Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A55005
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Memorials of godliness & Christianity in three parts : with a brief account of the authors life / by Herbert Palmer.
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Palmer, Herbert, 1601-1647.
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1670
(1670)
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Wing P240; ESTC R27526
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31,188
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143
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would break the Match being unconcluded there would be no less danger that it would break the peace afterward when the unfaithfulness should be discovered and that that breaking of the Match were so much to be preferred before this breach of Peace by how much a cross is to be preferred before a sin and I cannot be a Christian if I believe not that God can provide better for me and will if I yield up my will and all my affections wholly to him 34. I desire to let no day pass without once at least solemn casting up my account how my soul hath sped that day and my business gone forward or backward and to allot special times for a more full reckoning of many dayes and summing up my whole stock of Grace so shall I be sure never to become a Bankrupt but compound for my debts in time before I be sued or pursued to extremity Lastly I desire to account my Sureties Satisfaction my best Riches and to treasure up charily in my heart my Acquittances sealed with his bloud and to fetch from his store all needfull Grace from time to time His All sufficiency alone on all occasions must furnish me with Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification Redemption he is and must be All in all to me To him with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Glory and Love and Faith and Obedience rendred for ever Amen An Appendix applyed to the Calling of a Minister 1. I Desire specially to improve my Calling of a Minister to the advancement of Religion both in my own and others hearts Whatever Calling I had I were bound so to direct it but this was erected to that purpose immediately and no other to found men in Religion and build them up in it As therefore I must first account that of me is required a greater forwardness in Religion and higher degree of heavenly mindedness and being to the glory of Christ then of ordinary Christians because while their calling oft distracts and disturbs them from thinking of God and Christ mine leads me directly to it and those notions which they through ignorance or disuse are strangers to I am happily necessitated to make familiar to me so though I may yet have imperfection I pretend Religion in vain if I allow my self in carelesseness or unprofitableness in that Profession of mine the very exercise whereof is among the mainest Businesses of Religion and which therefore in the Prâ—parations for it and exercise of it challenges all my strength of affections and spirits If God should have given me my choice of all the imployment the world knows I could not wish any other to do at once most good to my soul and express what good I get to do others souls good also and most shew my love to Christ and Christians in thankfulness for all that good I have and look for both to my soul and body 2. I desire therefore to esteem it among the highest favours among the greatest honours so to be set on work specially with success and to make it appear that I do so esteem it by putting forth all my abilities that there may be no want in me if success follow not towards others All the time my Saviour lived his first life upon earth after his Baptism till he was to prepare himself for the Sacrifice of his Death he undertook no other Calling than this and after his Resurrection again practised it so long as he conversed with men here below O let my heart therefore be so possest with his Spirit that though my body must needs have its natural supplies in due season yet I may ever as he did count it my meat and drink to fulfill and finish this work and my recreation to go about doing good And therefore though his Sabbath the Lords day be according to nature the day of my greatest toil yet because that day I most advance the business of his Kingdom and my own soul together I may with more affections than others can call the Sabbath a delight and triumph in it not onely as a day of Liberty but of conquest and victory 3. I desire to extend the labours of my Function beyond the expectation of those to whom they are to be directed I mean not ever yet sometimes specially for length but frequency to be instant in season and out of season volentibus nolentibus And to rejoyce therefore and only therefore in the multitude of hearers because among many there is more hope of doing some good whilest yet I never suffer my self to be discouraged by their paucity since Gods grace is not tied to expect the help of a croud and one soul gained or confirmed is worth an age of pains 4. I desire in all the publick exercises of my Ministry to suit my matter method phrase repetition and all other circumstances so as I may be best understood and remembred and may best convince and perswade every mans conscience and not to own one tittle or syllable that might hinder this in any remembring herein my business to be not to break for my own credit but to deliver the messages of him who is no respecter of persons but esteems the meanest soul worth shedding his bloud for as well as the greatest 5. I desire therefore no more to neglect the instruction of the poorest child or the visiting of the most contemptible creature within my charge than of the richest and noblest rather those of the eminenter sort may better spare me because they may for themselves and theirs have more means and comforts than others can 6. Specially I desire not to omit the advantage of any ones being sick Because 1. then they may have more leisure to ponder on any good counsel than the world at other times will give them leave 2. Then also perhaps they may be straight going out of the world and I may never again have any more opportunity of offering them good and then too probably they may be more sensible of the reality of those things which concern another world when they see nothing in this world will do them good or keep them here And when I come to any never to omit the mention of death which will neither stay our leisure nor be hastened by talking of it And herein to regard the good of a soul rather than the pleasing of any ones fancy 7. I desire in all things men should rather be pleased with what I must do then for me to do any thing meerly to please men unless in things otherwise indifferent every way and in them indeed to be willing to please all men in all things taking counsel in things of that sort of mens infirmities but in substantials only of Gods Word except that even in such mens weakness or waywardness may sometimes so vary the case as that one while they may necessitate a present enforcement of a Doctrine and another time the forbearance for that season And because the forbearance of this is
perfection in all his Attributes and of his absolute Soveraignty as Creator Preserver and Ruler of us and all things in the world v. 6. 2. Thankfulness for all the goodness of God vouchsafed to us by a large apprehension of all his manifold Favour Generall to His Church to our Nation Particular to Us and our Friends Temporal Spiritual illustrated marvelously by our deservings not only of no good but of extream ill ver 7 c. 3. Sorrow for our sins and our Nations and fore-fathers sins by a deep apprehension of the cursed Nature of sin in general and vileness of such sins in particular aggravated by all circumstances that may be Specially by Gods Mercies and Chastisements vers 16. c. 4. Sence of our misery Felt and Feared all proceeding from GODS hand from his displeasure provoked by our sins and impossible to be avoided but by his Favour which is not to be presumed upon if we continue in our sins ver 32 c. 5. Faith is the Covenant Truth Goodness and power of God for all times and purposes ver 32. 6 A Covenant renewed with GOD of all observance and Fidelity specially to amend what we have acknowledged amiss in our selves and professed sorrow for and fear of before God or men or both ver 39. and Chap. 10. throughout Directions about these 1. IN the Word read or preached those things are to be most carefully observed which may quicken and confirm any of these 2. All these are to be presented in prayer summarily in every solemn supplication such a day private or publick but the enlargements may be varied and one while more of one and another while of another 3. Before-hand it would be greatly helpful to have written by us 1. Amplifications upon Gods Attributes 2. Catalogues of choicer mercies 3. Catalogues of sins 4. Aggravations of sins 4. The day is to be begun with those thoughts specially which relate to our selves though taking in others also 5. And it is not to be ended without some secret yet solemn review of the souls behaviour from first to last and an earnest labouring to fasten all the good thoughts it hath had upon it and to re-inforce the suit to God to settle them upon it firmly and lastingly The God of all Wisdom and Grace teach us to practise and improve these Remembrances to his Glory and our Eternal Good by Jesus Christ. FINIS MEMORIALS OF Godliness Christianity PART III. A DAILY DIRECTION OR BRIEF RULES for daily Conversation AS Also a Particular Direction for the LORDS-DAY Written by Herbert Palmer a little before his Death LONDON Printed for Henry Million at the Bible near White-Fryers in Fleetstreet 1670. TO THE Christian READER Christian Reader HEre is another parcel of thoughts for thee Some brief Rules for thy daily conversation Thou wilt perhaps say They are strict at least some of them Rules should be so Mens lives will be loose enough for all that But some of them it may be thou thinkest are not of necessity Think again sadly and conscientiously between God and thine own self and thou maist possibly be of another mind Looking God in the face makes some things appear to be sins and some things to be duties after a confident out-facing men that it was otherwise But suppose they are not all of necessity yet think once more whether there is not some wisdom in them and an Advantage if a man can bring himsef to such a temper And if they be but so much as some of them are offered thee under no further notion wilt thou deliberate whether thou wilt strive to be so wise or not and whether thou wilt endeavour to have thy mind in the perfectest temper or not I will pray for thee through Gods grace that thou mayst profit by this and all other Helps who am still Thine and the Churches Servant in Christ altogather Herbert Palmer A Daily Direction AWake with God and lift up thy heart to him in thanksgiving and petition 2. Lose no time unnecessarily but rise as soon as thou canst 3. However keep thy bed thy heart undefiled with wicked thoughts 4. Let not worldly matters take up thy mind or words unnecessarily at the first of the day 5. Squander not away precious time in being too long in dressing thy body 6. Defert not thy solemn prayers upon any unwillingness or slight pretence 7. If thou foreseest any inevitable disturbance as particularly abroad in some places pray rather than fail in thy bed before thou risest 8. When thou findest any unwillingness or indisposedness to pray consider I. The Necessity of Prayer 1. Gods Commandement 2. Good is not else to be expected either 1. Not the thing desired 2. Not the blessing 3. Leave is to be asked to use Benefits 4. Help special wanted against 1. Temptations dangerous to fight alone 2. Snares dangerous to travel alone 5. Duties to be performed we of our selves not having 1. Any heart to them 2. Any skill for them 3. Any strength in them II. The Priviledges of prayer 1. Esteemed in freinds and great men 2. Purchased by Christs bloud 3. No man can hinder it 4. No unfitness of time or place 5. To power out our whole heart for self and friends 6. Not necessitated to method manner proportion 7. But speak as to a Father or Friend 8. Of all life heavenly imployment noblest exercise of soul 9. Special curse not to be heard III. Promises of all kindes 1. General and particular 2. For good and against evil 3. For our selves and others IV. Experiences in Scripture Story Memory of 1. Prayers answered 2. Comfort by praying 3. Grace answerable to praying 9. Awaken as much as thou canst possibly thy spirit that thou maist pray with all 1. Reverence and apprehsion of the glorious Majesty Persons Attributes of the Godhead 2. Faith and holy confidence in Christ thy Mediator and in the promises general or particular 3. Fervency from a deep sence of wants weaknesses importance of thy suites 4. Humility by reason of sin corruption impotency 5. Thankfusness for mercies and promises abundant all-sufficient 6. Charity for others welfare the Church the Magistrate the Minister thy freinds those that have begged thy prayers or have thy promise to pray for them and for the afflicted 7. Care to put away the throng of worldly thoughts before thou beginnest lest they distract thy mind 8. Watchfulness how thou praiest or hast praied never resting in the outward work done without thou feel some inward affection and fruit of thy prayers 10. If it be possible let the next thing be to read somewhat of Gods Word 11. Ever begin and end it with lifting up thy heart to God for his blessing upon thy 1. Understanding that thou maist see his truth and will 2. Memory that thou maist retain what thou understandest 3. Affections that thou maist 1. Receive the Truth in the love of it 2. Be careful to practice it without delay 12. Be not in hast