Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A28169
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Tender counsel and advice to the flock of God everywhere by a lover of truth and righteousness, William Bingley.
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Bingley, William, 1651-1715.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing B2923; ESTC R18478
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19,834
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66
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TENDER Counsel and Advice TO THE Flock of God Every where By a Lover of Truth and Righteousness William Bingley Psalms 107. 43. Whoso is Wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the Loving Kindness of the Lord. Psal 112. 1 2 3. Blessed is the Man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his Commandments his Seed shall be mighty upon Earth the Generation of the Righteous shall be Blessed Wealth and Riches shall be in his House and his Righteousness endureth for ever Gal. 5. 1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the Yoke of Bondage London Printed and Sold by T. Sowle next Door to the Meeting-house in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-street and at the Bible in Leaden-hall-street near the Market 1697. TENDER Counsel and Advice TO THE Flock of God c. GOD who is Rich in Mercy to all that calls upon him in Sincerity and with a True and Humble Heart seeks him hath in his Unspeakable Love been Pleased to (a) Luke 1. 78 79. Visit us who once were under the Regions of the Shadow of Death with the Light of that Blessed Day which sprung from on High which is no other but the Light of his Beloved Son whom he Promised of Old to give For a (b) Isa 42. 6. 49. 6. Acts 13. 47. Covenant of the People for a Light of the Gentiles This is that Light with which he hath reached to us and caused to Shine in our (c) 2 Cor. 4. 6. Hearts to give us the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ whereby we who were in the times past scattered in the Darkness and Ignorance of our Minds upon the Desolate and Barren Mountains of empty Profession where we might have remained to this Day yea and all our Days in a Poor Miserable and Wretched State Desolate of the Knowledge of those things which makes truly Happy both in this World and that which is to come had not Almighty God in this the Day of his great Love Stretched out the Arm of his Power to gather us that we might no longer remain in Sin and Coruption which (d) Dan. 9. 24. Christ our Lord came to put an End to and by his Precious (e) Eph. 1. 7. Blood to Redeem us from And that we who were Aliens and Foreigners in our Minds from the Common Wealth of Israel might by the Work of his Eternal Power and Spirit in our Hearts be made nigh to him who gave his Life a Ransom for us whereby we might come to be Heirs of Peace through the true Knowledge of the Work of Sanctification wrought in our Hearts by his Spirit and then Inhabitants of that City which the Lord God and the Lamb is the (f) Rev. 21. 23. Light and Glory of Now Friends seeing the Lord hath done thus for us and not for us only but to all Mankind in general hath given a Visitation of Love and brought us to the Knowledge of Christ who is the (g) John 14. 6. Truth the Way and the Life and has opened (h) Heb. 10. 20. a Door for us to return to God again what remains but that we in a Holy Bowedness Reverence and Fear towards Almighty God and Love to Christ that first Loved us and laid down his Life Make a right Improvement of all the tender Mercies and Dealings of the Lord and truly answer the End of the Divine Discoveries and Visitations of the Great Everlasting God to us by receiving the Blessed Truth and the Heavenly Discovery thereof in the Love of it and joyning to the Appearance of it in our Souls and so loving the Rebukes and Convictions of it as to forsake every thing it Reproves for and Discovers to be Evil and wait to feel the (i) Joh. 16. 13. Guidance of it out of all Untruth into all Truth And as it is given to us to change and renew us in the Spirit (k) Eph. 4. 23. of our Minds So we may truly give up to it that it may work a thorough and effectual Change in us Translating us out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of the Dear Son of God and to possess that Treasure of Eternal Life that neither Moth can Eat (l) Mat. 6. 19. Rust Corrupt nor Thieves break through and Steal Now as that is the good End for which the Great God has bestowed so Great and Glorious a Principle upon Man if we be not thus Changed and made Heirs of Life the fault is our own for there is neither want of Good Will in God towards Man nor want of Power in that Divine Principle God has been Pleased to bestow upon Man but it is Mans loving the World and the Delights of it and Samson-like (m) Judg. 16. 4. harbouring a Dalilah in the Bosom for although a Profession of the Truth it self may be made from the Convictions and Discoveries it makes yet not being Changed and Renewed in the Spirit of our Minds but the Old Nature and Birth remaining Alive in them not given up to the Judgment and Stroak of Truth in themselves these are they that though a Day of Visitation hath reached them and the Blessed Truth is made known to them and the reproofs thereof have followed them yet they have not truly turned at the Reproofs thereof and so not received the Truth in the Love of it but are such as the Holy Apostle Rom. 1. 18. Describes Who hold the Truth in Vnrighteousness and the Wrath of God is Revealed from Heaven against such and he gives the Reason for it in the next Verse Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them So that it is not holding barely a Profession of the Truth that will do us any good but it is a being Renewed in our Minds or else whatever we may Profess the Wrath of God abides upon us So that we are not only to Profess the Truth but to Love it above all things and to yield Obedience to it for our Love to Christ Jesus the Truth is manifested by our Obedience and Subjection to him it being in vain to pretend we Love him whil'st we are not willing to Bow to him and to let him have the Government of our Minds If you Love me saith our Lord keep my Commandments John 14. 15. And again He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that Loveth me and he that Loveth me shall be Loved of my Father and I will Love him and Manifest my self to him Verse 21. Again Jesus said If a Man Love me he will keep my Words and he adds a Blessed and Comfortable Promise to such that thus Love him and my Father will Love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him Verse 23. And seeing none are Lovers of him but these who
keep his Commandments and keep his Words and Sayings how do's it behove us to come to a strict and thorough search Are we keeping his Commandments his Words and Sayings You know the tendency of all the Words Sayings and Commandments of our Lord was to bring Man to the Knowledge of his Power and the Work of it in them that they might come to be Sanctified by his Word (n) Joh. 17. 17. which is Truth and Born again (o) John 3. 3 8. of the Spirit for without it no Man can enter the Kingdom of God and also to rectifie Man both in Life and Manners that as Man was gone away from his Primitive State of Holiness into the Dark World he by observing his Word of Life and keeping of his Commandments might come up again in that Brightness and Glory from which he was fallen to Love and Fear God who hath given him Life and Being And where this Love is thus seated in the Heart and lived in it will naturally lead to forsake all things that offends him and hurts and hinders the spreading of the Truth and the Glory of his Name For it is not a shew or bare pretence of Loving him that will Intitle us to the Blessed Promise of He and his Fathers Loving them and coming to make their Abode with them For as it is said by the Apostle John If any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2. 15. And it is said by our Lord He that Loveth (p) Mat. 10. 37. Father Mother Wife or Children c. better than me is not worthy of me Now if we must not Love things that are both good and lawful in themselves and justifiable for us to have enjoy and love in their places better than the Lord but he must have the Mind and Affections above and beyond the Love of them then our Love to these things must be subordinate to the Love we must have to him nor must we let our Minds Love or Affections be at all after unlawful things as the (q) James 4. 4. Friendship and Favour of this World for that is at Enmity with God nor after Covetousness and Pride the Lust Pleasure and Wantonness of this World for they are Evil and expresly forbidden and therefore as the Apostle said (r) Col. 2. 21. Touch not tast not handle not for they Defile and make unfit to draw nigh to God or to have fellowship with him and his Beloved Son who came to Redeem us from such things Now they that know the Truth well know that the Truth calls out of such things to abandon forsake and withstand them in every of their Appearances and to War against every hurtful Lust that Wars against the Soul and does not only call for this Resisting of them but will enable every one that submits to it in themselves to overcome these Snares and Temptations and so not to be Slaves and brought into Bondage by Evil but to be Victors over it And yet notwithstanding God has given this knowledge and invested man with a Divine Power if he will yet give way to these things and gratifie his vain and unbridled Mind and will harbour them in his Heart and live in them though he offends by so doing and becomes an ill Example to others such will unavoidably bring themselves under the Character the Apostle gives of some (s) 2 Tim. 3. 4. Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God and must Reap the Reward of their so doing and therefore will not be found worthy of him who is come out of the Bosom of the Father to Restore poor lost Man to God again nor of that Eternal Life and Peace which he brings all those who receive him in that Love in which the Father sent him And therefore my Dear Friends as we Profess the Blessed Truth let us Love and Live in it and give up in Obedience to it that it may Purge (t) 1 Cor. 5. 7. out that old Leaven of Sin and Corruption and may slay and bring under that Evil Nature and Birth which loves and is ready to lay hold of Temptation when presented in our view by the Adversary of our Souls and so to Purifie and Mould us a new that we may be a new Lump Leavened into the Heavenly Divine Nature and become New Creatures Grafted into Christ Jesus the True and Heavenly Vine and become (v) Rom. 11. 17. Branches in him and receive Divine and Heavenly Sap and Virtue from him who is the Holy and Heavenly Root from whom all True Nourishment comes and being thus Grafted into Christ and Abiding in him we shall grow in him and bring forth Fruits of Righteousness through him to God's Glory and our Everlasting Joy and Peace which that all may do who have been Reached to by the Blessed Truth are the Hearty Prayers and Supplications of my Soul to the Lord. Therefore let all be Careful that none who have in any measure partook of the Life and Virtue which is in him who is the Living Vine lose the Sweetness thereof and consequently its Nature and so suck Nourishment from another Root though the Name and Profession may be retain'd and whil'st Professing to be Branches in Christ the True Vine are found to be in the old Root of Bitterness bringing forth the Fruits of it which are those of the Flesh as the Apostle doth fully and plainly describe them which are Strife Emulation (w) Gal. 5. 19 20 21. Wrath Contention Envying Drunkenness Whoredom c. and they that commit such things cannot Inherit the Kingdom of God but the Fruits of the Spirit which are brought forth by all that abide in Christ the True Vine are Love Joy x Peace Long-Suffering Gentleness Verses 22 23 24. Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance against such there is is no Law for they that are Christ's have Crucified the Flesh with the Affections and the Lusts So there is no room or indulgence to be given to the Fruits of the Flesh but we are to shew forth in all things that we are his Children and are Crucified (y) Gal. 6. 14. to the World and the World to us that as the Apostle saith If we Live in the Spirit it is not our saying We Live in the Spirit if we do not manifest he Fruits thereof let us also (z) Gal. 5. 25 26. walk in the Spirit let us not be desirous of vain Glory Provoking one another Envying one another for these are not the Fruits of a Branch in Christ nor of one that has Crnuified the Flesh but the contrary and is the Product of a Corrupt and Darkened Heart that notwithstanding may Profess the Truth and Talk of great things for a Name and Applause among Men yet is not subject to the Spirit of Truth which would Leaven into the Fruits of its own Nature but this Fleshly Exalted Vain Glorious Mind and Spirit that is Puff'd up in the