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	life_n	lord_n	7,059	5	3.5024	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81905	A case of conscience concerning ministers medling with state matters in or out of their sermons resolved more satisfactorily then heretofore. Wherein amongst other particulars, these matters are insisted upon, and cleared. 1 How all controversies and debates among Christians ought to be handled regularly, and conscionably to edification by those that meddle therewith. 2 What the proper employments are of Christian magistrates, and Gospel-Ministers, as their works are distinct, and should be concurrent for the publick good at all times. 3 What the way of Christianity is, whereby at this time our present distractions, and publick breaches may be healed : if magistrates and ministers neglect not the main duties of their respective callings. Where a ground is layed to satisfie the scruple of the Demurrer, and of the Grand Case of Conscience. / Written by John Dury, minister of the Gospel, to give a friend satisfaction: and published at the desire of many. Octob. 3. Imprimatur, Joseph Caryl.	Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1649 (1649)	Wing D2836; Thomason E579_1; ESTC R206157	157,053	200

not envying them nor provoking them nor being desirous of vain glory towards them Galat. 5. 26. In respect of those that are of an unquiet disposition to follow Peace and ensue it towards them 1 Pet. 3. 11. and that even so far as it is possible and as much as in us lyeth Rom. 12. 18. to do all things without murmurings and disputings against them in a blamelesse and harmlesse way that they may have no cause to murmure at us or to dispute with us Phil. 2. 14 15. And to this effect to lay aside all malice and all guil and hypocrisie evil speakings and surmisings 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. And lastly in respect of those that are injurious to recompense no evill for evill nor to avenge our selves but to give place unto wrath Rom. 12. 17 19. Not to be overcome with evill but to overcome evil with good Rom. 12. 21. And to that effect with all lowlinesse and meeknesse with long-suffering to forbear them in love Ephes 4. 2. And to forgive them as God in Christ hath forgiven us Ephes 4. 32. Now the originall and immediate cause of this Peaceable disposition of the soul is to suffer the Peace of God whereunto we are called to rule in our hearts Col. 3. 15. for when this by the new Covenant in Christ doth possesse the spirit the soul is quieted within it self because it entreth with Christ into that rest which he hath purchased and prepared for it Hebr. 4. 10 11. And it receiveth the Peace which he hath left with it and given to it so that the heart is not troubled neither is it afraid at any thing which in this world can befall unto it Joh. 14. 27. for the promise of the Lord wherein he hath caused us to hope doth sustain us which saith that he will keep him in perfect Peace whose heart is stayed on him because he trusteth in him Isa 26. 3. But on the other side those that have no interest in the Covenant of Peace which Christ hath made with us can have no rest nor quietnesse within themselves or towards others because my God hath said There is no Peace to the wicked but his heart and his whole course is as the troubled Sea which cannot rest but casteth forth mire and dirt perpetually Isa 57. 20 21. The ends then of these duties shew the perfection whereunto they lead us and their proper works the way by which we attain the same For by the law of love we are taught how to aime at that which is truly good by the law of righteousnesse how to order our way in prosecuting of it and by the law of Peaceablenesse how to attend the delightfull possession of it The first sets our minde upon God the second directs us to him and the third fits us to enjoy him What is proper to a Christian in these duties more then to other men Thus in brief we see what these duties are and whence in a Christian more then in other men they proceed for other men know nothing herein but the principles of Reason and Morality by which they look more upon the materiall outside of the works then upon any thing else because naturall men cannot raise their minds unto the apprehension of spirituall truths which beget in the soul a new life and farre lesse can they act any thing thereby without speciall grace yet if the Intellectuals of a man truly rationall in nature which is not altogether impossible be raised so far by the right use of common illuminations as to perceive the proportion which is between such performances as these are and the principles from whence they flow he will finde no just cause to contradict any thing therin although his heart will not be able thereupon to close with the duties themselves for a true Christian is a spirituall man is not inabled to close heartily with these duties either because he is convicted of the rationalitie thereof or because he doth understand the excellencie and worth of this way above the way of Morality for these are onely preparative inducements inclining his affection thereunto but he closeth therewith onely because his conscience is enlightned by the truth and purified by faith and therein is bound over and given up to walk thus with God in Christ by the covenant of grace for through the law of the spirit of life and love which is in Christ Jesus whereby he is freed from the law of sin and of death he is made conformable unto the image of the Son of God and the righteousnesse of the Law of God through faith and love being fulfilled in him he hath peaceable communion with the Father and with the Son wherein he doth set himself to walk with joy and unspeakable comfort in the light of their countenance by which he is daily transformed from glory to glory as by the Spirit and presence of the Lord. The rule then and the way of a Christian is to walk in these duties towards all men and for these ends not with humane wisdome and the reasonings of his naturall understanding although he doth nothing irrationally but according to the direction and manifestation of the Spirit of grace that is according to the testimony of Jesus revealed unto his spirit which obligeth his conscience to follow affectionately the rules of these duties in all simplicitie and godly sincerity through love to the life of Jesus Christ and the grace of God in him and not for any other obligation or by any other consideration whatsoever and whosoever doth walk after this rule Peace be upon him and upon the Israel of God And because we have not hitherto walked after this rule we have not as yet found the way to Peace for to finde Peace out of this way is as impossible as to misse of it within it How universal they are and inseparable from Christianity And chiefly in leading men and times of greatest need From hence we may observe that these duties have an universall influence upon all the wayes of Christians for as Christians they are essentiall to them in all the works of their severall callings and if they studie not to do all their works by these rules they cannot be said to do them as Christians for as Christians we are commanded to do all our matters with charitie 1 Cor. 16. 14. for we are obliged by the love of God to us as his dear children to be followers of God and to walk in love as Christ also hath loved us Ephes 5. 1 2. And if we walk not thus it is evident that we are none of his children but have renounced his love and are destitute of the life of God in all our undertakings for he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love 1 Joh. 4. 8. And again as Christians we are bound to serve God and Christ in his kingdom and if we serve him not how can we truly bear his Name Now the kingdom of God wherein

mention the thing is alas too evident to an indifferent eye and that which makes the case more lamentable and lesse susceptible of a cure is that all this distemperature is incident to those that are not ignorant of their duty and of the rules by which these evils ought to be avoided it is a sad case when the spirits of men are so far discomposed that although they can pretend no ignorance of the will of God yet they transgresse the same presumptuously But above all this disorderlinesse whereunto men may be carried and are carried apparently through their home-bred passions there is yet another most pernitious incentive of these evils brought in from abroad and practised by Machavilian States-men which is a divellish policie to encourage and strengthen the hand of lyars to set tale-bearers awork to furnish them with false reports and send them up and down to spread the same to reward the authors of calumnies and reproaches and hire them to invent abominable and hatefull accusations and opprobrious crimes against the innocent which in effect is to employ men to fetch fire from Hell to set on fire the course of nature Concerning Revenge what sort of passion it is And when all these forementioned distempers of spirit and disorderlinesses of behaviour have wrought their utmost effects to multiply injuries and heighten wrongs excessively then to right our selves of the same we naturally entertain the thoughts of revenge which thoughts although they are nothing else but the consequences of the sense of evils which we have suffered yet as they take hold of our affections and therein center into a Passion which can have no rest but in requitall unto those that have wronged us of evils equall to those which we have suffered by them or greater then the same in this respect they are somewhat more then a bare result of the sense of former sufferings for they contain a resolution of acting which is wound up to the highest pitch that the powers of nature can reach unto in working mischief This Resolution of requiting evil for evil doth eminently comprehend in one act all the iniquity of the former distempers and so doth become by and in it self a new fountain and cause of embitterments by raising up and confirming upon our spirits all the evill dispositions which make our disease both habituall and epidemicall and that unalterably as to man How incorrigible it is For to all the former sinfull distempers of the soul the spirit of Revenge doth adde this peculiar qualification that by it they are made remedilesse and past cure as to humane industrie and perswasions Est vindicta malum vita jucundius ipsa Therefore Samson having an opportunity to be revenged of the Philistines did rather chuse to die then let Iudg. 16. 30. it slip Let me dye said he with the Philistins for this that he could slay more at one blow in his death then he had done in his own life was that which made him take comfort in the losing of his life By this we see that this passion aimes at nothing but destruction and that with desperate resolutions which hearken to no disswasive reasoning yet they fortifie themselves by perswasives taken from the pretence of justice eye for eye and tooth for tooth from the motions of courage to think it a shame to sit down Exod 21. 24. with any injurie without full satisfaction as Samson although the Philistines had righted him in the wrong done to him so farre as they could yet his courage would not be satisfied except he took vengeance with his own hand Iudg. 15. 6 7 8 though you have done this saith he yet will I be avenged of you and after that will I cease And from the suggestions of pride of self-love and of vain glory Thus Lamech boasted himself I have slain a man to my wounding and a young man to my hurt if Cain shall be avenged seven fold truly Lamech seventy and seven fold Gen. 4 23 24. This passion taking a pride in the height of enmity and destruction by striving to exceed others therein doth tend to an irreconcilable breach of Love to an endlesse abolition of Righteousnesse by a pretence of right to multiply injuries and to a despaire of Peace for ever And how farre some of our spirits are acted by this passion already as I am unwilling to judge so I shall pray that many of us may not be given over to it lest the quarrels of private Revenge with the guilt of innocent blood shed throughout the Land by the deadly feuds of families be multiplied and entailed from one generation upon another to the breach of publick Peace and the disturbance of the whole Common-Wealth And because the experience of former Ages especially in our neighbour nation hath shewed our forefathers sad examples hereof we ought at least so many of us as make it our maine interest to uphold the life of Christianity whether we be Magistrates or Ministers or private men of other stations to entertain in our respective places callings the counsels of healing these distempers both in our selves and in others according to the rules heretofore mentioned of Love of Righteousnesse and of Peaceablenesse which are altogether fundamentall unto our holy profession I am therefore bound by the Law of love a good conscience in the Ministeriall profession of the Gospel of Peace upon this discoverie of our diseases to offer so farre as the Lord shall inable me at the discoverie of the Remedies also which now I shall intend to do Concrning the Remedies of our distempers That they are twofold As then the causes of our disease have a twofold influence one which is particular of each severall cause upon the single persons in whom they are more or lesse predominant and by whom they affect the whole Body of the nation another which is universall of all the causes jointly in their coherence and complication upon the whole State wherein their deadly effects threaten it with inevitable ruine if they continue as they are begun so the Remedies must have a twofold application the one to the singular and distinct the other to the generall and complicated distempers of our spirits the single Remedies apply able to the severall and distinct causes come first into consideration because every one must make use of them for himself and by himself and without these the universall cure can not be obtained and they are to be taken in that order wherein the causes of our distempers lie and work their mischief first then we must intend the cure of the root which is envy and afterward of the branches of our distempers in their subordination one upon another as heretofore they have been mentioned The Remedies of envy given by the Apostle Iames Concerning the spirit of envy the same Apostle Iames who did discover the nature of it unto us doth also give us the cure thereof in the same place from ver 5.

conquer this passion and therefore none but such as are taught of him to deny themselves in all things can follow his footsteps in this that when he was reviled he reviled not again when he 1 Pet. 2. 23. suffered he threatned not but committeth himself to him that judgeth righteously nor can any promise themselves freedom from vindicative affections who have not learned of him to love their Enemies to blesse them that curse them to do good to Matth 5. 44 them that hate them and to pray for them that despitefully use them and persecute them this Lesson the Apostle had learned being reviled saith he we blesse being persecuted we suffer it and being defamed we intreat 1 Cor. 4. 12. 13. It is evident then that nothing can make a natural man effectually to lay down the resentments of privat injuries but a real change of his nature by the work of grace in conformity to Jesus Christ which only can incline us to be kind and tender hearted towards others forgiving them what they have done to us amisse even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us Ephes 4. 32. So then all that can be done to cure this as to men incorrigible evil is to hold forth this frame of the spirit of Christ and his Commandement both in our obedience thereunto and in our word of exhortation to move the Conscience of others to follow it The third is the apprehension of Gods vengeance But if those that should thus bear witnes of the life of Christ are to set rather upon the motions of revenge themselves and Rom. 12. 19. incourage those that are bent that way than inclined to take them off what shall we say unto it shall we not acknowledg that it will be just with God that he should execute his vengeance upon those that delight in privat vengeance against others and that take his proper work out of his hands for the Lord hath said vengeance is mine and I will repay it Behold then all ye that kindle a fire of wrathful revenge and compasse your selves about with sparkes of vindicative plots and attempts walk in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that ye have kindled seeing by no perswasions you can be brought herein to deny your selves This shall ye have of mine hand saith the Lord ye shall lie down in sorrow Isaiah 50. 11. Hitherto of the single Remedies The complicated follow as proper to the work of Magistrates and Ministers And why And thus much concerning the single and distinct Remedies which every one in private for himself is to make use of now it remaineth to speak also something of the universal and complicated remedies which all of us with reference one to another should seeke to apply unto our distracted publick Condition to heale the distempers which occasion the same and although all are obliged to desire and endeavour in their places the advancement hereof towards the publick yet properly the procurement and the application thereof doth belong mainly to the Ministery to the Magistracy in their several places and that with a special Reference to each other in their publick Administrations towards the Communalty As then the complication of our distempers doth beget an universal disease both in Religious and Civil Affaires So the general Remedies which flow from the fundamental duties of Love of Righteousnes and of Peaceablenes ought in a way of concurrence to be applyed both to the Church and Common-wealth Now the Ministers of the Gospel are Messengers of Gods Love and the Governours of the State are Ministers of his Righteousnes unto all men and both these as well in respect of their particular imployments as in respect of the common Profession of Christianity are called by God both unto the enjoyment of peace for themselves 1 Cor. 7. 15. Colos 3. 15. and to the practice and procurement of it unto others Rom. 12. 18. and Matth. 5. 9. therefore as the love of God that is our obligation to love him is the ground of all humane peace So the peaceable cure of all publick distempers and the first overtures and addresses thereunto must needes result from the effects and properties of love as it is Christian that is common to all and ought principally to be reached out unto all by the peaceable hand the righteous carriage and orderly behaviour of those that are the Messengers of Divine Love And again as nothing is truly love which doth not tend to a real good of him who is the object thereof or is not intended as a real good towards the object by him who is the Author thereof So nothing can be counted or will ever be found a real good or is intended for such unto any which is neither applyed nor intended as from God And herein the Minister should be the first to apply the Remedy of love Now it belongeth to none more to intend or apply things as from God then to the Ministers of his Word whose Profession it is to be the Messengers of his love as being sent forth to invite all men to partake thereof if therefore these do any thing towards any without a reference unto God and without the affections of his love they are of all men living the most unworthy of their employment it is true that all who glory in the name of Christ to call him Lord are bound to walk by this same Rule of love towards every one even as Christ hath loved us but yet it is evident that the Ministers appointed to publish unto all men his name are obliged herein to go before all others and to make it their special work to teach and perswade others to follow this way as it becometh the Disciples of such a Master and if any doth not this professedly he hath abandoned the main work as well of his Christian as Ministerial Calling for it is clear that the end of the whole Commandement both in respect of the duties of the Law and of the Doctrine of the Gospel is love out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfained Rom. 13. 10. and 1 Tim. 1. 5. and 1 John 3. 23. and that Ministers ought to raise their own and other mens thoughts and spirits in reference to the life of God in Christ to a comportment sutable unto this Duty and Doctrine above earthly interests and worldly concernments is a truth so evident that no Christian can make any doubt of it nor also of this that as no engagement is so near to us as this so none is to be preferred to it or ought to take us off from it From whence this conclusion is to be inferred That if any Minister of the Gospel doth at any time take upon him to be a judge of the Affaires of this world between Man and Man about which they are commonly in strife and therein doth take part with the one and opposeth the other as an Agent of the Affaires of this

acknowledging of blessings received such as by with-drawing sullenly their affections and concurrence from lawfull endeavours discourage the hearts and hands of others from the common duties of love and peaceablenesse and of righteousnesse and such as thereby seek to distract and perplex the government and obstruct the publick settlement of the Common-wealth in quietness if they repent not will at last assuredly receive that reward of their hands which will be a wo unto them and no matter of rejoycing This then will be our wisdome to behave our selves in these times as it becometh Christians I say Christians who are not to be shaken with the stormy changes of this world which passeth away but stand stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as we know that our labours of love of peace and of righteousness are not in vain 1 Cor. 15. 58. in the Lord. We ought then to shake off the spirit of drowsiness and like unto Wrastlers who set themselves in a posture of striving for Masteries to stirre up strength to raise our hands to confirm our knees and be in a readiness for the actions of our employment and all this should be intended so much the rather because the dayes are evill The duty of ordering our conversation aright This resolution thus taken will fit our mind for our undertakings and then the duty next to be laid to heart will fit the workes which we are to take in hand for our places and abilities whereof the Rule is this That we should make straight paths for our feet The feet of the soule are all the moving faculties thereof which carry it from one object to another as the feet of the body carry it from one place to another The paths of these feet are both the objects wherewith our soule is conversant and the steps of our proceeding in moving about the same The objects are all the affaires of a Religious Naturall and Civill property according to the severall relations in private publick wherein we are set The steps are the thoughts the affections and the outward actions by which we are carried from one object to another The straightnesse of these paths is the enemies both of the way wherin we walke and of our motion therein the enemies of the way is the lawfulness of the things themselves when the objects of our employment are none other but such as they ought to be in our proper stations when they are made free from crooked turnings and windings and laid in a direct line before us from their beginnings to their endings and when the rugged and unequall paths thereof are made smooth and plain that is the knotty circumstances of affaires taken off by equity The enemies of our motion in this way is the lawfulness of our proceeding and carriage in following a direct course neither turning to the right nor left hand till our journies end nor moving unequally one time too high another time too low as those that halt And to make these pathes straight our care must be of two things first to reflect upon the end of our work and then upon the meanes by which it is attainable for there be two parts of folly in our nature which pervert all our wayes the one is Childishnes when we consider not to what purpose we are busie the other is improdence when we consider not our work is to be carried on To avoid the first of these we must not suffer the faculties of our soule to walk at random about their objects but should determine the purpose of their motions by a known and undoubted Rule towards that which is manifestly good and to avoid the second branch of folly we must set our faculties and their motions a work in an orderly way without confusion and disproportion according to their places and properties in nature Thus then he that will fit his work in Righteousness to his proper place and abilities that it may not miscarry must forecast and consider his whole way with every thing belonging unto it and his own walking therein this forecast must contain two parts the one positive the other negative The positive forecast is that which hitherto we have mentioned concerning the end of our undertakings and the ordering of all the meanes and motions tending thereunto by a sure and known Rule without which we have no light in us and can do nothing but play the foole in every thing Therefore such as walk not by a known Rule and love not to come to the light thereof to approve unto all men but chiefly to those with whom they have to do their aimes and the meanes and wayes of their proceeding to gaine the same but cover their Councel deepe and hide these things from those that are concerned therein make no strait pathes for their feet and do not the truth and by this they are known that their works are not done in God whereas others who forecast without prejudice and partiality their affaires to proceed no further therein then they have a rule to warrant them love to discover themselves as in the presence of God before every one The Negative forecast is that which doth consider the impediments incident to the work of our employment how they may be removed for seeing the whole world doth lie in wickednes and we cannot avoid meeting with the crosse effects of wickednes either in the crookednes of our own nature or in others we cannot be said to have made straight pathes for our feet except some preparations be made to remove and obviat the same The impediments then which should be foreseen lie either in the objects of our work or in the working faculties the objects are either things or persons The impediments to be foreseen in things are the evil qualities thereof which by reason of the curse and bondage of corruption cleave to the whole Creation therefore to make our pathes straight in respect of things we ought to discerne their defects as well as their useful properties we ought to presuppose and suspect more defects in them than we are able to discerne and we ought not to venture upon their abilities further than the ordinary usefulnes of their natural activity is plainly discovered unto us The impediments to be foreseen in persons for no man can do any thing in this world without some relation towards other men ought to be considered as well with reference to those who are directly or collaterally concerned in the business we take in hand as with reference to those who are not concerned therein but yet are likely to take notice thereof as for those with whom we have to do our considerations should run chiefly upon the impediments which may fall in about the circumstances of our station and relation towards them and about the apprehensions and thoughts which they may have of our persons and proceedings in all which we should reflect upon the occasion of offence which may be incident