Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	day_n	great_a	lord_n	4,254	5	3.5436	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78553	An apology for the ministers of the county of Wilts, in their actings at the election of Members for the approaching Parliament. In answer to a letter sent out of the said county, pretending to lay open the dangerous designes of the clergy, in reference to the approaching Parliament. Wherein is shewed, the notorious falshood of the said letter: how injurious it is to the gentlemen elected: and the dangerous designe of it against the ministry. By some of the defamed ministers of the Gospel in the same county. Humphrey Chambers, D.D. John Strickland. Adoniram Bifield. Peter Ince.	Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662.; Strickland, John, 1600 or 1601-1670.; Byfield, Adoniram, d. 1660.; Ince, Peter, b. 1614 or 1615.	1654 (1654)	Wing C1914; Thomason E808_9; ESTC R207523	21,209	31

spoken of and to stinke in the nostrils of people who doe but deride them as a company of vain busie-bodies Who would have expected after all this dirt cast upon us by the Author to have found in him so deep a sense of the reproaches cast upon the Ministry of Christ but alas a few good words in the close will not be sufficient to wash off the guilt of all his former reproachings and revilings how much himself doth stand in need of the benefit of this prayer will appear to the judicious reader if we do make a very little alteration in it God forgive this man for causing as much as in him is the Ministry of Christ to be evil spoken of and to stinke in the nostrils of the people by his deriding of them as a company of vaine busie-bodies for their doing of that which no law of God or man doth forbid unto them And we would desire the Author of this Letter to examine his own conscience in secret upon this Interrogatory how tender soever he seemes to be of the reputation of the Ministry that he would not have it to stink in the nostrils of the people whether that which troubles him at the very heart be not because he sees us and other poor servants of Jesus Christ notwithstanding all open and secret counter workings still to retaine a high place both as to our persons and Ministery in the love and esteem of multitudes who truly feare the Lord however it will sound in his cares we shall take the boldnesse in all humility and thankefulness to our good God for his abundant kindnesse towards his unworthy servants to assure him that the despised Ministry and Ministers of the Gospel in this Nation even at this day doe finds blessed b● the Lord much love in the hearts of very many who walk humbly and closely with the Lord their God nor doe these servants of God discover any more eminent effect of the hard speeches which are in word and Print uttered against them by bitter men of several spirits and interests then the blowing up of the affections of many of Gods people to a stronger flame of love towards them and their Ministry which therefore we hope the Lord will teach and strengthen his weake servants with greater faithfulnesse to fulfil to his own glory the stopping of the mouthes of their enraged adversaries and the good of the poor of his flock who wait on him We are glad to hear that the Author of this Letter bethinks himself at last of the Christian weapons of Faith Hope Patience Prayers and Teares it was our hard lot to fall into his h●nds whilest he was making use of other more sharpe weapons Psal 57. v. 4. yet if he and those of his party of whom he speaketh be in good earnest to stand to those spiritual weapons only for the time to come we shall desire to make use of no other and if we fight on both sides with these Armes there may at last be hope that we may be brought together into the bond of truth and Christian love to serve our God with one consent according to his blessed word All the revenge we will take of our accuser for his injurious dealing with us shall be to joyne him with our selves in our prayers to the Lord though possibly he may scorne the motion as not thinking that we have any acquaintance with God that he would deliver both him and us from every evil worke and keep us to his heavenly Kingdome to whom be glory for ever Amen FINIS Books newly printed by Ralph Smith viz. Mr. Dicksons Exposition on the whole Book of the Psalms in three Books The Christian Charter shewing the priviledge of Believers in this life and in the life to come by Mr. Watson Minister of Stephen Walbroke the third Edition much enlarged Also Mr. Watsons Art of Divine contentment the second Edition Mr. Hutchinsons Exposition on the six small Prophets viz. Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk and Zephaniah Mr. Hutchinsons Exposition on the three last Prophets viz. Haggai Zechariah Malachi An Exposition on the whole book of Ecclesiastes by that late learned and pious Divine Mr. John Cotton Pastor of Bostock in New England A Sermon of Mr. Simon Ash at the funerall of Mr. Jeremiah Whitaker Together with a Narrative of his pious life The second Edition many other Poems and Elegies added

so much commends yet are approved faithfull men faithfull to the publique interest for which so much blood hath been spilt and treasure spent such as have been valiant in the field and ventured their lives in the high places for the liberties of the people such as have all along in the greatest Revolutions and Dangers appeared in their purses and persons for the true interest of the Nation such as have poured forth floods of prayers and tears for the cause of Christ and who cannot be justly accused for sitting and voting at Oxon. Upon the whole this we demand as the poor servants and despised Ministers of Jesus Christ that upon the receipt of this our Reply he doe either make good the truth of his publique Narrative and Invective as to our selves whom he hath particularly named and reproached which we are confident he shall never doe or else that he doe us right by making some acknowledgement that he hath done us wrong If he wil doe neither let him know who ever he be that his Letter wil dog him to his death-bed and if he obtain not pardon for it in the blood of Christ which from our hearts we wish him it wil stand up sadly against him at that day when without shall be Whosoever loveth and maketh a lye Besides this Narrative and Invective against us the heat of his indignation vents it selfe farther against our Association The Author of this Letter having failed thus as we trust in finding occasion or fault against us concerning the Kingdome he endeavours further to finde it against us concerning the Law of our God attempting to turn it at least to our reproach that we as fellow brethren yea as yoke-fellows labourers together in the work of the Gospel doe maintain a communion and fellowship together for mutual assistance in our common work This we cannot but say something to lest any should be canslesly byassed by great and empty words to judge harshly and falsly of some poor unworthy servants of Jesus Christ who desire to be faithfull His words are these Sir by this daies work you may judge of the issue and fruit of the Ministers association in this County which may rather be called a subtile Combination then a Christian spirituall Communion as they mannage it you will heare of the like proceedings in other Counties especially where this Association is carried on the same being divised as a shelter upon a Politique account against an approaching storm For the Author to wrest the fault if there were any of the late election of members for Parliament upon the Association of Ministers is so groundlesse an attempt as that it proveth onely that the Authour of this Letter being resolved to take the first occasion loudly to reproach the Association caught hold of this in his anger before ever he considered whether it were of weight or no for his purpose The truth is so little influence had our Association upon this Election as that in all the meetings of the Brethren where we were present never was any the least consultation about it we professedly decline in our meetings all intermedlings in matters of civil concernment so as that daies work was no more the issue and fruit of our Association then Tenterden steeple was the cause of Goodwins sands But he saith our Association may rather be called a subtile combination then a Christian spiritual Communion as we manage it He should have done wel to have told the world how we doe manage it more like a subtile combination then a Christian spirituall communion and if he could have done it he would not have spared us but we see he hath learnt that principle Boldly to calumniate and then something will stick And because he wants whereof in particular to accuse our actings in this Association therefore he doth quarrel with out Intentions and tels the world that this Association was devised as a shelter upon a Politique account against an approaching storm They rise above their measure doubtlesse who take upon them to judge of heart designes and intentions and thereby to condemne actions apparently good if wel meant But to satisfie the world and to justifie our innocency we are not afraid nor ashamed to lay open the bottome of our design in this Association and how it hath been managed all along The Brethren are united in Christian love for mutual assistance and advice one with another in that common work of the Ministry to which we are called and those meetings which have been hitherto in this Association have been managed to the Christian comfort and edification of one another and of the beholders blessed be God for it and we trust in Jesus Christ they shall be so ever Though our Adversary be pleased to call it a subtile combination yet we can appeale to him whom we desire to serve in the Gospel of his Sonne that we intend nothing but a Spirituall holy Christian union improved so far as our frailty wil permit in the exercise of those uniting graces of love humility self-denial meeknesse and brotherly kindnesse for mutuall edification in faith and love which is in Jesus Christ And if thus to unite be a griefe of heart unto any yet we are sure it is a rejoycing of heart unto many who behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren thus to dwell even together in unity The ends that we propounded to our selves before expressed are such as we are sure no tongue but such as is set on fire of Hell can speak against and the blessed fruits and issue of such an Association through the good hand of God upon it will be such as none but such as are too much possessed with the spirit of envy can envy us the happinesse thereof We have long groaned under the evil and the mischiefe of our divisions and we finde that most of our jealousies and jarrings are occasioned by our strangenesle and distance and upon this account our brethren at the last general meeting testified unanimously and very affectionately their desire to have such brethren who differ in matters of Church constitution and order to joyn in with them that as far forth as we are come we may walk together in love and cheerfulness by the same rule and if this might be obtained we believe it would be acceptable to the Lord and a ready way to make a grave wherein to bury for ever much of those unlively jealousies enmity and unbrotherly bitternesse which sadly appeareth amongst some whom we cannot otherwise judge of but that they are brethren The Authour seems to be possest with the spirit of jealousie and of evil surmisings since he can get nothing against us he will surmise that there is something and if he cannot charge our actions he wil judge our hearts and intentions and from thinking there may be concludes surely there is something very blameworthy in us as the Jews of Asia seeing Trophimus the Ephesian with Paul in the City supposed