Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	4,322	5	5.9067	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08802	Faith & experience:, or, A short narration of the holy life and death of Mary Simpson, late of Gregories Parish in the city of Norvvich: who dyed, anno 1647 in or about the thirtieth yeare of her age after 3 yeares sicknesse and upwards. Containing a confession of her faith and relation of her experience, taken from her owne mouth. To which is added a sermon preached at her funerall, upon Rom. 14. 6,7. / by John Collings.	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.; Collinges, John, 1623-1690. Life & death of a true Christian deciphered in a sermon.	1649 (1649)	Wing C5316A; ESTC R231574	44,489	160

my spirituall condition he would have troubled me with three things as he did Christ by queries First how I knew that I was a child of God And secondly how I could make out my interest in Christ whether it it was fancy or delusion or whether reall Next thirdly he would have Her strēgth against Sathan perswaded me that I laye under the guilt of some sinne that was not pardoned my answer was to the first I knew I was a child of God by his Word Works God made it out to me to the second I answered that God had assured me of an interest in Christ by a promise of the spirit bearing witnesse with abundance of of consolation that I was his spouse thy maker is thine husband c. To the third I answered God pardoned all sinnes in respect of himselfe at once I only did lye under the guilt of some sins but God came in abundantly with a promise that God acquitted me from all And so Satans objection was fully answered and I abundandly delivered Another temptation was about the time of Gods taking away my neare relation which was a sister of mine he took an advantage by the weaknesse of my body oftentimes to trouble me with many thoughts of her death and the manner of it both sleeping and waking and I was in some question about her eternall condition at first I thought it was rather some peece of Nature than any temptation but as soone as I saw it was a temptation I set my selfe to seek God against it And I had this answer from God after a few thoughts in seeking that the Lord would rebuke the devourer for my bodies sake and from this scripture that the God of Satan would bruise Satan under my feet shortly and for my sisters condition and the manner of her death God gave this word Is thy eye evill because mine is good shall I not doe with mine owne what I will aye said my soul if she were his I could be the better perswaded to give her up to God then God told me he lookt not as man lookt but if there were any work of God he would owne his owne work but however he caused me to leave her Her stooping to Gods soveraignty to his prerogative royall who judgeth righteous Iudgement I saw a necessity of frequenting the best meanes once in speciall I saw abundance from God to Her care to honour her Parents in what she might with security to her conscience incourage me in that way my Father and Mother commanded me to goe one way to hear and I was put upon it to goe another way for which they were very fierce and violent the Lord was pleased to put me upon it to inquire what I should doe in this particular and while I was thinking the fifth commandement came into my thoughts honour your Father and Mother c. Then I began to Thinke what honour was due to them being desirous to give them that honour that I was commanded if they commanded with God I was ready and willing to obey them with cherefulnesse but seeing they commanded contrary to God I saw the command of God greater than their command and I went to the word and God met me there in such a way that he gave me incouragement to goe through opposition and difficulty in time to come whatever I should meet withall though they were stripes I was willing to give my back to the smiters rather than to give up my conscience to be racked the opposition of the creature is not much when Gods makes it easy This other experiences I have had of Gods power and goodnesse in a way Her resolutenesse for God where I met with opposition So that its good to be resolute for God though you may lose some favour with the creature yet yee shall be double gayners if you may injoy the favour of God the light of his countenance is better than life The next thing I saw was that there was a faith which was according to sight like that of Thomas He beleeved because he saw and another faith beyond sight which was to beleeve upon the sight of the actings of grace plentifully upon my soule When God withdrew the sence of his love so that I did not injoy the dayly incomes of Gods love I was constrained to live upon the immutability Strong Faith and unchangablenesse of God Notwitwstanding the great mercy and favour of God formerly convayed I was constrained with David to cry out Restore A desertion to me the joy of thy salvation and then I apprehended that Christ was absent at which time I lived solitary and in the Darke I lookt Her carriage in it upon Christ as a husband but yet as a husband going a Journey and hid behind a curtaine so that my soule was as the spouse restlesse in looking out to inquire after him but in time he sent many love letters to me which were these To you that feare my name shall the Sunne of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings Though I did not feare him perfectly and as I ought yet I had some desires to serve him in truth And another was Hee that shall come will come and will not stay yet sometime by reason of his absence I wondred what my temper was and said what is God about to teach me oh that I knew his mind and I would doe it oh that I knew what my present condition were and in time God graciously came in with this scripture and perswaded me with Gal. 2. 20. Paul that the life I now lived was by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himselfe 2 Cor. 13. for me And that his grace was sufficient Her recovery out of her desertion for me and at last I saw him behind the curtaines I saw him but could not injoy him at last I found him whom my soule loved God hath not set me a president in respect of my bodily affliction but he hath caused me not to repine against him if he make me a president to others so I may be serviceable and be made instrumentall for the good of any poore soule my soule is satisfied Her sweet Gospell-spirit in her sad Affliction and I am abundantly willing to submit so God may be glorified and any poore soule edified it is satisfaction enough to me so I may be an instrument in Gods hand for any spirituall good The paths of God are pleasant paths I could wish it were more and more my meat and drink to doe the will of my father I feare more that too much impatience should break forth for an earnest desire for heaven than any thing for I found some deceit in my heart in that particular break out once And I have cause to feare there is more of the fire if the Lord doe not quench it I being once in my owne apprehension and in the sight

of many beholders at the point of death not expecting to live many dayes I apprehended God sending Her impatience of staying here forth two messengers the one was the grim serjeant Death with a commission from God to arest the body I apprehended that the rest of the body should but set the soule at liberty The other messenger sent from God was the Angell of God with a commission from God to carry the soule to the place of Iust men made perfect so that I was perswaded to bid adue to all creature ingagements onely I was to work while it was called to day the works of God for the night was at hand when I should no more work with the Saints on earth It was such a refreshment to my soule that my time was at hand that I was glad to be uncloathed that I might be cloathed upon So that I could say oh death where is thy sting oh hell where is thy victory I was taken up much 2 or 3 Her care to dye to the Lord. dayes in the work of exhortation of friends that came to visit me then the Lord sent a messenger of his who made a new report again of my Fathers house which was much illustrated to me by an instrument of his I could not but expresse to them who came to visit me what great things were to be injoyed in my fathers house said oh that they might come to me and to the Instrument I said if God had sent him to make a report of these things to my eares I bid him speake on for I was willing to heare what God would speake to me by him I was much conversant in the meditation of these things for twenty four houres or there about but before I was out of heaven in my thoughts I felt a thorue in my flesh Satan buffeting of me arguing thus against Gods proceedings by reason of the dispensation of God changing my bodily condition promising me some continuance in the Land of the living for a season here I found the rebellion of the flesh with the opposition of Satan to quarell against God being unwilling to abide in the flesh notwithstanding God saw it was better for me to be in the body for a time I desire whatever A sweet frame of spirit seem good to God may not seeme grievous to me I had no quiet nor rest in my soul till I saw this distemper my unwillingnes to submit to the wil of God wrought out and for that the Lord made me to seeke him earnestly and he was found in the day of my affliction I said within my self what good would my life doe me if God did not take away the evill of sin my affliction was nothing but my sin was my affliction and the Lord harkned and heard and took away my sin then I found my affliction nothing though greater than formerly yet Affliction easie as easie as ever then the Lord put me upon it to consider why he delaid his coming in that way wherin I apprehended he was about to Come I apprehended these to be the ends First To let me see the evill Her holy interpretation of Gods dealings towards her of my heart what I was in my selfe refractory rebellious another end was that I might see the worke of Gods grace in the hearts of some and be instrumentall to doe some thing for their good if God pleased to incline me for the helping forward of that work of his for I apprehend I shall work no more for the Saints after this life though Iesus Christ worke for the Saints in Heaven as well as when he was on earth yet the Saints work for the Saints only in this life The other end was as I apprehend that I might live to take care for a Child and to engage some honest man to take him which is partly effected Another end I apprehend was that I might take notice of the answer of the prayers of others Againe having been taken up in my thoughts more than ordinary in and about the differences of the times among the Saints in these late yeares in and about some Circumstances about Religion as I apprehend and I Her opinion concerning the differences of the present time was perswaded that the circumstance was nothing in comparison of the substance some said this was the way and some said that was the way some were for a separated Church others for a mixt Church First this I was perswaded that Iesus Christ was the only way to salvation by a worke of grace in the hearts of his people But I apprehending that the society of Gods people was very usefull and that those of the Independent society as they are called did make an improvement of the society of the Saints more than those that were out of that way did for the present It made me to have some inclination to that way and thereupon to apply my selfe to God for his direction in it what to doe then I saw that the Independent society went into their way in and by a covenant which I could not see any ground for whereupon I desired their grounds but found little or no satisfaction Their scriptures were Exod. 19. 6. Ezek. 16. 6 7 8. Jer. 50. 5. Acts 5. 13. Eph. 4. 3. Be Exod. 19. 6. Ezek. 16. 6 7 8. Jer. 50. 5. Acts 5. 13. Epes 4. 3. knit together in love which say they implies a covenant but I could not see by their light but did apprehend that that scripture was directed to the Saints in generall and not to Congregations in particular then they said they prest not their covenant as absolutely Her opinion concerning entring into Church-fellowship by a Covenant necessary but left it as a voluntary act then I began to think whether a voluntary vow were lawfull to be taken in matters of Religion which I find lawfull in scripture as David did vow against his sin and it s put upon record in scripture that if we vow to God we must not deferr to pay it then I began to think that the society of Gods people was vsefull and if it could not be injoyed Note without covenanting its just with God to give us up to covenanting for the hardnesse of our hearts who would not willingly do it without this And I conceive that David could not come up to duty as he would till he came to covenanting but I began to think wheher this covenant so much prest was my duty viz. to joyne in a way of Covenant for the injoyment of the society of the Saints and after seeking of God he gave me this place If thou doest not vow thou doest not Her determination upon it sin and it satisfied me that I might injoy the society with the Saints out of the way and therefore saw no necessity of ingaging my selfe in the way And he also gave me these places to satisfie me further be ye followers