Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A42016
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The exposition continued upon the nineteen last chapters of the prophet Ezekiel with many useful observations thereupon delivered in several lectures in London / by William Greenhil.
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Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing G1857; ESTC R30318
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513,585
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860
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is likelyest to make way for the message they bring of what kind soever Here the Prophet was to warn them to tell them of their sins and the danger of them and who would not receive an admonition from God when it comes in his name backed with his authority when God in it seeks our good the freedom of us from death and damnation the bringing of us unto glory and salvation and especially when the soul of the watchman lyeth at stake for the sinner if he do not admonish the sinner Can any sinner be so obstinate as not to consider relent and return when God shall send one in his name unto him and the Prophet shall say Sir I come from God unto you and my life is at stake for you if I tell you not of your sins I am a lost man give me leave therefore to deal plainly with you you are covetous unclean proud froward ignorant unbelieving having a form of Godl nesse without the power and unlesse you take another course and serve the living God otherwise the you do you will perish soul and body eternally but if yâ—u will hearken I will shew you the good and right way the way everlasting which will make you blessed for ever When a watchman comes and deals thus with a sinner hath he cause to be angry No he hath cause to fall down and say Of a truth God is in you and with you I thank you for your counsell and seasonable admonitions and through the grace of God I will improve them and turn to that God who is so gracious and would have sinners come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved Ninthly Observe The Lord knowes who are wicked When I say to the wicked man The world calls them wicked who are righteous and those righteous who are wicked but it is not so with the Lord he knows who is an hypocrite who is covetous who is a lyar a formalist an enemy to grace and holinesse Known unto the Lord are all his works Acts 15.18 And he knoweth who are his 2 Tim 2.19 and who are not his there is not one Goat in the world but the Lord knows him not a Wolfe or Lyon but he takes notice of them he knew the house of Israel better then Ezekiel who dwelt amongst them whom he said was wicked was so indeed It matters not much what the world saith of men it call'd Paul a Babler Acts 17.18 An Heretick Acts 24.14 A Pestilent Fellow vers 5. But what said God of him Acts 9.15 He is a chosen Vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel Jobs friends and the Devil said Job was an hypocrite but God said He was a perfect man fearing God and eschewing evill Job 1.1 That men are what God who cannot lye who cannot be deceived pronounces them to be if he in his word do call a â—an for an hypocrite an unbeliever covetous proud c. he is so Tenthly Observe The Power of life and death is in the hand of the Lord. When I say unto the wicked O wicked man thou shalt surely dye God hath authority over the lives of men and can pronounce a sentence of death upon them at his pleasure He Commission'd Saul to smite Amalek to slay man and woman infant and suckling Oxe and Sheep Camel and Asse 1 Sam. 15.3 Whâ—n Ahab let Benhadad go a man that God had appointed to destruction therefore saith he Thy life shall go for his and thy people for his people 1 Kings 20.42 The power of life and death God challengeth to himself Deut. 32.39 I kill and I make alive I wound I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of mine hand By this argument he proves himself to be God and it s none but God that kills or gives life Psal 68.20 Vnto God the Lord belong the issues from death The Hebrew is Lammaneth Totzaoth Exitus ad mortem the goings out to death its God that turns the key and le ts out the breath it s he puts a period to the life of the Creature would any live let them fear the Lord and depart from evill for The fear of the Lord prolongeth dayes Prov 10.27 Moses uses this argument to perswade them to love obey and cleave to the Lord He is thy life and length of thy dayes Deut. 30.20 Men have their lives from God and he draws the thread of them out to what length he please and therefore men should love fear obey and cleave to that God if they do not he will cut the thread of their lives asunder Prov. 10.27 The years of the wicked shall be shortned by one sicknesse judgement or other their dayes and years shall be shortned of what they might have been Eleventhly Observe Those watchmen that are unfaithfull in their places and do not tell the people of their sins and danger their account will be dreadful If thou doe not speak to warn the wicked from his way his bloud will I require at thy hand If a politicall watchman be unfaithful so that a man perish by the sword without warning his bloud lyeth upon the watchmans head and if the Ecclesiastical watchman be unfaithful and do not warn the wicked upon what pretence soever the bloud of that wicked man dying in his sins will be required of the watchman it lyes upon his head and he must answer for it the case of this latter watchman will be more dangerous then of the former because the one is to answer for the life of a man the other for the soul of a man which is of great price Let lazy sleepy perfidious watchmen look to it they suffer men to perish through their default and their bloud lives souls stand ingaged for the sâ—me Twelfthly Observe The failing of the watchman will not excuse or priviledge the wicked man If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way that wicked man shall dye in his iniquity Though he be not told that he is in a wrong way though he pretend ignorance that will not serve turn he shall dye in his iniquity warn'd or unwarn'd the watchman hath not done his duty what then must this exempt the wicked man from punishment No he hath not done his duty he should have minded studyed the Law of God walked according to that and have made it a Lamp unto his feet and a light unto his paths Psal 119.105 But his neglect of his duty and ignorance rather will aggravate then extenuate his fault the Law was near unto him and he might have known what was forbidden and so have avoided the same Thirteenthly Observe Those that regard not the warning of the watchmen they bring certain destruction upon themselves Whosoever hears the sound of the Trumpet and takes not warning his bloud shall be upon his own head If the enemy cut off that man he himself is guilty of his own death not the political
another to hear what word the Lord gave out to the Prophet and they come being excited one by another and sit before the Prophet as Gods people they attended to what he said as if they meant punctually to observe the same but they did not do what he said their hearts were not in the business what worshipping was this of God to give him an ear and the world their heart So to speak against the Prophet behind his back and to speak fair shew much love to his face was not this hypocrisie did they not carry it religiously towards God and cunningly towards the Prophet However they carryed it the Lord saw their hypocrisie and discovered the same The Scribes and Pharisees wore long robes made long prayers and under pretence of them devoured widowes houses but the Lord Christ knew their hypocrisie and made it known though religiously and craftily carryed Matth 23. Fourthly Observe Many hearers pretend much love and kindnesse to the Prophets and yet behind their backs afford them not a good word When these Jews came to the Prophets house they shew'd much love with their mouths but when they were by the walls and at their own doors they shew'd as much ill will with their mouths they spake against him they slandered him they disgraced him out of the same mouth came bitter and sweet The Jews and Herodians pretended much love to Christ and said Master we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth neither carest thou for any man for thou regardest not the persons of men tell us therefore what thinkest thou is it lawfull to give Tribute to Caesar or no Matth 22.16 17 18. Here they shewed much kindness with their mouths when there was gall and bitterness in their hearts Fifthly Observe When men draw neer to God in any duty of his worship he principally looks which way the heart stands whether that be real and towards him Their heart saith God goeth after their covetousness It went not after the word after God himself Isa 29. This people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their hearts far from me When their bodies were in the Temple their hearts were in their shops when their lips were speaking to God their hearts were conversing with the creatures Gods eye was upon their hearts The heart is the principal part in man and its the principall thing God aims at Prov 23.26 My son give me thine heart not thy hatt thy hand thy tongue thy foot but thine heart Whatever he hath without the heart is nothing but having the heart he hath all whatever is wanting let the eye be wanting a man is blind let the leg be wanting a man is lame let the whole body be wanting a man is sick yet if God have the heart he hath all Delilah had Sampsons bodily presence yet that sufficed her not because she thought she had not his heart Judg 16.15 How canst thou say I love thee when thine heart is not with me God hath no love from us nothing of us when our hearts are not with him Sixthly Observe Men have carnall hearts in spiritual duties These men were hearing Ezekiel prophesie and whilest they were hearing their hearts went after their covetousness the word was in their ears and the world in their hearts Ezekiel tells them of the things of God and they mind the things of the earth To be earthly minded at any time is blameable Phil 3.19 but to be so in spiritual things is grievous it s a despising a debasing of them when the things of God of Christ Heaven Salvation Life Grace and Glory are presented unto us which should take up our thoughts abundantly affect our hearts powerfully for us then to mind the dust sticks straws and pebbles on the earth to have our hearts upon them this is Zimmah a great wickedness horrible ingratitude Rom 8.6 To be carnally minded is death it argues a dead soul it tends unto death and ends in eternall death Seventhly Observe Covetousnesse is a sin adheres to Professors These that came to hear the Prophet and sat before him as the people of God their hearts went after their covetousness they had hearts exercised with covetous practices as it is in 2 Pet 2.14 The Pharisees made profession of religion they were hearers of Christ but the Text saith they were covetous Luke 16.14 Judas an Apostle and follower of Christ had a covetous heart and sold his Master for 30 pieces of silver Mat 26.15 Demas forsook Paul having loved the present world 2 Tim. 4.10 While he was with Paul his heart was in the world John seeing this evill incident to Christians disswades them from the love of the world by a strong argument 1 John 2.15 Love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him He doth not know God to be his father and love him as a Father that loves the world he may think say and swear that he loves the Father but the Spirit of truth saith The love of the Father is not in him Let Christians therefore take heed of this sin for besides that it argues the love of God is not in us it choaks the seed of Gods word which should beget grace in us Matth 13.22 it makes us idolaters Eph 5.5 yea Covetousâ—esse unfits us for Church communion 1 Cor 5.11 it shuts us out of Heaven 1 Cor. 6.10 it exposes us to wrath Col. 3.5 6. to Gods hatred Psal 10.3 to a curse 2 Pet. 2.14 Verses 32 33. And lo thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument for they hear thy words but they do them not And when this cometh to passe lo it will come then shall they know that a Prophet hath been among them Vers 32. Thou art unto them as a very lovely song THe Hebrew is Ceshir agavim sunt canticum amantium as a song of Lovers so the word is rendred Jerem 4.30 Thy lovers will despise thee it s the same word Lovers have delightfull songs to please their ears and pass away time so the Prophets preaching was delightfull unto them to hear but as in musick and singing there is nothing comes of it when done so they heard the Prophet but nothing came of their hearing The Septuagint hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the voice of a Psaltery which was an instrument to sing unto The French is Comme une chauson de plaisanterie as a song of jesting or scurrility which greatly affect carnall hearts Some render the words eris illis canticum subsannatorum thou wilt be to them a song of scoffers that is however they seem to be greatly pleased and affected with thy prophesying yet in their hearts they laugh at thee and deride thee Of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play