Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	faith_n	heart_n	love_v	9,402	5	6.3927	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76814	Living truths in dying times: Some meditations (upon Luk. 21.30. [sic]) occasioned by the present judgement of the plague. / By Thomas Blake.	Blake, Thomas.	1665 (1665)	Wing B3146A; ESTC R223024	90,620	229

the goodness of God as almost any people have been guilty of greater breach of Covenant sinning against light despight done to the Spirit of G●ace slighting of and neglecting of the Go●pel of Christ has scarce been found among a people for many years and by all this how i● God dishonored to have his Gospel slighted and turned out of doors and mens posts set up by Gods posts for him that departeth from evil thereby to make himself a prey Can you say for these things as the Prophet My eyes run down with tears and for these things you● soul mourneth in secret I would onely put it to your conscience and ask your souls the question you would I believe be glad to get on the other side of this storm that is now ●egun and have some assurance that you should out-live the present providence why if you would then labor to get some of the marks that are to be found upon those that God doth use to deliver from such calamities 2. What love have you for God Beca●se he hath set his love upon me saith God therefore will I deliver him Put the question home to your own souls and see what answer will be made Can you say you have set your love upon God and Christ I believe we may say most of us We see him lovely we have raised affections and desires after him but can we say we have set our love upon him that he is the center upon which our souls have fixed that we see no excellence in any thing that can satisfie our souls save onely in him Can you say you have lived up to that direction of the Apostle Set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth Faith and Love are the two great things that distinguish a Saint and an empty professor Now what say you Do you love him If your heart be not onely running out after him but set upon him then he is yours and then you may expect he will look after your preservation onely this I would say so●e souls there are that dare not say they love God they have a great many doubts and fea●s whether they do truely love God or no and therefore if you should ask me But how shall I know where my he●●t is and whether I have thi● l●ve or no I would onely say for present What desires are the●e in thee after acqu●intance with God And what desires have you to be found doing the will of God If thou canst say Above all things oh I would know him and injoy him above all things in the world I am jealous lest I should dishonor him then I would say to thee that thou hast ground to hope the Lord hath circumcised thy heart in truth to love him But 3. How do you walk with God You must be in Gods way if you will have his preservation He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways that is in all his ways for we should have no way but Gods ways all our ways should be his ways There are some things inconsistent with the walking with God and it will be well if none of those things be to be found upon our souls 1. The harbo●ing of bosom-sins if thou harbourest and allowest thy self in any secret sin thou art not one that walkest with God 2. If thou art not one pursuing the death of all sin if thou dost not l●bor to mortifie the deeds of the body I dare pronounce thee one that art walking after the flesh 3. This I add that if thou art not one that standest upon thy w●tch thou art none of those that walk with God a careless professor that minds not what he is nor what he doth will hardly ever be found in Gods way the path is too narrow for a soul to keep in without much diligence Ask your souls and examine what you have within you to witness to you that you are a people walking with God 4. Would you be of the escaping nu●ber pray what Faith have you how stands you● Faith examine that a little some there are that say I bless God I can trust him without any hesitation without any stumbling but I beseech you bear with me a little if I try your faith and help you so to do There be three things that expose men to the stroke of the judgement of God and cut them short of mercy many times viz. Unbelief Presumption and Secu●ity and any one of them doth it as well as the other 1. Unbelief I say that cuts short of a great deal of mercy particularly in such a day as this if you will be carryed through the wilderness watch against unbelief 2. Security a people not being affected with the judgements of God it lays them as much open to the weight of the judgement as any thing else Isa 5.11 And the harp and the viol c. a regardless sottish stupid people that are not affected with the judgements of God shall fall by them 3. Presumption also which they call Faith and that doth as certainly lay open the soul to misery as any other thing that hath been hinted Now consider a little how it is with you is your Faith true Faith or is it not Security Is it not Presumption Are you sure it is Faith if not it will do you no service You may think it is Faith when it may prove somewhat else it may prove security you think you have faith because you have not fear I tell you souls there may and should be an aw of God and yet be faith as I will tell you by and by You may think it faith because you are secure and not much affected but take heed lest it should disappoint thee if it be not faith it may lay you open to the judgement of God and cut you short of being one of the escaping remnant as well as any thing else whatever If you have true Faith you will know it by one or two things 1. You will be sensible of your great unworthiness to receive any thing at the hand of God or to be preserved by him that is the property of faith it is an humbling Grace a self-abasing Grace Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercy we are not consumed Here was faith at work and what effect had it upon their souls Oh it made them very sensible of their unworthiness to receive any mercy at the Lords hand It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed Call thy confidence what thou wilt if it have not some effect upon thee of this kind it is not true faith 2 If thou hast faith it hath an allay and mixrure of a holy aw of the judgements of God faith is not a thing that makes a man stupid but sensible and tender faith as it looks to the promise for preservation so it seet● God in the judgements and it is aff●cted with that Glory and M●jesty of God that shines

this is much our wisdom and will much advantage in the day of Christ the preserving also a very holy conversation Phil. 3.20 saies the Apostle Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for a Saviour And if thou art looking for a Saviour in earnest keep thy conversation in heaven Now our conversations being in heaven it implies both the maintaining communion and friendship and concord between God and us and also a holy and upright conversation He that lives in heaven keeps his peace with God and he that lives in heaven walks closely with God such a frame as that becomes one that looks for Christ and waits for his appearance that is most certain Titus 2.14 The Apostle there is telling what is the Expectation of the Saints 13. vers Looking for saies he that blessed hope c. How did they carry it in this time of their hope and expectation Why they were taught to Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and in such a posture they did Look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God 1 Pet. 13.14 Gird up the loyns of your mindes be sober and hope unto the end c. He wishes them to look for the appearance and coming of Christ but what posture must they be in while they are thus looking Why as obedient Children c. 5. And longing of soul for his appearance and coming is also necessary that is it that is in Scripture called A waiting for it is a waiting with desire and longing last of Canticles and the last vers Make hast my Beloved and be as a Roe or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices The soul thinks the coming of Christ long Revel 22.21 He that saith these things testifieth Behold I come quickly even so come Lord Jesus That is the frame the soul should be in to be still crying Come Lord Jesus And thus I have given you what I intended in answer to the fifth thing What is the best frame the soul can be in in order to its meeting with Christ with the greatest comfort and boldness As first● to have the love of Christ witnessed and sealed up unto the soul by the Spirit of God 2. To be disingaged from this world and all the intanglements and incumbrances thereof 3. To have Grace in its exercise 4. Communion with God and a holy conversation maintained and kept up 5. Raised desires and longing of soul for his appearance The Application of the Point onely remains And I shall be brief in what I add more 1. If it be a truth as I have indeavoured to make it good that standing before Christ is so serious and weighty a thing The Use of the Point will be in three or four things some of which will concern us all The first Use would be to put us a little upon inquiry Where are you what posture are you in what preparation have we made for that solemn day what have we done that may fit us to stand before the Son of man It will be a day of great solemn●ty great will be the Majesty of that Day and how fares it with us Can we say that Christ is become our Friend that we have made peace with God through him that all controversies between God and our souls are taken up and ●ompounded The counsel that is gi●en Mat. 25.25 Agree with thy adversary quickly while he is in the way ●ith him is very good There is enmi●y between God and man by nature ●he counsel given is to compound and ●ake up the breach and that is to be ●one while we are in the way with him ●f we let it alone until the coming of Christ we shall be delivered unto the Officer and by him be hurried to prison from whence we shall not be delivered for ever And therefore it is a very serious question which you had all need to put to your souls whether you have ●eceived Christ and made sure of him that so all differences between God and you be compounded and made up that you may be able to hold up your ●eads in the great and notable day of t●e Lord for such it will be and so it is called in the Word of Truth I have already shewed you what kind of persons they must be that shall stand before Christ that it must be one that hath renounced his own righteousness and put on Christs Righteousness and is renewed in the inner man and bound in spirit for God desirous to be found in his Will both by doing and suffering you may reflect upon what hath been said and consult your spirits thereby But here you will say Whether have I received Christ or no that is that that sticks with me and I cannot answer that to my own satisfaction Why consider Oh soul thou mayst know it by the precious thoughts and high esteem thou hast of Christ 1 Pet. 2.7 To you therefore which believe he is precious and you may turn it thus You to whom Christ is precious you believe in him You say He is precious and worth a world but whether he be yours that is the question Why souls I tell you if your hearts be in love with him it is because he first loved you and thou canst not have a true love unto Christ without the work of his Spirit 2. You may know it by those holy breathings you have after more o● likeness and conformity to him this is certain the soul of this Saint is no● what it should be but is longing to be what it is not pressing after more of Christ and the Image of God There was a time when Paul thought that he had enough and was in an excellent ●ood cond●●●●●● but Go●●●ught him to ●e it wa● 〈◊〉 ●uch matter R●m 7.9 I ●as ●●ie● P●●● ●●ve once without the law but ●●e● the commandment came ● 〈…〉 the Law ●●me in its understan●●●g ●nd in 〈◊〉 Applic●●ion when he wa● able to under●●●nd ●he Law in its exte●● and spiri●●●lity and apply it to himself then ●e found he had a great deal of sin and little of God in him then he come● to ●ee his wretchedness to gro●n under his burthen and this cannot be but whe●e the soul hath received life from Christ How is it with thee dost thou see thy filthiness and groan under thy burthen It is a great sign ●f so ●nd a token for good that there is a principle of new Life of new and spiritual life communicated to thee and that thou hast received life f●om Christ who is the Fountain of Life and of it thou mayst assure thy self 3. From that holy awe and dread tha● is upon thy heart lest thou shouldest b● left to sin against and dishonour Go● Where there is a closing with Christ i● earnest there is an awe of God arisin● from a sense of duty and from a sence 〈◊〉 goodness Hosea 3.5 where it is spoken concerning the Jewish people a● the time of their Conversion