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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	word_n	world_n	write_v	403	4	5.1445	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09984	Mount Ebal, or A heavenly treatise of divine love Shewing the equity and necessity of his being accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus Christ. Together with the motives meanes markes of our love towards him. By that late faithfull and worthy divine, John Preston, Doctor in Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1638 (1638)	STC 20238; ESTC S115085	27,130	53

MOVNT EBAL OR A HEAVENLY TREATISE OF DIVINE LOVE Shewing the Equity and Necessity of his being accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus Christ. Together with the Motives Meanes Markes of our love towards him By that late Faithfull and worthy Divine JOHN PRESTON Doctor in Divinitie Chaplaine in Ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne PSAL. 31. 26. Love the Lord O all yee his Saints c. PSAL. 145. 20. The Lord preserveth all them that love him and scattereth abroad all the ungodly LONDON Printed by M. P for Iohn Safford and are to be sold at his house in Black horse Alley in Fleet-street 1638. A HEAVENLY TREATISE OF Divine Love 1 CORINTH 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be accursed yea let him be had in execration even to the death or let him be Anathema Maranatha THESE words have little or no dependance on the words before going which are these The salutation of me Paul by mine owne hand and the reason why he thus writes is because there were many false Apostles and counterfeit Epistles went abroad in the world if not under his name but hereby saith he you shall know me from them all even by this my salutation and subscription as by mine owne hand for in all my Epistles so I write The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen Wherefore to consider them in themselves St. Paul hating those as we use to doe who speake evill of them we love doth here pronounce a curse against them that love not the Lord Iesus Christ and the reason why he doth so is because he cannot endure to heare him evill spoken of by any blasphemous tongue So that this then is the scope and drift of the Apostle in this place namely to commend Love unto us and above all other the love of the Lord Iesus Christ and to exhort us by all meanes thereunto in which exhortation let me desire you to observe with me these two reasons why we should thus love him Whereof the first is taken from the Necessity of it he is accursed that loves him not second is taken from the Equity or object of his love the Lord Iesus Christ. If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be c. There is not much difficulty in the words yet fome there is for clearing whereof I will shew you what is meant by these two termes Anathema Maranatha and so proceede for the first Anathema it is a Greeke word and it is as much as elevari suspendi to be lift up or be hanged and it signifies accursed by way of allusion to that opprobrious and cursed kinde of death which was inflicted upon notorious and hainous Malefactors who for their offence were hanged up upon a tree gibbet or any such engine according as it is said cursed is every one that hangeth c. which place is againe alledged by this our Apostle St. Paul to prove that Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is c. Secondly for the word Maranatha it is an Assyrian word taken from an Hebrew root which signifies execration or cursing and therefore I so rendered it in the reading of it unto you now in that the Apostle useth two words of diverse Languages for the fuller expression of this his so fearefull a malediction and curse as if one word were not enough or that out of his zealous affection he could not so content himselfe with it we may note that by how much the more the curse is greater by so much the more grievous is the duty omitted from which premisses we may make this conclusion or draw this point of Doctrine viz. That he is worthy to be curst yea to bee curst ●ith all execration that loves not the Lord Iesus ●●rist For the further unfolding and opening whereof consider with me these three things following to wit First what Love is in generall Secondly what love to the Lord Iesus Christ is Thirdly some reasons why he is worthy to be accursed that loves him not of each of these in their order and first of the first What Love is in generall and for that take this briefe description of it viz. Love is an inclination of the will whereby it inclines to some good thing agreable to it selfe First I say its an inclination of the will where we may take notice of two things both of the subject or seate which is not any inferior part or faculty of the soule but the will one of the most supreme and potentest of all the rest And what is the nature and property the quality and condition of it it is elicita non coacta not forced but free inclined not constrained for voluntas as say the Phylosophers est libera the will is of a most absolute and free power so that though a man may be compelled to doe something against his liking yet he can never be forced to doe any thing against his will at lest his will cannot be forced that like a Queene in her Throwne is alwayes free Secondly I say its an inclination of the will unto good aut verum aut apparens either for that it is so indeede or at least for the present appeare● and seemes so to be unto it according to 〈◊〉 trite and true axiome of the Schooles too bonum est objectum voluntatis the Adequate object of the will is onely good yet not every good neither but bonum sibi conveniens such a good as is agreeable to it selfe that onely is the object of love Now by this you conceive the second thing what love to the Lord Iesus Christ is and it is nothing else but an intensive bending of the mind unto Christ as the most necessary and suitablest thing for it that may be the Summum bonum the chiefest good of all that it can desire so that it desires and loves nothing like him Now the properties whereby we shall know whether our love to the Lord Iesus Christ be such or not are especially these three First it alwayes desires to have the thing it loves cannot be contented with any thing else but him as being the proper Center of the soule which is never at quiet so long as it is out of his place agreeable to that of a Father Fecistinos Domine ad te inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescit in te Thou hast made us O Lord and our heart is never at rest till it rest in thee it is his fruition that gives it satisfaction againe as it desires the fruition of him so it desires as much Secondly the conjunction and union with him to be one with him and he with us and therefore it hates whatsoever may hinder it and seekes whatsoever may helpe it therein and being thus once conjoyned and enjoying it it

of him thy selfe so thou wilt not endure to heare others speake ill of him but thy heart will be mooved within thee at them and at any thing that might impeach and hurt his glory as to see his Church lye wast his word corrupted c. so Ely was not mooved so much with the death of his Sonnes as to heare that the Arke of God was taken* and indeede they are bastards and not sons that can heare their father reviled and railed on and never be affected nor offended at it Fiftly if thy love to the Lord Iesus Christ be sincere and sound thou wilt be loath to lose him for we will rather lose all we have then lose the favour and affection of a friend whom we love intirely and as thou wouldst be loath to lose him so thou wouldst be as loath to offend him or doe any thing whereby thou mightest be like so to doe or if so be thou hast thou wilt never be at quiet till thou hast gained his good will againe whatsoever it cost thee to get it Sixtly thou wilt linger and hang after him as we may see in the woman of Canaan she would not be said nay but let him say or doe what he would she would not leave him but she still staid by him till he had granted her suite Examine thy selfe then narrowly by these signes likewise and when thou hast done so and findest thy selfe guilty in any or all of these particulars then confesse thy sinne unto the Lord and beg the pardon of it at his hands leave him not till he hath heard thee and granted thee the request of thy lips by saying unto thy soule I am thy salvation and witnessing with thy spirit that thou art his child by adoption and grace And so as I have hitherto shewed you some reasons why he is accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus Christ ought to love him and whereby thou mayst be incited and stirred up thereunto for as David said in another case the Lord is worthy to be praised so may I say the Lord is worthy to be beloved and that in many respects as First because he hath all the glory and beauty in himselfe that ever thou sawest in any creature it is in its full perfection in him whereas it is but in part in any creature as the light is in its full lustre and strength in the Sunne whereas the Starres and Planets have but a glimpse or beame of it and tha by participation and not in it selfe as in a fountaine and therefore the Spouse in the Canticles saith that he is all glorious or that all glory is in him and this is the reason why some love him and others love him not because he hath manifested and revealed himselfe and his glory to some and not to others as unto Moses Abraham c. Secondly he is unchangeable ther 's no man but that thou shalt at some time or other see that in him which might make thee not to love him but in God we cannot finde any such matter for he is Iehovah semper idem yesterday to day c. there 's no variablenesse nor shadow c. Thirdly because he is Almighty he can doe whatsover he will there is nothing impossible to him and as he is able to doe all he will so he will doe all that he is able so farre forth as it may make for his owne glory and thy good But thou wilt say why is this such a loadstone of love Yes verily that it is for by his omnipotency are understood all the excellency and glory all the grace and vertues that are in God But thou wilt say I have often offended him will he then yet heare me or accept of my love for all that Yes that he will for he is gracious and mercifull Oh but I have nothing in me but am ready to offend him againe What if thou be yet he is long suffering so that he will not cast thee off if so be thou wilt cleave to him Oh but how shall I know that I answer thou shalt know it by his word and that is truth it selfe search the Scriptures therefore and there thou shalt heare him say asmuch in plaine termes he that commeth to me I will in no wise c. Oh but my sinnes are such strange ones as no bodies are Suppose they were yet his mercy is infinite and farre more then thy sinnes are or can be but yet that is not so as thou sayst for there have bin as great sinners as thou whatsoever thou art which yet neverthelesse upon their faith and repentance have beene received into grace and favour againe as were Mary Magdalen Peter David and diverse others besides them Oh but for all that I am not worthy of his love and it will be a disparagement for him to set his love upon such a one as I am But what is that to thee if he thinke thee worthy as so he doth for he sues unto thee what needst thou stand upon that why shouldst thou care for any more now this is all the dowry and duty he askes of thee for what doth the Lord thy God require of thee ô Israel but that thou love him* And moreover besides this consider that it is he that first gave thee this affection that thou shouldst love him and that ther 's none other on whom thou canst better bestow it or who more deserves it at thy hands then he doth And finally consider that thou hast engaged thy selfe unto him by vow in Baptisme so that as Ioshua said unto the Children of Israel yee are witnesses against your selves that you have chosen the Lord to serve him so are yee against your selves and every time that ye receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper you renew your covenant so that if you love and serve not the Lord you are so many times witnesses against your selves And here let us make some little stand to reckon up the severall circumstances that doe engage us to love him as First that he is our Lord and hath bought us at a very high rate now if a condemned person or a man taken by the Turkes should bee repleeved or ransomed by another we would all thinke it his duty that he should love him as long as hee lives for it and so stands the case with us we all sate in darkenesse and in the shadow of death and were taken Captive by Satan at his pleasure and Christ hath redeemed us from that his more then AEgyptian bondage and that not with corruptible things as silver or gold but with his precious blood as of a Lambe without c. and doth not he then deserve thy love canst thou deny him such a small thing as that is Againe consider Secondly what he hath done for thee even from thy youth up how he hath fed thee forgiven thee thine offences and paid the

debt for thee when thou wast ready to goe to prison for it so that now the Lord begins to grow angry with thee if thou wilt not yet love him for all this and yet this is not all and therefore Thirdly consider also that he loves thee now as fire begets fire so doth love beget love therefore saith Saint Iohn we love him because he loved us first that is his love to us should make us love him againe but especially we cannot but love him if we consider in the last place Fourthly what his love is for its unspeakeable and passing knowledge we can never conceive the height and length c. All which what should it teach us but these two things First that if we will not love the Lord he will shew his wrath and make his power knowne upon us that we are but vessells of wrath fitted for destruction as it is said Againe Secondly it should exhort us to love the Lord Iesus Christ and therefore to provoke us thereunto we should often consider and thinke in these things what right and title he hath to us how much he hath done for us and how greatly he loves yea and more then all this wee shall thereby also have these and these things wee shall by this meanes reape these and these benefits First we shall have his spirit the spirit of truth the Comforter which shall leade us into all truth and enable us to fullfill his Commandements and with facility and ease whereas else they would be grievous unto us as for example Saint Paul would soone have beene weary of preaching and suffering so much as he did if he had not had this love in him and why doe parents thinke nothing too much for their children but because they love them therefore it is that though they bee froward and untoward yet still they beare with them if then we cannot finde in our hearts to be quiet untill they looke to the Lord like as the needle of a compasse which is toucht with a Loadstone will never stand still till it comes to the North-pole then may this be a testimony unto us that may distinguish us from Hypocrites and witnesse to our soules that we love the Lord Iesus Christ for they keepe the Commandements of God in some sort and abstaine from some one kinde of sinne but not out of love to him nor in any obedience and conscience of his word but in love to themselves Secondly this is a marke of thy Resurrection from the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse hereby shall yee knew that yee are translated from death to life because yee love the brethren now yee cannot love them but you must love the Father that begot them Thirdly thou shalt get by this thy love to him for when thou givest him thy heart he will give it thee againe he will onely alter the object but let thee keepe the affection still onely it shall be better then it was before he will purifie it from all its corruptions and cleanse it from all its sins Nor shall this be any thing out of thy way it shall be as much for thy profit as ever it was before for when thy heart is set to keepe his Commandements when it inclines to his statutes as so hee will incline it then whatsoever thou dost it shall prosper so that as it s said of the Sabbath that it was made for man that is for mans good so may we say the same of all the rest of the Commandements that it is made for man that is for his good and benefit and therefore the promise of life and happinesse is made to all alike And here by the way take this difference along with thee to distinguish thy love from selfe love for that is all for it selfe but this is all for him whom thou lovest if then thou love the Lord for thine owne good it is selfe love but if thou love him for himselfe simply without any respect to the recompence of reward then is it true love indeede Fourthly wee shall receive much comfort by loving the Lord now what is that keepes us from loving of him but our pleasures we are loath to part with them and yet alas we shall receive much more and they farre more substantiall sollider and sounder comfort by loving of him then ever we should by loving of the world or the things of the world Now doe but thinke how good a thing it is to love one that is but like thee much rather shouldst thou love one that died for thee wherefore if thou wouldst have thy heart filled with joy and comfort love him for so thou shalt have joy unspeakeable and glorious And last of all if thou wouldst indeede unfainedly love the Lord Iesus Christ consider Fiftly that it makes thee a more excellent man then thou wast before for every man is better or worse according to his love as it is set on things better or worse now Christ is the Summum bonum the chiefest good and if thou love him thou art united unto him and to his God-head for love is of a uniting nature Thou wilt say these are indeede good motives to make us to love him but how shall I come by this love or by what meanes shall I get this love into my heart For answer whereunto I tell thee first of all that if thou canst but unfeinedly desire to love him thou hast halfe done this worke already and that thou mayst have such a desire meditate often upon those motives before This is the answer Christ himselfe gave to his Disciples when they asked him how they should get faith why saith he if you have faith but as a graine of mustard feed you should say to this mountaine be thou removed and be thou throwne into the midst of the Sea c. thereby shewing them the excellency of it that so he might the more enamour them with the love of it and make them desire it above all that they could imagine and thinke of besides in comparison thereof but if thou wouldst as thou sayst thou desirest to love the Lord Iesus Christ indeede with all thy heart with all thy soule and with c. I answer and add againe thou canst not use a better meanes to attaine thereunto and get the love of him into thy heart then these First pray unto God for it for all graces are his gifts they are meere Donatives and hee hath promised to heare them that aske in his Sonnes name and to give the spirit to them that aske it that is to give the gifts and graces thereof unto them nor is he any niggard for he giveth liberally and obraideth not But thou wilt say how doth prayer beget love I answer it begets it two wayes First by prevailing with God Secondly by familiarity with him First I say by prevailing with God so did Iaacob and the woman of Canaan for considering that