Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	good_a	hate_v	hatred_n	2,544	5	9.6222	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76316	An examination of the chief points of Antinomianism, collected out of some lectures lately preached in the church of Antholines parish, London: and now drawn together into a body, and published for the benefit of all that love the holy truth of God, / by Thomas Bedford B. D. Vnto which is annexed, an examination of a pamphlet lately published, intituled The compassionate Samaritan, handling the power of the magistrate in the compulsion of conscience: by the same author.	Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653.	1647 (1647)	Wing B1668; Thomason E370_15; ESTC R201292	67,960	90

persons are considered of God as believers no less then justified before the World they are fore-seen as believing before fore-seen as justified Because in the World till they believe they are not justified still that that in the execution of the decree hath the precedency is considered in the decree as fore-going Sin before Condemnation Faith before Iustification The elect have their sins taken away before they do believe But how Not otherwise save in the purpose of God and the purchase of Christ Else what use nay what sense in those Exhortations Act. 2. 38. Repent and be Baptized for the Remission of sins Act. 3. 19. Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Act. 22. 16. Arise be baptized and wash away thy sins is it not evident that the sins of these were not as then blotted out and washed away that they might use these means to compass this end The Texts aleaged for Proof of the Argument speak not home to the point intended That of Isa. 53. 6. onely sheweth that designation of Christ to be the sacrifice of Expiation Not is there more in the 6. verse then was expressed in the 5. verse He was wounded for our Transgressions this onely excepted That v. 6. sheweth That Christ should make peace for us by the way of a sacrifice even the sacrifice of himself upon whom God would lay the iniquities of us all as Aaron laid the iniquities of the Children of Israel upon the Goat Lev. 16. 21. Say the same of Joh. 1. 29. It sheweth whom God had appointed to that work And the Text of 1 Pet. 2. 24. sheweth That he hath executed his Office but none of these Texts do say any thing concerning the benefit thereof redounding to any one in particular whether without or before or after Faith Truth it is That this was said and done long before many of the Elect did believe So also before many of them had any need of Faith and Iustification even before they had a being Nay in that Text Rom. 8. 33. brought to prove the Elect justified because Nothing can be laid to their charge It is evident that the Apostle speaks of the Elect now made actual Believers For that phrase of laying any thing to the charge of Gods Elect doth presuppose them living and standing before the Tribunal consequently actual Believers For against the Elect till actually believing doth Satan lay no accusation And we doubt not to affirm That the Elect of God believing in Christ and laying hold on him by Faith are so justified before God that in vain shall Satan seek to charge any thing upon them But till then notwithstanding the Purpose of God and the Purchase of Christ yet are they not actually discharged of their sins nor actually justified in the sight of God 5. Arg. We were made sinners in Adam before we had done any evil and so we are made righteous in Christ before we have done any good This is the Assertion of the Apostle Rom. 5. 18 19. Ans. The Text of the Apostle doth only set down this That as Adam is the Author of condemnation to all that be condemned so Christ is the Author of Iustification to all that are justified But as to the time when this is done in the one or the other the Text speaketh nothing Grant indeed That in respect of the Merit of Christ it may be said that we are justified in the sight of God before any good be done by us but now in respect of actual Application to particular persons as no man is condemned till he have an actual being and be found a sinner in himself so neither is any man justified before he have an actual being yea an actual being in Christ and in him made righteous Condemnation presupposeth sin in the party condemned and Iustification presupposeth Grace and Faith in the party justified 6. Arg. In Christ crucified before we believed was full satisfaction made Heb. 10. 11 14. And God was contented to rest in that satisfaction Mat. 3. ult. Isa. 53. 11. Therefore there will follow perfect Remission of sins Ans. No doubt of it perfect Remission will follow because satisfaction is made and accepted But when Not till the sinner need it not till he be fitted for it not till he have a being in Christ not till he come to Christ that he may receive In very deed the satisfaction was neither intended nor accepted but upon that condition That whoso will have it must come to Christ for it Hence they in Ioh. 5. 40. are blamed in that they would not come to Christ that they might have life That Text of Isa. 53. 11. is mis-applied to the Father being indeed spoken of Christ himself 7. Arg. Either we are justified in the sight of God before we believe or else even the Elect of God are for some time hated of him For he hateth all the workers of iniquity but certainly the Elect of God are at no time hated of God If so Then God should hate to day and love to morrow with much changeableness of Affection Nay more Gods love to us shall depend upon our love to God Ans. Set this down for a truth 1. That God hateth all the workers of iniquity whatsoever Psal. 5. 5. 2. That the Elect of God are loved of him from all eternity Ier. 31. 3. 3. That there is no variableness nor shadow of change in God Iam. 1. 17. 4. That we love him because he loved us first Now if there seem any contrariety in these laid together we are forced to some distinctions by which a commodious interpretation may be set down So then consider of these Explications 1. The love and hatred of God to the Creature may be considered either in the purpose of God or in the execution of that purpose this execution is in the effects of love and hatred The purpose of God is this to appoint the Creature to be the object upon which in time he wil exercise the effects of love or hatred in this purpose of God the Elect are always Loved never Hated nor doth God vary and change in this his purpose nor doth this purpose of his depend upō the foresight of any good in man 2. In the execution of this purpose the suspension of the Effects and Fruits of Love hath the name of Hatred And God may be said to hate them as the Husband that Wife from whom he with draweth the Effects of Love Now in this doth God walk oftentimes according to the present disposition of the Creature wheresoever God findeth sin he hateth it sin is properly the Object of Gods Hatred sin I say not the Creature and if this sin be in a person appointed to love though he will not change his purpose yet will he suspend all effects and fruit of love yea and put forth the effects of hatred until the party do part with his sin Contrarily wheresoever he findeth any good he loveth it yea

work But the Motive and main cause of their performances it is some by-end and base respect as in Jehu and the Pharisees which appeareth in this That when that end is gained or that respect ceaseth then also their work is at an end though the Glory of God and the good of Christs Church be never so much concerned None but the Childe of God doth make the Glory of his Father the end and aim of all his actions All others begin and end in Self Object This sincerity is not found in the ordinary practises of Christians either in the exercises of Religion or in the works of mercy and justice For why saith the Doctor Is there not much Self mixed in their performances in praying and fasting Is not the end of these Duties to be delivered from Danger Sol. It is I grant one end but not the Vltimate end In these exercises we seek our own good bread pardon preservation deliverance and that not unlawfully For Christ hath taught us to put them into our prayers but still with this caution For thine is the Glory i. e. To desire them only as subservient to the glory of God should we desire these for our selves i. e. to spend them upon our lusts to live to our selves in matter of profit pleasure and preferment this were self-seeking But thus to desire them that in the use of them we may be the more instrumental to glorifie God in our several places this is not Self-seeking Say the same of Men-pleasing though a man do encourage himself in goodness by the praise of men by listening to the acceptableness of his well doing yet so long as the praise of men is not as it was in the Pharisees the prime and principal inducement of doing what is done this is not Men-pleasing both of these are defined not by the subservient but by the ultimate end of our endeavors if that be right there is sincerity in the Obedience and this sincerity is a ground of confidence the work of the spirit an Argument of our Adoption Object Not so saith the Antinomian Doctor For we read in Rom. 10. 1. 3. That the Jews had a zeal-and this was exercised in Obedience to the will of God yet these were En 〈…〉 to Christ And how can that be an evidence of Adoption that is found in an Enemy Sol. Is not this a gross mistake The point is touching sincerity and his proof is by an instance of zeal Is there no difference Is not sincerity the singleness of the heart and zeal the earnestness of the spirit Besides this their zeal was not according to knowledge If this kinde of zeal profit not shall not that which is according to knowledge and guided by the rules of Holy discretion shall not that afford comfort That which he addeth viz. That their zeal was not in a corrupt way of their own devising is directly contrary to the Apostle For he saith of them That in seeking to establish their own Righteousness they have not submitted to the Righteousness of God It was therefore a way of their own devising which is proved Verse 4. Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth So that to seek the establishment of the Law though the Law of God for another end then God hath appointed yea in opposition to that end is not an Argument of sincerity but an act of a turbulent passion Papists contend much for the efficacy of the Sacraments But while they place in them an efficacy altogether independent upon Faith do they not seek to establish their own fancies and not the truth of God T●●s did these Jews they pretended for God but in a way of their own devising Not much unlike to many among us who pretend for the Scepter of Christ but only in a way of their own Were the zeal of all th●se sincere as it should be there would be in them a readiness to embrace and submit to what shall appear to be the minde of God and say Vnicat Veritas or as St. Paul in 2 Cor. 13. 8. We can do nothing against the truth 3. Text. 1 Joh. 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the Brethren Hence we collect That the state of our Adoption and standing right in the sight and favor of God is a thing that may be known that this love of our Brethren is a note and evidence thereof For why Love is of God cap. 4. 7. an effect of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. For while the Spirit of Adoption doth shed abroad the love of God in our hearts and make us sensible of it it doth cause in us a love to him that loved us first and for his sake who hath begotten us a love to them also that are as we are begotten of God This is so plain that it may seem strange that any should either deny it or doubt of it Yet saith the Doctor Object The scope of the Apostle is to comfort them against the hatred of the World and he sheweth what esteem they had one of another q. d. though the World do not esteem us yet our judgement one of another is that we are the people of God grounding our selves upon this that we do love one another so that this is rather a mark how another may know me then how I may know my self Sol. Is not this strange That the Apostle should set this down as a ground of comfort to bear up the heart against the hatred of the World viz. The good esteem that Christians have of us Will this secure the soul against sadness and sorrow will not Satan suggest What if they be deceived They know not the heart they judge by the outward appearance by the expressions of love to the Brethren and therein they may be deceived And that the Text must be understood of that immanent and reflexive act of knowledge which passeth a Censure upon our selves it is evident by that that followeth For the Apostle having set this down as a rule of discerning their spiritual estate and proved Ve●●e it 15. and pressed it by the example of Christ whose love was manifested by laying down his life for us Verse 16. whom we are to imitate in a real demonstration of our inward affection to the Brethren He urgeth again this Motive That hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him And I would gladly ask whether here also the Apostle doth intend to teach us that by this act of love we way assure our selves touching others and rest secure that we are not decceived And what so great matter is this if in the mean space we may not evidently judge the state of our own souls And what meaneth he to adde this Verse 21. If our heart condemn us not we have boldness toward God Certainly the Apostles intention is to set down an evidence of Self-discerning Object But suppose it

though it be in a person not appointed to love though this his purpose change not yet will he suspend all the effects of hatred yea and with much tenderness of affection put forth the effects of love to this party till he doth wilfully let fall his care of goodness and take up a Resolution of evil yea and that incorrigibly 3. The love of God to the Creature in respect of the effects thereof is not unfitly distinguished into the love of Benevolency and the love of Complacency the former consisting in well wishing or pittying the Creature is absolute and free The other drawing with it delight in or friendship with the Creature is respective and hath an eye to the good behavior of the Creature see both these expressed in that Parable of the wretched Infant Ezek. 16. 6. an emblem and fit resemblance as thereof the Church of Israel so generally of the Elect of God For first God doth cast an eye of pitty upon them in their wretched condition and saith unto them Live His word is operative and did them good as is intimated verse 7. then afterward when his grace hath wrought in them and fashioned them into a comely beauty he doth again pass by them and behold them and lo it is the time of love whereupon he doth enter into a League and Covenant of friendship so that now the soul of every one of them may say as the Spouse in the Canticles I am my welbeloveds and my welbeloved is mine Gods delight is in them and theirs in God These things well understood will easily shew the Inconsequence of the Argument for the Elect may be loved in the purpose of God and yet not actually justified nor God enter into a Covenant of love till by the work of his grace they be fitted for the time of love Again whiles they are workers of iniquity and unconverted to God their sins may be hated and the effects of love suspended notwithstanding the eternal purpose of God No variableness in God because it is his purpose not to entertain them into the effects and fruits of his love and delight till they be converted and fitted for it by the actings of the spirit of grate moving and working in them To close up the point let us to prevent erroneous misconceits which spring from the Confounding of things that d●ffer let us I say take notice of this distinction A man may be said to be justified either Intentionally or Virtually or Actually either in God or in Christ or in Himself 1. Intentionally in God i. e. in Gods purpose and decree this is from all eternity But this decree and intention doth not put any thing into a state of actual being but in the fulness of time nor doth it exclude nay it doth include and presuppose Faith in the person justified for though election be of the persons yet Iustification Glorification are of the persons so and so qualified 2. Virtually in Christ may a man be said to be justified And this is from the Day of Christs passion and in the vertue of his satisfaction yet this intendeth no more but this that satisfaction is made and Remission purchased by the blood of Christ Neither doth this exclude the consideration of Faith nay it doth call for it that so there may be an actual Application of the price and purchase We know that in a purchase beside the payment of the price there must be Livery and Seisin given before a man be in actual possession of what is purchased so here there must be application of the Righteousnes of Christ as well as the Effusion of his Blood and this is received by Faith 3. Actually in himself is man said to be justified when he hath the possession of it But this Actual Iustification hath It's degrees of progression The beginning thereof is laid in our first Union and Incorporation into Christ The Consummation of it is not till the Judge at the latter day hath solemnly pronounced the sentence of final absolution so set us in full possession of entire remission Between both these there is a progressive work of Iustification by the constant actings of the Spirit applying the Blood of Christ by the hand of Faith to the quiet and comfort of the soul The first you may term Initial justification the latter perfective and this between I would call progressive it is the fruit of the first and the preludial assurance of the latter This is wrought and sealed in the second Sacrament as the former is in the first Sacrament and both these branches of Sacramental justification are to us the pre-assurance of that Complemental and perfective justification The sentence whereof putteth an end to all fears changing our faith and hope into fruition and ful possession even the first of these acts is not transacted without the seed and spirit of Faith much less the successive agitations and progress of the work Thus every way Faith is considered as equal with yea as foregoing the work of Iustification CHAP. IV. That justification is not transacted all at once nor any pre-remission of sin before it be committed BY his knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justifie many saith God by the Prophet Isaiah cap. 53. 11. Shall justifie is a verb of the future tense the work then at that time was not done the Question is when was it to be done In the day of his passion say some then did he bear the sins of many and take away the sin of the world so that from that time and forward to the end of the world there is no more imputation of sin to any of the elect It hath been commonly said even by some of our best Divines that justification is transacted in our first Union and Incorporation into Christ at which time it is conceived that the pardon of all sin is sealed consequently that it is to us an act already passed Nor can we say He shall but he hath justified But I fear that the mis-understanding of this point not untrue in it self if not mistaken and mis-apprehended hath laid the ground upon which the Antinomian buildeth that unhappy structure which turneth the Grace of God into wantonness Who knoweth not that justification in it's proper acceptation of the word according to the Scripture phrase is the act of a Iudge pronouncing a judicial sentence and according to this I suppose we shall not erre from the truth if we say that the main work of Justification is even to us as yet future and that the time when Christ shal justifie those many in the Text of Isaiah is when he shall condemn the Residue viz. at his s●●ond coming when he shall separate the sheep from the Goats then shall he justifie them and at once absolve them from all accusations and charges laid in against them then shall they receive a final quietus and discharge then shall God wipe all tears from their eyes then shal there be no