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love_n affection_n faith_n love_v 2,537 5 6.2010 4 false
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A13014 A forme of wholsome words, or, An introduction to the body of divinity in three sermons on 2 Timothy, I.13 / preached by John Stoughton ... Stoughton, John, 1593-1639.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664. 1640 (1640) STC 23307.5; STC 23307A_PARTIAL; ESTC S100140 52,852 122

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all the Epistles of Paul and therefore I forbear to speak any thing of it 2. The Introduction by which the Apostle fals upon his scope and upon his work that he hath to do with Timothy in this Epistle it contains a sweet expression of the tender love and affection which Paul beareth to Timothy and this he sheweth 1. To be a great love 2. To be a well grounded love 3. To be a growing and continuing love These three circumstances are specially observable He proveth that it is great and though it be great He approves it to be well grounded And in the last place he doth improve it and makes use of this love to stir up Timothy to an improvement in all piety 1. The greatnesse of the Apostles love is expressed and proved and demonstrated by a double fruit of it 1. We have one fruit of this excellent love of Paul to Timothy in the third verse immediately after the salutation contained in the two former and it is an earnest prayer for the good of Timothy remembring of him in his absence though he were distant far in place and person yet there was a soder that held him to Timothy that joyned him to Timothy and made him to present him to God in his prayers continually if you will reade the verse you have it very emphatically expressed in three very choice circumstances I thank God whom I serve from mine Elders with pure conscience that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day 1. He prayeth for him night and day in the latter end of the verse 2. Night and day without ceasing without interruption or intermission and he doth it with so much strength and tendernesse of affection as Chrysostom upon that place observes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} it is a very hyperbolicall love which the Apostle sheweth to Timothy in that he doth blesse God that he prayed for him I thank God and he blesseth God which is an Argument of very sweet love and tender affection of his heart working towards the good of Timothy remembring him continually in his prayers 2. There is a second fruit of this love by which the Apostle demonstrates the greatness of his love and that is in the fourth verse Desiring to see thee there is a strong attractive between Christian and Christian that do know one another that draweth them strongly together and prevaileth against all distance of place so as they do not only remember but they do make out towards the injoyment one of anothers company and this Paul demonstrates to Timothy and it is expressed emphatically as though much of Pauls comfort and much of the happinesse and sweetnesse of his life did depend on the injoyment of Timothy that I may be filled with joy as if he should say he should be full of joy in his presence and this is the first circumstance viz. the greatnesse of his love expressed by his prayers for him and his desire to see him 2. But then secondly this is not an inordinate love a misplaced love or a meer naturall and carnall affection that Paul had to Timothy but it is a spirituall and subordinate love which is grounded upon very great reason which is as you know the other circumstance now this he approves to be a well grounded love which he bears towards Timothy from a double consideration 1. First his tender love to Paul expressed in his tears v. 4. Magnes amoris amor love is the loadstone of love and therefore he said right si vis amari ama the most effectuall charm to draw love is the sence and experience of the love of an other towards us He is of a very barbarous spirit that will not reciprocate and answer love with love and thus the Apostle intimates as the first ground of his love the tender love and tender affection of Timothy towards Paul and therefore if it were for nothing else but for his love towards him he loves him and that is intimated in the 4 verse remembring thy tears I refer it for the present and so I conceive it very reasonable to the last parting of Paul and Timothy now to those that are united together in strong affection it is death to part It is like a child that is to part with the nurses brest and must be weaned there is a great deal of mourning and pining and languishing away to think that he must bee weaned from his breast from whence he hath sucked so much sweetnesse and nourishment Such an affection there seemed to be stirring in Timothy towards Paul at there parting Now Timothy having long injoyed the sweet and comfortable communion of Paul and the happinesse of his fellowship whence he had sucked so many instructions so much edification so much of his establishment now upon the apprehension of parting with him he apprehends he must be robbed of all this the thought of this like a child made him breake forth into teares so that is the first ground of Pauls love to Timothy Timothyes love to him 2 His true faith to God which was lineal Cordiall this is another ground which the Apostle produceth to prove the groundednesse of his love and that was Timothyes desert having that which was worthy to be beloved There be two things say the Philosophers that are the fountaines of love A man loves either {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. either because the thing is his own or else because the thing is worthy to be beloved a man loves his child though it be not so faire or so witty or so commendable as many others are yet he loves it because it is his owne and those that are our owne that are made ours are also made love worthy for that is a good ground of love {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} But yet the highest ground of love is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. worthines of love and this ground of Timothyes worthinesse as the ground of Pauls love the Apostle mentions in the 5 vers. you shall find it there fully expressed When I call to remembrance the unfained faith that is in thee which dwelt first in thy granmother Lois c. The lineall and cordiall pietie of Timothy the piety of Timothy which Paul knew and was perswaded of and had experience of was the great bond that tyed the heart of Paul to Timothy and that is so much the more commendable because it was piety laid in the right line he was descended from a pious family from pious parents he mentions his mother and his grandmother which is a circumstance that addes some beauty some glosse it is a sweet thing to see the children and grandchildren of those that have been in covenant with God of those that have feared God to see them tread in their parents steps to continue their piety that it doth not fall to the