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	good_a	love_v	3,022	5	6.2213	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30128	Christian behaviour, or, The fruits of true Christianity shewing the ground from whence they flow in their godlike order in the duty of relations, as husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants &c. : with a word of direction to all backsliders / by John Bunyan.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.	1663 (1663)	Wing B5492; ESTC R14817	52,342	160

Works be Good Thirdly That every Believer should not only be careful that their Works be good and for the present do them but should also be careful to maintain them that is They should carefully study to keep in a constant course of Good Works And lastly That the best way to provoke both our selves and others to this Work It is to be often affirming to others the Doctrine of Justification by Grace and to believe it our selves This is a faithful Saying and these things I will saith Paul that thou affirm constantly that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain Good Works I begin with the first That Good Works do flow from Faith This is evident divers wayes First from the impossibility of their flowing from any other thing they must either flow from Faith or not at all For whatsoever is not of Faith is sin And again without Faith it is impossible to please Him Rom. 14. 23. Heb. 11. 6. Every man by nature before Faith is an evil and a corrupt tree And a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles Mat. 7. 16 17. Now a man is made good by Faith and by that bringeth forth the Fruits that are acceptable to God Heb. 11. 4. Col. 1. 4 5 6. Wherefore sinners before faith are compared to the Wilderness whose fruits are briers and thornes and whose hearts are the habitation of Dragons that is of Devils Isa. 35. 6 7. Heb. 6. 7 8. And hence again it is that they are said to be Godless Christless Spiritless Faithless Hopeless without the Covenant of Grace without Strength enemies in their minds by wicked works and possessed by the Spirit of wickedness as a Castle by a Conqueror Ephes. 2. 12. Jude 19. 2 Thes. 3. 2. Col. 1. 21. Luke 11. 21. Now these things being thus it is impossible that all the men under heaven that are unconverted should be able to bring forth one work rightly good even as impossible as for all the Briers and Thrones under Heaven to bring forth one cluster of Grapes or one bunch of Figs for indeed they want the qualification A Thorn bringeth not forth Figs because it wanteth the nature of the Fig-tree and so doth the Bramble the nature of the Vine Good Works must come from a good heart Now this the unbeliever wanteth because he wanteth Faith For 't is that which purifieth the heart Luk. 6. 45. Acts 15. 9. Good Works must come from love to the Lord Jesus but this the unbeliever wanteth also Because he wanteth Faith for Faith worketh by love and by that means doth good as Gal. 5. 6. And hence again it is That though the carnal man doth never so much which he calleth good yet it is rejected slighted and turned as dirt in his face again his prayers are abominable his plowing is sin and all his righteousness as menstruous rags Prov. 15. 8. Prov. 21. 4. Isa. 60. 4. Thus you see that without Faith there is no Good Works Now then to shew you that they flow from Faith And that For that Faith is a principle of Life by which a Christian lives Gal. 2. 20 21. a principle of Motion by which it walks towards Heaven in the Way of Holiness Rom. 4. 12. 2 Cor. 5. 7. It is also a principle of strength by which the soul opposeth its lust the Devil and this World and over-comes them This is your victory even your Faith 1 John 5. 4 5. Faith in the heart of a Christian is like the Salt that was thrown into the corrupt Fountain that made the naughty waters good and the Land fruitful 2 Kings 2. 19 20 21. Faith when it is wrought in the heart it is like leaven hid in the meal Mat. 13. 33. or like perfume that lighteth upon stinking leather turning the smell of the leather the savour of the perfume it being the● planted in the heart and having its natural inclination to holiness Hence it i● that there followeth an alteration of the life and conversation and so bringeth forth fruit accordingly A good man ou● of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good fruit Luk. 6. 45. Which treasure I say is this Faith Jam. 2. 5. 1 Pet. 1. 7. And therefore it is that Faith is called The Faith according to Godliness and the most holy Faith Tit. 1. 1. Jude 20. 2. Good Works must needs flow from Faith or no way Because that alone carrieth in it an argument sufficiently prevalent to win upon our natures to make them comply with holiness Faith sheweth us that God loveth us that he forgiveth us our sins that he counteth us for his Children having freely justified us through the Blood of his Son Rom. 3. 24 25. Rom. 4. Heb. 11. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 8. Faith receiveth the Promise imbraceth it and comforteth the Soul unspeakably with it Faith is so great an Artist in arguing and reasoning with the soul that it will bring over the hardest heart that it hath to deal with It will bring to my remembrance at once both my vileness against God and his goodness towards me it will shew me that though I deserve not to breath in the Air yet that God will have me an Heir of Glory Now there is no argument greater than this this will make a man run thorow ten thousand difficulties to answer God though it never can for the Grace that he hath bestowed on it Further Faith will shew me how distinguishingly this Love of God hath set it self upon me It will shew me that though Esan was Jacobs Brother yet he loved Jacob Mal. 1. 2. that though there were thousands more besids me that were as good as me yet I must be the man that must be chosen Now this I say is a marvellous argument and unspeakably prevaileth with the sinner as saith the Apostle For the Love of Christ constrains us because we th●● judge That if one dyed for all then are all dead and that he died for all that they which live that is by Faith should not henceforth live unto themselves but to Hi●● that died for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5. 14. Love saith the Wise man is strong as Death many waters cannot quench Love neither can the floods drown it If a man would give all the substance of his house for Love it would be utterly contemned Song 8. 6 7. Oh! when the broken dying condemned sinner can but see by Faith the Love of a tender-hearted Saviour and also see what he underwent to deliver it from under that Death Guilt and Hell that now he feels and fears which also it knoweth it hath most justly and highly deserved Then bless the Lord O my soul and what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits Psal. 103. 1 2 3. Psal. 116. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14. Thus is Faith a prevailing argument to the sinner whereby he is fetched

now to its outward Touching the outward state of thy ●●mily thou art to consider these th● things First That it lyeth upon thee to c●●● for them that they have a convenie●● livelyhood If any man provide not for 〈◊〉 own and especially for those of his own hou●● he hath denied the Faith and is worse th● an infidel 1 Tim. 5. 8. But mark wh●● the Word saith thou art to provide 〈◊〉 thy house it giveth thee no license 〈◊〉 distracting carefulness neither doth 〈◊〉 allow thee to strive to grasp the World 〈◊〉 thy heart or Coffers nor to take care f●● years or dayes to come but so to pr●●vide for them that they may have fo●● and raiment and if either they or tho● be not content with that you lanch o● beyond the Rule of God 1 Tim. 6. 〈◊〉 Mat. 6. 34. This is to labour that you 〈◊〉 have wherewith to maintain good Works 〈◊〉 necessary uses Tit. 3. 14. And never object that unless you rea● further it will never do for that is 〈◊〉 unbelief The Word saith That G●● ●●edeth Ravens careth for Sparrows and loatheth the Grass in which three to feed loath and care for is as much as heart an wish Luke 12. 6 24 27 28. Secondly Therefore though thou shouldst ●rovide for thy Family yet let all thy ●abour be mixed with moderation Let our moderation be known to all men Phil. ● 5. Take heed of driving so hard after his World as to hinder thy self and fa●ily from those Duties towards God which thou art by Grace obliged to as ●rivate Prayer reading the Scriptures ●nd Christian Conference It is a base ●hing for men so to spend themselves and ●amilies after this World as that they ●isingage their hearts to God's Worship 〈◊〉 Christians The time is short It remain●th then that they that have Wives be as ●hose that have none and they that weep 〈◊〉 though they wept not and they that re●yce as though they rejoyced not and they ●hat use this world as not abusing it for ●●e fashion of this world passeth away 1 Cor. ●● 29 30 31. Many Christians live and do in this world as if Religion were but a by-bi●ness and this World the one thing nece●sary when indeed all the things of 〈◊〉 world are but things by the by and R●●ligion only the one thing needful Luk● 10. 40 41. 42. Thirdly If thou wouldst be such a M●ster of a Family as becomes thee th● must see that there be that Christi● Harmony among those under thee as b●comes that house where one ruleth th● feareth God 1. Thou must look that t● Children Servants be under subject● on to the Word of God for though it of God only to rule the heart yet he e●●pecteth that thou shouldst rule their ou● ward man which if thou dost not he m● in short time cut off all of thy stock that p●●seth against the wall 1 Sam. 3. 11 12 1● 14. See therefore that thou keep the temperate in all things in Apparrel 〈◊〉 Language that they be not Glutteno● nor Drunkards not suffering either t●● Children vainly to domineer over t●● Servants nor they again to carry the●●selves foolishly towards each other 2. Learn to distinguish between that injury that in thy Family is done to thee and that which is done to God and though thou oughtest to be very zealous for the Lord and to bear nothing that is open transgression to Him yet here will be thy wisdom to pass by personal injuries and to bury them in oblivion Love covereth the multitude of sins Be not then like those that will rage and stare like mad-men when they are injured and yet either laugh or at least not soberly rebuke and warn when God is dishonoured Rule thy own house well having thy Children with others in thy Family in subjection with all gravity 1 Tim. 3. 4. Solomon was so excellent sometimes this way that he made the eyes of his beholders to dazzle 2 Chron. 9. 3 4. But to break off from this general and to come to particulars First Hast thou a Wife thou mu●● consider how thou oughtest to behave th● self under that relation And to do this ● right thou must consider the condition 〈◊〉 thy wife whether she be one that indee● believeth or not ● she believeth The● First Thou art eng●●ged to bless God fo● her For her price is far above Rubies an● she is the Gift of God unto thee and is f●● thy adorning and glory Prov. 12. 4. Prov● 31. 10. 1 Cor. 11. 7. Favour is decei●ful and beauty is vain but a Woman th● feareth the Lord she shall be praised Prov● 31. 30. Secondly Thou oughtest to love he under a double consideration 1. As sh● is thy flesh and thy bone For ●ev●● Man yet hated his own flesh Ephes. 5● 29. 2. As she is together with thee a● heir of the Grace of Life 1 Pet. 3. ● This I say should engage thee to lov● her with Christian Love to love her as believing you both are dearly belov● of God and the Lord Jesus Christ an● as those that must be together with him in Eternal happiness Thirdly Thou oughtest so to carry thy self to and before her as doth Christ to and before his Church as saith the Apostle So ought men to love their wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Ephes. 5. 25. When husbands behave themselves like husbands indeed then will they be not only husbands but such an Ordinance of God to the wife as will preach to her the carriage of Christ to his Spouse There is a sweet scent wrapped up in the relations of husbands and wives Ephes. 5. 32. that believe The wife I say signifying the Church and the husband the head and saviour thereof Ephes. 5. 23. For the husband is the head of the wife even a Christ is the head of the Church and He is the Saviour of the body This is one of God's chief ends in instituting Marriage that Christ and his Church under a figure might be where-ever there is a couple that believe through Grace Wherefore that husband that carrieth it undiscreetly toward his wife he doth not only behave himself contrary to the Rule but also maketh his Wife lose the benefit of such an Ordinance and crosseth the mystery of this Relation Therefore I say So ought men to love their Wives as their own bodies He that loveth his Wife loveth himself for no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord the Church Ephes. 5. 28 29. Solomon and Pharaoh's Daughter had the art of thus doing as you may see in the Book of Canticles Wherefore bear with their weaknesses help their infirmities and honor them as the weaker vessels and as being of a frailer constitution 1 Pet. 3. 7. In a word be such a Husband to thy believing Wife that she may say God hath not only given me a husband but such a Husband as