Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	death_n	die_v	sin_n	3,931	5	4.8928	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57167	The substance of two sermons one touching composing of controversies, another touching unity of judgement and love amongst brethren : preached in two honourable conventions of parliament : the former, Jan. 27, 1657, the other, Feb. 4, 1658 / by Edward Reynolds ...	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1659 (1659)	Wing R1291; ESTC R1300	23,395	44

therefore I abhor my f self the greater our approaches and acquaintance is with God the lower our thoughts will be of our selves the Stars disappear when the Sun riseth Though Heaven be high yet the more there is of Heaven in the soul the more humble and low it is Mountains must be level'd to make a way for Christ As the g Orator said of Trajan Te ad sydera tollit humus that his walking on the ground raised him in the estimation of his people unto Heaven we may say of an heavenly soul Te ad humum Caelum deprimit the more heavenly the more in the dust Qui deo placet sibi de se nil relinquit h the more we study to please God the more nothing we are in our selves 2. To rejoyce in the Lord and in his righteousness alone I will make mention of thy righteousness of thine onely saith the Psalmist Psal. 71. 16. All mine own is as a menstruous cloath so true is that of St. Austin i Justitia nostra potius in remissione peccatorum constat quam in perfectione virtutum 3. To have communion and conformity to Christ in his death and resurrection by inchoate holinesse by mortifying our earthly members glorifying God in an heavenly conversation k The love of Christ constraining us to dye unto sin because he died for it to give our selves l Living Sacrifices unto him who was pleased to give himself a dying Sacrifice for us m For our own we are not but his that bought us n as the Civil Law saies that a redeemed captive is his that bought him per modum pignoris though not per modum mancipij till he can restore the price by which he was redeemed This we can never be able to doe therefore we must ever be the servants of him that bought us 4. To be alwaies so tenderly affected with the Sense of our own manifold imperfections and coming short of the glory of God that thereby our hearts may be the more inflamed by an heavenly ambition and noble pursuite to press forward in the use of all holy means unto more neernesse and intimate communion with the Lord Christ The Lord is pleased here in the Church militant in the land of temptation by such slow and slender progresses to renew his servants a Ut sit quod petentibus largiter adjiciat quod confitentibus Clementer ignoscat as Austin excellently speaks that there may still be a residue of Spirit and grace wherewith abundantly to answer the things which are desired and mercifully to pardon the sins that are confessed that every mouth may be stopped from its own praises and opened in the praises of God from whence it cometh to pass that Gods servants being alwaies b displeased with their present imperfection do presse forward unto that whereunto they have not yet attained like the waters of the Sanctuary from the ancles to the loins the water of life within them never giving over flowing untill it spring up unto eternal life Joh. 7. 38. that those sins which in our c justification are remitted may be so daily in our Sanctification weakned and diminished that at last in our salvation they may be utterly removed d Hic enim non peccare praeceptum in Caelo praemium In this life not to sinne is our duty in the next it shall be our reward and glory Thus as Christ never gave over his work on Earth till he had brought it to a consummation Joh. 19. 13. nor will give over his work in Heaven till that likewise be pronounced consummate Rev. 16. 17. 21. 6. For he must reign till he hath put down all authority and power 1 Cor. 15. 24. that he may save to the uttermost those that come unto God thorow him Heb. 7. 25. so the servants of Christ rest not in any past performances are not weary of well doing but labour to perfect holinesse in the fear of God as by repentance they break off their sinnes and do not finish them of which we read Dan. 4. 24. Jam. 1. 15. so by a continual progress of Sanctification they labour to increase more and more 1 Thes. 4. 1. to grow in knowledge and in grace 2 Pet. 3. 18. till they come to be perfect men and to that measure of the stature of the fulnesse in Christ which he hath intended for them that they may be compleat in him and filled with all the fulnesse of God Ephes. 4. 13. Col. 2. 10. Ephes. 3. 19. thus as in the body so in the soul Hunger is usually a sign of health and the greater our present perfection is the greater will be our longings after more perfection No man in those dayes was nearer God then Moses was and no man ever made if I may in a spiritual sense so call it a more ambitious prayer then Moses did Exod. 33. 18. I beseech thee shew me thy glory As Absalom when he was brought from banishment aspired higher to come into his Fathers presence 2 Sam. 14. 32. so the soule when it is once delivered from the thraldom of sin is still more more ambitious of neerer approaches and accesses unto God Rom. 5. 1 2. Psal. 42. 2. In these things consisteth the highest perfection attainable here in Remission of sin in the gift of Righteousness in conformity to the death and Resurrection of Christ in an humble and penitent apprehension of our own failings in renouncing all carnall confidences and in an importunate and indefatigable contention unto more grace and glory III. In that the Apostle saith If in any thing ye be otherwise minded viz. touching Legall Rites and Mosaicall Ceremonies or touching the Doctrine of Christian perfection and the weakness of your present graces and attainments the Lord will in due time out of his Word and by his Spirit if you be carefull in the use of means and attendant upon his teaching reveal the same unto you We may from hence learn That in the best ages of the Church there have been and therefore we cannot expect but that there ever will be varieties and differences of judgment amongst the Members thereof 1. While we know but in part and prophesie but in part 2. While there is difficultie in the disquisition of truth 3. Weaknesse of judgement in men to make that inquirie 4. Carelesnesse to try the spirits and to prove all things 5. Prevalency of some Lust or spirituall Interest darkning the mind and entangling the judgment 6. Credulity in attending unto false Teachers 7. Itching ears affecting and hankering after novell suggestions 8. A too great Reverence to the persons of men having them in admiration and giving our selves up by a blinde obedience and implicite faith unto their hands 9. While there is sleepinesse and inadvertency in the labourers 10. Cunning and Sedulity in the adversaries 11. Unweariednesse in circumambulation and supersemination of the envious man we cannot expect but there will

Rom. 16. 17. and would not give place by subjection for an hour unto them Gal. 2. 4 5. 3. Where a Syncretisme and agreement is allowable yet we must love and joyn peace and truth together Zach. 8. 19. we must not betray the truth or dissemble it or make a mixture of truth and falshood a kind of Samaritanisme in Religion for of them it is said that they feared the Lord and served their own gods 2 Reg. 17. 33. and therefore Gods people would not admit them into the society of building Gods house Ezra 4. 1 2 3. we must not adde or diminish one jot or title to or from divine truth or temper and reduce it to the Rules of meer humane wisdom Jeroboam and Abaz acted beyond their power when they set up ways of worship subservient unto carnal interest and not according to the will of God we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth 2 Cor. 13. 8. Math. 5. 18 19. Deut. 4. 2. 4. When the Foundations and necessary Doctrines of Law and Gospel of Faith Worship and Obedience are safe and on all sides unanimously embraced there in differences of an inferiour nature which do not touch the Essentials and vitals of Religion mutuall tolerance meeknesse and tenderness is to be used as amongst brethren and fellow members In the body if a finger have a Gangraene in it which cannot be cured the body cannot without danger of deadly infection hold communion with that member and therefore it is severed and cut off ne pars syncera trahatur but if it have onely a bile or some other less dangerous sore the other parts love and cherish it and are not at all cruel and churlish unto it And this is consonant to the Doctrine of Sciptures which teacheth the Strong to bear with the infirmities of the weak Rom. 15. 1. the spiritual to restore their Brethren with meeknels Gal. 6. 1. the members to have the same care of each other 1 Cor. 12. 25. to do nothing through strife or vanglory but in lowliness of minde to esteem others better then our selves Phil. 2. 1 2 3. with lowlinesse meeknesse long-suffering to forbear one another in love endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Ephes. 4. 2 3. To follow peace with all men with whom we may retain holinesse too Heb. 12. 14. Peace is the Ornament and Honor of Religion Psal. 133. 1. and the wisdom which is from above is first pure and then peaceable gentle full of mercy Jam. 3. 17 18. God is a God of peace and Christ a Prince of peace and his Legacy to his Church was a Legacy of peace Hereunto he hath called us to be all of one mind and to love as brethren 1 Pet. 3. 8 9. Love and a spirit of unity and peace is the new Commandment the Oyntment which ran down from the Head to the Members He that is not a man of peace cannot be a man of God this is an Oyntment which belongs only to Christs body Exod. 30. 33. Divisions are fruits of the flesh 1 Cor. 3. 3. Contention a Childe of pride Prov. 13. 10. Light vapors many times come down in great Tempests and light differences through pride may grow into great stormes whereas Love covereth a multitude of sins 1 Pet. 4. 8. And as it is consonant to the will of God so it is greatly beneficiall to the Common Body 1. Hereby we shew forth the communion of Saints that we are all members of the same body when we seek every man anothers wealth 1 Cor. 10. 17 24. One Body is animated by one Spirit Ephes. 4. 4. Hereby we are known to be Christs Disciples Joh. 13. 34 35. 2. Hereby we jointly promote the welfare of the whole body whereas biting and devouring is the way to be consumed Gal. 5. 15. 3. Hereby we prevent the insultations and advantages of Common Enemies when we fall out amongst our selves Hoc Ithacus velit magno mercentur Atridae 4. Hereby euen ciuill interest and safety is preserved Charity is a Bond which keeps things fast together Col. 3. 14. A whole Faggot is not easily broken cut away the Bond and then without further breaking the sticks will fall one from another I will conclude this point with two good sayings of renowned Calvin the one touching Luther though saith he he should call me Divel yet I will still esteem of him as of an excellent servant of Jesus Christ The other of another person who is not there named such a man saith he is a sincere Minister of Christ a godly and a moderate man therefore though he dissent from us I will not cease to love him still V. I shall now proceed to speak a few words touching the Rules which the Apostle giveth for reconciling difference in the Church whereof the First is to attend upon God in those means and waies whereby he is pleased to reveale his truth unto us to dispossesse our selves of prejudice and partiality and with candid affections judgments to try the Spirits as being assured that in all points needful unto life godliness {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} he who hath already revealed that wherein we agree will also reveale that wherein we differ if with meekness of spirit without wrath and cavillation we doe waite upon his Word And the means thus to doe are 1. To study the Scriptures which are the alone Rule of all Controversies and are able to make us wise unto salvation and throughly to furnish us unto every good work 2. To attend on the Ordinances which open the Scripture unto us the Ministery which Christ hath erected for this very purpose to perfect the Saints and to bring them by the unity of the Faith and knowledge of the Son of God unto a full stature Ephes. 4. 12 13. 3. Because the Scripture may speak and the Ministry teach and the heart all the while be sealed up and hear nothing except the Lord from Heaven speak and open the heart to attend as he did the heart of Lydia therefore we must ever remember Davids Prayer Psal. 51. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness otherwise seeing I shall not see and hearing I shall not hear It is the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation which both openeth the heart to the Word giving an understanding to know the Scriptures and openeth the Scriptures to the heart for he takes of Christs and sheweth it unto us Joh. 16. 14. the Spirit doth not reveale truth unto us as he did in the Primitive patefaction thereof to the Prophets and Apostles by divine and immediate Inspiration or in a way of simple Enthysiasme but what he reveals he doth it by and out of the Scriptures which are the full and perfect Rule of Faith Obedience as Christ opened to his Disciples in the Scriptures the things which concerned himselfe Luke 24. 27. So then the only light by