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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	day_n	great_a	time_n	3,379	5	3.3867	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42831	Some discourses, sermons, and remains of the Reverend Mr. Jos. Glanvil ... collected into one volume, and published by Ant. Horneck ... ; together with a sermon preached at his funeral, by Joseph Pleydell ...	Glanvill, Joseph, 1636-1680.; Horneck, Anthony, 1641-1697.; Pleydell, Josiah, d. 1707.	1681 (1681)	Wing G831; ESTC R23396	193,219	458

And so I come to the Third Instrument of our Happiness which is implyed in striving viz. III. Active Endeavour in which Repentance and the fruits of it are implied Both Faith and Prayer are in order to this and without it neither can turn to account For Faith without works is dead Jam. 2. 20. and Prayer without endeavour fruitless yea indeed in the Divine Estimate it is none at all 'T is bodily exercise no Prayer For when we invoke Gods help we desire it that we may use it Divine Grace is not a Treasure to lay up by us but an Instrument to work with and when we pray that God would assist us in our endeavours and endeavour not at all we mock God and trifle with him in our Prayers Endeavour then is necessary and necessary in a degree so eminent that this is always included in Faith when 't is taken in the highest and noblest Evangelical sense viz. for the Faith which justifies and saves for that comprehends all those endeavours and their fruits whereby we are made happy We must not expect that God should do all exclusively in the work of our Salvation He doth his part and we must do ours though we do that by his help too He that made us without our selves will not save us without our selves said the Father We are commanded to seek Mat. 7. 7. To Run 1 Cor. 9. 24. To fight 1 Tim. 6. 12. To give diligence 2 Pet. 1. 10. These all import Action and Endeavour And that endeavour must not be only a faint purpose or formal service but it must be imployed in the highest degree of Care and Diligence The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence Mat. 11. 12. and this violence must not be used in an heat and sudden fit only that cools and dies and contents it self with having been warm for a time But it must be a steady and constant course of Activity a continual striving to overcome the remaining difficulties of the way We must endeavour vigorously and constantly and in that after our Faith is strengthened by deep consideration and Divine assistance implored by ardent Prayer our course is 1. To abstain from all the outward actions of Sin and to perform the external acts of the contrary Vertues To cease to do evil Isa 1. 16. is the first step When the Publicans askt John the Baptist Luke 3. 12. what they should do His direction was that they should not exact vers 13. and to the Souldiers asking the same question he answers Do violence to no man vers 14. These were the sins of their particular Professions which were to be quitted before any thing could be done higher We have ordinarily more power over our actions than our habits and therefore we should begin here and resolve deeply by divine help to cut off those supplies that feed vitious inclinations for wicked habits are maintain'd by actions of Wickedness when they cease the inclinations grow more faint and weak and when we are come but thus far to have confined our lusts we shall be encouraged to proceed to destroy them 'T is said There is no great distance between a Princes Prison and his Grave The saying is most true in the case of Tyrants and Usurpers and the habits of sin are both when they are restrain'd they are not far from being destroyed if we imploy our endeavours and the divine aids as we ought This then must be done First and the other part of the advice must be taken with it viz. we must practise the outward actions of the contrary Vertues We must do well when we cease to do evil When we turn from darkness it must be to light Acts 26. 18. Not from one kind of darkness to another When we cease to oppress we must be charitable when we leave to tyrannize over our inferiours we must be kind and helpful to them When we forbear to slander we must speak all the good we can of our Neighbour The outward actions of Vertue are in our power and 't is somewhat to come so far as this What is more viz. The inward love and delight in goodness will succeed in time if we persevere 'T is not safe for us to propose to our selves the greatest heights at first if we do we are discouraged and fall back God accepts even of that little if it be in order to more He despiseth not the day of small things Zech. 4. 10. If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted Christ loved the young man who had kept the external part of the Commandments Mark 10. 12. If he had had the courage to have proceeded what he had done would have steaded him much The inward love of Vertue and Holiness is promoted by the outward exercises of them and hereby the contrary evils are both pined and thrust out Thus of the First thing that Endeavour implies upon this must follow 2. An attempt upon evil habits viz. Those that have been super-induced on us by Carelesness and Temptation bad Customs and evil Company Every victory is a means to another we grow stronger and the enemy weaker by it To have overcome the outward acts of sin is a beginning in our spiritual warfare but our chief enemies are the habits these must be attempted also but with Prudence wild Beasts are not to be dealt with by main strength Art and Stratagem must be used in this War and 't is good policy I think here to fight the least powerful foes first the contracted habits before we fall on the inbred natural Inclinations While our forces are weak 't is dangerous setting upon the strongest holds viz. the vices of Complexion which are woven into our very Natures If a man apply all his force where he hath not resolution enough to go through with what he undertakes he receives a foyl and 't is odds but he sits down and faints Prudence therefore is to be used where we distrust our strength Fall upon Sin where 't is weakest where it hath least of Nature and least of Temptation and where we have arguments from Reputation and worldly Interests wherewith to war against it If we prevail we are heartned by the success Our Faith and Resolution will grow stronger by this experience when we have triumph't over the sins of evil Custom Example and sensual Indulgence And when that is done we must remember that 't is not enough that those habits are thrust out others must be planted in their room when the foyl is prepared the seed must be sown and the seeds of vertuous habits are the actions of vertue These I recommended under the last head and shall say more of the introducing of habits under one that follows on purpose 3. The next advance in our endeavours is In the Strength of God and in the Name of his Son to assault the greater Devils and to strive to cast out them I mean the Sins of Complexion and particular Nature This is a great work and will

powerful and as it makes a kind of Nature so many times it masters and subdues it Wild Creatures are hereby made gentle and familiar and those that naturally are tame enough are made to degenerate into wildness by it And now besides the original depravities of our Natures we have contracted many vitious habits by corrupt and evil usages which we were drawn into at first by pleasure and vanity in our young and inconsiderate years while we were led by the directions of sense These by frequent acts grow at last into habits which though in their beginning they were tender as a Plant and easie to have been crusht or blasted yet time and use hardens them into the firmness of an Oak that braves the Weather and can endure the stroak of the Ax and a strong Arm. Now to destroy and root up these obstinate customary evils is another part of our Work And Religion teacheth us to put off concerning the Old Conversation the Old Man Eph. 4. 22. and to receive new Impressions and Inclinations to be renewed in the spirit of our Minds 5. 23. and to put on the New Man 5. 24. To make us new Hearts Ezek. 18. 31. and to walk in newness of Life Rom. 6. 4. This we are to do and this we may well suppose to be hard work the Scripture compares it to the changing the Skin of the Aethiopian and the Spots of the Leopard Jer. 13. 23. and elsewhere How can they do good that are accustomed to do evil Jer. 13. 23. 'T is hard no doubt and this is another difficulty in Religion V. The Power that Example hath over us makes the way of Religion difficult Example is more prevalent than Precept for Man is a Creature given much to Imitation and we are very apt to follow what we see others do rather than what we ought to do our selves And now the Apostle hath told us That the whole World lies in Wickedness 1 Joh. 5. 19. and we sadly find it we cannot look out of doors but we see Vanity and Folly Sensuality and Forgetfulness of God Pride and Covetousness Injustice and Intemperance and all other kinds of Evils These we meet with every where in Publick Companies and Private Conversations in the High Ways and in the Corners of the Streets The Sum is Example is very powerful and Examples of Vice are always in our Eyes we are apt to be reconciled to that which every one doth and to do like it we love the trodden Path and care not to walk in the Way which is gone in but by a few This is our Condition and our work in Religion is to overcome the strong Biass of corrupt Example to strive against the Stream to learn to be good though few are so and not to follow a Multitude to do Evil Exod. 23. 2. This is our Business and this is very Difficult VI. The last Difficulty I shall mention ariseth from Worldly Interests and Engagements We have many Necessities to serve both in our Persons and our Families Nature excluded us naked into the World without Cloathing for Warmth or Armature for Defence and Food is not provided to our Hands as it is for the Beasts nor do our Houses grow for our Habitation and comfortable abode Nothing is prepared for our use without our Industry and Endeavours So that by the Necessity of this State we are engaged in Worldly Affairs These Nature requires us to mind and Religion permits it and nothing can be done without our Care and Care would be very troublesome if there were not some Love to the Objects we exercise our Cares upon Hence it is that some Cares about the things of this world and Love to them is allowed us and we are commanded to continue in the Calling wherein God hath set us 1 Cor. 7. 20. and are warned that we be not slothful in Business Rom. 12. 11. We may take some delight also in the Creatures that God gives us and love them in their degree For the animal Life may have its moderate Gratifications God made all things that they might enjoy their Being And now notwithstanding all this Religion commands us to set our Affections upon things above Col. 3. 2. not to love the World 1 Joh. 2. 15. to be careful for nothing Phil. 4. 6. to take no thought for to morrow Mat. 6. 34. The meaning of which Expressions is That we should love God and Heavenly things in the chief and first place and avoid the immoderate Desires of Worldly Love and Cares This is our Duty and 't is very difficult For by reason of the hurry of Business and those Passions that Earthly Engagements excite we consider not things as we should and so many times perceive not the Bounds of our Permissions and the Beginnings of our Restraints where the allowed Measure ends and the forbidden Degree commenceth what is the difference between that Care that is a Duty and that which is a Sin Providence and Carking and between that Love of the World which is Necessary and Lawful and that which is Extravagant and Inordinate I say by reason of the hurry we are in amidst Business and worldly Delights we many times perceive not our Bounds and so slide easily into Earthly-mindedness and anxiety And it is hard for us who are engaged so much in the World and who need it so much who converse so much with it and about it and whose time and endeavours are so unavoidably taken up by it I say 't is hard for us in such Circumstances to be crucified to the World Gal. 6. 14. and to all inordinate Affections to it to live above it and to settle our chief Delights and Cares on things at great distance from us which are unsutable to our corrupt Appetites and contrary to the most relishing Injoyments of Flesh which Sense never saw nor felt and which the Imagination it self could never grasp This no doubt is hard Exercise and this must be done in the way of Religion and on this Account also it is very difficult Thus of the First Proposition That there are great Difficulties in Religion I come now to the Second II. THat those Difficulties may be overcome by striving which imports both the Encouragement and the Means That they may be vanquisht and how 1. That the Difficulties may be subdued is clearly enough implyed in the Precept we should not have been commanded to strive if it had been impossible to overcome God doth not put his Creatures upon fruitless Undertakings He never requires us to do any thing in order to that which is not to be attained Therefore when he was resolved not to be intreated for that stubborn and rebellious Nation He would not have the Prophet pray for them Jer. 7. 16. Pray not for this People for I will not hear thee He would not be petitioned for that which he was determined not to grant He puts not his Creatures upon any vain Expectations and Endeavours nor would

HIS was that they may be perswaded to conform theirs unto it and though mens understandings are convinced already that Charity is their Duty yet there is but too much need to represent some of the vast heap of injunctions that make it so to incline their Wills I shall therefore briefly lay together a few of the chief instances of this kind that you may have the distincter sense of the reasons of your Duty and from them the most powerful motives to enforce it In order to this let us consider in short the Injunctions of Christ and the teachings of his Apostles Our Saviour urgeth it as his New Commandment John 13. 34. and inculcates it again under the obliging form of his Command John 15. 12. He makes it a distinguishing note of his Disciples John 13. 35. and enjoyns them to love their Enemies Mat. 5. 24. He mentions it as the great qualification of those on his Right hand that shall be received into his Kingdom Mat. 25. 34 35. and the want of it as the reason of the dreadful Curse pronounced upon those miserable ones on the Left at the solemn Judgement ver 41 42. St. Paul calls Love the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13. 8 9 10. and sets it in the first place among the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. yea reckons it five times over under other Names in the Catalogue viz. those of Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Meekness ver 22 23. He advanceth it above all Gifts and Graces 1 Cor. 13. above the Tongues of Men and Angels ver 1. and above Prophecie and Mysteries and Knowledge and Faith ver 2. And the beloved Disciple St. John who lay in the Bosom of his Dear Lord and seems to partake most of his Spirit is transported in the commendation of this Grace He tells us that God is love 1 John 4. 7. and repeats it again ver 16. He makes it an Argument of our being born of God and Knowing Him ver 7. and the want of this an evidence of not Knowing God ver 8. He counts it the mark of Discipleship a●d the contrary a sign of one that abideth in Death 1 John 3. 14. He calls him a Murtherer that hates another ver 15. and a Lyar if he pretends to Love God and loveth not his Brother 1 John 4. 20. In fine he out-speaks the greatest heights of Praise when he saith God is Love and he that loveth dwelleth in God and God in him 1 John 4. 16. I might represent further that we are commanded to Love without dissimulation Rom. 12. 9. to be kindly affectioned one towards another ver 10. to put on the Breast-plate of Faith and Love 1 Thess 5. 8. to be pitiful and courteous 1 Pet. 3. 8. to provoke one another to love and to good works Heb. 10. 24. to serve one another Gal. 5. 13. to love as Brethren 1 Pet. 3. 8. We are minded of Christ's New Commandment 1 Joh. 3. 23. and of the Message which was from the beginning That we should love one another ver 11. and are urged by the consideration of Gods loving us 1 John 4. 1. Thus the Apostles exhort and teach and they Pray that our Love may abound Phil. 1. 9. and 1 Thess 3. 12. and give solemn Thanks for it when they have found it 2 Thess 1. 3. And now considering the expresness of all these places I cannot see but that any Duty of Religion may be more easily evaded than this and those who can fansie themselves Christians and yet continue in the contrary Spirit and Practice may conceit themselves religious though they live in the constant commission of the greatest sins And if such can quiet their Consciences and shuffle from all these plain Recommendations and Injunctions they have found a way to escape all the Laws of God and may when they please become Christians without Christianity For the evidence I have suggested to prove the necessity of this Duty doth not consist in half Sentences and doubtful Phrases in fancied Analogies and far-fetcht Interpretations but in plain Commands and frequent Inculcations in earnest Intreaties and pressing Importunities in repeated Advices and passionate Commendations And those whom all these will not move are Incapable of being perswaded against their humour or their interest to any Duty of Religion So that though I see never so much eagerness for an Opinion or Heat for an indifferent Circumstance without the conscience of Christian Love I shall never call that forwardness for those little things Zeal or Religion Yea though those warm men should sacrifice their Lives to their beloved Trifles I should not think them Martyrs but fear rather that they went from one Fire to another and a Worse And in this I have the great Apostle to warrant me who saith Though I give my body to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13. 3. Thus of the First Head the Necessity of the duty I Come to the II. the Extent Our Love ought 1. To be extended to all Mankind The more general it is the more Christian and the more like unto the Love of God who causeth his Sun to shine and his Rain to fall upon the Good and upon the Evil. And though our Arms be very short and the ordinary influence of our kindness and good will can reach but to a very few yet we may pray for all men and desire the good of all the world and in these we may be charitable without bounds But these are not all Love obligeth us to relieve the Needy and help the Distressed to visit the Sick and succour the Fatherless and Widows to strengthen the Weak and to confirm the Staggering and Doubting to encourage the Vertuous and to reprove the Faulty and in short to be ready in all the offices of Kindness that may promote the good of any man Spiritual or Temporal according to the utmost of our power and capacity The good man is Merciful to his Beast and the Christian ought to be Charitable to his Brother and his Neighbour and every man is our Brother and every one that Needs us is our Neighbour And so our Love ought to extend to all men universally without limitation though with this distinction II. That the more especial Objects of our Love ought to be those that agree with us in a common Faith Gal. 6. 10. that is All Christians as Christians and because such Whatever makes our Brother a Member of the Church Catholick that gives him a title to our nearer affections which ought to be as large as that Our Love must not be confin'd by names and petty agreements and the interests of Parties to the corners of a Sect but ought to reach as far as Christianity it self in the largest notion of it To love those that are of our Way Humour and Opinion is not Charity but Self-love 't is not for Christ's sake but our own To Love like Christians is to Love his Image

greatness nor sway'd by partiality and fondness All mankind are equally distant from Him and all stand upon a Level before Him He that beggs in Raggs and weeps in the Corners of the Streets shall be heard assoon as the proud Gallant that lives in Luxury and Pomp. He that tugg'd at the Oar assoon as the Commander of Legions And the poor fellow that follow'd the Plough shall have as much right done him as the mighty that sate upon the Throne 3. He is powerful All power is in his hands both in Heaven and on Earth Mat. 28. 18. So that he can execute his Sentence without resistance or possibility of rescue There is no getting out of His reach who holds the World in the hollow of his Hand There is no opposing of his power except we had an Arm like God and could Thunder like Him There is no quitting His Dominions for his Rule and His Presence are universal The frozen North and the farthest South the Desart and the Ocean are all within the bounds of His Empire and His Influence Yea could we climb up into Heaven that is His descend we to the Centre He is there or if even as far as Hell His power reacheth thither also Psal 139. 8. In summ The Judge cannot be deceiv'd corrupted or over-powered and therefore on this account likewise He will judge the World in Righteousness HAving thus spoken to the main parts of the Text I descend to enforce all by some Practical improvement If then there be an appointed Day for so universal and righteous a Judgement by so great and just a Judge Let us consider 1. How passionately and differently mankind will be concern'd at that time Of this something hath been said before but I shall now discourse the matter a little further and endeavour to give you some description of the Terrours of the wicked and the Raptures of the Just at that solemnity Though all that can be said will be very short of the Passions of that Day And 1. How will the careless and ungodly world be appall'd and astonish'd at that unlook'd for Summons How will the dark Gentiles that never heard of such a Day and the hardened Infidels that heard but did not believe and the dissolute spirit that heard and believ'd but did not consider how will they tremble and be confounded at the dread preparations of that Day Methinks I see the pale looks and the shivering motions the gazing eye and listening ear the distracted face and trembling hand of the most proud and daring sinner The Drunkard le ts fall his Cup and the busie worldling stands at gaze the loud companions are hush'd into silence and the merry Droll into a careful look The Atheist hides his head and the sleepy Sot starts up into anxious wonder And after this first amazement See how the trembling-multitude run distracted up and down Some into corners to cover others into companies to consult Every man asks his Neighbour what is to be done and he again repeats the question to every one that is next unto him The Son runs to his amazed Father who needs the advice his dear child seeks and the Wife clasps about her astonish'd Husband that is as helpless as his frighted Consort The Publican beggs counsel of the Pharisee and he poor soul is as much at a loss as the Reprobate They all Court the Mountains to cover them Rev. 6. 16. and shuffle into Caverns to hide from the presence of the Judge But alas they quickly see the vanity of those naked retreats and find themselves as much expos'd in the closest Vaults as they would be in the body of the Sun Mountains are but Cobwebb coverings and Rocks and Earth but a Cypress veil Hills Caves and all are His whom the frighted Fugitives would avoid and will not cannot conceal His enemies from His eye that strikes through the Earth as through a Globe of Crystal What shall they do then whither shall they go they cannot bear His presence and they cannot avoid it the Light kills and the darkness will not hide For the darkness is no darkness to this Judge The darkness and the day to Him are both alike Psal 139. 12. Thus will the wicked be confounded by the coming of the great and terrible Day and most of all those that liv'd under the plain and frequent warnings of it Had they never heard of this solemn time they would have been astonish'd but not so much affrighted It would have been their wonder but not so much their misery Had they not been told of this great appearance and this Judge they might have look'd on that Majesty without those sad degrees of dread and such mortal shiverings and hoped for great abatements in consideration of their fatal ignorance But alas they were told of this Day earnestly and often The God of all the World and this Judge of all acquainted them with this solemnity while 't was future And these Preachers that were most infallible and most urgent prest the Truth of these things upon their Faith and affections with all evidence and importunity sutableness of address and accommodation to their Reason and their Interest with all the motives of hope and fear and all the alliciencies and incentives that use to move reasonable nature They heard but did not heed they heeded a little but forgot the next moment they assented but slept they were awakened but sunk again into a careless slumber they said they believ'd but were not concern'd convinc'd a little but not perswaded Perswaded but not resolv'd Resolv'd and presently let out of mind what they had concluded And now when the sight of the Judgement Day shall thorowly awaken them to consider those invitations and warnings they had to prepare for it what inward anguish will they feel at the thoughts of their sottishness and neglects And methinks I hear the sinner thus inveighing against himself Brutish Soul Where was thy reason where was thy self-Self-love where were thy reflections where was thy Providence couldst thou not look beyond the grates of flesh or didst thou see and wouldst betray me into this danger and this misery wert thou diverted by greater matters or hadst thou any thing of more necessity or concernment to engage thy thoughts was the sordid flesh a better friend than that triumphant Jesus or the world an enjoyment like those rewards he will now dispense were thy pleasures comparable to the joyes of the happy expectants of this Time or thy little policies of equal moment with the affairs of this day O how wild and absurd are these questions now and why were they not alwayes such in thy esteem Yea why didst thou determine on the unreasonable side what can the fondling flesh and eht world do for thee what relish now in those pleasures that are gone out in stenchand shame What profit in those designs whose objects are vanish'd with thy hopes O how shall I answer this Judge what shall I say to