Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A58808
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Practical discourses concerning obedience and the love of God. Vol. II by John Scott ...
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Scott, John, 1639-1695.; Zouch, Humphrey.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing S2062; ESTC R32130
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213,666
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480
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Johannes Scott S. T. P. PRACTICAL DISCOURSES Concerning OBEDIENCE AND THE Love of God Vol. II. By IOHN SCOTT D. D. late Rector of St. Giles's in the Fields LONDON Printed for W. Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-yard and S. Manship at the Ship near the Royal-Exchange in Cornhill MDCXCVIII To the Right Honorable DANIEL Earl of Nottingham MY LORD I Am very sensible that you are the known Favourer of Men of eminent Worth and Learning I only take this Opportunity of acquainting the World that You were so of the Author of these following Discourses that so you may receive in larger Measures those Tributes which are due to Publick Benefactors the Prayers and Praises of Mankind For they who have or shall be bettered by This great Author's Works are oblig'd in a peculiar Manner to remember that Right Honourable Person who by his Countenance did not only encourage him to be serviceable but did really endeavour to render him more useful to us by procuring for him a little Recess from the Toil and Labours of his weighty Employment Had this succeeded in all Humane Probability he had lived longer and then we should have seen that truly Pious and most sublime Design he intended to pursue and should have been well acquainted with that uncultivated part of Religion The Duties of Piety towards God And perhaps by Them we should have given a guess at the Praises and Hallelujahs of those blest Beings above when they had been managed with that Strength of Eloquence that Fervour of Spirit pois'd and temper'd with such a Judgment as his But he is gone to bear a part in the Heavenly Choir where if he knows what is done here below it will be a pleasing Prospect to my dear departed Friend to see Your Lordship and your Noble Family the Possessors and design'd Heirs of the Honours of both Worlds I am My Lord Your Lordships most Humble and most devoted Servant HUMPHREY ZOUCH 1 JOHN V. 3 For this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous IN the first Verse the Apostle asserts that whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ that is so believes as to act suitable to his Belief is born of God he is become a Child of God by partaking of his Nature and stamped with his Likeness and every one that loveth him that begat i. e. God his Heavenly Father loveth him also that is begotten of him hath a true hearty Kindness for all that are God's Children And then in the second Verse by this saith he we know that we love the Children of God and consequently that we are born of God if we love God and keep his Commandments that is if we so love him as to keep his Commandments And indeed if we do not so love him we do not love him at all and consequently we do not love his Children nor are we his Children our selves of which he gives a full Proof in the Text for this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous In which Words you have First an Account of the Love of God what it is This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and Secondly a Motive to engage us to the Practice of it and his Commandments are not grievous I begin with the first of these the Account of this Love of God what it is This is the Love of God that we keep his Commandments By the Love of God here we are not to understand God's Love to us but our Love to God as is plain by this because 't is placed in our keeping his Commandments This is the Love of God that is this is the natural Effect and proper Exercise of the Love of God for it is certain that keeping God's Commandments is not the Affection of Love to him but the Effect of it So that the Meaning of the Words is this this is the most genuine Expression and inseparable Effect of our Love of God that we obey his Laws And hence our Saviour makes this the proper Tryal and Proof of our Love to him If ye love me keep my Commandments John xiv 15 for this he tells us ver 23. is the necessary Consequence of our Love to him If any man love me he will keep my words i. e. this will most certainly be the Effect of his Love to me that he will be obedient to my Will And by this he plainly tells us he will judge of the Sincerity of our Friendship to him John xv 14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you From all which it is evident that the most proper and characteristical Expression of our Love to God is our keeping his Commandments And indeed considering that God is our Soveraign Lawgiver there are no Actions by which we can so naturally express our Affection to him as by those of Obedience and Submission to his Laws and therefore we find in Scripture that to love God and obey his Laws and to hate God and disobey them are generally used promiscuously for one another and that for very good reason for here our Love and Hatred of God are not considered as conversant about God as God in which sense perhaps there is no Creature in the World can be said to hate him but as conversant about him as Lord and Governour of the World as he gives Laws to Mankind whereby he commands them what to do and forbids them what to avoid And in this Sense to love God is to love him as Governing and Commanding and as such we can no otherwise express our Love to him but by keeping his Commandments But for the farther clearing of this I shall in Prosecution of the Argument do these two Things I. Shew you that wheresoever the Love of God is it will most certainly prove a Principle of Obedience to him II. That the Love of God is in it self the most perfect and effectual Principle of Obedience 1. That wheresoever the Love of God is it will most certainly prove a Principle of Obedience to him And this I doubt not will evidently appear if we consider that all the natural Expressions of our Love as it is terminated upon God do of their own accord finally resolve themselves into Obedience to his Will For Love wheresoever it is hearty and sincere always expresses it self in such Symptoms as these 1. In industriously endeavouring to resemble the Beloved 2. In conforming the Will Designs and Intentions to the Will and Designs and Intentions of the Beloved 3. In a solicitous Care of avoiding those Things which may any ways displease or distaste the Beloved 4. In a chearful Readiness to undergo any thing be it never so hard or difficult for the sake of the Beloved All which Expressions of our Love when it is terminated upon God do most naturally run into Obedience to his Will 1. If we love God our Love will