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
A77775	The Gospel-covenant; or The covenant of grace opened. Wherein are explained; 1. The differences betwixt the covenant of grace and covenant of workes. 2. The different administration of the covenant before and since Christ. 3. The benefits and blessings of it. 4. The condition. 5. The properties of it. / Preached in Concord in Nevv-England by Peter Bulkeley, sometimes fellow of Johns Colledge in Cambridge. Published according to order.	Bulkeley, Peter, 1583-1659.	1646 (1646)	Wing B5403; Thomason E331_1; ESTC R200735	319,203	371

not regarded It 's a thundering speech of the Apostle in Heb. 10.29 where he saith That those that sinned under Moses Law dyed without mercy and yet much sorer vengeance shall be unto those that despise the Gospel of Christ Can any thing be worse then to dye without mercy Yes saith the Apostle those shall have sorer vengeance It shall be vengeance that they suffer yea sore vengeance and sorer then those suffered which under Moses law dyed without mercy and yet more it shall be much sorer yea so much sorer as cannot be uttered but is left to our consideration to thinke How much sorer vengeance saith the Apostle and it must needs be such when the Lord himselfe professeth he will laugh at such mens destruction and mocke when their misery comes Prov. 1. And saith that he will rejoyce over them in destroying of them Deut. 28.63 No plagues like the plagues of such as reject the Gospel of Christ Reason 1 This sin sets more of God against us then was before before the Gospel came unto us we had justice against us armed with power both which were provoked by us but yet mercy was ready to save us if we would come in and accept of the grace offered mercy was not yet become our enemy as not yet being provoked by us but when it is brought to us by the Gospel and is despised by us now mercy and grace it selfe also is against us and is made our enemy now mercy joynes with justice and increased wrath Reason 2 There is in this sin a speciall indignitie offered unto Christ himselfe the Son is despised in it which the Father will not suffer It is one great part of the Fathers counsell to honour and advance his Son for the Father loveth the Son and will have all men to honour the Son as they honour the Father Joh. 5.23 As the Son did all things to honour the Father Joh. 8.49 Joh. 17.4 So it is the Fathers purpose and will to honour the Son Acts 3.13 2 Pet. 1.17 This contempt therefore which is offered unto Christ when he is offered in the Gospel and is set light by God the Father will avenge to the full As the bloud of Abel cryed to God for vengeance against Cain so doth the contempt done to the bloud of Christ cry to heaven against the despisers of it much more Christs bloud hath a double cry and it will prevaile both wayes First To prevaile for mercy towards those that count it precious and trust in it for them it saith Father forgive them But it cryes also for judgement against the despisers of it that God would avenge the contempt of it upon them and this bloud will be heard whatsoever it calls for whether for mercy or judgement Vse This may serve to be a warning to all such people to whom the Gospel of Christ is come let them in the feare of God take heed lest they neglect so great salvation Heb. 2. and let them with thankfulnesse and love entertain the grace which is brought unto them by the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. If you become despisers God will work such things among you as who so heareth them his eares shall tingle Acts 1. and your hearts shall ake in the suffering of them much more Heb. 2. for if every transgression and disobedience committed against the Law or against the dim light of nature doe receive a just recompence of reward if those which are without the Law perished in those sinnes which they committed without the Law and if those which are without the Gospel perish in their ignorance because they know it not how then shall those escape which have both law of grace and Gospel of grace revealed unto them and yet doe neglect those great things Be warned and take heed It will be your wisdome now in this your day to consider the things which concern your peace 2 Cor. 6.1 feare lest you should receive the grace of God in vaine take heed of despising and setting light by the tydings of your salvation lest the same things which were ordained to be unto life be found to be unto you unto death Rom. 7. and then the greater meanes you have had to bring you to life the more bitter will your death be This is the great condemnation of the world that when grace is revealed and tendered unto men yet it is not received with love that they might be saved by it Joh. 3.19 It 's put away and is not esteemed lamentable is the case of such people This made Christ to weep over Jerusalem Luk. 19.41 42. because they knew not they regarded not the things of their peace no peoples case more to be pitied and mourned for then theirs that injoy the Gospel but esteeme it not Let such consider what is said of the Jewes when they put away the Gospel from them they did thereby judge themselves unworthy of eternall life Acts 13.46 Not that they did thinke themselves unworthy of life nor did they with their mouthes speake any such thing but as a man may shew h●s judgement of a thing as well by his fact as by his words so did they by their fact in that sinfull rejecting of the Gospel of salvation they did as it were pronounce a sentence against themselves by which all men might see that they were unworthy of the salvation preached to them such therefore as do reject the Gospel do by that contempt testifie and pronounce judgement against themselves that they are unworthy to be saved These as they love not the blessing of the Gospel so it shall be farre from them and as they choose the wayes of sin and death so it shall come unto them they shall dye in their sinnes with a double destruction And heare O England my deare native Countrey whose womb bare me Admonition to England whose breath nourished me and in whose armes I should desire to dye give eare to one of thy children which dearely loveth thee Be thou exhorted thankfully to accept the grace which is now ready to be revealed unto thee The way is now preparing the high mountaines which with their shadowes caused darknesse are now a laying low and the low valleys ready to be exalted the crooked things to be made straight that all flesh that lives within thy borders may see the salvation of our God Thy light is now coming and the glory of the Lord is now rising upon thee though darknesse hath covered a part of thee hitherto through the wickednesse of those that hated light yet now the Lord himselfe I trust will rise upon thee and the glory of the Lord shall be seene upon thee Now therefore stirre up thy selfe with thankfulnesse and joy of heart to embrace the things of thy peace which shall be brought unto th●e See that thou love the Gospel not in word and in shew onely but in deed and in truth and not for novelties sake

condition must be such as may stand with grace but if works had been the condition this could not have stood with grace Rom. 11.6 Gods maine end in this Covenant is the mani●estation of his grace towards his chosen that his grace may be glorified in them Ephes 1.6 2 Thes 1.10 that nothing might be left unto man to glory in but that he which glorieth might glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 1. ult c. 4. It is faith that the blessing might be sure to those to whom it is promised Rom. 4.16 Adam had a promise of life but being made upon condition of working he never got the blessing by that Covenant when Adam first entred into Covenant with God it was uncertaine whether he should live by it or no in regard that it was uncertaine whether he would fulfill the condition and thereupon it was that he had one Sacrament of death as well as another of life to assure him of death in case he sinned as well as to assure him of life in case he obeyed but now the promise of life being made to us upon condition of faith it is thereby made sure to those that doe believe Christ is a sure foundation for them to rest upon Esay 28.16 the promise also is sure and faithfull 2 Sam. 23.5 and faith is as an anchor sure and stedfast Heb. 6.19 and Christ being so sure a foundation the promise sure and faith taking such sure hold upon both these three together are as a three●old cord not easily broken so that the blessing in the Covenant of grace now is not so uncertaine and doubtfull as in the Covenant of works but is sure to those that believe And hence it is that in this Covenant though we have two seales added unto it as well as in the Covenant of works yet there is no Sacrament or seale of death but they are both seales of life and salvation assuring us that if we believe in the name of the Lord Jesus we shall surely have everlasting life 5. Faith is sufficient to make us partakers of all the blessings of the Covenant Look back unto all those blessings before named and you shall see how faith doth possesse us of them all God promiseth to be a God unto us Jer. 31. but how comes he to be our God It is by faith Rom. 3.29 30. He promiseth forgivenesse of sinnes and to remember our iniquities no more and it is faith which maketh us partakers of this blessing also Acts 10.43 Rom. 3.24 25. By faith wee are made partakers of the Spirit of holinesse Gal. 3.14 faith purifies the heart Acts 15.9 26.18 By faith we are kept in the estate of grace unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 Rom. 11.20 we stand by faith 2 Cor. 1.24 By faith we are made heires and owners of all the good things of this life We are sonnes by faith Gal. 3.21 and being sonnes we are also heires Rom. 8.17 even heires of the world as Abraham was Rom. 4.13 and if by faich we be partakers of Christ then are we with him interested in all other things also Rom. 8.32 yea all things are ours whether things present or things to come all are ours we being Christs 1 Cor. 3. Lasty by faith we obtaine that great and last blessing of the Covenant even the blessing of eternall life Joh. 3.16 36. So that faith alone makes us possessors of all the blessings of the Covenant and therefore there needs no other condition but faith alone Object But may some say if faith alone be the condition of the Covenant and doe make us partakers of life and forgivenesse of sinne then what need is there of any obedience or works of holinesse faith alone is sufficient in stead of all Answ This was the old plea of loose Libertines in the Apostles times I have faith saith one and though I have no works yet my faith will save me But understand O thou vaine man saith the Apostle James chap. 3. that if thy faith be without works such faith is vaine but like a dead carkasse without soule or spirit it is dead in it selfe and leaves the soule in death wanting life in it selfe and yeelding no living fruit it cannot bring life unto the soule A good tree saith Christ is known by its fruit and so a right and sound faith Let a man believe in truth he cannot but love and if he love he cannot but seek to please God in well doing faith is as a tree of life which abounds with good fruit as therefore when a man desires to have good fruit in his orchard he doth not set the fruits themselves in it but plants the trees which use to beare the fruit as knowing that if the trees be good and kindly the trees will yeeld the fruit so God delighteth to see the fruits of righteousnesse in the lives of his Saints and for this end plants in their hearts the tree of faith as knowing where this tree is planted and takes root the fruit will and cannot but follow faith and holinesse can no more be separated then light can be separated from the Sunne such as say they have faith and hope to partake in the blessing of the Covenant and yet live loosely carnally unconscionably they doe but deceive themselves they may be in Covenant with hell and death but have no part of the Covenant of life and peace Quest 2. But whereas in speaking of faith wee speak sometimes of the habit sometimes of the act of it It may be demanded which of these is the condition of the Covenant whether is it the habit or the act of faith which is required of us Answ It is the latter that is the act faith acting and working towards the promise and from the promise and causing us to live by faith in the promise according to that in Gal. 2.20 the life which I now live I live by the faith of the Sonne of God the habit is freely given us and wrought in us by the Lord himselfe to inable us to act by it and to live the life of faith and then we having received the gift the habit then I say the Lord requires of us that we should put forth acts of faith both by waiting upon him to receive from him all the good which he hath promised and by walking in all obedience of faith in an humble submission to his will this work of faith the Apostle shews fully to have been in those Saints in Heb. 11. both in expecting the promise with patient suffering under the hope of it and in obedient submission to any Commandement of God and these acts of faith are implyed in that expression of walking by faith 2 Cor. 5. and the work of faith 1 Thes 1.3 and in that faith is said to work by love Gal. 5. all tending to shew that it is the act and work of of faith which is required on our part Reas 1. It is the act of faith which receives the promise

faithfully performe unto us that which he hath promised his dealing with us doth evidently declare his gracious inclination towards us and his readinesse to forgive First His great patience in waiting for our repentance and turning unto him he waits for this very end that he might be gracious Isai 30.18 Isai 30.18 Secondly His proclaiming of his Name as he doth in Exod. 34.6 The Lord the Lord gracious mercifull forgiving iniquities why doth the Lord thus proclaime his Name and tell us openly that he is a God forgiving iniquities c. but that we might take notice of his graciousnesse towards us and might be encouraged to looke unto him for forgivenesse Even as Kings proclaime their pardon that they might be acknowledged to be gracious Lords Thirdly His gracious invitation also assures us that he will forgive Come unto me saith Christ Mat. 11.28 If sin burthen you I will ease you Yea he entreats us to accept of reconciliation and to be reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 5.20 Fourthly Consider his commanding of us to forgive one another he commands other men to forgive us which is an argument that himselfe will forgive For first herein he shewes his love towards us that he would not have the hatred of any creature to lye against us no not so much as the displeasure of a weake man but would have us to enjoy their love how much lesse then will he let his owne wrath lye upon us which is infinitely more heavie then the displeasure of all the creatures in the whole world and secondly If he would have us to forgive one another which have so littl● love and compassion in us how much more will he forgive us his compassion being so tender and pitifull towards the worke of his own hands These acts of his goodnesse doe confirme this unto us that he is a gracious God ready to forgive This lets us see the onely way to get free from the guilt of our Vse 1 sinne which lyes upon us here is the way and there is no other but to fly to grace and mercy to obtain free forgivenes The wicked hypocrite thinkes to escape by denying his sin as Saul did 1 Sam. 15. 1 Sam. 15. or by hiding it from the eyes of the Almightie as they doe Psal 94.7 Psal 94.7 Others thinke that God cannot know them as Job 22.13 14. Job 22.13 14. or that he will not regard them as Psal 94.7 But marke what the Lord himselfe saith Hos 5.3 Hos 5.3 I know Ephraim and Israel is not hid from me And in Amos 5.12 Amos 5.12 I know your manifold transgressions and your mightie sinnes And in Hos 7.2 Hos 7.2 I remember all their wickednesse saith the Lord yea he hath Our sinnes laid up as amongst his treasures Deut. 32.34 Deut. 32.34 and sealed up as in a bag Job 14.17 Job 14.17 to bring them forth against such Atheisticall hypocrites in the day of his visitation Others thinke to make amends for their sinnes that they will appease God with thousands of Rammes and ten thousand rivers of oyle as Micah 6.7 but the Lord will be appeased by none of these Our onely way is to fly to grace and to free forgivenesse all other meanes whether pardons from men or satisfactions from our selves will not free us from the guilt of the least sin the taking away of our sinnes must either be by free forgivenesse or they must lye upon us for ever Is forgivenesse of sinnes one of the blessings of the Covenant then Vse 2 surely it reacheth no further nor to no more then to such as doe give up themselves to God to walke in Covenant with him such therefore as walke contrary to the Covenant which is between God and his people such as will be bound in no bonds but cast away all bonds from them and will walke at libertie and will not be restrained let such know that the bond of the Covenant as the Prophet speakes in Ezek. 20.37 and the blessing of the Covenant goe together so as those that will not come within the bond of it shall never partake of the blessing When God drawes his people into the bond of his Covenant then he is about the forgiving them their sinnes Consider that of the Apostle Rom. 11.26 27. Rom 11.26 27. when God doth take away the sin of a people then doth he also make a Covenant with them and takes away ungodlinesse from them A loose ungodly walking contrary to the Covenant which God makes with his people is an evident demonstration that our sinnes are still bound fast upon us and they will be as fetters and snares to bind us hand and foot to cast us into utter darknesse This benefit of forgivenesse of sinnes is proper onely unto those that are a people in Covenant with God and doe by Covenant bind themselves unto him to walke before him as becoming his people Vse 3 For incouragement unto all such as doe desire to renew their communion with the blessed God and to returne into acquaintance and fellowship with him you desire to have God to be your God you would faine draw near and get into Covenant with him that he may be a God unto you and you a people unto him but this dismayes you this puts you back you have so much guilt lying upon you so many sinnes standing up betwixt God and you that you thinke it impossible that the holy God should ever take such a sinfull wretch by the hand and enter into Covenant with him to become his God But let such consider this sweet promise of grace I will be mercifull to their iniquities and remember their sinnes no more When he had before said that he would be their God now lest any should be beaten off from drawing neare unto him to renew their communion with him he subjoynes this promise I will forgive their iniquities As if he should say though you thinke I will not be a God unto you any more because of your sinnes yet these shall not hinder for I will forgive them they shall stand in my sight no more Vse 4 Hath God thus promised forgivenes of sin in his new Testament and Covenant then let us for our parts labour to partake of this rich blessing lye no longer under the guilt of our sinnes but seeke to have them forgiven Say not there is no hope we have a promise and we may be the children of the Covenant to whom the promise is made Thinke what the Prophet saith in Amos 5.15 Amos 5.15 It may be the Lord will be mercifull to the remnant of Joseph though before in ver 12. the Lord had told them that he knew their manifold and mighty sinnes yet the Prophet here puts them in hope it may be the Lord will yet be mercifull much more should wee be incouraged by the plaine promises of God And therefore when we heare the Lord say I will be mercifull