Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n
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A05406
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Ignis cœlestis: or An interchange of diuine love betweene God and his saints. By Iohn Lewis, minister of Gods word at St. Peters in the tovvne of St. Albons
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Lewis, John, b. 1595 or 6.
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1620
(1620)
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STC 15558; ESTC S103072
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37,144
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136
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ΓNΩΘI ΣΑΥΤΟΠKnow thy selfe is highly worthy to be engrauen on the heart of euery man Did we but know our selues to be but men the very name of men would cause vs to cast away our proud plumes and remember our father Adam that was but earth The Prophet cryes out with an exclamation How art thou fallen from heauen O Lucifer the Son of the morning We on the other â—ide may cry O how art thou mounted to heauen O man the sonne of corruption Let vs know our selues and our places least in soaring too high the fiery beames of Gods wrath melt our waxen plumes and we fall headlong into the Sea of confusion The Elders that sate about the throne of God did cast their crownes before the throne and cryed saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receiue glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things for thine owne pleasure If wee haue any crownes let vs cast them at the feete of God and say Thou art worthy O Lord to receiue glory honour and power for thou hast elected created redeemed preserued called sanctified and wilt hereafter glorifie vs not because we are worthy but because thou hast loued vs from eternity The second Vse of this point is for comfort vnto euery godly soule What greater comfort can a subiect haue in this life then this to be his Princes fauorite to be deare and precious in his eyes vpon whom he doth cast honours and conferre wealth gracing him with his countenance dignifying him with promotions and sheltring him from the furious tempests of malicious enuy if a mans happinesse could be confined to the world what could be desired more But this is nothing to the comfort of a Christian who hath God for his master yea I may say for his father heauen for his home celestiall happinesse for his reward the LORD of hoste for his shield and buckler What shall not the Christian solace himselfe more in God then the subiect in his Prince shall not his consolation be greater seeing his estate is more happy Comfort thou thy selfe thou that art begotten of God Esau is hated but if thou hast Iacobs heart thou shalt with Iacob be beloued of God the wicked man wants Gods loue therefore he wants all things the godly man inioyes Gods loue therefore he enioyes all things Gods loue was thine before thou wert thine owne thou hadst thy beginning within these few yeares Gods loue hath no beginning but like himselfe was from eternitie God did not beginne to loue thee when hee begun to make thee but he loued thee before the world was made and will loue thee after the world is dissolued What then if wicked men hate thee God loues thee What if men reiect thee God hath chosen thee What if men persecute thee Greater is he that is with thee then they that are against thee What if the Diuell assault thee Christ hath redeemed thee What if thy sins affright thee God hath washed and sanctified thee What if Satan would confound thee God wil glorifie thee Thus hast thou against all dangers Murum aheneuÌ„ Gods fauour as a wall of brasse to secure thee Feare not mans hatred God is loue Feare not Satans rage God is power Feare not thine owne sinnes God is mercy Let the rich man reioyce in his riches the strong man in his strength the wise man in his wisedome the ambitious man in his honour the Epicure in his pleasure let not vs reioyce in these things but that our names are written in heauen Reioyce in this that you are Gods beloued his loue is engrauen vpon your hearts The cause of their reioycing is momentany and shall perish with them our reioycing is eternalâ— which shall neuer fade God is eternall so is his loue his loue is eternal so shal our reioycing be God is loue he hath loued vs. Thus much touching Gods loue toward vs I come now to speake of our loue toward him againe Wee loue him Which words doe afford vs this Doctrine That to loue God truely is an essentiall property of the child of God That is an essentiall property according to the Schooles quod conuenit omni soli et semper which is found in euery indiuiduum of the same species in them onely and in them alwayes To loue God therefore is an essentiall property of the child of God because it is found in euery child of God onely the childe of God and the child of God alwayes First euery one that is regenerate doth loue God for where the cause is there must needes be the effect the worke of regeneration proceeds from Gods loue and where his loue is toward vs there he worketh in vs loue toward him That which Peter spake in his owne behalfe is generally belonging to euery one who is effectually called Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Saint Paul saith the loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost Not onely in his but in the hearts of all his children For it was not a benefit peculiar to Paul but common to all that are regenerated by his Spirit Secondly this is not so common as that it is communicated vnto the wicked but is found solely in the godly for the wicked are like Saul before his conuersion persecuters of God and of Iesus Christ. The wisedome of the flesh that is the vnderstanding the will and the affections of the wicked are enimitie against God they are rebels against him and his Law Men vnregenerate are haters of God they neither loue him nor his glory Lastly that the godly doe loue God alwaies is plaine for whom God loueth he loueth to the end euen for euer therefore a man being once made partaker of Gods loue in the regeneration of his heart can neuer be distracted from God for the cause continuing the effect must needes follow Thus we see it briefly proued that to loue God is the property of euery childe of God But for the better explicating and opening of this doctrine of our loue toward God let mee shew you these particulars 1. What our loue toward God is 2. The markes or effects of it 3. The reasons or motiues perswading to it 4. The meanes to attaine it For the first What our loue toward God is wee may conceiue it by this definition Amor erga Deum est gratia infusa in cordibus sanctorum per spiritum sanctum proueniens ab amore Dei erga ipsos qua summa cum affectu Deum cognitum diligunt propter seipsum in ipsius fruitione tanquam in summo bono acquiescunt Our loue toward God is a spirituall grace infused into the hearts of the faithfull by the holy spirit flowing from Gods loue toward vs whereby wee knowing God do loue him with al our might with all our soule and that for his owne sake and in the enioyment of him doe rest contented First I say it is
a supernaturall or a spirituall grace infused to teach vs that it is not naturally or habitually bred in vs for we are by nature as Adam was before the promise runne-awayes from God neither desiring to see him nor to heare him till the holy Ghost worke this loue in vs by his inspiration Secondly I say it is onely in the hearts of the faithfull for it is limited and restrained to them as to its proper subiect no wicked man partaking with them in that worke for hee that loues God must transcend nature and haue iustifying faith Hee onely loues God that keepes his Commandements and hee onely keepes Gods Commandements whose heart is enriched with a true faith for without Faith it is impossible to please God Hereby we may note the falsehood of the doctrine of the Church of Rome First for that they teach That before iustification there must be a disposition and aptitude in a man thereunto standing in the feare of hell and loue of God By this doctrine the loue of God in our hearts should goe before iustification whereas indeede it is a fruit and effect of it And if the loue of God were in the heart of any man before he be iustified it would follow that a man may be truely sanctified before â—e be iustified seeing where the loue of God is there is sanctification Secondly they teach that faith apprehendeth Christ by loue and not by it selfe which is false for loue by order of nature and time followeth faith which apprehendeth Christ there â—e is not apprehended by loue for â—irst wee beleeue and being knit vnto Christ by faith then our hearts are knit vnto God by loue Thirdly I say it proceedes from Gods loue toward vs. Zanchius calls it radius amoris Dei erga nos in Deum reflesux a beame of Gods loue toward vs reflected backe to him againe Gods loue like a loade-stone drawes our hearts to loue him Thou thy selfe who now loues the LORD before the manifestation of Gods loue to thee in thy conuersion didst not loue him thy heart went a whoring from God thou preferredst euery creature yea the satisfying of thine own lust before him It is thought comâ—monly among men an easie matter to loue God euery man abhors to be counted such a monster as not to loue God but they are much deceiued no man can loue God but hee that is beloued of him with a sauing loue Amor Dei animae parit amorem Gods eternall loue of vs begets in our soules a loue of him he is the Ocean of Diuine loue from whence we deriue and into which wee returne the streames of our loue Fourthly I say we must know God before we can loue him Quod latet ignotuÌ„ est ignoti nulla cupido Things vnknowne are vnaffected and loue is according to a mans acquaintance a man cannot loue God before he know what God is and that he is good and worthy to be beloued and such as is our knowledge such is our loue our knowledge of him in this world is not so perfect as it shall be in the world to come no more is our loue on earth so perfect as it shall be in the heauens And this is the reason why wicked men loue not God because they know him not did we but know God in his excellent goodnesse wee would be rauished with desire to loue him but the mistes of worldly vapours doe so interpose themselues that they darken our eyes and ouer-cloude this Sunne of righteousnesse that we see not we think not of his glory we desire not to know the perfection of his Maiesty Things vnknown are not beloued loue neuer shoots at a blind marke Let vs first labour rightly to know God theÌ„ shal we be sure truly to loue God Fiftly if we loue God truly I say then wee loue him with all our might and with all our soule Herein are contained these two properties of hoâ—y loue vnity and constancy we must loue God summo cum afâ—fâ—ctu wiâ—h the chiefest of our affections and strength Here is the vnitie of our loue we must not be diuided betweene God and the world we must not part stakes betweene Christ and Belial God is a iealous God and will admit no riuall wee must loue God principally and chiefly hee must haue our hearts other things which are good wee may loue in a lower degree but for Gods sake still reseruing the principall to God for he that loues not his Father Mother Wife and Children sinnes but he that loues them in summo gradu more then God is not worthy of God Non amat Christumâ— qui aliquid magis quam Christum amat He loues not Christ that loues any thing more then Christ. With the vnity in these words is contained the constancy we must loue him with all our strength euen for euer if we cease from louing God wee did neuer loue God truely if our loue slake by Apostacye then know it was but in hypocrisie Sixtly I said true loue loues God for himselfe for a mercenary loue is base when a man loues God onely for his gifts Thus Saul loued God but not for himselfe but for the continuance of his Kingdome Thus many wicked men seeme to loue God not for himselfe but for his benefits It was obiected by Sathan against Iob but falsely that he serued God for his riches But Iob manifested himselfe to be a true louer of God for then when he was depriued of all earthly comforts which God had giuen him yet did the loue of God continue in him The woman that loueth her husband onely because he is rich loueth not him but his riches The worldling who with the carnall Israelite doth loue God for his abundance of Corne Wine Oyle and the rest of those good things which hee bestowes on men he loues the gift more then the giuer and is but a hireling and not a chast louer of God and therefore in him is the old Prouerbe verified No penny no pater noster If God ceases to giue hee ceaseth to loue and worship if God withdraw his liberality he will cut him short in his seruice It is true loue to loue God simply for his own sake let vs loue his glory more then our owne benefit least we be found louers of our selues more then of God This is the reason why the loue of the godly is constant in aduersity though their riches and friends be gone yet God remaines and so long as the obiect remaines the action of their loue shall not cease if wee loue God wee must loue him for himselfe Lastly whereas I saide true loue doth rest contented in the enioyment of God whom it loueth It sheweth the delight and sufficiency it findes in God it cannot rest till it enioy him and he being enioyed it rests contented Augustine in his booke De substantia dilectionis Cap. 2. layes down this definition of Loue which containes