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	heart_n	lord_n	4,353	5	3.5870	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01936	The God of heaven A sermon appointed for the Crosse, but preached in the Cathedrall Church of St. Pauls in London, upon Sunday the 23. of September, anno Domini. 1638. By Iohn Gore, rector of Wendenlofts in Essex, and preacher at St. Peters Corne-Hill in London.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.	1638 (1638)	STC 12072; ESTC S103328	21,017	40

that takes compassion upon a wounded soule which the strangers of the world passe by and make no force of and therefore if you marke it Ioh. 8. 48. when the Iewes said to our Saviour Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a devill our blessed Saviour denied that hee had a devill but hee did not deny that hee was a Samaritan No no O blessed Lord they spake truer than they were aware of it is wee that be the wounded Sinners it is thou that art the mercifull Samaritan that powrest in the wine and oyle of thy heavenly Grace and healest us againe when wee are more than halfe dead in our sinnes to whom then shall wee goe for mercy and reliefe but to this God of ours who for our sinnes justly is displeased and at our prayers mercifully is appeased againe Call now and see saith Iob if there be any that will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turne thee Iob 5. 1. A man that is in distresse of conscience may turne from Saint to Saint as a doore turnes upon the hinges from side to side and still remaine in the same estate of misery and be as farre from any hope of mercy at night as hee was in the morning but if a man take unto him words and turne to the Lord and say as it is Hos 14. 2. O Lord take away all iniquitie and receive us graciously he may assure himselfe that if hee have not his desire granted at the first going to God let him goe againe and againe and God will surely grant it either in the same kinde or a better Though once going about Ierico did the walls no hurt yet the going about them againe and againe made them fall to the ground though one Cock-crowing wrought nothing upon Peter yet the crowing againe and againe melted his heart so if once calling upon God doe not bring downe mercy from heaven let not that discourage thee but call upon him againe and againe nay as David saith I will call upon God as long as I live and praise my God while I have any being Plutarke reports of the men of Athens that when their citie was visited and long punished as our citie of London God helpe us is and hath beene with a dangerous and contagious sicknesse they had recourse to the Oracle of Apollo to know what they should doe to be rid of their mortalitie the Oracle answered as Oracles usually did in a doubtfull way If they would be freed of the sicknesse they must Duplare Aram double the Altar This they understood to be meant in a literall sence and thereupon went about to compasse the Altar and to take the just proportion of it to make it twice as bigge as it was before but the meaning of the Oracle was mysticall they should double the Altar that is double their sacrifices and oblations upon the Altar In like manner the best remedy that I can prescribe from God unto you to be eased of this affliction and to be rid of this mortalitie is to double the Altar I meane to double your devotions and your spirituall sacrifices to Almightie God to pray twice as much to serve God twice as often and twice as well as ever you did before and beleeve it if there be any meanes under heaven to drive away this Plague from the earth this will doe it Let every man therefore in the feare of God buckle to his owne taske and goe in hand with his owne cure and arise and call upon his owne God professing and acknowledging as David did here Whom have I in heaven but thee O God to call upon And so I come to the third intention and meaning of my Text which is 3 An expression of Love and Affection to God Whom have I in heaven but thee to set my heart upon The Lord giver of life who loadeth us daily with benefits even the God of our salvation who giveth all things richly to enjoy desireth no other Boone nor other Recompence for all his mercies but onely this that wee love him with our hearts My Sonne give me thy heart Alas Lord may some poore Christian say Oh that I had such an heart as were fit to be given to thee that were but a fit token to be given and presented to so holy so heavenly a God that it were but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy in any measure of thy gracious acceptation but I feare I have it not The Scripture speakes of three sorts of hearts First the best sort Secondly the worst sort Thirdly the middle sort 1. The best sort are cleane hearts pure hearts hearts that be without any guile according to the Heart of God as Davids was said to be these be fitting hearts to be given to the Lord but alas wee have them not to give 2. The worst sort are hard and stony hearts proud and malicious hearts hearts that burne like an Oven as the Prophet Hosea speaks with the fire of lust and hell too many such hearts there be in the world but it is a venture whether God will owne them if wee should offer to give them 3. Then there are a middle sort of hearts which are A broken and a contrite heart a dutifull and a thankefull heart an honest and a true heart a tender and a loving heart though full of imperfections otherwise God send us but such hearts as these and no doubt hee will accept them It was an humble request of good S. Augustine Ecce cor meum Deus meus ecce cor meum Behold my heart O my God behold my heart what an evill what a naughty one it is and thou that madest it in thy good time mend it and make it such a one as thou wouldest have it Bone Domine saith devout Saint Bernard amo te quantum possum non quantum debeo da plus amoris plus amabo O my good Lord I love thee as much as I am able though not halfe so much as I ought give mee but more love and I will love thee more Oh knit my heart unto thee saith David Psal 86. 11. that I may love and dread thy Name Vni cor meum as it is in the Hebrew Vnite it and make it one with thee As if hee had prayed and said Lord breake and dissolve the vnlawfull contract that is betwixt my soule and my sinnes or betwixt my heart and the world and tie it to thy selfe in an undissolvably union that it may be preserved with thy heavenly grace and cantinue thine for ever There is no one thing that doth so alienate a mans heart from God as to set it upon the world therefore the holy Ghost gives a speciall injunction If riches increase set not your heart upon them Psal 62. 10. The increase of riches is no wayes culpable nor worthy of blame for it is the blessing of God upon our good endeavours but it is Positio cordis the setting