Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	love_n	love_v	4,903	5	6.7044	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42780	The comforts of divine love Preach'd upon the occasion of the much lamented death of the reverend Mr. Timothy Manlove. With his character, done by another hand.	Gilpin, Richard, 1625-1700.	1700 (1700)	Wing G776; ESTC R216432	17,903	57

because the Love of God is a noble Subject and so vasily large that our Thoughts cannot reach it to any suitable Comprehension nor can our Tongues express the Breadth Length Depth and Heighth of it Eph. 3.17 So that when we have said all we can there is still Matter for more I shall now add something to what was spoken which was the less because I was forced to be short to give Room for the Funeral which waited our Attendance upon it All that I shall now add shall be I. To speak something in General of the Love of God II. To set before you the wonderful Priviledges and Advantages that flow in upon us from the Fountain of Divine Love And then III. To recommend the Contemplation of Gods Love to you that your Thoughts may be taken up with the Wonders of it I. In General the Love of God is not a meer Quality in God but his very Essence God is Love 1 John 4.8 This Love in God is a necessary result of his Goodness which is his very Nature There is none Essentially Absolutely and Perfectly Good but God Mat. 19.17 This Goodness God lets forth to all Creatures yet not with an Equality but so as might best shew forth his Soveraignty in doing with his own as he pleased And his Wisdom in adorning the World with a beautiful variety of Creatures of differing Perfections according to their different Kinds and Uses Hence it is usual to distinguish the Goodness of God into First A General Goodness to all Creatures All that he Created he saw was very Good And ever since he is good to all and his Mercy is over all his Works His Mercy is in the Heavens Angels share in it Psalm 36.5 And extends over all the Earth He preserveth Man and Beast ver 6. Secondly A Special Goodness to Man Though he be little if compared with the Infinite Perfections of the glorious God that it is a Wonder that God should be mindful of him Psalm 8.4 Much more that he should magnifie him Job 7.17 Yet is he so exalted above all his Fellow-Creatures of the Inferiour World that he is made but a little lower than the Angels and Lord of the Works of his Hands ver 5 6. of Psalm 8. Nor hath God left himself without a Witness of his singular Care and Providence over him in that he doth good and gives us Rain and fruitful Seasons filling our Hearts with Food and Gladness Thirdly There is a most special Goodness to his chosen Servants which David in Contradistinction to the two former calls Loving Kindness How excellent is thy Loving Kindness Psal 36.7 This most special Goodness is called Love which being understood in a most special Sense differs from that common Goodness which God imparts to his Creatures in that it signifies Gods special Delight and readiness to communicate and unite himself to the Object Loved Though this Love hath not properly different Degrees in God for none of his glorious Attributes admit of a more or less yet the Scriptures give us leave to make a Distinction in Compliance to the weakness of our Understandings So that usually the Love of God is said to be Threefold 1. A Love of Benevolence Gods Eternal Good Will this Christ speaks of John 3.16 God so loved the World c. And this is there spoken of as Antecedent to his giving Christ and as a Cause of it This Text is perplexed with Controversie because of the general Word the World which some labour to stretch so as to comprehend every Man But avoiding the Controversie we may understand the Text thus God so pitied lost Mankind Gentiles as well as Jews that he would not that all should perish but that a Community a World of Elect ones should through Faith in Christ obtain Everlasting Life 2. A Love of Beneficence which signifies the Acts of Love brought forth in Time after we had a Being in pursuance of his Eternal Purpose and Good Will Thus Christs Death our Justification and Sanctification are the Manifestation and Application of his Love and called so Eph. 5.25 Rev. 1.5 3. A Love of Complacency by which God rejoyceth over those that are in his Way and Method brought home to Christ This is fully expressed in John 14.21 23. Besides the Love of Benevolence My Father and I will manifest a more intimate Love and kind Familiarity Though I purposely avoided the abstruse and difficult Questions about Gods Love yet these Distinctions are necessary for the answering some Objections which might arise in your Hearts about the Unchangeableness of Gods Love The Love of Complacency and Beneficence admits of Variations of less or more being but Manifestations and Emanations of Divine Love upon us when yet his Love of Benevolence is the same II. The next thing I promised was a further account of the Priviledges and Advantages which accrew to us by the Love of God which are so great and numerous that I cannot reckon them up in order to you I must take up with that of David Psalm 40.5 6. Thy Thoughts to us-ward cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred I will therefore in this Matter closely follow the Footsteps of those two great Apostles the great Admirers and Preachers of Gods Love The Apostle John in 1 John 3.1 reduces all the Priviledges of Love to this one That we should be called that is have Power and Right to be the Sons of God as John 1.12 This if rightly studied will appear to be so great a Love as cannot be fully expressed but to be left to Admiration Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us The Apostle Paul in this Eighth Chapter of the Romans doth as it were Comment upon and explain that of 1 John 3. in pursuit of that grand Conclusion Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus That the Odours of this precious Oyntment might be further diffused for the Refreshment of all that are in Christ which he describes by the Power and Influence of the Holy Spirit over them he sets himself to declare the Priviledges of such and fixeth first upon our Sonship ver 12. As the Apostle John did but he endeavours a more particular Enumeration of our Priviledges yet so that he reduceth them all to this of our being the Children of God The Advantages which he insists upon arising from this grand Priviledge are Three First If we are Sons we partake of the Spirit of our Father and this we do several Ways 1. We are Led by the Spirit ver 14. Whether we read the Verse backward or forward it holds true As many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God And as many as are the Sons of God have been and shall still be led by the Spirit Let us take in this Consideration together with that of Sonship and then

Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! Is it not a wonder that God should provide a Saviour for fallen Man and none for faln Angels and yet they were more noble Creatures Thirdly Who can bound the Extent of Divine Love None but he that hath set bounds to the Ocean which it shall not pass Who knows the Extent of it 1. As to Persons that shall be saved by it How great will be the General Assembly and Church of the First-born The Rays of the Sun are not scattered by visiting a multitude of Objects no more is Gods Love lessened by having Mercy upon many 2. Who can bound the Love of God as to the Conditions of those that shall be saved God doth not fix his choice to the Wise Great or Noble Persons 1 Cor. 1.26 Not many Wise Men after the Flesh not many Mighty not many Noble are called But being no Respecter of Persons he gives his Love to the most unlikely and contrarily qualified sometimes to the greatest of Sinners to Persecuters Thus Paul reckons himself a Pattern to them which should afterward believe 1 Tim. 1.16 Fourthly Who can reckon up all the several Benefits of Love Adoption Justification Sanctification and Eternal Life are frequently mentioned But who can number his other Thoughts of Love to us-ward Psalm 139.17 How Great is the Sum of them If I should count them they are more in number than the Sand. Who can give an account of his Gracious Visits his Tokens of Love his particular answers of Prayers his secret Strengthnings and Revivings They that have endeavoured to compass and describe the whole Globe of Divine Love must leave vast spaces upon which they must write Terra Incognita Fifthly Who can give a true Estimate of Gods Love It far surpasseth all outward Comforts Life and the Contentments of it is the chief of outward Comforts But Gods Loving Kindness is better than Life Psalm 63.3 It is above what our Senses can inform us of 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard neither hath entered into the Heart of Man the things that God hath prepared for them that Love him What we have received already of the first Fruits of this Love will shew that what is to come is a great Felicity But we cannot from all that know fully what those Pleasures are that are at Gods right Hand for evermore 1 John 3.2 It doth not yet appear what we shall be 3. I shall add That though we cannot fully comprehend what is the Breadth and Length and Depth and Heighth of his Love which passeth Knowledge Eph. 3.18 Yet it is the Duty and will be still the Advantage of all Saints to endeavour to possess their Hearts deeply with a rooted and grounded Sense of Gods Love This is the Apostle's Prayer for the Ephesians and the Duty of all That they may be able to comprehend with all Saints ver 18. That it is our Duty will appear by the Advantages which will follow upon our endeavour Some of the chief I shall enumerate As First The Sense of Gods Love will make us Thankful Thankfulness is a natural return to great and undeserved Favours The Heart being filled with this fulness of Gods Love will find it self straitened till it give it self ease by venting it self in Praise Psalm 116.12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his Benefit towards me Secondly It will make us Humble The Glory of Divine Love will beget Self-Reflections upon our Unworthiness So it did with David when God had promised him many Blessings by Nathan See how he lessens himself 2. Sam. 7.18 Who am I O Lord God ●●d what is my House that thou hast ●ought me hitherto Undeserved Love ●akes an Ingenuous Spirit to take shame 〈◊〉 it self for former misbehaviour When Gods Love to Ephraim had turned him to Repentance and so to Peace he saw his former Miscarriages were 〈◊〉 present Reproach this ashamed and unfounded him Jer. 31.19 Ezek. 16.63 Thirdly A Sense of Gods Love hath a special engaging and exciting Force ●pon us to Obedience It doth not only oblige us and make us Debters as ●om 8.12 But by a powerful Inclination it doth most strongly move and incline Fear of Wrath is a strong Compulsive and we need it but Love draws more effectually because it begets a delight to do the Will of God and because Cords of Love are the Bands of a Man Hos 11.4 Such obliging kindness as best suits a Man of Reason and Ingenuity Fourthly Sense of Love will mightily strength and encourage us against all Sufferings Love makes every thing easie This was the Strength and Conrage of all the Worthies mentioned a Heb. 11. This bore out all the Marty● in all Persecutions Fifthly Sense of Love is that which gives sweetness to all Temporal Blessing● Riches Honour Peace if they be no● given in Love may be our great● Plagues and will afford no Satisfact●on Divine Love expressed in the●● like the Philosophers Stone change their Nature and turns our rejoicing in them to a rejoicing in God Sixthly Sense of Gods Love lead us to a Delighting in God This 〈◊〉 one of the great Duties recommended t● us Psalm 37.4 The Particulars of the Advice given there are all founded upon the different Dealings of God with the Godly and Wicked the Sum whereof is this That God hath a peculiar loving Regard to Godly Men as to vindicate them ver 6. To bless their ●njoyments ver 16. To shelter them against Calamities ver 19. To direct their steps ver 23. If God delighteth in his Love to us we should delight our selves in Love to Him The Contemplation of Gods Love ●ill afford us sweet Thoughts Love in is own Nature is a sweet Subject of Me●itation affording Desire Delight and by and like a Plentiful Spring of Living Waters which can never be exhau●ed it will furnish us with such varie●● of Matter that we shall have no oc●●sion to be weary of the Pursuit Gods ●houghts of Love will still be Precious salm 139.17 Men can delight themselves in Works of curious Art and Contrivance in Works of Nature much more With what delightful Diligence have some ●●en studied the wonderful Contrivance of the Humane Body yea even of Worms and Flies Others fill themselves with Admiration in studying the great Globe of Heaven and Earth and with Pleasure observe the Perfection of ●●eatures as fitted for their Ends and Uses and the subserviency of them for the Beauty and Establishment of the Universe according to the Appointment of the Glorious and Wise Creator And why then should not Christians make 〈◊〉 their Pleasure to study the Infinite Lov● of God This is more especially o● Concern and will be the Delight Work and Joy of Heaven to Eternity Seventhly Sense of Gods Love as 〈◊〉 is the greatest Cordial in all Distresse● so it is the greatest Guard against a● Affrightments of Fear The Children of God are exercised with Fears frequently but there are two special Affrightments against which the Apost● advanceth the Triumphant Assurance of the Text. 1. The First great Affrightment that afflicted Christians are distressed with is That their Tribulations and Distresses are Argument of Wrath. Thus they are ready to conclude If God had loved us would he have done thus unto us This is too frequent Trouble brings Sin to Remembrance and a trembling Heart fears the worst Thus Holy David discovered his Fear Psal● 6.1 O Lord rebuke me not in thine Anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure But a due Consideration of Gods Love will remove this Affrightment in that none of these things are undoubted Characteristical Marks of Gods Hatred they are no part of the damning Curse but an humbling mark set upon us for our Tryal and Exercise after all the damning Part was removed Hence the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.15 speaking of the Woman who had a particular mark of Displeasure set upon her tells us She may be saved notwithstanding her sorrowful Child-bearing And in this place the Apostle takes away this fear by telling us In all such things we are more than Conquerors 2. The Second Affrightment is That these Distresses might tempt us to turn off from God and Holiness and this might separate us from the Love of God This Affrightment is removed by the Consideration that our standing is bottomed upon Gods Unchangeable Love It is possible enough for us and our Graces to fail if we had not a greater Strength than our own to bear 〈◊〉 So sure is Gods Foundation 〈◊〉 will take care for Perseverance 〈◊〉 great Affrightment which is too ●●nary with the Timerous Ah I 〈◊〉 shall fall and miscarry at last is 〈◊〉 sweetly answered If it was Gods 〈◊〉 that wrought up your Heart to 〈◊〉 him it will keep you that you 〈◊〉 not depart from him Eighthly Sense of Gods Love to 〈◊〉 will be a means to kindle and stir 〈◊〉 our Love to God We Love him 〈◊〉 cause he loved us Love begets Lo● If God hath so loved us Let us 〈◊〉 deavour to Love Him FINIS