Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	best_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	33	3	8.7044	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75965	The male of the flock, or A sermon preached at St. Pauls, before the right honourable, the Lord Mayor, and the right vvorshipfull, the aldermen of the city of London, Septemb: the 9th: 1655. By Benjamin Agas, minister of Cheneyes in Bucks.	Agas, Benjamin.	1655 (1655)	Wing A758A; Thomason E861_3; ESTC R206648	27,438	38

Judgment who can touch the tops and sound the bottoms of this hard and knotty truth Sciat talis se esse theologum Deo gratias agat May not an ordinary capacity even here tu●● sceptique and seeker and say Hoc scio quod nil scio this one thing I know that I know nothing But to our purpose T is manifest there is in man a carnal and a spiritual wil. I see a law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind Rom 7.23 The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Gal 5.17 T is equally manifest that this carnal wil is a most unruly beast as an untamed Heifer unaccustomed to the yoak flying off and not induring to do homage unto God especially in any strict and pinching Command Now therefore unlesse the spirital wil be the more prevalent and unlesse it hath this potency I cal it not the best wil either he do● not service at all else at the best he hangs in equilibrio as things weighed in an equal ballance sometimes bending towards God sometimes again bending towards his lusts or at the worst having begun in the spirit he ends in the flesh for example sake suppose one covetous and yet who would be godly too many such the dregge of our times have brought forth who have drawn a contract and would needs solemnize a Marriage between gain and godliness but can these deadly enemies ever be brought kindly to imbrace and kisse each other Tunc Ararim Parthus bibet But we come unto the example the man of our times God in his service cals him to part with some unlawful way of gain of which he hath found the sweet say in trading of Merchandizing now according to the potency either of his carnal or spiritual wil he answereth this spiritual voice His spiritual wil complies and saith instantly I wil do it but his carnal wil holds off and abhors and saith I wil not do it wherefore if the spiritual be the stronger he casts off the world and cleaves unto God but if his carnal wil be the more potent he forsaketh God and sticks unto his gain I might mention the same in ambition or voluptuousnes this therefore is the best will which bringeth up all carnal thoughts and reasonings to a determinate issue and wholly overpowreth them to comply with the Command be it for us or against us And now let me tel you that this is a work of the greatest pains and difficu ty Sometimes by arguments and reasons and sometimes by plain force we shal only be ab●e to subdue our carnal wils and desires That three leav'd Book of divers colours the red the white and the black is the best medium for argumentation this we must ho d close to the eye of our Consciences The first is red with the bloud of the Lamb oh a serious apprehen●●on of the sufferings of Christ is able alone to calm the frowardnes of our wit and provoak a willing obedience to all Gospel injunction The second is black with the horrors of Hel and the darknes of the infernal pit dwelleth upon it we must deal roundly with our souls Do this or dye God who gave the command wil revenge the neglect and grind thee to powder in the day of his wrath what thinkest of that devouring fire of those everlasting burnings this wil be thy portion if thou humble not thy self before God and submit unto his wil. The third is white with the joyes of Heaven yea brighter than the Sun with the everlasting light Oh blisfull Paradise oh blessed mansion of God how sweet art thou in contemplation how ten thousand times more in a real fruition and what shal I loose all to have my wil is there any carnal lust as good as Heaven why dost thou then stand up to retard my motion I am resolved to go to God follow me or I le dragg thee after And this is that which sometimes we must do when argument and reasons wil not prevail to compel our wils by force and violence As they I conceive of old with an untoward Lamb or an untamed Heifer which would not be caught for sacrifice they use many words and cals but in vain wherefore in fine they even tire and hunt it down Wel caught it is and brought unto the Temple but now that it sees the fire and the Altar and the sacrificing knife it bellows and struggles and were it possible t would get away wherefore the Priests lay violent hands upon it and by plain force fasten and tie it to the Altar This sure is the next sence of that place Psalm 118 27. Bind the sacrisice with chords even to the horns of the Altar what other use the horns of the Altar did serve unto for the present I do not remember Just such is the impetious hadstrongnesse of our carnal wils notwithstanding all moral and divine swasions wherefore with the same kind of violence we must force them to their good abearing And now let me tel thee for thy comfort thou hast shot the gulf thou hast triumphed glorious sly I see how thou draggest base lusts at thy Charriot wheels yea thou shalt conquer more more and tread down Satan under thy feet The wil of man is all in all sind me wil I le find all the rest as in civils so in divine actions as the Sun among the Orbs domineereth in his Light and gloriously illustrates the superior and inferior Planets so the wil in the mi●dle between the understanding and the affections hath a wonderful influence both upon the one and the other to set them in good earnest about the service of God 3ly With our best affections as with fear and reverence God is exceedingly to be reverenced in the Assembly of Saints and to be had in honour of all those who are round about him Psa 89.7 So likewise with love joy defire delight and in a word with zeal as hot as fire We must be passionate Lovers of God and of his service Be fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom 12.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal 4.18 It is good to be zealous in a good work This is a good work and we must be zealous in the transacting it Zeal is the intention of any affection as strong desires is zeal vehement love is zeal which should be a perpetual concomitant to all our devotions if we have not this fire upon the Altar our sacrifice wil not burne T is not enough we take up our Bow and our Quiver but we must strain the string up to the arrows head by a strong nisus and labouring of the spirit He that sets out for Heaven must betake himself to the swifter Chariots of Aminadab Cant 6.12 and not drive on so heavily and sluggishly with the world We must not only be content to come to Church and hear a Sermon and spend an houre c but long for the Courts of Gods house with the same

Pauls exhortation is this Offer up your whole selves bodies and souls unto God in the way of sacrifice But now lest they should question what he meant he comes in with reasonable service that is serve God in your bodies and souls and so sacrifice your selves unto him Reasonable some questioning about this epithete some say spiritual service opposing this sacrifice of Christians to that of the Jews which was meerly flesh Others say reasonable that is rational as opposing it to their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bruit beasts offered in sacrifice However it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which on all hands it is agreed to be servitus religionis viz worship homage service and those several duties we daily perform unto God So that at length to make an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to inferr our worship homage devotions in a word all Christian duties which daily we perform unto God is our Christian sacrifice And this is that sacrifice which must be the choice and prime of our Flock unlesse we would be accursed As under those carnal rites and administrations it was a thing hateful unto the Lord to bring a Sacrifice unto him of the refuse and worser Cattle and not of the fairest and best of the Flock so in the dayes of the Ghospel when more spiritual sacrifices are required it is equally abominable if these Sacrifices of our services be not performed in the best way which is within the compass of our power and utmost abilities Our next work will be therefore to shew what it is to bring the Male of our Flock and why it must needs be abominable if we do it not The first wil be explication the next confirmation and so way will be made for Application What is it to bring the Male of our Flock Explication Vt suprà to serve God in the best manner with our whole hearts Ans and souls Doubtless the Male of our Flock is our heart Prov 23.26 My son give me thine heart the rest is little worth and without that nothing worth But here I take heart for all the nobler powers and faculties of the inner man which are constantly to be brought forth and faithfully to be made use of in all our religious services and performances But more particularly to serve God in the best manner is to serve him with our best understanding with our best wil and our best affections for if our homage be not served up with one and all of these it wil be no better than a corrupt thing If not with our best understanding then the Lamb for Sacrifice wil be blind if not with our best wil the Lamb wil grow wild and run away if not with our best affections it wil be faint and sick heartless and wortheless But 1. With our best understanding we must beat our brains and muster up our wits to find out God and to have a clear apprehension in heavenly things especially those heights and depths those bredths and lengths of Gods free grace and Christs rich love to Man-kind and with a reference to perform all duties Be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is Eph 5.27 In malice be yee Children but in understanding be yee men ● Cor 14.19 This is that which makes the man and discriminates him from bruit Creatures But oh what cloudy muddy brainslo● with what an easiness of handknowledg do most men content themselves People generally are of the Colliars faith believing as the Church beleives and the Church believes as they believe but what themselves or the Church believes they know not Whereas it is our bounden duty to be able to render a reason of our faith from point to point and to know the ground we go upon tam in agendis quam credendis both in things we believe and in things we practise 1 Pet 3.15 I know the common answer and evasion viz T is for you Schollars who are book-learned and have nothing else to do but alas we are so taken up with other occasions that it cannot be expected from us But I answer this sive wil not hold water and therefore deceive not your selves t is not only for Schollars but for your Citizens and were I in my own Auditory I wo●ld say t is for you Countrymen and wherever I were I would indifferently presse it upon all who desire to serve God acceptably here and see God comfortably hereafter God taketh no pleasure in fools Eccles 5.8 And Christ will come with flaming vengeance to those who do not know God as to those who do not obey him to the ignorant as to the rebellious and disobedient 1 Thes 1.8 Think not your Callings can plead you guiltlesse for no Calling which is of God can in sound reason be thought to put a man upon a necessity of sinning and serving the Devil but if they unavoidably keep you in perpetual ignorance then are yee brought under such an hellish necessity Our Saviour saith Mark 9.49 Every Sacrifice must be salted with salt salt we know is a word of wisedom as in the verse have salt in your selves that is be knowing and intelligent The sacrifices of all our services must be seasoned with divine sapience and knowledg else the whole lump of our devotions wil be a corrupt thing as a tainted peece of flesh unsalted and ful of worms Wherefore Paul was resolved to sing with the spirit and sing with his understanding also to pray with the spirit and to pray with the understanding also 1 Cor 14.15 and well he might for it is the understanding which makes the praying words of a Penitent to differ from the prating words of a Parrat Here I might complain for never more darknes then in these dayes of light but I intreat hear read and pray make diligent search excogitate and often in your minds revolve the things of Heaven untill yee attaine the best understanding 2. With our best will I deem that the best will which is violently bent to the will of God and resolutely set to do that work When we come into the Command as a ship under full sail to the Harbor Could we suppose a chain of iron or steel lying crosse the kennel t would teare it in pieces as a twine thread and yet rush violently forward in her intended course The Apostle possibly hints at such a thing 2 Cor 8.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. If there be in you a willing mind it is accepted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est omni studio aliquid conari to do a thing with a willing mind is to do it with all earnestnes of desire and indeavour The wil with its first and second power which for lack of better terms I shal make bold to call vellability and volition is very subtil and misterious I had almost said inscrutable hence all those endlesse endlesse controversies between the Arminians and their nervus and stout opponents Oh happy is that high understanding and deep