Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	know_v	love_v	true_a	9,910	5	5.1266	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76814	Living truths in dying times: Some meditations (upon Luk. 21.30. [sic]) occasioned by the present judgement of the plague. / By Thomas Blake.	Blake, Thomas.	1665 (1665)	Wing B3146A; ESTC R223024	90,620	229

this is much our wisdom and will much advantage in the day of Christ the preserving also a very holy conversation Phil. 3.20 saies the Apostle Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for a Saviour And if thou art looking for a Saviour in earnest keep thy conversation in heaven Now our conversations being in heaven it implies both the maintaining communion and friendship and concord between God and us and also a holy and upright conversation He that lives in heaven keeps his peace with God and he that lives in heaven walks closely with God such a frame as that becomes one that looks for Christ and waits for his appearance that is most certain Titus 2.14 The Apostle there is telling what is the Expectation of the Saints 13. vers Looking for saies he that blessed hope c. How did they carry it in this time of their hope and expectation Why they were taught to Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and in such a posture they did Look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God 1 Pet. 13.14 Gird up the loyns of your mindes be sober and hope unto the end c. He wishes them to look for the appearance and coming of Christ but what posture must they be in while they are thus looking Why as obedient Children c. 5. And longing of soul for his appearance and coming is also necessary that is it that is in Scripture called A waiting for it is a waiting with desire and longing last of Canticles and the last vers Make hast my Beloved and be as a Roe or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices The soul thinks the coming of Christ long Revel 22.21 He that saith these things testifieth Behold I come quickly even so come Lord Jesus That is the frame the soul should be in to be still crying Come Lord Jesus And thus I have given you what I intended in answer to the fifth thing What is the best frame the soul can be in in order to its meeting with Christ with the greatest comfort and boldness As first● to have the love of Christ witnessed and sealed up unto the soul by the Spirit of God 2. To be disingaged from this world and all the intanglements and incumbrances thereof 3. To have Grace in its exercise 4. Communion with God and a holy conversation maintained and kept up 5. Raised desires and longing of soul for his appearance The Application of the Point onely remains And I shall be brief in what I add more 1. If it be a truth as I have indeavoured to make it good that standing before Christ is so serious and weighty a thing The Use of the Point will be in three or four things some of which will concern us all The first Use would be to put us a little upon inquiry Where are you what posture are you in what preparation have we made for that solemn day what have we done that may fit us to stand before the Son of man It will be a day of great solemn●ty great will be the Majesty of that Day and how fares it with us Can we say that Christ is become our Friend that we have made peace with God through him that all controversies between God and our souls are taken up and ●ompounded The counsel that is gi●en Mat. 25.25 Agree with thy adversary quickly while he is in the way ●ith him is very good There is enmi●y between God and man by nature ●he counsel given is to compound and ●ake up the breach and that is to be ●one while we are in the way with him ●f we let it alone until the coming of Christ we shall be delivered unto the Officer and by him be hurried to prison from whence we shall not be delivered for ever And therefore it is a very serious question which you had all need to put to your souls whether you have ●eceived Christ and made sure of him that so all differences between God and you be compounded and made up that you may be able to hold up your ●eads in the great and notable day of t●e Lord for such it will be and so it is called in the Word of Truth I have already shewed you what kind of persons they must be that shall stand before Christ that it must be one that hath renounced his own righteousness and put on Christs Righteousness and is renewed in the inner man and bound in spirit for God desirous to be found in his Will both by doing and suffering you may reflect upon what hath been said and consult your spirits thereby But here you will say Whether have I received Christ or no that is that that sticks with me and I cannot answer that to my own satisfaction Why consider Oh soul thou mayst know it by the precious thoughts and high esteem thou hast of Christ 1 Pet. 2.7 To you therefore which believe he is precious and you may turn it thus You to whom Christ is precious you believe in him You say He is precious and worth a world but whether he be yours that is the question Why souls I tell you if your hearts be in love with him it is because he first loved you and thou canst not have a true love unto Christ without the work of his Spirit 2. You may know it by those holy breathings you have after more o● likeness and conformity to him this is certain the soul of this Saint is no● what it should be but is longing to be what it is not pressing after more of Christ and the Image of God There was a time when Paul thought that he had enough and was in an excellent ●ood cond●●●●●● but Go●●●ught him to ●e it wa● 〈◊〉 ●uch matter R●m 7.9 I ●as ●●ie● P●●● ●●ve once without the law but ●●e● the commandment came ● 〈…〉 the Law ●●me in its understan●●●g ●nd in 〈◊〉 Applic●●ion when he wa● able to under●●●nd ●he Law in its exte●● and spiri●●●lity and apply it to himself then ●e found he had a great deal of sin and little of God in him then he come● to ●ee his wretchedness to gro●n under his burthen and this cannot be but whe●e the soul hath received life from Christ How is it with thee dost thou see thy filthiness and groan under thy burthen It is a great sign ●f so ●nd a token for good that there is a principle of new Life of new and spiritual life communicated to thee and that thou hast received life f●om Christ who is the Fountain of Life and of it thou mayst assure thy self 3. From that holy awe and dread tha● is upon thy heart lest thou shouldest b● left to sin against and dishonour Go● Where there is a closing with Christ i● earnest there is an awe of God arisin● from a sense of duty and from a sence 〈◊〉 goodness Hosea 3.5 where it is spoken concerning the Jewish people a● the time of their Conversion

to be owned and honored by Christ when they shall stand before him at his judgement-seat there are such in the world as the Prophet complains of Ezek. 13.22 Who strengthen the hands of the wicked many ways there are to do it but it is miserable work whoever is found in it we promote and incourage sin either when we provoke and intice unto it as Solomon warns his son Prov. 1.10 When sinners intice thee consent not to them there are such sinners that in●ice unto sin as the whorish woman Prov. 7.21 With many fair speeches she caused him to yeild that is a promoting of sin and much more do they promote it that by what means they can do constrain others to it Thus do the wicked great men of the earth that compell others unto their idolatry and to share in their abominations as Jeroboam did in 2 King 17.21 c. They also promote sin ●n others who do labour to extenuate and lessen sin and make people believe it is not what it is to the end they may less fear and dread it and go on in it with the more confidence such a kind of people as the Lord by the Prophet meets with in Mal. 2.17 Ye have wearied me c. when you tell people sin is not such a thing as some would have you believe and he will love you for all that this is an inticing unto evil I but what will become of them that will you see in Rom. 1.32 Who knowing the judgement c in which words you have both the sin and punisment that shall follow upon the sinner the sin is expressed that they sin and love to have others do so the punishment is implyed they that so sin are worthy of death and that they shall have they shall have their demerit not life from Christ nor shall they live with Christ but everlasting death is their demerit and that they shall have that shall be their portion and so that Mat. 5.19 Whosoever shall break any of these little commandments and teach men so to do c. whoever shall sin and incourage others in it what shall become of him he shall be least in the Kingdom of Heaven the words are a figurative speech where less is spoken then intended least that is he shal be so little that he shall not be at all in the Kingdom of heaven That is the second sort that shall not stand before the Son of man Onely I would put in a caution That it is possible good souls even the Lords own people may sometimes prove a means of incouraging sin in others and that either by some ill example as such a case is intimated 1 Cor. 8.10 If any man c. The example of a stronger Christian may incourage a weak one to do things against his conscience things he is not satisfied in and so it may be a sin unto that weak one he may sin being led to it by the example of another or we may further sin in others when we do not restrain it according as we may and ought Thus did Eli who was a very good man but yet he did further the sin of his sons in that he did not restrain them he did onely give them a gentle and mild reproof when he should have put a restraint upon them as you may read 1 Sam. 2.22 and forward Now Eli was very old c. in a mild way he reproves them when as he was a Magistrate he should have put a restraint upon them and see how God punishes this upon him in Chap. 3.13 It is not enough to reprove a sin but where we can we ought to restrain it as Masters Parents Magistrates and the like that is their duty and they that are not faithful in the discharge of it may be thereby an incourager of sin in others only this note that though sinners may encourage sin and Saints may incourage sin too yet it is greatly different Saints may incourage sin eventually and accidentally but not inten●ionally it is not their design sinners do it designedly and Saints accidentally and that is a wide difference To proceed thirdly They may not expect to stand in the day of Christ that rush on upon ways of sin contrary to light and convictions received Rom. 1.21 Because that when they knew God c. in a due proportion to the light we have received such should our walkings and acting be and he that sins against his light sins greatly Many make dreadful havock of their light and great inrodes upon their conscience You read in Prov. 20.27 The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord the conscience of a man it is the candle of the Lord and we often sin against it untill we sin it out although this cannot be done at a cheap rate and yet how often do we do it Psal 125.5 As for such as turn aside the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity in which is implyed not only that God will leave them to sin as the wicked do but to the same punishment that doth attend and betide the workers of iniquity and also to this purpose take that text again Rom. 1.32 Who knowing the just judgements of God there is a great emphasis in that they that know that he that sinneth so and so what he doth deserve they are like to fall under his just judgement Luk. 12.47 The servant that knows his Lords will c. What shall he be rewarded No But he shall be beaten with many stripes A fourth sort of persons that shall never stand before Christ are they that turn the grace of God and Christ into wantonness they that from the kindness of God in the Gospel take occasion to strengthen their hands in ways of rebellion against God and Christ I tell you such souls will have a sad account to make in the day of Christ and will stand with much paleness of face and dejection of spirit in vers 4. of Judes Epistle we are pointed to such a people who turned the grace of God into lasciviousness that is Make use of the grace of God in the Gospel as an occasion to lasciviousness Oh it is sad indeed to make the greatest mercy a prop and fartherer of the greatest iniquity Paul tells us in Rom. 7.11 That sin took occasion by the Commandment that is there is such an enmity and contrariety in the heart of man naturally against God and the minde of God that the very command to holiness is a spur and furtherance unto wickedness such is the enmity that is in the heart unto God Now it is a very great sin that the Law that is intended to keep from sin should be an occasion of sin it is a great aggravation but it is much more a great sin when the Mercy and Grace of God that should be the greatest hindrance and let in the way of sin if that should become an occasion of sin and a means to