Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	lord_n	love_n	love_v	2,989	5	6.7075	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04185	Sermons on several subjects; shewing Gods love to mankind. Salvation is by grace. Wilderness-provision. God a strong hold in trouble. Light is to be improved. / By J. Lougher minister of the gospel.	Lougher, John, d. 1686	1685 (1685)	Wing L3093C; ESTC R180071	105,071	248

Rev. 1.6 and washed them from their sins in his own blood 'T is this Love that confers Adopting grace Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 1 John 3.1 upon us that we should be called the Sons of God It is this Love that moves him to comfort them He hath loved us saies St. Paul and given us everlasting consolation 2 Thes 2.16 If not alwaies the sense of comfort yet firm and sure grounds of strong and durable consolation Once more There is also amor complacentiae a Love of complacency and delight God hath in his People which is the highest act or degree of Love All his delight is in his Saints Psal 16.3 that are in the earth His Truth his Worship and his People are all he hath any great delight in here in this World To a contrite Christian that trembles at his word Isa 66.2 he looks with an eye of greater complacency than to Heaven and Earth That 's the second property 3. It is free Love Absolutely perfectly free I will Love them freely Hos 14.4 saith God by the Prophet Hosea If he did not love freely he could not love at all such vile Creatures as we are There is no cause of his Love but his Love The Lord did not set his Love upon Israel because they were more in number than any other People Deut. 77.8 but because he loved them Free it is in every sense and respect There was no want of us or of our services For he is alsufficient and what want can be to him that is infinit● to whom there can be nothing added The Sea though a vast Ocean yet becau●● finite is capable of addition and di●●nution but what can be added to innity which comprehends all things wi●● in it self Isa 40.15 17. Behold he taketh up the Isles as very little thing the Nations before him 〈◊〉 as a drop of a bucket as the small dust of 〈◊〉 ballance All Nations are counted to his as nothing less than nothing and vanit● His Love therefore is not a love of in●gence but of redundance flowing o● freely Also it was without purchase 〈◊〉 merit on his Peoples part and in th● sense free They have not enough to p●●chase the least outward mercy much l●●● special Love it 's bestowed gratis wi●●out money and without price Even th● merit and blood of Christ did not p●●chase the Love of Benevolence but th● Love was the cause of Christ's comi●● and of all he did and suffered Rom. 5.8 God co●mended his love to us because when we w●●● sinners Christ died for us saith St. P●●● We have demerit enough to draw 〈◊〉 the wrath and hatred of God but nothing to be an attractive of his Love It is f●●● also because given without grudgi●● God loves his people with all his hea●● and with all his soul Jer. 31.41 and he upbraids not Free also it is because without constraint None could impose upon God in this matter he could have withheld it and denied it for ever and none could compel him to set his love upon them In a word It is free Love because it can receive no compensation from them who are the objects of it Can a man be profitable to the Almighty Job 22.3 as a man may be profitable unto himself This the Lord foresaw and yet loves them 4. It is a very peculiar distinguishing Love This is declared in those saving mercies he bestows upon them and denies to others though they to whom they are denied fall under the same external circumstances if not greater sometimes with those to whom they are given A full instance of this we have in Jacob and Esau Was not Esau Jacob's Brother Mal. 1.2 saith the Lord yet I have loved Jacob and I have hated Esau Not that God who is Love did or could hate the person of Esau abstractly considered he loves the person he made and hates the sin he never made He is said to hate the workers of iniquity but it is for their works sake But here in the Prophet it is to be taken for a less degree of love which is often called hated in the Scriptures Gen. 29.31 'T is said Ja●● hated Leah it 's meant comparatively 〈◊〉 loved her with a less degree of love th● Rachel Luk. 14.26 So it is said He that hateth not F●ther and Mother c. yea and his own li●● also cannot be Christ's Disciple In oth●● Scriptures we are commanded to lov● these relations and to preserve our live and therefore 't is to be understood of lower degree of love In comparison 〈◊〉 our love to Christ our love to thing here below should be rather a kind 〈◊〉 hatred than love Thus God loved Jac●● with such a transcendent peculiar d●●● stinguishing Love as in compariso●● he is said to hate Esau His Lov● to Jacob was manifested in bestowing peculiar favours upon him whe●● Esau had only common mercies H● could say I have enough but Jacob said I have all God passed a gracious decre●● and purpose upon Jacob which he di● not upon Esau Rom. 9.11 12 13. as St. Paul testifies Th● Children not being yet born neither having done good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand he said The elder shall serve the younger 〈◊〉 it is written Jacob have I loved but Esa●● have I hated Gen. 28.22 13. God appeared to Jacob and established his Covenant with him this he did not to or with Esau Gen. 32.28 Hos 12.4 He made Jacob a Prince with himself and gave him by prayers tears to overcome him Of a wrestling Jacob he became a prevailing Israel this he gave not to Esau And though Esau had another name given him yet it was a worse Edom which signifies red because of his red hairy complexion as some think or because of the red Pottage he desired and for it sold his birth-right as others judge But this signifies not so well as Esau which imports protection But Jacob is yet much more excellent In a word Jacob had a very gracious and savoury spirit We read when his Brother asked him who his Children were he answered These are the Children whom the Lord hath graciously given thy Servant We find no such favoury expressions fall from Esau What distinguishing love is there in all these passages which will appear yet more fully if we consider that Esau was upon even ground with Jacob in outward priviledges and in some above him Rom. 9.10 They both descended from the same Parents both under the Seal of the Covenant Circumcision both had Education in the same Family and herein Esau excelled that he was the first-born Gen. 25. and the beloved Son of his good Father Isa● yet saith the Lord Jacob have I loved 〈◊〉 Esau have I hated O what wonderful ●●●culiar distinguishing love is here T●● is the Love of God to all his People two