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	great_a	love_v	5,841	5	6.4787	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73023	M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Sturbridge Faire. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignitie of the ministrie: deliuered publiquely in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. With a preface præfixed touching the publishing of all such workes of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the perticulers [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Crashaw, William, 1572-1626.	1605 (1605)	STC 19706.5; ESTC S123485	128,687	352

those that are their fellowes are vnfaithfull And it should further teach them to adorne their Calling with a holy life for as sinne is that that grieues the angels driues them away so it is grace and holinesse which makes them delight in the fellowship of men And it may also encourage any man to take paines in that holy Calling wherein hee is sure to haue Gods angels in a speciall manner to attende him to assist him to protect him and to bee a witnesse of his faithfulnesse and who would not worke cheerefully in that labour wherein hee hath the Angels to bee in a sort fellow-workers with him To doe these three duties is to honour good angels and that Minister that conscionably performeth them the angels will take themselues sufficiently honoured of that man And if beside this honour we would reioyce Gods angels and minister matter of ioy vnto them then in the fourth place let all Ministers propounde to themselues aboue al things the conversion of soules rather then their own praise or liuing or pleasing of men and so endeuour it both in teaching and all their other courses that the angels may see it and bee witnesse of it for if they reioyce at the conversion of a sinner as Christ saith they doe then those men make them oftest reioyce which doe most seriously aime at the conversion of sinners And thus we see both the seruice of angels to Gods Ministers and the duties they are to performe to them in that regard The due consideration of this point may raise the world to a better conceit of this Calling and perswade fathers to dedicate their sonnes to it and stirre vp young students to consecrate themseluest hereto turne their studies to that ende for no man in no calling hath so speciall attendance and assistance of Gods angels as godly Ministers haue At least if it worke not this in the world yet it may yeeld comfort contentment to all faithfull Ministers in their painfull calling But let vs see how the angel performed his seruice to the Prophet not vnwillingly not lingeringly but speedily so saith the Text. He flewe Which is not so to bee vnderstood as though the angels had wings for they haue no corporall nor sensible bodyes but spirituall and insensible substances the actions whereof are performed with such nimblenesse and agilitie as can not fall within the compasse of outward sense But the Phrase is vsed for our capacities to shew how readily and speedily the angel went about to minister comfort to the Prophet For as nothing moueth so quickly to our sense as doth the creature that flyeth and as wee say that man doth flye about his businesse which doth it quickly and diligently so here the holy Ghost sets downe the willingnesse and quicknesse of the angel to comfort this holy Prophet and to doe the will of God Where we learne First what excellent seruants of God the holy angels bee which so readily willingly and speedily execute the will of their Lord. This must teach all gods seruants to doe the like and to imitate thē in this excellent obedience And the rather because wee pray dayly to God Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen In earth of vs as it is in heauen of the holy angels But they doe it most cheerfully and without all lingring therefore so ought we Magistrates in their places and Ministers in theirs and euery man in his function is to apply this to himselfe and to bee stirred vp thereby to a cheerfulnesse quicknesse in their duties for therein they resemble the blessed angels then their deodes accord wity their prayer but contrariwise he that doth his dutie vnwillingly and vnreadly is like the Diuel which indeed doth Gods will yet against his will and surely vnto such obedience there belongeth no reward But as God loueth a cheerfull giuer so doubtlesse loues hee a cheerfull worker Secondly we see here how great loue angels beare vnto Gods children especially vnto godly Ministers how willingly they are imployed to doe them good Willingnesse and readines to doe good to any man must needes come from loue and yet alas all men euen the best and all Ministers euen the best are creatures farre inferior to the angels Here Magistrates Ministers must learne to be farre from contempt of their inferiours and to doe their duties of ruling and teaching carefully though the people bee farre their infriors it is the nature of loue to make any man doe seruice most willingly to him that hee loues though he be farre meaner then himselfe If therefore Princes loue their subiects they will not spare any care cost nor paines nay they will reioyce to doe them good and they will labour to bee like the angels who are farre greater then men as they are then their subiects And if Ministers loue their people they will forget their owne dignitie which oft-times they might stand vpon and will make themselues euen seruants to all that they may winne some And seeing angels doe flie so fast to giue helpe and comfort to good Ministers this must teach them further First euery one to labour to bee a good Minister for then are they sure of the loue of angels and then most willingly doe the angels any seruice to them Againe let it teach them to flye as fast to the discharge of their duties to Gods Church as the angels flye to doe them seruice so shal God angels thinke their diligence and carefull seruice well bestowed vpon them Lastly this diligence of the angels their willingnesse proceeding from loue must stirre vp al Christians to performe all duties of godlinesse to God of loue vnto his Church with alacritie and cheerfulnesse So doe Gods angels we looke to be like the angels in glory in the world to come then bee like the angels in diligence loue and faithfulnes in this world The Wise man saith Hee that is slothfull in his businesse is good for nothing but the diligent man shall stand before the King And surely hee that is willing diligent in the duties of Christianitie shall stand before the King of kings in heauen And let this suffice for the Angels seruice and his diligence in his seruice Now let vs see what instrument the Angel vsed A coale from the Altar The fourth Circumstance of this consolation is the Instrument which it pleased God the angel should vse to minister comfort to the Prophet a strange instrument for so great a work A coale of fire Here let humane reason hide it selfe and wordly wisedome bee confounded to see the wonderfull works of the Lord God could haue healed the Prophets infirmities and giuen him comfort against his feare courage in his calling without meanes but hee will vse meanes and what a weake meanes nay a meanes that seemes contrary A coale of fire

the day of triall temptation sicknesse or open persecution the chaffe of natural presumption and outward formalitie in Religion wil flye away and it must be the penitent humbled and beleeuing heart which must then abide it out and endure the fanne of temptations and persecutions And to conclude Let not the Diuell deceiue thee in making thee imagine or hope to please God and yet to let thy corruptions lie vnseene and thy sins vnsearched out least thereby thou marre all for thou vsest not to lay vp-wheat in thy garners vntil it be purged from the Chaffe so thinke not to store vp any sauing knowledge or any other grace of God in thy heart vntill the chaffe of vanitie be first blowne away that so the holy graces of God may be layd vp in the garners of thy soule And therefore questionlesse to speake one word to touch our common professors in the very sore of their soule al knowledge that is stored vp in these impure and vnsearched hearts is euen as Wheat layd vp in the Chaffe which is a thousand to one sure to bee eaten vp by the chaffe so that when the winnowing time of tryall and persecution comes I feare that such men will for al their knowledge shrinke aside and betray the truth there knowledge then prouing no better then chaffe because it was layde vp in an vnholy heart If therefore thou wouldest stand and endure when Poperie or persecution or temptations come if thou wouldest abide the furie of the fanne of temptations now then exercise thy heart with the fanne of GODS law Search and ransacke it purge out the chaffe of corruption and store vp knowledge in an holy heart and a good conscience and that will abide the violence of all temptations yea when God suffers the Diuell to doe with vs as he did with Peter to winnow vs like Wheate to sift and trie vs as he did Iob with the furious winde of all his mallice this knowledge will proue Wheate that will abide the winde and gold that will abide the fire thus glorious will it be in the ende if we follow this holy Prophets councel and Search our hearts And thus much for the first point namely the dutie of Searching heere commanded in which wee haue stayed the longer because it is the foundation of all the rest and this being wel laid the whole building wilt goe vp the faster Now we come to the second general point here laid down that is whom must we Search the Prophet aunswereth your selues not other mē but your selues This search so vrged and inforced by the Prophet must not be of other mens hearts and liues but of our owne our owne are our charge and not other mens and therein is the saying true which else is most false Euery man for himselfe for as euery soule must bee saued by it selfe so must it beleeue Repent and search it selfe The dutie therefore here commanded is for euery man that would haue his soule to be saued to Search it and reforme it and leaue others to bee searched by themselucs Here the holy Ghost meetes with the common corruption of this world and that is that men are Eagle eyed to see into the liues of other men but to looke into their owne hearts and liues they are blinder then Moles they can see moates in other mens liues but discerne not beames in their owne wherby it comes to passe that they stumble and fall fowly for the eies of most men are set vpon others not vpon them selues and thereupon it is that an euil man seeing other men not himselfe thinkes best of himselfe worst of other men but contrariwise a good man seeing himselfe not other men thinkes worst of himselfe and better of other men an euil man lookes outward and iudgeth other men but a good mā lookes homeward iudgeth himselfe and in iudging condemnes himselfe farre aboue other men and that because by searching into his own heart and wayes hee knowes that by himselfe which he knowes not by any man in the world besides So then we must search not other men but our selues our owne hearts and our owne liues are our charge and burthen the liues of other men concerne vs not being priuate mē further thē either to follow them being good or take heede of them being euil but to search or to bee inquisitiue into them is no dutie commaunded vs but rather a foule a base vice forbidden of God Indeede Magistrates in their people Pastours in their congregations and house-holders in their families are to search but they can search onely for criminall causes or open actuall sinnes but this searching must bee of our hearts which no man can search but our selues onely Few men haue a calling to enquire into other mens liues but euery man hath a calling to search into himselfe but alas men doe farre otherwise they suffer themselues to rotte in their owne sinnes and erect an Inquisition ouer other mens liues it is to be seene in dayly experience that those men who are the great Searchers and priers into other men are the neglecters and forgetters of themselues And contrariwise they who doe narrowly search themselues and their owne wayes and looke into the corners of their owne hearts doe finde so much worke to do with themselues that they little busie themselues with other men And thus much may suffice for that point It followeth O Nation not worthy to be beloued The third point Who must search the Iewes who are here termed a Nation not worthy to be beloued yet for al that they are bid to search themselues that so vpon their Repentance they might bee beloued Where wee may see the vnspeakable loue of God and his wonderfull mercie offering grace vnto such men as are altogether vnworthy of it Gods children are by nature like other men and God findes nothing in them why to respect them aboue others but euen of his owne mercie makes them worthy who of themselues are not therefore how worthy is that God to haue all the loue of our hearts who loued vs when wee were not worthy to be beloued But let vs examine more particularly why GOD doth call the Iewes a Nation not worthy to bee beloued I answere God had blessed them aboue other Nations He gaue them his Couenant of grace and thereby made them his people commited to their trust his holy word and Oracles but he delt not so with other Nations neither had the Heathē knowledge of his lawes Besides all this they had a better land then others about them it flowed with Milke and Honie that is with all commodities delights and though their Countrie was but little yet themselues so populous and so powrefull that whilest they pleased GOD no enemie durst set vppon them Thus for soule and bodie they were euery way a Nation blessed of God a people beloued of God aboue all others Now how did this people thus

beloued of their God requite this his loue which they had no more deserued then any other Nation Certainly as they deserued it not afore they had it so they requited it not when they had it but requited this loue of God with sinne with rebellion and with disobedience They tempted him they prouoked him to wrath they presumed of his mercy proued a most stubborne and stifnecked people a froward generation Moses partly sawe this in his owne experience better discerned it in the spirit of Prophesie and therefore wondering at this their wickednes he cryed out Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish people vnwise thus that is with sin disobedience which is the only meanes to displease the Lord to prouoke him to wrath for this cause they are worthily called a foolish and vnkind people by Moses and here by the Prophet A Nation not worthy to bee beloued namely for their vnthankefulnes and vnkindnes which was such as they not only were slacke and carelesse in performance of such duties as God required but euen multiplyed their sinnes committed those foule rebellions which his soule hated And amongst many the Prophet here in this Chapter noteth three of their great sinnes for which they were a Nation not worthy to bee beloued Couetousnesse Crueltie and Deceite all which were the more hainous and intollerable because they were the sins of their Princes their Rulers and their priests who should haue beene lights and examples to the rest Now although euery sin in it selfe is of that ill desert as it is able to cast vs out of Gods fauour and depriue vs of his loue yet behold here God complaines not vpon a little cause but for wonderfull exceeding vnthankfulnesse vnkindnesse in them who of all other should haue loued the Lord. As a man cares not for hard vsage from him whome hee esteemes not but a little vnkindnesse doth greatly greiue a man from him who is loued and respected so is it with the Lord our God he loued not the Gentiles as hee did the Iewes neither was hee so bountifull vnto them and therefore as we may see though they liued alwayes in ignorance and continued alwayes in disobedience yet the Text saith the time of that ignorance God regarded not but when as the Iewes his owne people whome he chose out of all people bestowed his loue vpon them and made his Couenant of grace with thē when they became vnkinde vnthankfull forgetfull stubborne and rebellious that caused the Lord euen to complaine of the indignitie and to cry out by Moses Doe yee thus requite the Lord O foolish people vnwise And hereby the Prophet O nation not worthy to be beloued therfore ther is no man but if he be asked what he thinkes of this Nation of the Iewes he will answere that they are a most vile wicked people a froward generation and that they are worthy to taste deepely of all Gods plagues who so farre abused his loue and mercie But what doth this belong to them alone and is Israel onely a Nation not worthy to be beloued Nay I may cry out with as good cause O England a nation not worthy to be beloued For God hath beene as good a God to vs as he was to them and we haue beene as vnkinde a people to him as they were to him But that I may bee free from discrediting our nation and from defiling my owne Nest let vs prooue both these points and lay them open to the view of the world 1 First therefore the same mercies and farre greater haue beene powred heaped vpon vs hee hath called vs out of the darknesse First of Heathenisme then of Poperie his couenant of grace and saluation he hath confirmed with vs his treasures of his word and Sacraments hee hath imparted to vs his holy word neuer better preached and the mysteries thereof neuer more plainly opened since the time of the Apostles and as wee haue Religion so wee haue it vnder a religious prince whereby it comes to passe that these blessings of saluation wee inioy not in secret or by stealth but wee haue it countenanced by authoritie so that religion is not barely allowed but euen as it were thrust vpon men Besides al this wee haue a land also that floweth with milke hony it is plentifull in all good things we haue libertie peace vnder a peaceable prince and the companions of peace prosperitie plentie health wealth corne Woole gold siluer abundance of all things that may please the heart of man thus hath God deserued the loue of England 2 But now England how hast thou requited this kindnesse of the Lorde certainely euen with a greater measure of vnkindnesse that is with more and greater sinnes then euer Israell did so that if Moses spake true of them then may our Moses much more truly cry out against England doest thou thus requite the Lord thou foolish people And if this Prophet said thus of Israell for three sins then may it bee saide of England for 300 sinnes O England a Nation not worthie to bee beloued for thou hast multiplyed thy transgressions aboue theirs of Israell euen as though thou haddest resolued with thy selfe the more Gods kindnesse is heaped on thee the more to multiply thy sinnes against him For thou England as thou hast requited the Lord with sinnes so not with a few sinnes or small sinnes or sinnes which hardly coulde haue bene preuented for that had bene a matter of some excuse or not of so great complaint But thy sinnes are many and grieuous and capitall And which is worst of all wilfull and affected euen as though God had deserued euill of vs and that therefore we ought malitiously to requite him If any man make doubt of this and therefore thinke I speake too hardly of our Church I will then deale plainly and particularly and rip vp the sores of our nation that so they may bee healed to the bottome The common sins of England wherwith the Lord is requited are these First ignorance of Gods will and worship I speake not of that compelled ignorance in many corners of our Land which is to bee pittied because they want the meanes but wilfull and affected ignorance Men are ignorant euen because they will bee ignorant Meanes of knowledge were neuer so plentifull and yet neuer more grosse ignorance is not hee wilfully blinde who will not open his eyes in the Light and can there bee any darknesse at Noone day but it must bee wilfull but our Nation is darke and blinde in the Sunshine of the Gospell and grossely ignorant when the Gospell beates their eares and light shines round about them so as if they closed not their eyes and stopped not their eares they could not but both heare see who would looke for ignorance after 35 yeares preaching yet many are as ignorant as if they had bin borne brought vp vnder Poperie so that