Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	john_n	love_v	son_n	10,662	5	6.1615	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16596	A double summons the one, to vnfained repentance. The other, to the worthie receiuing of the Lords Supper. Deliuered in two notable sermons: made, by that worthy martyr of Christ, Iohn Bradford: who suffered in Smith-field An[n]o. Domini. 1555.; Two notable sermons	Bradford, John, 1510?-1555.; Sampson, Thomas, 1517?-1589.	1617 (1617)	STC 3503; ESTC S116484	55,784	167

in this Faith is so farre from the reach of mans free-will that to reason it is plaine foolishnesse Therefore thou must first goe to God whose gift it is thou must I say get thee to the Father of mercy whose worke it is that as he hath brought thee down by Contrition and humbled thee so hee would giue thee faith raise shee vp and exalt thee On this manner therefore with the Apostles and the poore man in the Gospell that cryed Lord encrease our faith Lord helpe my vnbeliefe pray thou and say O mercifull God and deare Father of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ in whom as thou art well pleased so hast thou commanded vs to heare him forasmuch as he often biddeth vs to aske of thee 2. Tim. 2. and therto promiseth that thou wilt heare vs and grant vs that which in his name we shall aske of thee loe gracious Father I am bold to begge of thy mercy through thy Sonne IESVS CHRIST one sparkle of true faith and certaine perswasion of thy goodnesse and loue towards me in Christ wherethrough I being assured of the pardon of all my sinnes by the mercies of Christ thy Son may be thankfull to thee loue thee and serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of my life On this sort I say or otherwise as God shall moue thee pray thou first of al and look for thy request at Gods hand without any doubting though forth-with thou féelest not the same for oftentimes we haue things of GOD giuen vs long before we féele them as we would doe Now vnto this prayer vse thou these meanes following After prayer for faith which I would should be first secondly because the same springeth out of the hearing no of Masses Mattins Cannons Councels Doctours Decrées but out of the hearing of Gods word get thée Gods word but not that part which serueth specially to Contrition that is the Law but the other part which serueth specially to consolation and certaine perswasions of Gods loue towards thée that is the Gospell or publication of Gods mercie in Christ I meane the free promises But here thou must know that there are two kinds of promises one which is properly of the Lawe another of the Gospell In the promises of the Law we may indeed behold Gods mercie but so that it hangeth vpon the condition of our worthinesse as if thou loue the Lord with all thy heart c. thou shalt finde mercy This kinde of promise though it declare vnto vs Gods loue which promiseth where he néedeth not yet vnto him that féeleth not Christ which is the end of the Law they are so farre frnm comforting that vtterly with the Law they bring man to great despaire so greatly we are corrupt for none so loueth God as he ought to doe From these therfore get thee to the other promises of the Gospell in which we may see such plenty and franke liberality of Gods goodnes that we cannot but be much comforted though we haue very deeply sinned For these promises of the Gospell doe not hang on the condition of our worthinesse as the promises of the Law do but they depend and hang on Gods truth that as God is true so they cannot but be performed to al them which lay hold on them by faith I had almost said which cast them not away by vnbeliefe Marke in them therefore two things namely that as well they are free promises without any condition of our worthinesse as also that they are vniuersall offered to all all I say which are not so stubborne as to kéepe still their hands whereby they should receiue this almes in their bosoms by vnbeliefe As concerning Infants and children you know I now speak not but concerning such as be of years of discretion And now you looke that I should giue you a taste of these promises which are both frée and vniuersall except none but such as except themselues Well you shall haue one or two for a say In the 3. of Iohn saith our Sauiour So God the Father loued the world that he would giue his Dearling his own only Sonne that al that beleeue in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Loe sir he saith not that some might haue life but all saith he And what all All that loue him with all their hearts all that haue liued a godly life Nay all that beléeue in him Althogh thou hast liued a most wicked and horible life if now thou beleeue in him thou shalt be saued Is not this sweet grace Againe saith Christ Come vnto me all yee that labour and are laden and I will refresh you Let vs a litle looke one this letter Come vnto me Who should come Lords Priests Holy men Monkes Friers Yea Coblers tinkers whores theeues murtherers also if they lament their sinnes Come vnto me saith he all ye that labour and are laden that is which are afrayd of your sinnes And what wilt thou do Lord And I will refresh you saith he Oh what a thing is this And I will refresh you Wot you who spake this He that neuer told lye He is the truth there was neuer guile found in his mouth and now wil he be vntrue to thee good brother which art sorie for thy grieuous sinnes No forsooth heauen and earth shal passe and perish but his word shall neuer fayle Saint Paul saith God would haue all men saued Loe he excepteth none And to Titus The grace of God bringeth saluation to all men As from Adam all haue recieued sin to damnation so by Christ all haue grace offered to saluation if they reiect not the same I speak not now of Infants I say nor I neede not enter into the matter of Predestination In preaching of repentance I would gather where I could with Christ As surely as I liue sayth God I wil not the death of a sinner Art thou a sinner Yea Loe God sweareth he will not thy death How canst thou now perish Consider with thy selfe what profit thou shouldst haue to beleeue this to be true to others if not to thy selfe also Sathan doth so Rather consider with Peter that the promise of saluation pertaineth not only to them which are nie that is to such as are fallen a little but also to all to whom the Lord hath called bee they neuer so farre off Loe now by mee the Lord calleth thee thou man thou woman that art very farre off The promise therefore pertaineth to thee needs must thou be saued except thou with Sathan say God is false And if thou do so God is faithful cannot deny himselfe as thou shalt feele by his plagues in hell for so dishonouring God to think that he is not true Will he be found false now The matter hangeth not on thy worthinesse but it hangeth on Gods truth Clap hold on it and I warrant thee CHRIST is the propitiation for our sins yea for the sins of the whole world beleeue this man I

Vriah to be killed I haue sinned I haue sinned What shall I do I haue sinned and am worthy of eternall damnation But what sayth God by his Prophet Dominus sayth he transtulit peccatum tuū non morieris The Lord hath taken away thy sinnes thou shalt not dye Oh good God hee sayd but Peccaui I haue sinned but yet frō his heart and not from the lips only as Pharaoh Saul did and incontinently he heareth Thou shalt not dye the Lord hath taken away thy sinnes Or rather hath layd them vpon an other yea translated them vpon the backe of his Sonne Iesus Christ who bare them and not onely them but thine and mine also if that we will now cry but from our hearts Peccauimus We haue sinned good Lord we haue done wickedly enter not into iudgement with vs but be merciful vnto vs after thy great mercie and according to the multitude of thy compassions do away our iniquities c. For indeede God is not the God of Dauid onely Idem Deus omnium Hee is the God of all So that Quicunque inuocauerit nomen Domini salus erit He or shee whosoeuer they bee that call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued In confirmation whereof this History is written as are also the other wich I haue recited and many mo which I might recite As of Manasses the wicked King which slew Esay the Prophet and wrought very much wickednesse yet the Lord shewed mercy vpon him being in prison as his Prayer doth teach vs. Nebuchadnezzar though for a time he bare Gods anger yet at the length he found mercy The City of Niniuie also found fauour with God as did many other which for breuity I will omit and wil bring forth one or two out of the new Testament that we may see God to be the same God in the new Testament that he was in the old I might tell you of many if I should speak of the Lunatike such as were possessed with Diuels Lame Blind Dumbe Deafe Lepers c. But time wil not suffer me therfore one or two shall serue Mary Magdalen had seuen diuels but yet they were cast out of her and of all others shee was the first that Christ appeared vnto after his resurrection Thomas would not beleeue Christs resurrection though many told him which had seene and felt him by reason wherof a man might haue thought that his sinnes would haue cast him away Except I should see and feele saith hee I will not beleeue Ah wilfull Thomas I wil not saith he But Christ appeared vnto him and would not leese him neither will he thee beloued if with Thomas thou wilt keep company with the Disciples as Thomas did Peters fall was vgly he accursed himselfe if euer he knew Christ and that for feare of a Mayden and this not once but three seueral times and that in the hearing of Christ his Master but yet the third time Christ looked backe and cast on him his eye of grace so that hee went out and wept bitterly And after Christs resurrection not only did the Angels will the woman to tell Peter that Christ was risen but Christ himselfe appeared vnto him seuerally such a good Lord is he The Thief hanging on the Crosse sayd but this Lord when thou commest into thy Kingdome remember me And what answere had he This day sayth Christ thou shalt be with me in Paradise What a comfort is this in that he is now the same Christ to thee and me and to vs all if wee will runne vnto him for hee is the same Christ to day and to morrow vntill he come to iudgement Then indeed he will be inexorable but now is he more ready to giue then to aske If thou crie he heareth thee yea before thou crie Crie therefore Esai 31. Mat. 7. be bold man he is not partiall Call saith he and I wil heare thée Aske and thou shalt haue Séeke and thou shalt finde though not at the first yet at the length If he tarie a while it is but to try thée Nam veniens veniet Heb. 10. non tardabit Hee is comming and will not be long Thus haue you foure meanes which you must vse to the attayning of faith or certaine perswasion of Gods mercy towards you which is the second part of penance namely prayer the free and vniuersall promises of Gods graces the recordation of the benefits of God past and present the examples of Gods mercie Which although they might suffice yet will I put one more to them which all onely of it selfe is full sufficient I meane the death of the Son of God Iesus Christ which if thou set before the eys of thy minde it will confirm thy assurance for it is the great Seale of England as they say yea of all the world for the confirmation of al Patents and perpetuities of the euerlasting life whereunto we are all called If I thought these which I haue before recited were not sufficient to confirme your faith of Gods loue towards such as do repent I would tarie longer herein But because I haue béene both long and also I trust you haue some exercise of concience in this daily or els you are to bsame I wil but touch and goe Consider with your selues what we are misers wretches and enimies to God Consider what God is euen he which hath all power maiestie might glory riches c. perfectly of himselfe and needeth nothing but hath all things Consider what Christ is concerning his Godhead coequal with his Father euen he by whom all things were made he I say by whome all things are ruled and gouerned Concerning his Manhood the onely Dearling of his Father in whome is all his ioy Now Sir what a loue is this that this God which néedeth nothing would giue wholy his owne selfe to thée his enemy wreaking his wrath vpō himself in this his Son as a man may say to spare thee to saue thée to win thée to buye thee to haue thee to enioy thee for euer Because thy sin hath seperated thee from him to the end thou mightest come eftsoones into his company again therin remain hee himselfe became as a man would say a sinner or rather sinne it selfe euen a malediction or curse that wee sinners wee accursed by our sinne might by his oblation or suffering for our sinnes by his curse be deliuered from sinne and from malediction For by sinne he destroyed sinne killing Death Sathan and Sinne by their owne weapons and that for thee and mee man if wee cast it not away bp vnbeleefe Oh wonderfull loue of God Who euer heard of such a loue the Father of Heauen for vs his enemies to giue his owne dearely beloued Sonne Iesus Christ and that not onely to be our Brother to dwell among vs but also to the death of the Crosse for vs Oh wonderfull loue of Christ to vs all that was content and willing to worke this deede for vs.

Was there any loue like to this loue God indeede hath commanded his charitie and loue to vs herein that when wee were very enemies vnto him he would giue his owne Sonne for vs. That wee being men might become as you would say Gods God would become man That we being mortall might become immortall the immortall God would become mortall man That we earthly weretches might be Citizens of Heauen the Lord of Heauen would become as a man would say earthly That we being accursed might be blessed God would be accursed That we by our father Adam being broght out of Paradise into the puddle of al pain might be redeemed and brought into Paradise againe God would be our Father and an Adam thereunto That wée hauing nothing might haue al things God hauing al things would haue nothing That we being vassailes and slaues to all euen to Sathan the Fiend might be Lords of all and of Sathan the Lord of all would become a vassaile and a slaue to vs all and in danger of Sathan Oh loue incomprehensible Who can otherwise thinke now but if the gracious good Lord disdained not to giue his owne Sonne his owne hearts ioy for vs his very enemies before wée thought to begge any such thing at his hands yea before we were who I say can thinke otherwise but that with him hee will giue vs all good things If when we hated him and fled away from him hee sent his Son to séek vs who can thinke otherwise then that now we louing him and lamenting because wee loue him no more but that he wil foreuer loue vs Hee that giueth the more to his enemies will not he giue the lesse to his friends God hath giuen his owne Sonne then which nothing is greater euen to vs his enemies and wée now being become his friends wil ne deny vs faith and pardon of our sins which though they be great yet in comparison they are nothing at all Christ Iesus would giue his owne selfe for vs when we willed if not and will he now deny vs faith if wee will it This will is his earnest that he hath giuen vs truly to looke indeed for the thing willed And looke thou for it in deed for as he hath giuen thée to will so will he giue thee to doe Iesus Christ gaue his life for our euils and by his death hee deliuered vs. O then in that hee liueth now and cannot dye will hee forsake vs his heart bloud was not too deare for vs when we asked it not what can then be now too deare for vs asking it Is he a changeling Is he mutable as man is Can he repent him of his gifts Did he not foresée our falls Payd not he therefore the price Because hee sawe wee should fall sore therefore would he suffer sore Yea if his suffering had not béene enough he would yet once more come againe God the Father I am sure if the death of his Sonne incarnate would not serue would himselfe and the holy Ghost also become incarnate and dye for vs. This death of Christ therefore look on as the very pledge of Gods loue towards thee whosoeuer thou art how déep soeuer thou hast sinned Sée Gods hands are nayled they cannot strike thee his féete also hée cannot run from thée his armes are wide open to embrace thee his head hangs downe to kisse thée his very heart is open so that therin look nay euen spy and thou shalt sée nothing therein but loue loue loue loue to thee hide thee therefore lay thy head there with the Euangelist This is the clift of the Rock wherin Helias stood This is for all aking heads a pillow of downe Anoint thy head with this oyle let this oyntment enbalme thy head and wash thy face Tarry thou on this firme Rocke and I le warrant thee Say with Paul What can separate me from the loue of God Can death can pouertie can sicknesse hunger or any misery perswade thee now that God loueth thee not Nay nothing can separate thee from the loue wherwith God hath loued thee in CHRIST IESVS whom he loueth he loueth to the end So that now where abundance of sin hath bin in thee the more is the aboundance of grace But to what end Certainly that as sinne hath reigned to death as thou seest to the killing of Gods Son so now Grace must reigne to Life to the honouring of Gods Son who is now aliue and cannot dye any more So that they which by faith feele this cannot any more dye to God but to sin whereto they are dead and buried with CHRIST As Christ therefore liueth so doe they and that to God to righteousnesse and holinesse The life which they liue is In fide Filij Dei In the faith of the Sonne of God Whereby you see that now I am slipt into that which I made the third part of penance namely newnesse of life which I could not so haue done if that it were a part of it selfe indeed as it is an effect or fruit of the second part that is of faith or trust in Gods mercy For he that beléeueth that is is certainely perswaded sin to be such a thing that is the cause of all miserie and of it selfe so greatly angreth God that in heauen nor in earth nothing could appease his wrath saue alonely the death and precious bloud-shedding of the Sonne of God in whom is all the delight and pleasure of the Father hee I say that is perswaded thus of his sin the same cannot but in heart abhorre and quake to doe or say yea to thinke any thing willingly which Gods Lawe teacheth him to be sinne Againe he that beleeueth that is is certainly perswaded Gods loue to be so much towards him that where through sinne he was lost and made a fire brand of hell the eternall Father of mercy which is the omni sufficient God and néedeth nothing to vs or of any thing that we can do to deliuer vs out of hell and to bring vs into heauen did send euen his owne most deer Sonne out of his bosome out of heauen into hell as a man would say to bring vs as I sayd from thence into his own bosome and mercy we being his very enemies hee I say that is thus perswaded of Gods loue toward him and of the price of his redemption by the deare bloud of the Lamb immaculate IESVS CHRIST the same man cannot but loue God again and of loue doe that and heartily desire to doe better the which might please God Thinke you that such a one knowing these things by faith wil willingly insist wallow in his wilfull lusts pleasures and fantasies Will such a one as knoweth by faith Christ Iesus to haue giuen his bloud to wash him from his sins play the Sow to nuzle in his puddle of filthy sin and vice againe Nay rather then hee will bee defiled againe by his wilfull sinning he will wash often the feet of his affections watching

very Passion of Christ should be as present beholden with the eyes of Faith For which end Christ our Sauiour did specially institute this Supper saying Doe ye this in remembrance of mee or as Paul saith Shew you the Lords death till he come The Supper of the Lord then is not simply Christs body and blood but Christs body broken and his blood shedde Wherefore broken Wherefore shedde Forsooth that teacheth Christ himselfe saying Broken for you Shed for your sinnes and for the sins of many Here now then we haue occasion in the vse of the Sacrament to call to mind the greatnes and grieuousnesse of sinne which could not be taken away by any other meanes then by the shedding of the most precious bloud and breaking of the most pure body of the only begotten Sonne of GOD Iesus Christ by whome all things were made all things are ruled and gouerned c. Who considering this thing shall not be touched to repent Who in the receiuing of this Sacrament thinking that Christ saith to him Take eate this is my body which is broken for thee This is my blood which is shedde for thy sinnes can but tremble at the grieuousnesse of his sinnes for the which such a price was payd If there were no plague at all else to admonish man of sinne how grieuous a thing it is in Gods sight surely that one were enough But alas how are our hearts bewitched through Sathans subtilties and the custome of sinne that we make sinne a thing of nothing God open our eyes in time and giue vs repentance which wee sée this Sacrament doth as it were enforce vs vnto in the reuerence and true vse of the same Againe in hearing that this which we take and eate is Christs body broken for our sinnes and his bloud shed for our iniquities we are occasioned to call to mind the infinite greatnesse of GODS mercy and truth and of Christs loue towards vs. For what a mercie is this that God would for man beeing lost through his wilfull sinnes be content yea desirous to giue his owne onely Sonne The Image of his substance the brightnesse of his glorie being in his own bosome to be made man for vs that we men by him might be as it were made Gods What a mercie is this that God the Father should so tender vs that he would make this his Sonne being equall with him in diuinitie a mortall man for vs that wee might bee made immortall by him What a kindnesse is this that the Almighty Lord should send to vs his enemies his deare Darling to bee made poore that wee by him might bee made rich What bowels of compassion was this that the omnipotent Creator of Heauen and earth would deliuer his owne onely beloued Sonne for vs creatures to be not onely flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones that we might by him through the holy Ghost be made one with him and so with the Father by communicating the merits of his flesh that is righteousnesse holinesse innocencie and immortalitie but also to bee a slaine Sacrifice for our sinnes to satisfie his iustice to conuert or turne death into life our sinne into righteousnes hell into Heauen misery into felicitie for vs What a mercy is this that GOD will rayse vp this his Sonne CHRIST not onely to iustifie and regenerate vs but also in his person to demonstrate vnto vs our state which wee shall haue for in his comming we shall be like vnto him Oh wonderful mercy of God which would assume this his Christ euen in humane body into the heauens to taken and kéepe their possession for vs to leade our captiuitie captiue to appeare before him alwaies praying for vs to make the throne of Iustice a throne of mercy the seat of glory a seat of grace So that with boldnesse we may come and appeare before God to aske and finde grace in time conuenient Againe what a verity and constant trueth in God is this that he would according to his promise made first to Adam and so to Abraham and others in his time accomplish it by sending his sonne so graciously Who would doubt hereafter of anything that he hath promised And as for Christs loue oh whose heart can be able to thinke of it any thing as if deserueth He being God would become man He being rich would become poore He being Lord of all the world became a seruant to vs all hee being immortall would become mortall miserable and taste of all Gods curses yea euen of hell it selfe for vs. His bloud was nothing too deare his life nothing considered to bring vs from death to life But this his loue néedeth more heartie weighing then many words speaking and therefore I omit and leaue it to your considerations So that in the receiuing of this Supper as I would you would tremble at Gods wrath for sin so would I haue you to couple to that terror and feare true faith by which ye might be assuredly perswaded of Gods mercie towards you and Christs loue though all things else preached the contrary Do euery of you surely think when you heare these words Take eate this is my body broken for your sinnes Drinke this is my bloud shed for your sins That God the eternal Father embracing you Christ calleth clippeth you must louingly making himselfe one with you and you one with him and one with another amongst your selues You ought no lesse to be certaine now that God loueth you pardoneth your sinnes and that Christ is all yours then if you did heare and Angell out of heauen speaking so vnto you And therefore reioyce and be glad and make this Supper Eutharichiam a thankesgiuing as the Fathers named it Be no lesse certaine that Christ and you now are all one then you are certaine the bread and wine is one with your nature and substance after you haue eaten and drunke it Howbeit in this it differeth that you by faith are as it were changed into Christ and not Christ into you as the bread is for by faith he dwelleth in vs and we in him God giue vs faith in the vse of this Sacrament to receiue Christ as he giueth vs hands to receiue the element simbole and visible Sacrament God grant vs not to prepare our féeth and belly as Saint Augustine saith but rather of his mercy he prepare and giue vs true and liuely faith to vse this and all other his ordinances to his glory and our comforts He sweep the houses of our hearts and make them cleane that they may bee worthy Temples and lodgings for the Lord. Amen Wherefore the Sacrament was instituted Now let vs come and looke on the third and last thing namely wherefore the Lords did institute this Sacrament Our nature is very obliuious of GOD and of all his benefits And againe it is very full of dubitation and doubting of GODS loue and of his kindnesse Therefore to the end these two things might be something