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A49262
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The zealovs Christian taking heaven by holy violence in severall sermons, tending to direct men how to hear with zeal, [how] to pray with importunity / preached by ... Mr. Christopher Love ...
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Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.
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1653
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Wing L3185; ESTC R31563
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89,088
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190
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fear nor wit can restrain them no dangers nor threatnings either from God or man can keep them in Jerem. 2. 23. They are as a swift Dromedarie traversing her wayes Their course is evill and their force is not right Jeremy 23. 10. Their hearts are fully set in them to do evill Eccles 8. 11. They weary themselves to commit iniquity Jeremy 9. 5. The people labour in the fire and weary themselves for very vanity Habak 2. 13. They sleep not except they have done mischief and their sleep is taken away except they cause some to fall Prov. 4. 16. 2 This reproves those that instead of an holy violence are guilty of tumultuous violence that by force and power disturbe humane societies destroying laws and government that do as Antiochus did Dan. 7. 25. He spoke great words against the most high and were out the Saints of the most high and thought to change times and laws 3 This reproves those that instead of an holy violence are guilty of oppressing violence which is the sin chiefly of rich men Mic. 6. 12. For the rich men thereof are full violence It is they that grinde the faces of the poor Mic. 2. 2. They covet fields and take them by violence houses take them away and so they oppresse a man and his house Amos 3. 10. They know not to do right who store up violence and robbery in their palaces Prov. 4. 17. They eat the bread of wickednes drink the wine of violence 4 This reproves those who are eager violent in their pursuits after the things of this life but not so after spiritual things we are all upon the spur all upon the wing after the world here is violence upon violence labour upon labour for these things which we may have and yet be never the better and want them and yet be never the worse Covetous men are said to pant after the dust of the earth Amos 2. 7. So eager are they in their pursuit after the world as if they were almost out of breath Psal 59. 6 14. They return at evening they make a noise like a dog and go about the city No creature is so sensible of hunger as a dog Covetous men are like dogs towards the world as if they were made up all of desires but towards the things of eternity we are as if we were all Stoicks and had no passions in us As hot as fire for earth and as cold as any ice for heaven Oh how many pant after the earth who have no breathing after heaven 5 This reproves those who are violent opposers of the Gospel As the former may be called a worldly violence so this may be called a persecuting violence Such was the violence of Paul before his conversion Act. 26. 11. I punished them oft in every Synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly mad against them I persecuted them even unto strange Cities The Scribes and Pharisees are said to be filled with madnesse against Christ after the miracle was wrought in curing the man with the withered hand Luke 6. 11. There are some that understand my Text of this persecuting violence This is called a rage reaching up to heaven 2 Chron. 28. 9. 6 This reproves such who account an holy zeal and violence in the wayes of religion to be onely a furious frensie Such were they Act. 2. 13. that said These men are filled with new wine vvhen the Apostles were zealous in the preaching of the Gosgel Such were the friends of Christ when he was zealous and servent in the doing of his Fathers will and so intent upon it that he had no leasure to eat his meat They went to lay hold of him for they said He is beside himself Mark 3. 21. The like censure did Fest us passe on Paul when he was zealous to win men to the Gospel he said Thou art beside thy selfe much learning doth make thee mad Act. 26. 24. Basil when he was passionately eager against the Arrian heresie it was interpreted a symptome of his dotage If men will not be bafled out of their religion reformation c. they are esteemed but furious zealots men of violent spirits Thus it fared with zealous Paul 2 Cor. 5. 13. Whether we are beside our selves it is to God or whether we be sober it is for your cause 7 This reproves those who were once violent and zealous in religion but now their zeal is abated We have a proverb Nothing that is violent is durable if the violent motion proceeds from some externall artificiall cause and not from a rooted stirring principle within Many that go in the wayes of God meerly from an externall principle it may be credit or profit though they may be seemingly violent for a time yet their violence will not last they will not be stedfast in the wayes of religion and in a Christian course Some who have flourished in the Spring have had a withering time their fruit decayed as the leaves fall off in Autumn It may be said of many in regard of their souls as it was said of David in regard of his body When he was old and stricken in years they covered him with cloaths and he gat no heat 1 King 1. 1. Many though they are plied with ordinances can get no heat in them Augustine observes it of many in his dayes that would at their first conversion pray frequently live holily but after a while they would grow more remisse and pray more coldly and slightly then they did before There are few of whom after a long profession of religion it can be said as was said of Moses Deut. 34. 7. His eye was not dim nor his naturall force abated Many are like Asa their end is worse then their beginning 8 This reproves those that content themselves with moderation in the matters of religion that account a dram of zeal enough for a talent of discretion as Mr. Greenham said Many men are of this opinion that religion is dangerous and that an holy violence in religion is attended with troubles and dangers and therefore it is best to be moderate in religion There are many of these men in our dayes otherwise religion had never come to so low an ebbe as now it is It was the saying of one that men may be religious but then they must not be too zealous they must not be too violent for the wayes of God for then they are called men of hot furious spirits Men it seemes must not love religion too much Amama quotes Tarnovius who mentions a sort of men that brought in an opinion which he cals a new Gospel that if a man perform the externall duties of religion if he go to the Church hear the word pray c. it was sufficient for salvation Of this temper Gallio was Act. 18. 17. Gallio cared for none
In regard of God 2 In regard of ourselves 3 In respect of the devil 4 In respect of other men 5 In respect of heaven it self 1 In regard of God Eccles 9. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might God requires this at your hands Rom. 12. 11. Not slothfull in businesse fervent in spirit serving the Lord. The word signifies boiling in spirit 2 In regard of our selves and that for two reasons 1 We have violent temptations against us our affections must be equal to our temptations if our affections be not violent how can we resist violent temptations shall not we be as violent to save our souls as the Devil is to damne them Satan invades the soul with fierce and furious assaults 2 We have been violent in the wayes of sin Shew as much violence in the wayes of God as you can and when you have done all it will come short of your former violence in the wayes of sin Rom 6. 19. As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleannesse and to iniquity unto iniquity even so now yield your members servants to righteousnesse unto holinesse There are three To 's in the expression of the service of sin to uncleannesse to iniquity and unto iniquity but in the service of God there are onely two To 's to righteousnesse and unto holines To note that we were more addicted to sin formerly then now we are to grace the reason is then there was nothing but sin in the soul now there is something else besides grace a stream of corruption to oppose it We ought to be as violent in good as in evil the same word which signifies to persecute Act. 26. 11. is used to set out his earnest pressing towards heaven Phil. 3. 14. 3. In regard of the devill He hath violent temptations and suggestions 1 Pet. 5. 8. Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour 1 He is said to be an adversary Now an adversary will watch all opportunities for your hurt and wil be intently set upon it 2 He is a lion not a lamb a lion a savage fierce and furious creature 3 He is not asleep but a roaring lion 4 Not a lion standing still contented with the prey when he hath gotten it but still going about for more he is not contented with what he hath gotten though he hath been going about ever since Adams fal yet he goes about still for more he labours to sill hell with souls 5 He seeks whom he may devour The devill watcheth and doest thou sleep 4 In regard of other men and those either bad or good 1 In regard of bad men 1 Consider they are violent against the truth and wilt not thou be as eager and violent in the profession of the Gospel as they are in their oppositions against it As Zeno said to one of his acquaintance who was enticed to bear false witnesse against another and walked privately because he would avoid the man that sought to suborn him Oh said Zeno Shall he not be ashamed of sin and wilt thou be ashamed to set thy selfe against sin 2 Bad men rage and are violent in wayes of wickednesse Wicked men are as swift as dromedaries in the wayes of sin and wilt thou be as a dull asse in the service of God shall a man run fast in a way of sin to destroy his soul and will you but creep in the wayes of God to save your soul shall wicked men run post to hell and wilt thou but creep slowly to heaven Shall a man make speed to the place of execution and wilt thou but move slowly towards a crown and throne shall wicked men not be ashamed to shew their rage in a sinfull course and shall godly men be ashamed to be zealous in the wayes of God Jer. 8. 6. They turn to their course as the horse rusheth into the battel Jer. 9. 5. They weary themselves to commit iniquity will not you do as much for God as they do for Satan 2 In regard of good men How eager and earnest are they after God Caleb and Joshua followed God fully Numb 14. 24. vvhen hypocrites follow God partially and by halves Psal 132. 4 5. David vvas so violent for God that he would give no sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eye-lids untill he found out a place for the Lord an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. As on the contrary those wicked men Prov. 4. 16. were so violent in wickednesse that they could not sleep except they caused some to fall Psal 69. 9. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up and the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon me 5 In respect of heaven it self Luke 13. 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Strive to an agony or as in an agony men strive for life it is not enough to seek many seekers shall never finde but there must be striving there must be a kinde of holy impatiency to get into heaven 1 Cor. 9. 24 25. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all but one receiveth the prize So run that ye may obtain And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown but we an incorruptible 2 Tim. 2. 5. And if a man also strive for masteries yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully Heaven is compared to a hill and hell to a pit It vvill cost a man sweat and labour to get up an hill but it is an easie thing to go down into a pit Heaven is as Canaan the type of it was though a land of promise yet of conquest too There were many Giants there the sons of Anak in the land Heaven is not had vvithout eagernesse Luk 16. 16. Every man presseth into it It is an allusion to souldiers that storm a City or strong Garrison vvith all the speed and violence they can Should souldiers go about that great vvork in a marching pace they might all be cut off And thus much shall suffice for the second thing to shevv the necessity of this holy violence The 3 thing is the discovery of this holy violence Novv it is discovered by these follovving marks A violent or zealous person is one 1 Who is patient in his ovvn cause but impatient in Gods cause This vvas the temper of David What the enemies did to David vvas but as a pin in the flesh but vvhat they did against God vvas as a svvord in his bones Isal 42. 1 As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproached 〈◊〉 whilest they say daily unto me Where is thy God The reproaching of God vvas as death to him as though he