Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	father_n	john_n	love_v	11,473	5	7.1339	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19189	Bee thankfull London and her sisters; or, A sermon of thankfulnesse setting downe the kindnesse of God to vs ... by Robert Abbott ...	Abbot, Robert, 1588?-1662?	1626 (1626)	STC 56; ESTC S100550	29,366	42

to death For man is not Lord ouer the spirit to retaine the Eccles 8. 8. spirit neither hath he power in the day of death And all of vs who haue felt heard seene or vnderstood of the abatements of this noysome euill may say Blessed bee the Lord for this maruellous kindnesse and let all Gods people say Amen It may be you wil aske why we should account this such Ob. a kindnesse seeing he giues it to many that are wicked people and denies it to many whom he dearely loueth I answer that it is neuer the lesse fauour for that If Solu hee giue it vnto wicked men it is because God may shew the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferance towards them and if they after their hardnesse and hearts that cannot repent heape vp to themselues Rom. 2. 4 5. wrath against the day of wrath and the declaration of the iust iudgement of God What good haue they by it what good can they haue by it If he deny it vnto good men it is as a father denies a knife to a Childe who knowes not how to vse it To dye of the Plague is better then to escape to such To such to dye is gaine for all Phil. 1. things worke together for their good and so whether they Rom. 8. liue or dye they are the Lords Rom. 14. 8. You haue now so farre as I intended as in a little Map a glimpse of the world of those kindnesses which God hath shewed to vs. Let vs take heede that wee doe not diminish the worth of them Yee know what is said of the Israelites That they despised the good and pleasant land Psal 106. 24. and ye know what they said of Mannah Our soules are Numb 11. 6. dried vp and we can see nothing but this Man and againe Numb 21. 15. Our soule loatheth this light bread But though Israel play the harlot yet let not Iudah sinne and though Israel according to the flesh hath beene vnthankfull yet let not Israel according to the spirit No let vs rather heare our good God speaking vnto vs and saying Haue I beene a wildernesse vnto thee or an vnpleasant land Ier. 2. 31. If you shal aske me What good it wil do vnto vs thus to behold God in his mercifull kindnesses vnto vs Truly they will be excellent meanes to subdue the pride of our hearts and to make vs seruiceable to Gods will The power of God alone doth it not for though Christ manifested his power yet it did no good to them that apprehended him they went backward and fell to the ground at Iohn 18. 6. his very word yet they persisted in their course The iustice of God doth it not for though God brought one Plague after another vpon Pharaoh which made him stoope for the present as many haue done I feare in this Plague yet presently he hardned his heart but if the mercy of God comes it is like the Sunne which thawes hard Ice and the Fire which makes old Wax soft pliable and fit to be wrought vpon Though Iustice follow vs to Hell yet there is blasphemy and gnashing of teeth both which are arguments of pride But Paul knew how forceable an argument this was I beseech you by the mercies of God Rom. 12. 1. Is not my word saith God like an hammer and like fire Ier. 23. 29. The Law which bringeth tidings of Iustice may like a Hammer breake our stony hearts in pieces breake I say before bend but the Gospell bringing the glad tidings of saluation by Christ like fire will melt vs and mould vs anew This will breede the spirit of iudgement as Dauids kindnesse made Saul iudge him more righteous then himselfe and the spirit of burning to clense out Esa 4. 4. and purge away the filth of sinne that the graces of God may be shed into vs or at the least shine from vs and amongst the rest this iust thankfulnesse Well say you I see that God blessed for euer hath beene maruellous kinde vnto me I haue heard and felt many particulars of it and I see that the thought of it is of excellent vse to breake my proud heart and make mee thankfull to God I pray now tell mee wherein must I shew my thankfulnesse to God I answer to giue you a little helpe herein I must first lay downe the root and ground of thankfulnesse and secondly the practise of it As for the root of thankfulnesse It is the loue of God No man will freely and ioyfully acknowledge that all goodnesse in what estate soeuer comes from God alone except we loue God We see ordinarily if men happen to receiue kindnesses from them they loue or desire not to be beholding vnto how they pinch courtesie as wee say and slight them whereas if wee doe receiue them from such as we prize in our affections then euery Mole-hill is a Mountaine and a point from a friend is better then a pound from an enemy Therefore Paul louing Aquila and Priscilla did freely acknowledge their kindnesse Rom. 16. 4. saying They haue for life yea for my life layed downe a necke yea their owne necke vnto whom not onely I giue thankes but all the Churches of the Gentiles So likewise Dauid when he had professed saying I loue the Lord Psal 116. 1 12. he presently sheweth it and saith farther What shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefits Oh therefore let vs labour to winde vp our hearts from the loue of the world 1 Iohn 2. 15. and the things which are in the world that the loue of the Father may be in vs. And if we desire to be thankfull let vs not giue either God or our soules rest till we haue found this loue in vs in these fiue particulars First in taking any paines and induring any hardnesse for Gods sake As Iacob did thinke seuen yeeres trouble Gen. 29. 20. nothing for Rachel because he loued her and Gods people of old haue indured the losse of Father Mother Houses Lands Wife and Children for Christs sake because they loued him so must we euery day and vpon the Lords day in liuing the life of Iesus and dying for the Lord when he calleth suffer any thing for the Lord if we loue him Secondly in setting our hearts towards him and vpon him for where our Treasure is there will our hearet be also Mat. 6. 21. Of the wicked man the Psalmist saith That God is not in all his thoughts but hee that loues him can thinke of him almost to an extasie As when Dauid saith Oh how I Psal 119. 97. loue thy Law he presently addeth It is my meditation continually so when wee can say That wee loue God our thoughts of him will let in comparison of other things deepe and long yea we will thinke vpon him sometimes in the night season and our soule shall receiue comfort

Thirdly in highly esteeming the pledges of Gods fauour which he hath left with vs to wit the Word and Sacraments If the wounded Iew in the Parable should haue cast away the two pence which the Samaritan left to Luke 10. 35. prouide for him it had bene an argument that he neither regarded him nor his kindnesse and it was a signe that Esau loued not God because he esteemed not his birth-right So certainly is the Law of God farre from vs if we loue not the word wherein wee heare our louer speake and the Sacraments wherein wee see him speake peaceably vnto vs. Fourthly in being humbly familiar with God and acquainting Iob 12. 21. our selues with him Where there is loue free from Iob 12. 21. iealousie betwixt man and man they thinke themselues neuer better thē when they are in one anothers company talking and communing one with another laying open each other griefes and making one another partaker of each others comforts So we must haue such interest in Gods acquaintance if we loue him that we must often sup with him and open our hearts vnto him both concerning Apoc. 3. 20. our miseries and our sinnes As if wee should say thou seest Lord what sorrowes I endure within and without I beseech thee giue me grace so to carrie my selfe as thou mayest haue the glorie of this thine owne worke And thou knowest ô my God that I haue this infirmitie or that weakenesse and that were it not for thee I should fall into fearefull breaches of thy Law but Lord helpe me against this or that as against pride vaine-glorie deceite hypocrisie and the like that I may in a more setled and constant course honour thee my good God to whom I am so infinitely bound Oh how would such acquaintance make the day of death welcome and our daily prayers comfortable without which we haue little hope to haue accesse to God in either Lastly we must loue God by fearing to lose him grieuing after him when in sense and feeling he is lost and caring to recouer him againe It is strange that a man Discat timere qui vult amare Amor eijcit timorem inimici non timorem domini should loue by fearing but it is very true Perfect loue casteth out feare of hauing to wit the wrath of God for sinne because after repenting and belieuing the Gospell it quiets the heart from such troubles but it casteth not out feare of loosing to wit our God in those sweet comforts whereby hee speakes peace vnto our consciences and sayeth vnto our soules that he is our saluation Blessed Iohn 19. is he that so feareth alwaies saith Salomon As Pilate loues Iohn 19. his place by fearing to loose it which made him do against Quod cupis habere times perdere his conscience when once he heard that speech If thou deliuer Christ thou art not Caesars friend So must wee loue God so as wee must feare to loose him aboue all things Yea and as the young man in the Gospell which Luk. 18. 22 23. was a rich man when he did but thinke of parting with all and following Christ was very heauie because he loued his riches too well so when we do but thinke of parting with our God who is our Portion it cannot but Psal 119. grieue vs if wee loue him and prize him as wee should Yea and againe if the Spouse in the Canticles when through her securitie she had ouerslipped the golden season of entertaining Christ who therefore withdrew himselfe Did seeke him whom her soule loued but could not find Can. 5. 6 7 8 c him did call him though he answered not did go to the watchmen and tooke a great deale of paines to recouer him then so must wee if our hearts be in loue with God care to recouer God by hearing praying meditating conferring receiuing of the Sacrament and such other good duties in which it pleaseth him to giue vs the influence of his fauour and the testimonie to our spirits of his most deare presence Thus haue I learned you how to loue God that wee may lay a good ground for the dutie of thankefulnesse which is to be practised by euery one of vs. Now that we may be the better able to practise it you must know that it must be performed in word and deed To thanke God for his blessings with our tongues and not to liue answerable to them is no better then to say All hayle King of the Iewes and to spit vpon him it is to haue Iacobs smooth tongue and Esau's rough hands it is as bad as to giue a man sweete words for a benefit and to beate him about the eares in conclusion it is after a deale of formall hypocrisie hanged out at the signe of the lips to requite God with euill for good which is the worst degree of ingratitude First wee must thanke God in word because we must take the first opportunitie to do it for delayes argue no will vnto it Secondly we must thanke God in worke for as Physitians do passe their iudgements of mens hearts by their armes when they feele vppon Per brachium fit iudicium de corde their pulses and not by their tongues so wise men will looke more to doing then to saying though both are good and both must be done remembring that Iesus Acts 1. 1. did and said As concerning that thankes which wee must giue to God in word it stands in the practise of a double dutie The first is called celebration the second inuocation Celebration is that dutie of thankefulnesse whereby we do speake of Gods mercies and maruellous kindnesses to others as when Dauid saith Come and hearken all yee that Psal 66. 16 17 c. feare God and I will tell you what be hath done to my soule I called vpon the Lord with my voice and he was exalted with my tongue and God heard me and considered the voyce of my prayer and so forth Now for our more conscionable practise of this dutie wee must obserue foure rules First we must as farre as we can speake particularly of Gods fauours to vs. Euen vngodly men being ouercome with Gods kindnesse and wallowing daily in the midst of his mercies which are renewed euery morning will Lam. 3. 23. either out of custome or example or conuiction speake of them in generall but wee must do it in particular As Iacob names them saying With my staffe came I ouer this Genes 32. 10. Iordan and now haue I gotten two Bands so must wee As if we should say as Hannah in her song The bowes of the 1. Sam. 2. 4. 5. mightie are broken and the weake haue girded themselues with strength They that are full are hired forth for bread and the hungrie are no more hired so the barren hath borne seauen and she that had many children is feeble So we the Spanish Armado was broken the Gunpowder