Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A44671
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The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preach'd at the merchant's lecture in Broadstreet / by John Howe ...
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Howe, John, 1630-1705.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing H3019; ESTC R1703
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46,035
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129
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among the Paganish Idolaters of drinking the warm Blood of their Sacrifices and of eating things strangled with the Blood in them upon the Imagination that in their so doing they did partake of the very Spirit of their Gods whom they worshipped and 't is not altogether unsupposable that rhe Devil might in some unusual manner enter into them at those times more violently agitating their Blood and other Humours in the higher Ferments whereof if by the directer Influence of the great Enemy of Mankind Quarrels and Murders as was not unlikely should also sometimes ensue it could not but heighten the Sport and Triumphs of Hell And that the Decree of the Apostles and Elders Acts 15. might have such a Reference prohibiting these things conjunctly Idolatry and Fornication and things strangled and Blood that they should by no means mingle with the Pagans in these Horrid Rites a learned Modern Writer of our own hath rendred very probable And hereto those vehement Dehortations of the Apostle must answerably be understood to refer 1 Cor. 10. 11. remonstrating to them that they could not have fellowship with the Lord's Table and the Table of Devils And I would not says he that you should have fellowship with Devils For tho' he did not judge it unlawful to eat of the Idolytha i. e. things offered to Idols being sold in the Shambles he yet most earnestly protests against their presuming to mingle and partake in the horrid Diabolical Rites and impure Practices that were wont to be used at their Festivals in the Idols Temples All thoughts of being by their Christianity obliged and enabled unto strict Purity and Holiness of Heart and Life were out of Doors with these Seducers and endeavoured to be extinguished in such as they could work to a compliance with them Whereof the Apostle seemed deeply apprehensive when he so earnestly inculcates that in Christ Jesus or in the Christian state neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision were of any avail but a new Creature and Faith working by love But it must seem of all things the most unaccountable and incongruous that Men of so profligate Sentiments and Practices should be for introducing a Justification by the works of the Law in opposition to that by the Faith of Christ. 'T is manifest they hated the holy Design of Christian Religion which they profess'd and profess'd it that they might have better opportunity to undermine it Hereupon not opening at once all the Arcana of their way they carry answerably to persons and ocâ—â—sions as they occurr'd and as the Apostle was all things to all that he might save some so were they that they might pervert and destroy To the Christian Jews one thing to the Christian Gentiles another In this their Doctrine they did most plausibly Judaize in their impure Practices they verged more to Paganism Pretending to Christian Converts from among them that Christ never intended to tie them to strict Severities or hold them under an uneasie Bondage whereto the Apostle seems to refer Chap. 5. 13. Ye have been called he grants to liberty but use not saith he your liberty for an occasion to the flesh Thus we must suppose that they differently apply'd themselves to such as they design'd to make their Proselytes endeavouring to accommodate themselves in the one of these to one sort of Men and to another sort in the other In dealing with the Jewish Christians they not only deny'd the Doctrine of Justification by Faith opposing thereto that of Justification by the works of the Law but calumniated it too as if it tended to infer a liberty to sin and make Christianity subservient to wickedness whereof they knew their own to be more guilty A piece of monstrous Impudence but usual with Men of such Foreheads to endeavour the averting that Charge from themselves to which they were most manifestly liable by first charging it on the Innocent Hereto the Apostle hath manifest reference when having first asserted against them Justification by Faith only Gal. 2. 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law for by the works of the Law shall no flâ—sh be justified He then vindicates the Assertion against their Imputation that it made Christ a Patron to Men's Sins If saith he while we seek to be justified by Christ we our selves also are found sinners Is Christ therefore the minister of sin God forbid For if I build again the things that I destroyed I make my self a Transgressor For I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might live unto God I am crucified with Christ and am in and with him dead unto all Sin so as not to be under the Dominion of any and Death never more had Dominion over him when he had once died And whereas they thus objecting against the Doctrine of Justification by Faith in Christ that it ministred unto sin or made Christ a Minister thereunto were liable to have the Objection retorted upon them being a sort of Men themselves so very infamously wicked for this they had a double Salvo both of which the Apostle doth industriously resute That is from the two parts of the Law given by Moses and the two sorts of the Works of the Law enjoyned thereby that is the Moral and the Ritual or Ceremonial part In reference to the former they fall in with those Jewish Conceits of the Merit of their good Works done from the Principle of Free-will And that in order to their Justification this Merit was to be measured by the Preponderation of their good works to their bad and that it was possible that one good Work in some cases might turn the Scale That is if they were equal before Now this the Apostle occurs to by shewing that they that were under the Law were under a Curse For that if they continued not in all things written in the Law to do them All they did was nothing as you may see Chap. 3. of this Epistle ver 10. And then as to the Ritual or Ceremonial part because their Sacrifices were in great part expiatory of Sin and divers of their other Performances carried a great shew of Sanctity and Piety in them Which their Expiatory Sacrifices could only be as they were representative of the One Propitiation and their other Observances were nothing to their Sanctity if the thing they were designed to signifie did not accompany the Sign They imagin'd they were not to signify it's Presence but to supply it's Absence This Notion did obtain even with the stricter sort of them the Pharisees themselves who thereupon made very light of the weightier matters of the Law reckoning that tho' they were guilty of many Immoralilies in Practice their exact observance of the Rites and Ceremonies enjoyned by Moses would go far to make
That they that are most apt to contend do most of all sight in the dark That it is too possible there may be much Knowledge without Love How little such Knowledge is worth That it profits nothing That it hurts puffs up when Love edifies That the Devils know more than any of us while their want of Love or their Hellish Malignity makes them Devils That as by Pride comes Contention so Humility would contribute more to Peace and to the discerning of Truth too than the most fervent Disceptation That there is no hope of proselyting the World to my Opinion or way That if I cannot be quiet till I have made such and such of my Mind I shall still be unquiet while othâ—rs are not of it i. e. always That if some ones Judgment must be a Standard to the World there are Thousands sitter for it than mine That they that in their angry Contests think to shame their Adversary do commonly most of all shame themselves But to close all I pray let us consider We are professedly going to Heaven that Region of Light and Life and Purity and Love It well indeed becomes them that are upon the way thither modestly to enquire after Truth Humble serious diligent Endeavours to encrease in Divine Knowledge are very suitable to our present state of Darkness and Imperfection The Product of such Enquiries we shall carry to Heaven with us with whatsoever is most a kin thereto besides their Usefulness in the way thither We shall carry Truth and the Knowledge of God to Heaven with us we shall carry Purity thither Devotedness of Soul to God and our Redeemer Divine Love and Joy if we have their Beginnings here with whatsoever else of real permanent Excellency that hath a setled sixed Seat and Place in our Souls now and shall there have them in perfection But do we think we shall carry Strife to Heaven Shall we carry Anger to Heaven Envyings Heart-burnings Anâ—â—â—sities Enimities Hatred of our Brethren and Fellow-Christians shall we carry these to Heaven with us Let us labour to divest our selves and strike off from our Spirits every thing that shall not go with us to Heaven or is equally unsuitable to our End and Way that there may be nothing to obstruct and hinder our abundant Entrance at length into the everasting Kingdom FINIS These Books Written by the same Reverend Author Mr. John Howe are sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheap-side 1. THE Blessedness of the Righteous The Vanity of this Mortal Life On Psal. 17. ver 15. and Psalm 89. 47. 2. Of Thoughtfulness for the Morrow With an Appendix concerning the immoderate Desire of fore-knowing things to come 3. The Redeemers Tears wept over lost Souls in a Treatise on Luke 19. 41 42. With an Appendix wherein some what is occasionally discoursed concerning the Sin against the Holy Ghost and how God is said to Will the Salvation of them that perish 4. Of Charity in reference to other Mens Sins 5. Self-dedication discoursed in the Anniversary Thanksgiving of a Person of Honour for a great Deliverance 6. A Sermon directing what we are to do after a strict Enquiry whether or no we truly love God 7. A Funeral Sermon for that Faithful and Laborious Servant of Christ Mr. Richard Fairclough who deceased July 4. 1682. in the Sixty First year of his Age. 8. A Funeral Sermon for Mrs. Esther Sampson the late Wife of Henry Sampson Dr. of Physick who died Nov. 24. 1689. Books lately Printed for Tho. Parkhurst A Sermon Preach'd before the King and Queen at Whitehall the Fifth of November 1692. By Richard Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells A brief Tract of the Fourth Commandment Wherein is discover'd the Cause of all our Controversies about the Sabbath-day and the means of reconciling them Recommended by the Reverend Dr. Bates and Mr. John Howe An Epistolatory Discourse on the great Assistances to a Christian Faith and for a more Intire Rest and Assurance in the highest Tryals and Adventures thereof With a Second Part upon the Present Times and these rare Vicissitudes of Providence in the Publick State of Britain in this Age. To which an Appendix is added in the Close By R. Fleming Minister of the Gospel at Roterdam the Author of the Fulfilling of Scripture A short Story of the Rise Reign and Ruine of the Antinomians Familists and Libertines that infected the Churches of New-England And how they were confuted by the Assembly of Ministers there As also of the Magistrates Proceedings in Court against them Together with God's strange Remarkable Judgments from Heaven upon some of the chief Fomenters of these Opinions and the lamentable Death of Mrs. Hutchison Very fit for these Times here being the same Errors amongst us and acted by the same Spirit Published at the instant Request of sundry by one that was an Eye and Ear-witness of the Carriage of Matters there Satan Sifting Or the Oyl of Joy for the Spirit of Heaviness A Body of Practical Divinity consisting of above One Hundred Seventy Six Sermons on the Lesser Catechism composed by the Reverend Assembly of Divines at VVestminter With a Supplement of some Sermons on several Texts of Scripture By Thomas VVatson formerly Minister at St. Stephen's VValbrook London Recommended by several Ministers to Masters of Families and others A Discourse of the Saving Grace of God By David Clarkson Minister of the Gospel The Conversion of the Soul To which is added A Warning to Sinners to prepare for Judgment By Nat. Vincent Minister of the Gospel A Discourse of Old Age tending to the Instruction Caution and Comfort of Aged Persons FINIS Cypr. de Simplie Prael Eph. 4 4. Mat. 28. 20. Plin. Epist. Apol. contra Gent. See in Brerewoods Enquiries Ludolphuâ—'s Aethiopick Hist. and divers others Phil. 2. 15 16. * Marsil Ficinus * Dr. Spencer de Ritibus Hebraeorum * See at large to this purpose Smith's Select Discourses upon this Subject * De Brev. Vitâ