Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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B02407
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Counsel for sufferers, or Helps under sufferings from [sic]
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1683
(1683)
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Wing C6514B; ESTC R227098
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28,641
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57
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services it spoiles Gods acceptance of all your duties and services God will not accept a doer if he be not at least willing to be a sufferer and that rejoyceingly God can't endure a man suffering so to speak with a blur'd face hanging down his head like a bull-rush Christs active obedience could not doe alone in point of satisfaction nor can ours in point of duty Secondly 2 2ly for reproof this justly reproves those that insteed of rejoyceing to suffer for Christ entertaines them with regrate that come to affliction as a bear to the stake or a theef to the Gallous Such as shrinke especially that dog it in Religion when they should appear courageously such sufferings are very unacceptable unto God when wee are compell'd to that in which wee should be most free and voluntary Isa 58.5 Is it such a Fast that I have chosen a day for a man to afflict his soul is it to bow down his head like a bull-rush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him wilt thou call this a Fast and an acceptable day unto the Lord It is a sad signe of a perverse and hypocriticall heart not to suffer joyfully upon Christs account The Romans if the beast that was to be made a sacrifice would not goe willingly they would never offer that beast up in sacrifice so if wee doe not offer our selves willingly soul and body which is but our reasonable sacrifice we shall not be accounted holy nor acceptable to God through Jesus Christ It was the excellencie of former tymes 4 Cautions anent sufferings that they were carefull to suffer for Christ that so Christ might not suffer by them Alwayes remember First that it is far better to suffer for Christ then to suffer by Christ Caut. 2 Secondly remember how much Christ suffered for you The just for the unjust that he might bring us to God I remember the Souldier told Augustus 1 Pet. 3.10 if I had served you as you serve me at the battel of Actium where had you been so may Christ say to us where had you been if I had served you upon the Cross as ye serve me if I had deserted your cause what had become of you ye had been lost to eternity Caut. 3 Thirdly consider wee partake of Christs sufferings proportionably as he partakes of ours If we suffer for him his sufferings are made manifest in us Caut. 4 Fourthly he that by directly unlawfull means will endeavour to avoid sufferings commonly runs upon a double suffering is exposed to sufferings both in body and soul in time and it may be to eternity Thirdly by way of exhortation 3 3 For Exhortation let me perswade all of you to learn this Leslen though hard and will goe much against the hair of holy joyfullness in sufferings it is good for you to be provided and not to goe naked into a storme and battel hard tymes put me upon calling you to it Since Christ hath suffered for us arme your selves likewise with the same minde resolve to suffer with chearfullness 't is your priviledge as well as duty why will yee neglect one thing that is matter of privilege unto you Motives 8. Motives to press you hereunto Mot. 1 First It is an Evidence of Saint-ship of truth of grace and of strength of grace and the want of it is an evidence of Hypocrisie For where in will yee difference your selves from sinners and ungodly They are confounded under their temptations and sorrowfull under their afflictions and if you can't rejoyce under afflictions what singular thing doe you Mot. 2 Secondly consider your afflictions and sufferings have no real evil in them and all the happiness of the world is no more then what your Fancies put upon them They are but imaginary excellencies it is onely an imaginary happiness that is in the world and all these things Mot. 3 Thirdly all your afflictions though inflicted by men are ordered by God and his wise providence they are appointed by your heavenly Father and shall I not drink the Cup that my Father hath given me to drink saith Christ Mot. 4 Fourthly they are all consistant with Gods fatherly love yea while he suffers wicked men to chastise and correct you his fatherly love is towards you Gods people have had powerfull experience and familiar acquaintance of and with God upon this account God as a Father chastiseth every Son whom he receiveth nay as the fyre burns hottest when the wether is coldest so Gods affections to his people is highest when their afflictions are greatest Mat. 5 Fiftly consider all your tryalls tend to the advance of grace and the purging out of your corruptions for the refineing of your grace 2 Cor. 4.16 For this cause wee faint not saith the Apostle for though our outward man perish our inward man is renewed day by day as the Sea what it looseth in one shiere it gets in another grace grows by an Antiperistasis affliction is sanctified and grace is exercised and proved thereby Wee had fathers of our flesh that corrected us and wee gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live Heb. 12.9 and 10. They corrected us for their pleasure but he for our profit that wee might be partakers of his holyness The tryal of your faith is for honour praise and glory fiery tryals make golden Christians your suffering like the sun scorcheth the Hypocrite but ripens the sincere Christian The North-winde of affliction blowing upon the garden of the saints graces cause the spices thereof to flow forth Mot. 6 Sixthly Math. 5.11 12 Blessedness is the entail Math. 5.11 12. blessed are yee when men shall revile yow and persecute you rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven Luke 6.22 23. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach yow and cast out your name as evil for the son of mans sake Rejoyce yee in that day Luke 6.23 and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven for in the like manner did their fathers unto the Prophets Happy are they that endure Seventhly James 5.11 Mot. 7. all your sufferings serve to work you up to a further likeness to Christ and the saints Soe they dealt with them before you Take my brethren the Prophets James 5.10 who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience Eightly Heb. 11.35 they greaten and agravate your glory and happiness in the next world They would not accept of deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection They had a good resurrection though they had not suffered but hereby they had a better one O that all might prevail with you to this rejoyceing if yee may be counted worthy to suffer shame for Christs name Now your joy under sufferings
and brave answer unto them saying wee ought to obey God raither then Man The commands of no inferiour power can supersede the commands of a superiour power and now orders were issued out against the Apostles to forbid their preaching yet having an injunction upon them from Christ they go on yea Peter goes on and preaches a Sermon before his enemies and did not onely preach what might serve the turne was not mealy mouthed but preached that which touched them to the quick V. 29 30. and 31. tells them that that Jesus that was now exalted whom they now preached that very Jesus they had crucified so he goes on to the 31 verse The God of our Fathers raised one Jesus whom yee slew and hanged on a Tree And now they begin to think not of in prisoning but of massacring them as if the land were not able to bear their persons and what they had said was the highest peice of wickedness in the world They go about to kill their bodies that would if posible save their souls And being cutt to the heart they now take councel together to slay them but one of the councel being more wise then the rest gives more sober advice which upon mature deliberation though not out of conscience but fear they took But yet they would give them some taste of their kindness They called the Apostles and beat them V. 40. and then let them go And doe but see the effects in the 41. and 42. vers And they departed from the presence of the Councel rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name And daily in the Temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus Christ 1. The words that I have read contain 1. an account of Gods dignation towards his people and their disposition towards him The saints condition to suffer the name or title of their sufferings shame 2. Secondly here is their disposition of spirit not with sorrow and hanging down their heads like a bulrush no they lift up their heads and exalt their horn in him 2 Sam. 12.20 It was a manlike act in David when the child was dead while it was alive he fasted and wept But when it was dead he arose from the earth washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel and came into the house of the Lord and worshipped so it was with the Apostles notwithstanding all their evill usages yet they rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name Six propositions containe the sum of this Text. 6 Propositions Prop. 1 First that the condition of Gods people in this world is a suffering condition To suffer Prop. 2 Secondly that shame is one great peece of and ingredient in their sufferings To suffer shame Prop. 3 Thirdly that the profession of Christs name is the great ground of the saints sufferings To suffer shame for his name Prop. 4 Fourthly it is a great dignation of God to call out his people to suffer for his name worthy to suffer shame for his name Prop. 5 Fifthly that an opportunity to suffer shame for the name of Christ ought to be esteemed and entertained not onely willingly but joy-fully rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name Prop. 6 Sixthly the consideration of Christs name being in our sufferings is sufficient to quick en us up to joyfullness in them And they departed c. Doct. 1 First the saints condition in the world is a suffering condition the sufferings of the saints and people of God arise from the Devil and from the wicked world The dragon was wroth with the woman Rev. 12. v. last and went to make war with the remnant of her seed The dragon is the Devil the woman the church By his instruments he maks war with her the seed of the serpent makes war with the seed of the woman because they keep the commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ It was a right speech of Austin when those ten persecuting emperors were dead and those ten persecutions over and the people began to comfort themselves that persecution would now cease O but saith he the Devil is not dead and soe long as he hath instruments to stir up persecution will be raised So long as the wicked lust to envy the people of God must expect to suffer 1 1. Reason of our suffering They that cannot sin must expect to suffer because we have sined wee suffer justly from God because wee will not sin wee suffer unjustly from men Never a soul that ever set it's face towards heaven but the world turned their backs upon it The Church of Christ is as the Lylie among thorns such as are interested in the Love of God must expect to feel the wrath and anger of men John 16.33 in the world it was Christs own prediction ye shall have tribulation in the upper Region above is peace but in this under the moon is nothing but trouble Daniel Dan. 6.16 a man greatly beloved of God but as greatly persecuted by men The Apostle Paul a person eminent in grace and in favour with God yet notwithstanding as the raither extreamly persecuted he was in bonds for the word sake 2 Tim. 2.9 Wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer even unto bonds They that receive much mercy from God 2 Tim. 2.9 and performe much duty to God must expect to meet with little mercy from the world They shall put you out of the Synagogue yea out of the world too kill you and yet think they doe God good service this ariseth from the words wickedness they wound Christ through the Saints sides ungodly men conceive and contrive enmity against the people of God and when it is conceive it bringeth forth reproach and persecution of them Lord Isa 26.11 when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people yea the fire of thine enemies shall devour them The whole world lyeth in wickedness that is the two seeds are put in enmity the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman Secondly from Gods will and pleasure 2 2. Rea. of suffering God hath will'd sufferings to his people as his Livery it s a Legacy to his people to you it is given on the behalf of Christ not onely to beleive but also to suffer not onely to beleive but to blood also They that are called to grace are call'd to sufferings The tyme of grace at first is atyme of love the continuance of it a tyme of affliction For whom he did foreknow Rom. 8.29 he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his son that is his suffering Image in order to our conformity to his glorious Image God had one Son without sin but he hath none without a scourge It is the will of God wee should