Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	death_n	great_a	lord_n	4,859	5	3.8144	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55754	Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from severall texts of Scripture, opened and applyed. 1. A heavemly [sic] treatise of the devine love of Christ. 2. The Christians freedome. 3. The deformed forme of a formall profession. 4. Christs fulnesse, and mans emptinesse. By John Preston, doctor in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to King James, Mr. of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Two treatises, viz. The Christian freedome, and The deformed forme of a formall profession.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Plenitudo fontis, or, Christ's fulnesse and man's emptinesse.	1644 (1644)	Wing P3307A; ESTC R219005	93,300	192

bee without this love to him Now wee come to the third thing the reasons why they are worthy to bee accursed unto the death that Love not the Lord Iesus This may seeme strange and harsh What then becomes of all unregenerated men The Apostle meanes sure such as continue in their not loving the Lord or such as have sinned against the holy Ghost But the former sence I take to bee the best neither is this any strange thing for it is one part of the Gospel There are two parts of the Gospel If you beleeve you shal be saved if you beleeve not you shal be damned Sometimes it is if you repent you shal be saved or if you doe not you shall perish so if you love you shal be saved if you love not you shal be accursed now why should hee pitch on such a frame of words to expresse their condition Because when Christ shall come and bee a suter to us when he shall woe us and offer himselfe to us and wee will have none of him then the Sonne waxes angry When he shall offer himselfe unto us and none will kisse him then hee waxes angry unto the death and they perish in the way The greatest love not answered turnes to the greatest hatred so when the Father sent to call them to the feast that were invited and they refused it this made him wrath when wee shall come to preach Christ to men when this light hid from the beginning of the world shall shine and you shall despise it and contemne it know that now is the axe laid to the roote of the tree God will beare it at your hands no longer Now if a man will not Love the Lord Iesus let him be had in execration yea let him bee accursed unto the death If a man did not keepe the Law he was to be cursed now there was a double keeping of the Law A Legall which answeres the exact rigour of the Law an Evangelicall which is an earnest endeavouring to keepe the Law and to make a mans heart as perfect as may be Now there being more mercy in this there is a greater curse on the breach of it Now Love is the fulfilling of the Law and not to love the Lord is not to keepe the Law and therefore the Curse follows it If a man love not the Lord Iesus it is because he loves something better than him It may be you love your Wealth more than Christ And are you not worthy to be cursed for it It may be you are lovers of pleasure more than of God and doth not this deserve a Curse It may bee you love the praise of men before that of God and is not this to bee accursed Adultery was punished with death and what punishment then is enough for the going a whoring from such a God after such vanties Againe Cursing belongs to Hypocrites Woe be unto you Seribes and Pharisees Hypocrites Matthew 23. Now what a man doth not out of love is done out of hypocrisie which is to doe the outward action without the inward affection as counterfeit gold hath the same stamp and colour with true gold But as wee cast away counterfeit silver and gold set it apart to destruction nayling them up that they may bee knowne so will God deale with such as serve him outwardly without this love to him Love is that which commands all in a man It is as the rudder to a shippe all followes love When a man love not the Lord all go's from him Now when the whole man shall go from the Lord is not such a one worthy to bee cursed yea to bee had in execration to the death If this love of the Lord be so necessary then see what a sinne it is what an execrable thing it is not to love the Lord and what you are to thinke of your selves if you love not the Lord. When Iesus Christ shall bee propounded unto men and this light is great but men do● resist it and not embrace the Lord when we see this we should have such a spirit as Paul for this was out of the abundance of his zeale wee should I say bee stirred against such with an holy indignation Act. 17. Doe not I hate those that hate thee Psal. 139. yea I hate them with a perfect hate This thou hast that thou hatest the workes of the Nicholaitans which thing also I hate Revelations 2. And this was a signe of Lots sincerity that his righteous soule was grieved and vexed with the uncleane conversation of the Sodomites 2 Peter 2. If you can see Christ scorned and re jected and his Word slighted and his bloud trampled on and you your selves are not moved with it you are not of Pauls spirit who speaking of some whose God was their belly whose glory was their shame of whom saith hee I have told you often and now tell you weeping that they are the enemies of the crosse of Christ Philip 3. Whence came this but out of the abundance of his love to Christ and mankinde I wish yee would all looke to your selves whether you are in this number or not of those that love not the Lord. This is such a sinne as the curse is doubled upon it And the punishment is but to shew the measure of the sinne Hee thunders not out his curse against him that opposeth the Lord or resisteth him but against him that loveth not the Lord. The Apostle as Moses gets him up to the Mount Ebal and whom doth he curse Even all such as love not the Lord Iesus This Doctrine throughly considered may let in a crevice of light to thee that now thou maist looke on thy selfe as on an execrable thing which God hates and thou maist see GOD even stretching out his power to confound thee yea thou maist see the Gospel cursing thee But what terrour is there in the preaching of the Gospel you will say O much more my Brethren than may bee expressed for the curse of the Law was not so peremptory though we have plaine words for it yet it was not without all condition But God sweares to this curse as if wee were thus cursed if wee would continue not to love him The Law is the proper instrument of humbling yet the Gospel humbles more for sinne is the matter of Humiliation And there bee sinnes against the Gospel yea greater sinnes than against the Law when thou hearest the curse of the Law Cursed be he that continueth not in every thing that is written in the booke of the Law to doe them Galathians 3. You will say you wil go to Christ he shall do it for you But when the Gospel curses such as love not Christ to whom will you goe to love God Another man cannot love for you And if you thinke this be too harsh let this verse sound oft in your eares If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be

nothing the love of the Lord would be farre better to thee than any thing Love doth much for the Lord Faith workes by Love he loves much that doth much Paul as he was abundant in love so in labour If you love me saith our Saviour keepe my Commandements Are you willing then to take much paines for the Lord Doest thou feed the lambes of Christ If thou art a Minister or if thou art in the way to that calling art thou diligent to fit they selfe for it And love not onely workes but it makes that the commandements are not grievous The wife may serve her husband and the servant him but with a different affection The covetous man when he is before some great man that can imprison him or put him to death may part with his wealth or if with one that can greatly preferre him in hope of that he may be brought to part with his money But willingly he will not But you must finde delight in that you doe when you doe a kindnesse to one that you love you doe but doe your selfe a kindnesse on that party And in this sense what thanks deserve you you doe but satisfie your love As a mother loves her child and doth the offices of kindnesse to it with delight though shee shall never have any thing for it If you had this love you would come to say It is meate and drinke to doe your Fathers will Now you neede not bee hired to eate and drinke Lastly love suffers all things Are you willing to suffer any thing for the Lord when David did a religious act Michol lookes upon him with another eye as men looke now on religious actions It is no matter saith David I will beare it for I did it to the Lord who chose mee before thy fathers house And if this bee to be vi●e I will bee yet more vile Can you endure to be pointed at scoffed and mocked for the Lord It was a sore triall to have his wife so against him yet wee see how hee did beare it Bonds and afflictions saith Paul abide mee in every Citie But none of these things move mee neither count I my life deare unto my selfe so I may finish my course with joy Are you able to doe thus But I canno like you will say to bee put to it you doe not know it may bee you may lose your wealth your credit and respect among those whom you loved and this is somewhat yet love makes it as nothing We see when a man loves a Maide neither Father nor Friend nor the speech of people will move him to give over True this is a sinfull love but yet shewes what the nature of love is Nay I will goe furth●r you will suffer all with joy Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse So when the Apostles were whipt where the shame was more then the paine yet they rejoyced that they were thought worthy to suffer for Christ. Put all these together Are ye bountifull that if the Lord should put you to any cost cost of purse labours of life hee should willingly have it Doe yee take care for the things of Christ plod how ye may glorifie him Doe ye do much and suffer much for the Lord Take these notes no further then yee see reason for them And know that this is that word of the Lord if you love not the Lord Iesus you are cursed The next property of love is it desires nothing so much as love againe If a man bee ser viceable to another and not out of love so he bee officious to him hee is content But love will be paid in it's owne coyne it will not have mercy without grace A kingdome without grace will not content it It is very observant in this kinde Quis fallere possit amantem They will be very curious this way They must see love in every thing or else they can take no delight in it It is not a kingdome that can quiet them without the love of God How ever it goe with corne wine and ovle th i● prayer is Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance on us If a mans turne were served so he might be freed from hell and made happy and then love him this man loves not the Lord. That which Absalom did in hypocrisie wee are to doe in truth Sam. 14. What avails it mee that I enjoy saith he my lands and that I live in Ierusalem so long as I may not see the Kings face So if God should give you abundance of all your hearts can wish free you from the fire of hell yet this will not content you without you see his face if you have this love And thus if Gods people humble themselves and seeke his face hee will heare in heaven and have mercy on them when a people are oppressed and in captivitie they may come to the Lord and humble themselves but for their owne liberty they may seeke their owne good in it as they Howled on their beds for corne wine and oyle but Gods people seeke his face his favour examine thy selfe then if when his countenance is clouded and he hides his face thou art impatient thou canst not beare it then thou mayest assure thy selfe that thou lovest the Lord. Thus did David Psal. 51. when hee wanted the sense of Gods favour how did hee complaine hee would have no deniall and therefore never gives over intreating till he is answered Doest thou love the Lord then thou lovest the Saints This is a true and common note every one hath it in his mouth 1 Iohn 3. If you love the Lord you will love the brethren Dost thou then love the Lord and hate evill in other men If you love not your brother whom you see daily how can yee love the Lord whom yee never see God is remote from our eyes that wee cannot behold him Now his image is stamped upon the Saints and so is visible to us Wee see them daily they converse with us Now if we love not them we cannot love God For the love of Christ is that holy disposition which you conceive in your minde of him Now the like for kinde is in the Saints As those that doe the lusts of the Devill are of his disposition that is are as it were little Devils so in the Saints there is the same disposi●ion the same minde that was in Christ Iesus for kinde But you will say I would love them if I thought they were not hypocrites Take heed thou mayest persecute Christ under the person of an hypocrite what if thou strike at an hypocrite in seeming yet a true member of Christ is found wounded by thee And when thy heart shall rise against thee out of the side of the likenesse of religion and true piety what would you doe if the substance were there i● hee had

grace in a higher measure Christ pitches on this note above all others It is farre easier to love a holy man then to love God For hee lives amongst us wee have him continually before our eyes Doe not say then you love such as are a farre off you care not for these But you will say I love them well enough doe you so Doe you delight then in their company Are you in your naturall element when you are among them This you will doe by a naturall instinct if you love the Lord Iesus Againe doe you hate sinne in all the same ground will cause you to hate sinne which moves you to love grace Doe you then hate sinne as in dislike and distate in regenerate men and their societie bee it never so pleasant so profitable But what would you have mee to hate men then no but hate their sinnes and love them with the love of pittie Let thy heart melt to consider their case and desire their good love them but so as it may stand with the love of the Lord Iesus Looke then to your selves and examine your selves by these markes see that you have this love if yee have it not you are among the number of these men which are to bee accursed unto death But I hope I deserve not so bad my nature I hope is not so vile as not to love the Lord Iesus Nay thou hatest him doe you not wish that there were no such Lord to come to judgement that thou mightest live as thou pleasest Couldest thou not wish that thou mightest ever here enjoy these pleasures and never come at him Now to wish that one were not what is it but to hate him Quem metuunt oderunt Wee say men hate him whom they stand in feare of Doe you then feare and quake at his comming surely then you are haters of God But I hope we are not haters of God Why this is not so ●●ra●ge The Apostle tels us that there were such as loved their pleasures more then God 2 Tim. 3. yea and that there were haters of God also Rom. 1. 30. And in the second commandement God ●hreatens such as hate him Exo. 20. and thou maiest bee one of them For if you cannot endure his Company if your heart rise against his image it is plaine you are a hater of God What you would make me out of love with my selfe What doe you preach damnation to me it may be all these signes are not in me Am I then so accursed Yes we doe preach damnation to all that are in such a case and wee are to threaten the curse And thus the Lord esteemes of thee and it were good that you thought so of your selves in time It is the Ministers dutie to seperate the precious from the vile to distinguish betweene men To shew you truely what your conditions are Therefore apply this Text unto your selves every one If I love not the Lord Iesus I am an accursed man yea to bee had in execration to the death which might make you loath your selves in dust and ashes It might make sinne alive in you and bring you to love this Iesus So endeth the second Sermon A HEAVENLY TREATISE OF THE DIVINE LOVE OF CHRIST Sermon II. BY IOHN PRESTON DD. Matt. 22. 37 38. This is the first and great Commandement thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Psal. 31. 26. Love the Lord O allye his Saints LONDON Printed by Thomas Paine for Iohn Stafford 1640. A HEAVENLY TREATISE OF THE DIVINE LOVE OF CHRIST Sermon III. 1 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be had in execration yea let him be accursed unto the death NOw because this love is so needfull we will adde more signes for the triall of your selves For we cannot be better occupied A sixt sig●e therefore is this hee that loves will bee apt to praise and speake well of that he loves and he will exceed in it yea he is very glad when he heares others speake well of it So if we did love the Lord we should be apt to speake will of him we would be much in the speech of him When the heart is full of this love of God in Christ out of that aboundance in thy heart thy mouth will speak But thou speakest but little of God and that little is brought in by company thou art cold in thy praising of him why thou doest not love him see in David a man that loved the Lord. How much was hee in the praising of him Nay he could not bee content to doe this alone but hee must have all creatures to praise him and to speake good of his Name Even as a servant that commends his Master invites others to serve him This love enlarges the heart and opens the mouth O Corinthians our hearts are enlarged towards you and our mouthes are opened 2 Corinthians 6. 11. This is an argument that our hearts are enlarged that we abound in love when our mouthes are opened So that thy heart is straightened towards God if thy mouth bee not open to his praises But I cannot speake as other men I am no scholler if I had elocution gifts learning I could thus speake This is no excush it is the nature of love to make men eloquent the passions make eloquent As we say Pectus facit eloquentes magna pars eloquentiae constra animo Are you hen apt to speake well of God But this you will say is but a small matter who doth not Oh yes wee are wanting in that manner of speaking of him which love requires We doe not speake of him with that affection that sensiblenesse that may enflame others to love him See the Spouse in the Canticles Oh saith she My love is fairer then ten thousands And thus will the soule that loves God doe It will tell of his mercies abroad It will speake good of his Name And that not as a duty onely but as a thing in which it takes especiall delight Love followes the judgement you cannot love the Lord but you will thinke well of him See then what thy speeches are concerning him see if thy heart doe nimbly indite and thy tongue bee as the penne of a readie Scribe Psalme 45. Consider whether you endeavour to doe any thing for Christ without expostulating and indenting with him Whether you are ready to doe all things freely to him without consulting with another about it Amicitia non est revocanda ad calculos A friend must not bee strict in taking his account for then hee plaies but the Huckster he doth but buy and sell. When thou art trying and expostulating then whether such a duty be necessary or no whether another will not serve the turne this is a signe thou dost want love A Minister that hath this love when he is to take a Living will not so much enquire what reward

in our hearts than cold water can heat unlesse it had another principle Contend therefore and strive with the Lord for his Spirit which workes this love who hath declared also unto us your love in the Spirit Secondly desire the Lord to shew you himselfe that Iesus Christ would manifest himselfe unto you And this is the greatest meanes of all to worke love He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them is he that loveth me and hee shall be loved of the Father and I will love him and shew my selfe unto him when Christ shall shew himselfe to you when he shall open the clouds and let you see his beauty his glory Oh then you cannot but love him There is a great difference betwixt the Ministers shewing of you Christ and his excellencies and the Holy Ghosts Though wee could speake with the tongue of Angels yet it would be but as the dead letter to Christs shewing of himselfe When he shall shew you your ●ilenesse his excellency your sinfulnesse his holinesse your misesery his mercies you must needs love him Paul when he had revealed Christ what hee could to the Ephesians he prayes for them that God would give them the Spirit of wisdome and revelation Ephesians 1. 18. As who should say the labour is all lost if you should see no more than I preach You love not a man till you know him your selfe the Lord shewed himselfe to Moses David Paul which made them love him so much Goe therefore to the Lord and pray as Moses Lord shew mee thy glory and beg it earnestly at his hands and that which was done extraordinarily shall be done to thy soule That was but a shewing of the Lord by a right light which is done more or lesse to every one But this is an act of the Lord what shall I doe to it Consider what the Scripture sayes of him what the Saints say of him but most of all what he hath beene to thee See with what patience love and mercy hee hath carryed himselfe towards thee as when we converse with a man out of his severall actions we gather his disposition and so frame an Idea of him in our minde We must humble our selves labour to see our miserable conditions for that will bring love So Paul when he considered that hee was the worst of all it made him love more then them all So Mary when she conceived how unfit she was to conceive by the Holy Ghost she sung that song When we looke on our selves and see our owne sinnes and miseries our love to Christ will bee increased When a man shall have a true apprehension of himself and his misery and can expect nothing but death and damnation and then Christ should come and say no But hee shall live this wounds a mans heart with love Looke on your secret sinnes your relapses your misery by sinne and then on Christs comming with his mercies and favours and you cannot but love him I say looke on thy sinnes weigh them with their circumstances Thinke that after so many adulteries committed against Christ yet that he should say If you will come in yet will I receive you this might shake thee and melt thy heart He that loveth not th 〈…〉 Lord sees not his misery nor that good hee hath by him Strengthen thy faith for the stronger thy faith is the greater will thy love be A strong hand rids more worke then a weake Take a man excellent in all gifts whom thou much admirest yet if hee loved not thee thou wouldest not much care for such an one so though thou feest much excellency in Christ yet thou canst not love him unlesse thou hast a perswasion that he loves thee But how shall I know that he will love me hee hath made it knowne that he is thine and that he is willing to become thy familiar friend GOD hath given him in marriage to thee To us a child is borne to us a sonne is given And Christ himselfe hath shewne sufficiently his love unto thee He hath spent his bloud for thee yea he continually speakes to his Father in thy behalfe yea hee sues to thee for love he loves thee first and sues to thee as the man doth to the woman thou maist be perswaded therefore that he loves thee But I am not fit to be a Spouse to Christ. It is true and he knew that well enough Hee will take thee a Blackamoore and afterwards will put beauty on thee Ezekiel 36. 16. Stand not thou on thy unfitnesse when he is thy Su●or But it may be he stands thus and thus affected to such and such persons and how shall I know that the Lord loves mee and is willing to take mee I can say nothing to thee but this and that is sufficient thou hast his generall promise made to all Mark 16. Goe preach the Gospel to every creature There is a generall mandate given to Ministers to preach the promise to all and why wilt thou make exceptions where God hath made none and enterline his promises Wee are commanded to offer Christ to all every one that will come may come and drinke of this water of life freely The offer is generall though but some imbrace it But I want godly sorrow for my sinnes And this is required before we can receive Christ. Yet deceive not thy selfe the matter is not whether thy humiliation be more or lesse only come The promise is made to all that come they shall be refreshed Indeede thou wilt not come till thou art somewhat humbled Thou wilt not flye to the City of refuge till thou art pursued by the avenger of blood But if thou come at all God will fulfill his promise Sticke not so much on the degree of thy humiliation Take a man that hath committed high Treason for which he is condemned and brought to the place of execution ready to suffer but then there is a pardon offered him And take another guilty of the same fact but as yet not condemned and bring him a pardon he is even as joy full as the other for he saw his case was even as bad onely it was not so farre gone and he hath not lived so long in sorrow So some mens sinnes are grosser and their sorrow more violent other sinnes are lesse but yet such as they see them like to damne them they therefore are humbled as truly though not so violently Therefore though thou hast not had so much sorrow as others nor felt those terrours of the Almighty yet if thou hast so much as will bring thee to Christ and make thee sticke close unto him so as thou wouldest not leave him for any thing in the world it is enough thou shalt have him Why then stick you what hinders your faith The impediments must be on Gods part or on your part But it is not on Gods part for his promise is full and large most free