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	love_v	manifest_v	2,519	5	9.6012	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91367	The vvay to heaven discovered: and, the stumbling-blocks (cast therein by the world, flesh, and devill) removed. Or, The ready way to true happines: leading to the gate of full assurance. With a word of reproof to the scattered, discontented Members of the late Parliament. And a word of advise to the present supreme authority of England. / By Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1653 (1653)	Wing P4243; Thomason E1489_2	94,272	222

cups out of which you drink on the bed-steeds where you lye on the wals of the house where you dwell on the garments which you wear and on the foreheads of all them whom ye meet and on your own selves in every member of your body and faculty of the soul Psal 39. 5. Every man at his best estate is vanity Where is the glory of Solomon the sumptuous buildings of Nebuchadnezzar the nine hundred Chariots of Sicera the power of Alexander the authority of Augustus that commanded the whole world to be taxed all these at their best estates we●e but vanity nay take Solomon for beauty Samson for strength Achitophell for policy Haman for favour Ahasael for swiftnesse Alexander for great conquests and yet all these at their best estate are altogether vanity Wherefore centre not in any creature comfort take not up thy rest in any thing be this side God the God of rest and peace for all is mutable that hath the name of creature upon it only the Creator is immutable and unchangeable in all that he saith or doth if he be once a Father he will be ever a Father if once a Friend he will be ever a Friend if he once love thee he will never hate thee and for this ground it is we are commanded to love him with a supreme love if we love father mother wife or children more then he we be not worthy of him nay we cannot be his disciples unlesse we in a sense hate all the●e for his sake Luk. 14. 26. Moses desired to see the Lord that he might know him more perfectly and the Lord told him Exod. 33. 20. Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and live and Paul renders the reason of this 1 Tim. 6. 16. who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen or can see in a word man is so vailed and clouded and narrow spirited that at the highest degree he can know God but only in his attributes and that but in part neither for he is wonderfull in every attribute and as the Prophet saith such knowledge is too wonderfull for me wherefore to winde up all and for the removing of this stumbling block endevour to beleeve in one God Father of all and in one Lord Jesus Christ redeemer of all and in one sanctifying Spirit of grace it is the office of the Father to Elect the office of th● Sonne to Redeem and the office of the Holy Ghost to Sanctif●e those and only those whom the Father hath elected and the Sonne redeemed Endevour in the Name of the Lord to see the Father love thee freely and the Sonne manifesting that unto thee and the Spirit beginning to evidence it in thee further endevour to see that the Father loves thee as redeemed by the Sonne the Sonne looks upon thee and loves thee as being given by the Father for him to redeem and the Holy Ghost seeing the love of the Father in choosing thee and the love of the Sonne in redeeming thee he also sets his love upon thee and will shortly manifest it unto thee and evidence it in thee this is that intenall eternall Word by which all things were made supported ruled quickned enlightned and judged this glorious infinite wisdome was vailed in flesh and so God manifest in the flesh was the mirror of Angels the terrour of Devils the expectation of the new creation in a word it is as easie to compasse the heaven with a span and to contain the sea in a nut-shell as to apprehend or comprehend this internall eternall being in the fulnesse thereof we may as soon fill a bag with wisdome and a chest with virtue and a circle with a triangle as the heart of man with the knowledge of God man may have some glimerings and know him in part and this is life eternall but dark man is so narrow spirited that in all things God is above him he saith of himself to man My waies are not your waies nor my thoughts your thoughts for as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my thoughts above your tho●ghts and my waies above your waies Isai 55. 9. as if the Lord had said there is as vast a difference between my knowledge of you and your knowledge of me as there is distance between the heaven and the earth my dispositions and dealings both for mercy and goodnesse and for firmnesse and faithfulnesse are as farre above your understanding as the highest heavens are above the very centre of the earth and farre higher for the one is unmeasurable yet finite whereas the other because infinite is for greatnesse and amplitude and immensity inconceivable The best of men that have bowels of compassion some tender heartednesse some ingenuity and readinesse to remit a wrong or some firmnesse or faithfulnesse in making good what they promise what is all this to that which is in God for so much as God is above man in point of Majesty so he is above man in mercy he is a guide to lead you a staffe to uphold you a cordiall to strengthen you a plaister to heal you he will stand you in stead when friends forsake you he is as swift to shew mercy as he is slow to anger he will carry you through the hardest services with the greatest swiftnesse if he give us more knowledge of him we shall live more upon him and delight more in him and be more conformable unto him true happinesse lies only in our injoyment of a sutable good a pure good a totall good an eternall good and God is only such a good the treasure of the Saints is the knowledge of God the presence of God the favour of God union and communion with God the pardon of sin the joy of the Spirit and peace of conscience all which c●mes into the soule by the knowledge of Christ and is clouded again in the absence of Christ a man wi●hout this knowledge of Christ and God is as a workman without hands a painter without eyes a traveller without legs a ship without sails or a bird without wings or as a body without a soul all our discouragements doe flow from our ignorance and want of faith in this Almighty God viz. it springs from our ignorance of the riches freenesse fulnesse and everlastingnesse of Gods love or from our ignorance of the power glory sufficiency and efficacy of the death and of the sufferings of Christ Jesus our Lord or from our ignorance of the worth glory fulnesse and compleatnesse of the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ or from our ignorance of that reall close spirituall glorious and inseparable union that there is between Christ and our precious souls To drive further into this mystery time would fail me strength fail me light would fail me I doe rather lispe then speak in the things of God and therefore must I needs stammer in so mysterious a point as this

but a form of godlinesse or if ye be Christians in truth yet you are unexperienced Christians and without proof of the truth of it in your selves so the word here rendred Reprobate cannot be meant of such as be reprobates indeed but of such only as can give no proof for the present that they are in the faith or that Christ is in them and this is one great cause of a Christians dejectednesse and uncomfortablenesse that although they be in a state of grace yet they cannot discern themselves to be in such a gracious state as Hagar when her bottle of water was spent and her childe ready to die she sate down full of perplexity and yet there was a Well in the place the Well did not comfort her though close by her till the Lord opened her eyes to see it How pensive and sad were the two Disciples going towards Emmaus about Christs death though Christ risen from the dead was in their company and talked with them Luk. 24. 14 15. how did Mary Magdalen Joh. 20. 14. 15. stand weeking before Christs Sepulchre supposing that his dead body was thence stolen away though Christ revived and risen stood close by her Christ was present but she did not know him so there is many a poor soul that stands close by the Well of grace and is in the presence of Christ and yet complains for want of both 1 Sam. 12. 13. David was told by the Prophet The Lord hath put away thy sinne but because he had not the manitestation thereof Psal 51. 8 12. He groaned still under his broken bones It is true there be many men and women that do think they have faith and yet they have none and it is as true that many poor weak Christians doe think they have no faith and yet they have faith they have the assenting act but not the applying act they have faith of adherence but not the faith of evidence now the faith of adherence is wrought in the soul by discovering the necessity of Christ to salvation Acts 4. 12. and by displaying the sufficiency and alluring excellency of Christ for salvation Heb. 7. 25. XIII Well saith the weak timorous trembling Christian I did not think that all the Devils in hell had been cunning enough nor able enough to have cast so many stumbling blocks in my way but through mercy they be all removed and my heart cleared now I see that God is no hard taskmaster he takes not up where he layes not down no no none but a fleshly understanding can condemne God for a hard taskemaster Oh what love is that in the Father to choose me and to send Christ to die for me Oh what love was this that Christ should come from the bosome of his Father and that God should be manifested in the flesh the Creator made a Creature that he that was clothed with glory should be wrapped with rags that the God of circumcision should be cercumcised that he that binds the Devils in chaines should be tempted that the Judge of all flesh condemned and that for me that the God of life should be put to death that he before whom the Angels doe cast downe their crownes should be crowned with thornes and those eyes more pure then the sun put out by the darknesse of death and that for me his enemy Oh that those ears which heard nothing but Hallelujahs of Saints and Angels should now hear the blasphemies of the multitude that face that was fairer then the sons of men to be spit upon by those filthy Jewes that that mouth and tongue that spake as never man spake should be accused for blasphemy those hands that freely swayed the scepter of heaven nayled to the Crosse and that he should suffer all this for me and such vile sinners as I am when I was a slave to the Devill and a firebrand of hell even then did Christ rescue me from the power of the one and redeem from the plague and punishment of the other 2 Tim. 2. 26. Well I had not enjoyed this Heaven upon earth but a few months but I fell into some grosse sinne and God doth hide his face again and my soul is sore troubled and if I mistake not I see a greater stumbling block before me now then ever I saw before and I finde by Scripture the sentence of death and damnation put upon me Oh! I was enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and yet I am fallen away Oh! here is my state set forth in these three Scriptures Heb. 6. 4 5. For it is impossible that they which were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost if they fall away should be renewed again by repentance Heb. 10. 26. For if we sin willingly after we have received the truth there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sinne but a fearfull looking for of Judgement and violent fire 2 Pet. 2. 20. 21. They that have escaped from the filthynesse of the world if they be intangled again therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them then the beginning for it had been better for them not to have acknowledged the way of righteousnesse then after they have acknowledged it to turne from the holy commandements given unto them This is my state saith the soul I have fallen shamefully and sinned willingly and certainly I must never looke to repent nor to finde mercy with God but expect hell-fire hereafte and some fearfull end here c. Answ That place Heb. 6. 4 5. is not to be understood of one or more particular faillings but of an invincible apostasie and falling from Christ for the Apostle saith not if they fall but if they fall away utterly renouncing Christ not sparing what lyeth in them to crucifie him afresh That place Heb. 10. 26. is in like manner not to be understood of any one or more sinnes voluntarily committed for see even the best of Gods children after regeneration have sinned but to sinne wilfully that is spitefully and malitiously treading underfoot the Sonne of God and counting his bloud an unholy thing and even despiting the spirit of grace this I suppose every backslider doth not doe Again it is one thing to have the whole consent of the will unto some sinne stolen away by some particular temptation and another thing to be wholly addicted and devoted to the wayes of sinne to have a whole heart universally married to Iust and filled with Satan the dearest Saints have fallen in the former but not in the latter And as for that place 2 Pet. 2. 20. it is not meant of every re-insnarement and re-intanglement into sinne after conversion for which of all Gods children can so carefully looke unto himselfe but that some of Satans nets snares baites traps which he sets in a Christians way if God leave him never so little to himself Satan will re-insnare him but it is to be understood of such a

I have been speaking to XVIII The next stumbling block is or may be this I fear saith another poor stammering soul that I shall never be saved for Christ tels me plainly Mat. 5. 20. that except my righteousnesse doe exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees I shall not be saved and I have examined my self and doe finde that my righteousnesse is so farre from exceeding theirs that theirs doe much exceed mine Answ The Scribes and Pharisees sought righteousnesse only by the works of the Law which made none perfect in that the Scriptures saith it was weak through the flesh Rom. 8. 3. none were able to fulfill it therefore Israel attained not to the Law of righteousnesse because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law Rom. 9. 31. our righteousnesse must exceed this as doth the righteousnesse which is of faith in Jesus who perfectly fulfilled the Law for us or you shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven For by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified Rom. 3. 20. and we are justified by faith only without the works of the Law Now if by righteousnesse was meant works of mens own acting as temperance obedience mercy and justice and upright dealing then we finde in Scripture that Heathens have outstript many if not most of us 1. For temperance King Ahasuerus Hester 1. 8. a Heathen King made a law that no man should be compelled to drink and yet many that call themselves Christians can hardly lay aside their drinking of healths 2. For Obedience when King Abimelech took Abrahams Wife no sooner did the Lord command him to deliver her to Abraham again but he obeyed the command of the Lord. Jonah preached at Niniveh to the Heathen and no sooner did they hear him but they did beleeve and repent 3. For Mercy when Paul and the rest of the company suffered ship-wrack the Heathen came and did receive them See Act. 28. 1 2 3. 4. For Justice and upright dealing the King of Sodome a Heathen when Abraham had overcome the four Kings and brought home the Sodomites the King of Sodome said unto him Give me the men and take thee the goods for thy pains Belshazza● see how he kept promise with Daniel for when he saw the hand writing on the wall he said unto Daniel If thou wilt interp●et it for me I will make thee the third ruler in my kingdome Daniel told him that it tended to the ruining of him and all his house and notwithstanding this Heathen King kept promise with him and made him the third ruler in the land Dan. the 5. from the 16. to the 29. vers Again consider well this Scripture Ezek. 5. from the 6. verse to the end of that chapter the Lord doth send heavie judgements upon his people for being out stript by Heathens Vers 6. Shee hath changed my judgements into wickednesse more th●n the Nations and my Statutes more then the Countries round about therefore Vers 7. Thus saith the Lord God because ye multiplyed more then the Nations that are round about you and have not walked in my Statutes neither have kept my Judgemen●s Vers 8. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I even I am against thee and will execute Judgements in the midst of thee in the sight of the Nations and I will doe in thee that which I have not done and whereunto I will not doe any more the like because of all thy abominations Vers 12. Therefore a third part of thee shall die with the pestilence and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee and I will scatter a third part into all the world and I will draw out a sword after them Ver● 13. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished and I will cause my fury to rest upon them and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal when I have accomplished my fury in them c. From all which we may clearly learn that God will not spare a sinfull people but let out his fury to the full to the highest degree stirre up all his wrath pour out his full vials upon a disobedient people although they were known by the name of the Lords owne inheritance if their righteousnesse doth not exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees But on the contrary if their wickednesse doe exceed the wickednesse of the Heathen then there is no escaping from Gods judgements one or other will overtake them 1 King 19. 15. The Lord will scatter them into Babylon Moab Ammon Egypt Psal 44. 12. So that if we look only upon the externall performance and judge according to the outward appearance you shall finde many civilized men and women out-strip some of the Saints but yet for all that we are exhorted by Christ in some cases not to judge according to the outward appearance but to judge righteous judgement Joh. 7. 24. Now the righteousnesse of a Christian doth exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees and all Heathens in the world in these two things 1. By faith in Christ whereby all the righteousnesse of Christ is made his 2. In works done in faith which the other cannot doe one thing done in faith is better then a thousand in unbelief Rom. 14. 23. 1. Every Christians righteousnesse doth exceed that of the Pharisees by saith in Christ whereby the righteousnesse of Christ is made his by faith the poor creature seeth all his sinnes which the Spirit of God had convinced him of laid upon Christ Isai 53. 6. Again by faith he cometh to see Christ made unto him wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. And so by faith in him he can say the Lord our righteousnesse and hear the Lord say unto him in me is thy fruit found So the soul looking upon Christ in whom he is accepted Ephes 2. 13. and so he seeth all is of grace nothing of debt election is the election of grace vocation is according to the good pleasure of his will 2 Tim. 1. 9. regeneration was of Gods own will Jam. 1. 18. Faith the gift of God Phil. 1. 29. Justification is freely by grace Rom. 3. 24. and a free gift Rom. 5. 15 18. and forgivenesse of our sins according to the riches of his grace Ephes 1. 7. Eternall life the freest gift of God Rom. 6. 23. Act. 15. 11. even the life of glory is the grace of life 1 Pet. 3. 7. Christ himself was a token of free love from the Father to mankinde and as his whole work was to love so his whole love was free and as we said before there is not one soul that ever be loved but it was poor and empty sick and impotent unamiable and filthy regardlesse of him and opposite to him The language of the Law is Doe this and live if not die no work no

was the only Son of his Father yet he took upon him the form of a Servant Joh. 1. 14. Phil. 2. 6 7 8. yea though he was Heyr of all things and possessor of Heaven and Earth yet he became poore and hungry that we might be made rich 2 Cor. 8. 9. Though he had no sinne yet he was made sinne that we poor sinners might escape sinne 1 Pet. 1. 19. and 2. 22. and 2 Cor. 1. 21. and though he was a Law giver and a Law maker yet he became under the curse of his owne Law to redeeme us from that curse Isay 33. 22. Gal. 3. 13. though he was his Fathers delight and an object of his love from everlasting yet he became an object of his wrath for his love to us who were yet in our sins Psal 88. 16. and 102 Ps 10. When we were slaves to the Devill and firebrands of Hell even then did Christ rescue us from the power of one and redeeme us from the plague and punishment of the other 1 Thes 1. 10. Amos 4. 12. 2 Tim. 2. 25. Heb. 2. 14. Obj. But is there nothing in the way that hinders men and women that are willing to come to Christ are all the stumbling blocks removed Answ There is nothing on Gods part for he hath taken all things out of the way that hindred thee to be saved Col. 2. 14. Nay further we are to doe nothing at all towards our own salvation for Christ hath freely purchased us life and Salvation 1 Cor. 6. 20. 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Ephes 1. 14. Even thus doth the Lord doe for us that we might acknowledge we are nothing but what we are in him and that we have nothing but what we have received from him that so all the glory might be to him First he will have us to see our selves to be the greatest and vilest sinners and againe to see all our owne righteousnesse and performances to be as filthy and monstrous rags that so we might deny our own righteousnesse wholly and look to be found in the righteousnesse of Christ only Obj. But saith another timerous weak soule I am a lyar and the Lord saith in the Revelation that lyars shall not enter into Heaven but have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and Brimstone Answ The house of Israel and the house of Judah dealt treacherously against the Lord and belyed him c. So that the Lord saith Ephraim my deare son compasseth me about with lies yet was I gracious to them and forgave them as thou mayst see Jer. 5. 11 12. Hos 11. 12. Jer. 23. 6. 31. 20. so that it is he that loveth and maketh a lye that shall be cast out and forsaken of God even he that delights in sin not he that complains and mourns under sin Obj. But I am a very great sinner and I goe many times to Prayer and to heare Sermons and I finde no more working or relenting upon my Soule then if I were a dead Stock or Stone nay for there I have laine long under the meanes of grace and yet I am altogether fruitlesse and like the barren Fig-tree Ans If thou didst see all thy sins with their nature number and aggravations thou couldst never look upon them but with despaire as Caine and Judas but if thou wilt look upon them as they were layd upon the Scape-goat thou wilt see them carryed into the land of forgetfulnesse Levit. 16. 22. Againe these sinns so numerous were laid upon Christ Isa 53. 6. and he was bruised for our iniquities verse 5. he shall see the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied ver 11. Againe the Lord saith he will blot them out as a thick cloud and freely forgive them and remember them no more Againe he tells us that in him is our fruit found and he is our rightousnesse and he will purge us and then we shall bring forth fruit abundanly See John 15. 2. 5. Psal 92. 12 13 14. And now to draw towards a conclusion let us seriously consider where the fault lyeth that there is so much weakness bondage feares affrightments timerousness and weakness in the professing men and women of our times the fault or defect herein must be either on Gods part or on our part and that it is not on Gods it is most cleare for he hath left us a remedy in his Word for every Malady Psal 103. 3. 1 John 1. 9. and doth assure us we are not straitned in him but in our own bowels 2 Cor. 6. 12. he bids us open our mouths wide and he will fill it Psal 81. 10. Are not my wayes equall and yours unequall saith the Lord Ezek. 18. 25. 29. and 33. 17. 20. 29. What could I have done more for my Vineyard Isaiah 5. 4. then I have done wherefore when I expected Grapes it brought forth wild Grapes Isaiah 1. 2. Hear O Heavens and give eare O Earth for the Lord hath spoken saying I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me Jerem. 2. 13. my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of living waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water c. By which it doth appear that the defect doth lye on our parts and not on Gods And now let us a little consider what is the reason we spend much time in reading hearing conferring meditating day after day week after week year after year yet little or no growth we are at the same place as we were four or five or six years ago Surely dear friend whosoever thou art that readest these few lines there is a spirituall art or skill if thee and I could hit upon it that we might profit more in one day then before in seven year that so we might read and understand effect and keep believe and apply the precious promises to our own soules and then we might understand what we heare preached and apply what we understand and practise what we apply O there is a spirituall skill if we could hit upon it that would be of exeeding great advantage to us we may yet break forth and say as in Isa 49. 4. I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought or else we may all say with Peter Luk. 5. 5. Master we have toyled all the night and have taken nothing Oh how do we study and inquire and search and strive and pump and act flesh and grope in the dark how doe the Ministers turn their preaching into labors forme or else boast in another mans line of things made ready to their hands or vent their own naturall wisdome and so befoole themselves confessing that in Doctrine they deny in Reason and acknowledge that in Reason that they deny in Use and hold forth that in Use that they deny in Practise And then for the Hearers how is hearing turned into a forme and so Satan deceives us if Satan can he will