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	love_v	world_n	13,220	5	5.1546	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49447	Meditations upon retirement from the world Occasioned by a discourse with a gentleman, who begun to see the vanity of worldly enjoyments, whereof he had had a very great share, and thought it necessary by despising of them, to secure the interest of his soul, while there was any time left.	Ludolf, Heinrich Wilhelm, 1655-1710.	1691 (1691)	Wing L3464; ESTC R216641	10,010	11

difficulty to be overcome by one who would fain injoy that Retirement wherein we are past being displeased with any thing but what displeases God Almighty MEDITATION IV. SUCH a disengagement of our hearts from all worldly affections fits us for that love of God whereby we endear our selves to him and receive those returns from him which bring us to so much experience of his mercy that we never despond even under the worst circumstances but bear the worst lot of his Providence without reluctancy It would be strange if God Almighty who hath given so innumerable proofs of his goodness towards us should look with indifferency upon those that endeavour to answer his design in creating of Man and endowing him with understanding If we think we have reason to lessen our kindness for a person which doth love another besides us How can we imagine that Infinite Being should take it well at our hands when we kindly entertain so despicable Rivals besides him Many pious persons hold that God created Man only for a witness to his wonders to admire and injoy the beauty of the whole Creation and after Man had by his ingratitude forfeited so great a bliss and by his disobedience brought the sad punishment upon him which hath made his Posterity smart ever since Yet God was pleased to give still a greater proof of his Love in pittying Mans deplorable condition and providing a mean for its relief What is not such an Infinite Goodness like to do for one who is sensible of so unspeakable a Mercy and with a due acknowledgement of his unworthiness makes it his utmost care to please his Creator If we make never so few Christian Reflexions upon the course he takes with us we will soon find that he courts us for our heart by all the methods imaginable and when they do not prevail he imbitters the enjoyment of those very things which inticed our heart away from him He doth not deserve so great a favour as affliction that doth not look upon it as a design of God Almighty to wean us from those things which rendered us treacherous to him Our mind must have some thing to delight chiefly in and which way soever it inclines there it sticks closer and closer If it bend towards the world it will intangle it self faster and faster in it and remove further and further from God But if our mind fix once upon God it will despise the world more and more and grow in delighting in God Almighty and Heaven The more our love tends this way the more our expectations will be answered Till by degrees it bring us to so straight a union with God that no Temptation will tear us from him When God once finds us true to him he gives us those assurances of his being true to us that nothing is able to shake us or to grieve us till at length we arrive at such an intimacy with him as to have no other will but his and to bear with an intire resignation his disposals Then we begin to see wonders of Wisedome Goodness Mercy and Justice even in those Events which the world thinks chance and we will find that the more we seek Heaven the more we find happiness upon Earth whereas seeking the Trifles of the Earth makes us lose Heaven and doth nothing but inbroil us here upon earth So that in my opinion it is Prudence as well as Religion to give our Heart to God and not to the World than I am sure the Vanity of the World will never make us uneasie nor puzzle us where to find that tranquillity and cherfullness of mind which sweetens this life and gives us a foretaste of that which is to come MEDITATION V. FOr fear any body should think these Notions insignificant whims of my own brains I advise to examine whether they are not agreeable to what was said before by one whose Wisdom and Truth no Christian can have an exception to There is scarce another sence to be given to those words of our Saviours whereby he declared That the Love of his Heavenly Father was not in us as long as we loved the World But if people will not mind his Doctrine how can they wonder at their not finding the Truth and Benefit of it Withdrawing our heart from the World and giving it to God is that forsaking of every thing which hath the promise of an hundred fold recompence Whereof no body is like to gain a fortunate experience that doth not think it worth his while to attempt a trial of it Though I am of opinion the truth of my Notions will be called in question by no body who owns the Bible to contain Gods Word The number indeed of those is far greater which think it beneath them to submit their understanding to Gods Wisdome not to speak of those which count David a fool for calling those Fools which denyed a God I will not now incroach upon the province of Divines and threaten those Sparks with the heavy Judgments that are like to befal them or think so meanly of my time as to go about the proving their errors since they admit only of heathenish arguments they may go those passages in Seneca which make Contempt of Riches the great Road towards becoming Rich. And they may learn of Epicurus that since mans happiness consists in pleasure he must needs be most happy whose pleasure is least subject to uncertainty or to taste as much of Gall as of Hony My Meditations being designed only for the improvement of Christianity I dare assure my self that any person who will earnestly endeavour for Christs sake to forsake his Life will by Gods blessing find a far better I have not been yet in the other World and cannot speak by experience of what we have to expect there But I know that forsaking of those courses which set us at a greater and greater distance from God will bring us by degrees to such a life here upon Earth which is not only free from disquiet and fear but wherein natural pleasures are easie and even the thought of their loss most pleasant I shall never be perswaded to embrace the sottish conceipt of those that suppose all the pleasures of the body were by the bountiful Creator of the Universe laid only as so many snares for our Soul and upon that account deny their bodies not only recreation but necessaries It is too low a fancy to imagine that so infinite a goodness as that of the Almighty can take delight in making us uneasie and I have reason to believe that the infinite liberality of our Creator desireth nothing of us but a grateful injoyment of what is given being so free to grant the desires of those that love him that they can scarce thank him heartily for a mercy received before there is a greater one ready Though I am afraid there is not over many that have had a full sence hereof since there is so few that think

MEDITATIONS UPON RETIREMENT FROM THE WORLD Occasioned By a Discourse with a Gentleman Who begun to see the vanity of Worldly enjoyments whereof he had had a very great share and thought it necessary by despising of them to secure the interest of his Soul while there was any time left Blessed are they that forsake the World for Heaven but more blessed are they that find Heaven before they go out of the World There is no more difference between Heaven and the Kingdom of God than there is between Hell and the Kingdom of Darkness Heaven consists in Vertue Truth and Light Hell consists in Vice Lies and Darkness Our Saviour leads us the way to Heaven and the Devil directs people to Hell The Reader may consider which of these two he had best to follow SOLI DEO GLORIA LONDON Printed Anno Dom. MDCXCI TO HIS ROYAL-HIGHNESS Prince GEORGE OF DENMARK THE nearer you are to Crown and Scepter the more regard you ought to have to Him whose Vicegerents Kings and Princes are By your indifferency about Worldly Affairs Providence hath disposed you to despise the World and to give your Heart to God who hath unimaginable happiness and contentment ready for those that with an intire Resignation comply with his Will If the following Meditations have such an effect upon your Mind as to strengthen your Love to the Ruler of all Hearts He will never let you want those Affections of the People which mark and support a Princes greatness and I shall certainly see my Wishes and Hopes of the growth and continuance of your Prosperity fulfilled When you see these present Broils of Europe make way for great changes in Church and State remember this Dedication and believe that God will rescue those that fear love and trust him and that you are One of the few great Ones not to be touched by the general Calamity which the unusual Earth-Quakes and other Signs of Gods Anger do forebode Then I shall not scruple to make my self known to you READER ALL those render no small service to God and their Countrey that endeavour to help true Christianity to get uppermost For we would soon have a better Church and State if People were thoroughly perswaded that real Prosperity upon Earth depended upon our Care for Heaven This single Notion well fixed in the generality of minds would quench many a desire by Factions to disturb the Peace and quiet of the Nation or to hinder its welfare by cheating the Publick both of its Treasure and of those Services which People less wedded to luxury and private interest might render How far the following Meditations may tend this way the Christian Reader will judge who will I hope allow of my Apology for the Stile when I tell him it is not my Native Language I hope these Meditations will not have the misfortune to fall into the hands of any that either think God a slave to the course and Laws of Nature or that fancy their Wisdome above Gods Endowments For such People will conclude me as great an Euthasiast as they are either Beasts or Foolish-Wisemen It is my comfort that I have Witnesses of my Behaviour in the greatest adversity when I had the fate of the Moneyless to be disowned almost by every body and some thought they discharged the duty of Friendship in desiring the Prayers of the Congregation that my health and understanding might be restored to me People that do not know of this will hardly own me a fit Preacher of the obligation of an intire Resignation to Gods will if they should see me by a wonderfull Providence raised to make some Figure in the World But as God alone knows how much I have been humbled so it is in his only Breast how for I shall be exalted May First Heinrich Wilhelm Lud●lf The first of July thou shalt have a Commentary MEDITATION I. THe World is an imperious Mistress who makes those most uneasie that are fondest of her Which hath induced several to prefer Retirement before Greatness and Splendor in the World after they have found the emptyness of all those things which men commonly make their Idols Providence having contrived it so wisely that whosoever hath a wrong aim in point of happiness is sooner or latter made sensible of his having missed the mark All the mischief cometh from misplacing our affections and from not bestowing a true value upon the things we are in pursuit after If we remembred the Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven we would soon find fullfilled the All things shall be added unto you Since a hearty concern for a future Life would make us look with so much contempt upon the trifles of this World that we would hardly ever disquiet our selves with the desire of any thing that is not added to us already But such a Resignation to Providence requireth perhaps more Religion than is commonly met with in men However we all pretend to reason and those that are not totally deprived of the right use of reason will own that they have an immortal Soul and that consequently the securing Eternity to the Soul is not only the most important business but that without the hopes of it our mind will not be free from grudgings very injurious to its quiet and contentment which influences the health of our Body very much So that reason should tell every man he must look after Heaven if he will enjoy happiness upon Earth which cannot subsist without health in the Body and tranquility in the Mind Gods goodness as well as wisdom having ordered it so that the interest of Body Mind and Soul is so closely united together that a concern for the Soul brings us to the observing of our Saviours Rules and practising of those vertues whereby the vigour of our Body and the contentment of our Minds is promoted and on the other hand managing the Body according to the Precepts of Temperance and Sobriety strengthens our Understanding and inables it to descry in Nature and Providence those glorious Beams of Wisdome and Goodness which cannot chose but inflame our desires of obtaining the favour of that infinite perfect Being Which desire if it be sincere and earnest is half way towards our Souls home This consideration alone should be enough to keep any rational man from bestowing any more value upon the Goods and Pleasures of this World than is consistent with a due care of the next Which if they did they would not be weary of Earth before they are fitted for Heaven and even Earthly pleasures of Body as well as of mind would be more real more lasting and more easily attained They would not be at a loss where to find retirement and quiet For in my opinion it is not changing of City or Court for the Country wherein a quiet Retirement consists because in the greatest Solitude and most concealed Recess our mind may be hurried about with restless passions and desires on the other hand neither the

noise of the City nor the hurry of the Court can discompose a temper well settled by not depending upon uncertainties but intirely relying on Gods Providence which designs nothing but good for us Though it cannot be denyed that every body is not strong enough to resist the temptations of City and Court which wheedle us into wrong courses MEDITATION II. SInce then Retirement which is to set our mind at ease doth not consist in the bare changing of the place of our abode it seems to me that the secret of enjoying quiet and tranquillity of mind consists only in withdrawing our-heart from any thing we are in possession of in this World This is the way to hold Riches and Honour nay even that more valuable pleasure of friendship without the uneasiness of fearing to lose them or grieving for them when they give us the slip It is a common observation that Sin and Folly differ but very little and that the Wisdome of Providence hath put a straight connexion between Sin and Punishment So that whosoever forgets his duty to his Creator to such a degree as to lay him by for the Creature and to bestow upon the Creature those affections which were due only to the Creator that person must needs expose himself to a great many inconveniencies which by Gods unchangeable Law attend the committing of Sin and Folly We daily see that Wise-men make themselves ridiculous about those Worldly objects which they most dote upon and never make a worse use of their understanding than when they are busied about the things they love best Love as well as other passions leading commonly their Mistress the Reason by the nose and the Proverb Love is Blind is of a larger extent than to be understood only of admiring a Woman For we see Parents fond of their Children not only over-value their parts but by too much indulgence to the humour of their Children to expose themselves to the just censures of discreet impartial persons We meet with bookish men puffed up with some Philological remarks that are hissed at by men of sence and of use to either Church or State Children and Books are questionless as harmless objects of our fancy as any and yet when our heart is set upon them they easily betray our folly and bring no less an inconvenience upon us than the lessening of our reputation by having our judgement called in question As irrational loving of sensual pleasures Money and Fame is more criminal so it is attended with punishment more real than the bare loss of the good opinion of men of sence I do not speak only of men that pursue these things by the commission of the most provoking sins but even of those that hunt after them in some seeming honest course A man may endeavour to grow rich without Robbing and Cheating another may offer at Greatness without Slandering or Supplanting and yet both these men will find themselves mistaken at the long run if they make this their chief business and it is a Mercy of God when he shews them their error and directs them to look after that which must render the injoyment of plenty and greatness secure and comfortable This cannot be obtained unless a body be sure of Gods favor and support but it is not probable that God Almighty will assure a man of so great a blessing unless he thinks it worth the longing for it which he is not like to do as long as his mind chiefly runs upon worldly things Wherefore I conclude that withdrawing our heart from worldly things is the true retirement which leads us to calmness of mind and keeps us from being disturbed in the City and Court as well as in the Country Nay it will beget that love and trust in God which makes Prosperity the more comfortable and adversity the less uneasie and when our crosses seem to overballance too much our comforts this sort of Retirement will make us amends for all by a promising prospect of our future hopes MEDITATION III. IT is I must confess not so very easie to withdraw our heart from the world for it is hard to blot out the impressions made upon our minds in our younger years One that alwayes heard people admired for a great Estate for a splendid House-keeping and magnificent Furniture and Retinue will be backward to believe that all those things signifie nothing and are not worth our seeking them We hear Great Men so often reckoned among the fortunate and very often see so many real advantages of power that we cannot help almost our being betrayed into Ambition Nay when bountiful Nature hath bestowed so good an understanding upon us as to be convinced that Wealth and Greatness are very empty things without Contentedness there is one object left from which it is hardest of all to withdraw our heart that is We our selves The wise Author of Nature hath implanted in us a love of our being that we might seek to preserve and to improve it And there is no question to be made but that it would stand us in very great stead if we loved our selves with a due regard to our glorious Maker for it is more than probable that our Being may be improved by him that contrived it so artificially But when we lay him a side and perhaps do every thing to affront him into the bargain it is no wonder he should revenge so base an ingratitude by suffering our Self love to lead us as a blind Guide This perverse Self love begets that uncharitableness and envy from whence springs all the strife and faction which disturbs so very much both publick and private It intoxicates us with that conceit of our own judgment that we will hardly allow any body to be in the right but our selves making commonly very peevish requitals to those that offer to shew us our mistakes In one word Self-love is the root of Pride which is so criminal a qualification that it turned Lucifer out of Heaven The inlightened Author of The Whole Duty Man makes very good Remarks upon this subject Nor can it be denyed that the greater the thing is which we are proud of the greater is our Sin and consequently the Fall that attends Pride commonly The mischief of our being pleased with our own person is not so great as to think our judgment infallible and being puffed up with a vain conceit of Saintship is worse still and very often occasions those false lights whereby many a poor soul is lead into precipices The reason seems to be that Pride hath ingratitude towards God Almighty at the bottom for the proud man doth not reflect upon his holding every thing of God Almighty and the greater his gifts are the greater is his ingratitude when he ascribes them to himself Since then Self-love is so dangerous and yet so natural to us we ought to take the more particular care to break ourselves of that fondness of our selves which is the last and hardest