Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A49280
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Love the pretious oyntment, that flowes downe from the head Christ Jesus, to all his members, and makes them dwell together in unity
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1654
(1654)
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Wing L3222; ESTC R3849
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10,092
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16
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hearts before 1 Joh. 3.19 God And We know that we have passed from deaâ—h to life because we love the brethren even the brethren Ver. 14 without exception and reservation and he that dwelleth in this generall and un eserved love God 1 Joh. 4.12 who is love dwelleth in him and he in God And we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath Ver. 13 given us his spirit even the spirit of this Catholicke and Universall love Let no man therefore say of another He is of such a Nation with which my Nation is at enmity or of such a Church which professeth some differences with the Church in which I live and therefore I will by no meanes have love and peace with him but remember that in every Act. 10. 35 Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of God and therefore doe thou enquire whether this spirit of feare and holinesse be in him which those that have are accepted of God if he be accepted of God take heed he be not rejected of thee It were a madnesse in thee for Gods sake to hate one whom God loves and for Christs sake to to hate a member of Christ Indeed if he be of a Church infected with errours thou must be wary of him that he infect thee not with those errours but be also wary of not hating the Spirit of Christ in a member of Christ It is an Apostolicall and so an undeniable Inference If ye have put on the Col. 3 10. New-man in which is neither Greeke nor Jew Circumcision nor Uncircumcision Barbarian Scythian bond nor free but Christ is all in all Put on therefore there is a binding force in this therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse c. And above all these things put an charity which is the bond of perfectnesse and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which ye are called in one body Let us then have love and peace with a beleeving Muscovite Grecian Aethiopian Indian if he be of that one body wherein Christ is all in all and by the unity whereof we are called to love and peace yea from this universall peace and love may not be excluded any remnant according to the election of grace pertaining to the body of Christ though so-journing in the tents and territories of Rome we may not hate the seven thousand that doe not bow their knees to Baal though dispersed among seven millions of Idolaters we may not hate Israel though in bondage under Pharaoh But to the true Israel even to the pure in heart and those who in Christ Jesus are new creatures and walk according to this rule peace and the prayers of peace the true fruits of Gal. 6. 15 16. love doe belong the divine Apostle being herein our guide and example And while thus we enjoy and Eph. 4. 16 1 Joh. 3. 14 4. 7. imbrace this universall love with the universall body of Christ great is our safety for hereby we know and may assure our hearts that we belong to that universall body which alone loveth it selfe with this univerall love That is the truly Catholicke Church which is indued with this Catholick love that is a living Church which is a loving Church We therefore imbracing and exercising this Catholicke love are of the Church truly Catholick even of that Church which being a Church of love is also a Church of life But it is never enough to be lamented That when Christ hath made Love the very Character and Badge of his Disciples those that would be called Christians that is the Disciples of Christ are farre from that wherein this Discipleship doth especially consist One Apostle having named some chiefe Graces and Vertues saith but the greatest of these is love And in another place Above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfectnesse And another Apostle Above all things have fervent love among your selves But how comes it to passe then that when Christ and his Apostles set up love above all things we see so many things set up above love yea we see love destroyed for little things which is better than all things Yea when love by uniting would mutuelly preserve the Saints they by hatred and contention will destroy both love and themselves yet the same evill spirit that moves to this destroying by hatred and division preserves his owne Kingdome by unity And though his depraved nature be contrary to true love yet his craft so farre over-rules or at least guides his malice that he holds unity for our ruine and his owne preservation But Christians whose Divine Nature is especially made up of love run hastily and headily into hatred and dizision and thus doe they goe contrary to the Divine Nature wherein is the vertue â—f the Dove and the wisedome commanded in the Serpent But doe not those talke of Christianity and thus walke contrary to it meerely turne Christianity into talking and make themselves but tinkling Cymballs Let true Christians seriously consider that union in Christ their head is a stronger root of love and unity than lesser differences can be of division It was the great Plot of Christ by the expence of his most precious Blood to recapitulate and bring into unity under one Head those that lay scattered under sundry differences and is it not then to counter-worke against Christs great Plot and Mystery of Godlinesse by small differences to divide those whom he hath by so deare a purchase knit together yet which is a high degree of this mischiefe men pretend for Christianity to hate and destroy Christians but is it not the same which in others hath bin truly called Antichristian for both this and that persecutes Christ in his members opposeth Christ in his Doctrine and in his maine worke of dispensation let such heare Paul speaking Where there are divisions among you are ye not carnall and walke as men And indeed is it not carnall to hate a member of Christ for that difference which he may have and yet be a member of Christ Is not he more to be loved for being a member of Christ then to be hated for that difference yea if Christ doe love and forgive him how dar'st thou to hate him whom Christ loves Hast thou seen any warrant in Scripture to give thee authority to hate a member of Christ who agrees with Christ by faith and love but agrees not with thee in all thy opinions The Scripture saith We know but in part and if so thou must give every Saint these graines of allowance which the Apostle gives him It may be the knowledge of that point wherein he differs from thee is not within his part and thou wilt have him know beyond his part or else thou wilt fall out with him Is not this to fall out with a Saint for impossibilities and which is more is it not to fight against
LOVE THE PRETIOVS OYNTMENT That flowes downe from the head CHRIST JESVS to all his Members and makes them dwell together in Unity Joh. 13. 34 35. A New Commandment I give unto you That ye Love one another as I have loved you that ye love one another By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another Acts 4. 32. The multitude of them that beleeved were of one heart and of one soule 1 Cor. 13. 4 5. Charity suffereth long and is kind is not easily provoked thinketh none evill Eph. 4. 1 2 3. Walke worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called With all Lowliness and meekness with long suffering for bearing one another in Love Endeavoring to keepe the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace LONDON Printed for John Wright at the Kings Head in the Old-bailey 1654. The Balme of Love to heale divisions and the wounds made by them and to make the Body of Christ whole and entire for its owne beauty strength and safety THe Spouse of Christ Jesus when she shines in Love she is amiable in Beauty precious in the eye of her Husband powerfull with God her Father prosperous in her owne spirituall health and vigour and prepared for her consummate marriage in celestiall glory Her husband is God and God is love and God cannot but love that love which is like himselfe And that he may love his Spouse for her love when she becomes one Spirit with him by this unity of Spirit he gives her an uniformity of love the oyntment of Christ Jesus the Head floweth downe into all his members and breatheth love into them and as farre as his life goes so farre goeth his love therefore no love no life in Christ Jesus Agreeably the beloved Disciple and an especiall Teacher of love having shewed that the New-birth brings love with life he fitly addeth He that loveth not abideth in death No wonder 1 Joh. 3. 14 Joh. 13. 34 then if the great Master and Lover of this Disciple make love the mark of his true Disciples seeing those are only Christs true Disciples which so learne Christ as they draw that spirit from him which teacheth them love and breatheth it into them And surely if a sonne of God by that spirituall eye which he receiveth from Christ Jesus with his Sonship doe clearly behold another sonne of the same father how can he chuse but love him as a brother he cannot chuse but love him for the unity that is betweene them for they are one spirit by being John 17. 21. 1 Cor. 12. 13. Eph. 5. begotten of one Spirit in Christ Jesus and as none hateth his owne flesh but cherisheth and loveth it so none should hate his owne spirit but cherish and love it Secondly he should love his brother for uniformity as well as for unity there is a spirituall likenesse and conformity between spirituall brethren and commonly likenesse breedeth love they are both created unto one image and how can a sonne of God but love his owne likenesse which he seeth in his brother As in a glasse face answereth to face so a Saints soule answereth to the soule of a Saint and when one sees his owne shape in the other from this likenesse and harmony there must needs arise spirituall love and amity Thirdly if a Saint consider the excellency of a Saint how can he chuse but love him for his excellency God is the chiefest and highest excellence and he that most resembleth God is therefore most excellent Now among visible creatures there is none that resembleth God more then a Saint for he is a sonne of God begotten to the true Col. 3. 10. 1 Joh. 5. 1. image of God his Father therefore he that loves God that begat loves also the Sons whom God hath begotten and the man according to Gods own heart because his goodnesse the fruit of love extends Ps 16.2 3. not unto God therefore he communicates it to the Saints and Sons of God that excell in vertue as if that were the next degree to doing good unto God himselfe to love cherish and doe good to his sons and Saints And indeed what is a fitter object of love next to the chiefe and soveraigne good then a Saint who by a derivative goodnesse most representeth him God is light and a Saint is light in the Eph. 5. 8 Lord God is goodnesse and righteousnesse and a Saint is created according to God in righteousnesse Eph. 4. 24 and true holmesse The heart of a Saint is according to Gods heart yea he is partaker of a Divine 1 Sam. 13. 14. 2 Pet. 1. 4 2 Cor. 3. 18. Gal. 5. 22. Eph. 5. 9 nature and groweth in it from glory to glory And as this Divine nature is glorious and lovely so are the fruits of it attractively amiable Love joy peace long-suffering goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance yea all goodnesse righteousnesse and truth The beauty of the body is by no meanes comparable with the beauty of the soule for the beauty of the soule is the Image of God and the glory of this Image having in it divine light vertue and goodnesse shines in the soule with a farre higher excellence then colour and complexion laid on the clay and earth of a fading and corruptible body and according to this excellence the beauty of the soule is preserved to immortality when the beauty of the body is suffered either to vanish before the body or to lye with it in the dust and there to dye a kinde of second death neither shall it ever recover life again but by a conjunction with the beauty of the soule If corporall beauty have been joyned with spirituall beauty then shall it rise in a farre more excellent beauty but if it had not with it spirituall beauty purity and goodnesse and fairenesse of soule it shall not arise in glory and beauty it shall not see the face of God but it shall be sent away with ugly spirits being it selfe transformed into the deformed character of a countenance weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth If then a Saint be so lovely and the love of a Saint is so just and reasonable and God doth love this Love and doth give his Saints the Spirit of love of purpose to love one another and so this love is the marke of a Saint a Sonne and a Christian let every Saint make himselfe sure of this love and not onely of the shew and word of it but of the essence and life of it Let him love a Saint whom God loves and love him because God loves this love of a Saint Let him love a Saint as he loves his own safety which is annexed to the love of the Saints Let him love a Saint because a Saint loves God Let him love a Saint because he is like himself and because the Saint loves him Dilige Deum tuum dilige in Deo tuo charum Claud.