Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	faith_n	grace_n	spirit_n	10,243	5	5.2109	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51605	Saving faith and pride of life inconsisent delivered in a sermon, preached before the then commissioners of the Common-wealth of England for the affairs of Ireland, at Christ-Church in Dublin / by John Murcot ...	Murcot, John, 1625-1654.	1656 (1656)	Wing M3082; ESTC R32107	17,348	32

pretend what they will of revelations new lights and higher dispensations if they speak not according to the Law and the Testimony c. if they speak of themselves from themselves any other doctrine then what they have received from the Lord Jesus they seek the honour of men Let us not be so silly as to swallow down any mans opinion because he is thus and thus holy in any appearance The Devil never deceiveth so dangerously as when he is like an Angel of light But judge according to the rule that Jesus Christ hath given us to judge He that speaks of himself and from himselfe he seeks his own glory he would be singular he would be somewhat more then others and by that meanes be some body Alas were it not for some singularities of opinion there are many whose honour would hardly ever reach its present pitch it is at Is not this a seeking of honour which is of men look to it try your selves Brethren Fourthly for a man to hold any opinion or practice because it pleaseth the people is of account with them is to seek the honour which is of men Doubtless this was the great reason wherefore the Jewes would not beleeve in the Lord Jesus it crossed the old doctrine as they thought which they had received and would have been looked upon as innovators and therefore they made their boasts We are Moses his Disciples Joh. 9.26 We have ●●tiquity on our side though they were mistaken as our Saviour tells them For if they had been his Disciples they would have beleeved what he wrote concerning Him He that hath no better grounds for his opinion or practises then this Because it is pleasing to the people he seeks the honour of men He that hath no better grounds for it but this is the maine thing that moveth or else he would easily forsake his other grounds he seeks the honour of men let us look narrowly to our hearts Fifthly when a man wil somtimes speak meanly of himself of his own unworthiness on purpose to draw from others a commendation of himself is not this to seek the praise of men more then the praise of God Are there not some hearts that will seem to lament these things before men that they never lament before the Lord and complaine much more of their hearts before men then before him Is not this to seek the praise of men more then the praise of God Isa 57.15 God loveth and delighteth in dwelleth with and approveth of the humble broken soule that lieth low before him indeed in secret that mournes for his abominations Now when a man shall have little of this and many times will be speaking to others meanly of himself to give them occasion to speak better of him is not this hypocrisie is not this to love the praise of men more then the praise of God Beloved many times a man will speak so meanly of himself as if another should speak half so much of him what unkindnesse would there be taken what alienation would there be in affection Oh the mystery of iniquity that is in the heart Brethren except we look narrowly to it it is that which will undo us Sixthly dost thou chew the cud upon any commendation that is past upon thee and roll it up and down under thy tongue as a sweet morsel Oh what nourishment here is for this pride to feed upon such a one thinketh well of me speaketh well of me and such a one saith so and so of me that am thus low and heavenly another Moses for Meeknesse another Solomon for Wisdome another Job for Patience another Joseph for Chastity another John for Love Oh! how doth the heart feed upon this chews it in secret delights to call it to remembrance again and again Is it not thus with us Brethren and is not this to seek the honour that is of men to seek honour one of another Seventhly he that seeks more after gifts and parts then after Grace Brethren seeks the honour which is of men For men usually judge according to others gifts and not their faith which is the hidden man of the heart and not discernable Oh how earnest are some of us after the gift of prayer the gift of prophecie and why That we might set forth our selves to men not to edifie our brethren not that we might have more communion with God our selves I must confesse To covet and that earnestly 1 Cor. 12.31 the best gifts is a duty and rather the gift of prophecie But for what end To edifie I shew you a more excellent way That is to say Love without which all knowledge and tongues and gifts are nothing for it is love that edifies Oh! here search your hearts with candles for a mans ends lie deep as the marrow in the bones lie deepest and most hard to be discovered beg of God by his Spirit to search you try you herein else we shall be deceived But you will say But do we not desire gifts not to edifie others for that is a sweet frame of Spirit that would not be for himself alone but for others as well as himself But is it not that we might be some body might be renowned and minde not so much growing in faith in love in humility in self-denial in the graces of the Spirit which are the main things and without which the rest are nothing I am afraid herein we fail m ny of us very much Eighthly you may know Brethren whether we seek honour one of another if there be in us a spirit envying others well spoken of if more then our selves we cannot endure it and take every commendation of another to be a discommendation of our selves It argues we place much of felicity in it else we should not envy them for it for we envy only for some excellency and therefore you shall finde such a one with his Buts he is so wise and so humble but he failes in another point Oh Brethren when one member is honoured all the rest should rejoyce Shall one member envy 1. Cor. 12.26 because another is honoured because more honour is put upon the head then upon the hand or foot shall they envy no but they should rejoyce in it A shoe of leather becomes the foot as well as a Beaver doth the head Shall our eye be evil because that Gods eye is good Ah! that is a sweet spirit indeed that is a man of another spirit that can when another is honoured more in the work of Christ then himself bless the Lord can rejoyce in it that the Lord hath any fit to honour him though himself be notable to do it This is not to seek the honor which is of men but the praise which is of God Ninthly it is an argument That a man seeks the honour of men too much when he cannot go on cheerfully with the work of Christ if he have not the applause of men When a man

creature There is nothing in the world more self-emptying then Faith is Gal. 2.20 I live saith the Apostle yet not I but Christ liveth in me Who had a greater Faith then the Apostle and who was lesse in his own eyes A man never comes to know himself to purpose until he believes Before he thought himselfe to be something and sought honour of men as well as the rest of the Pharisees but when he came to believe all this vanished then nothing you have from him but the greatest of sinners and the least of Saints 1 Tim. 1.15 And though he laboured more abundantly then the rest yet not he but the grace of God in him and he is nothing 1 Cor. 15.10 when all is done Oh when a poore soul cometh to be acquainted with the height and depth and breadth and length of the love of Christ towards him then he comes to see the dimensions of his sinnes to purpose then he abhors himselfe in dust and ashes Faith is one of the wonders of the world indeed For as the Lord hangs the world upon nothing only his word of command bidding it stand there therefore it is immovable and beares all that weight we can possibly adde unto it if we could adde any more then is of it selfe and from it self so it is in faith it is founded upon nothing in the creature and yet beares up all though never so many temptations corruptions assaults fightings without terrours within yet faith though founded upon nothing beares up all Now ambition or desire of honour and seeking of it among men is directly contrary to the very nature of faith for it being an act of the will and affections it would be something in it self and faith would be nothing in it self therefore I say as contraries destroy one another so do these Make a white wall black the whitenesse is gone so vice versâ Faith destroyeth ambition where it cometh it emptieth the creature of all its fulnesse in the will in the desires and ambition keepeth out faith as that which will empty a man will take down every high thought will captivate every desire to the Lord Jesus Reas 2 The second Argument is this because it is no small part of the enmity to God that love of the world which is enmity to Him For the pride of life is one of the worldlings idols he worships And is not this a great part of the pride of life mens ambitious humours They would be esteemed thus and thus or else they will not care for Christ Is not this horrible pride to set up a little applause a little esteeme of men above the esteem of God not to matter what God thinks of a man so men think well of him Why now the love of the world is enmity against God It is true God is an enemy to resist every sinne every lust But above all others Ps 138. ● this of pride He resists the proud and resists him afar off as the Psalmist hath it Jam. 4 6. And minde you that of the Apostle he resisteth him with such a resistance as is opposed to giving of Grace He resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the lowly And how shall a man have faith except it be given him from on high It is not of your selves saith the Apostle it is the gift of God Phil. 1.29 To you it is given not only to beleeve but to suffer Can any beleeve except it be given in a way of Grace except the Lord open their hearts as he did the heart of Lydia and will the Lord do it while he resisteth the proud and resisteth afar off cannot endure the sight of them Men if they will put away from them a thing that is filthy and what they abhor they will not touch it scarce with a long fork so God resists the proud afar off Though it may be embalmed with some name of honour and though covered with excuses all will not hide it from him Therefore no marvel Brethren if it be a great impediment In so much as this lust prevailes in any heart even of his own people so far is the work of their faith hindred Reas 3 Reas 3. Thirdly it is a great impediment to believing because poore sinners through this corruption are most unwilling to own their condition to be so vile creatures as they are They seek honour one of another and if so be they carry it faire give every one their due and go for such among their neighbours all the Preachers in the world shall not perswade them they are in such a filthy loathsome condition They are loath to have their faire skin ript up lest their lusts do appeare their garbage Phil. 3.8 their dogs meat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh if they should acknowledge their sinnes either to God or men whom they have offended against they shall be ashamed for ever they will never have good esteme of them againe Was not this the reason that kept the Jewes off from beleeving in Jesus Christ If they receive the Doctrine of repentance they must acknowledge themselves sinners they must forgo their own righteousnesse and this they were very loath to come unto What they sinners the Pharisees that walked so exactly after the Law of God fasted twice in the week Luke 18.10 11. made long prayers were not as the Publicans and sinners were what shall they own it that they were so filthy that they did lie in their blood no they would not This were to lose their esteem among men and therefore they did with both hands earnestly build their own righteousnesse whereupon their estimation with men was founded And so would not submit to the righteousnesse of Christ Rom. 10.3 the righteousnesse of God by Jesus Christ and so would not receive Jesus Christ And these are some of the Arguments whereby this truth may be confirmed Now for the Application of the Point Use 1 Use 1. Then Brethren see what cause we have to fear that there is little faith among us If it be impossible that a man should beleeve while he seeks honour of others was ever the world fuller of it then now it is look into whatever condition of people you will Brethren and you will finde how much seeking of honour there is one of another The poore carnal Gospeller that takes himself to be a Christian to be of the Church of Christ he enjoyeth the Ordinances c. and for any man to tell him of being in a loathsome undone estate notwithstanding all this he can no more receive it then the Pharisees could What is the reason Alas his seeking of honour among men What they accept of freedome from the Lord Jesus who are Abrahams seed Joh. 8.33 and never were in bondage to this day Shall they acknowledge themselves to be in bondage They will not staine their own glory so as to look upon themselves as such I tell you Brethren I doubt