of love And therefore the Lord doth with us as we doe with men when men have false hearts we see they love us not we say they doe but complement So the Lord Iesus doth This should helpe us to discover our selves there is no way to discover hypocrisie none so sure a signe of it as where love is not And therefore learne by this to know your selves and to judge of your condition It may be when we confesse our sinnes wee have not thought of this that we love not Christ or at the least we have not considered what a sinne it is but you may know what a sinne it is by the punishment of it 1 Cor. 16.22 Let him be accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus You may know the greatnesse of the sinne by the greatnesse of the punishment for the punishment is the measure of the sinne and marke it he doth not say if you beleeve not in the Lord Iesus or if you doe nor obey him but if you love not the Lord Iesus That is if there be an omission but of this one thing that you love not let such a man be accursed yea let him be had in execration to the death Therefore consider this how great a sinne it is not to love the Lord. And when you consider your sinnes and make a catalogue of them looke on this as that which discovers to us the vilenesse of our natures as Paul saith of lust I knew not that it was sinne but by the law but when sinne began to live he died So I may say of this it may be men take not this into consideration this sinne that they have not loved the Lord and therefore learne to know it When we consider this that he is accursed who loves not Christ it may open a crevise of light unto us to see what condition wee are in how cursed our nature is how hainous this sinne is when a man sees that there is a cursed man a man whom the Lord sets himselfe against a man whom the Lord is an enemie to whom he puts all the strength and power he hath to confound when hee sees there is a man whom the Gospell curseth which is more terrible than the Law because the curse of the Law may be repealed there is a remedie for that in the Gospell But the Gospell if that curse a man there is no remedie This should humble us for the Gospell should humble us as well as the Law And there are sinnes against the Gospell as well as against the Law and whatsoever is sinne should humble us yea the sinnes against the Gospell are greater than the sinnes against the Law And therefore in this sense the Gospell is fitter to humble us Now when a man comes to consider his sinne it may be possibly he lookes to sinnes especially against the morall Law but you must learne to doe more than that Begin to thinke Have I received the Lord Iesus Have I beleeved in Christ These are great sins against the Gospell and these sinnes should chiefly humble us If you thinke I presse this too hard consider the words of the Apostle I named Let him be accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus Let these words be sounding in your eares compare your hearts to them sometimes cast your eye on the one and sometimes on the other and see if it be not absolutely required to love the Lord. And againe reflect on your hearts and see if you be in the number of those that doe love him And take heede herein that you deceive not your selves for it is the manner when we presse the love of Christ upon them they are ready to say I hope I love the Lord I hope I am not such a miscreant as not to love him yea but consider whether thou doe or no it is true thou maist deceive me or another man when thou professest love to God but in this thou canst not deceive thy selfe for a man knowes what he loves love is a very sensible and quick affection When a man loves any thing when hee loves his wife loves his friend loves his sonne loves his sport his recreation he knowes he loves it he hath the sense of that love in himselfe Therefore consider with thy selfe whether thou hast any such stirring affection towards the Lord Iesus or no doest thou feele thy heart so possessed with him art thou sicke of love as the Spouse saith in the Canticles I am sicke of love That is are you grieved when he is absent are you glad when you have him when you can get into his presence for there is a kinde of painfulnesse in love and all painfulnesse is of a quicke sense When it is said the Church was sicke of love sicknesse is painfull And therefore when you want the Lord when there is a distance betweene him and you when he doth not looke on you as he was wont there will be painfulnesse in it and griefe Againe there will be much joy and gladnesse when you have him Therefore let it be one way to examine your selves if you feele such a love towards him or no. Besides that let mee aske thee if thou walke with the Lord if thou converse with him if thou be perfect in his presence if thou doe as Enoch did walke with the Lord from day to day as it is an argument of an evill man that he walkes not with the Lord that he restraines prayer from the Almighty that is that he doth not converse with him So is it a great argument of love to desire Gods company to desire to be with him to walke with God to use that phrase You will say What is that to walke with him To walke with him is to observe the Lords dealing with you and to observe your carriage and dealing to him againe that there may be continuall commerce and intercourse every day that continually every houre every moment you would consider and thinke what the Lord doth to you what his carriage is to you what passages of his providence concerne you Againe consider what you doe to him what carriage there is betweene you I say this conversing is an argument of love Shâ—ll a wife professe love to her husband and ne-never come where he is never be within dores and never be in his companie So will you say you love Christ and not be frequent in prayer or neglect and slight that duty seldome converse with him and seldome speake of him When you love your friend you are with him as much as you can you love to speake with him and to speake of him So it is with the Lord if you love him certainly you will love his company you will love his presence Besides if you love the Lord you know love is a diligent thing and therefore it is called dâ—ligent love 1 Thess. 1.4 Effectuall faith and diligent love that is when a man loves a thing he is diligent
THE BREAST-PLATE OF FAITH AND LOVE A Treatise Wherein the ground and exercise of FAITH and LOVE as they are set upon Christ their Object and as they are expressed in Good Workes is explained Delivered In 18. Sermons upon three severall Texts By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of Iesus Christ IOHN PRESTON Dr. in Divinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne But let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of Faith and Love 1 Thes 5.8 What will it profit my Brethren if a man say he have faith and hath not workes Can faith save him Iames 2.14 LONDON Printed by W. I. for Nicolas Bourne and are to be solde at the South Entrance of the Royall Exchange 1630 ILLVSTRISSIMO NOBILISSIMOQVE VIRO ROBERTO COMITI WARVVICENCI IOHANNIS PRESTONI S. T. D. ET COLLEGII IMMANVELIS Q. MAGISTRI CVIVS TVTELAE DVM IN VIVIS ESSET PRIMOGENITVM SVVM IN DISCIPLINAM ET LITERIS EXPOLIENDVM TRADIDIT POSTHVMORVM TRACTATVVM PARTEM DE NATVRA FIDEI EIVSQVE EFFICACIA DEQVE AMORE ET OPERIBVS BONIS DEVOTISSIMI TAM AVTHORIS DVM VIVERET QVAM IPSORVM QVI SVPERSVNT OBSEQVII TESTIMONIVM M. D. D. D. RICHARDVS SIBS IOHANNES DAVENPORT To the Christian Reader Christian Reader INnumerable are the sleights of Satan to hinder a Christian in his course towards Heaven by exciting the corruption of his own heart to disturbe him when he is about to doe any good or by discouraging him with inward terrours when he would solace himselfe with heavenly comforts or by disheartening him under the feares of sufferings when hee should be resolute in a good cause A type whereof were the Israelites whose servitude was redoubled when they turned themselves to forsake Aegypt Wherefore we have much neede of Christian fortitude according to that direction Watch ye stand fast quit your selves like men especially since Satan like a Serpentine Crocodile pursued is by resistance put to flight But as in warres which the Philistines knew well in putting their hope in Goliah the chiefe strength of the Souldiers lyeth in their Captaine so in spirituall conflicts all a Christians strength is in Christ and from him For before our conversion we were of no strength since our conversion we are not sufficient of our selves to think a good thought And to worke out from the Saints all selfe-confidence God by their falls teacheth them To rejoyce in the Lord Iesus and to have no confidence in the flesh Whatsoever Christ hath for us is made ours by Faith which is the hand of the soule enriching it by receiving Christ who is the treasure hid in the field and with him those unsearchable riches of grace which are revealed and offered in the Gospell Yea it is part of our spirituall armour That which was fabulously spoken of the race of Gyants is truly said of a Christian hee is borne with his armour upon him as soone as hee is regenerate hee is armed It s called a Breast-plate because it preserves the heart a long large shield as the word signifieth which is usefull to defend the whole man from all sorts of assaults Which part of spirituall armor and how it is to be managed is declared in the former part of the ensuing Treatise in ten Sermons Now as all rivers returne into the sea whence they came so the beleeving soule having received all from Christ returneth all to Christ. For thus the beleever reasoneth Was Gods undeserved unexpected love such to me that he spared not his onely begotten Sonne but gave him to die for mee It s but aequall that I should live to him die for him bring in my strength time gifts liberty all that I have all that I am in his service to his glory That affection whence these resolutions arise is called Love which so inclineth the soule that it moveth in a direct line towards that obiect wherein it expecteth contentment The soule is miserably deluded in pursuing the winde and in taking ayme at a flying fowle whilest it seekes happinesse in any creature which appeares in the restlesnesse of those irregular agitations and endlesse motions of the mindes of ambitious voluptuous and covetous persons whose frame of spirit is like the lower part of the elementary region the seate of windes tempests and earthquakes full of unquietnesse whilest the beleevers soule like that part towards heaven which is alwayes peaceable and still enioyeth true rest and ioy And indeed the perfection of our spirits cannot be but in union with the chiefe of spirits which communicateth his goodnesse to the creature according to its capacity This affection of Love as it reflecteth upon Christ being a fruit and effect of his love to us apprehended by faith is the subiect of the second part of the following Treatise in 7. Sermons The iudicious Authour out of a piercing insight into the methods of the Tempter knowing upon what rockes the faith of many suffers shipwracke that neither the weak Christian might lose the comfort of his faith through want of evidences nor the presumptuous rest upon a fancy in stead of faith nor the adversaries be emboldened to cast upon us by reason of this doctrine of Iustification by faith onely their wonted nicknames of Soli-fidians and Nulli-fidians throughout the whole Treatise and more especially in the last Sermon he discourseth of good Workes as they arise from faith and love This is the summe of the faithfull and fruitfull labours of this Reverend learned and godly Minister of the Gospell who whilest he lived was an example of the life of faith and love and of good workes to so many as were acquainted with his aequall and even walking in the wayes of God in the severall turnings and occasions of his life But it will be too much iniury to the godly Reader to be detained longer in the porch Wee now dismisse thee to the reading of this profitable worke beseeching God to increase faith and to perfect love in thy heart that thou maist be fruitfull in good workes Thine in our Lord Iesus Christ RICHARD SIBS IOHN DAVENPORT OF FAITH The first Sermon ROM 1.17 For by it the righteousnesse of God is reuealed from Faith to Faith As it is written The iust shall liue by Faith IN the words I haue read vnto you Paul tels them that he is not ashamed of the Gospell of CHRIST For it was a shame to him partly because the very substance of the Gospell was then persecution and partly because he was plaine in speech hee came not with excellency of words or mans wisedome and therefore you may obserue what adoe he had to defend himselfe in his Epistles to the Corinthians a wise people who partly hated and partly despised his manner of deliuery but saith hee I am not ashamed of it for it is the power of God to saluation it is that which being receiued will bring men to heauen being rejected
this what it is that puts us into the happy estate of life and salvatiō Faith But it is faith that works by love This is enough to make this cleere to you that these two great radicall vertues faith and love are the two pillars as it were upon which our salvation is built The first of them we have handled at large Faith and the efficacy of it in the Text we handled of effectuall faith Now the other remaines of Love whence wee will deliver this point to you that Whosoever loves not whatsoever else he find in himselfe whosoever loves not the Lord Iesus is not in Christ and by consequent in a cursed and damnable estate Because this is necessarily required that you have faith and love or else you can have no salvation or else you are not in Christ and cannot be acceptable of God through Christ. So our businesse will be to open unto you this grace of love that you may know what it is And that you may know it we must first declare unto you a little in generall what this affection of love is All affections as you know are nothing else but the diverse motions and turnings of the will as the will turnes it selfe this way or that way so a man is said to be affected to love or to hate to grieve or to rejoyce Now love is that act of the will whereby it turnes it selfe to a thing as hatred is that wherby it turnes it selfe from a thing And that which is the object of this affection of love is something that is good for that which is true and that which is beautifull is not the proper object of love that is the object of the intuitive understanding but it is no further the object of love than it is good For this take for a generall rule We love nothing but as it is good And a thing is said to be good when it is sutable proportionable and agreeable to us for that is the definition of a good thing There may be many things that are excellent that are not good to us we say not that any thing is good but that which sutes and is agreeable to us and convenient for us So that if you take the definition of this affection in generall of love Love is nothing else but a disposition of the will whereby it cleaves or makes forward to some good that is agreeable to it selfe I say it is a disposition of the will whereby it cleaves to and makes forward to some good thing agreeable to it selfe which you must marke for we shall have use of all this in the sequel of this tract Now this love shewes it selfe by two effects it would have the thing it loves to be preserved And secondly a man that loves would have it his and therefore he drawes neere to it or else he drawes the thing neere to him For ◠take it not to be true that is commonly taken for granted that love is a desire of union for we doe not alwayes desire that the thing should be united to us that we love for a thing may be too neare us as letters may be too neare the eye as well as too farre off But wee would have things in such a distance as is most agreeable to us as we love fire for our use but it may be too neare us and wee love a knife for our use but it may be too neere So by the way marke it It is not alwayes a desire of union but it is a desire to have the thing it loves in such a distance as is most agreeable to us but still remember this that love shewes it selfe by these two effects It desires the preservation of the thing Secondly he would that what he loves might be his As when a man loves an unreasonable creature when hee loves a glasse when he loves a horse he preserves the glasse he keepes the horse strong and faire and if he can he would have them for his use So a man that loves riches or honour or that loves a good name he preserves them he would have them his that is he would have them at his owne arbitrement for his owne turne service So a man that loves his sonne or his friend he desires the preservation of them and withall he would have them his that is he would have them so sure united to him as may stand with his conveniencie This is the nature of love one thing more know of it it is a commanding affection Love and hatred are as it were the great Lords and Masters that divide the rest of the affections betweene them as when a man loves he desires he goes and makes forward towards the thing he loves if he obtaine it he rejoyceth in it if he doe not obtaine it yet if there be probability then hee hopes if there be no probability then he despaires if there be any inconvenience and impediment that hinders him in his prosecution he is angry with it and desires to remove it thus these affections hang on love Againe on the other side as love desires the preservation of the thing in a neerenesse and union of it so hatred desires the destruction of the thing and the separation from it And upon this affection likewise hang the others when a man hates a thing he flies from it if it overtakes him hee grieves if it be likely it will overtake him though it be not yet on him he feares if he thinke he is strong enough to resist it hee is bolde and confident So these two affections I say divide the rest Now I will adde but this further that I may declare to you the generall nature of this affection that is the kindes of love And you shall finde these kindes of love I will name them briefly First there is a love of pitty as when you love a thing you know you desire the preservation of it when you finde any thing lye upon it that destroyes it you pitty the thing you love and desire to remove it So a father pitties his sonne when hee is sicke when hee is vicious and untoward hee loves him now with a love of pitty he desires to remove the thing that hurts it Secondly there is a love of concupiscence that is when a man desires the thing that hee is said to love meerely for his use As when you love an inanimate creature or any other creature for your use you are said to love it with a love of concupiscentiall desire and this in common men is a sutablenesse between the object and the lower faculties Thirdly there is a love of complacency when a man is well pleased with the thing that is when the object is somewhat adaequate to the higher faculties of the will and understanding that there is some agreeablenesse betweene the thing loved and the frame of the soule so that when he looks on it hee is well pleased with it So the master loves
to Aegypt I am that I am saith hee say I am hath sent me I take this word that it comes from the same roote Iehovah is described by that I am and by that it is best understood when the Lord calls himselfe I am whereas every man may say I was and I shall be this every creature may say but the Lord saith I am that is whatsoever the Lord was from eternity the same he is to eternity there is no change in him And that is a great excellency in him that may moue us exceedingly to loue him You know when we meete with a friend that is constant that hath no alteration in him that is a sure friend haue him once and haue him for ever it sets a higher price on him When we can consider what the Lord is that he hath dealt thus and thus with us that he hath loved us and when we consider he is constant in it that he embraceth them with the sure mercies of David as they are called that is his compassions faile not but when hee hath once begun to loue hee loues for ever it is not so with men if they loue us at one time they forget us againe as the Butler forgot Iosâ—ph when they are in prosperity they forget us but the Lord knowes us in all our conditions thou hast knowne my soule in adversitie When we are in a strait friends oft times are backward to helpe us but the Lord in such an exigent he is the same he appeares in the Mount when there is no helpe in man I say this constancy that God is alway the same to us that his mercies are sure for they are called the sure mercies of David He shewed mercies to Saul too but they were another kinde of mercies Saul was not one that he had chosen to himselfe and therefore his mercies continued not for indeed hee never loved Saul with that unchangeable loue But when he loues any man as he loved David his mercies are sure as they were to David David was ready to step aside often as well as Saul hee let Saul goe but he carried David along they were sure mercies and such hee shewes to all those that he hath begun to loue That is the first I am or Iehovah Secondly he is strong Iehovah strong mercifull and gracious c. that is Almighty What is the meaning of that that he is almighty The meaning of it is this that the Lord hath all the excellencies those which we call graces and vertues and qualities in men all these abound in the Lord for what serues any vertue for or any quality that you haue but to enable you to doe something if a man haue any science or art that is but to enable him to doe that which without it he cannot doe if a man hath the art of Arithmetique he is able to number or if he haue the art of Logicke he is able to dispute come to all morall vertues What is temperance but that which enableth us to doe such and such things uppon such and such occasions What is patience but that which enableth us to endure afflictions So all that is excellent in man all those amiable those beautifull qualities wherewith the soule is adorned are but so farre good as they enable a man to doe this or that Now when the Lord is said to be almighty the meaning is hee hath all excellency in him and hee hath it in the highest degree for in this sense God is able to doe more than any man in regard of excellency whatsoever a man is able to doe you know how infinitely the Lord hath it beyond him he is able to doe so much more as he is beyond any man For that power that attribute that quality that is in man it is not a quality in him he hath it beyond any man Againe when a man is able to doe one thing yet he is not able to doe another one creature is able to doe this another that But the Lord is Almightie therefore he is able to doe all things And therefore this is a kind of excellencie that is the second description he is Iehovah and he is Almightie But now when you heare that the Lord is thus constant and thus exceeding in excellencie a man will be ready to say what is this to me I am a sinfull man there is nothing in me but that which may turne away the Lord from me and cause him to abhorre me Well saith he to comfort you know that I am mercifull exceeding pittifull exceeding ready to forgiue though your sinnes bee exceeding many though they bee exceeding great yet the Lord he is mercifull he is ready to passe by all those infirmities And that is another of his excellencies You know we reckon it a very amiable thing in a man when we see him pittifull This doth more abound in the Lord than in any creature there is no man in the world so ready to forgive as God If he were not God if he were as man my brethren could hee beare with us as he doth Let us doe to a man injuries and injuries againe and againe and never give over what man can beare it doth he not in the end withdrawe himselfe and will no more be reconciled But it is not so with the Lord when wee have done all Yet returne to me saith the Lord Ier. 3.2 Well but if we haue such sinnes in us suppose the Lord is mercifull and ready to forgive but yet there is no goodnes in us wee haue nothing in us why he should regard us and why he should looke after us To that it is answered the Lord is gracious that is though there bee no worth found in you yet he is ready to doe you good as grace you know is proper to a Prince or a great man that is sayd to be gracious to his subject or to one that is very inferiour because hee can doe nothing to deserue it it is called grace for grace you knowe is nothing but freenes and to be gracious is to doe things freely when there is no motiue no wages when there is nothing to winne him but of free grace he doth it So the Lord doth what he doth of his free grace he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy that is when all men did stand before him alike though there were nothing when there was no cause why the Lord should regard them more than an other yet He will haue mercy on whome he will haue mercy that is he is gracious though there be nothing in us to winne that love at his hands Well but yet wee may be readie to object it is true the Lord hath been thus to me he hath ben very merciful to forgiue me my sinnes he hath beene very gracious to me to shew me favour when I never deserved it but after I was put into such a condition I provoked him to anger by relapsing into sinne againe and againe after
in sacrifice you shall give your owne bodies to be burned you shall be my slaves who could have said any thing to that for he is the Lord the great God our soveraigne Creatour But now when the Lord comes and askes no more at our hands but this you shall love mee will you deny it him This is effectually urged in the same Chapter Deut. 10.14 where Moses marke the manner of urging it had described to them what the Lord had done for them that hee had brought them into that good land c. And now saith he what doth the Lord require of thee for all this but onely this that thou love the Lord thy God As if hee should say the Lord might aske much more at thy hands if he had thou hadst no reason to deny it but all that hee requires is that thou love him and wilt thou denie this unto him Besides consider who it is that hath planted this loue in the heart is it not the Lord that giues thee this very affection And when he calls for this love againe at thy hands doth hee call for more than his owne Shall hee not gather the grapes of his owne Vineyard and shall he not eate the fruite of his owne Orchard Hath not hee planted in us these affections and ought they not to be returned to him to serve him and to pitch on him Besides consider you are engaged to love the Lord and that should be a great motive to us in Iosh. 24.12 You are witnesses that you have chosen the Lord this day to serve him And they said we are witnesses that is Iosuahs speach to the people As if hee should say to them you are not now to choose you are now engaged you cannot goe backe you have professed you have chosen the Lord to serve him therefore you are witnesses against your selves So I may say to every man that heares mee you are engaged to love the Lord Why Because you have chosen him for your husband you are baptized in his name you have taken him for your Master and for your Father therefore he may challenge it at your hands as right for he is your Father and where is his honour then He is your Master and where is his feare then That is you are engaged he may challenge it justly you are his hee hath bought you yea he hath overbought you hee hath paid a price more worth than we hee hath bought us with his blood And what hath hee bought us for but to be his that is to love him Therefore when we love him not wee robbe God of our selves we doe an unnaturall thing it is treachery and injustice in us As you know it is one thing in a woman that is free from an husband to neglect a man that is a friend but when she hath engaged her selfe and the match is made now it is adultery So every one of us that loves not the Lord sinnes the more because he is engaged to him Deut. 32.13 Thou forsookest the strong God of thy salvation thou forsakest him to whom thou art engaged he is the strong God of thy salvation he hath done thus and thus for thee Therefore consider this for seeing you have such an affection as love is you must bestow it somewhere somewhat you must love and you must know againe it is the best thing you have to bestow for that commands all in you and where will you bestow it Can you finde any creature upon whom to bestow it rather than the Lord Will you bestow it upon any man The Lord exceedes them as David saith Who among the gods is like thee That is take the most excellent among them that therefore are reckoned as gods yet who among them is like unto thee or whom will you bestow your love upon your wealth or your pleasures or your phantasies You must thinke the Lord will take this exceeding evill at your hands that you should bestow this affection elsewhere than on him whom you are engaged unto to whom you are bound so much who hath done so much for you But that which moves us most is particulars if a man consider what the Lord hath done for him in particular remember what passage hath beene betweene the Lord and you from the beginning of your youth Ier. 2. Neither said they where is the Lord that brought you out of the land of Egypt through the wildernesse I remember thee from the land of Egypt c. That is let a man consider Gods particular dealing with him for when the Lord would stirre up David and melt his heart and bring it to a kindly sorrow for his sinnes he takes that course 2 Sam. 12.7 it is Nathans speech to him saith he Did not the Lord doe thus and thus Did hee not make thee King of Iudah and Israel Did not he give thy Masters wives and thy Masters houses into thy bosome And if that had not been enough he would have done thus and thus So let every man recount the particular kindnesses and mercies he hath received from the Lord and when we consider that it is he that doth all that it is he that feedes us that it is he that clothes us we have not a nights sleepe but he gives it to us we have not a blessing but it is from his hand there is not a judgement that wee escape but it is through his providence I say the consideration of these particulars should be as so many sparkes to breede in us a flame of love towards the Lord to thinke with your selves when you have done all how unreasonable a thing it is how unequall a thing that you should forget this God that you should never thinke on him that you should not love him hee that hath done thus much for you And last of all consider that the Lord loves you for that is the greatest motive to winne us to love him for as fire begets fire so love begets love This was the cause that Paul loved the Lord Gal. 2.20 He that loved mee and gaue himselfe for me saith he I will not live any more to my selfe but to him he hath loved me and gave himselfe for me he hath loved me and there was that testimony of his love hee gave himselfe I say consider this love of the Lord and let this beget in you a reciprocall affection towards him Put all together and consider the Lord is worthy to be beloved that he that is so great sues to you for your love that he that is God that planted that love in your hearts and therefore hee doth but call for his owne that hee that hath done you so many kindnesses that you are so engaged to him that you are now bound unto you are not now to chuse at the least come to this to say hee is worthy to be beloved bring your hearts to this to desire to love him You will say we may
that is not argument enough Thou wilt say because they doe not answer that which in their profession they make shew to be If that be the reason why doest thou not pitch thy hatred upon those that are found to be so And to conclude this you must know that no man speakes against religion or hates religion under its owne notions under its owne name but something else must be put upon it the name of hypocrisie or the like And it is the common condition of men whose hearts are not upright that they are not able to judge aright of the wayes of God a man that hath not grace himselfe cannot possibly judge aright of grace in others but I hasten I must now proceede in the point I formerly began to insist on namely in shewing you the meanes of getting this love and of increasing it I shewed formerly somes meanes to get this love and to increase it As first prayer for it is the gift of the Spirit Secondly to beseech the Lord to shew himselfe to you We will add but one now at this time to shew you the way more fully to obtaine this love If you would love the Lord remove the impediments What are those They are two Strangenes and uncircumcision of heart or worldly mindednesse First strangenesse is agreat impediment to love It is an observation that the Philosophers hath that strangenes when we doe not salute and converse one with another is a meanes of dissolving friendship so in this case when there growes a strangenesse betweene God and vs it unties and loosens that love and communion that should be betweene us Therefore if you would preserve your love to the Lord suffer not your hearts to sit loose from him suffer not a strangenes to grow betweene God and you For strangenesse breeds fearfulnesse and fearefulnesse looseneth love as boldnesse is the parent and nurse of love and that which increaseth it Besides when there growes a strangenesse betweene God and us wee begin not to know the Lord there growes an ignorance and so there is an intermission of those reciprocall offices of love betweene us that even as it is among the Saints the forsaking of their fellowship looseneth their love and so stoppeth the intercourse of good duties that should be among them so it is with the Lord. And therefore if you would maintaine love with the Lord draw neare to him and he will draw neare to you How shall we doe that By speaking much to him by hearing him speake to us by retiring to him upon all occasions for consolation and comfort If thou receive any injurie from men wrangle not with them but doe as David did betake thy selfe to prayer take heede of sinne for that of all other things will breede a strangenesse betweene God and thee and if you doe fall out seeke to be reconciled againe as soone as may be labour to entertaine a continuall commerce betweene God and thy selfe observe constantly his dealing with thee and observe againe thy carriage towards hm this will breede a familiarity betweene God and thee And above all be much in prayer for that in a speciall manner maintaines and increaseth this communion and familiaritie betweene the Lord and thee Againe the other thing that hinders is uncircumcision of heart or worldly-mindednesse in Deut. 30.6 I will circumcise your hearts and you shall love me with all your soules and with all your hearts As if he should say that which keepes you from loving me from delighting in mee is the uncircumcision of your hearts that is your worldly lusts and worldly cares and worldly desires when these abound in our hearts they keepe us from loving the Lord Therefore in 1 Iohn 2. If you love the world the love of the Father is not in you Come to any particular and you shall finde it so if you love wealth you cannot love the Lord if you love pleasures if you love praise with men if you love honours c. you cannot love the Lord the love of God and vaine glorie the love of God and covetousnesse will not stand together Therefore if you will love the Lord you must have your hearts circumcised that is you must have these sinfull lusts cut off for nothing quencheth love so much as these You know the love of an adulterer quencheth the conjugall love of the wife to the husband your love of the world is adulterie the Scripture calls it so therefore if you love that it will quench your love to the Lord. You will say May we not love the things of the world Yes my brethren onely take heede that it be not an adulterous love How shall we know that You shall know it by this if it doe lessen your love to God You may know whether your love to any creature to any sport or recreation be adulterous or no. A chast wife may love many men besides her husband but if it once begin to lessen her love to her husband that is an adulterous love Therefore if you would love the Lord aright be sure to cut off this for it breedes a distance betweene God and you As it is said of Absolom when the hearts of the people went with Absolom they fell from David the King so when our hearts are stollen away with the love of earthlie things our love to the Lord is lessened with it Therefore I say if you will love the Lord aright you must be carefull to remove this for the cares of the world the lusts and diverse pleasures these choake the love of the Lord they are the greatest quench-coales of any other Loue you know is of an uniting qualitie when any thing lieth betweene God and us that you may be sure will hinder our love Now there are many things that lye betweene God and us Some things lie in our understandings temptations to atheisme temptations to thinke that the Scriptures are not true temptations to judge amisse of God in any thing temptations to doubt of the favour of God These lie in the understanding betweene God and us and are contrary to love for love uniteth But in the will there lyeth much more sometimes vaine hopes sometimes vaine feares sometimes one thing sometimes another If there be any inordinate lust after any creature after any thing in the world it lieth betweene God and us and makes a separation betweene us and till that be removed God and we cannot come together till there be an union wee cannot fully love Therefore if you would love the Lord have your hearts circumcised that is have those things removed out of your understanding and out of your will Take away those obstacles that lie betweene God and you And if you cannot doe it your selves goe to Christ it is he that circumciseth us with the circumcision made without hands Againe when you have done this that you may grow in love to the Lord
receiue this rghteousnesse taking Christ for our Husband our King and Lord. But you will say Faith is more for Fides est actus intellectus It is an act of the vnderstanding assenting to Truths for the Authority of the Speaker therefore the mind and will must concurre to make vp this Faith For the better vnderstanding of it marke this word the righteousnesse of God is reuealed wherein is likewise implyed though it bee not expressed that it is offered for to what purpose or what comfort is it to see that there is such a righteousnesse if it be nothing to vs but it is so reuealed that it is also offered Now being both reuealed and offered you must finde something in men answerable to both these to the reuelation of it the vnderstanding assenting to it as a Truth that CHRIST is come in the flesh and offered to all men Againe to answer to the matter of the offer there is also an act of the will whereby it comes in and takes or embraceth this righteousnesse Both these 1 Tim. 1.15 are put together This is a faithfull saying and worthy to be receiued that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners It is true saith the vnderstanding and therefore that beleeues it but it is worthy to be receiued saith the will therfore that comes in takes and accepts it As in matter of marriage If one come and tell a Woman there is such a man in the world that is willing to bestow himselfe on you if you will take him and accept him for your husband Now marke what it is that makes vp the marriage on her part first she must beleeue that there is such a man and that that man is willing to haue her that this message is true that it is brought from the man himselfe and that it is nothing else but a true declaration of the mans minde This is an act of her minde or vnderstanding But will you take him and accept of him for your Husband now comes the will and the concurrence of these two makes vp the match So wee come and tell you There is such a one the Messiah that is willing to bestow himselfe on you If you beleeue that we deliuer the message from Christ and doe consequently embrace and take him now are you iustified this is the very translation of you from death to life at this very instant you are deliuered from Satan possessed of a Kingdome and saluation is come to your house Now because this taking of CHRIST is the maine point which makes CHRIST ours and the want whereof is the cause that euery man is condemned it comming neerest to life and death that you may know what it is we must tell you that this is required therein First there must not be Error personae errour of the person Secondly you must vnderstand aright what this taking is Thirdly there must be a compleat deliberate will which must concurre to this action of taking These three being declared we shall not easily be deceiued in it First when you heare of this righteousnes of CHRIST and of its being made ours you you must know that first CHRIST himselfe is made ours and then his righteousnesse as first you must haue the Husband and then the benefits that come by him I say take heede that there be not an errour of the person that you mistake him not And this excludes all ignorant men that take not Christ indeed but onely in their owne fancie Therefore when you come to make this marriage you must know that CHRIST is most holy that he is also such a one as will bring persecution with him as sayes of himselfe that he knowes not where to lay his head such a one as for whose sake you must part with euery thing such a one as is hated in the World and for whose sake you must be hated some would haue the man but they know not the man and so many thousands are deceiued that are willing to take CHRIST but they know not what they take they vnderstand not Christ aright there is an errour of the person and so a misse of the match and consequently of Justification for so as to make him their Lord so as to be subiect to him they take him not they do not consider that he requires such and such things at their hands Secondly If there be no mistake of the person yet what is this taking In marriage there is a certaine forme to be obserued and if that forme be mist of there is a misse of the match This taking therefore is nothing but this So to take him as to be diuorced from all other Louers so to serue him as you serue no other Master so to bee subject to him that you be subject to nothing in the World besides This is properly to take CHRIST and this excludes the greatest part of men they being ready to take Christ but then they will loue the World too but GOD tels them that if they loue the World the loue of the Father nor the Sonne is not in them You must haue your affections weaned from euery kinde of vanity Goe thorow the whole Vniuerse looke on all the things that are Riches and Pleasures and Honours Wife and Children if your heart be not weaned from euery of them you take him not as a Husband Againe others will serue CHRIST and their riches too their credit too their owne praise with men too but CHRIST tels them no man can serue both you must serue him alone and be obedient to none but him if you doe so you take him for your Lord indeede So many will be subject to him as a King but they will bee subject to their lusts too if their lusts command them they cannot deny them some they will reserue and you know how many this excludes Therefore you shall find that no man can take Christ and his wealth you know the young man was shut out because he would not let goe his possessions which he must part with or else haue none of him So Ioh. 5.44 If you receiue the praise of men how can you beleeue That is if you be not weaned and diuorced from all you cannot beleeue Though you be the off-scowring of men though you bee mocked and scorned it matters not but if you seeke the praise of men you cannot beleeue Where by the way you may marke something and adde it to that I said before What is the reason that the seeking praise of men should hinder from beleeuing Certainely if Faith were onely an Act of the vnderstanding assenting to the truth for the Authority of its Speaker it would bee no hindrance or impediment to the act of the mind in beleeuing that such a thing is true so that it must needs haue reference to the will Therefore saith CHRIST While you seeke the praise of men how can you beleeue That is take me for your GOD and LORD
desire long enough but how shall we be able to doe it I will tell you in a word and so conclude First you must pray for it it is a lovely suite when we come to the Lord and tell him that we desire to love him that we would faine doe it if we could and beseech him not to deny us that request that we know is according to his will doe you thinke that the Lord will refuse you in that case especially if you begge it importunately at his hands For if you object and say we have prayed and have not obtained it know that to love the Lord is a precious thing and therefore the Apostle reckons it so You will say How doth this prayer doe it I say that it doth it partly by obtaining at Gods hands for when you crie earnestly hee cannot denie you But as he did with the lame and the blinde when they were importunate hee never neglected any but healed them When you crie to the Lord and say I would faine love thee but I cannot will hee not be as willing to heale thy soule to give thee legges to runne after him and eyes to see him as he was to heale the lame and the blinde certainly he will not denie thee But besides that prayer doth it because it brings us to converse and to have communion with him by prayer wee are familiar with God by that meanes love growes betweene us as you know when you converse with men it is a means to get love Againe prayer doth it because when wee are much in calling upon God the Lord delights to shew himselfe to such a man yea at such a time for the most part as hee shewed himselfe to Christ when he was praying as he did to Moses and to Cornelius and others And againe prayer it exerciseth this love it blowes up the sparke of this love and makes a flame of it therefore much prayer begets much love If you would be abundant in love be fervent and frequent in this dutie of prayer pray much and you shall finde this effect of it it will beget love in you You will say prayer is a generall meanes for other things Why doe you put it as a peculiar meanes to get love The reason is because love in an especiall manner is a gift of the Spirit a fruite of the holie Ghost and it is true it must be a peculiar worke of the Spirit to beget love It is true faith comes by hearing and hearing begets faith it is done likewise by the Spirit but love is more peculiarly than other graces the gift of the holie Ghost And therefore 2 Thess. 4. saith the Apostle You are taught of God to love one another That is it is such a thing as God teacheth or else our teaching will never doe it that which he saith of love to the brethren we may say of the love of God the Lord hath put love into man man loves many times and knowes not why many times he hath reason that he should love and yet he cannot because it is a peculiar gift of God That naturall affection for a man to love his children all the world cannot doe it all the arguments in the world cannot perswade a man for if arguments could doe it we might perswade others to doe so but none can love so as the father doth his childe and why but because the Lord workes that in men So the love of God is a peculiar worke of the holy Ghost none are able to love Iesus but hee in whom the Lord hath wrought it in whom the holy Ghost hath planted this affection Therefore the way to get it is earnestly to pray to acknowledge the power of the holy Ghost to goe to him and say Lord I am not able to doe it this acknowledgement of the power of the holy Ghost is the way to prevaile Besides you know the power of God is so transcendent beyond the pitch of our nature that except the holy Ghost worke more than nature we shall never be brought together in agreeablenesse and sutablenesse wee are no more able to love the Lord than colde water is able to heate it selfe there must be somewhat to breede heate in that water so the holy Ghost must breed that fire of love in us it must be kindled from heaven or else we shall never have it Secondly another speciall meanes to enable you to love the Lord is to consider your owne condition to consider your sinnes what you are what hearts you have and what lives you have lead You will say how doth this beget love Yes this is a great meanes Mary loved much because much was forgiven her that is Mary Magdalen had great sense of her sinnes the Lord had opened her eyes to see what a one shee had beene what sinnes she had committed And because she had that sense of her sinnes her eyes were open to see her owne vilenesse thence it is saith he she loved much For when we are humble and poore in spirit when we are little in our owne eyes then the Lord will come and shew mercy on us when a man shall see his sinne and shall thinke with himselfe I am worthy to be destroyed I can expect nothing but death then the Lord shall come sodainly as it were and shall tell us you shall live and shall reconcile himselfe to us this will command love We shall never receive the Gospell as to love Christ till we come to poverty of spirit till we be thus humbled as in the first of Luke it is the speech of Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and why because he had respect to the poore estate of his handmaiden When she was little in her owne eyes and made no account of her selfe and thought not her selfe worthy to be looked after the Lord comes and takes her and vouchsafes her such an honour as to cause his owne Sonne to be borne of her now she could not holde but that was it that enflamed her heart with love to the Lord my soule doth magnifie the Lord because he had respect to the poore estate of his handmaid So wee see in David you never finde a greater expression of love in David than at that time when hee was most humbled when the Prophet came to him and tolde him what the Lord would doe for him that he would build him and house David begins to consider what he was what is David saith he What am I or what is my fathers house That is I am but a poore miserable man I am but thus borne what have I done that the Lord should respect me so farre If David had not beene so little and so vile in his owne eyes those great mercies had never so wrought on his heart And therefore I say the way to make us abundant in love is to consider our sinnes to be humbled to consider what
another much he is much affected with what he doth Now when the Lord shall shew some tokens of his wrath those that love him and esteeme of him those that prize him cannot but be affected Shall the Lyon roare and shall not the beasts of the field tremble Consider how you are affected therefore when the Lord shall discover any expression of his wrath and what doth hee else in this stroake which is now vpon this place is there not wrath gone out from the Lord You know the plague is more particularly Gods hand then any other affliction Therefore David saith when he chose the plague that he would choose to fall into the hands of God intimating that in that buysinesse God was in a more peculiar manner the doer of it As the thunder is sayd to be the voyce of the Lord so the plague may properly be sayd to be the stroake of the Lord more peculiarly than any other affliction Consider therfore what your affections are in this case for my beloved let it not be in vayne to you that the Lord stretcheth forth his hand as hee doth now at this time among vs. It is but yet in the beginning and what is the Lords meaning in it Is it not as a messenger sent vpon an errand If it had its answer if that were done for which the Lord had sent it would he not remoue it againe Would he not bid the destroying Angell to put up his sword into his sheath Doubtlesse he would if you would doe that at the beginning of this sicknesse that must be done before the Lord will remoove it from you You will say what shall we doe then I beseech you consider what commonly is the cause of a plague among vs. Consider what hath ben the cause of the plague in former times You shal finde in Numb 25. two causes of the plague One was the superstition and Idolatrie of the people they begann to be yokt with Idolatrie They joyned themselues to Baal Peor I confesse that sinne was not yet growne to any great height it was but yet in the beginning in the seedes and yet you know how the Lord was offended with them And the second was fornication the sinne of vncleanes that was coÌ„mitted It is not likely that all the people fell into that sinne of Idolatry or into the sinne of Fornication but yet the Lord was offended with the whole Congregation for those that did it as the manner is to be So here you see two causes of a plague Idolatry which was but beginning and the very admitting it into the Campe and the Fornication of the people Another cause of the plague you shall find in Davids numbring the people it was their securitie and pride and trusting to themselves and the creatures for surely it was not Davids sinne only who had somewhat forgotten God and trusted to his mountaine thought that that was strong enough but it was the sinne of the people It is good my beloved to be secure out of confidence vpon God and therein the more securitie the better but to be secure for any outward help either in the number of men or ships or strength or policie or because we are compassed about with the walls of the Sea or whatsoeever it is wherein wee thinke our safetie consisteth the more confidence in this the worse The Lord smott the people for this security in Dauids time Another cause is the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament Many are sicke among you saith the Apostle and many are dead because you receive the Sacrament unworthily The Lord is pleased to punish that particular sinne of receiving the Sacrament unworthily with some sicknesse or other whether the plague or no we cannot say but this we may be sure of that this was the cause why so many were sicke and dead You know that passage in the booke of Chronicles concerning Ezekias when the people had not prepared themselves aright as they ought hee prayed to the Lord and it is said The Lord healed the people we cannot say what the Lord healed them of but yet it makes it evident that the Lord had some way smitten theÌ„ Moses for the omission of the Sacrament the Lord would have slaine him that is he would have sent something upon him whether some disease as is most probable or some other thing which should have taken away his life in the end The omission and negligent receiving of the Sacrament I put together which mooveth God to anger and to inflict plagues upon a people I will name yet one more besides these and that is the coldnesse and deadnesse of their hearts who belong to the Lord from whom he expects better things and more zeale which I gather hence What was the reason that the zeale of Phineas stayed the plague Numb 25. Because his love was hot and his anger was kindled in a holy manner against that Israelitish man and the Midâ—anitish woman that had committed fornication among the people If the zeale of Phineas was the cause of staying that plague and of withholding the Lords hands then surely the coldnes of those from whom the Lord lookes for much heate for much fervency of spirit whom God expects should stand in the gappe I say that is the cause that the Lord goes on in punishing But what should we doe now to remove it Amend the things that are amisse repent and amend and he will turne from his fierce wrath which he not onely intendeth against us but is also already upon us Labour to cleanse your hands from idolatry and superstition and cleanse the land from the crying sinne of uncleannesse and fornication and every man labour to cleanse his owne heart And againe to turne to the Lord to take heede of security which is a forerunner of a ruine as a great calme is a forerunner of an earthquake Againe take heed of receiving the Sacrament unworthily many of you this day have received therefore I should speake something particularly to them but in truth this concernes all among us but chiefly let me speake to those a little that are able to pray that have some fire in them that have had the worke of grace in their hearts wrought by the Spirit of God that have some sparkes if they were blowne up that are men fit to stand in the gap It belongs to you my brethren to doe something that the Lord may stay his hand and remember that when the Lord begins to send forth tokens of his wrath and displeasure against a Nation it is a time wherein he expects and lookes for humiliation and repentance Therefore take heede of neglecting that in Isay 22. In that day saith the Lord when I called for humiliation beholde killing of fatlings and oxen c. Therefore know what your dutie is and learne now to see what belongs to you to doe shew your love to the Lord in trembling at his judgements
you come to know your selves too you will never love him you will never desire him you will never long after him for both these must goe together the knowledge of God and the knowledge of our selves to teach you to love him The knowledge of God without the knowledge of your selves is a fruitlesse speculation And againe the knowledge of your selves and your owne miserie without the knowledge of him and his mercy is a miserable vexation The knowledge of God without knowledge of your selves is as if a man should know a medicine but should not know what defect it were fit to supply And to know your selves and your owne case without him is to have the disease discovered and not to know how to helpe it And therefore learne to know both God and your selves If you will love him then you must learne to studie those two We say schollers studie bookes and Politicians studie men but a Christian should studie God and himselfe to learne to know God and himselfe better by this meanes he comes to know the Lord as wheresoever you finde any love to the Lord expressed you shall finde these two going together as David oft Psal. 18. and Psal. 116. I love the Lord c. Why For I was in distresse I was in griefe the grave overtooke mee and I was compassed about with death and I cried to the Lord and he healed me and set mee at libertie hee is my fortresse c. That is when David saw himselfe to stand in neede he saw his weaknesse and looked on God againe as one that would helpe him and heale him as one that could set him at liberty this caused him to say I love the Lord dearely So Paul when he saw these two I was a blasphemer I was a persecuter and looked on Christ who had beene mercifull to him with faith this was that which caused Paul so to abound in love towards Christ. And so Mary Luke 1. My soule doth magnifie the Lord And why For he had respect to the low estate of his handmaid I was poore and meane and loe hee hath raised mee to a high degree This sutablenesse this knowledge of God and of our selves is that which breedes in us a love of him But is this enough now to know God and our selves This is a faire step to beget in you this love of him for as you heard before love is an inclination of the heart to some good thing agreeable to us But yet you must have a third or else this will not doe that is assurance of the Lords love to you for if you long after him never so much if you thinke him worthy to be desired on the other side yet if for all this you are not perswaded of the Lords love to you you cannot be affected towards him Wee cannot love any man whom we conceive to be ill affected to us And therefore you shall see in the course of the Scriptures love proceedes from faith faith must beget love that is the assurance of Gods love must goe in This is the third ingredient to make it up You will say to mee wee doubt not of this but if wee be perswaded of Gods love wee shall love him but how shall wee come to this perswasion how shall wee assure our selves of his love Those to whom I should speake now are of two sorts either such as are out of the Covenant or such as are already within it For you that are without to you I say you may if you will consider it come to the assurance of his love towards you For first the Lord hath made knowne his owne willingnesse to take you to marriage There are but two that are to give their consent the Father to give his Sonne and the Sonne to give his owne consent The Father you know hath given his consent Isay 9.6 A Sonne is given He so loved the world that he gave his Sonne Therefore certainely you have the Fathers consent he hath given Christ as a father gives his sonne in marriage But now whether we have the Sonnes consent or no of that wee make question saith the Apostle Hee loved us and gave himselfe to us and for us yea hee not onely gives his consent for his part but he hath purchased his wife with his owne blood And therefore you cannot doubt but that hee is willing to marrie with you to take you and to receive you if you will come in Why then what is required now Nothing at all but thy consent if thou give thy consent to the Lord thou needest not to question his favour thou maist assure thy selfe of his unchangeable love in Iesus Christ for he hath revealed it on his part in his word you have his sure word for that heaven and earth shall passe rather than that word This is the sound consolation that will not faile you when you come to examination and thinke with your selves upon what ground am I assured of Gods affection towards mee that hee loves mee I have his word for it he hath said it and he cannot recall it yea he hath added his oath that by two immutable witnesses you might have strong consolation that is that you might have the greatest degree of assurance that can be Why now why doest not thou give thy consent why doest thou no more rest on it You will say alas I am willing to giue my consent if that would doe it But first I am unfit to marry the Lord I am not prepared for such a match as that is my heart is too bad and my life hath beene too sinfull to thinke of such preferment and advancement Take thou no care for that the Lord knew thy unfitnesse when he made that promise to thee when hee gave his Son and the Sonne gave himselfe to thee he was well enough acquainted with thee and with thy nature he had an intention to marry a blackmoore he justifieth the wicked he knowes thou art so and yet he will doe it he will put a fairenesse he will put a beautie upon thee when thou art his wife therefore let not that hinder thy unfitnesse You will say againe it may belong to such and such it doth not belong to me my case is such I have provoked him in this manner my sinnes are of such a nature This shall not shut thee out neither For why shouldst thou make exceptions where the Lord makes none Goe Preach the Gospell to every creature under heaven What is the meaning of that That is goe tell every man without exception whatsoever his sinnes be whatsoever his rebellions be go tell him this glad tidings that is to preach the Gospell to him that if he will come in I will accept him he shall be saved his sinnes shall bee forgiven him if he doe no more but come in and take me and receive me Therefore to conclude this doubt not thou that that shall be a
make your selves new creatures expresse your diligence therefore in labouring to adorne your hearts with graces that the Lord may take a delight to dwell in you be diligent also in cleansing your selves from all pollution of flesh and spirit that when the Lord commeth hee may finde no sluttish corner within you for the Lord hateth these As the Israelites were to goe with a paddle and cover every filthy thing because saith the text The Lord walketh among you so must we doe keepe our hearts cleane if wee will have the Lord delight to dwell with us we must be diligent to remove out of his sight whatsoever he hateth Lastly wee must be diligent in keeping his commands wilt thou say thou lovest God and yet doest disobey him and rebellest against him from day to day The Lord careth for no such love for indeede love cannot be otherwise judged of than in obeying to say thou lovest him and keepest not his commands it is but a dead love and a picture of love it is not love indeede it is but as the Apostle saith to doe it in word and not in truth for when you love him in deede you doe the things he would have you to doe Therefore so much diligence in keeping his commands so much love he that doeth most loveth most And so you see the conditions that are required in this love what a kinde of love it is that God will have at your hands or else he will not take it of you Now my brethren there remaines but one thing more wherewith wee will conclude this point that is now I have beene so large in shewing you what this love is wherein you cannot blame us if we presse you to it because it is one of the greatest and most radicall vertues faith and love therefore we have beene the larger in describing it to you I say now you have heard what it is what remains but this to shew you the great danger in not loving and that we wil make to be the last consectary that we will draw from this doctrine I say consider how dangerous a thing it is to neglect it the Lord you see requires it upon paine of damnation whatsoever you have yet notwithstanding if you have not this love you are not in Christ and so you shall be excluded Let no man thinke that this is exaction that it is a hard thing that the Lord requires it with this exaction for what is it that he requires If hee had required of you to offer sacrifice as he did in the olde law then the poore man might have objected he had not where withall if he had required us to fight battells the weake man might have said he could not doe it he was not able but now young and olde rich and poore all can love Besides if we consider who it is that requires this love is it not the great God of heaven and earth is it not the Sonne If hee had commanded thee the hardest thing in the world if he had said thou shalt cast thy selfe into the fire thou shalt sacrifice children to me you are his creatures and you must obey him But when he requires this onely at thy hands to love him is it not equall Besides when he requires this it is for your benefit for when you have given the Lord your hearts the Lord gives you them againe even as the earth the water it receives from the sea it returnes it better back againe in springs and fountaines and pure streames so doth the Lord give you your hearts backe againe when you have bestowed them upon him and withall he gives you leave to bâ—stow them upon other things to love all things that you may and ought to love and which is good for you to love therefore the Lord may require it upon this penalty for he askes but his owne and what hee hath deserved at thy hands therefore it is a most reasonable and equall request For what doth the Lord thy God require of thee saith Moses but onely that you love the Lord your God So I say to you what else doth the Lord your God require of you But againe know this that as it is a command full of equity and reasonablenes so the danger is the greater if you doe it it not and what that is I will shew you but by one place that is 1 Cor. 16.22 Cursed is hee that loves not the Lord Iesus yea let him be had in execration to the death That is the place I would have you consider that now when you have beene acquainted with this whole doctrine of love you might know the danger of not performing and doing it whosoever loues not the Lord Iesus let him be Anathema Maranatha he curseth him in two languages to shew that it is a peremptory curse But what is that to be cursed My brethren to be cursed is to be separated to be set apart or appointed unto evill so that all that love not the Lord Iesus they are men separated and set apart to evill so that no man may meddle with them no man may touch them to doe them good as the Saints and those that love the Lord they are set apart that no man may touch them for hurt so it is here when a man is cursed the meaning is this he is set apart secluded from all good things that none are to meddle with him hee is set apart for evill all things shall concurre together to doe him hurt this is when the Lord curseth any man and this is the case of every man that loves not the Lord Iesus Our businesse when we preach the Gospell is but to offer the Lord Iesus to you that is all that we have to doe and all that you have to doe that heare us is to take Iesus Christ to beleeve in him to love him Now saith the Lord if you will not doe this if you will not love him every such one let him be accursed Now when the Lord shall curse a man as Isaac said I have blessed him and he shall be blessed So whom the Lord curseth he shall be cursed and it is a fearefull thing if you consider it and therefore wee will a little open it and shew you wherein this curse consists Which I urge the more because it is an usuall thing among men when they come to consider their sinnes in particular wherewith they have provoked God to anger they looke upon this or that grosse sinne but this defect and omission of love they scarce put into the number of their sinnes But that you may know now what it is not to love him you may consider by the greatnesse of the punishment and that you see here is a curse Now that you may know what this curse is know that it consists in these foure things First it consists in this hee shall be separated from grace and goodnesse from holinesse
what Ibid. Alone Faith worketh best alone 1.68 How God is to us alone 3.158 Amisse God heares not when wee aske amisse 2.194 Anger Tryall of our love by anger 3.87 Anger what 3.88 Many men are but angry with sinne 3.97 See hate Application see Offer Approbation There may be approbation of that which is good in an evillman 3.192 Argument see Spirit Ashamed Love is not ashamed 3.76 Assaults We meet with new assaults daily 1.135 True peace hath assaults 2.110 Assent Assent of three sorts 1.47 Assurance Wee should labour to grow in assurance 1.129.2.72 Two wayes to increase assurance 2.76 Assurance of Gods love begetteth love 3.110 143. Meaneâ— to get assurance 3.144 B. Baptise Baptising what meant by it in Marke 16. 1.54 Baptisme what 2.97 Beleeve It is not in mans power to beleeve 2.48 If â—e beleeve God is ready to helpe and why 2.173 See Spirit Benefit Benefit in taking Christ. 1.33 Benefits by Christ may be looked to 1.54 91 97.2.14 Benefits by Christ draw the will 1.106 Benefits by Christ must not onely be looked to 2.119 Benefit to crosse our selves in it a signe of love 3.64 Benefit to us that we love Christ. 3.175 Best Best thing in man is love 3.47 Blessing Blessing of God 2.180 Blood Blood of Christ not shed in vaine 1.111 Blood of Christ to be guilty of it 2.103 Boast Salvation is of gift that none might boast 1.8 45 Boldnesse We should apply the promises with boldnesse 1.86 Gods free promise should give us boldnes 1.88 Boldnesse in prayer from the spirit of adoption 2.104 Boldnesse the parent of love 3.105 Bondage The spirit of bondage requiâ—ite 2.49 Bounty Love is bountifull 2.127 3 60 Tryalls of the bounty of love 3.64 Busie Being over busie in worldly things a sign of too much love to them 3.124 Build Built When a man is said to be well built 2.34 How Ministers should build 2.74 C. Calling see Diligent Care Care required and forbidden what 2.115 Carnall Ioy of an hypocrite carnall 2.134 Certainty Certainty of obtaining Christ if we seeke him 1.33 109 See Promise Change Change the necessity of it 1.58 Chearfull Chearfull service an argument of loue 3.66 Chearfullnesse why God requires it Ibid. Christ. Christ the reiecting of him 1 28 Christ what we have with him 1 31 Christ 3 considerations to move men to take him 1 33 Christ his willingnesse to receive sinners 1 110 Christ his riches and excellency 2 50 Christ the end of his comming into the world 2 57 Christ good workes evidence our right in him 2 70 Christ hee that loves not is not in him 3 5 Christ two things to make us love him 3 15 Cleare The righteousnesse of Christ manifested more cleerely in the Gospell than formerly 1 4 Coldnesse Coldnesse in Christian profession a cause of the plague 3 93 Command Love an affection that commands the rest 3.8 87 Hee that neglects Gods commands loues him not 3 115 Keeping Gods commands a signe our loue is diligent 3 173 Comfort We should set faith on worke to comfort us 2 142 Considerations to helpe faith in comforting 2 149 Company To company with the Saints a signe of loue to Christ. 3 102 Complacency Loue of complacency 3 9 Loue of complacency onely to Saints 3 102 Compell To compell men to come in what 1 114 2 56 Communion Prayer bringeth to communion with God 3 50 Competition Tryall of loue in case of competition 3 123 Comming The end of Christs comming 2 59 Desire of Christs second comming a tryall of loue 3.71 Comming of Christ how to know wee desire it 3 72 Preparation for Christs comming 3 172 Complaint Complaint double 1 74 Compleate Compleate will in taking Christ. 1 22 Concupiscence Loue of concupiscence 3 9 Condition Conditionall Conditionall covenant 1 38 Condition required by God easie 3 44 Confesse Confessing of Christ. 2 158 Constant. Constant cleaving to Christ. 2 118 Constant good carriage a signe of love 3 130 Constant love to God must be love above all other things 3 165 Content The nature of holy men apt to take content in outward things 2 161 Love content with nothing but love 3 66 Constraine How love constraiâ—eth 3 29 Cost God observes what cost wee are at in his service 3 63 Covenant Covenant 〈◊〉 1 38 Covenant not broken by infirmities 1 131 2 152. 3 147 Covenant ought to be renewed 3 215 Crosse. Crosse may meete a man in Gods worke 2 201 Cruell Hatred more cruell than anger 3 98 Curse Curse upon him that loves not Christ. 3 18 To be cursed what 3 176 Curse of God in foure things 3 177 D. Damnation Damnation to be preached to men out of Christ. 3 33 Danger Danger in not taking Christ. 1 33 Danger how faith guides in it 2 161 Danger in not loving the Lord. 3 176 Deare We must part with that which is deare for Christ. 1.115 117 Deceive Men apt to deceive themselves 2 4 See Taking Deferre We must not deferre to take Christ. 1 31 Degree Faith admits degrees in â—oure respects 1 117 We must grow in the degrees of â—aith â— 127 Our love to God not alwayes in the same degree 3 170 Delight Delight in worldly things a signe of love to them 3 122 Deliverance Delivered Deliverance Gods children put to waite for it 2 123 Deliverance instances of Gods deferring it 2 172 Faith once delivered 3 210 Deliberate Deliberate will in taking Christ. 1 22 Denie Deniall By denying our selves wee enioy our selves 1 116 Faith will take no deniall 2 120 Dependance Love of dependance 3 9 Desire Desire after Christ. 1 30 Desire the strength of it how tryed Ibid. Desire tryall of love by it 3 27 Desire when it is right God takes the will for the deed 3 202 Death Dead Die Death of Christ the end of it 1 36 As great a worke to moue the heart to Christ as to raise the dead 2 55 Faith ineffectuall is dead 2 58 Faith without workes dead 2 64 69 Backwardnesse in the Saints to die 3 72 Difficulties Faith admits degrees in regard of difficulties 1 123 Difficulties wee must labour to beleeue notwithstanding them 1 128 Difficulties how faith guides in them 2 158 Difficulties God can helpe in them 2 174 Diligence Diligence a tryall of love 3 26 Diligence in our calling an argument of love 3 77 Diligence of love 3 172 Diligence of love wherein it is Ibid. Direct Direct and reflect act of faith the difference betweene them 1 63 Discourage Those that have weake faith should not be discouraged 1.130 The Divell labours to discourage 1 133 See God Disease A mans carnall selfe is his disease 1 116 Discretion Discretion 3 209 Divell What faith the divell hath 2. 59 63 Doe Done What is to bee done by those that have Christs righteousnesse 1 15 Readinesse to doe for Christ. 1 24 That the Lord hath done for us a motive to loue him 3 47 Love ready to doe for them
his children to waite in it 2 122 Sanctification we must set faith on worke to increase it 2 212 How faith sanctifyeth the heart 2 213 Saved If Christ should not receive sinners none should be saved 1 113 Scriptures Scriptures beleeved in generall 2 34 Science Science 1 47 Sciences of two sorts 3 200 Seale Seale double 2 153 Security Security a cause of the pestilence 3 92 Security double Ibid. Seed How salvation is sure to all the seed 1 44 Season Season our workes must sute with it 3 209 Season what duties befit us in it Ibid. Selfe Self-crossing a signe of love to God 3 64 Why we must love God above our selves 3 166 Service Service to God and men different 3 154 Shew Difference betweene faith and a shew of holinesse 1 85 In prayer God sheweth himselfe to us 3 50 Gods shewing himselfe begets love 3 54 Shepheard Magistrates shepheards 3 78 Signe Signe in what cases God will give it 1 124 Sin Sinfull Sin the greatnesse of it 1 26 Sin the nature of it not altered by faith 1 59 Sin the efficacy of it taken away by faith 1 60 Sins most hainous Christ came to pardon 2 151 Sinfull love 3 10 Sin the consideration of it makes us love God 3 52 Sin delight in it and love of GOD cannot stand together 3 159 See Exelude Slippery Slippery places wicked men stand in 2 210 Sonne Sonne of GOD offereth his love to us 3 144 Soule Soule turned to GOD by faith 2 44 Soule needeth refreshing 3 114. Soule the adorning of it 3 173 Sound Sound heart hath good workes 3 193 Sorrow Sorrow for offending God a signe of love 3 116 Sorrow the want of it worse than the sin it selfe 3 117 Speake Love delights to speake of the party loved 3 75 Spirit Spirituall Spirit given more largely now than before 1 4 Spirit makes us love Christ. 2 50 Spirits testimony wrought two wayes 2 53 Spirit all arguments without it prevaile not 2 54 Spirits of men not alike troubled in conversion 2 86 Spirits immediate testimonie 2 89 Spirits testimony how to know it 2 90 Spirituall ioy 2 133 Spirit sound will beare affliction 2 191 Spirit the more we beleeve the more wee have of it 2 215 Spirituall love 3 11 Spirit is strong 3 187 Stranger Strangenesse Wicked men come to God as a stranger 2 106 Strangenes dissolveth love 3 105 Strength Faith takes away opinion of our owne strength 1 72 We daily want new strength 1 135 Strengthening of faith usefull 2 73. Study Study of a Christian. 3 142 Stone White stone what it signifieth 2 85 Successe Successe promised to good causes 2 163 Sudden Miseries come suddenly on the wicked 2 210 How things are said to be suddaine Ibid. Holy men may be suddainely transported to sinne 3 195 Sure How righteousnesse becomes sure 1 8 43 Sutable Looking on GOD as sutable to us breedes love 3 139 Suffering Suffering for Christ. 1 24 Suffering a fruite of love 3 77 Suffering a kinde of doing 3 77 Suffering a good worke 3 209 T. Taking Taking of Christ what 1 16 When we come to take Christ. 1 96 The efficacy of faith in taking Christ 2 41 What taking of Christ is effectuall 2 43 Taking Christ deceitfully 2 97 Taking Christ the way to salvation 3 5 Taught A Christian better taught than learned men wanting grace 3 197 Teaching Teaching of GOD what 2 12 Temptation Some cleave to Christ â—or want of temptations 2 25 Every man hath some particular temptation 2 65 Testimonie see Spirit Time Our time in GODS hands 2 182 GOD meetes with evill men in the worst time 2 211 Time a precious talent 3 113 Triall GOD puts men to tryall that they may holde out 1 9â— GOD gives no grace but hee hath tryalls for it 2 121 Trouble True ioy holds out in trouble 2 132 Trust. Trusting GOD. 2 116 Trusting GOD instances of it 2 117 Trusting in GOD what 2 168 When we are said to trust in GOD 2 171 Trusting GOD ingageth him to helpe us 2 17â— See Meanes Truth GOD abundant in truth 3 42 Turne Turning To turne to GOD what 2 99 How to use faith in the turnings of our life 2 156 V. Vaine Faith without workes is vaine 2 63 Vehement Love vehement as fire 3 89 Vertues Morall vertues GOD regards not without faith 1 82 Difference betweene faith and morall vertues 1 83 Virgins see Love Vnderstanding Faith wrought in the understanding 1 16 Vnderstanding what required in it touching faith 1 55 Vnderstanding 4 things in it touching the promise 1 95 Vnderstanding cleare makes faith effectuall 2 â—3 Vnderstanding what in it hinders love 3 108 Vneffectuall 5. Causes why faith is uneffectuall 2 6. Vngodly God iustifieth the ungodâ—y 2 149 Vnworthily To receive the Sacrament unworthily what 1 87 Two sorts receive the Sacrament unworthily 3 59 Voice Voice immediate 2 53 Voice soft what 2 88 Voice of the Spirit in us 2 105 Voice of Gods Spirit how to know it 2 106 Vprightnes Gods blessing according to our uprightnes 2 181 Vse Those that have faith are able to use it 2 139 How to use faith 2 142 Vse of grace increaseth it 3 204 Vile When a man is vile in his owne eyes 2 136 W. Wages Love desireth no wages 3 27 Walke To walke with GOD what 3 25 Warre True peace comes after warre 2 109 Way When wee looke on Gods wayes as contrary to us we hate him 3 132 See Good workes see Taking Waite True faith is content to waite 2 121 Instances of waiting 2 122 Weake Faith is weake for want of using 2 140 Love to God weakeneth sinne 2 214 Weake grace is grace 3 148 Will Willing Will faith wrought in it 1 16 Will must take Christ. 1 21 Will three things in it in taking Christ. 1 22 Those that are willing to take Christ how they are affected 1 32 Iustifying faith differeth from generall faith in the act of the will 1 49 Will what required in it touching faith 1 56 We must be willing to kill our lusts 1 92 Will the drawing of it to take the promises 1 101 Will how drawne 1 103 Will drawne by three meanes 1 104 Will what in it hinders love 3 108 Will taken for the deed when 3 201 Wee must be willing to suffer for Christ. 3 99 Wisedome Wisedome in three things 2 199 Property of wisedome 3 206 Wonders Wonders wrought now though no miracles 2 177 Worth Worthy To be worthy of Christ what 1.29 75 Faith take from a man all opinion of worth 1 71 Christ worthy of our love 3 34 Worship If Christ were not ready to pardon hee should not be worshipped 1 113 Worke Working Faith and opinion differ in their working 1 120 Working shewes a thing to bee effectuall 2 27 Working in doing and suffering 2 45 Good works the way to salvation 2 60 Worke-lesse faith five arguments against it 2 62 True