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	great_a	see_v	2,872	5	3.1437	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32087	A funeral sermon preached upon occasion of the decease of the eminently pious Mrs. Elizabeth Williams, late wife of Mr. Daniel Williams, who departed this life, June the 10th, 1698, Ætat 62 with some account of her exemplary character taken for the most part out of her own papers / by Edmund Calamy.	Calamy, Edmund, 1671-1732.	1698 (1698)	Wing C272; ESTC R29171	36,308	112

who have given themselves up to GOD most seriously and listed themselves in his Service most heartily are not out of Danger For they have Corruption within and a busie Enemy without who watches all Opportunities to entrap them and he 's so subtle and diligent that unless they are always watchful he 'll be more or less too hard for them And if he in any remarkable degree prevails upon and foils them how will he triumph And how will the wicked of the World who are ever at his beck rejoice How busily do they that they may serve their Master employ themselves in endeavouring to draw such aside into some reigning Vices How many Artifices will they use for that purpose And if they prevail how will they scoffingly cry out and say Even the Godly are as bad as others And when they come to recollect their own Slips and Miscarriages especially if they are any thing notorious great is their Concern and Regret nay sometimes their bitterness and perplexity is inexpressible For time to come it may be they then think to be more careful But Alas after all How difficult is it to live where an infectious Contagion is diffus'd universally and not be tainted How hard to be daily conversant in a wicked World and not be dampt and deadned in the Exercises of the Divine Life The Generality are not aware of this but the more holy any Persons are the more lively is their sense of it This causes them to live as 't were in daily fear And they 'd be quite dishearten'd had they not ground to hope that such sort of Exercises would not last long but that when they had bin try'd for a time if they retain'd their integrity GOD would take them to Himself and make them Happy in His Favour and Love for ever Thus its plain This Worlds unsuitableness tends to wean Holy Souls from it and raise them above it Again 3. THE Prospect which Faith gives them of Futurities tends also to produce the same Effects viz. To make them weary of this Earth and to long for Heaven Their Faith grounded upon the Promise of GOD assures them that He will be a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him that there remaineth a Rest for His People That He will give Eternal Life to all those who by Patient continuance in well doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality and that there is an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserv'd in Heaven for them and the like These Things are not the Fruit of their Fancy they are not Perswasions they have unwarily imbib'd or taken upon Trust from others without just Grounds But their Faith herein is bottom'd on the Word of the Eternal GOD. Now 't is in the Nature of Faith as is even in this Chapter declar'd to be the Substance of Things hoped for and the Evidence of Things not seen Holy Persons having such a Foundation to build upon do as verily believe that if they persevere in the Course they are in they shall certainly find these Things made good to them as tho' they did actually enjoy them already They are as really perswaded of the Truth of these and the like Declarations and give as true an Assent to them as if they could see the Things they make mention off or as if they were intuitively and demonstratively known to them Now their full Satisfaction in the Grounds they go upon must necessarily depretiate this World and advance that to come in their esteem Were they left at uncertainties they would not be so Positive But having such Security given them they cannot but look upon this Earth as a Foreign Countrey to them and fix upon Heaven as their Home THUS much of the first Observation The second follows viz. DOCT. II. THAT GOD would be asham'd to be call'd the GOD of such as renouncing this World devote themselves entirely to his Service and ardently aspire Heaven-wards in the Course of their present Pilgrimage if He had not made abundant Provision for their Happiness in a better State and Life after this AND here I 'le endeavour briefly to show these Three Things I. WHAT it implies for GOD to be call'd any Persons GOD II. THAT He really is the GOD of those who renouncing this World devote themselves heartily to his Service and fix on Heaven as their Home and Portion And III. THAT it would be Matter of Shame to Him had He not made suitable Provision for all such Persons in a better State and Life than this FIRST then Let 's take Notice what it implies for GOD to be call'd the GOD of any Persons He is the GOD of all in a General Sense as hath before been intimated For He made and sustains them and He alone can make them Happy But when such a Phrase is in the Scriptures apply'd to any peculiarly It denotes a special Interest in Him in a Covenant way a peculiar Propriety in Him founded on that Covenant of Grace the Substance whereof we have thus deliver'd to us in short I will be their GOD and they shall be My People It necessarily therefore denotes a transcendent Love and Affection in GOD to any Persons for Him to be stil'd Theirs 'T is certainly a great Demonstration of Love for Him as it were to give Himself to them And therefore also this Appropriation must needs imply some very great and extraordinary Happiness 'T is declar'd by GOD That he that overcometh shall inherit all Things but as if this were nothing notwithstanding all Things are taken in 't is added And I will be his GOD and he shall be my Son One would have thought nothing could have been more than all But however this is added because all all things else are as nothing without it But alas who can tell what it is and what it implies for GOD to be the GOD of any one Thus much in General is plain that it intimates He will Act for such a Persons good as becomes a Being infinite in all Manner of Perfections But come to Particulars and we are soon at a loss That Man that should pretend to unfold it must be able to Fathom the boundless Excellencies of the Divine Essence which are all engag'd so far as the good of the Party to whom GOD hath made Himself over is concern'd Whosoever hath GOD for his GOD His Mercy is his to Pardon him His Wisdom his to guide him His Power his to Secure him His Faithfulness his to fulfil all his Promises to him His Love to confer Grace and Glory on him And in short all that is in God is his so far as his Necessities can require and his Capacity can reach So that this is most evidently the very Top of our Happiness BUT let it be observ'd withal that in such a Phrase as this there is ever imply'd a respect to the Attoning Blood of the Mediatour without the Intervention whereof such degenerate

of Him in or on it She discover'd an high Value for SHE was much taken-up in admiring Thoughts of our Lord Iesus Christ and His Work of Redemption And often venting the Sense of her Soul in ardent Breathings after Him I 'le give you a few Passages of this kind out of Her Papers in Her own Words IN one Place thus I 'm amaz'd at the Mysteries of Redemption the Incarnation of the Son of GOD the Killing the Prince of Life the Humiliation of the High and Lofty One the Disgrace of the Lord of Glory the Curse upon Him who is Blessed for ever O the Mysteries of Scripture of Love of Grace of Providence IN another Place Oh that I may know Christ as a Prophet instructing me a Priest satisfying for me and a King ruling spiritually in me IN another thus This Wretched Soul of Mine doth Pine away for Strength and even Pant for Breath longing to receive Encrease of Life from the Living Stock Christ Iesus which must be thy Work and thine only Oh work it I humbly pray Thee which way thou wilt Oh Empty my Self of my Self and let all Glory be given to Thee and not to any other SHE was entirely Dependent for all on the Blessed Spirit of Grace In one of Her Papers She hath this remarkable Passage looking that way There is no Corruption though more deeply rooted than others but that in Time by walking in the Spirit bringing it to the Law of Christ to the Death of Christ and to the Love of Christ and joining Ones own Endeavours to the Spirit of Christ one may get an Eminent Victory over it and see it by Degrees fall down before us Lord lend me the powerful Aid of thy Spirit I humbly beg it IN another Place thus I am troubled with Temptations but I Trust in Thee I Rest on Thee for Life and for Salvation Oh take me into the Bosom of thy Love for Christs sake I cast my Self into the Arms of Thine Everlasting Strength I have no Confidence in my Self nor any other BUT in no Grace was She more eminent than in that of Humility She silently converst with Her GOD and that better World which Her Heart was set upon without Noise and Ostentation She was more fearful of nothing than Spiritual Pride Methinks that is an affecting Passage which dropt from Her Pen a Year or two ago I must humbly leave it on Record I never found so much of GOD I never drew so near Him I never experienc'd the Power of His Word as of Late AND yet as Humble as She was and as diffident of Her Self She did not think Her Self excus'd from becoming Christian Resolutions in Dependence on Divine Strength Take some of them in Her own Words I 'LE be ruled by thy Revealed Will. I 'LE be dispos'd of by thy Pleasure I 'LE gladly be improved by Thee I 'LE Rest on Thy Fulness to discharge all my Bonds I 'LE wait on Thee in all Thine Appointments I 'LE intend thy Honour in all I do as my chief End I 'LE be serviceable in my Place as I can to others I 'LE be satisfi'd with Thee and thy Rich Treasures as my Portion And I 'LE take thy Word and Sacraments as my Security HEREIN will I Hope and go on till Death I am weak but Christ is strong AND I Hope for Supplies from Him To which She subscrib'd Her Name GREAT was Her Contentedness Resignation Submission to the Will of GOD and Heavenly Mindedness Her Papers abound with pregnant Expressions and Indications hereof In one Place She delivereth Her Self thus LORD give Me what thou wilt have Me to do and then do what thou wilt to and with Me thy unworthy Servant IN another She hath these Two Remarkable Passages IF Thou wilt have Me poor and disgrac'd I am Content to be so IF Thou wilt have Me serve Thee in the Condition I am in I will gladly do so IT is enough to Me that Thou wilt have it so I desire to yield readily humbly and chearfully to thy Disposing Providence AMEN Amen Lord. HATH GOD made Me Rich that I might maintain my Pride my Pomp and Erutish Pleasures NO He hath rather Lent than fully given Me what I have and I must give an Account to Him for all ALL we are and have we have it on this Condition TO use it to leave it TO lay it out to lay it down VNTO the Honour of our Master from whose Bounty we receiv'd it SHE was very Regular in Her Devotions Much in Prayer and frequent in Meditation and spent more Time in Converse with GOD in Her Closet than most I 'l Cite a few Passages out of Her Papers which seem to deliver the very Sense of Her Soul as to Religious Dutys In one Place She expresseth Her Self thus IN Duty I 'd not be satisfi'd unless Affections be rais'd so as feelingly awfully believingly fervently and sincerely I pour out my Heart with its Desires to GOD. IN another thus The Soul on the Lip and the Soul in the Ear ridd Work in GOD's Service IN another thus A Soul in League with Sin dare not come or look to or think of GOD and what must that Man think on in a Duty who dare not seriously think of GOD SHE was much in Self-Examination And such as these were some of the Marks and Signs whereby She try'd Her Self 1. DO I prize Christs Righteousness 2. DO I choose Heaven above all 3. DO I hate all Sin 4. AM I spirited for Duty 5. DO I relish and prize the Things of GOD SHE fram'd various Maxims and Collected Rules for Her Self both for Her Temper and Practise which those who knew Her best can bear Witness She made Conscience of minding and following I 'le mention a few of them as I find She hath set them down for Her Use. WE should see that we may be fit and ready for GOD's Service and that Religion and Religious Duties sit fitly on Us. THE Commandment finds work the Promise finds Strength Religion is an inward difficult and serious Business Oh rather give me the Saints Heart than the Angels Tongue THE End of Christs Doctrine is Practise and Exercise and not Speculation and Discourse NOBILITY of Birth Honour and all outward Delights are to be deny'd for Christ. A sound-hearted Christian hath always a GOD to go to a Promise to go to and former Experiences to go to besides some Experience of GOD's goodness which he now enjoys BE sure there is somewhat displeasing to GOD when the Word wants its powerful Effect IT S our Duty to refer all the Circumstances of our Petitions to the Wisdom of GOD. WE may be Suitors to GOD but we must not be His Counsellours THAT Condition should be chosen by all which is best for their Souls IT is a Blessed Trouble that brings sound and long Peace THE Spirits Operations will extort Acknowledgments And the like AND yet notwithstanding all these Instances and Evidences and a great