in Congenerous Things Mat. 5. 3 4 5 c. LET us Learn from him and Collect that nothing but Wickedness can make us miserable What an overflowing Deluge have we in View Tending to subvert our Religion and Our Civil State together Nor have we another Effectual Remedy in view but the Spirit of GOD if He will vouchsafe to pour it forth The great Enemy of Mankind is come in upon us like a Flood and only the Spirit of the Lord can lift up a Standard against him Isa. 59. 19. The Spirit of the Lord would be to us as a purifying Flame to burn up our Filthiness and enkindle in us that Divine Love that would make us Zealous of good Works And this should be with us the Matter of earnest and incessant Supplication not with Diffidence for He will give his Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11. 13. Nor with diminishing Thoughts of the Necessity and Value of the Gift Take heed of that for that were to be miserable and undone by a Principle To be misled by a prophane false Judgment into the Contempt of the most highly valuable Things that are most necessary to our true Welfare And which are all contained in the Gift of the Spirit as you may see by comparing Mat. 7. and Luke 11. with one another In the one Place it is said He will give good Things to them that ask him in the other Place it is said his Spirit implying that the Gift of the Spirit Involves in it all good Things And certainly nothing can be good to any Man till he hath that Spirit that makes him Good And we are greatly concerned to Supplicate mightily for the Effusion of that Blessed Spirit for these two Purposes especially First That there may be a larger Diffusion amongst us of Vital Religion whereby we shall be at Peace with GOD. Secondly That Christian Love may more abound whereby Christians may be composed to mutual Peace and more dispos'd to mutual Communion with one another 1. THAT there may be a larger Diffusion of Vital Religion Wherein stands indeed their being at Peace with GOD when there is a mutual amplexus between him and them Mind touching Mind and Spirit Spirit when He does by His Spirit embrace the Spirits of Men and infuse Light and Life into them and adapt and suit them for his Communion To this Purpose we have great Cause to beg and supplicate earnestly for a greater pouring forth of his Spirit that this living Religion may spread amongst us For we appear to be under a Doom while it does not so that seeing we should see and not perceive c. Isa. 6. O the fearful guilt incurr'd one Lords Day after another When great Assemblies meet together Multitudes are besought and supplicated that they would be Reconciled to GOD but too few Listen Peace with GOD seems not a valuable Thing with us His Favour in which is Life is little set by When with many a one a Treaty is continued in Order to Peace through many Years Seven Ten Twenty Thirty nay Forty Years and yet this Treaty brings not about a Peace at last but they stand out still hardened in their Impenitency Infidelity Obstinacy Enmity against GOD and his Christ through the Power and Dominion

that an Earthly Vain Carnal Mind has in them and over them What can our Peace with Men signifie in this Case What do we not know that the Friendship of this World is Enmity against God James 4. 4. 1 John 2. 15. And that it is as impossible for a Man to be a sincere Lover of GOD and an over-intense Lover of this World as to have two GODS i. e. two Supream Powers to govern him two Supream Goods to satisfie him This must breed a perpetual War till the Case alters between Thee and Him that made Thee and Woe to him that strives with His Maker To have the Wrath of GOD Armed with Omnipotency engaged against Thee and yet that thou shouldest not covet Peace that yet thou shouldst not cry for Peace To have the Peace-making Blood of thy Redeemer crying to Thee O he at Peace with GOD To have Him that shed it thus bespeaking Thee I am ready to do the Part of a Days-man I have dyed upon the Cross that I might do so that I might effect and bring about a Peace between GOD and Thee I am ready to Mediate make Use of Me. I will undertake on GODS Part that He shall Pardon Thee that He shall Forgive Thee and let the Controversie fall if yet thy Heart on thy Part will yeild melt and relent and thou cry for Mercy He came with this Design into this World the Proclamation of Angels at His coming spake his Design Glory to GOD in the Highest and Peace on Earth and Good Will towards Men. Shall not all this be believed Or shall Men pretend to believe it and not Consider it or not Look upon it as a considerable Thing 2. AND there is as much need too that we supplicate for this Spirit as a Spirit of mutual Love among Christians to reconcile them to one another Which indeed is also but to Christianize them to make Vital Religion take Place with them For that same Spirit of Christ which animates his Body and makes them his Living Members makes them such to one another And the Matter speaks it self That opposite Spirit unto truly Christian Peace and Love which appears amongst us nothing but the Spirit of Christ can overcome we are not to expect a Cure of our Distempers in this Kind but by the pouring forth of this Blessed Spirit And if there be not a Cure we are certainly to expect the pouring forth of his Wrath. And Things look with a Threatning Aspect upon us to this Purpose Now that Opportunity is so Inviting GODS Call so Loud and the Way so Plain That yet an Indisposition to Peace should be so obstinate that Breaches should be kept open by Trifles and unaccountable Things of which no Man of Sense can pretend to give an Account That there is Strife too manifestly not from the Love of Truth whereof not one Hair needs be Lost nor of any other valuable Thing but meerly from the Love of Strife when as to the most Material and Important Truths Men are agreed but would seem to disagree they Mean the same Things but impute to one another a different Meaning and pretend to know the others Mind better than themselves that on that pretence they may Quarrel with them All this looks Fatally And our unjust Anger 's at one another are too expressive of GODS just Anger with us all that his Good Spirit that Spirit of Love Peace Kindness Benignity is so notoriously Resisted Vexed Grieved and Despited by us And the Consequences are likely for some Time to be very Dismal Though when GOD hath proceeded in a Way of Punitive Animadversion so far as he shall Judge necessary for the Vindication of his own Name and the Honour of our Religion so scandalously misrepresented to the World it will be easie to Him by one Victorious Effort of that Spirit to reduce the Christian Church to its Original genuine Temper and make it shine again in its own Native Light and Lustre But in the Mean Time I cannot see that there is greater need of an over-pouring Influence of the Holy Ghost to draw Men into Union with Christ and thereby to bring back Apostate Souls to GOD or to work in them Faith and Repentance than to bring them into Union upon Christian Terms with one another Or that the Love of this World or any the most ignominious sensual Lust or Vice Drunkenness Gluttony or any other are more hardly or more rarely overcome than the Envy Wrath Malice which Christians ordinarily are not at all shy of expressing toward one another I speak upon some Experience lamenting that having this occasion which Sense of Duty will not let me balk I have also so much Cause to mention that foregoing Observation For I cannot forget that sometime Discoursing with some very Noted Persons about the business of Union among Christians it hath been freely granted me that there was not so much as a Principle left among those the Discourse had Reference to upon which to Disagree And yet the same fixed Aversion to Union continued as before as a plain Proof they were not Principles but Ends we were still to differ for In this Case what but the Power of an Almighty Spirit can overcome To quote Texts of Scripture upon such Occasions signifies nothing even to those who profess a Veneration for those Holy Oracles of GOD. Let such Places be mention'd as are expresly directed against Division Wrath Strife Slandering or Backbiting one another and they avail no more than if the Vice were the Vertue or the Vertue the Vice no more than if it were a Command to Christians to Malign to Traduce to Backbite one another To urge so plain and numerous Scriptures in these Cases it is to as little Purpose as to oppose ones Breath to a Storm It is the same Thing as if all Scriptures that had any Aspect or Look this Way were quite put out of the Canon and all this with Men zealous for the Divine Authority of the Scripture And indeed it is come to that pass as to look like a Jest to expect that any Man should be swayed by Scripture or the most convincing Reason agreeable thereto against his own Passion or Humour or against the supposed though never so grosly mistaken Interest of his Party NOR is it meer Peace that is to be aimed at but free mutual Christian Communion with such as do all hold the Head Christ. As Peace between Nations infers Commerce so among Christian Churches it ought to infer a Fellowship in Acts of Worship I wish there were no Cause to say this is declined when no Pretence is left against it but false Accusation none but what must be supported by Lying and Calumny Too many are busie at inventing of that which is no where to be found that Exists not in the Nature of Things that they may have a Colour for continued Distance And is not this to fly in the Face of the Authority under which we Live