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	world_n	5,607	5	4.5010	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32770	Neonomianism unmask'd, or, The ancient gospel pleaded against the other, called a new law or gospel in a theological debate, occasioned by a book lately wrote by Mr. Dan. Williams, entituled, Gospel-truth stated and vindicated ... / by Isaac Chauncy ...	Chauncy, Isaac, 1632-1712.	1692 (1692)	Wing C3754; Wing C3754A; Wing C3755; ESTC R19390	474,696	516

required to examine our selves but where lyes the Critical Point It 's in Christ being in us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 try or see by tryal whether Christ be in you how look after the true Evidence of it by finding out the thing it self i. e. Christ received by Faith and witnessed by his Spirit for Christ is in us these ways 1. By his Spirit 2. By Faith 3. By our Mystical Union I in them John 17. Now this Tryal is by Faith for it is thus Do we see the things that are Invisible But suppose you say the Tryal is by the Fruits of Faith we deny it not but we say they are not only here but to be understood therefore the place concludes not against us nor that place 2 Pet. 1.10 The Apostle there tells us We have all things that pertain to Life and Godliness through the Knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Vertue and if all things then Assurance too for it 's through great and precious Promises that we are partakers of the Divine Nature and through them as the Spirit is bestowed so it Comforts and Ensures Life and Salvation to us And as it works many gracious Vertues and Fruits in us so it excites and stirs us up to Encrease and Growth in Grace ver 5 6 7. And where these things are not it is a sign that a Man hath no true savour of Pardoning Grace lying under senlesness of the great Reason of Christ's Death and Satisfaction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Christ purging away of Sin i. e. by Sacrifice of his bearing of Sin of old so long ago and it 's no doubt but the real total absence of the Fruits of Faith is a sign there is no Faith if these things be wanting such an one is Purblind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or false-sighted thinks he is something when there 's nothing but the difficulty is this a Man saith he hath upon tryal these Vertues but is short-sighted he looks close to himself and passeth a wrong Judgment how shall he be convinced that he hath them not or he saith he hath them not how shall he come to be satisfied that he hath them Who must resolve these difficulties Is it not the Word and Spirit that must resolve it in believing Therefore the rather give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure and how is that done Why not in believing Doth not Faith make our Calling sure Is Election to be known any way but by believing And how is our Calling i. e. Invitation to believe How is that made good but by answering the Call For he saith doing these things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. making Calling and Election sure by getting a sure footing and standing in Christ by Faith you shall not fall or stumble so as to fall and an entrance shall be abundantly ministred the words are so an entrance into his Eternal Kingdom shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ministred to you Now Christ he is the Door and a Rich Entrance into his Kingdom ministred to every one that believeth so that the Crisis of our State that the Spirit of God puts us upon in both places is especially about our Faith in Christ which Faith is a Witness in our selves and the Spirit witnessing with it and all ways and means causing our Faith to witness and giving us Light and Evidence from the Word believed to see the Graces of God and Fruits of the Spirit in our Hearts Neonom This is the way whereby the Scripture Saints were assured They concluding their Justication by their Sanctification and a state of Peace by the Truth of Grace 1 John 3.14 ver 9. ver 18. Thus David Paul and other Saints concluded the safety of their state D. W. p. 165. Antinom This is one way but not the only or principal way The Apostle John tells often that Love if it be true and from a true Principle and Root is an Argument of our Regenerate state but that it may be known to be such it must be traced to the Head it being but a stream to see how it flows from the Love of Christ apprehended by Faith whereby we have our Radical hold and standing And as he saith ver 14. Hereby we know we are passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren Yet lest he should leave us in the dark and we should take false Love for true he tells us there is another Judgment to pass upon our Love before we can argue from it we must find that it flows from our perception of the Love of God in laying down his Life for us and from thence should proceed our readiness to lay down our Life for the Brethren ver 16. In this we know or are assured of God's Love in that he laid down his Life for us The Love of God believed gives the Original Ground of Assurance and is the greatest and the Touchstone to an other A Witness from Men from what is found in us is something but the Witness of God is greater 1 John 5.9 And the witness that he hath given to us in the Gospel concerning his Son testified by the Spirit and applyed by Faith is that Evidence upon which all firm Assurance is Radically Built And you shall plainly see that John doth not found our Assurance Radically upon Love but in Justifying Faith he saith ver 18. Let us be sincere in Love and I will tell you whereby you shall attain to good Assurance ver 19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this i. e. in what follows in this refers not to the foregoing Verse but to what follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often used as the Causal Particle for For in this we shall know or be assured that we are of the Truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we shall perswade our Hearts it 's rendred well assure our Hearts bring our Hearts to Assurance by believing that whereby Condemnation is removed for saith he if this be not whatever Judgment we have of what is in our selves it may deceive us and God knows enough in us to condemn us for if our Hearts labour under unbelief and condemn us whatever we find in our selves will not give us peace and God is greater than our Hearts therefore we must assure our Hearts that way which will hold good in the Eye of God's Justice i. e. by Faith in Jesus Christ ver 21. and saith he if our Heart condemn us not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have chearfulness and boldness towards God and how is it possible that the Condemnation of our Hearts should be taken off but by believing and thereby perswading our Hearts But you will say it may be that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not used for to express our believing But I will shew you it is See Heb. 11.13 They all died in Faith having not received the Promises but saw them afar off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were perswaded of them

strong or weak so our Assurance is strong or weak Now that Faith still carries with it a Hypostasis or Demonstration of the thing believed grounded upon the Certainty Truth and Infallibility of God I am fully satisfied from that Portion of Scripture that evinces it undeniably Heb. 11.1 And as now for other grounds of Comfort and Assurance which arise from the Visibility of the Grace of God and the Fruits of the Spirit in the Heart and Life I highly value them as subordinate grounds of Comfort and Confirmation in Assurance these are seen by the reflection of the Soul upon it self being able in regenerate man to reason in a spiritual manner from Causes Effects Subjects and Adjuncts c. which he finds in himself according to the Rule of the Word of God This I call Experimental Assurance and this is that which is so long attaining to and when it is had may be lost again in a great measure as Comfort therefore And because many Believers take this to be all the Assurance they must look for and their Teachers tell them so therefore they go mourning all their dayes and are only supported by what degrees of Assurance is in their Faith which they take not to be any and their Teachers tell them that Faith hath nothing of Assurance in it but do suggest as if it were but the roving of the Mind in uncertainties and Probability and that it is Presumption for them to believe to Confidence and Assurance though the Spirit of God doth command and encourage it again and again and that doubting is rather their Vertue than Sin whereas so much as there is of Doubting mingled with their Faith so much there is of Sin and Unbelief In true Faith there is the Promise more or less believed i. e. the Truth and Goodness because a Promise reached forth a Truth which carries Goodness in it to us-ward is received the ●eason of which reception is the certain Truth and Faithfulne●● of him that promiseth Hence there is believing a Word and believing a Person Hence believing hath three things in it according to the Apostle Heb. 11. 1. The Object falls not under the measure of Sense and Reason therefore called Things not seen and Things hoped for 2. There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. an express Image Heb. 1. of the things not seen and hoped for brought to us in the Promise 3. There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Demonstration or Argument of the Reality and Certainty of those things and intention of bestowing them taken from the Truth and Faithfulness of him that promiseth Faithful is he that hath promised Now that God hath promised in general and indefinitely to save Sinners and that he is able and willing to perform it in his time and to whom he pleaseth may be a common Faith only and such as the Devils have But for a Sinner to take up with the Promise for himself is the work of the Spirit peculiarly Because there is no man spoken to by Name in the Promise which advantage Abraham had and the want thereof must be supplyed by the Spirit 's ●aying to the Soul more or less plainly This Promise belongeth ●nto thee whereby the Soul is enabled to exert fiducially a believing the Promise and staying on the Promiser for himself And here lyes the difficulty of Believing and the usual workings of Unbelief It 's a marvellous thing to me Mr. Neonomian that you can have the Impudency to quote the Assembly for your Assertion Confess Ch. 18. viz. That there is no other grounds of Assurance but Signs and Marks Whereas they say so expressly That a Believer may be assured in this Life that he is in a State of Grace and this Certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable perswasion grounded on a fallible Hope but an Infallible Assurance of Faith founded on the Divine Truth of the Promises of Salvation the inward evidence of those Graces unto which those Promises are made the Testimony of the Spirit of Adoption witnessing with our Spirits So that they make three grounds of Assurance 1. The infallible Assurance of Faith 2. The inward Evidences of Graces 3. The Witness of the Spirit of Adoption When you quoted this place you had either forgot what you had wrote or you quote it retaining the Assembly first least it should be brought against you There are three great Graces spoken of by the Apostle 1 Cor. 13.13 Faith Hope Love Mr. Caryl on Job 13.13 And the Scripture holds forth an Assurance in reference to every one of these First The Assurance of Faith Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true Heart in full assurance of Faith This Assurance of Faith hath a double respect 1. To our Persons 2. To our Services that in both we are pleasing to God Secondly There 's an Assurance of Hope Heb. 6.11 Faith hath an Eye to the Truth of the Promise Hope to the Good of the Promise and the Assurance of Hope is that we shall certainly receive that Good Thirdly There 's an Assurance of Love 1 Joh. 4.48 Perfect Love casts out Fear How is Love made Perfect and how doth it cast out Fear v. 17. Herein saith he is love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment because as he is so are we in the World i. e. As his Love is sincere to us so is ours to him according to our measure even in this life and this gives us boldness our Assurance that all shall go well with us in the day of Judgment so this Love casteth out all fear of Condemnation in that day which Fear where it remains hath Torment than which nothing is more contrary to Assurance In perfect Love there is no Torment because there is no Fear and there is no Fear because there is an Assurance of the Love of God in this love the Soul doth repose rest and delight it self There is a Fourth thing spoken of which is a full assurance of Vnderstanding This is Clearness of our apprehension about the things which we do believe and upon which we fasten by Faith and Love The Light of the Understanding shining upon the Mysteries of the Gospel and mixing with our other Graces bottoms the Soul upon the strongest Foundation and raiseth it up to the highest Pinnacle of Assurance We may say of Assurance in reference to these four Graces as Philosophers do of the Heavens in reference to the four Elements That they are neither of the four Elements but a Quintessence of a fisth Essence So we may say of Assurance it is neither Faith nor Hope nor Love nor Knowledge but it is a fifth thing sublimated and raised either out of or above all those i. e. when Assurance is raised to the highest pitch that it is a full Assurance from whence our Joy is full all a Christians Sails are filled being under a full gale and having fair weather Rom. 8.16 The Spirit

it shews that all Malediction was included in him This may seem hard that it may look like a Reproach to the Cross of Christ in Confession of which we glory But God was not ignorant of what kind of Death his Son should die when he said Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree But one may here object How comes it to pass that the Son in whom the Father delights should be accursed I answer Two things are here to be considered not only in the Person of Christ but also in his Humanity One is that he was the Lamb of God without spot full of Blessing and Grace The other that he took our Person therefore he was a Sinner and under the Curse not so much in himself as in us but yet it was necessary he should die in our stead which he could not do out of the Grace of God and yet he underwent his Wrath else how could he reconcile the Father to us whom he looked upon as incensed against us therefore the Will of the Father did always rest satisfied in him Again how could he free us from the Wrath of God unless he had translated it from us to him therefore he was wounded for our Sins and experienced God as an angry Judge This is the foolishness of the Cross but admired by Angels and swallows up all the Wisdom of the World We must not imagine Christ to be innocent and as a private Person as do the Schoolmen Luther on Gal. 3.14 and almost all the Fathers have done which is holy and righteous for himself only True it is that Christ is a Person most pure and unspotted but thou must not stay there for thou hast not yet Christ although thou know him to be God and Man But then thou hast him indeed when thou believest that this more pure and innocent Person is freely given unto thee of the Father to be thy Priest and Saviour yea rather thy Servant that he putting off his Innocency and Holiness and taking thy sinful Person upon him might bear thy Sin thy Death and thy Curse and might be made a Sacrifice and Curse for thee that by this means he might deliver thee from the Curse of the Law As Paul applied unto Christ that place of Moses Accursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree so may we apply unto Christ not only that whole 27th of Deut. but also may gather all the Curses of Moses's Law together and expound the same of Christ For as Christ is innocent in this general Law touching his own Person so is he also in all the rest And as he is guilty in this general Law in that he is made a Curse for us and is hanged upon the Cross as a wicked Man a Blasphemer a Murderer a Traytor even so is also guilty in all others For all the Curses of the Law are heaped together and laid upon him and therefore he did bear and suffer them in his own Body for us he was therefore not only accursed but made a Curse for us I will tell you what an Eminent New England Divine Mr. Stone MSS. no Antinomian said to this Point It may appear that Christ was made a Curse for us because he suffered the Perfection of the Second Death which he began in the Garden He began to be sorrowful Matth. 26.27 He drank the first Draught of the Cup of Wrath and afterwards it 's said He was in an Agony There was the Second upon the Cross He drank up the Bottom and Dregs of the Cup of Vengeance and said It is finished John 19.30 He was cursed of God in an eminent manner Deut. 21 22 23. compared with Gal. 3 13. If a Man be guilty of Sin worthy of Death and to be hanged for it then he is accursed otherwise not Christ was accursed hanging on the Tree and therefore it 's certain he was guilty of our Sins charged upon him being the greatest Sinner by Imputation and hence he was really cursed of God and that in an eminent manner and not only cursed but a Curse in the Abstract whereby it is most evident that he suffered the immediate Impressions of the Wrath of God and the Second Death which takes possession of the whole Man and therefore must have suffered while his Soul and Body were united or standing together he was those three Hours in the Darkness of Hell encountring the Powers of Darkness and wrestling with the Wrath of an infinite God Man by Sin having displeased such an infinite God must suffer that infinite Displeasure which Christ suffered in our room The Perfection of which second Death consisted in this that he was utt●rly deprived of all the Sweetness of his Fathers Love and Presence and filled with the Sence of all the Bitterness of his Wrath Psal 22.1 2. Isa 53.4 to 11. Matth 27.45 46. Gal. 3.13 in which we may attend 1. The Punishment of Loss a total Privation and Desertion in respect of Sence and Feeling of the Sweetness of his Fathers Love and Presence This Desertion appeared in that the God of Glory forsook him left him destitute and desolate God the Father hid his Face from him God would not send in any Comfort by Sun Angels Saints Psal 16.12 God did not only stand at a distance but lock'd up himself in Anger from him would not be entreated by him Psal 22.1 2. c. 2. There was not only Dereliction but Malediction Gal. 3.13 He was assailed by all the infernal Powers of Hell Luke 22.53 This is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Authority of Darkness they might do their worst now they had their full Scope the great●st Battel was fought upon the Cross Col. 2.15 2. He wrestled with the Fierceness of the wrath of an Angry God consuming Fire he was smitten of God Psal 69.27 Isa 50. Zech. 13.3 He was his Executioner 3. A Confluence of Plagues and Evils fell upon him and settled themselves on his Sacred Person and he was filled with them he was in the depth of them Psal 69.1 Quest What did our Saviour suffer in Soul Dr. Vsher's Div. p. 172. Answ He drank the full Cup of God's Wrath filled unto him for our sakes the whole Wrath of God due to the Sin of Man being poured forth upon him therefore in Soul he did abide unspeakable Vexations horrible Griefs painful Troubles Fear of Mind feeling as it were the very Pangs of Hell into which both before and most of all when he hanged upon the Cross he was cast which caused him before his bodily Passion so grievously to complain The Death of Christ is the last Act of his Humiliation whereby he underwent the most extreme Ames c. 22. horrible and greatest Punishments for Man's Sins § 2. It contained the greatest Punishments because it did equalize all that misery which the sins of men did deserve Hence is that Plenty of Words and Phrases whereby that Death is expressed in Scripture For it 's not called

Grace is no condition of a Covenant in us or conditionary part if there be any it 's in Christ 3. You do manifestly own that Sinners are not capable of a Covenant condition it must be wrought in them therefore how absurd is it to say a Covenant Promise was made to them upon condition of their own Act when they do not Act nor have Power to Act. 4. The conditions of the Covenant of Innocency as you would have it improperly enough were performed by a strength given freely and that before the condition was imposed you make the New Law harder because it commands Duty as a condition be●ore it gives strength to perform and how was it due to our Innocent Nature no more than a distinct Nature from Bruits was due to us it was all of Gracious Bounty and ex beneplacito there 's nothing due to the Creature from the Creator but what he will from his free good Will and Pleasure make due well then hitherto you shew us no more Grace in your New Law than in the Old Law and I am mistaken if not less Neonom 2. The Principal Conditions of the Covenant of Grace express the Guilt and Misery of them that perform them Repentance owns our Filth and Guilt and Faith in a Redeemer expresseth our sinful and lost Estate neither of these could have place in our Legal Righteousness as being utterly inconsistent with an Innocent condition Nor can they have much Room in Heaven where we shall be perfect whereas the Terms of the Covenant of Works implied nothing but Innocency and Happiness Antinom You tell us of Faith and Repentance being the Principal condition I pray which are the rest of the conditions it 's fit we should know them all and when we have performed our part that we make our claim for we can make none till we have performed all 2. If our Repentance only as a condition express Guilt and Filth it expresseth our Condemnation only and thereby not a condition of Salvation it worketh Wrath and thereby belongs to the Law of Works broken Rom. 4.15 If it be a condition of Salvation it must take off Guilt and Filth by Expiation which you dare not say Repentance doth make and so Faith it 's not enough to express a sinful and lost Estate that 's but a Sentence of Death but it must as a condition take off this Sentence by its own Nature 3. Whereas you say neither of these i. e. Faith or Repentance could have place in our Legal Righteousness it 's false for Faith had place in our Legal Righteousness Adam's Legal Righteousness was Faith and Obedience and his Legal unrighteousness was begun in Unbelief which is manifest from the Serpents Temptation Gen. 3.3 which Adam complyed with our First Parents fell first by Unbelief And why could not Repentance have been one of the conditions if the Law-giver had pleased to put it in Why might not the Law run in these Terms In the day thou eatest and dost not repent thereof thou shalt die and so one Law should have done all Why could there not have been as many conditions and the same in the Old Law as you will have in the New therefore there 's nothing hinders in the Nature of the thing that makes it inconsistent as you say with an Innocent condition why may not a provision be made in a state of Innocency for the cure of Nocency if the Legislator pleaseth For he made not his Law by necessity of Nature And know that Repentance ●●th great consistency with the Law and naturally follows in case of Transgression and there was no need of it but upon that Supposition and upon the Fall Adam naturally fell into Repentance expressing the Guilt and Filth of his Sin 4. Nor you say can they have much room in Heaven it seems they have a little at least so much as to retain the Nature of a condition or else the Covenant is lost in Heaven for the Covenant must always be made up of Condition and Promises or Performance of things promised it is an Everlasting Covenant But b● your favour Faith hath place in Heaven and that a higher Faith than we are capable of here 5. You say the Terms of the Covenant of Works implyeth nothing but Innocency and Happiness there was not a Promise of Happiness expressed tho implyed and God never intended to give us Happiness by that Law for the Apostle saith Gal 3.21 If there had been a Law given which could have given Life verily Righteousness should have been by the Law Therefore God never intended to give Life to us b● that Law or any other if he had he could have given a Law sufficient for it at first and were there no Terms but Innocency and Happiness was there not Terms of Transgression and Condemnation and those were the exprest Terms the other were but supposed or implyed Neonom 3. The Conditions of the Covenant of Grace make us capable of no Happiness except what Christ hath bought and prepared for us his Blood is the Price of all But the Happiness granted to sinless Obedience was immediately from the Creator and knew no Atonement or Mediator D. W. p. 57. Antinom Doth that make your Covenant the better or the worse Is not a perfect entire Covenant without any flaws in it better than a faulty Covenant The Apostle condemns a faulty Covenant but you chuse to prefer a Covenant that is faulty made up of sinful Obedience and that must have a Mediator to provide against it and to mend the faults of it and hence this Covenant could not be without a Mediator because of its faultiness and you say your Covenant makes us capable of no Happiness but what was bought and prepared for us 1. Then this is a Covenant that capacitates us first for what Christ bought and then when we are capable we shall be partakers of Christ by a previous Covenant where Christ hath nothing to do but Extrinsecally only this capability is by congruity or condignity 2. It 's a kindness to Christ that you will allow him the honour to buy and prepare Happiness for us and have it ready against we have occasion for it 3. What other kind of Happiness can you suppose Is there any but what comes to us in or by Christ Would the Life promised to Adam have differed in specie and be of another kind But is not the Gift of the Son himself a Happiness all Blessings of the Covenant are Happiness to Sinners the Father's Love was not purchased nor the Gift of the Son God so loved the World that he sent his Son c. 4. But his Blood is the Price of all there 's enough for him he bought your whole New Law at a Lump both your Inherent Foederal Righteousness for a condition and the Reward of Debt he capacitated the Law and brought it to so low Terms that you were capable of performing the conditions of it But hath his Blood no