Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	apostle_n	faith_n	work_v	4,705	5	7.7266	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81924	A model of church-government: or, The grounds of the spirituall frame and government of the house of God. Shewing, what the holy Scriptures have therein delivered; what the best Reformed Churches do practise; what the tender consciences may rest in. For the better satisfaction of such as scruple at the work of reformation, declared and appointed by severall ordinances of Parliament. / By John Dury, one of the Assembly of Divines; who hath travelled heretofore in the work of peace among the churches.	Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1647 (1647)	Wing D2873; Thomason E383_26; ESTC R21589	67,352	88

goe astary from him they are so farre from edifying the Church of God by their forwardnesse that they rather disturb and destroy every thing they meddle withall but if they were instructed by their teachers to understand the way wherein Christ did Mat. 12. 19 20. walke to shew judgement unto the Gentiles namely that he did not strive nor cry nor cause any man heare his voyce in the streets that hee did not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax till hee send forth judgement unto victory If I say they were taught to know him in this as in all other things and were obliged to judge themselves in all their aimes to doe nothing out of the way of conformity unto him in his walking in the flesh they would easily refrain from the intemperancy of their passionate zeal for or against particular matters which reach not unto the heart of the profession The evill which in this course of preaching doth befall unto the Ministers themselves who otherwise are Godly and holy men is this that they easily overshoot themselves either by pressing a particular duty too much and indiscreetly laying too great weight upon it towards all without distinction of cases whereby the weaker consciences are straitned and ensnared or by applying a duty unto matters of state and publick relations to the prejudice of one party for the advantage of another upon reports or mistakes and misconstructions of matters from whence oft times great scandals and discontents arise and are fomented to the widening of breaches without all hope of reconcilement If the Ministers presse not the fundamentall aime of the profession but rest in the delivery of theoreticall truths and the application thereof unto particular duties It is no great wonder that their hearers remain ignorant of it and walke not up to it and it must naturally follow that all the care whereunto their conscience will draw them in their profession will bee nothing else but a professsion of some particular tenets and practises for which they will strive as for life and death not that I think that any truth or righteous practise is rightly to be esteemed or neglected but that all the Theorie of the world and all the performances that can be wrought in particular duties may bee a matter of meere Hypocrisie in the professor and nothing else but an occasion of strife and disturbance towards those to whom our profession is addressed if the true aime of the holy profession bee not minded the teaching then of the aime of our profession by Gods blessing upon the word of his servants may rectifie the purpose of the hearers in their profession and cure the first and fundamentall cause of all our distempers and if once this radicall cause be taken away the secundary which is but a streame flowing from that fountain will soon be dried up by the heat of true love and sincerity which will take possession of the affections of those that in the Spirit follow Jesus Christ For as the second Cause of our Distempers viz. the want of The Remedy of the second Cause of our Disease Proportion in the Means used towards a through Reformation to produce the Effect intended thereby is an effect of the first So the second Remedy of that evil will be a consequence of the first namely the way of doing all things in love For he that aimeth at nothing in the way of his Profession but to follow Jesus Christ will find that he in his way of walking did proportionate all his undertakings to the end for which he did them by the manifestation of Gods love to those towards whom he did make his application And because there is little or no sincerity of Brotherly love apparent in the use of the Means which are set a foot for the advancement of a Religious Reformation amongst us therefore every thing which is done by many of us is altogether unsutable to the end for which it is performed for although the thing which is done be in it self never so good and just yet if the spirit of Divine love do not go along with the performance of the work there will be no proportion found therein to reach the end for which it is to be undertaken because there is nothing but love that can fit every thing to the good of those to whom it is done The Apostle saith that there is neither circumcision available in Christ Jesus nor uncircumcision but Gal. 5. 6. Faith which worketh by Love The object of Faith is Christ when we take him in the Covenant as our aime to be found in him and if this Faith hath any life in us and is not a meer verball profession it will be operative in that Love wherein He did all his works amongst men and towards his Father The Apostle speaking of the Rule by which we should walk as children of God giveth us this charge Ephes 5. 2. Walk saith he in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us If then our aime is Christ it will appeare that the chief thing wherein our conformity with Christ must stand will be the exercise of love towards the Brethren for Gods sake and of Holinesse to be separate from the world and when we shall reflect upon the use of the Means which are set afoot and put in the hands of most men for the advancement of our Reformation we shall find that nothing is so much wanting both in the framing of the counsels and in the execution of the works as the spirit of Brotherly love and of Holinesse and where these two are deficient in those who act a Reformation what can the event be other then disorder and confusion Some Act altogether by the way and in the means of Christian liberty some by the way and in the means of Christian Authority but because neither of these for the most part are acted by the spirit of love to one another or by the spirit of Holinesse to bee seperate from the world and from their owne interests in what they doe therefore they act nothing for but against one another as if Christian Liberty and Christian Authority were things altogether inconsistent and so the means which should advance both the one and the other part of our spirituall constitution are not only ineffectuall but offensive and destructive to each other because neither the desire of liberty nor the pretence of Authority are put forth in the spirit of love to serve others thereby in true Holinesse but a certain interest of state is rather look't upon both wayes which makes both the path of Liberty and of Authority to become unchristian to those that walke therein with partiality and worldly aimes and this is the only cause why all our works and proceedings of this nature doe miscarry because many of those that are the Actors thereof in making use of the means doe not for the most part minde the golden Rules

same care one of another 7. The end and use of the Pastoral office is the same with the end and use of the Apostolical Prophetical and Evangelical office Which is to perfect the Saints to do the work of the ministery and to build up the body of Christ Ephes 4. 12. 8. The effect of this office when it is rightly performed will be 1. The unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man Ephes 4. 13. 2. Preservation from a seducers a Ephes 4. 14. That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in wait to deceive 3. The growth b of the Body in all things in Christ b Ephes 4. 15. But speaking the truth in love in all things may grow up unto him which is the head even Christ 4. The jointing c and compacting of the Body together under Christ that the Members may act within themselves for the building up of each other in love c Ephes 4. 16. The whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectuall working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the Body to the edifying of it self in love 9. To gain these ends and effects three things are requisite in the Pastor First that his entry upon the office be lawfull Secondly that the duties proper to it be discharged Thirdly that the spirituall manner of performing those duties be observed 1. Of the Entry upon the office 10. The lawfull entry upon the Pastorall charge is onely to come in by the door and he that doth enter into the sheepfold any other way is a thief and a robber Joh. 10. 1 2. 11. The door by which the shepherd must come is Christ Joh. 10. 9. I am the door by me if any man enter he shall be saved 12. Now Christ by the annointing of the Spirit doth dwell in the d hearts of the faithfull d 2 Cor. 1. 21 22. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath annointed us is God who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of his spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 3. 17. Now the Lord is the Spirit Ephes 3. 16 17. Grant you to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith If then a Minister doth offer himself by the Spirit with that Pastoral affection which proceedeth from Christ unto the flock He who is both the e Door and the f Porter doth open himself in the heart of the Flock to receive him and he enters in lawfully e Joh. 10. 9. I am the door c. compared with verse 3. To him viz. that entreth by the door the Porter openeth And with Revel 3. 7. He that hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth 13. If any man hath not this Pastorall affection and spirit which Christ had towards the flock but commeth in some other way that is by some humane practises and contrivances of his own Christ doth call him a thief and a robber Joh. 10. 1. and saith that he doth come to steal to kill and to destroy ibid. v. 10. The heart then of the Flock must be opened to him that commeth unto them else he cannot pretend to be the Pastor of their soules 14. This door of the heart being first opened by the inward working of Christs spirit the outward call also must follow upon by a free choise and orderly reception of him that is chosen in a publike way in the face of the Congregation with the countenance of Authority as Aaron was called received Hebr. 5. 4. No man taketh this honour to himself but he that is called of God as Aaron was II. Of the Duties belonging to the office 15. The duties belonging to the Pastorall charge contain all the cares and endeavours whereby the Flock is to be fed conducted preserved and defended 16. The cares belonging to the feeding of the flock are these First to seek and find out pasture for them Joh. 10. 9. By me if any man enter in he shall find pasture Which is done by giving attendance to reading 1 Tim. 4. 13. by meditating and applying himself to profit in knowledge 1 Tim. 4. 15. Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may appeare to all And to this effect he must keep the form of Doctrine received from the Apostles and the Truth of grace received from the Holy Ghost both which are recommended to Timothy 2 Tim. 1. 13 14. Hold fast the forme of sonnd words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus Keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us that good thing which was committed unto thee Secondly to give to the Flock that pasture which he findeth to be their proper portion Luke 12. 42. Give them their portion of meat which is done by dividing the Word to them 2 Tim. 2. 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth Thirdly to give this portion in due season Luke 12. 42. Give them in due season their portion of meat Fourthly to give it according to every mans capacitie Mark 4 33. He spake the word unto them as they were able to heare it Then he must give to babes milk 1 Cor. 3. 2. and to those that are of full age strong meat Heb. 5. 12 13 14. He must feed all with judgement Ezech. 34. 16. He must not feed the weak with doubtfull disputations Rom. 14. 1. Nor entertain with any profane and vain bablings and oppositions of a Science falsly so called 1 Tim. 6. 20. 2 Tim. 2. 16. Or questions and strife of words 1 Tim. 6. 4. and contentions of Genealogies Tit. 3. 9. 17. The food to be given to the flock is the word of God Mat. 4. 4. Man liveth not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God This word of God is none other but the faithfull word which the Apostles taught Tit. 1. 9. Holding fast the faithfull word as he hath been taught And all the word is taught to the end that it may beget Charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfained 1 Tim. 1. 5. 18. The cares belonging to the conduct of the Flock are these First the good Shepherd ought to call his sheep by name Joh. 10 3. Secondly he ought to lead them out and in Joh. 10. 3 9. Thirdly to go before them Joh. 10. 4. to be an example of the believers in word in conversation in charity c. 1 Tim. 4. 12. Fourthly To visit the flock and seek out the young ones Zach. 1. 16. and judge between cattell and cattell Ezek. 34.