Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	grace_n	great_a	soul_n	4,875	5	4.7291	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93878	The spirits conviction of sinne. Opened in a sermon before the Honorable House of Commons, assembled in Parliament upon the solemne day of their monethly fast, Novemb. 26, 1645. / By Peter Sterry, sometimes fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge. And now preacher of the Gospel in London. Published by order of the House of Commons.	Sterry, Peter, 1613-1672.	1645 (1645)	Wing S5485; Thomason E310_4; ESTC R200442	20,427	47

man afflicted and oppress'd laments after this manner I have blasted my reputation wasted my estate brought my body into diseases by my lusts and now I hang over a pit of flames by the thin worn thread of this life in the same moment that this thread is cut I drop in and am lost for ever Wo is me Thus he cryes then he runs to prayers Sermons Fasts in these he hopes for ease Another as he lies restlesse all the night hath these thoughts working like a storm in his breast I have exposed my life to the Censure of the Lawes by Treacheries against my Countrey and my God If the Preacher's words prove true and there be a hell at last there remaines nothing for me but a fearfull expectation of my share there In these anguishes this man breathes forth a groan and cries to God to have mercy on him So Pharaoh so Ahab were convinc'd This is like weeping with an Onion the eyes shed teares because they smart 2. Sparklings of Naturall Worth A generous heart if it be no more when it hath done any thing soulely dishonest or dishonorable will call aloud for Seas of Feares a Laver of Blood to wash it clean The Jewes in the Wildernesse when once they had refus'd to sight at God's command would purge that blot with their blood fighting though forbidden when they were sure to fall This is not beyond that Elephant which reproach'd with the offer of another Elephant to draw his burthen for him drew till he broke his heart and fell down dead 3. Naturall Religion heightned by temper education custome formalities of Nation age in which wee live The Heathen Romanes wounded deeply with the losse of an Army or the pestilence sought reliese in reforming their Religion The Sibyl's books were search'd Ludi instaurati solemne showes and pomps for devotion renew'd Temples set open Cushions laid Holy tables seats beds made ready the Matrons flock't in Troops fill'd the Churches fell on their faces with their haire spred and torne moystening the Marble pavement with their plentifull teares at the feet of every Idoll In after-times the Heathens among whom the Christians lived on every sad accident exclaimed The Christians are the cause of this which joyn not with us in the worship of our gods Appease the gods by the suppression or slaughter of these Christians Happy are our times if some amongst us doe not upon no higher Conviction then these of Naturall Devotion call for dayes of Humiliation Reformation in Religion But do I condemne these Convictions No. God commands and commends them from the example of Brute Creatures The Oxe knowes his owner and the Assebis Masters Crib But this I say These are no better things then the Best of Beasts the worst of Men have attain'd unto These indeed if they be but Single may procure Temporall Temporary blessings But if they be not Subordinate to the Convictions of the Spirit they can doe your souls no good You may save the Kingdome by such teares but alas what shall be done for Your souls Perswa Spir. Spirituall Perswasives follow First Sense of Divine Love Zach. 12.10 First a Spirit of Grace or Love is shed upon the Heart Then teares are shed What an eye was that which Christ cast upon Peter when he went out and wept bitterly Was it not an Eye of love a Melting look You have seen how a Sugar-loase dissolves and weeps it selfe away when it is dipt in wine So hearts dissolve so they melt dip't in the sweet sense of Divine Love Who knowes not what a wound abused love a wronged Friend makes upon a tender breast How then doth the dearest love the sweetest friendship of the great God wound a soule with the sense of Love and Sin Have you not sometimes read that place and drop't teares upon it some have told me that they have done it often The place is Es 43.22 I have not wearied thee with sacrisices thou hast wearied me with thy sins O Israel I blot out thy transgressions like a Cloud remember them no more Give me the worst the hardest Heart in this great Assembly how soft would it grow on a sudden if the Spirit of Christ should whisper to it such words as these are Many years hast thou lived profanely many a secret wickednesse hast thou practis'd which mine eye hath seen Often I have set my selfe before thee in the blood of my Manhood in the glory of my Godhead in the love of both my Natures Thou hast wearied me with thy scornings But thou sha't be mine I freely forgive all thy sins as if they never had been committed Come and see how much I love thee how I have ever loved thee What temper would thy heart be in when thou shouldst hear these words Would it not be like unto that when Ioseph revealed himselfe to his brethren Whiles thy Saviour falls on thy neck to kisse thee thou would'st sall at his feet unable to speak any word for weeping I appeale to you that feel the love of your God how it works in the soules of men doe you not often in sweet pangs cry out Ah! my God the sweeter thou art to me the more sinfull still doe I appear to my selfe This is a Spirituall Convicton a Conviction by Love 2. Sight of Jesus Christ They shall see him whom they have pierced and mourne over him As the looking forth of the Sun melts the Snow so doe the shinings out of Jesus Christ melt the Soule 'T is sweet when a Saint sayes Mine eyes have seen my Saviour and now they powre forth teares A Rainbow the Covenant of peace is then form'd when the Sun shines upon a watry cloud When Christ puts forth himselfe and scatters his beams upon a mourning cloudy soule then followes faire weather there is peace This is a spirituall Conviction a Conviction by the Beames of Beauty 3. The greatest sin the not-beleeving in Jesus Christ In spirituall Perswasives the Person of our Saviour is the Argument and Conclusion of all Convictions A sight of Christ is that by which Men are powerfully convinc'd Not-beleeving on Christ is the grand sin of which they are convinc'd They shall mourn over him whom they have pierced Not to beleeve on Christ is to pierce him To beleeve Christ is to see him So in those Chronicles of Faith Hebr. 11. c. 27. v. Moses's faith is exprest by his sight He saw him who was invisible But this sight is Inward Spirituall Divine a sight by no ordinary Light St Peter describes the state of beleeving the sight of faith 1 Pet. 2.9 Hee hath brought us into his his own 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 marvellous Light Hee that sees Christ sees him in a strange wonderfull in a divine Light in God's own Light To believe is thus to see Christ and to live continually by this sight of Christ The life I live is by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. chap. ver ult Paul was convinc'd by

with them The Text reads it Reprove but the word in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more properly signifies to convince as the margin hath it This Conviction is threefold First of Sin Because they believe not in me The Spirit should shew the world this as the Center where all sin met in one from whence all sin flows their not believing in Christ their neglect of the Person of Christ Secondly of Righteousnesse because I go to my Father a John 6.62 By Christs returning thither where he was at first by his going back to the Father the Spirit should teach the world that he alone came forth from the Father b John 3.13 For no one ascendeth up to Heaven but the Son of man who came down from Heaven And by this Argument shall the Spirit demonstrate Christ alone to be the Righteousnesse of God to man Thirdly of Judgement because now the Prince of this world is cast out The Spirit should reade this Lecture upon the world how since the fall the whole frame all appearances of things had been one great enchantment raised and maintained upon the spirits of men by the father of lies the Prince of darknesse to hide their eyes from the sight of God But how Jesus Christ had by his death cast down that old Magician from his Throne and Power and now the whole enchantment the fashion or show of this world was dissolving and vanishing till it should appeare no more Thus large I have been in the opening of the context and Text. Now without any further stay or needlesse division of my Text my Doctrine from it is this Doctr. Rightly to convince of sin is the proper work of the Spirit Proof I shall give you only one place of Scripture to prove it but that I hope a fit and full one Zach. 12.10 I will powre out upon them the spirit of grace and supplications and they shall see him whom they have pierced and mourn over him You have here two successive effusions one of the Spirit and another of Tears First An effusion of Teares They shall mourne Mourning expresseth true Repentance in all the foure parts of it conviction confession contrition conversion The force of the conviction here as in my Text lies in a sight of Christ pierced in a sense of unbelief Not to receive Christ for your Husband and King is to Pierce him To take away His Crown and Your Hearts from him is to kill him the worst way But this is only a Consequent and Secondary effusion Secondly An Effusion of spirit This is the Antecedent Effusion The powring forth of the Spirit is the cause of powring forth teares But who or what is this Spirit He is markt by a double character A Spirit of grace and supplication First a Spirit of grace There is a twofold grace The grace of loving-kindnesse in the heart of God The grace of divine lovelinesse in the heart of man If this latter be here meant then the Spirit of grace is he whom St. Paul calls the holy Spirit Ephes 1. and wee generally know by the name of the Holy Ghost But this cannot be the sense For in the Originall it is chen not chesed Grace or loving-kindnesse not graciousnesse or goodnesse This Spirit of Grace then must be either the Spirit the spring of love in the bosome of the Godhead or the Spirit the diffuser the discoverer of this love in the bosome of man Both these are that One Spirit the Holy Ghost Divines give to the third Person the name of Love as they do to the second that of Wisdome And wee reade from St. Paul's mouth Rom. 5.5 The love of God is powred forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which he hath given us This is the first character Second A spirit of supplication You have a Commentary upon this character Rom. 8. ch 26. vers The Spirit helpeth our infirmities making intercession for us by groanes unexpressible This is the Spirit which convinceth of sin the Holy Ghost himself Reasons Reason 1 The Spirit is truth These are the words of the Holy Ghost himself 1 Joh. 5. c. 6. v. The Spirit is truth Truth absolutely that is the Highest and fullest truth the Principle of all truth the first truth and so the last measure of all truth Take two Distinctions upon this Reason Distin 1 Threre are three Principles of truth 1. Sense 2. Reason 3. Spirit 1. Princ. Sease Prov. 20. ch 12. vers The seeing eye and the hearing eare God hath made them both God hath made the senses standards and judges of truth within their own circuit in such things as may be seen or heard as appertain to sense 2. Princ. Reason Prov. 20. ch 26. vers The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching out the hidden parts of the belly Though the candle of Reason excell in light the Glow-worms of sense yet is it but a candle not the Sun it self it makes not day only shines in the darknesse of the night You will more clearly see this Spirit of man to be the Principle of Reason planted by nature in man if you compare this expression of Solomon's with that of St. Paul which seems to have some glance towards this Proverb 1 Cor. 2. ch 11. vers No man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in man The things of a man are all the things of this creation visible invisible a Eccles 6.10 man is the summe of them all all are subject to man God hath b Eccles 3.12 set this whole world in the heart of man to search it out these are the hidden things of his belly And thus farre the spirit of man the candle of Reason spreads his beams to enlighten this world of nature This the Scripture calls Man's Day which is God's and a Saint's night 3. Princ. The Spirit 1 Cor. 2. c. 11. v. The things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God The Spirit searcheth out the deep things of God Divine truths are the depths of things the rest are only the surface No plummet is strong no line long enough to sound these depths save only that of the Spirit These three different Principles of truth constitute the three different parts or states of life First the brute part of the world it is that which is acted by sense Seconly Reason makes man or the rationall state Thirdly the Spirit is the principle of a Saint c Rom. 2. ●● As many as are the sons of God are led or acted by the Spirit of God I cannot leave this Distinction betweene these three Principles of truth before I have annext three Rules 1. Rule Every principle of truth is to be consin'd to its own compasse to its own object To seek out spirituall things by the sent and sagacity of reason were to plough with an Oxe and an Asse Sensus non fallitur circa proprium objectum Sense is not deceived