Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	love_n	love_v	4,041	5	6.5654	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

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

for he hath given you leave to love your wives children and your lawfull recreations onely now you love them at his appointment as he will whereas before you did it as you listed Nay the Lord doth not onely give you your heart againe but returnes it better than it was new pointed As the earth receives in the puddle water which it sends forth cleare and pure All the streames of thy love runne as fresh for thy good as ever they did and more That onely which was amiss● in them is taken away Let not this feede thy understanding onely but finde it good in thy practise By this you shall have much comfort and joy and this is that which all men desire What is that which keepes you from loving the Lord Oh you have a conceit that then you must iose your pleasures and your delights No it is the most comfortable action in the world to love the Lord delights follows action as the flame the fire Now the best action hath the greatest delight The Philosopher could say Happinesse was to love the most amiable object Est amare optimum amabile to love the best amiable knowne is the best act Whom not seeing yet you love joying with joy unspeakeable and glorious 1 Peter 1. It is a pleasant thing to love a creature like thy selfe thy children thy friend But the creature is not perfect and it may be it loves not thee againe But Christ is perfect and loves thee thou canst not lose any love by loving of him Oh what a pleasant thing it is to love the Lord to live with him to sup and dine with him to be able to say I am my welbeloveds and my welbeloved is mine When you shall consider the world hates you what a comfort will it be to know that the Lord loves you that when the world uses you ill you may flye unto Christ his bosome and lay open all your grievances to him To love and to be beloved are the most pleasant actions Now to love the Lord Jesus is so much the more pleasant than the loving of other things as he is a more excellent object than other things Besides is not every thing best in its owne place conformed to its owne rule carried to its owne end Take it in thy body when all the parts of it are strait all the faculties and humours in a right temper serving to their proper ends then there is delight and comfort so Love when it is setled upon its owne object sets all things straight whence wonderfull joy cannot but follow Amor rectus omnia recta habet as the Schoolman well observes Consider this the love of the Lord makes you a better man gives you a greater excellency which is a thing which all men desire Looke on the excellencie of the creatures it proceedes from their formes as the excellencie of a Pearle above other stones comes from its forme for we know that the matter of all these things is common Now the object to the faculty hath the property of the forme for it gives name and distinction Now this love makes God and spirituall things as it were the forme of the will And according to this forme is the Excellencie of the man Every man is better or worse as his love is pitched on a better object He that loves a base thing is base and hee that loves a thing somewhat better excels that man but hee that loves spirituall things is the most noble Looke on the lower faculties when the sensitive appetite enjoyes its proper object then a man hath his perfection in that kinde Thus when the will is fixed on Iesus Christ its best object then a man hath his full perfection If water be united to Wine it s made better when the body is united to the soule how glorious a creature is it how glorious a creature then will thy soule be when by love it is united to the Lord This love puts a greater excellencie on the soule than the soule doth on the body Love brings the soule to God and makes him all in all to us so that what wee cannot desire we may have in him have ye not then cause to wish that yee loved the Lord True you have said enough to enflame us But how shall we doe it my brethren if you are brought unfainedly to desire it halfe the worke is done when the Disciples prayed Lord increase our faith Matth. 18. Christ answers If you have faith but as a graine of Mustard seed you may say unto this Mountaine be thou moved and it shall be moved But this is not the meanes to get faith No but this commends faith And if out of this commendation they could come to prize and admire it and so pray earnestly for it God would give it them Let this therefore be the first meanes to helpe thee to the getting of this to the Lord Iesus First pray heartily for it Lord I desire to love thee I see thee most amiable and would faine love thee This Petition is according to thy will Lord grant it me How would this prevaile how could God put off such a request But I have prayed and I have not obtained it But hast thou prayed importunately as the woman to the unjust Iudge without giving over This is a precious grace and therefore God will have us bestow some paines in the getting of it We shall not obtaine it easily that so we may prise it the more and keep it the more charily The grace of Christ saith Paul was abundant with mee in faith and love 1 Tim. 11. 14. This is that which the Apostle magnified so much that God had given him love The grace of Christ was abundant towards him in giving him love But how doth prayer doe this That little love which moved thee to pray by exercise is increased and is become greater Prayer brings thee in acquaintance with God Before acquaintance there may be a wishing well to another but there cannot be that love to another which is required in friendship And it may be Christ will shew himselfe unto thee as wee see when hee himselfe Matth. 17. prayed his garments were changed and hee was transfigured But especially prayer doth this by prevailing with God as we see the prayers of the blinde man prevailed with Christ. And doe you thinke that Christ now in Heaven hath put off these kinde affections which he had on the earth will hee not also heare if you should pray to him But this you will say is a common meanes to obtaine all grace Yes but of this love in a speciall manner because love is the most peculiar gift of the Holy Ghost Now the Holy Ghost is obtained by Prayer Our hearts are so carnall so fleshly that we cannot love the Lord and he is so holy so good that we can no more love him unlesse hee himselfe kindle this flame of love

blood and live and I cannot but love thee for that If I looke to mount Olivet I see thee ascending farre above all heavens and I cannot but love thee for that also Indeed in Tabor thou hadst visible glory but it soone vanished in the Garden and Golgotha thou hadst little visible beauty why I should desire thee and in Olivet thou wast quite carried out of my sight If then thou liest for mee no where else what hope have I to love thee O thou to be beloved of all Art thou not in the tents of the Sheperds Dost thou not walke in the midst of the golden Candlestickes Doest thou not dwell in the hearts of men by faith O let mee see thee here below in the Church in my selfe Let thy glory goe before me that I may love thee for ever and ever and be blessed in thee Thou hast a long time been manifested to me in thy natures offices and markes for me and these draw mee to love thee Thou hast beene crucified before my eyes and the vertues of it have beene cleared by the Ministery of the Word and Sacraments I have heard and seene the promises signes and seales of thy dearest love and these might allure me to love thee But O thou chiefest of ten thousand why hast thou kept thy selfe at such a distance why hast thou not been formed in me why hast thou not dwelt in me that I might see in thee the glories and vertues of thy life death resurrection ascension and to be sicke of love Thou hast stood and knockt at the doore of my unworthy heart for this end Thou wouldest have come in and supped with me after the noon-shine of the Gospel with thine owne banquet But alas there was no roome for thee because I desired first to feast it out with the base guests of sinfull lusts before I would give thee entertainement The cause hath been in my selfe that I have not beene better acquainted with thee and so that I have not loved thee O wretched soule that I am who shall deliver me from being an enemy to my self I have bowed my knees to the Father of thee the Lord Iesus that he would grant to me according to the riches of his glory that I may have his assistance to empty my selfe of all my wickedguests that thou mayest come into me and I may have the better list and leasure to contemplate thy glory and be grounded in thy love O my blessed Lord Iesus Could I but get this my gaines would be unspeakeable Whatsoever thou commandest would be sweet because I love thee If I could give thee my heart thou wouldst give it better to me againe for no uncleane thing can come out of thy hands But O my desired love I have denied thee therefore I deny my selfe I have rejected thee therefore I reject my selfe Doe with me as thou wilt onely first love me and let me answer thee with love againe And why should not I be confident to be heard in this seeing thou my love sittest at the right hand of God making request for me Speak thou the word and thy poore servant shall love thee Say to my soule My Father hath heard thy prayer and then I will love thee dearely My Lord Iesus if I love thee I live If I love thee not I perish under a fearefull curse for evermore And shall it be thus with me O thou that wilt not the death of poore sinners who pant after thee No no thy merits and intercession have prevailed with my God I finde the filth of domineering sinne in some measure washed from the windowes of my soule that the beames of thy glory may pierce it and draw my love after thee Now doe I begin to be sicke of love and earnestly desire thy company here by grace and hereafter by glory I love to heare thee speak let me heare thy voice for it is sweet and to speake to others of thee and thy beauties Thou hast made mee something willing to doe and to suffer any thing for thee Lord perfect this good worke If I see the meanest persons like thee in thy goodnesse My delight is in them I love them the better for thy sake I dare not wilfully anger thee and my soule is vexed with them that doe it Thus the pulses of my soule by thy blessing doe begin to beat after thee But alas when I consider how weake I am in thy love to thee my Saviour when I find a thousand things creep in betwixt thee home and steale my heart away from thee when I feele how easily I am diverted from thee and thy service what comfort can my poore soule have now O my Lord Iesus thou wilt not leave thy own worke suffer thy tender plant to wither away when thou hast sowed thy seed hast thou not prepared the former and latter raine Shall I not be able to doe this through him that loveth thee and me I may not run from thy love thou art my Lord. I dare not thou art my Iesus If thou live let me know thy love to me If I live let me feele my love to thee Oh shed it more in my heart that as in beleeving in thee my person is justified so in loving thee my faith may be justified and in having faith working by love I may so constantly walke in thy presence that with comfort I may sing with the Bride Come Lord Iesus come quickly Even so Amen FINIS TWO TREATISES VIZ. THE CHRISTIAN FREEDOME AND THE DEFORMED FORME OF A FORMALL PROFESSION By that late faithfull and worthy Minister of Iesus Christ JOHN PRESTON Doctor in Divinity Chaplaine in Ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne LONDON Printed by I. N. for Iohn Stafford and are to be sold at his Shop in Chancery-lane over against the Roules 1641. THE CHRISTIAN FREEDOME OR The Charter of the Gospel shewing the priviledge and prerogative of the Saints by vertue of the Covenant Wherein these foure points of Doctrine are properly observed plainely proved both by Scripture and reason and pithily applied Viz. 1. That he that is in the state of grace lyeth in no knowne sinne no sinne hath dominion over him 2. That sinne though it doth not raigne in the Saints yet it doth remaine and dwell in them 3. That the way to overcome sinne is to get assurance of the Love and grace and favour of God whereby it is forgiven them 4. That whosoever is under the Law sinne hath dominion over him By that late faithfull and worthy Minister of Iesus Christ JOHN PRESTON Doctor in Divinity Chaplaine in Ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne ROM 6. 12. Let not sinne therefore raigne in your mortall bodies that you should obey it in the lusts thereof Printed 1641. The Names of Doctor IOHN PRESTON his severall Treatises 1. A Treatise of the Attributes of God