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	world_n	13,642	5	5.6658	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45318	The shaking of the olive-tree the remaining works of that incomparable prelate Joseph Hall D. D. late lord bishop of Norwich : with some specialties of divine providence in his life, noted by his own hand : together with his Hard measure, vvritten also by himself.	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.; Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656. Via media.	1660 (1660)	Wing H416; ESTC R10352	355,107	501

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By good works The vulgar reads it thus and the Council of Trent cites it thus and some of ours so the text runs thus Give diligence that by good works ye may make your calling and election sure I inquire not how duly but certainly there is no cause that we should fear or dislike this reading good works are a notable confirmation to the soul of the truth of our calling and election Though Cardinal Bellarmine makes ill use of the place striving hereupon to inferre that our certitude is therefore but conjectural because it is of works For the solution whereof justly may we wonder to hear of a conjectural certitude Certainly we may as well hear of a false-truth what a plain implication is here of a palpable contradiction Those things which we conjecture at are only probable and there can be no certainty in probability Away with these blinde peradventures had our Apostle said and he knew how to speak guesse at your calling and election by good works his game here had been fair but now when he saies By good works indeavour to make your calling and election sure how clearly doth he disclaim a dubious hit I-misse-I and implies a fecible certainty And indeed what hinders the connection of this assurance Our works make good the truth of our faith our faith makes good our effectual calling our calling makes good our election therefore even by good works we make our election sure Neither can it hurt us that the Cardinal saith we hold this certainty to be before our good works not after them and therefore that is not caused by our good works We stand not nicely to distinguish how things stand in the order of nature surely this certainty is both before and after our works before in the act of our faith after in our works confirming our faith neither do we say this certainty is caused by our good works but confirmed by them neither doth this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imply alwaies a thing before uncertain as learned Chamier well but the completing and making up of a thing sure before To which also must be added that these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good works must be taken in the largest latitude so as to fetch in not only the outward good offices that fall from us in the way whether of our charity justice or devotion but the very inmost inclinations and actions of the soul tending towards God our believing in him our loving of him our dreading of his infinite Majesty our mortification of our corrupt affections our joy in the holy Ghost whatsoever else may argue or make us holy These are the means by which we may and must endeavor to make our calling election sure But to let this clause passe as litigious the undoubted words of the text goe no less If ye do these things ye shall never fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these things are the vertues precedently mentioned and not falling is equivalent to ascertaining our calling and election Not to instance then and urge those many graces which are here specified I shall content my self with those three Theological vertues singled out from the rest faith hope charity for the makeing sure our calling and election For faith how clear is that of our Saviour He that believes in him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life Joh. 5.24 This is the grace by which Christ dwels in our hearts Ephes 3.17 and whereby we have communion with Christ and an assured testimony of and from him For he that believeth in the Son of God hath the witness in himself 1 John 5.10 And what witness is that This is the record that God hath given us eternall life and this life is in his Son verse 11. He that hath the Son hath life verse 12. See what a connection here is Eternal life first this life eternal is in and by Christ Jesus this Jesus is ours by faith This Faith witnesseth to our souls our assurance of Life Eternall Our hope is next which is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thrusting out of the head to look for the performing of that which our faith apprehends and this is so sure a grace as that it is called by the name of that glory which it expecteth Colos 1.5 For the hope sake which is laid up for you in heaven that is for the glory we hope for Now both faith and hope are of a cleansing nature both agree in this Purifying their hearts by faith Act. 15.9 Every one that hath this hope purifyeth himself even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 The Devil is an unclean Spirit he foules wheresoever he comes and all sin is nasty and beastly Faith and hope like as neat huswives when they come into a foul and sluttish house cleanse all the roomes of the soul and make it a fit habitation for the Spirit of God Are our hearts lifted up then in a comfortable expectation of the performance of Gods merciful promises and are they together with our lives swept and cleansed from the wonted corruptions of our nature and pollutitions of our sin this is an undoubted evidence of our calling and election Charity is the last which comprehends our love both to God and man for from the reflection of Gods love to us there ariseth a love from us to God again The beloved Disciple can say We love him because he loved us first 1 John 4.19 And from both these resulteth our love to our brethren which is so full an evidence that our Apostle tells us we know we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 For the love of the Father is inseparable from the love of the Son he that loves him that begets loves him that is begotten of him Shortly then think not of a ladder to cl●mbe up into heaven to search the books of God First look into your own lives those are most open we need no locks or keyes to them the Psalmist in his fifthteenth will tell you who is for that blisseful Sion are your lives innocent are your works good and holy do ye abound in the fruites of piety justice Christian compassion Let these be your first tryall it is a flat and plain word of the divine Apostle whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God 1 John 3.10 Look secondly into your own bosomes open to none but your own eyes If ye find there a true and lively faith in the Son of God by whose blood ye are cleansed from all your sins by vertue whereof ye can cry Abba Father a sure hope in Christ purifying your souls from your corruptions a true and unfained love to your God and Saviour who hath done so much for your soules so as you dare say with that fervent Apostle Lord thou knowest that I love thee and in him and for his sake a sincere love to his

fear that we can offend in an over-bold accesse to the throne of Grace in bouncing to hard at his mercy-gate for Lo his goodnesse hath invited us and animated our bashfulnesse When Moses approached to the burning bush he heareth Come not near for he came out of curiosity and wonder not out of devotion but God calls us to this approach Ho every one that thirsteth come Come to me all ye that travell and be heavy laden and I will refresh you and therefore we cannot come with too much confidence nor fail of successe in coming It is an holy and well grounded expostulation which the Psalmist hath How long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth implying that whiles we can pray we may make just account of favour and protection So then upon the feet of our affections upon the hands of our actions upon the knees of our devotions we must draw nigh unto God But that we may do so Our care must be that the hindrances of our approach may be removed And first of all we must draw off from the World that is like a rock of Load-stone that drawes our Iron hearts to it and holds them close to it self so as it is not easily quit It is like the Father of the Levites Concubine that holds us on with a pleasing entertainment till there be a danger of mis-carriage in the return But ye remember what the Psalmist sayes Hearken O Daughter and consider Thou must leave thy Fathers house we must in our affections leave the World if we would betake our selves to God Tush ye are ready to say we shall hold in with both and do well enough Be not deceived Brethren The love of the world is enmity with God Ye cannot serve to Masters God and Mammon one of them you must forsake Abraham must leave his Ur of the Chaldees his native Country and his Fathers house if he will have the clear vision of God The Israelites must go out of Egypt ere they can offer an acceptable sacrifice to God we must with Elisha forsake our teame if we will be fit attendants for a Master that is rap't up to Heaven we must forsake our nets and follow Christ if we will be meet Disciples of his In the second place we must give strong denyalls to our own corrupt desires These are like some leaden weights that hang upon our heels and keep us from mounting up into our Heaven these like to Potiphars wanton wife hang upon Josephs sleeve to draw him unto folly and they must be shaken off if ever we would draw nigh unto God If Father or Mother or Wife or Child lie in thy way per calcatum Vade patrem trample upon thy Fathers brest in thy passage to thy Father in Heaven Our self-love and self-respect lies like an huge mountain betwixt God and us we must either by the power of our faith say to this Mountain be thou removed and cast into the midst of the Sea or else we must climbe over it by the painfull practises of a constant and effectuall mortification Shortly as men peregrinamur a domino we are here absent from the Lord 2. Cor. 5.6 but as sinners we are with the prodigall gone into a farr Country quite out of the Ken of our Fathers house and there having spent our patrimony and debauch't our selves we are feeding upon the huskes of vanity Oh let us take up at the last serious resolutions to return home though by weeping crosse and put our selves into our way we shall be sure that our indulgent Father will espie us afar off and meet us in our passage and welcome us with a kisse according to this word in my Text Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you And so from the duty injoyned we descend to the Inducement proposed But indeed what needs any inducement at all There are actions that carry their reward in their mouth such is this we have in hand It is a great honour to us wretched Creatures that we may be allowed to draw nigh to the Lord of glory If there do but an earthly Prince come ever though we have no relation to him at all yet what pressing there is to see him so as there is need of Ushers or whifflers to stave off the multitude but if our own would allow all his subjects to repair to his Court with expectation of favour and countenance from him what thronging would there be to his gates what ambition to enter And Lo the God of Heaven gives us this gracious liberty of a free accesse and yet withall backs it with a strong motive of advantage He will draw nigh unto you And indeed what inducement can there be equally powerfull to this that God will draw nigh to us There is nothing in us but want misery infirmity deformity there is nothing in God but perfection and glory and therefore for us vile wretches to draw nigh to him what can it be other then an honour too high for us but for him to draw nigh to us what can it be but a kind of disparagement to him Ye know what a construction was set upon our Saviour for this very point that he did eat and drink with Publicans and Sinners and how the proud Pharisee censur'd him when that humble penitent made an ewre of her eyes and a towell of her hair for the feet of Christ Luc· 7.39 Oh saith he if this man were a Prophet he would have known what manner of woman this is that toucheth him for she is a sinner as if the suffering himself to be toucht by a sinner were disgrace enough and yet the God of Heaven will descend to us so low as notwithstanding our extream sinfulnesse and unworthinesse to draw nigh unto us God will be so to us as we are to him As face answers to face so doth God to us when ye look upon your glasse if you smile upon it it will smile upon you again if you frown it will so do also even so doth God with us with the pure thou wilt be pure with the mercifull thou wilt be mercifull with the froward thou wilt show thy self froward If thou run away from God he will run away as fast from thee if thou draw nigh unto God he will draw nigh to thee And how will God draw nigh unto us In his Ordinances In his Audience in his Graces In his Aid and Salvation In his Ordinances For God hath graciously as it were tyed his presence to them as under the law so no lesse under the Gospell when Jethro Moses his Father in Law took a burnt offering and sacrifice for God Aaron came and all Israel with him to eat bread with Moses his Father in Law before the Lord Exod. 18.12 where was that but before the Testimony of his presence the Cloudy Pillar And that is very pregnant which God hath Exod. 29.40 This shall be a continuall burnt offering throughout your Generations at