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	spirit_n	5,771	5	5.0793	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51000	Misericordiam volo, or, The pharisees lesson shewing the impiety and vnreasonableness of contending for outward formes and ceremonies, to the violation of obedience, charity, and the publick peace.	Long, Thomas, 1621-1707.; Long, Thomas, 1621-1707. Character of a separatist, or, Sensuality the ground of separation.	1677 (1677)	Wing M2245; ESTC R33489	37,726	84

we are there are but few that would be saved except those of the same fraternity with our selves Jain 3.15 But such black thoughts are fruits of the spirit of Darkness the fruits of the best spirit are love joy peace Gal. 5.22 long-suffering gentleness goodness c. I shall ever suspect that Religion that teacheth Men to love God and hate their Brethren with all their heart It is no wonder if the Stoicks that deny the Deity and ascribe all to an inexorable fate do also unman Humanity and unbowel Virtue teaching that a wise Man ought to cast away all compassion and making that a defect of the Soul viz. bearing one anothers burthens which a better Philosopher says Gal. 6.2 is to fulfill the Law of Christ Well might Cicero reject them neque enim audiendi sunt qui virtutem duram ferream esse volunt as not fit to be heard who would transform Virtue which is of a gentle tender tractable and yielding quality into a rigid stupid implacable and unsociable constitution Such wise Men have as little brains as bowels seeing St. James tells us that the wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie And thus though I have but casually let fall some drops of Mercy into the other scale you may perceive how much they do outweigh the whole Jewish Discipline and Sacrifices The treasures of Mercy are as boundless as the Ocean and therefore I shall not attempt to contract them within this scale My thoughts are not your thoughts Is 55.8 neither are my ways your ways for as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts saith the Lord. What great things the mercy of God will effect for such as love him may partly appear by the things he works in them and by them whom he causeth to partake of his own spirit and so sheds abroad his love into their hearts that they can extend it again throughout the whole World and be merciful as their Heavenly Father is merciful even in that great instance of making as instruments the sun of righteousness to shine and the Dew of Heaven to fall upon the just and the unjust and by their compassionate desires and faithful prayers their tender mercies are over all the works of God How gladly could I cast my self into this Ocean as Aristotle to Euripus and say Quoniam ego non Comprehendam te tu Comprehendes me because I cannot comprehend thy mercies Lord let me be comprehended of them But as every dust of Gold is Gold so every act of mercy is precious and therefore I shall not need to mention the infinite perfections of Divine mercy nor those Heroick deeds of merciful Men whose love hath been more strong than Death but confine my self within those ordinary bounds of Charity wherein every Christian may and ought to converse with other such as the Apostle names 1 Cor. 13.4 To be long-suffering and kind not to envy or vaunt themselves not to be puffed up and seek their own not to be easily provoked not to think or speak evil any of these defects will as the want of Salt to the Sacrifice make it corrupt and become unsavory Every malicious thought will be as so much fire to make them evaporate into smoke So the Apostle assures us 1 Cor. 13. Though I spake with the tongue of men and Angels though I had the gift of Prophecie and understand all Mysteries and knowledge and had all Faith and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing The bare omission of the meanest acts of Charity such as our Saviour mentioneth Matthew 25.25 is sufficient to exclude our Souls as well as our Services from Heaven The Pharisees then had little reason to insist so exactly on a Levitical Ceremony of touching and accompanying with unclean persons when they admitted that pride and contempt of their brethren that envy against Christ which rendred them by far the more unclean A principle which hath much troubled the Church of God in all ages when Pharisaical men first censure and condemn their Brethren and then separate from them and grow in hatred against them when they have no other reason to think ill of their Brethren but because they think too well of themselves and by their zeal for the externals of Religion seek to palliate their neglect of the most essential duties To these our Saviour commends the Lesson in the Text as well as to those ancient Pharisees Go learn what that meaneth c. Having endeavoured to convince your understanding of the truth of the proposition in general I shall apply it as effectually as I can for the cure of our present distempers for we also do trouble our selves and others about many inconsiderable circumstances of external Worship to the neglect of those moral duties of Humility Charity and peace which are of the very Essence of Religion And I doubt not but if we would lay aside our pride prejudice and carnal interest and as new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that we might grow thereby this plain Lesson of our Saviour touching the Love of Mercy would more edifie us as well in holiness as in peace and love than all the publick declamations or private insinuations of contentious persons whose zeal like the little impotent heat in Insects which not being sufficient to form sound vitals within runs out into many weak and useless members and produceth an Ephemeron an Animal that endureth but for a day running out into many nice circumstances may have something of the shew but very little of the substance and life of Religion To such I do in the fear of God propose this method of learning the Lesson in the Text. First That our Agreement in the Substantials of Religion and the liberty to profess and practise all things necessary to Godliness and Salvation ought to be an indissoluble bond of peace and unity to us all As the lower Sphears though they have a proper tendency of their own yet yield to the motion of the higher Orb so though we have some fond conceits and small concerns of our own we should forsake them to comply with the great ends of Religion Mercy and Peace We agree in the substance of the Gospel in the Creed and Commandments in the Ministry and the Sacraments we are built on the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone Eph. 2.20 and on this Foundation we may build as high as Heaven why should our Pride and Contention pull down the Judgment of Babel upon us Methinks there should be no place left for discord among Brethren that are united by so many Obligations Eph. 4.5 one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God one Father of all but though we all pretend to meet

that every one in his place ought to do his part to the abolishing of it and not sit still in the midst of such defilements and snares but discover their hatred of them decline their use and endeavour the rooting of them out and all upon this ground that things which have been abused in false Worship must be laid aside Gilaspy Then comes another Boreas from the North whence most of our evils came called a Dispute against the English Popish Ceremonies which he explains to be a contending for the purity of Christ against the corruptions of Anti-christ and this Spirit as if he were indeed of the triumphant party leads in chains no meaner persons than Hooker Morton Burges Sprint Paybody Andrews Saravia Tilen Spotswood Lindsey Forbes c. who were all particularly confuted and vanquished by him as he boasted But this pitiful man dealt very mercifully with them for their chains were such as fell off of their own accord and so do those viperous appellations which he endeavours to fix on the Church and her practises Preface p. 6. calling them Popish Antichristian Idle and Idolized for thus he bespeaks the Church of Scotland Oh thou fairest among Women what hast thou to do with the inveagling appurtenances and habiliments of Babylon the whore c. But his Arguments are as impotent as his Obloquy the naming of which is confutation enough at least if the Reader will but turn his negatives into affirmatives and his affirmatives into negatives the weakness of the man and his manner of arguing will be manifest to all As First when he says we are not to account the Ceremonies matters of small importance contrary to the sense of ours and all the Reformed Churches which account them things indifferent and not worth the contending for Secondly Let not says he the pretence of peace and unity cool your fervour or make you spare to oppose your selves to those idle and Idolized Ceremonies contrary to the Text and to Rom. 14.17 Thirdly beware also you be not deceived with a pretence of the Churches consent and of Uniformity as well with the ancient Church as with the now Reformed Churches in the forms and customs of both as if the consent of the Ancient Church before Popery and all the Reformed since were one of the snares to be avoided Fourthly moreover because the foredeck and hindeck of all our opposites probations do resolve and rest finally into the authority of a law therefore we certiorate you with Calvin that Si acquievistis imperio pessimo laqueo vos induistis as if there were no difference between the establishing of iniquity by a Law of which Calvin speaks and the laws of our Superiors for decency and order Fifthly do not reckon it enough to bear within the inclosure of your secret thoughts a certain dislike of the Ceremonies Contrary to S. Paul Ro. 14.22 and other abuses now set on foot except by profession and action you evidence the same and so shew your Faith by your fact principally prayers and supplications are the weapons of our Spiritual warfare but as they ought to be done so the atchieving of other secundary means ought not to be left undone These are the chief of his arguments which he sums up in the Epistle dedicated to all and every one in the Reformed Churches of England Scotland and Ireland and you may judge by these of the validity of the whole Book which consists of 336. pages wherein is nothing objected or asserted but what hath been abundantly confuted by cogent reasons and arguments After this Scottish Pipe march many English Reformado's headed by Dr. Owen whose chief objection is Evangelical love p. 212. that the ceremonies are unwritten and unscriptural inventions of Men and that Christ's warrant and authority must be shewn for what is imposed in the worship of God The ridiculousness of this objection hath been clearly demonstrated by the Reverend Bishop Sanderson and others Then Mr. Hickman sends forth his Apology and his Bonasus Vapulans who inveighs against the ceremonies especially for being significant and instanceth in the sign of the Cross which is made a sign of dedication to God in Token that c. Whereas others of his party do oppose them because they are not significative enough To him succeeds the Author of the Rehersal who says that the Conformists defining a Sacrament to be an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace Omitting the chief part of the definition viz. ordained by Christ himself do make the ceremonies of a Sacramental nature To these the learned Ritchel in his Tract de Ceremoniis gives satisfactory answers to all unprejudiced Readers and Durel Parker * Mr. Calvin Mr. Baxter have done the same 41.61 p. 90 454. and others have done no less It will be but labour in vain to repeat here all the solid replies to those empty objections One such argument from Scripture as our Saviour urgeth in the Text against those that on pretence of contending for their own against the established rites and customes of the Church do violate the laws of Obedience Love and Peace will silence them all if they be not possest with a spirit of contradiction For if we should suppose that the rites and ceremonies were as expresly set down in the Gospel to be used or forborn in the publick worship of God as the rites and circumstances concerning Sacrifices were in the ceremonial law yet as the Sacrifices themselves much more the modes of preparing and offering them might be used or omitted for the performance of moral duties so doubtless if things of an external ceremonial nature had been commanded or forbidden in express terms they might yet be observed or omitted as the substantial service of God and obedience to his greater commands for charity and peace might be best performed But these things being not determined particularly by the Gospel but left under general rules for decency and order may doubtless be determined by a lawful authority such as that of our Church under our Gracious Soveraign is and being so determined and imposed there is an advantage on the side of Authority against a scrupulous conscience which ought to over rule the practice of such who are members of that Church It remains only that I endeavour to remove an objection or two against what is here said Object 1. If the ceremonies be things of such indifferency Why do not they who are in authority dispense with the use of them or totally lay them aside for the sake of peace and unity Answ 1. The Magistrate doth but his duty in providing for the solemnity of Divine worship according to those general rules for decency and order prescribed by the Apostles 2 ly What the Magistrate doth is not only agreeable to his private discretion and conscience for he practiseth the same things that he prescribes but according to the deliberate determinations of the most wise and pious persons

i.e. with an opinion of the legal necessity of it Christ shall profit you nothing Yet to the Jews that he might win them he became as a Jew and then used Circumcision Acts 16.3 and to them that were without the Law as without Law that he might win the Gentiles and then he would not Circumcise and in all this he was Christs Freeman though he made himself a servant to all The Apostle knew that his Christian liberty was founded in freedom of Judgment and not of practice and that neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision were any thing 1 Cor. 7.19 but the keeping of the Commandments Now no actions of ours that are required in obedience to our Superiours about the Publick Worship are so obnoxious to censure and scandal as these were but are under our Christian liberty And as we ought to serve one another in love in obedience to Gods commands so ought we in obedience of the same to submit our selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake and not use our liberty as a Cloke of Maliciousness or an occasion to the flesh to cast off either our Love to our Brethren or Obedience to Magistrates For to what end hath God according to his promise raised up Kings to be Nursing Fathers to his Church or what possibility is there that they should provide for its peace if they have not power in these External things If therefore the things commanded be indifferent it is certain that obedience to the Magistrate is no indifferent thing but as necessary as peace and unity which cannot otherwise be preserved Seventhly The means are alway as subservient so inferior to the end Now the end of the Commandment is Charity as the Apostle saith Col. 3.14 and therefore both he and St. Peter require charity above all things 1 Pet. 4.8 When therefore these externals of religion become apples of contention they are forbidden fruit which cannot be injoyed without the breach of the great Commandment and if they had each of them a particular precept yet when lesser duties come in competition with greater they cease to oblige Private Laws yield to publick humane Laws to the Laws of God and among God's Laws Positive Precepts yield to those that are moral and natural A Vow or an Oath concerning a thing lawful if it hinder Majus bonum Naturale ceaseth to oblige The Corban might not be pleaded in Bar to the relieving of Parents much less may any Covenant oblige against the Peace of the Church and the Publick Parent as some still plead for that which they call the National Covenant Those things therefore which are matters of Discipline and external order how precisely soever injoyned ought to give place to those that are the more substantial parts of Religion such as mercy and obedience to Magistrates charity peace and unity among Christians and as we may disuse some things which have been generally received in the Church of God as were the kiss of charity the love-feasts and anointing of the Sick so certainly we may use some other things which are injoyned by our Superiors for the sake of Order and Unity When St. Paul had established the Doctrine of Faith in the Church of Corinth he tells them 1 Cor. 11.16 that if about rites and ceremonies Any man seem to be contentious we have no such custome neither the Churches of God that is the custom of the Church is a sufficient Plea against such contentious persons Thus when the Council of Nice had composed the Articles of Faith in that Creed they all with one consent approved of the Ancient rites and customes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Sozomen says L. 7. c. 19. it was ever esteemed an unreasonable thing for those that agreed in the Substantials of Religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to separate from each other for customes and matters of doubtful disputation And it is generally agreed that the Churches which are sui Juris agreeing in the same Faith may differ in Rites and Ceremonies which they have power to alter or abrogate and therefore Calvin says they are Mali filii wicked Sons that will disturb the Peace of the Church their Mother for such external rites and as the Pharisees in the Text seek to withdraw the Disciples by such objections against their Master Why eateth your Master with Publicans and Sinners And yet certain it is that the Authors of Sects and Divisions among us have no better grounds for all the disorders and confusion the proud contempt and unchristian censures the slander and vexation that have been as so many evil spirits raised among us and I desire that such as are yet in the fault would not only consider the insufficiency of the grounds but also the mischievous consequences of our divisions how directly opposite to our Saviour's rule in the Text I will have mercy c. Now that there are Divisions among us may be proved by the same arguments that the Apostle useth to prove that there were Divisions in the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 3.4 viz. when one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos c. which Divisions as they cannot be warranted but on a supposition of some great corruption in our Doctrine or Worship or some grand profaneness in our Members so are they not raised without such thoughts in the hearts of those that do separate from us as Mr. Newcomen observed in his Sermon at St. Pauls Febr. 8. 1646. p. 40. Who are they that brand their Brethren with the title of Proud Time-servers Prelatical Tyrannical Antichristian but such as separate Who will say that they are of the same opinion in Fundamentals and that their differences are but in minutioribus but Why do they in matters of lesser moment transgress the Apostles rule Why do they not keep their opinions private and have their faith to themselves before God Why do they upon so small differences withdraw from Communion with us and gather themselves into distinct and separate Churches This is certainly a Pharisaical leaven that ferments and imbitters our spirits and though the effects of it may be hid for a time yet on every heat and agitation it spreads through the whole lump and swells Men with Pride and an unsociable sowrness of Spirit And though the things wherein we differ seem to be but small and have a shew of piety yet the consequences are so notoriously and really evil that the most zealous pretences for the Discipline of Christ are too narrow a Plaister to cover or cure the festred rancor and malice towards his members Ceremonies are no fit matter to exercise our zeal and contention but obedience and charity Yet as the Ordinances and Rites that were retained by the believing Jews and Gentiles were still a Wall of separation between them and the Apostle calls it the enmity Eph. 2.15 so is it with us The Jews and Samaritans differed chiefly about the place wherein they ought to