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	true_a	4,911	5	5.7716	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92204	The fiery change: or, Almighty God, his melting and refining of his people, purging out their drosse and drossy metals, making them like unto himself and to his Son who is the pure Word. Wherein is discovered, by the comparison of metals, how the visible church is corrupted, consisting of men of all degrees and conditions and how God hath begun to refine them: which have past in the world a long time for good metal: but now is discovering by fire. / By Robert Read.	Read, Robert, fl. 1653-1656.	1656 (1656)	Wing R440; Thomason E899_3; ESTC R206741	92,260	122

to know himself where he is or what he is All these severall evils as to the naturall sense conduceth much to the undoing of the body and estate of man But drunkennesse in the spirituall ●en●e in the in●isible and internall part of man to be drunk and not with wine to stagger and not with strong drink to be drunk with the wine ot the fornication of the great Whore Esa 29 9. to sleep in sin to forget God to be full of wrath against God his will his people and his Word to do e●ill and speak evil to be infatuated and to have the powers of darkenesse rule over us and in us and not to knovv our selves nor vvhere vve are but reel and stumble and fall This is misery Be sober in your invisible actings Jer. 25.27 in your thoughts imaginations understandings affections wills passions that nothing break into outvvard act against Almighty God or his deare relations either in revilings reproachings or persecutions But be patient bearing all things and abiding in the vvil of our God although never so crosse to our vvills Furthermore Watch Watch as a Centinel doth both to destroy and to discover and by prayer call for help and assistance against the potent Enemies of our soules who doth continually assault us by inward objects injected into our mindes and thoughts and some visibly presented before our eyes which we cannot be freed from so long as we are in the flesh but are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation which is prepared to be shewed in the last time 1 Pet. 115. Again Have fervent love c. Above all things especially and chiefly primarily and in the first place have fervent love hot love not cold and frozen but fervent earnest the want of this love makes all things to be out of order that we love not our superiours inferiours nor our equals but differ with them all and speak evill of all We should love all for Gods sake and be tender hearted forgiving one another as God for Christs sake forgave us 1 John 4.11 Beloved if God so loved us then ought we to love one another For this want of love all men are to be blamed For those that are called Ministers the teachers of the people at this day they do speak bitterly and would act cruelly against divers poor people of God that are otherwise inlightened then themselves and are led by the true light of God living above the ordinances of man which they call the ordinances of God And they that are so highly inlightened by the inward teachings of the Almighty are full of censuring and condemning of those that have not attained to the same measure nor yet come to that pitch and height that they are come to not considering that that which they now live in being darknesse was once their own light and so seem to despise the small things of the Lord which once they rejoyced in Zach. 4.10 Ephes 4.4 There is but one body that shall be saved yet there are many members of that one body the Presbyter and the Baptized Churches are of that body if they cleave to the Lord with all their hearts though they vary in the outward Let not one member therefore despise another for love covereth all All Christian beleevers are but one body of which there are many members The head is the greatest and chiefest part of the body the Spirit of God acteth all one and the same thing in every beleever in different forms As the life of mans body is three wayes so is the life of the mysticall body three wayes In the body of man the life thereof is Animal in the brain Vitall in the heart Naturall in the liver sinews and arteries As it is thus in the body naturall so in the body mysticall yet but one life though three distinct for in the body mysticall there is God in you Christ in you and the Spirit of Christ in you where the Spirit of Christ is there is God be it in what opinion soever For our life is hid with God in Christ Col. 3.3 2 Cor. 3.17 where there is both secrecie and safety Resist not the Spirit For the Spirit is the Lord and there is liberty The Spirit is light the Lord is that light let the members of the body sympathize if one part suffer and is not in its perfection let the other parts and members suffer with it and lament for it In the primitive time there was scarce a brother did differ with a brother but now Churches against Churches differ and are at great variance O let brotherly love be among us yea that fervent love that covereth the multitude of sins Gods infinite and eternall love manifested to us in the fulnesse of it even in the Lord Christ covereth all our sins And our love one to another covereth the sins and offences committed one against another Let not our hearts burn within us one against another because of opinions but rather wait to be delivered out of this apostate state the Church of Christ is now in Matth. 24 2● for God is beginning to gather his together from the four winds and to scatter and consume all fleshly worships and service done to him set up by the will of man and to set up his King on the holy hill of Sion let the heathen rage never so much it will be all in vain for he will come and reign and rule over us and in us he will be our guide our counsellour and our teacher and will dwell with us after we have past thorow the fire of his indignation and are purged cleansed purified and refined Therefore what our God shall do unto us or bring upon us either by wounding squaring sifting purging purifying cleansing or refining let us be patient with meeknesse of spirit in it and under it and rejoycing with gladnesse of heart that out of his great mercy he will take us into his own hands being unclean filthy impure earthy and drossie and make us partakers of such and so great g ory by being made like unto himself Hear then the word of the Lord you people of the Land Rom. 11.25 who are succenturiated from Israel that that did concern them doth concern you being in the same posture the same di●ea●e must have the same cure the Lord will not ●et his people perish he wil have judge mercy on them and heal them for the Lord wil● judge with fire and his sword Esa 66.16 all flesh And the slain of the Lord shall be many Son of man the hou e of I●rael is unto me as drosse All they are brasse and tin and iron and lead in the midst of the furnace they are e en the drosse of silver Therefore thus saith the Lord God Because you are all as drosse behold therefore I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem as they gather silver and brasse and iron and

life Many will say What shall we we not pray when they neither know what God is nor what themselves are such as presume to pray without knowledge do break the command of God in taking his Name in vaine when the heart is not according to the tongue and sound yea when their Company or their Congregation agreeth not for there is the hater and the hated the oppressour and the oppressed the rich that cares not for the poor and the poor that curseth the rich What congregall prayer can there be in this mixture when mens hearts are one aginst the other The rich and the poor goes together but the Lord is the maker of them both he knows their hearts their ends in comming to publike places every sound noise is not a prayer then the Pharisee had been commended for his long one but it is the inward and deep sighings of the heart in the singlenesse thereof and being fervent We are commanded to pray continually and they that make long prayers are condemned being in ostentation as in publike congregations once or twice in a week and have little converse with God all the rest of the week be not deceived God is not mocked Whatsoever ye sow that shall ye reap Decipies alios verbis vultuque benigno Sed mihi jam notus dissimulator eris Be ashamed and stand amazed all ye that are under the great Light that God hath caused to shine forth in this Nation You will say that you are the people of God and that you know him but it appears by your actions that you know him not for a man to know a thing is to know the condition of it as to know a peece of coine To know God is another manner of businesse than the world makes it to know God is to have experience of him and of all his Attributes his Mercy his Love his Goodnesse his long suffering c. To know God in Christ is the true knowledge of him to be in Union and Communion with him to obey him love him and fear him to honour him and glorifie him this the world knoweth not for the world seeks its own Therefore many that do professe that they know God and in their works do deny him are not onely Heathens but they are worse then the heathens Cato for they say If there be a God he ought to be worshipped with a pure minde miserable is the condition of many that think it sufficient to have the bare name of a Christian and say Christ died for me and rose again for me and never felt the power of Christs death killing sin in them nor the vertue of his Resurrrection quickening and raising them to a new life that cannot witnesse a new birth a separation But live in the old nature and the old man of sin remaining still Deale plainely with your selves ye sons of men for the case doth require it do not lose your precious time here and say I hope to go to Heaven whereas you know not what heaven is neither are you fit for it for heaven is a Condition rather then a Local place and the heavenly condition stands not in outward things as to satisfie the flesh neither is it found any otherwise then in the Crosse here in this World but it doth appear in us by Peace of conscience and joying in the Holy Spirit of God being perfectly assured and having a firme testimony of our Resurrection being Adopted and made the Sons of God 1 John 1.3 and having fellowship with the Father and the Son Deceive not your selves but strive to enter in at the strait gate Go not the broad way of the Worlds profession but the strait and narrow way of the Crosse Deny your selves your own works your own righteousnesse and whatsoever pleaseth and agreeth with your own wills and wait at Wisdoms gate examining your selves whether you be not that that cleaves to the pure Metall and makes it the worse whether you are not the corrupt matter of Silver and not Silver it self if you be the corrupt matter if you be the drosse you must be purged out you must be spewed out if you come to the porch onely and go no further if you come not to the Holy of Holies you were better not come neer at all Psal 119.119 for the Lord will take away the wicked like drosse The Lord will not have to do with such corrupt impure and unclean matter Prov. 25.4 Take the drosse from the silver and there will proceed a vessell fit for the refiner when the Almighty God hath purged and purified the silver and ejected and cast out the drosse then there is a vessell for himself a temple for himself to dwell in for the Lords delight is in his Saints and among them and silver is as his Word is when it is refined Meddle not nor have to do with the most Holy and pure God upon any account living in your own wisdome wills and lust for it had been better for Cain that he had offered no Sacrifice then to account the best too good for God and to offer the worst better not to come to any Table then to the Table of the Devils the end of all Religion is to bring soules to God not to make a greater separation by it from God You were once a far off but now ye are made nigh by the Blood of Christ that onely brings us neer to God draw neer through his Blood and he will draw neer to us look to your hearts and to the issues of all exercises not what the exercise is but to what it tendeth for it is either life or death If you serve God in the flesh you shall have corruption and death for your reward if you live to the flesh you shall die but if through the Spirit you mortifie the deeds of the flesh you shall live God accepteth no sacrifice done in the flesh but as he is a Spirit most holy so he must be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth which was the Legacy Christ Jesus left with his Disciples when he left them We cannot come to the Lord with anything of our own to be acceped of him but what we come to him with must be his he heareth nothing but his own Spirit and that he wil not deny What saith Christ In vain do they worship me c. The Lord Esay 1. saith What have I to do with your Sacrifices and in the same first of Esaiah I hate your new Moons and your appointed feasts they are a burden unto me I am weary to bear them All the devices of men all their art all their invention proceeding onely from them in drawing neer to to God is nothing worth for it cannot but differ from the will of God in Gods worship the more of mans wisdom the lesse of Gods respect the more plainer and simplier we worship him the more hope of acceptance The ordinances of man or of any Churches

cunning sophistry hath been much in use and it is got into that garb that it deceiveth many and they deceive themselves to speak prate of that that is not within them but without them they teach not the testimony of Jesus that should be the spirit of prophecie but speaks out their lying vanities to deceive yet taken by the world for teachers of the truth 2 Cor. 15.16 But S. Paul bids other Apostles not to teach by another mans line but to get praise of God for he that seeketh his praise of men or from himself is not allowed of God Such Apostles are deceitfull workers 2 Cor. 11.12 13 14 15. that transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ and no marvell for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of life therefore it is no great thing though his Ministers transform themselves as though they were the Ministers of righteousnes whose end shall be according to their works 1. Tin is like silver in colour in lustre silver is of a very bright colour and shineth much and tin doth resemble it in the colour and brightnesse as much for we may finde by things made of tin being in shape and form of the silver vessels some are apt to take one for the other b●ing not in their neer view so the Minister he shineth and is a spectacle for his whole parish to look on and for others where he resorteth observing all the rules of civil carriage and behaviour a fair outside good words courteous seemingly thankful for courtesies temperate sober and ready to give advice and every way seeming to be of a godlike behaviour like the painted sepulchres that are fair on the out-side but within nothing but dead mens bones 2. Tin is like silver in its sound silver hath a very sweet sound to the ear of man and nothing can passe it so the sound that the Minister doth make Jer. ● 14 is very sweet to the ear for they sound out the great love of God according to the letter and tell of his great mercies like the sound of the pure word but where is the true sound of the word that soundeth to us the taking up the Crosse the submitting and yeelding of our wils to Gods will denying our selves losing of our lives this is bitter Durus sermo to themselves and cannot say as Paul did that he rejoyced in the Crosse that is the sweetest sound to the soul when the mystery of God comes to be revealed by the Crosse 3. Tin is like silver in its weight herein is some difference but yet many times Tin hath not been su pected by wait when a piece of coin hath been counterfeited by it it is neer it in the weight of it So are Ministers like silver in the weight they will speak of as weighty matters and as pressing as if the very power of the Lord went along with their voices when it is nothing but a meer pressure upon the minde for the present and makes the melancholly man or woman it may be sermon-sick Where is the alteration and change of the minde wrought It cannot though they presse home with loud voices terrible words dreadfull and threatening quotations all is nothing it is but as the weight of Tin But the word it self figured to us by silver is that that shews its perfect and absolute weight when that without as to the outward makes a greater shew for when the Temple was builded there was no noise of axes and hammers 1 King 6.7 nor any tool else while it was building so the inward work of the word is not by outward hammering but by a low and still voice into the inward part Fourthly Tin will adulterate with other metals and mix it self with them it will adulterate and mix with brasse and so it becomes hard joyning with a hard severe metall So doth the Clergy they mix and adulterate with the power and authority taking that upon them they are not called unto by the Lord witnesse these late times wherein the Episcopacy had great power and authority to do and undo upholding by their power t e Beast and Antichrist compelling men to observe dayes and meats and the Orders of their Rubrique who did punish with as severe a punishment him that did deny Bishops to be Jure divino as he that should deny Jesus Christ or the Father to be God Blessed be God we are delivered from that horrible adulteration and so far is tin refined or melted nay in that case taken clean away yet the seed of that power lies in the earthy minde for the Clergy would if possible bear some sway but because they cannot they are gotten to be Incendiaries to the Magistrate against the Innocents for that the mystery of Antichrist is by them a discovering and laying open to the Beleever which they cannot endure to hear of because they are the chief concerned in upholding him it is conceived that they are the greatest hinderers of the growth of the pure and infallible truth But what can they do their power if they were so many Bishops might be restrained their behaviour concerning marriage heretofore did testifie what they were Psal 76.10 and now they rage but the rage of man will turn to the praise of God and the rest God will restrain Job saith of his persecutors Why persecute ye me as God is not my flesh sufficient let them take heed who they persecute for Christ is upon the earth though not seen by them nor heard out of the pulpit and God is shaking the heavens they are chiefly to look to it for they are as the pillars of that heaven that shall fade It is said when the Son of man shall come shall he finde faith on the earth It is to be doubted whether there will be any or no for the channell begins to be dried up the Spirits presence is not where some say it is and therefore suspect your selves you that would mix with the authority take heed of kindling any more fire if you do you are like to be burnt in it Again Tin will adulterate and mix with lead This is a strange thing that tin such a shining metall should debase it self so to mix yet so it is the Clergy will mix themselves with the poor rabble of the world Hosea 7.8 those that are ignorant and though not openly profane yet secretly vile making them the executioners of their designed purposes what they will not be seen to do themselves they encourage and countenance the poor to do as in the persecution of the tongue to mock and deride the poor Northern men that goes about speaking words of the kingdom such as Noah was to the old world a Preacher of righteousnes In this matter the Ministers of the land shew no spirit of meeknes 2 Pet. 2.5 neither are they Ministers of the Gospel that do not obey the Gospel of our Lord he saith blesse them that cur●e pray for them

us in a mystery so that our knowledge without the mystery becomes a snare a bar to keep us from the life and light of God being proud thinking thou art something when thou art nothing Gal. 6. Get out of thy self into single-hearted humility deny the glory and same of thine own wit wisdom and understanding which is sprung up in thee from that evil seed is become that drosse in thee that hath defiled and corrupted the good metall so shalt thou finde the Lord and he will teach thee and instruct thee Psal 16.7 Psal 45. he it is that will give thee counsell without which thou art Antichrist and of the Whore let thy profession be never so shining for the Kings daughter is all glorious within Try and examine thy self O England whether thou dost obey the Lord thy God whether thou dost love him with all thy heart with all thy minde with all thy soul with all thy strength thou hast been catechized unto this Psal 81.8 but where is the exercise of it Hadst not thou need to learn it again of the Lord hear what God saith of Israel If they would have hearkened unto him and not have any other gods what blessings would he have brought upon them c The like might the Lord say of England See and behold thy gods of silver of gold of high places lands livings friends trade and the like Are not thy teachers thy gods whom thou servest and praisest Dost not thou idolize them for their parts of wit art humane learning and invention speaking things agreeable to thy palate and dost despise reject and refuse the inward teachings of God being thereunto wilfully blinded Why dost thou take the Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed Psal 50.20 Esa 1. 1 Cor. 4.5 Mat. 10.26 Or why shouldest thou think that God is as thou art consider this ye that forget God he will reprove you by his creatures the Ox and the Asse and other creatures by his judgements and by thine own conscience Forsake therefore thine hypocrisie and leave off thy lip-labour go from the falshood dwell no longer in Babylon neither delight thy self in the abominations of the Whore for her flesh shall be burnt and happy are they that have attained to this in particular and who are by the teachings of God made like to himself he that is built on the Rock need not fear undermining Tremble all you that live in blindnesse and ignorance that see not the mystery of God manifested among men God in union with man being new created cleansed purged purified and refined Will you still continue as young children to be bound up and swadled in swadling clouts Time was when the Church was in its infancie that it was needfull that it should be bound and limited with ordinances and fed with a little at a time being chewed by the Pastour which used Catechisticall forms having then no other attainments which salting kept the Church from a farther declension or putrefaction being introducible to a further and more cleare demonstration which now is lifted up and held forth namely the accomplishment of the promises whereby we do not only enjoy by faith the benefit of Gods goodnesse mercy and love as dis-joyned but his presence and abiding with us Are you not glad to hear of the beginnings of that which your forefathers did long to see are you content with the rudiments and traditions of men and forsake the inward teachings of God Take heed you do not turn the grace of God into wantonnesse and consult with the arm of flesh and be found fighters against God and his pure truth accounting the times of darknesse to be better then the taking up the Crosse by embracing and obeying the pure light without which you shall never see light nor enjoy the Crown Much might be said concerning the times and of the people that are in controversie in these our dayes the one would have this way the other that way every one seeking to be master over others their words and actions yea of their spirits too contemning one another and contending one with another insomuch that England is become as it were a Chaos of confusion and a nursery of Sects and Orders some binding up the spirit of Christ to the forms and orders of disputation setting foolish reason to be the Master or Judge in things concerning the kingdom of Christ giving out the meaning of the spirit of God without inward testimony perverting the holy Scriptures to their own destruction and others in severall various wayes broaching new doctrines not consistent with the minde of God insomuch that brotherly love hath been much impaired divisions increased and many revolted and rebell in their mindes against the Law and love of God Some stand much upon the ordinances and divine orders in stone-houses called Churches that their devout duties of lip-labour and preaching wherein is counterfeited somewhat of Christ is the onely way to life calling themselves the true Church and their Teachers true Apostles Others spend rheir time in disputing contending and brawling about sects idolatries opinions and judgements so that one party doth condemn and sentence another so that the ears and hearts of the Auditours are much infected with gall and bitternesse wilfully opposing one another crying down that for diabolicall that is not their own judgement whence proceedeth very dangerous effects of daily and most deadly provocations through a secret inward pride of minde working by envie and malice generated and bred in that gall exercising and urging one another by evil entreating by which it doth appear 1 Joh. 2.18 that there are many Antichrists in the world one persecuting and speaking evil of another Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim and both against Judah These contentions among us do perfectly declare that the war spoken of is begun Rev. 12.7 betwixt Michael and the Dragon they that have received the unction 1 Joh. 2.20 Saint John speaketh of they know all things they need not be taught of men but they speak of it and that great tribulation shall be such as was not from the beginning all to bring to passe the promised thing It is much that the Devil the great red Dragon should make Heaven his place to war in so it is he is now warring against Michael in Heaven that is in religion in and among the Professors therof but the comfort is he shall not prevail although his angels make sport and recreation to fulfill the anger of God being the very fire of God and his bellowes also to blow up the fire they do onely his will in purging away the drosse of his people by their most fiery contentions brawlings revilings Zach. 8.10 Isa 66.5 and persecutions as if it were the very zeal of the Lords glory The people of God knowing that the Lord will purge and refine them do willingly yeeld themselves thereunto to be tried and purified