Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	lord_n	love_v	saint_n	5,636	5	6.4232	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56385	A demonstration of the divine authority of the law of nature and of the Christian religion in two parts / by Samuel Parker ...	Parker, Samuel, 1640-1688.	1681 (1681)	Wing P458; ESTC R7508	294,777	516

Calumnies of their Enemies viz. That those wicked Practices that were charged upon them were too grosly inconsistent with the Principles of their Religion and so Athenagor as tells the Emperour plainly that it is no less than impossible for a Christian to be a bad Man unless he were an Hypocrite and a meer Dissembler And for a farther proof they still appeal'd to the undeniable innocence of their own Lives and Conversations They challenged the strictest Trials of their Enemies and even forced from them publick confessions of their Vertue and Integrity And though they were strictly religious towards God yet they accounted that no Worship was acceptable to him but what is recommended by a just an honest and an usefull Life He that is carefull to preserve his Innocence says Minutius Felix honours his Lord he that observes Justice in his dealings offers Sacrifice to God he that absteins from Fraud presents a Peace-offering he that relieves his Neighbour brings an ample Expiation these are our Sacrifices and these the Solemnities of our Devotion and with us he passes for the most religious Man that is the most honest And thus they rated their Piety chiefly by the usefulness of their Lives and the first things they sacrificed to Heaven were their own Lusts and Passions They did not think it enough in those days to say their Prayers unless they lived them too that is unless their Actions were conformable to their Devotions in a constant and uniform obedience to the Laws of their Religion In short they knew no other terms of Salvation but the habitual practice of Piety and Devotion of Justice and Honesty of Mercy and Charity of Humility and Meekness of Temperance and Sobriety of Continence and Chastity of Obedience and Subjection to Government of Unity and a peaceable Disposition among themselves but above all of Heavenly mindedness and contempt of the World and Courage and Constancy in suffering for their Religion Now it is evident that these Men were serious and in good earnest in their profession of the Christian Faith and that may be added to all that accumulation of Argument that I have laid together in this Discourse to demonstrate the infinite truth of Christianity that Persons who by their nearness of Age to its beginning had so much advantage of enquiring into it were satisfied with an undoubted assurance of its Divine Authority when it made such a prodigious and otherwise unaccountable change in all parts of their Lives and Conversations And as by it they shewed themselves sincere Christians so rational Men too in pursuing the natural consequence of their Principles For upon supposition of the certain truth of the Christian Faith it was infinitely reasonable that they should give the exactest and most punctual obedience to the Christian Laws Nay they then thought that it was impossible to doe otherwise and though they made allowances for the lapses and infirmities of humane Nature yet they lookt upon a Christian that was habitually vicious as the grossest of contradictions and the truth is nothing can be more apparently absurd and enormous if we onely consider the greatness of those Rewards and Punishments wherewith the Laws of Christianity are enacted The most difficult Duty that it requires is that of Martyrdom yet even that whilst it is undergone within the prospect of Heaven and Immortality is a very easie not to say an eligible thing And so the learned Clemens of Alexandria discourses in the Fourth Book of his Collections The Man that truly loves our Lord cannot but be very willing to be deliver'd out of this Life so as to account himself beholden to his Accuser as the cause of his escape because he gave him a lawfull occasion which he could not give himself to shew his love to his Lord and for it be welcom'd by him into the place of Happiness and excellently to the same purpose does that wise that pious that couragious Prelate Saint Cyprian discourse to the Confessours in Prison to prepare them for their Martyrdom So far are you says he from having any reason to fear Death that you ought to desire it as not worthy to be weighed against the recompence of Immortality where he that overcomes shall be crown'd with eternal Happiness what vigour what greatness what courage ought to lodge in such Breasts that are fill'd with such heroick thoughts For where no lower Meditations are entertain'd than of the Laws of God and the Promises of Christ there can be no sense of any other design but to doe the will of God And though you are still confin'd to this present state of things yet you do not live the Life of this World but of the World to come And how passionately does that brave Martyr Ignatius rejoice in the near approach of his Martyrdom O that I might come to those wild Beasts that are prepared for me how do I wish that I might instantly encounter them I could even invite and encourage them to dispatch me nay I could even provoke them to it I am concern'd for nothing either seen or unseen more than to enjoy Jesus let Fire and the Cross and the fury of wild Beasts breaking of Bones distortion of Members tormenting the whole Body yea all the punishments which the Devil can invent befall me so as thereby I may come to the enjoyment of my blessed Lord and Saviour This was the Courage and these the Resolutions of those times But alas their brave Examples rather upbraid than instruct our degenerate Age and the height of their courage instead of inviting scares our endeavours 't is almost pain to us to conceive the Idea of their Vertues Their flaming Spirits lie raked up in their own Ashes not a spark of their heavenly Fire glows in our Bosoms there is nothing heroick left all that is brave and gallant has fled the World and our Age produces no such Heroes whose actions may convince us that the Miracles of the ancient Faith were possible things But what do I talk of the wonders of Martyrs and Confessours the effects of an extraordinary assistance for an extraordinary work when it would be wonder big enough for our degenerate Age if we could but see the common fruits of Christianity But alas we are entertain'd with a greater at least a more unaccountable prodigie than all the Miracles that have been represented for the demonstration of the Christian Faith when we daily see such vast numbers of Men that are seriously and passionately concern'd to believe the Truth of the Gospel and yet so utterly unconcern'd to obey its Precepts for this can be no less than a direct and barefaced affront to the Authority of God himself to own and yet disobey his Laws Our blessed Saviour imputes it as an unpardonable sin of disingenuity to the Scribes and Pharisees that when they were convinced by the evidence of the matter of Fact of the Divine Power of his Miracles they yet disbelieved the Divine Authority of his