Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	heart_n	lord_n	love_v	20,974	5	6.4258	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59627	A sermon preach'd before the honourable society of the natives of the most ancient county-palatine and city of Chester at St Mary le Bow, London, December 7th 1699. Published at the request of the stewards. By Peter Shelley, M.A. Rector of Woodford in Essex.	Shelley, Peter, b. 1650 or 51.	1700 (1700)	Wing S3070; ESTC R221101	12,392	33

Original mould nor will there be in the dust of the Grave The rich and poor are equal in this the Lord is the Maker of them both He could either have made the Birth abortive or the wisest and richest Fools and Beggars Nay He can in a small time reduce the most Potent Monarch from the Throne to the Dung-hill and as He did Nebuchadnezzar make him dwell with the wild Asses and eat Grass with the Beasts of the Field For it is by His free Grace alone that we are what we are We can make Him no Retaliation for the good things He hath plentifully bestowed on us we must therefore pay to the Creature in this sense what is due to the Creator And since every other Species delights in its kind 't is Natural as well as Religious for one Man to assist and supply the necessities of another Yet least this Duty tho' apparently reasonable should be neglected and Men endeavour ungratefully to excuse what they are unwilling to perform we have many plain and positive Commands in Scripture to enforce us to it and therefore must be Charitable Secondly In Obedience to God's Commands There is scarce any Command in Scripture more frequently repeated especially in the New Testament than to Love one another and there can be no instance of our Love more useful or convincing than by our relieving the Necessitous In prosperity every one hath Friends but in adversity few have any For that 's the touchstone of true Friendship and we must gratefully acknowledge the Fidelity of those who supply our Necessities when there is no prospect of a return Yet that this Virtue may not want its due Encouragement nor the Poor Benefactors God himself gives this positive Command Deut. 15. Thou shalt Open thine hand wide unto thy brother to thy poor and to thy needy in the land Thou shalt surely give unto him and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him because that for this very thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy Works and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto Here we have a positive Command to be Charitable and that in a large measure we must open our hand wide i. e. liberally and freely Answerable to their Occasions and our Abilities And the reason of this Command is the more observable being for this very Cause God hath blessed some with riches above ohers that they might be his Faithful Stewards and Treasurers for the Poor Nor is it a diminution to any ones greatness to Exercise this Virtue Nay 't is indeed the Principal intent of God in raising some above others For since all Superiority is for the publick Good the greatest Soveraigns and Princes cannot more firmly establish themselves in their greatness or be more Honourably employ'd than in relieving the needy and oppressed Who are as foils to Diamonds which tho' of inferiour estimation do notwithstanding very much encrease and set off the Lustre Nothing makes them more resemble the Great God of Heaven from whom alone they derive their Authority than to imitate the Divine Goodness in Works of Universal Mercy and Compassion So that it may be no small motive to this Duty if I briefly inform you First Of the Excellency of Charity Secondly Of some Promises attending it As to the First It is a Divine Vertue not only acceptable unto God but in a disproportionable manner evincing us to be resemblers of him And yet in this case he is so far from being jealous of any assault upon his Honour that being essentially Bountiful in himself he delights to see it shine in his Creatures And according to his Bounty unto any he expects they should contribute to the necessities of others This is the best Testimony of our Thankfulness unto God Honourable in its own Nature and help to the Needy Profitable to our very selves commended by others and an Act which makes Gods as it were of Men by communicating to those who want things necessary to their Being and Well-Being So that such Persons are as Visible God's distributing the common necessaries of Life to the Poor who next under God seem to have an immediate dependance upon charitable People And whose Welfare is in a manner at their discretion as they please to diffuse or restrain their Bounty And in this respect the Rich and Charitable are as it were the perpetual Overseers of the Poor the very Conduits of God's Liberality He places his Treasures in their hands and if they prove Faithful in Distributing as well as Receiving of his Bounty they make themselves Friends of that which otherwise will prove the Mammon of Vnrighteousness But that no encouragement may be wanting to promote this Duty Secondly God hath annexed Promises to the performance of it suitable to our humane conceptions as it were on purpose to stifle all Objections which avarice might object against it For least any one should be restrain'd from this Duty through fear of impoverishing himself God assures us Prov. 11. 25. That the Liberal Soul shall be made Fat And he that watereth others shall be watered also himself And in the 28 chap. at the 27. v. He that giveth unto the Poor shall not lack But least these should not be prevalent enough it is expresly said Prov. 19. 17. He that hath Pity on the Poor Lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will God pay him again Here the Lord himself expresly becomes a surety and 't is very certain that he who refuses to lend upon this security must unavoidably displease God For besides the Breach of his Commands he tacitely indeed but yet very plainly confesses That he believes either God is unable and cannot pay or that he is unjust and will not pay what he Promises Now judge whether either of these Opinions are fit to be conceived of Him who by His Power hath made the World and in Equity preserves it But our Blessed Saviour goes yet further and plainly assures us That if we give it shall not only be repaid unto us but with such great interest as methinks should tempt a Miser even with full measure pressed down and running-over And thus have I briefly insisted upon some motives to this Duty of Charity As to the Persons most proper or the proportion to be alloted them it is altogether needless for me to direct Your former Experience will best instruct you in these particulars and God prosper the Methods you have taken May he who alone can Sanctify your Charity for the Uses intended as also those by whom and those to whom it is to be distributed But besides this Love to the Persons separately as Brethren Secondly We are to Love the Brotherhood collectively as a Church And indeed this is the Principal intent of the Apostle This is the most endearing amiable instance of Brotherly affection when with one Heart and one Mind we Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness To obtain and continue

third sort by Reason of some Obligeing kindness or favour received from them To all these besides that due from near Relations to one another and from a Servant to his Master there is an extraordinary Honour and respect to be shewed void of envy and detraction For assuredly it is our undoubted Obligation to Reverence and Respect those before the rest of Mankind whom God hath peculiarly raised above others to be Instruments and Promoters of His Glory and the Publick or even our Private Good As we say Love generally begets Love so in this case the discreet Performance of this Duty by demeaning our selves lowly and reverently to all our betters will incite them to reward the Honour with favour and Affection Such Behaviour will Meliorate the Dispositions of those who otherwise might be enclin'd to Oppression It is also the most approved Method to prevail over the haughty to look favourably upon the humble It will improve and enlarge the generous Compassionate Soul to continue his Bounty and Loving-kindness with the greater Chearfulness and Alacrity Thus one Duty will be a motive to another and Perpetuate a Reciprocal endeavour towards the obtaining of Peace Unity and Concord which always produces Plenty and Prosperity But as the Apostle Commands this Honour in general to Persons of all Nations and Religions Good or Bad as the Circumstances of those Christians who live under them require So much more are we engag'd to do it to those of our own Nation or Religion We must and may Honour all Men according to their Estate and Condition but in a more strict and peculiar manner we are enjoin'd Qly. To Love the Brotherhood Now as this Love contains in it the Honour before mentioned So over and above it includes in it such a mutual affection Alliance and Brotherly Love as must Exert it self in all manner of Actions which may lawfully and prudently tend to the Good of each other This is the very Characteristical and distinguishing Badge of Christ's Disciples A new Commandment I give unto you saith our Saviour That ye Love one another As I have Loved you that ye also Love one another By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have Love one to another John 13. 3 4 5. He redoubles and repeats the Command as it were thrice in the same Breath on purpose to urge it with the greater energy or force and to make it take the deeper Impression upon us He plainly foresaw what dismal Persecutions would oppress the Faithful and that the strictest Obligations to Love and Friendship would be of absolute necessity to support them in their sufferings and therefore He delivers this Commandment with such Pathetick Circumstances as might engage them more effectually to the performance 'T is some comfort to have Co-partners in trouble I mean for a good cause The undaunted Constancy of one buoys up the sinking Spirit of another And mutual Compassion does in a manner divide any affliction making it affect the suffering party with a far less Powerful resentment But certainly in such cases 't is the indispensable Duty of the whole Church to assist them to the utmost not only with their Prayers but their purses 'T is more Blessed to give than to receive says our Saviour and surely no instance of it can be more honourable than that of relieving those who suffer for Righteousness sake This is the highest Act of Charity the truest Test of every Christian wherein every one ought to vye with each other for the common edifying of the Church 'T is the cheapest composition and hath the best of all Funds to ensure us from the like Extremity And I doubt not but God in his great Mercy will so effectually hear and accept our Prayers and Charity for the distressed Protestants as to shorten the time of their Persecution and to Crown them with Religious perseverance to the Salvation of their own Souls and may it please God to the Conversion of their Tormentors also 'T were easy to enlarge upon this subject but the present Occasion recals me home to those who are our Brethren in a nearer Relation For though we ought to retain an Universal good will towards all Mankind especially Christians yet since our Abilities cannot possibly extend to all Love contracts the Object of our Charity that we should not imprudently bestow that on Strangers which more properly belongs to our own Country Charity and Love in this point may lawfully begin at home For Nature instructs us to have an inbred affection to the Place we were Born in the Persons we are related to and those we are bred up or have Conversation with 'T is the main design of your meeting To maintain Friendship and Promote Charity and indeed the advice of my Text is an effectual Method to both towards the Observance and intent of which be pleas'd to take notice That our Love to the Brotherhood consists First In Loving the Persons seperately as Brethren Secondly In Loving the Assembly Collectively as a Church The first of these exerts it self in the mutual Amity of each other as equals How good and pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in Vnity says the Psalmist 'T is as sweet incense in the Nostrils of the Almighty acceptable to God beneficial unto Men. Nothing is able as to our humane endeavours to preserve Church and State so much as mutual Brotherly Love which is the Fruit of the Spirit the very bond of Peace This redoubles all that is good this will sweeten and mitigate all afflictions And will render that considerable in an entire Body which would be almost despicable if seperated Such Societies as these render London like Jerusalem as a City at Vnity in it self wherein nothing is more Amiable and Lovely than the Harmonious concourse of Persons thus gathered together as it were in Tribes to serve God and do good unto Men. From this source as Springs from the Ocean arise many circulating Veins of treasures which flow to it again in larger streams And by such means you Water and refresh even the barrenest Countries at the remotest distance which is your greatest Glory For as the External ornament consists in the Pomp and appearance of the Persons So the Internal which is chiefly to be regarded is most remarkable in that Charity which attends it and is indeed the most Important as well as Religious intent of your Meeting And this leads me to speak Secondly Of that Love to our Inferior Brethren which manisests its self in contributing to their necessities Bare Speculative Love is not all that is required Outward Pomp and shew signify nothing without actual Charity in contributing to the relief of our Brethren which is a duty incumbent upon us by a double Obligation First In Gratitude to Gods Bounty towards us Secondly In Obedience to His express Commands 'T is God's Providence alone which hath made a distinction amongst us There is no difference in the