Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	affection_n	desire_n	love_v	2,823	5	5.8703	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67286	The preciousness of Christ to the believing-Christian Plainly and briefly set forth for the edification and consolation of believers in, and lovers of the Lord Jesus Christ. In a sermon on I Pet. 2. 7. By William Walker, B.D.	Walker, William, 1623-1684.	1667 (1667)	Wing W432A; ESTC R219919	23,737	44

or any thing in it take up the whole or the remain of your hearts so that your minds are little or nothing upon Christ and you are seldome or never thinking of him it is a sign Christ is not very precious to you Small is the value we have for that which we are seldome or never thinking of Secondly they to whom Christ is precious as they will be much and often thinking of him so they will set a high price and value upon him they will very highly prize him His worth with them is above Rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to him Prov. 8. 11. Like St. Paul they will count all things but loss and dung in comparison with him Phil. 3. 8. Now Brethren is it so with you Have you such high thoughts of Christ Do you set so great a price upon him Do you apprehend a Divine nature and excellency an infinite worth and value in him Is there nothing that your heart can prefer before him It is then a sign he is precious to you But if your thoughts touching his nature and excellency be mean and low so that like the Arian Hereticks of old and the Socinian Hereticks of late you esteem him but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a meer man if his worth and value in your apprehension be scanty and little such as it was in his who sold him for thirty pence and it is sad to think how many there be at this day that matter not the selling of him at a much lower rate if there be any thing that you prize above him or prefer before him then it is a sign that in your eyes he is despised and you esteem him not that you make no great account of him that he is not precious to you Those things are not precious to us which we have but little value for Thirdly They to whom Christ is precious have a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. ad ●n very great desire after him They hunger after him they pant and breath after him even as the Hart pants and brays after the Water-brooks their Souls like Davids are athirst for God Psal 42. 1 2. for the living God they count all things like St. Paul but loss and dung that they may win Christ. Phil. 3. 8. O my Dove that art in the clefts of the Rocks in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy Countenance let me hear thy Voice for sweet is thy Voice and thy Countenance is comely So breaths the Spouse in the Canticles after Christ her beloved Cant. 2. 14. Christ is the desire of the souls of them that truly believe in him and their hearts do even run after him with the swiftest feet of the strongest affections Is it so with you Brethren Examine your hearts upon this Point Have you so fervent a love for your Lord Have you so passionate affections for Jesus Have you so strong desires after Christ Is the desire of all Nations the delight of your souls Answerable unto his preciousnesse to you will be your affections for your love to your desires after him But if your affection for him be small your love cold your desire weak it is a sign he is not precious to you That is not very precious to a man which he hath no great love for nor mind to nor desire after Fourthly they to whom Christ is precious will be very industrious in their Inquest after him they will seek him diligetly even as silver and search for him as for hidden treasures Prov. 2. 4. or as a Merchant seeks for goodly Pearls Mat. 13. 45. they will seek him like the Spouse in the Canticles by night upon their beds and by day in the streets and in the broad wayes Cant. 3. 1 2. in private duties in publick Ordinances any where every where wherever they may hope to find him neglecting no means refusing no pains missing no opportunities of coming to him Is it so with you Brethren Are you diligent in your search after Christ Can you find in your hearts to be at paines to sind him Do you think no labours no watchings no fastings no prayers no teares no attendance in duties and on Ordinances too great so you may win Christ It is then a sign Christ is precious to you But if you make little or no inquiring after him if you be lither and lazie in the seeking of him if you think much and grudge to be at paines to find him it is a sign you set small value upon him that you have no precious esteem for him It is not precious to a man that is not worth his seeking after Fifthly they to whom Christ is precious will be willing to purchase him at any rate though never so dear so they may but have him They will part even with all for him Like the Merchant in the Gospel that sought for goodly pearls when they have found this one Pearl of great price they will sell all they have that they may buy him They will forgoe their Liberties for Christ they will forgoe their estates for Christ they will forgoe their Honours for Christ they will forgoe their Friends for Christ they will forgoe their sins for Christ they will forgoe their righteousnesse for Christ and they will forgoe even their lives for Christ I have goods a Mr. Copin Wife and Children said a French-Confessor once and yet I have lost those affections which I formerly bore to them neither are they dear to me so I may gain Christ. I love my wife and children in the Lord said an English ●ich ●oodman Martyr and if I had ten thousand pound in gold I had rather forgoe it all than them but I have them as if I had them not and I will not for their sakes forsake Christ. What things were gain to me saith St. Paul those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all tbings and do count them but dung that I may winne Christ. Phil. 3. 7 8. It were easie to be very large even so as to tire you with such like instances as these of Persons who have been willing at any rate to purchase Christ weighing neither things visible nor things invisiblr as St. Ignatius said by himself ●p ad ●om 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the gaining of Christ. But how is it now with you Brethren Are you so fond of this great purchase Are you willing to part with any thing yea even with all thing for Christ Have you nothing but what you can readily forgoe for him however otherwise dear and delightful it be to you Then it is a sign that in your esteem of him Christ is precious But if there be any enjoyment whether of Liberty or Estate Honour or Friend Sin or Duty yea if it be even Life

it self which you are not contented to part withall for Christ I shall leave it unto your selves to consider whether Christ be precious unto you or no. It is not precious which one would not part with a Vanity for And what is the best of earthly comforts and enjoyments more Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher Vanity of vanities all is vanity Eccl. 1. 2 Sixthly They to whom Christ is precious having got him are careful to keep him When the Spouse in the Canticles had found him whom her soul loved O how careful was she to keep him I held him saith she and would not let him go until I had brought him into my Mothers house and into the Chambers of her that conceived me Cant. 3. 4. Christ when once gained is too precious the believing-soul thinks for her to be ever willing to part with again and therefore she useth no less care to keep him than she took pains to get him O how she clings to him and clasps about him with the powerfullest arms of purest Love No man is more careful to preserve a Jewel than a believing-soul is to keep its Jesus She Cabinets up this Pearl of inestimable price in the innermost Closet of her heart And as if she could never think him safe enough she is continually visiting of him there Like the man in the Comedy that had found and hid a pot of Gold her eye or mind is seldom off Plaut Aulut from him Nor will she upon any terms do any thing that may vex him thence as well knowing that if once upon any unworthy usage he withdraw himself it is no easie matter to recover him again Here therefore she bestoweth all her care here 〈◊〉 exerciseth all her skill how she ma● 〈…〉 her Beloved how she may everlastingly enjoy her Dearest one And how is it now with you Brethren are you so careful to keep your Christ are you so fearful to lose your Jesus are you so cautious not to do any thing whereby he may be provoked to withdraw himself from you If so then it is a sign he is precious to you But if you have small or no regard to the holding of so precious a possession as Christ is if you slight such a Friend when he is come to you if you abuse him or by any unworthy carriage towards him do provoke him to depart from you then it is a sign you do not much esteem him that you set no very great value upon him Not very precious are those things to us which when we have them we care not whether we lose or keep them I may yet over and above all these Notes add in the seventh place That they to whom Christ is precious do preciously esteem of any thing that is Christs any thing that bears upon it the stamp and signature of Christ any thing that hath relation unto Christ as the Members of Christ the Ministers of Christ the Word of Christ the Name of Christ the Day of Christ and the House of Christ They to whom Christ is precious will have a precious esteem for all these His Members they refresh as his own bowels his Ministers they receive as his own self his Word they hear as his own voice his Name that Name which is above every Name his Name Jesus they do account with St. Chrysostome to contain a thousand treasures of good 〈◊〉 4. in 〈…〉 things and will not hear it named especially in Divine Service without some token of an especial 〈…〉 His Day with St. Ignatius and Gregory 〈…〉 they account 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Queen and highest of all Dayes and call his Sabbath a delight And for his House with the Patriarch Jacob they account it no other but the House of God and the Gate of Heaven Now Brethren how is it with you as to these things Have you such dear affections for any thing that is Christs Have you so precious an esteem for any of the Relatives of Christ If so 't is well it is a sign of a good esteem that you have of Christ himself and that he is precious unto you But if not and there be too many that with their mouths do shew much love to Christ who in their hearts have love little enough for the Members of Christ lesse for the Word of Christ and least of all for the Ministers of Christ too many there be that pretend to be great honourers of Christ that shew no more respect to the Name of Christ than to any other Name not much more respect to the Day of Christ than to any other day and as little if not less respect to the House of Christ as to any other house I say if that be not precious to you which is Christs it is to be feared that you do but pretend all the while that you say That Christ is precious unto you And now Brethren if upon examination of your selves by these Notes you find that Christ is precious unto you ye may comfort your selves with a confidence of your being in the Faith of Christ For unto those that believe in him he is precious But on the other side if upon this examination you cannot find Christ precious to you ye may do well to consider whether ye be in the faith or no. If he be precious unto those that believe on him then how can those be thought to believe on him to whom he is not precious And therefore to proceed in the second place from Examination unto Exhortation to the end you may be able to assure your hearts of the truth of your faith that ye do in truth believe in Jesus labour O labour that Christ may be precious unto you He is infinitely precious in himself O never leave till he be answerably precious unto you These two are very distant things for Christ to be precious in himself and to be precious unto us VVe cannot make him more precious then he already is in himself To that which is infinite can nothing be added to make it more infinite and 't is infinite the preciousnesse that is in Christ But we may make him much more precious unto our selves then as yet he hath been to us The Jewel in the Table was perfectly possessed of all its genuine native worth at the same time when the dunghil-Cock preferr'd a barlie-corn before it The Lord Jesus Christ was the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express image Isa 53. 2. 1 Pet. 2. 4. Isa 53. 3. of his person Heb. 1. 3. even then when in the sight of men he had no form nor comliness nor beauty that they should desire him He was chosen of God and precious even then when he was despised and rejected of men He was the Lord of glory even then when the Jews his own people denyed and crucified him That therefore being precious in himself he may be precious unto you