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	love_v	world_n	3,595	5	5.1710	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30930	A sermon preached at St. Mary Le Bow, on Whitsunday, May xxxi, 1691 at the consecration of the Most Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, and primate of all England / by Ra. Barker ...	Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1691 (1691)	Wing B777A; ESTC R17105	11,838	31

stint his Bowels stop the current of his Love His Love wants nothing to make even Him if I may so say and all others happy but the diffusing and communication of it which therefore is the greatest Service the most acceptable Love unto him And since he hath made us the Instruments and Dispensers of his Love we then love him most we please him best when we are active when we are successful in it when we make his Love known unto Men in Preaching his sincere Word when we use that Authority which Christ hath left us for the edifying of his Church when we hazard all that is dear to us our Ease our Credit our Lives that we may at any time and by any means comply with his Will carrying on the design of his Love 4. The Work is great and hard indeed but as the Apostle saith of all the Commandments 1 Joh. v. 2. upon this Principle of Love they are not grievous if we sincerely love Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. vi 24. so as not to be corrupted by the baits and allurements of this World this great this hard Work will be but the Labour of Love and that we know is the gentlest and easiest of all Labours and in many cases cannot brook the name of Labour for in all Love the Spirits flowing to the Heart make the person active and vigorous able and willing to take pains This Love of Christ is a most active busie Principle always putting us in remembrance of this Duty always stirring up the Grace of God which was given us by the imposition of Hands at our entrance upon this Work and continually pushing us on in our endeavours and making our very endeavours both to enlarge our Strength and Love that we shall find it a Spirit of Power and of a ready Mind Love must be the inward Principle of this Duty this Duty must be the outward expression and proof of this Love Love without Duty is but empty Complement Duty without Love is but Toil and Drudgery 5. When then we enter upon this Work is it not necessary that we should do it with a solemn Profession that we trust we are moved by the Holy Ghost by this Divine Principle of Love unto Christ and desire to serve him in it He that entereth not thus into the Sheepfold but climbeth up some other way it is to steal and to rob and I wish such would seriously ask themselves when they profess to be moved by the Holy Ghost whether they do not lie unto the Holy Ghost And as this Love must be the first and great Principle of this Duty so must it be the Guide and Measure of it we must feed Christs Sheep out of love to them as well as unto Christ with Love unfeigned and a pure Heart fervently For what we do to them we do to Christ what Meekness and Tenderness what Bowels of Mercy and Compassion what long Suffering and obliging Behaviour we shew to them and these I take to be some of the most proper expressions of Love are thereby done to Christ himself 6. Can we love him and at the same time persecute him Can our Bowels yearn towards him whilst we are tearing out his very Bowels and making havock of all his Members Can we be kindly affectioned toward Him and above measure mad against his Sheep If the Sheep will not starve her Lamb to spare us all her Milk shall we suck her Blood Because the Lamb cannot feed on such strong meat as the old one doth shall we starve her Because some go astray must they become meat to all the Beasts of the Field Ezek. xxxiv 5. and all this out of pure Pity and Compassion Ah weeping Crocodile Ah ye Holy Fathers of the Inquisition Is this Christ's way of Feeding Is it not that spoken of by the Prophet as the severest threat Thus saith the Lord my God Feed the flock of the slaughter whose possessours slay them and hold themselves not guilty and they that sell them say Blessed be the Lord for I am rich and their own shepherds pity them not Zach. xi 4 5. If this be the Spirit of Christ that Love which is the whole of the Gospel the filling up and completion of it surely the Gospel it self is Transubstantiated and worser abused than ever Christ's Body was that Bread should be made his Body is not so great a Prodigy as that Cruelty should be Love Oppression Mercy Fire Dragooning and Devastation should now be the Bowels of Christ and the tender Mercies of the Gospel 7. But let the Extravagances of some make us wiser and teach us such a Love as may preserve us from being thus beloved let us Instruct with Meekness Correct with Mildness gently leading on as the Flock is able to bear that they who are not of our Minds may yet partake of our Affections they who are not in our Congregations may yet be in our Hearts that although we do not Convert them we may yet Convince them if we cannot satisfie them we may be able to satisfie our own Consciences both now in the presence of Christ and of all the World Feeding doth imply something more than just setting Meat before any it is the doing it in such a manner as may do them most good it is the Kindness and the Seasonableness of an Entertainment which doth recommend it The Shepherd the Parent the Nurse are feign to study the Palat the Stomach the Strength of those they are to Diet or else they may Weaken and Starve them with good Fare and I have often observed some Truths proposed in such a manner as have provoked the person whom they should and might have instructed Would you persuade a Man of small Courage to decline such an occasion of quarreling by telling him that to your knowledg he is a Coward the Argument is the worst Provocation and it is just the same to convince a Man of Error by calling him Heretick and then railing against Heresie it may well be questioned whether this hath not made more Hereticks than ever it Convinced Is not the Duty of a Pastor expressed by his beseeching praying obliging winning Such I am sure was S. Paul's Method And is not the Bishop to be Patient able to bear the Infirmities of those that are in the wrong Is he not to behave himself with all lowliness with long Suffering and forbearing in Love Are they not to please their Flocks for their good unto Edifying shewing all Meekness towards all Men even them that oppose themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is not Meekness a yielding Temper a steping back that it may more surely gain its great and main end Must not the Bishop be one of a good Report in Credit with his Flock one whom they have a good Opinion of one whom they find to love both the Truth and them the Truth for their sakes and them for Christ's For when all is done most Men do hear with

A SERMON Preached at St. Mary Le Bow ON Whitsunday May xxxi 1691. AT THE CONSECRATION Of the Most Reverend Father in God JOHN Lord Archbishop of CANTERBURY And Primate of all England By RA. BARKER Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury and Fellow of Gonvil and Caius Colledge in Cambridge LONDON Printed for James Adamson at the Angel and Crown in S. Paul's Church-Yard 1691. TO THE Most Reverend Father in God JOHN Lord Archbishop of CANTERBURY MY LORD THAT your Grace was pleased kindly to Accept this my Mean Performance at your Consecration was I do believe for the Plainness and Sincerity of it which I always knew to be most Acceptable to you and what you would chuse to Countenance in the Clergy rather than any thing of Panegyrick which might perhaps have been expected on such an Occasion And therefore I shall only beg your Acceptance of these my first Fruits as a Hearty Acknowledgment of those great Favours which for many Years together you have Vouchsafed to Your Grace's Most Humble And most Faithful Servant RA. BARKER A Consecration Sermon c. St. JOHN xxi 17. He said unto him the third time Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time lovest thou me And he said unto him Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee He saith unto him Feed my Sheep THESE Words are part of the Gospel for this great occasion in which that our Saviour should no less than three times put this searching Question to St. Peter argues something in it very remarkable both with respect to him and all other the Bishops and Pastors of his Flock With respect to St. Peter we may consider our Saviour applying himself to him rather than to any of the rest his putting the Question to him three times his calling him Simon Son of Jonas and from thence gather as many of the Ancient Fathers do that all this was to restore him to his former Office and Dignity from which he had fallen by denying his Master thrice and so no new Priviledge nor inlargement of his Power for had St. Peter thus understood it would he have been grieved at our Saviour's so often insisting on it They that would have this the meaning of it think they cannot hear of it or make others hear of it too often Let others find out if they can the height of Power and Dominion given to St. Peter here over all even the Apostles themselves it will be a more safe and comfortable Imployment for us to joyn in the Heavenly Rejoycing which St. Peter's Repentance did occasion and to admire the goodness of our Lord his tender Pity and Compassion his readiness to forgive and receive into Favour this straying Sheep and from thence learn to do the like towards others See how wisely our Saviour prevents any ill use which might have been made of St. Peter's Fall that it might not lessen him among the Apostles that it might not undermine the effect of his Preaching That he that was of a fierce and warm Temper might from himself learn how to pity and treat others in their Faylings And lastly to teach us all Candour in our Censures Prudence in our Judgings Charity in our Hopes and Expectations after Slips and Faylings and to be as ready to observe Men's Repentance as their Faults Men's Usefulness as their Miscarriages Our Saviour could remember his Weeping more than his Denial and is more earnest in publishing his Love than his Fear Oh merciful Saviour who art more strict to mark what we do well than what we do amiss And canst so remember our Miscarriages as to make them the happy occasion of our greater Love Inspire us with this Wisdom Increase this Love in us Before I treat of the Duty it self give me leave to observe with what great Care and Caution our Saviour commits this great Charge unto him how strictly he examins how narrowly he pryes into his very Soul not that he wanted St. Peter's judgment of himself for he knew him better than he did himself but to teach us with what wariness and strictness Persons are to be admitted unto this great Work Altho' we cannot know their Hearts we may know their Lives tho' we cannot see we may require them to declare with what Mind and Affection they undertook this Office Whether they find themselves moved by the Holy Ghost Whether they act sincerely and honestly their Consciences bearing them Witness in the Holy Ghost That not meerly for any secular Ends or Preferments which the Catechismus ad Parochios will tell them is Sacriledge but out of pure love unto their great Master and an holy desire to do him service in the feeding of his Sheep In treating of which I shall chiefly have Respect to our great Apostle St. Peter and from his Writings and Example endeavour with all plainness to recommend this great and seasonable Duty and I could wish with all my Heart that they who most admire him would spend their pains in learning this Duty from him rather than inforceing such Powers and Priviledges upon him as do null the great design both of his Life and Doctrin And so I come to consider the main Design of these words and in them First the Duty it self Feeding Christ's Sheep And then Secondly our love to Christ as the Ground and Foundation the Guide and Measure of it I begin with the first of these the Trust and Charge of Feeding Christ's Sheep which I shall a little inlarge upon because it hath been most shamefully mistaken abused and neglected and when we have a fair Prospect of the Duty it will I believe set us in a right Way and be no small advantage in setting forth our Love to Christ as the surest Ground and Measure of it And here I shall not Criticize upon the Words which have made such a noise in the World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they are promiscuously used in this place and that which others have insisted most upon used but once and the other twice nor shall I nicely press the Metaphor of Shepherd and Sheep but rather consider the general design of it from the care and watchfulness of a Shepherd in preserving nourishing and improving his Flock to infer the like in every one that loveth the Lord Jesus and is intrusted with his Sheep that they may be treated as his Sheep and fitted for his Service which may be done these three ways by providing them with convenient Food by watching over them and being examples to them First by providing them with convenient Food such as will be sure to nourish and do them good which in St. Peter's judgment is the sincere Milk of the Word that Word which by the Gospel is preached unto us that is the Holy Scriptures that most sure Word of Prophecy unto which we shall do well if in all our Preaching we take exactest heed as unto that Light which is

to shine into all the dark corners of our Souls that Christ's Sheep may hear his voice and not anothers that they may know him and follow him Should not Christ's Sheep know the mind of Christ and be instructed in the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ as Titus and the first Christians were taught that sound Doctrin that Edifying which is in Faith that Depositum which he committed to his Chuch And can we better express our love to our Lord or his Sheep than by giving them the Food which he hath appointed for them that sanctifying Word which is able to make them perfect and save their Souls And shall any be such Stewards of God's Grace as to hoard up this in a Napkin as too luscious and over-light Nourishment for Sheep Give them some latter Traditions some Pictures or Legends which may keep them Humble and Ignorant Better be lean than wander better starved than lost the Hireling may think so because he is to have the Fleece of such as die alone but the good Shepherd whose own the Sheep are knows very well that Sheep are more apt to wander through want of Food than through Plenty and he knows better how to prevent surfeiting than by starving can easilier teach Humility than see so many perish for want of Knowledge can there be a greater Error than to part with our Scriptures for fear of Error and because some wrest them must others not see them Because the Lambs suck must the Sheep do so too Good God that such Nonsense should pass for Reasoning that Christ's Sheep should have such Shepherds But secondly to feed doth include an Holy Zeal and concern for them to preserve and secure them as much as may be both from Sin and Error to watch for their Souls as they that must give an Account of them to the great Shepherd not suffering them to fall into the Hands of such and such there are who if they get them into their Hands will as St. Peter fore warns us make Merchandize of them through Covetousness and fained Words 2 Pet. 2. 3. such False Prophets such Damnable Heresies did he foresee were coming into the World And therefore he explains Feeding the Flock which is among you by taking the over-sight thereof being acquainted with the State and Condition of their Flocks their Dangers and Temptations their Capacities and Circumstances that so their Preachings and Instructions their Care and Inspection may reach them and come home to them may be suited to their several conditions and present wants The good Shepherd is as much concerned to fold his Sheep safely as to provide them with Plenty to preserve them Sound as Fat to take care of the Sick and Weak to recover the Lost and Wandering For which purposes he hath his Tarr and his Crook the Spirit of Meekness and a Rod of Power Power to Rebuke to Censure to Exclude for their own good and for the good of the rest St. Peter knew how to treat a dissembling Ananias Thus Feeding doth comprehend all that Spiritual Power and Authority which Christ left with his Church and which would not miss of its designed Effects if kept within its due Bounds and Measures and such as our Apostle hath taken care to fence it in with a due Respect to the Civil Rights and Interests of Kings and the Governors which are Commissioned by them such as is consistent with Modesty and Humility that Pitty and Compassion that unfeigned love of the Brethren which is due to our Fellow Christians as they are Christ's Sheep God's Lot and Heritage All which Expressions so far as I can gather from St. Peter's use of them are a safe and good state of the Case betwixt the Civil and Ecclesiastical Power which hath puzelled and endangered so many Undertakers in it some of which have felt the Weight of that Power which they themselves have unwarrantably advanced and understood at last what exercising the Authority of Kings and Lording it over their Brethren did signifie both in Christ and in St. Peter when they so earnestly forbad them If Pastor do signifie sometimes Spiritual sometimes Temporal Rulers it is altogether as unwarrantable and unsafe from thence to mix the Temporal with the Spiritual as to mix the Spiritual with the Temporal for Kings and Rulers may as justly hence make themselves Priests as Priests make themselves Rulers and Kings If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signified among the Grecians the Prince and chief Rulers may every Bishop claim as great Power and Authority as ever they exercised Then may every Christian make himself a King or Priest or what he will as he may pick up some Word or Expression used among the Poets or better Authors for the purpose he would have it But to return Feeding doth imply in the third place and according to our Saviour's use of it being exemplary and going before the Flock according to the Custom of those Countries and is expressed in our Apostle by being Examples to the Flock in all things shewing themselves Patterns of good Works in Faith in Conversation for a good Life is the surest Ground the best Disposition for the Understanding of our Duty gives the greatest Courage and Assurance in the Performance of it adds the greatest advantage and furtherance in the Success thereof I say it is First the surest Ground and best Qualification for the Understanding the business we go about They were the Holy Men of God saith our Apostle who in all Ages were moved by the Holy Ghost they that do his Will shall know of his Doctrin For is not our Religion a Practical Knowledge a Doctrin of Godliness the Work of Righteousness And shall we separate the Knowledge from the Practice the Doctrin from the Godliness That is would we walk in the ways of God without stirring one step All practical Things are gained by Practice and I am sure in nothing more than in Religion as it doth by degrees quit us of those Prejudices and Entanglements which debase our Understandings and Affections clog our Inclinations and discourage our Attempts as it gives us the true Relish of the Ease and Pleasure of Religion as it gives God's Spirit the Opportunity to concur and work with us 2ly As it gives Courage and Assurance in the performance of our Duty St. Peter stiles such an one a Living stone and doth not think himself lessened by our Saviours comparing the practical Christian to the house built upon the rock He that loves Goodness may with confidence and a good grace recommend it he that hates Vice may with boldness and ex animo reprove and out-face it How sneakingly how coldly must that Man act who is bound to reprove what he dearly loves and recommend that which he hath no relish for no acquaintance with Is not this acting of a Part and turning our very Churches into Stages If our business be Religion for God's sake let us be religious 3dly This gives the best Advantage and