Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	commandment_n	keep_v	obedience_n	4,378	5	7.6220	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25204	Decus & tutamen, or, Practical godliness the ornament and muniment of all religion being the subject of several sermons preached at Westminster upon Titus ii, 10 / by V. Alsop ...	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.	1696 (1696)	Wing A2907; ESTC R16042	63,995	144

chearful Let him sing psalms As then God has divided our Lives between Afflictions and Consolations let us divide them between Prayer and Praise I conclude this with that of 1 Cor. vii 30. Brethren the time is s●…ort it remaineth that they that weep be as though they wept not and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not and they that buy a●… though they possessed not for the fashion of thi●… world passeth away When Grace shall reach us a Holy indifferency of spirit towards these outward things to mourn under evil Circumstances with that moderation as believing that God can turn our Sorrow to Good nay into Joy and to rejoice under smiling Dispensations as they that believe our elations and transports may soon be dashed and to keep that equability of Spirit as they that know the fashion of this world passeth away then shall we Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things § 3. Proceed we now to the third General Enquiry viz. What are the Particulars of the Doctrine of this Gospel which we must Adorn and how may we Adorn it in those Particulars The Doctrine of the Gospel may be reduced to two Heads Precepts and Promises and both these may be comprehended under the General Term of the Divine Testimonies because they Testifie what God expects from us and what we may expect from God The Preceptive part informs us what God justly expects from us in a way of Duty The Promissory part what we may expect humbly yet assuredly from God either for present Assistance or future Reward Both of which if narrowly considered will inform us what it is that will Adorn the Doctrine of the Gospel 1. I begin with the Precepts These are the true Copy of the Divine Nature The great instances of the Divine Authority The visible Demonstrations of the Holiness of the Law-giver The express Image of the Purity of him that gave them forth and the great Proofs of our Integrity A marvellous Beauty and Glory is impressed upon them by God but they have been insolently trampled upon by unhallow'd Feet cruelly treated by unclean Hands and now how to recover them to their Original Glory is the difficulty and design of this Discourse If we ask the Psalmist what value and estimate he put upon them What Glory what Beauty he could behold in them He readily answers Psal. cxix 128. I esteem all thy Precepts conc●…rning all things to be right and I hate every false way All thy Precepts concerning All things There is a lustre in every single Precept but a Glory in them All. As every Star shines with its proper Light but as they stand Combined in their Asterisms and Constellations so they shine with a marvellous Glory And as every Creature which God produced by his creative Word was Good yet when he came to take a prospect of them in their Relations to each other he pronounced them exceeding good Gen. i. 31. Such are the Precepts of God and they are so concerning All things They reach the Heart with all its Principles and Ends they govern our Words they regulate our Lives they restrain from Sin they constrain to Obedience they instruct us how to walk holily before God honestly and righteously towards Men soberly towards our selves and to hate every false way If you again ask him why or upon what Reasons he prizes them at this high rate he will satisfie you Ver. 72. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver I know there may be good use made of Gold and Silver A good Conscience will not purchase Meat in the Market nor Innocence buy us Cloathing in the Shops but the law of thy Mouth is better upon higher upon noblet Accounts It acquaints me with those ways wherein God is to be found where I may expect Communion with him it directs me how to walk well-pleasing to my God whom to please is my highest Ambition it shews me how I may be kept from the paths of the Destroyer Gold and Silver will not heal a wounded Conscience nor pluck the Thorn out of the Flesh nor instruct the doubting Soul how to clear up its Peace with God What use others may make of their Gold and Silver I know not but unto me the words of thy mouth are better By them is thy servant warned to avoid the Sin and to escape the Snare by them is thy Servant Reproved when his own folly has exposed him to the bait and snare and by them is thy Servant Recovered out of those Temptations into which my own rashness or carelesness have thrown me The Goodness of all things is reckon'd from their Suitableness to the present and pressing exigency If we are hungry a piece of Bread is better than thousands of Gold and Silver which we may have and yet Starve If naked a few Rags are better in that present straight than thousands of Gold and Silver which will not cover our nakedness If then the Mind be uneasie Conscience dissatisfied if Sorrow sits as a thick Cloud upon the Brow The word of God which speaks to the Case is better than thousands of Gold and Silver There are three things which render the Precepts of Chri●…t easie a●…d our Obedience pleasant 1. When we keep our h●…●…xed upon the Author of them 'T is the 〈◊〉 ●…rine of God our Saviour as God he clai●…●…uthority over us as a Saviour he challenges an Interest in us Right to Command and Interest to Obey are a Cord of Love too strong to be broken Christ asiures us Matth. xi 29 30. That his Toke is easie and his ●…urden light 'T is a Yoke none of Christ's Servants are Sons of Belial but 't is an easie Yoke His strength which he gives that Principle of Love which is the governing Principle of the Renewed Nature makes it so Hence Christ presses Obedience upon that Principle John xiv 15. If ye love me keep my Commandments Can you pretend a mighty love to my Person and yet despise my Authority Give this essential Proof of your Love that ye keep my Commandments If your Friend should sooth you up and with many fair and fawning Complements protest he values you and yet at the same time Spit in your Face or throw Dung upon you you would desire him to give better evidence of his Love than those Actions which speak Despight and Scorn The Commands of Christ are the Mounds and Fences which he has set about his Glory If you will pluck down those Walls and Defences which your Neighbour has set about his Inclosures and then pretend that you do all this out of pure Love and Respect to him I am persuaded he would desire you to forbear such Proofs of your Love and give more convincing Tokens of it Christ is willing you would rather spare your high Expressions and give Evidence of your Love by sincere Obedience 2. When the Conscience is bound in subjection to Christ when the

wast false to my Honour and Interest thou didst betray me Thou that didst call me Lord and Master and yet disobey my Commandments And if Christ and his Gospel finds no fairer Quarter from Friends what may he expect when he falls into the Hands of Thieves It was this which cut David to the heart to be so treacherously dealt with by a pretending Friend Psal. xli 9. Min●… own familiar friend in whom I trusted that did eat of my bread hath lift up his heel against me May not we take up the same heavy and doleful Complaint on the behalf of Religion They that have eaten her Bread and drank her Wine have kicked and spurned at her Hear the Psalmist again mournfully bewailing his Case Psal. lv 12 13 14. It was not an enemy that reproached me sor then I could have born it neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me then I would have hid my self from him But it was thou a man mine equal my guide my acquaintance We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in company This was the cutting killing Stroke And this aggravates the Case of Religion in this dismal day Religion has been wounded betrayed reproached by pretended Friends when yet the Upright like that holy dying Woman 1 Sam. iv 22. know not how to out-live the departing glory but are willing to die with it It 's a matter of the greatest Difficulty to persuade us to Repent of our guiltiness in this Thing and before I can hope to prevail I must premise a few Particulars 1. Whatever Reproach the Professors of Religion draw upon their own Persons will certainly be fastned upon their Profession Now tho' this be an unjust Procedure to Reproach a Holy Truth because he that owns it holds it in Unrighteousness yet thus it will be in Fact the Crimes the Excesses of Men will reflect upon the Doctrine They that will Reproach Men for their Duties will much more revile them for their Iniquities and from thence take a welcome occasion to revile their Principles and Professions 2. Whatever Reproach falls upon Religion will reflect upon the Author of it even our Blessed Saviour himself And this should sway with all our Consciences to walk inoffensively to give no just Occasion to them that seek it and watch for it to blaspheme the Name of our God Hear how affectionately the Psalmist prays Psal. lxix 6. Let not them that wait on thee O Lord be ashamed for my sake let not them that wait on thee be confounded for my sake O Lord God of Israel And he had reason to be sensible that some Pious Souls might be justly offended at him and reproached for him when by his sin he had caused the Enemies of God to blaspheme 2 Sam. xii 14. But that I may more effectually Prosecute this Use in inviting you to Humiliation for and Lamentation over those Scandals which our Holy Religion has contracted upon our Account I will endeavour to lay before you these three things 1. I will shew what an Excellent Religion we have reproached 2. I will lay before you the great Zeal of the Primitive Christians to Adorn their Religion in those purest Times 3. I will further open how unworthily we have defiled it in ours § 1. Let me shew you what an Excellent Religion that is which we have thus shamefully Reproached Amongst the many Great and Glorious Excellencies of the Christian Religion as it stands described and recorded in the Scriptures of Truth this is one 1. It is a sound Doctrine 1 Tim. vi 3. wholesome words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as are sound in themselves and make sound Tit. ii 1. Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All is sound all sincere nothing rotten 1. This Doctrine imbibed will make a sound Head not filling it with empty Notions aiery Speculations much less with rotten Matter which will breed Impostumes and break out into Ulcers but with such due Conceptions of God as will settle our Faith engage our Fear provoke our Love command our Obedience and in all secure the Souls everlasting Interest 2. It will make a sound Heart the Psalmist prays Psal. cxix 80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I may not be ashamed As the Truth received into the Head will keep us sound from Heterodoxy so the same Truth entertained in its Power into the Heart will secure it from Hypocrisy 3. It will make a sound Conscience for herein alone is that Doctrine of Peace and Reconciliation with God revealed through Christ whose Blood sprinkled on the conscience purges it from dead works to serve the living God Heb. ix 14. 4. It will produce a sound Conversation we may lay it down for a Rule that Religion which begins in Hypocrisy will end in Apostacy And there 's little difference whether we go in a True way with a false Heart or forsake that way through a false Heart a sound Heart is the great preservative against both Now here we have cause to mourn till we have exhausted the Springs of Tears and can weep no more Lamenting over the rotten Doctrines of our Days which have defied and defaced this Holy and Sound Doctrine the rotten Conversations that have shamed it and rendred it contemptible The Truth is we can neither bear our Remedy nor our Disease we are sick with our Food and sick with our Physick The Scripture gives us True Notions of God but Men are ignorant and too proud to be taught 1 Tim. vi 3. Proud knowing nothing This Doctrin●… would be a lamp to our feet but we shut our Eyes against it and a light to our paths but we will not use it nor admit it to be our Guide in the ways of Holiness 2. Another Excellency of the Gospel is that it 's a Doctrine according to Godliness 1 Tim. vi 3. And a Doctrine after Godliness Tit. i. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if the whole System of Divine Truth were squared and modelled by Godliness It 's not only true that Godliness must be tried and proved by this Doctrine but that the Doctrine is formed and fashioned by the Rule of Godliness every Leaf Line Proposition is adapted to the advancement of Godliness Here 's no Indulgence for Sin no Toleration for Lust not one loose Principle in the Body of Scripture Divinity and if any Doctrine offers it self that breaths not Purity we may safely reject it as that which is not after Godliness And let this also renew our Lamentation that such a Doctrine has been tortured upon the Rack of unsanctified Wits to abet filthiness and uncleanness Men have reap'd what God never sow'd and gather'd what the Holy Spirit never strew'd when this Grace of the Gospel is turned into lasciviousness and Men have abounded in sin because the Grace of God has abounded towards Sinners 3. It has this Peculiar Excellency that in every respect it