Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	heart_n	love_v	sin_n	9,337	5	4.8347	4	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49244	Grace: the truth and growth and different degrees thereof. The summe and substance of XV. sermons. Preached by that faithful and painful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Lawrence Jury, London. They being his last sermons. To which is added a funerall sermon, being the very last sermon he ever preached.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1652 (1652)	Wing L3156; ESTC R214001	127,409	242

The comfortable knowledge of our pardon is as well from Gods free grace as the pardon it self and therefore God suspends the comfort of grace to make us looke up to him for it When thou repentest God gives a pardon but therein he rewards his owne work in thee To give a pardon or sense of a pardon is an act of meer liberality in God 4. God doth this to put a difference between heaven and earth Heaven is a place for comfort earth for duty earth is for the getting of grace heaven for the rewarding of grace Our Lord Jesus Christ like the good Master of the Feast reserves the best for last The sons of Nobles when they travel into forraign parts have no more allowances then what will accommodate their travels the inheritance is reserved for them when they come to their fathers house So believers who are strangers and pilgrimes here they have so much grace and comfort as befits their passage to heaven but they have an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away but is reserved in the heavens God thinks it not sit to give constant comforts in an inconstant world nor full comforts in an empty world nor lasting comforts in a transitory world 2. Reason may be taken from our selves and that in many regards that have much grace yet may have but a little comfort and this may spring from a threefold root in us 1. From something that is meerly natural in us 2. From something that is spiritual and good 3. From something that is evil in us 1. This may arise from the prevalency of a natural melancholy in the body whereby the understanding may be darkned the fancy troubled reason perverted and the soul sadned Melancholy is the mother of discomfort and the nurser of doubting It was as some think depth of melancholy that prevailed upon Nebuchadnezzar that he did not know whilest under the power of that distemper whether he was a man or a beast And in the like manner may this bodily melancholy so far distemper thy soul that thâ—â— who hast grace yet mayest not know whether thou art a childe of God or a childe of the devil It is no more wonder to see a melancholy man doubt and question his spiritual condition then it is to see a childe cry when he is beaten or to heare a sick man groan You may silence a melancholy man when you are not able to comfort him and though you may resolve his doubts and scruples by evident and convincing answers and arguments yet let but such a man retire alone and brood over his melancholy thoughts by the prevalency of this perturbing humour all is forgotten and he is as unsatisfied as if you had said nothing to him And you may perceive that it is the power of melancholy that is the cause of a mans distemper when he is very much troubled and yet can give no distinct account of any particular thing that doth trouble him 2. This discomfort often ariseth from that which is good in us viz. from that holy jealousie and tendernesse of conscience which makes a childe of God suspect and inquire into his condition and though he have true grace and much grace yet he is afraid lest all be but a delusion in such cases the soul doth so pore on sin and infirmities that it cannot see its own evidences A tender conscience is more apt to be dejected in the sight of sinne then to be comforted in the sense of grace and the reason of this is because sin doth more directly fall under the cognizance of our conscience especially a natural conscience The works of the flesh are manifest but the fruits of grace and of the spirit are not so easily discerned 3. This discomfort usually springs from a root of bitternesse even in the best of Gods children and that whereby God doth punish the sins of his people 1. Their quenching the motions of the Spirit If you grieve the Spirit of God it is just with God to grieve your spirits you never send Gods Spirit sad to heaven but God may make sad your spirits on earth 2. Sleightinesse and fearlessenesse of heart towards God When children grow saucy peremptory and malapert before their parents 't is no wonder if a fathers frown correct not their irreverence Most of those who lie uncomfortably under sense of displeasure of God may thank themselves for it they have provoked God by their bearing them selves too much upon his love and growing secure and fearlesse to offend God God loves to have his children come near him in an holy confidence that he is their father but yet to keep their distance by humble reverence 3. Another sin that God punishes in his children by withholding comfort from them that are strong in grace is their superciliousnesse contempt and uncompassionatenesse towards others that are but weak in grace God own people are very much to blame herein in rigour and unmercifulnesse towards those that are weak in the faith despising all that are inferiour to them in gifts and graces whereby they often break the bruised reed and quench the smoaking flax and want bowels of pitty and tendernesse towards their brethren To take down pride God often brings such even his own people to be low in comfort and it is but just that they should want comfort who have neglected to comfort and cherish those that were weak in grace 4. A growing cold and lazy and heedlesse in holy duties If we put off God without true service God may justly put us off without true comfort This rule holds in spiritual affairs He that will not work shall not eat If we abate in the sanctifying work of the Spirit it is but just that God withhold the comforting work of the Spirit The sluggard saith Solomon hath poverty enongh so if we grow lazy and sluggish in holy duties it is just that our stock of comfort do decay Though holy duties do not merit comforts yet comfort usually riseth and falls according to our diligence in duties True grace is never so apparent to and sensible in the soul as when it is in action and therefore want of exercise must needs cause want of comfort As fire in the flint is never seen or felt till it be struck out by the Steel so is grace and the comfort of grace never so sensible as when it is exercised much in holy duties 5. Any one sin indulged by or concealed in the conscience is enough to marre all your comfort Concealed guilt contracts horrour The Candle will never burn clear whilest there is a thief in it Sin in the conscience is like Ionah in the ship which causeth a tempest that the conscience is like a troubled sea whose waters cannot rest or it is like a mote in the eye which causeth a perpetual trouble while it is there or like the winde gathered in the caverns of the earth makes earthquakes and terrible eruptions It is just

question viz. VVhat are the notes the Scripture layes down of strong and grown Christians We are to know there are marks in Scripture both of the truth of grace as also of the strength of grace and these must not be confounded but distinctly considered Our present question is about marks of growth in grace 1. Such as are grown in grace do ordinarily enjoy a grounded assurance and comfortable manifestation of the love of God in Christ to their souls So St. John saith Perfect love casteth out fear The more perfect love is the lesse of tormenting fear is in the soul and the reason of our fear and doubting is for want of love We cannot comprehend the great love of God in Christ to our souls till we are strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inder man which you will see in the Apostles Prayer for the Ephesians that God would grant unto them according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith and that they might be rooted and grounded in love and that they might be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ c. So that the more strength of grace is in the soul the clearer is our comprehension of Christs love to the soul 2. Strong and grown Christians are able experimentally to comfort others with the same comfort wherewith they themselves are comforted of God and when they are converted they are able to strengthen their brethren as Christ speakâ— to Peter By Conversion in that place is not meant the first work of grace wronght in the soul for that was wrought in Peter before his fall but the meaning is Peter when thou art strengthened and recovered from thy fall when thou hast recovered strength again then see that thou be careful to strengthen others who perhaps may fall into the same weakness with thy self If any man be overtaken with a fault saith Paul to the Galatians you that are spiritual restore such a man in the spirit of meeknesse You that are spirituall i.e. you that are grown and experienced Christians see that you do indeavour to recover such a fallen brother Paul prayes for the Philippians that their love may abound yet more and more in all knowledge and judgment that is that they might have knowledge with judgment and experience so as they might use their judicious knowledge in love for the edification of others that were but weak in grace and in the Epistle to the Romanes the same Apostle layes down this Character of a strong Christian I am perswaded of you my Brethren that you are full of goodnesse filled with all knowledge able also to admonish one another from whence we may gather the Character mentioned that the more perfect any Christian is in knowledge or any other grace the more able he is to admonish others for their edification Grown Christians are such as understand the great and profound mysteries of Religion they are not only such as use milk and understand only the first and plain Principles such as the Apostle calls Babes and unskilful in the Word of Righteousnesse but they are such as are able to digest strong meat i.e. the deep mysteries of the Gospel they doe in some measure understand and have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil that is to judge between true doctrines and false Strong and grown Christians have such an eare as is able to try words as it is in Job even as the mouth tryeth meats It is an observation of the learned Mercer that the same word in Hebrew which signifies an Eare in the duall number signifies a pair of ballances to note thus much that an experienced and judicious Christian will weigh whatsoever he heareth before he believeth it For as the tongue of the ballance standeth as a Judge between the two scales so should the heart of every man weigh what he hears and so will every grown and judicious Christian He will not take up truth upon trust but he considereth first and believeth afterwards Nor will a grown Christian take up with inferiour knowledge but will like a grown Scholler be searching after the deep things of God A grown experienced and strong Christian is most conversant and imployed in the most strict and severe exercises of Religion which tend most to mortification weak Christians are all for easie and ordinary exercises as hearing and reading good books but a strong Christian is much in spirituall watchfulnesse secret prayer frequent fasting self-denyal and heavenly meditation and such like duties as have a special influence upon the mortification of sin and corruption A childe whose parts and strength is weak is not conversant about such arduous and great undertakings as a grown man He can believe the accomplishment of Promises and Scripture Prophesies though Gods Providence seeme to make against them and though there seem no outward probabilities for them Thus it argued Abraham was strong in faith who against hope believed in hope and being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead There were severall things might have staggered Abrahams faith had it not been very strong 1. There were fifteen years at least between the making of the promise of giving him a son and the fulfilling of it 2. Abraham was about an hundred yeares old before he had a son and so unlikely to have children 3. Sarah's womb dead and no ordinary hope of Procreation 4. And after the promised sonne was born God calls upon Abraham to offer him up and yet notwithstanding all this he staggered not at the promise â—of God through unbeliefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God and was fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able also to performe A strong believer can suffer as well as do for the sake os Christ Greater strength of grace is required to suffer for the truth then to professe the truth and therefore our Saviour propounds this to the ambitious suitors the sons of Zebedee Are yee able to drink of the Cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the Baptism wherewith I am baptized withall implying thus much that they did not well understand their own strength that there was more grace required to suffer for the name of Christ then to believe on the name of Christ and accordingly as is our strength of grace so is our courage for the cause of Christ lesse or more Nicodemus when he had but little grace he came to Jesus but yet in the night by stealth he durst not openly appear for Christ but afterwards as he grew in grace and knowledge of Christ so he grew in courage for Christ And when the cause of Christ was

strong meat 5. They that have much grace and are strong in grace yet have cause to be humble because its likely they had more grace and did more good heretofore then now and who is there almost that is not decayed that hath not in some degree or other left their first love have you not had I speak to grown and experienced Christians more love and zeal to God more hatred of sin more griefe for sinne more feare of offending God then now you have are there not many that have and do expresse lesse desire after duty lesse fervency lesse frequency lesse delight in holy duties then formerly Alas how many through pride and spiritual improvidence through neglect of Ordinances and worldly mindednesse have much abated in their spiritual estate 6. Be humbled that though you be strong in grace yet you have many corruptions in you more strong then many graces More are our vain thoughts then our meditations and more are the things we are ignorant of then the things we know Corruption is strong enough to keep grace low but in the best grace is not strong enough to bring corruption under When we would do good evil is persent and powerful with us to hinder us from doing of good but when we are doing of evil good is not present to hinder us from that evil we are more in sinning then in obeying Our corruptions are like Goliath our grace as David We exercise more kinds of sins then graces as in a sield there are more briats and thorns then usefull trees and in a garden more unprofitable weeds then roses and lilies so in the souls of the best there are whole swarmes of vain earthly and sinful thoughts when there are but very few holy and heavenly thoughts 7. Another argument why strong Christians should be humble is this that though they may have grace yet they are subject to fall into that sin which is most contrary to that grace wherein they are most eminent Abraham was most eminent for faith he is said to be strong in faith he is called the father of the faithfull They which be of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham and yet for all this Abraham fell into distrust of Gods providence and power when he spake untruly and denied his wife So Job was renowned for his patience You have heard of the patience of Job saith St. James and yet we read in the story of Jobs trials that his impatiency did break out in many rash speeches and wishes So Moses was eminently meek it was said of him The man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth And yet it is said of him that his spirit was provoked so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips and you shall finde meek Moses thus expostulating with God himself I am not able to bear all the people alone because it is too heavy for me and if thou deal thus with me kill me I pray thee out of hand and if I have found fovour in thine eyes let me not see my wretchednesse 8. This further consideration may also humble us that in the highest and greatest exercise of grace there is much mixture of sin We may observe that even those good actions for which many of the People of God are recorded in Scripture are yet blemish't with some notable defect Râ—hab's faith in entertaining the Spies was blemish't with this failing in telling a lie concerning them It was also good the Midwives did when they refused to obey that bloody decree of the King of Egypt and would not kill the male-children of the Hebrews and yet they miscarried as some observe in their answer to the King when they made their excuse Wee are apt to mingle sin with the best action we do and so apt to plough with an Oxe and an Asse and our corruptions are apt to discover themselves even while we are upon the exercise our grace 3. Let the strong labour to be more strong that so they may be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulnesse And therefore it is that the Apostle prayes for the Romones that they may be filled by the God of hâ—pe with all joy and peace in believing that they might abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost and yet in the next verse he told them I my self am perswaded of you my Brethren that ye are full of goodnesse and that ye are filled with all knowledge And as he prayes for the Romanes upon the same termes he presseth the Thessaionians of whom he thus speakes Now as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you for ye your selves are taught of God to love one another And indeed you do it towards all the Brethren which are in all Macedonia but we beseech you Brethren that ye increase more and more The righteous saith Job shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger To quicken you hereunto consider 1. The more grace we have on Earth the more glory we shall have in Heaven As God doth unequally dispense his gifts in this life so accordingly he crowns There are degrees of torments in hell the hypocriticall Scribes and Pharisees who devoured widows houses and for a pretence made long prayers are doomed by Christ himselfe to receive greater damnation and that servant who knew his Lords will and prepared not himself neither did according to his wil shall be beaten with many stripes Now if there are different degrees of torments in hell then surely there are different degrees of glory in Heaven and those according to different degrees of grace here on earth 2. It is of the nature of grace to grow and increase and therefore if thou hadst grace either in truth of it or in strength of it it wil certainly grow Grace in Scripture is compared to a grain of mustard-seed the least of seeds which afterwards sprouts and springs so aâ— that it becomes the largest of plants In the same chapter grace is compared unto leaven which being put into the heap of meale leaveneth the whole so grace as I touched before in the heart is of a spreading nature and wil diffuse it selfe into all the parts powers and faculties of soule and body Christians are therefore compared to the branches of a Vine which of all trees grows most and brings forth most fruit A Picture doth not grow but a living child wil grow 3. Such as are strong Christians should yet grow more and more because in this world there is not stint and measure set for spiritual growth the maximum quod sic of a Christian is this he must grow in grace til his head reach up to heaven til grace be perfected in glory 4. Shall worldlings set no bounds to their desires after

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