Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A50858
|
A beame of light darted thorough [sic] the clouds, or, Truth breaking forth from under a veil by Joshua Miller.
|
Miller, Joshua, 17th cent.
|
1650
(1650)
|
Wing M2062; ESTC R35047
|
30,283
|
75
|
friends but the poor are destitute When a house is on fire men say not I will stay at home because I am rich or an Officer but all run to quench the fire so when there is a fire of an inlightened understanding kindled then we shall see Saints go to a Lazarus as well as to a Dives Knowledge is much improved in these days I wish it be as well practised 2. The second note is the coldnesse of love amongst Professors Many shall be notable quench-coales in this last age Honest Latimer saw love so cold in his time that he thought Dooms-day at hand But alas how dead are Professors now in love And the reason is because mens affections are placed upon Opinion and not upon practice Such a man is of my opinion therefore I love him this is self-self-love Lord what a hellish fire will this kindle May not a man be thy brother and yet not like thee in all things I would ask all Professors this question What is it you love in one another Is it the form or the power of god linesse One part divides from another because they are not in way or that way of worship But consider this is not Christ all and in all I suppose none ought to be so ignorant as to say A man is the lesse a Christian because he is not of the Presbyterian Church so called neither is he the lesse a Christian because he is not of the Independent Church so called If you all hold the Head you are of one mysticall Body and I hope will meet one day meet together as the generall Assembly and Church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven Heb. 13.23 Have fellowship then in the spirit of truth and uprightnesse Basil complains of his time That he saw more union in Arts and Sciences then in Divinity by reason of those contentions that were amongst brethren For men in disputes rather dispute for self then truth Pride will not let men submit though conscience tells them they speak against truth This coldnesse of love demonstrates the change not far off 3. The third note is the working of miracles Matth. 24.24 Men usually admire a thing done beyond their capacity such works have naturally a great force upon mans fancy As the Jewes require a signe so the zealously ignorant shall mightily follow and adore such men Many there are that out of weaknesse of judgment think there can be no preaching because the Apostles did work miracles I answer that miracles were not in any degree essentiall to make a Minister For the Apostles might preach without them onely God was pleased to use them for the first planting the Gospell And although some may expect miracles in these last times which I confesse must come to passe yet I know no place that mentions that God will send any of his people that shall work them but rather they shall be false Prophets as Mat. 13.22 testies The Papists in their Legend of lies tell the People that they are the true Church because they work miracles but they are lying miracles Signes are only for unbelievers and the Kingdom of Heaven cometh not by observation Such then as will not believe untill they see miracles wrought I may say to them as Abraham to Dives Luke 16.31 They have Moses and the Prophets if they will not heare them neither will they believe though one rose from the dead So that where working of such miracles are it is a signe of a false Prophet and I will never follow a man the more because he may have this gift 4. The fourth note is when the Gospell is going through the whole world Mark 13.10 And surely God is beginning much in this work to gather his Saints together More instruments God wil raise for this purpose then ever were since the world began For we see God is breaking down those Lawes and distinctions that hindred many men from this glorious work But I will not absolutely determine the severall wayes God useth to convert men For a man may be converted by the reading some Scriptures or by some thoughts of God that is in a sense a preaching to the heart when God speaks within him saying this is the way walk in it Sure I am that the Gospell shall run and be glorified 5. The fifth note is when the fire of love goes out then the fire of persecution comes in the brother shall betray the brother the nearer Antichrist is to his end the greater will be his rage And this must come to passe For I observe the more zealous any man is for form then power the greater persecutor will such a people be when authority is on their side The reason is Because such men do it out of conscience to God Paul was the greatest persecutor we read of among the Jewes The time shall come when men that kill you shall think they do God good service Iohn 16.2 He that is born after the flesh will persecute him that is born after the spirit Ishmael will trouble Isaac God hath pulled down one horn of this Antichrist I pray God we may not see a sharper rise in its stead when the face of Religion is onely washt but not the heart an outward reformation but an inward deformation Ier. 9.4 Then trust not in a brother for he will utterly supplant it is hardest to reconcile brethren for love causeth jealousie When you shall see the abomination of desolation Mat. 24.15 standing where it ought not surely there is no place where abomination ought to stand This alludes to Jerusalem a place where Christ and his Disciples had preached they offered sacrifice but to their own nets made a shew of worship yet under it acted abomination persecu-and injustice I pray God it may not be so with thee O England to be a professing people talk of holy walking yet in this holy place to act wickednesse injustice oppression self-seeking and covetousnesse to make Religion a skreen to all irreligious practises this is an iniquity to be punish'd by the Judge How abominable is it for one man to pretend his neighbours good yet under that notion to take his lands and livings over his head Many men make use of Religion as a stirrup to get a horse-back into the worlds preferments Lord whether will that man run horse rider and all to destruction Such men have Gods censure you eat my people as bread to shew thy selfe as if thou wouldst feed Gods people yet under it act such abomination as is odious to all as the fisher baits his hook with meat for the fish when he intends onely to make the fish meat for himself This is such an abomination which God intends to pull downe in all as he hath most gloriously begun this work so come Lord is the language of a true Israelite throw it down in me and every one The scarcity of upright unbiassed hearts notes the end nigh a reall friend like Christ who shall
act and speak divinely 14. No grief goes so neare his heart as his grievous strayings from the life of God he holds it as necessary in some respect to sorrow for sin as to joy in God they that sowe in tears shall reap in joy there must be a seed-time before a harvest as David speaks so doth he Psal 51.4 Against thee thee onely have I sinned that which aggravates an evill is that it 's committed against love Peter thus went out and wept bitterly Semper Lachrymis suffusos habuisse oculos some observe that ever after Peter had his checks furrowed with continuall tears relapse into sin makes relenting 15. He receives strikings as well as strokings with patience and thankfulnesse a true son of Job the Lord gives and the Lord takes away blessed be his Name not curse God and die as the woman counselled him This effeminate woman the world is mans Tempter to miscall his Maker look on God saith she he afflicts thee to destroy thee he will damne thee at last a gracious heart answers thou speakest like a foolish woman Rom. 8.28 I know all things worke for my good frownes as well as smiles whatever is called good or whatever is called evill God brings light out of darknesse unity out of disparity as God speaks so doth he Esa 54.17 No weapon formed against me shall prosper the true prosperity of a thing is in its continuance but all things against me shall have a change therefore not prosper he ecchoes to David it 's good for me that I was afflicted affliction in Gods Schoole makes us proficients The more you beat the wallnut-tree the more it bears so the Saints gaine by losses after such an afflicton such a mercy I had contraries frustrate one another life doth death joy doth sorrow affliction first comes and ploughs up the fallow ground of my heart then is the seed sowne he speaks not as that wicked King 2 King 6.33 This evill is of the Lord why should I wait any longer but rather what evill in me brought this true and just are all thy Judgements O Lord God 16. He sees nothing of the flesh dwelling in another but asks at home Is not this evill in me As Plato when he saw any one dumb in the street would speak to himself Num ego talis Am not I such a one the more inward any thing is the more strong whether it be good or evill sin is most aggravated by a supposing secresie he makes inquiry as the Disciples Mat. 26.22 Master is it I He loves to ask though he be not guilty 17. He is as holy in his Closet as in the Church when from the Saints as well as with them in all his walkings he is as light in the world Mat. 5.16 no society of men can extinguish his fellowship with God 18. He so pursues holinesse as if he held free-will yet he prayes for it as if he had power to do nothing 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to thinke one good thought man cannot work in Gods Mystery 't is an Art which all the Masters of Art are yet but punies in this School divine lessons are weightier harder and higher then their divinity Lectures 19. He counts no sin small but believes every sin hath weight enough to weigh him to death if he discern a mote in his brothers eye he thinks there is a beame in his owne he had rather make sin more then it is by aggravation then seek to make it lesse for he that hideth his sin shall not prosper 20. He is more zealous for power then forme he had rather leave undone smaller matters then neglect the weighty things of the Law righteousnesse justice truth these have Gods proper stamp upon them therefore to be most looked after These are some cleare demonstrations of a practicall Christian for there are many false Christians now gone out in the world CHAP. II. Whether Repentance precede Faith and which is first to be preached GOD in this last age is making out his truth in plainnesse whereas in former ages it hath been much clouded therefore marvell not if thou readest that which will be gain-sayed It hath been a great dispute amongst men whether Repentance go before Faith or Faith Repentance I shall not erre against truth nor yet disagree from some men to say that Faith is alway before Repentance in the conversion of a Sinner to God and if this be true then it will necessarily follow that Faith ought to be preached before Repentance For I judge Faith to be the instrumentall cause of Repentance and not Repentance the cause of Faith It is true that in the conversion of a sinner to God Faith and Repentance ever go together yet Faith is the first-borne and may challenge the right hand of fellowship Now the difficulty seems to be opened in this particular It is very true that Repentance is for the most part discovered before Faith to men therefore men judge that Repentance is and must be before Faith I answer First that it will not follow alwayes true that the first in appearance is first in the soul Faith I compare to the seed cast in the ground Repentance I call the blade sprung up from that seed Now no man will judge so weakly that because he seeth the blade first spring up therefore the seed is not there Againe you may understand it by this allusion when a candle is lighted in a room and I come into that room true it is I have the light first in my eye and see that first yet the candle was there before the light was so it is often true that repentance is first apprehended but not first wrought Consider secondly that if Repentance be before Faith then I ask what doth that Repentance avail man If that place be true Heb. 11.6 Without Faith it is impossible to please God I may then safely conclude if Repentance is first why was not Ahab and Judas their repentance accepted was it not for want of true Faith I never found in Scripture that any did truly repent before faith Job in his last Chapter when he had seen the Lord he abhorres himselfe Isai 6.5 so Isaiah when he had seen the Lord he cries Woe is me I am undone so that generall promise runs Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn for him all implies a seeing before sorrow I put the case thus Suppose a man should meet with his friend but disguised and so should take him for his enemie and kill him now when his vizard is taken off and he finds that it was his dear friend what think you will not sorrow follow so untill a soule come to apprehend that against his Saviour his Father and Friend he hath wounded him that loves him when he seeth this he will sorrow kindly indeed For a man will never be willing to account his own state bad untill he is brought into a beliefe