Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	child_n	good_a	lord_n	2,815	5	3.7082	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88993	A sermon preached to the Honorable House of Commons, at their late solemne fast, Wednesday, Feb. 26. 1644. / By John Maynard, minister of the Word of God at Mayfield in Sussex, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Maynard, John, 1600-1665.	1645 (1645)	Wing M1452; Thomason E277_2; ESTC R200000	34,511	39

the market though it be neere their owne doores who grossely neglect precious opportunities of hearing the word upon slight pretences Did they know the worth of truth and looke upon it as their life they would not think every petty inconvenience a just excuse A little change of weather or distemper of body will not keepe those within doores who are necessitated to seek out for that without which they cannot live Those that followed Christ sometimes three dayes together having nothing to eat might have had a fair plea in appearance to shift off their attendance Such as will suffer nothing in this case but make the hearing of the word a meere recreation when they can doe it with ease and at pleasure are not likely to go to the price of truth 4. Of those that come onely as meere spectatours rather than buyers who view many glorious Gospel-truthes openly proposed and freely tendred to all but are content to looke on whilst others buy Such are our common sort of ignorant hearers compared to the way side who hear the word and understand it not The seed lieth above ground then commeth the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sowne in his heart The father of lies easily robbeth such a one of the word of truth 5. Of such as seem to cheapen but doe not buy those who are somewhat affected with the truth and think it worth the carrying home if they might have it at their own price they hear it perhaps talk of it repeat it c. And of these there are two sorts the one compared to the stony the other to the thorny ground the former would own the truth were it not accompanied with the crosse but when persecution ariseth because of the word by and by they are offended They never gave the truth rooting in their hearts and so when the Sun ariseth it is scorched and withered The latter suffer it to be overgrown and choaked with thornes there may be some stirrings in their spirits some springings of their affections upon the receiving of the seed of truth but then their unmortified lusts the care of this world and the deceitfulnesse of riches and pleasures of this life draw away the strength of their hearts from the truth and it becometh unfruitfull they will not renounce their earthly-mindednesse or their voluptuous ambitious corrupt affections to make a full purchase of truth Herod did many things and heard John gladly but would not yeeld so far to the commands of truth as to forsake his Herodias there was a thorny lust which choaked all The yong man also seemed willing to buy What good thing shall I doe that I may have eternall life what shall I give to buy truth again All these have I kept from my youth what lack I yet Thus much I have offered if this be not enough I am willing to give more I beleeve he thought hee offered like a chapman But when he heard Christ raise his demands so high Goe and sell all that thou hast and give to the poore he brake off went away sorrowfull as if the price had been unreasonable I feare many who countenance the cause of truth some who are great actours in it yea some who may venture their lives in the prosecution of it may deceive themselves There may be some thornes not rooted up some root of bitternesse not killed some corrupt principle which may carry men far this way some by-end which may poison all If I give my body to be burned and have not love it profiteth me nothing A man may seem to die for the truth and yet never buy it Use 2 2. This is for for exhortation 1. In generall to us all 2. In speciall to those whom the Lord hath honoured above others for the patronage and promoting of the great cause of his truth And 1. let me stir up you and my selfe by all meanes to make this purchase 2. Not to think any cost too much for that purpose concerning the former 1. Get a cleer and solid understanding of all the main and most necessary truthes Learn to be throughly acquainted with the Fundamentalls of Faith Great is the mystery of godlinesse And the knowledge of it is of great concernment it is a great mystery and requireth a deep search An overly slight and superficiall view of those great secrets which the Angels desired to looke into must not satisfie them who will indeed buy truth Labour for a right understanding of the Alsufficiency and infinite excellency of God in all his attributes as hee hath revealed himselfe in his word of the person natures offices of Christ of the covenant of grace of the fountain of all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ the eternall love and good purpose of God toward his and those glorious wayes and meanes whereby the Lord is pleased to bring poore lost soules to glory reconciling them to himselfe by the death of his Sonne calling them by his Word and Spirit uniting them to Christ adopting them for his children and heires justifying them freely by his grace sanctifying quickning and keeping them by his mighty power through Faith unto salvation These and the like are especially to bee studied and wee are to take heed lest Satan intangling us in doubtfull disputes about things of an inferiour nature should cunningly divert our thoughts from searching into these hid treasures I confesse the rents and divisions which follow upon contrariety of opinions are sad and such as we have cause to lament but I am perswaded this is not the onely nor the greatest mischiefe I feare Satan gaineth much advantage by engaging young beginners and wanton wits in the agitation of controversies ere they have laid the foundation much more before themselves have taken root in Christ or so much as proved themselves to be in Christ and Christ to be in them 2. Let us labour to make those Truths which we understand our owne 1. By mixing them with faith The word preached did not profit the unbeleeving Israelites not being mixed with faith in them that heard it they did but view not buy the truth we cannot make the truth our owne nor truly say we have bought it unlesse we so mixe and temper it with faith as that it becometh one with our soules or rather our soules become one with it faith strongly closing with the word digesting it and so leavening all the powers of the soule with the truth and causing them to relish of it 2. By receiving the truth in sincere love No man buyeth truth who doth not truly love it So much truth as thou lovest is thine owne Some may hastily conclude from hence Then all the promises of pardon are mine for these I love from my heart though not those precepts of obedience and qualifications of repentance morification and holinesse But know this It is easie to mistake lies of our owne coyning for God his

Differences in judgement about things directly relating to conscience are to be pitied in contemplation of the common imbecillity of mans understanding But when men for sinister ends delight to make rents or cherish factions this is fearfull let none such deceive themselves God is not mocked In extraordinary times such as these upon which the providence of God hath cast us men have extraordinary opportunities of doing God more then ordinary service and on the other side they have extraordinary occasion of bringing more then ordinary guilt upon themselves and wrath upon their posterity This is a time when those who have hearts to improve it may wonderfully further their account and a time when men may exceedingly aggravate their condemnation 3. Let me beseech you to go on as you have begun in opening a free passage and procuring a free trade and open market for the truth of God that all may have liberty and be encouraged to buy and furnish themselves And for this end to remove of obstructions in restraining the spreading of grosse and dangerous errours and heresies I am confident in your wisedome and piety that ye are far from entertaining those motions for an unlimited and prodigious licentiousnesse which some have seemed to plead for What were this but to make port-sale of the truth if not rather to give over the protection of truth and to expose it to be spoiled sacked and plundred in a promiscuous way by all sorts of enemies Let it bee free for all sorts to buy any truth of God but let not Satans factours and pedlars have liberty to vent his falshoods Object Object But some may say either ye must give liberty to all or else shew no indulgence to any who doe not in every point comply with that which is established by authority Answ I answer I was never yet able to understand this Logick the consequence seemeth very strange I am sure it will not be admitted in Chirurgery if a man be constrained to cut off a limme desperately infected with a gangrene must he therefore part with an usefull member for every little inflammation and distemper That famous Emperour Theodosius did not only bear with the Novatians but countenance and familiarly consult with some of them about Church-affairs though differing in matter of discipline being sound in the Faith and having pastors of eminent gifts and godlinesse And it is recorded of Constantine that though he made a law in terrorem which was so comprehensive that these were obnoxious to it yet in point of execution he spared them And the Apostle maketh a cleer difference of one sort he saith A man that is an heretike after the first and second admonition reject knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe Of the other he writeth in a far different straine Him that is weak in the Faith receive ye but not to doubtfull disputations For one beleeveth that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth herbes Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth and the reason is very observable For God hath received him Surely much respect is to bee had to those who give forth strong convincing evidences that God hath received them and that they have received his Truth in love If those are to bee tenderly dealt with in whom there is aliquid Christi something of Christ how much more they in whom there is plurimum Christi very much of Christ much of that unction wherewith hee was anointed above his fellowes much of those graces which serve for the edifying of his mysticall body and much of those which accompany salvation There is a passage recorded which hapned between Anthony of Bourbon King of Navari● and the Ambassadour of Denmark The King being a Peere of France and first Prince of the blood challenged the Regency of that kingdom during the French Kings minority and told the Danish Ambassadour that he hoped in short time to procure a free passage for the Gospel throughout the Kingdome of France the Ambassadour shewed himselfe pleased with this but withall admonished him to take care that Luthers doctrine not Calvins might passe for current the King replyed Luther and Calvin agree in forty points against the Pope and differ from each other but in one let those then who follow the severall tenents of these two joyn their strength against the common enemy and at better leisure in a more convenient season compound their own differences I am perswaded it is far from your Christian Wisdom and moderation to esteem alike of those who obstinately shut their eyes against the bright beams of truth where it shineth out with full rayes those who vary from you in lesser things wherein Scripture-light is not so cleer but that good eyes may judge diversly and hearts cordially affected to the truth may for a time dissent I grant much prudence and many cautions are needfull as 1. That the persons be known to be modest pious and peaceable lest some of another spirit for evill ends should make claime to and so abuse such a liberty 2. That all bitternesse insolency turbulency of spirit all reproachfull language and tumultuous carriages be forborne for these I am sure are no parts of liberty of conscience 3. That no Church-meetings for worship be allowed but in places known that there may be free accesse for any in which respect I have often commended both the wisedome and ingenuity of the French Protestants who in one of their Treaties of peace I take it made this motion that some officer of the King might be deputed to be present at their assemblies for preventing of State-jealousies and vulgar calumnies For he that doeth truth commeth to the light that his deedes may bee made manifest that they are wrought in God Many other meanes the Lord may suggest unto you for the ordering of things in such a way that some mens priviledge may not be other mens prejudice but that brethren may walk together in love so far as they have attained untill the Lord may please to give farther light 4. It is a busines worthy of your care to encourage the Ministers of the Gospel with a competent and comfortable maintenance that they may attend upon their calling without destraction and that their hands may be strengthened in the work of the Lord in so doing ye shall be fellow-helpers to the Truth for these are persons entrusted by the Lord as his agents to call in men to buy his truth And for the same cause be pleased also to vindicate them from the foul reproaches of those who have The poison of aspes under their lips A faithfull Minister may say with the Apostle With me it is a very small or the least thing that I should be judged of you or of mans judgement But let it be considered whether the truth be not concerned