Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	commandment_n	keep_v	love_v	23,346	5	7.4368	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50838	A farewel sermon preached at the Tabernacle in Spittle-Fields by Luke Milbourn ...	Milbourne, Luke, 1649-1720.	1699 (1699)	Wing M2032; ESTC R15533	20,084	33

do them and if ye know never so much without such Practice ye are altogether unhappy Not every one who saith to me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he who doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven is our Saviour's unchangeable determination Matth. 7.21 Here then we may take some notice of the Discourse of Christians concerning Edification Edifying primarily signifies raising up a Building on a Foundation already laid Edifying in a spiritual sense signifies making a compleat Christian upon Principles of sound Faith laid in before so that the Person truly Edified is one upon whom the Word of God preach'd makes such impressions that he grows larger every day and wiser by it in his Vnderstanding and better in his Practice his Faith as it 's sound and good at first by the help of what he hears so the Fruits of that Faith are Holiness and Righteousness which if true then no Man can be said to edifie by a Sermon who does not grow wiser and better by it nor can any one be said to be a more edifying Pastor or Teacher than others whose Flock are not clearer in their Faith and sounder and more innocent in their Practises than other Men. But if Men should hear an Angel from Heaven preach according to his Nature nothing but what 's Holy and Divine and should not be able to give a better account of their Faith nor farther correct their Manners after they had heard him it must be owned that even such a Sermon from such a Preacher is not edifying to the Hearer If he does not Preach what 's sound and good I am apt to think no Man in his Senses will believe he edifies those he preaches to Edification in the subject of it is in plain Scripture terms Growing in Grace and in the Knowledge of Jesus Christ where that 's wanting all the rest is but idle talk An edifying Preacher will preach to himself first convince himself and prove himself a Christian by his Christian Life and Behaviour The Physician is of no value who can't heal himself nor the Preacher who has not affected his own Reformation St. Paul was but weak in speech and despicable in person 2 Cor. 10.10 yet he built up more Christians by the Purity and Exemplariness of his Life than all the popular Orators in the World It s possible a Man may hit his way who has a wicked Guide but he 's a great deal more likely to do so who has one Honest and Skilful too Empty Harangues can save none but sound Faith and good Practice may This attentive hearing then this Faith and this Practice will be crowned 3. The Happiness attending such a People The God of Peace will be with them their Bosoms shall be quiet and easie and the Spirit of Peace shall rest upon them A quiet Conscience is a Jewel of an inestimable Value it 's what thousands when they come on their Death-beds would purchase with a thousand Worlds if they could A wounded Spirit or Conscience none can bear a quiet Spirit makes a chearful Countenance and he who has nothing to accuse himself within may laugh at the Malice and Impudence of all Mankind We live in a World that 's troublesom enough and the more a Man studies to do well in it the more he exposes himself to the Hatred and Revenge of those who are set on fire of Hell Our Saviour did no Sin nor could any of his Adversaries convince him of it but our Saviour because his Innocence condemned a wicked World was hated persecuted murdered The Apostles preached and practised the Primitive Christians believed and practised the best the most heavenly Things The generality of the World lived in Sin and loved those Sins they lived in therefore they prosecuted those admirable Persons with indefatigable Rage and Envy and it will be so to the end of the World and he who dares to be good will be sure to have all the Sons of Darkness near him about his Ears The wicked watcheth the Righteous and seeketh to slay him Psal 37.32 that Work is agreeable to his Nature and the Righteous must be patient under it A Son of Belial will bely and slander he 'll quarrel with and prosecute he 'll endeavour to raise Enemies and encourage them in their Wickedness against those who endeavour to live soberly righteously and godly in an evil World Just Men are always doing good endeavouring the Peace and Assistance and Support of others the requital they have is commonly Baseness Ingratitude Treachery and down-right Villany Yea his own familiar Friends in whom he trusted which did eat of his Bread will presume to lift up their heels against him as David complains Psal 41.9 and David's Lord John 13.18 It s true such Judas's commonly hang themselves and die unpitied unlamented yet these Vermin are as troublesome to good Men as the Plagues of Flies and Lice to the Egyptians But how happy in the midst of all such Vexations from abroad are those who have peace with God and who being conscious of no guilt no dishonesty no injury done to any can Sleep without disturbance can Smile without dissembling can Converse without sullenness can debate Matters without passion and address themselves to God in Prayer without any Fears of a denial Nay though the Devil himself and all his Emissaries assault a Man of a clear Conscience let them endeavour to terrifie him with the inexorable Justice of God with the uselesness and impertinence of Repentance with the boasts of his own mighty Power and the unpardonableness of his past Crimes all these Suggestions vanish into Air when a Man can with Hezekiah plead I beseech thee remember O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in thy sight 2 Kings 20.3 All the Balm in Gilead has not so healing a Vertue as such Words in a sincere Christians Mouth Nor are the influences of the Spirit of Peace of less Efficacy or less desirable they are agreeable to the Nature of that Spirit who imparts them they are Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness Faith meekness temperance Gal. 5.22 23. Love that heavenly Grace by which we keep the Commandments for Love is the fulfilling of the Law it 's that by which we love God with all our souls and our Neighbours as our selves Joy that Grace which bears us up in the midst of all worldly Troubles so as though the Figtree should not blossom neither should fruit be in the Vines though the labour of the Olive should fail and the Fields should yield no encrease tho the Flock should be cut off from the Fold and there should be no Herd in the Stall yet we may rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of our Salvation Habak 3.17 18. Peace that whereby we are reconciled to our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus whereby we are freed from inward Gripes and

pleased with his Success if any at all that all may see it 's his Meat and his Drink to do the will of him who sent him 2. The Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ must be one of a good Character one of whom we may hear well Every lawful Preacher or Pastor is not Faithful in his Office a Judas may get in among the Disciples of the blessed Jesus himself and the Devil as he appears sometimes as an Angel of Light so he often teaches ill Men cunning enough to insinuate themselves into the good Opinion of Church-Governours who are but Men and fallible and by that means to get hands laid upon them St. Paul had his Demas false to his Commission and Simon Magus might have past upon the Apostles themselves had they not been immediately illuminated by the Holy Ghost Such Men may appear as Angels in the Pulpit but be no better than Devils when they are out of it Such were the Pharisees of old and Scribes and Lawyers lawful Teachers and therefore to be heard where there was no choice but wicked Wretches therefore not to be imitated because every day afforded better Examples Now weak Heads who would rather have their Ears tickled than their Soul 's saved may be very fond of sounding Brass and of tinkling Cymbals wise Men and good Christians look upon such as the Plague of the Church the Scandals of Religion and the Harbingers of Destruction Men of small Vnderstanding in Divine Matters may run after them Those who have their Senses better Exercised pray earnestly to be deliver'd from them Men of ill Morals wicked and debauched Wretches without Reason and without Conscience may love such as most resembling and therefore in some measure excusing themselves Men of Holy and Christian Lives fear them as they would Monsters and fly from them as they would from Wolves and Tygers yet such Men as these have found means to creep into all Churches from the beginnings of Christianity till the present time and our own unhappy Church feels every day the cruel Wounds she receives from such an unnatural Off-spring But a Faithful Minister will have a good Character from all those who love Goodness Thy Name is as Ointment poured forth i. e. It sounds so well it is so pure so holy and consequently so charming and delightful that therefore the Virgins all the true Professors of true Religion love thee so says the Church to her Spouse in the Canticles 1.3 where Learning Sobriety and Innocence appear in one of Heaven's Ambassadors Those who endeavour after the same Perfections will find them out Holy Souls will sympathize with one another and like strings in a Viol tun'd to the same Note rest and move and sound together A good Man will endeavour to hide the Faults of God's Priests unless they be too notorious and undeniable and therefore he 'll certainly give his Testimony to their Virtues and recommend their Piety to the World since nothing tends more to the Honour of our common Master than the Holiness of his more immediate Servants This will make even such as are envious and angry Enemies to the Person yet celebrate his Merits and do right to his Reputation Now to be Praised and Applauded by an unthinking Multitude to be cry'd up and almost deified by such as can have no Notion of real Worth is no more pleasing to a Man of a truly Apostolical Spirit than the Applauses of the Lystrians were to Paul and Barnabas when they brought Oxen and Garlands and would have offer'd sacrifice to them and fancied the Gods were come down to them in the likeness of Men Acts 14.11 13. The good Opinions of such are easily bought and sold and no wise Man unless he has some by-design to carry on can value himself upon them But when Men of Vnstanding who have themselves a good Reputation among those of the best Judgments give their Attestations to the Merits of a Gospel Minister when Men of other Perswasions and Interests acknowledge the Justice of such Attestations when those who are without the Pale of the Church who look upon the Profession of Christianity it self to be no better than an impertinent Sham or a meer Politick Invention to keep Men of mean Parts in awe when such Men shall notwithstanding all these slight Thoughts of Religion assert the Innocence and excellent Endowments of one of the Teachers of Christianity when he shall call him a very good Man abating only his Name and Profession such a Man ought to be valued he comes up to the Character of a Primitive Pastor or Bishop he has a good Report of such as are without as well as such as are within and therefore is in the less danger of falling into Reproach and the snare of the Devil 1 Tim. 3.7 This good Character then is what is justly requir'd as the Test of a Faithful Minister of Christ Good and wise Men will not be drawn to prostitute their Names to the Interests of ill Men and where I see a Testimonial given by any to a careless unletter'd or immoral Man I 'm so far from thinking the better of him that I think the worse of them and conclude That the Honour of Religion and of the Church is very little esteem'd by them 3. The Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ ought to be a Man of an Exemplary Life and Conversation He cannot be Faithful in his Station be it never so high in the Church of Christ who has not this to Crown all his other Attainments Examples are of a far greater Influence than Rules or Doctrines I may talk a great deal and very Learnedly on the Reasons of such or such a Mechanic Operation and few may understand me let them see me practise upon my Rule they 'll apprehend me presently and be soon able to do the like Hence the Apostle requires that a Bishop should be blameless the husband of one wife vigilant sober of good behaviour given to hospitality not given to wine no striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a brawler not covetous one that ruleth his own house well 1 Tim. 3.2 3 4. To which he adds He must be no self-will'd man but a lover of good men sober just holy temperate Tit. 1.7 8. Now howsoever the Law of a Nation may give opportunity to wicked and ill-minded Patrons to present Preachers like themselves to Ecclesiastical Benefices under whose Ministry Men well affected to Religion may groan but not be able to help themselves yet none but Madmen when they have their Choice will give their Votes to such and God has certainly a Controversie with any people whom he gives over to such Delusions For what can a good Christian learn from such a Man whose Life is a contradiction to his Doctrine I tell a wicked lewd Wretch from the Pulpit That Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge it affects him at present but soon after he takes me in the very Act or in