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	zeal_n	zealous_a	123	3	9.6924	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46526	Compunction or pricking of heart with the time, meanes, nature, necessity, and order of it, and of conversion; with motives, directions, signes, and means of cure of the wounded in heart, with other consequent or concomitant duties, especially self-deniall, all of them gathered from the text, Acts 2.37. and fitted, preached, and applied to his hearers at Dantzick in Pruse-land, in ann. 1641. and partly 1642. Being the sum of 80. sermons. With a post-script concerning these times, and the sutableness of this text and argument to the same, and to the calling of the Jews. By R.J. doctor of divinity.	R. J.	1648 (1648)	Wing J27; ESTC R213600	381,196	433

see the glory of that calling 2. To magnifie the preaching of the word 3 To prefer Christs spiritual presence in the word and Sacraments and are hence taught all of us first To magnifie the preaching yea also the faithfull Preachers of the Gospel though they be men like to our selves and of like infirmities as instruments of Gods power in the conversion and saving of soules as also secondly not curiously to wish or dreame of Christs bodily presence either by conversiing on earth againe as do the Chiliasts or to thinke he cannot be effectually present in the Sacrament unlesse corporally either by Transubstantiation or Consubstantiation No his spirituall presence both in Word and Sacrament by his blessing is more profitable to us c. 2 Cor. 5.16 SECT 3. Why mens conversion is often so long delayed Question 2. Why doth God often defer the conversion of men Quest WHy doth God so long deferre the conversion of his Elect and suffer them to go on so long in sinne before they come to faith and true repentance Answer 1. For his own glory Answ I answer This he doth first for his own glory For the glory 1. Of his power first of his power in so easily subduing the obstinacy of mans will which hath so long hardened it selfe in sinne which will appear wonderfully in the conversion of the Jewes And so he sheweth it is only in his will not in mans will that men are converted otherwise it is most likely that these converts in my text should have repented when Christ preached to them himselfe Secondly of his Freedome and to shew his Spirit is not tied to persons 2 Freedom nor times but like the wind blows and workes freely when and how it listeth Joh. 3 8. Thirdly and especially of his mercy 3 Patience his long-suffering and patience which is more resplendent in and toward such See 1 Tim. 1.13 14. Rom. 11.30 31 32. Answer 2. For their humiliation 2 God thus often doth for the deeper humiliation of such Converts as 1 Tim. 1.15 16 17. And that they might have their mouthes for ever stopped See Rom. 3.19 20 c. 25. Vse 1 Vse 1. It refutes the conceit of such as think it in their power to repent when they will To refute mens practice And to confute the opinion of such as thinke men may accept or reject grace at their pleasure who accordingly deferre repentance upon presumption that at more couvenient time they will convert and return to God Yea it confutes the opinion of such as think the power to accept or reject grace is in themselves Indeed I may say the power to reject grace is in them when God leaves them to themselves as often as he doth leave these presumers otherwise not as in these Jewes But I cannot say that to accept of grace is in mans power till God work it effectually in him though even then for the subject it be man that doth accept of it onely the power yea and will nay the deed and work is from God and his effectuall grace No means prove effectuall or availeable till Gods appointed time doe come no not the preaching of Christ himself why else were these why we no sooner converted why are not the Jewes to this day as yet converted and many of us who have lived long under the means not at all Vse 2 2. This yet teacheth us not to despair of any sinners conversion in this life To despair of no mans conversion here on earth God suffers many long yea some till the very last as the Thiefe on the Crosse and then and not till then shewes them mercy seeking or intending his own glory by that means Thus we doubt not neither question the conversion of the Jewes in Gods fit time we have his promise and he can and will in his own time graffe them in again Rom. 11.23 And we conclude the like concerning such particular persons among our selves as he within himself purposeth to call though we have it not made known unto us who they are therefore we will despaire of none while they live Vse 3 Not to neglect the present time 3. It may yet excite all not to neglect Gods time so farre as we know it or any opportunity of hearing the word by which God converts There is greatest likelihood of conversion where the word is preached for now in the time of the Gospel is the accepted time and day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 Other times God may winke at as he pleaseth Act 17.30 but now he commandeth all men every where to repent Know we then our time which is the present and leave we the rest to God Let us take the first next or rather the present opportunity step we in when and so soon as we see the waters troubled John 5.4 which being but at a certain season let us not lose the opportunity seeing there is much time in a little opportunity Luk. 19.42 34. Oh that we would but know then the time of our visitation which many or most of the Jewes did not know though these here in my text did Oh that young men would know that their best and fittest time now that they enjoy the Gospel is the time of their youth Eccles 12.1 That such as have lost so much time of the Gospel and of their age would now at length know the time Rom. 13.11.12 that now it is hight time for them to awake out of sleep The night is far spent the day is at hand said Paul to the Romans but I may say to many Christians among us The day is far spent with them and the night is at hand the night of the Gospells removall from us or at least of death Verse 13. Let us therefore cast off the workes of darknesse and put on the Lord Jesus Christ Luk. 19.13 Revel 1.1 23. Pro 1.14.10 28 Let us know also that there is a time when God will shew no mercy when he will leave men in their hardnesse In a word a period of his patience when no prayers will be heard Vse 4 4 If any have been late commers in as these here who neglected Christs preaching a long time For late commers in 2 Cor. 7.11 Acts 2.41 42 45. let us learne with the Corinthians to be more zealous and of these here likewise who continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and conversed devoutly and charitably together selling their possessions and goods parting them to others in the zeale of their love as every man had need To redeeme their time by greater zeale Let us think how much time we have lost how long we have done service to our lusts and to Satan how far we are cast behinde others how much holy knowledge and good experience we might have gained if our time had been better spent how much glory we might have brought to God and withall how

word and presently to yeeld our selves in obedience to it offering our selves ready to obey God according to his word and will to shew our selves ready to obey God in the matter and businesse 1 Of salvation as especially in matter of salvation so also of Religion and generally of Obedience both active and passive 1 For the great businesse of salvation we are to deny our selves as is said in all our own works and worth and in all humble acknowledgement of our guiltinesse to be content to be directed by the word and to follow cheerfully the directions of the same totally submitting our selves to obey God in all things even to the cutting off of hand and foot and plucking out of the eye and parting with all even with every lust for Christ where especially we are to take heed of hypocrisie and self-deceit and that sincerely such as might seem to be in him that said Lord I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest and in those other who would follow Christ but upon conditions Luke 9.57 58 59 c. and more especially in that young man and Ruler not as the young Ruler who in all haste to shew his readinesse came running to Christ and in all humility as it might seem Mark 10.17 c. Matth. 19.16 c. Luke 18.18 c. kneeled to him and said Good Master what good thing shall I do that I may have and inherit eternall life Herein in shew like these sincere Converts in my Text and like the Jaylour What must I do to be saved All of them seeming ready to offer themselves ready to obey and follow direction in all things that young man being directed by Christ of all others seemed most ready as having done already as much as Christ now directed him unto saying All these things have I done kept and observed from my youth up And as if like another Hercules it had been more easie for him to do then for Christ to bid him do What lack I yet who wanted sincerity and would keep his bosome sin saith he But the truth is he lacked the main of all and that was sincerity and a good heart and honest his heart was glued and wedded to his wealth and to the world which he truely and heartily loved more then Christ or yet his own soul and the salvation of it if he could enjoy and have both well and good he liked Christ well and salvation well if he might have had them upon his own conditions but when Christ touched and tryed him in his beloved sin his covetousnesse which he well hoped he might have by way of surplusage in the bargain and bade him sell all and give to the poor though he were promised better treasure in heaven yet he went away from Christ sorrowful for he had great possessions Of this stamp at best are our begging Friers who build their Order upon this personall command which yet was onely for conviction of this forward mans hypocrisie and all such as pretend they can do all that Christ commands them yea more in and by their works of supererrogation and by following Councels more then commands of perfection in effect with their Ancestours and Predecessours of old asking of God the Ordinances of justice Isa 58.2 as if God had been wanting to their readinesse to obey him But these here in my Text which these converts did not onely ask what they shall do being truly willing and sincerely resolved to do that even to forsake all and every lust for Christ and yet presumed nothing on their own strength but hoped as for direction from his Apostles so for power from him to do accordingly being otherwise pinched in heart and poorer in spirit then any proud hypocrite that either in love to some lust or open presumption of his own worth or power of wel-doing shall deceive himself nor Paul who sincerely submitted himself to God in all things Such a sincere convert was also Paul who though he was going on a wicked errand and upon a malicious designe against the faithfull people of God yet when Christ met with him by the way humbled him and convinced him of his sin of persecution he trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9.4 5 6. And this he said out of an honest and good heart with a true and stedfast purpose to perform accordingly which he also fully and constantly did even unto the end Which his sincerity will better appear if we compare and consider it with Balaams deceit of heart who whose sincerity is compared with Balaams hypocrisie riding on with a like wicked intention and purpose of destroying the lives of Gods people and being also met withall by an Angel in the way and reproved for his sin so directly against the charge given him Numb 22.12 Thou shalt not go thou shalt not curse the people seemed to relent and repent I have sinned and to offer himself ready to get him back again saying Now therefore if it displease thee I will return back again yet for all this his heart carried him secretly on in the way of his covetousnesse and of cursing Fain he would go on such was his love to the wages of unrighteousness yet seeing apparent danger if he did he faintly offereth to turn back with an If it please thee He could not be ignorant that his evill intent to curse Gods people for his own promotion was most evill in the Lords eyes and the cause why the Angel came out as an adversary against him yet he conceals that and makes a fair shew of repentance and obedience which his hypocrisie God in wrath punished by giving him his desire and leaving him to his own lusts which he followed to his destruction a just reward of such as not hearkening to the expresse and known will of the Lord are given up by Gods withdrawing of his grace to the perverse intendments of their own hearts to walk and perish in their own counsels Psalm 81.11 12. Here then we see that there must be true and hearty submission of soul to God and a totall resignation of our wils to Gods will with a readinesse to obey both heartily and totally in all things made known to us No lust may be reserved without reservation of any lust whatsoever no true conversion without this universall obedience and hearty willingness and readiness to obey in all things as it was with these converts here and with Paul but not with the young man nor with Balaam nor with Herod who though when he heard John preach which he did gladly he did many things yet keeping in his heart the love of his whore by an incestuous marriage of his Brothers Wife he could not when he was reproved for it obey John or God in that and so with the other and with all such hypocrites came short of Christ of God and of salvation 2 Of Religion and worship