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	heart_n	love_v	3,359	5	6.1438	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01889	Spiritual marriage: or, The vnion betweene Christ and his Church As it was delivered in a sermon at Westminster, the first of Ianuarie. Anno Dom. 1626. By Iames Baillie, Master of Arts.	Baillie, James, Master of Arts.	1627 (1627)	STC 1203; ESTC S120307	33,214	58

this Gospell is not preached it is a sure argumēt that there is none of Gods chosen childrē in that place for where there is a haruest God will send reapers and labourers where he will plant a vineyard and when there is but little preaching in a Parish or a Citie it is a token that God hath no great haruest in that place and where the lampe of the Gospell hath been burning once in a glorious manner and now is extinguished the candlestick remoued and false lights set vp in the place thereof as in the Church of Rome it is euident that the Lords haruest is done in that Citie place or Parish because the Lord will neuer call home the labourers otherwise in the noone time of the day nor remoue his Ministrie from his owne peoples conuersion consolation and farther corroboration in which regard the Ministers of Gods word in some respect are the parents of all Christians that is both their father and their mother Iustified by St. 1. Cor. 4.15 Paul In Christ Iesus faith he I haue begotten you through the Gospell And here it is cleere that they are the fathers of Christians and Gal. 4.19 he makes it plaine that they are the mothers of all Christians too My little children of whom I trauell againe in birth till Christ bee formed in you Gods Ministers the Parents of Christians And this should teach all Christians reuerently to speake of their Ministers to honor them maintaine their reputatiō as their begetters to be the heirs of the kingdom of heauen to supply them in their necessities as their spirituall parents But the omission of this dutie toward the ministerie argues that Christ is not yet formed in them which is the forming of them to Christs Image and similitude by casting off the old man which cannot be done without sorrow and paine like a woman in her labour whereof as yet they haue neuer so much as once felt the least smarting But before Christ be formed in them they will be sensible of it for if a woman cannot be deliuered of her child which she hath carried but nine moneths in her wombe without dolour and griefe shall we thinke to be deliuered of sinne which is a man an old man and a man which we haue carried about within our breasts ever since the day of our natiuitie without spirituall dolour and paine No it is not possible for in a sinners conuersion and forming of him according to the Image of the sonne of God there must bee the broken heart the contrite Spirit the mourning weed the pale countenance the melting eye and the voice of lamentation and therefore Repentance receiues these three names in Scripture Regeneration Three names giuen to Repentance Circumcision and Mortification and as there can be no cutting of the flesh no death no birth without paine so in this spirituall birth Wherein consisteth the paine in the spirituall birth in this forming of sinners to the Image and similitude of Christ there is paine paine for their owne sins past paine for the iniquities of the wicked because they will not keepe Gods law paine for all the abominations in the Land and place wherein they liue paine for to see the Church of God so oppressed in many places of the world and finally paine for their absence from their country the kingdome of heauen Those that are after this manner in labour and paine are the children of Christ begotten in this spirituall marriage not by the will of flesh and blood but by the will of God And thus much for the three similitudes by which our vnion with Christ is expressed And now I come to the two qualities of this Marriage The two qualities of this marriage the certaintie and the perpetuitie but because the time is spent I feare that I haue stayed you too long I will dispatch them in a word The certaintie then of this marriage as I told you is implyed in the gemination and doubling of this Promise I will marrie thee to me yea I will marrie thee And this is no tautologie or vaine repetition but an infallable truth iustified by Ioseph Gen. 41.32 that tels vs that Pharaohs dreame was doubled because the thing is established by God It is truth that Gods promises are as sufficient when they are but once made as when they are reiterated as firme when they are spoken as being sworne confirmed with an oath yet for to supply our weakenes and defects our most gracious God is not only willing to promise but often to double redouble his promises as he did to Abraham in the booke of Genesis Gen. 12.2 Gen. 13.14.17 Gen. 15.18 Gen. 18.8 when hee promised vnto him the land Canaan not once twise or thrice but fiue times And here in my text not once or twise I will marrie I will marrie thee but the third time yea I will euen marrie thee Not only content to speake but to sweare as in Psal 12.11 The Lord hath sworne vnto David and he will not shrinke from it that of the fruit of thy body will I set vpon thy throne The Apostle Heb. 6. giueth the reason and tels vs wherefore this is done that thereby saith he he might declare to the heires of the promise the stabilitie of his counsell And looke how stable and how sure that our Election bee the certaintie of this Marriage is as sure and what arguments and reasons may be or can be brought to proue the certaintie of the one the same will serue to proue the certainty of the other but at this time I will neither weary you nor lose my selfe in such a wildernesse of discourse for none can be members of this Marriage but the Elect. The last qualitie of this Marriage is perpetuitie for euer This speech for euer is taken 3. manner of wayes This speech for euer taken three manner of waies in Scripture first for the time of a mans life only and so it is taken Psal 121.8 The Lord shall preserue thy going out and thy comming in from henceforth and for euer that is all the dayes of thy life that notwithstanding of the speculatiue interpretations of many that hath commented this place that can draw out quidlibet ex quolibet gold out of drosse or rather turne gold with their metaphysicke contemplations into drosse whose opinions I cannot now stay to refute Secondly in the old Testament it is extended somtimes to the Messias his comming in the flesh so is it taken Gen. 17. Where the Sacrament of Circumcision is called a Couenant for euer Circumcision abolished yet you know it was abolished at the institution of Baptisme and S. Paul in dirision cals it Concision and in 2. Gal. 4. a Bondage Likewise in the 12. Chap. of Exodus the Passouer is called an Ordinance of the Lord to be kept holy for ever The Passouer abrogated Neuerthelesse it was abrogated at the institution of the sacrament of the Lords supper Thirdly it is taken not only for the whole time of the worlds induring but likewise for that Eternity which shall bee after the consummation of the world and so it is taken Revel 11.15 where it is said That Christ shall raigne for ever and here in my text I will marrie thee vnto mee for euer No time here no time hence shall repudiate sunder and diuorce vs but as I haue loued my Church before all time so will I continue my affection towards my welbeloued after all time and when there shall be no more time But seeing time is spent let vs winde vp this clew let vs see what wee shall render vnto the Lord for so great fauor bestowed vpon vs for so great loue shewed toward Mankinde aboue the Angels in marrying himselfe vnto vs making vs sure of this marriage alluring vs to constancie by louing speeches and by great promises perswading vs yea drawing vs to imbrace it and suffring the Angels to lie still vnder the heauie burden of his wrath in the most wofull and most miserable estate of Apostacie What say I shall we render vnto the Lord for so incomprehensible a benefit and such an infinite weight of loue ten thousand rivers of oile all the beasts on thousand mountaines yea in all the forrest of Libanon are nothing to the Lord. What then heare the Apostle Loue the Lord because he hath loued vs first let our hearts melt with kindnesse toward him then shall it be vnto vs a faithfull witnes that we are a part of his mysticall body a part of the Church of the elect his spouse and that the Lord loueth vs for this loue is the first effect of our faith the most expresse trace of Gods Image and the most liuely marke of his children it is the soule of other vertues the rule of our actions and the summarie of the Law it is the vpholder of Martyrs the ladder of heaven the peace of conscience yea I dare say that it is a tast a beginning here of that infinit loue which hence we shall carrie toward Christ our husband when we shall be presented vnto him without spot or wrinkle a most chaste spouse vnited and perfectly haue this promise of marriage consummated and fulfilled To this our husband and redeemer with the Father and the holy Spirit three persons and one Deitie be all honour praise and dominion for now and euermore AMEN FINIS

blessed spirit In the fourth chap. of the Cantic the first verse Behold thee art faire my loue behold thou art faire thy lips are like a thread of scarlet and thy talke is comelie and in the seauenth verse thou art all faire my loue and there is no spot in thee Againe in the ninth verse my Sister my spouse thou hast wounded mine heart thou hast wounded mine heart with one of thine eyes and with a chaine of thine neck and once againe in the tenth verse my sister my spouse how faire is thy loue how much better is thine loue then wine and the sauour of thine oyntments then all spices and so forth thorough the whole booke of the Cantic Christ for the loue of his spouse fighteth a combate with his riuall In a most familiar manner alluring vs and perswading vs to accept of him for the loue that he beares towards vs which was so great that before his riuall Satan should haue snatched vs out of his hand he will fight against him and all his confederates and therefore he was made flesh Iohn 16.28 he went from the father and came vnto the world he valiantly pitched a field in the wildernesse against that roaring lyon that old Serpent Math. 4.3 he ouercame his chiefest power he broke his wilie head ouerthrew him in the desart by a scriptum est But was this all No he fulfilled the Law in euery point and title satisfied Gods Iustice for vs and before he will want vs he will giue his life for vs and gaue it indeed offring himselfe in sacrifice to the Lord of hosts vpon the Crosse for our sinnes by which he vanquished hell and conquered death and thereafter gloriously rose againe left this world and went againe to his Father Ioh. 16.28 and sent vnto vs the holy Ghost but before he went to his fathers house he told vs that there was many dwelling places in it and that he was going to prepare a place for vs Ioh. 14.3 and therefore exhorteth and admonisheth vs not to be troubled Let not your heart be troubled Ioh. 14.1 O what a loue is here the hight the breadth the length whereof is incomprehensible But O what hardnesse of heart on the contrary is vpon our part more hardnes then if the stones which DEVCALION and PYRHA cast ouer their shoulders after the deluge had been our progenitors and the first authors of our race yea then the stones themselues Ouid. Metap for we reade that stones haue been broken in peeces at the voice of the Lord at the first and so were the stones of the altar in Bethell at the voice of the Prophet and the vale of the Temple rent it selfe in two when the Lord suffred at Golgotha for our redemption and to make our marriage firme and if at any time stones haue been disobedient vnto GODS voice it is because of mans disobedience and infidility in whose mouth it was and in this respect we reade that the rocke refused to render water to MOSES at the first and second stroke yet rendred obedience at the third and rendred water abundantly But how often is this loue propounded this marriage offred and the Gospell preached vnto vs and which is hee amongst vs that mollifieth his heart at the first at the second yea or at the the third stroake I meane at so many sermons or at a thousand more loueth the Lord againe and repenteth him of his sinnes and iniquities shall not the Altar in Bethell and the vale of the Temple condemne vs in the day of the Lord that at the first gaue obedience and be faithfull witnesse of our Induration against vs without example that refuse most obstinately the loue of our husband offred vnto vs euery day at our owne doores but will not leaue our father forsake his house and our owne people will not be diuorced from our adulteries our old sins that our husband the King may take pleasure in our beautie The Lionesse may teach vs wisedome for she will not company with the Lyon after her commixtion with the Leopard till she first wash her selfe in water vnwilling that her adultery should be manifested by her scent It is recorded likewise that the Viper is so wise that before its copulation with the fish Muraena Basil in his Hexamer●n Hom. it first vomits and casts out all the pernicious and venemous poyson that is within it or in its teeth O pittifull blindnesse of man that by nature is more adulterous then the Lionesse and goeth a whoring after euery sort of vanitie more venemous then the Viper and is full of hatred malice enuie and debate and will neither see it nor doe it away but suffers strange Lords to tyrannise ouer him without repugnancie opposition and specially such Lords as are but cowards which if he but resist will flee from him and yet giues way vnto him not fearing that his disloyalty shall be perceiued by his righteous master head and Lord and that his patience will in the end be turned into a scepter of Iron to crush him and to breake him in peeces like a potters vessell O horrible and thrice cursed nature why hast thou so armed our carnall corps with the weapons of vnrighteousnesse to fight against the long suffring of our most gracious God and so long to abuse the loue of our redeemer But let vs fight against nature with the weapons of righteousnesse even with repentance and humiliation that the Lord may exalt vs giue vs the oyle of joy for mourning and wash vs in that fountaine opened to the house of Iudah and finally let vs say with DAVID Psal 73.25 Psal 73.25 Whom haue we in heaven but thee and we haue desired none in earth with thee And thus let vs say in our heart for it is the heart which the Lord craueth My sonne giue me thine heart and let vs say it speedily and in this life speedily because time swiftly passeth Et dies nostri sunt vel●ciores cursore our dayes are swifter then a post saith Iob. 7.6 and we cannot tell how quickly the race thereof shall be run out and then it will be out of time It must be then in this life which is tempus acceptum the accepted time the day of saluation 2. Cor. 6.2 because this life is the time in which our election must be made sure and sealed vp to our spirits by the infallible testimonie of the good spirit of God this life is the time wherein euery man must worke out his saluation with a filiall feare and trembling this life is the time wherein we must be admitted into the kingdome of grace if euer we looke to be admitted into the kingdome of glory In this life we must be matriculated into the mysticall body of the Church by obeying the injunctions and will of God and requiring our suiters loue with true affection if euer we wil look to sit at the bridegroomes table and enter with