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	lord_n	love_v	6,171	5	6.6762	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10944	Samuels encounter with Saul. I Sam. chap. 15 from ver. 13 to ver. 30. Preached and penned, by that worthy seruant of God, Mr. Richard Rogers, late preacher of Wetherfield, in Essex. And published word for word, according to this owne coppy, finished before his death	Rogers, Richard, 1550?-1618.; Egerton, Stephen, 1555?-1621?	1620 (1620)	STC 21214; ESTC S100043	91,140	398

it and repent not hardning his heart This was the occasion of these words The Text followes from the 13. verse First Samuel found Saul glorying in his Triumph ouer the Amalekites and farre from any thought that hee had done any euill that hee ought to repent of insomuch that at his meeting of Samuel hee preuented him and beganne to iustifie himselfe as though he had done well before Samuel could tell him how greatly his offence displeased the Lord. Samuel hearing him thus to speake was holden and hindred from telling him what God said to him of Saul for the which end hee came to him and therefore is caused first to conuince him that hee had broken Gods commaundement because hee heard the bleating of the sheepe and the lowing of the Oxen which hee had saued aliue and brought from the Amalakites Saul first excuseth the matter by shifting and not saying any thing directly Then Samuel bad him hearken what God had said of him the night before And he nothing fearing though it is manifest that hee had cause boldly bad Samuel say his minde as though all had beene well on his side Then hee told him speaking from the Lord that hee brought him from a low estate to be a King yet when hee sent him to destroy his enemies the Amalekites hee obeyed him not but did what he thought good But Saul blushed not a whit for al this but washed his words away freeing himselfe from blame and the fault that was he laid on the people that they indeede saued some of the cattle aliue but the matter was small hee said for they did it to offer them to the Lord in sacrifice This answere Samuel shewed to be weake for what said he did God account of thy sacrifice in comparison of obeying him But as small a fault as thou holdst it I can tell thee it will cost thee thy kingdome At that word when he heard of losing his kingdome he was much moued For we see for all his iustifying of himselfe and bold desending of his innocency yet this wrung from him a confession of his fault insomuch that he said the cleane contrary that he had sinned and sought pardon and desired Samuel to returne with him to worship God but he would not but confirmed to him that God had taken his kingdome from him yet afterward Samuell considering that Agag was yet aliue he followed Saul who worshipped God but Samuell did not accompany him therein but called for Agag and slue him and after that Saul and he parted each to his owne house and Samuell went no more to Saul to the day of his death it is like that he saw there was no end thereof neither any good like to come thereby but much lamented his estate being desperate And this for a view and short summe of the text in hand I proceed now to the deuision of the words whereof there are three parts The first containeth the cōmunication betwixt Saul and Samuell before the message was deliuered in the first three verses The second is a part of the message and Sauls answere before hee confessed any fault to verse 24. The third part conteines the other part of the message after Sauls confession vnto verse 19. and such other things as follow towardes the end of the Chapter Euery part I will handle thus First in some generall manner I will shew the meaning thereof and afterwards speake more particularly of the matter by setting downe the doctrine and the vse For the first When Samuell had found Saule and was readie to tell him what the Lord had said to him that verie night before Saul preuents him as I said and tels him how hee had executed the charge which he had receiued of the Lord concerning the destroying of the Amalakites when it was nothing so but manifest and cleare that he had very negligently and slightly discharged it Then Samuell was stayed from telling him what the Lord had said to him and was driuen to answere him to his so grosse iustifying and commending of himselfe and to conuince him of vntruth as he did saying if thou hast faithfully executed the Lords Commaundement then thou hast destroyed and killed all that perteined to Amaleck but that thou hast not done for I heare the bleating of the sheepe and the lowing of the Oxen which thou hast brought from thence spared and saued aliue therefore thou hast not fulfilled the Commaundement of the Lord. Saul then being thus conuicted by Samuell when he must either haue confessed himselfe guiltie and haue craued pardon a man would thinke or else defend and proue his speech to be true did neither of both but shifted and washed off the Prophets conuiction saying that he for his part as the Lord had commanded had slaine the Amalekites and the meanest of the Cattell indeed the people had saued some of the best of them but yet euen that he said was for the worship of the Lord to offer in sacrifice to him which he thought was not to be found fault with Thus he salueth vp the sore though the plaister was too narrow attributing that which was well done as the killing of the worst of the Cattell to himselfe the other if it were a fault to saue some aliue which he did not thinke he said was the peoples fault and none of his And this be spoken for laying out the meaning of these three verses which conteine the first cōmunication betwixt Saul and Samuell after God was offended with Saul for his halfe seruing of him when he should haue done the whole as he was commaunded Doct. 1. Littleplace for reproofes among Christians VERS 13. And Samuell came to Saul and Saul said vnto him Blessed be thou of the LORD I haue performed the Commandement of the LORD The ground of the first doctrine NOw to begin with Saul with whom we heard the Lord was sore displeased and therefore Samuell came to him in tender compassion and loue seeing the plague neare him to counsel him to auoyd it by meeting the Lord with true Repentance he was so farre off from looking for or hearing any rebuke from him that before Samuell could speake to him he preuented him but how not by confessing his sinne and accusing him selfe for his slight and negligent executing of the Lord his charge committed vnto him which he had iust cause to haue done before the Prophet came vnto him and much more when he saw he was comming but by iustifying himselfe boldly in the euill he had done saying that he had obeyed the Lord his Commandement euen then when the prophet came to tell him of and reproue him for the contrary and who doth not see that hee shewed himselfe thereby to be farre from the grace that became him to haue that was in the Thessalonians of whom Paul said he was perswaded before he wrote that they were readie to do whatsoeuer he should require of them Saul I say was farre from that

hands then the most are in our dayes that like and allow of the Ministry perhaps though many doe not so and yet shall bee found if any list to examine it not to looke to be enstructed by them nor turned from the power and dominion of Satan to the sincere loue and obedience of God neither to bee called and brought from darknesse to light to faith and knowledge which are the ends why the Gospel is preached among them but onely in some such respects to like and receiue them as I haue before set downe But is this the manner of accounting the Ministry and Ministers as Gods holy ordinance and his singular gifts is this to make prophesie and preaching precious Is this to account and esteeme the tydings of the Kingdome of Heauen as a pearle for so the Scripture cals it is this to receiue Gods holy Messengers as Angels and to shew that their feet or comming is beautifull because they bring a glad message and a message of peace vnto them Is it to loue and esteem them so as for their sakes to bee ready to plucke their owne eyes out if need were for the singular benefit which they receiue at their hands and by their meanes It doth well appeare that the neare coniunction of true and christian loue betweene Gods faithfull ministers and their flocke which also ought to be betwixt all teachers and the people committed to their charge is either not knowne or not greatly in practise And if the true shepheard as Christ teacheth will so loue his flock as he will loose goods and life for their sake if occasion should be offred and if they bee like affected to him is there not thinke we some great matter betwixt them which causeth this And what is it the naturall father and sonne are not so nearely vnited as they yea greater things are enioyned of one by the other then betwixt them for the father is but the meane of his sons being at all but the spirituall father is the instrument of his euerlasting welbeing he can only conuey or leaue to his sonne his temporall possessions and goods but this is a meane whereby eternall riches yea a kingdome and that eternall is enioyed by them whome hee begetteth by the gospell againe their loue can bee but naturall therefore not euer firme and stable but the loue of these is spirituall and therefore endureth and such louing and liuing together should be betweene the one and the other which I say because the blinde and the beastly world who knoweth no whit of this when they see faithfull loue betwixt the teacher and people doe to their further condemnation reproachfully vtter these speaches that the people make their minister their God but while they thus speake we may see that they see cause to loue them and that there is another end why the shepheards of soules ought to bee desired and enioyed and another manner of benefit to be reaped by them then either Saul or such as I haue spoken of haue found which therfore ought of all the people of God heereafter to bee sought and looked after Doct. 30 The hypocrite may alvvay look to heare bad news VERSE 28. And Samuel said vnto him The LORD hath rent the kingdome of Israel from thee this day and hath giuen it to a neighbour of thine that is better then thou IN the former verse wee haue seene how Saul sought to hold Samuel with him but not for the end which ought chiefely to haue moued him and in this 28. verse Samuel takes occasion by the rending the lappe of his garment to giue signification to him that God would rend his kingdome from him that so hee might make no doubt but that it should come so to passe And this hee did that he might haue driuen him to some sounder and hartyer dislike and confession of his sinnes though wee see hee preuailed not with him therefore hee thus speaketh to him as we see fearefully and as well it teacheth al that list to learne that while men remaine hollow and double and deale not truly and plainely with God they may look to heare no better then heauy tidings from him to sound in their eares and to checke their consciences whatsoeuer faire shew they make of any repentance but to gather more signes then before of their damnacion by how much more they reiected Gods offers in calling them And should not this driue men from all their carnall shiftes and broken holdes when they see that God hunts them out of their dennes and pluckes their mufflers from their faces And yet as bad as Saul was and as little as God set by all the outward shewes that he made either heere or in the former chapter verse 34. to the 46. which were many yet it is cleere and most manifest that he went farre before many that professe the Gospell at this day among whome a man may be a long time before hee shal heare so many holy and religious speaches as he vttred there reade the place besides his vpholding the true worship of God in the which he declared his zeale in seuere punishing such as should dishonour him yea although it fell out to be his owne son I say there be many found among vs who haue cleerer knowledge of Gods will then was reuealed to him who yet neither may be matched with Saul in sundry commendable points neither in this one to attribute so much to Samuel the Lords Prophet as he did who desired his company and held him with him Which though it was not done in faithfulnes with desire to bee reformed yet who doubteth but that it was a good steppe to take profit by him in time when he could yeeld him such reuerence as he did and giue him leaue to speake to him of the matters that were both harsh toylish and vnpleasant And yet wee see for all this God had no pleasure in him that all who shall heare or read this story or the laying open of it may feare and tremble if their righteousnes and synceritie exceed not his for no such shall enter into the Lords kingdome which was one especiall end why I lay out this story before the eyes of men as I said in the beginning Neither let any obiect and say that his estate was fearefull afterwards but now when this was done which is heere mentioned he was not so desperate and past hope Answ for I say that for the acts heere and before mentioned take one with the other he was cast off although it is to bee granted that afterwards hee was much worse Let no man deceiue himselfe Samuel was forbidden to pray for him at his departure from him at the time heere mentioned as appeareth in the next chapter verse 1. for at his departing from him after he had done the Lords message to him which I haue now spoken of hee left him no better then at his comming