Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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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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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.