Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A67829
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A sermon preached at Lambeth January the 25th at the consecration of the Right Reverend Father in God, Thomas Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells / by Edward Young ...
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Young, Edward, 1641 or 2-1705.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing Y68; ESTC R34114
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12,744
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33
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We may conceive his Soul was at that time touched with some supernatural Motion that carried it forth in a strong ardor after these Episcopal Graces and likewise that it was then endowed with such a Virtual power as if stirr'd up should render him eminent in the Practice of them And now I will shew what Timothy was particularly obliged to do in order to the stirring up of this His Gift beginning with the first Branch of the Effusion Might By Might here is meant no other than Religious fortitude and Courage to do our Duty the First Requisite of a Good Governour Whence it is that we hardly meet with any Commissionated by God for any special service but that he has this given him in principal charge To be strong To be Courageous Our Apostle-here opposes it to Fear or Pusillanimity that most Treacherous of all Vices entangling Men into such necessities of sinning that the Fearful are therefore set by St. Iohn in the head of all those who have their part in the Fiery Lake And now if Timothy will stir up this Spirit of Courage he must in the first place bethink himself well of his Undertaking He must imagine himself a Champion of War enter'd into the Lists as David heretofore into the Valley of Elah where he must either Conquer or Die not a single Man but an Army Both the Israelites and Philistines surveying him in the mean time with different Hopes and Censures whereof the most as Envy will always have it are against Him Some blame his Youth some his Confidence some his want of Arms and some like Goliah curse him by their Gods But as these casual forms of popular breath cannot in themselves affect his Success so neither must he suffer them to affect his Thoughts he must wisely Keep them beneath his concern while he composes his behaviour to the approbation of God and rests in his Providence whom he considers with awful joy not to be a bare Spectator of what he does but a helper and Deliverer a Horn of Salvation and a Refuge as that Royal Champion speaks him from experience in his own affairs The next step is to bring his Courage into action He must set himself to work to check the Range of Satan in the World to awe Men out of ill manners to oppose Vice Vigorously and Impartially without any glozing or fear of the Great without any Unthankful Indulgence to Benefactor or Friend He must awe it out of Countenance and beat it off the Stage with his Looks Intimations Discourses Interests Monitions and Rebukes and if it bear up head against all these He must then separate the Leaper from the Camp and turn the Sacred Key against the Refractory Sinner And he that on this manner is strong God shall strengthen his heart As the Psalmist has exprest the Doctrine of this point But the Philosopher in his Ethicks treating of Courage has observ'd That Anger though it be very like Courage and incites Men to vigor in undertakings yet it is a pure Depravation of Courage and makes it lose both its Honesty and its Ends And for this reason it is that the Courage which is inspired from God is never mixt with Anger it is always accompanyed and temper'd with Love which is therefore the second Branch of the Episcopal Effusion Advices when without Love seem only Reproaches and Rebukes Peevishness and Censures Tyranny Like vitiated Oyntments they have fum'd out all their healing qualities and retain those only that fret and exasperate And hence it has come to pass in the Church that when that most awful Iudgment of Excommunication came to be executed in such manner and Circumstances as that a great mixture of human Passions appear'd in the executing of it The Censure lost its awe and never reach't the Consciences of Men and all the Terrour implor'd from the Secular Arm could never make it otherwise than more contemptible Whereas when a sincere Godly Love and a Paternal Commiseration appears at the head of such a Censure it cannot but make the Correction sink deep into the Conscience and make Men believe it to be as it is a Delivery unto Satan And if Timothy will stir up this Divine Gift of Love he must daily contemplate the value of all those for whom Christ died He must espouse them into the Intimacy of his bosom his Care his Affability his Provision his Prayers Considering with himself what a mighty advantage he has from the height of his place to recommend and endear his Love For Love in an Inferiour station may possibly look more mercenary and so affect less but Love condescending from such a height of place wins and captivates and makes a Man look like God both in Temper and Beneficence Like God I say whose most amiable and endearing Character to the Sons of Men is this That He is a Lover of Souls And he that thus Loves Love shall be perfected in him As St. Iohn has expressed the Doctrine of this point And yet Courage and Love are but like the Inferiour Faculties the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Principal Spirit is still wanting and follows in the third Branch of this Holy Effusion a sound Mind If we consider the Native sense of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and how the Greek Authors do use it to signifie Actively such a Castigation as does naturally produce a sound mind rather than the effect it self produced it will seem that the sense of it in this place may be not unhappily exprest by The Discipline of Wisdom That Blessing which the Son of Sirach prays for Cap. 23. 2. Where he cry's who will set the Discipline of Wisdom over my Heart That Discipline that does both castigate and reform both Purge and Illuminate both make Good and make Wise at the same Act For it clears the Understanding by dispelling all Mists of the lower Appetite It renders the mind sound and discreet by possessing it with awful sentiments of God and of Duty and of a Future Account and it makes a Man fit to Govern in the Church because it makes him Free and unbyast by the World These are the fruits of the Wisdom from above and if Timothy will stir up this part of his Gift He must be Diligent and Exemplary he must take care that the Light of his Life and the Salt the Grace of his Lips do render his Authority venerable and such as cannot easily be despised He must be Watchful Sagacious and Prudent While his Hands are upon the Helm his Eyes must be upon the Needle and the Chart He must observe the Pointings of Providence the Opportunities of Action the Seasons of Counsel the differences of Place the Varieties of Temper and the accommodations of Address that he may ever be gaining some And in the mean time he must keep his Soul steady by the frequent Recourse of this Thought That all is Foolishness but the Doing of our Duty And he that takes care thus to insist in the Offices of Wisdom God will make him consummately wise For the Eyes of them that see shall not be dimm as the Prophet Isaiah has expressed the Doctrine of this Point And now O Timothy see here are the Arts of thy Government Continue in These and thou needest no other Policy God will take all the other care that is necessary for the establishment of his own Church Do thou stir up the Gift of God that is in Thee Do thou quicken and Divine Coal that Toucheth thee and thy Coal shall blaze into a Flame and thy Flame shall be enobled into a Star a vast Orb of Glory such as shall Crown the heads of all those happy Men who by their Conduct and Example Turn many unto Righteousness FINIS De Cur. Graec. Affeâ—t Serm. 9. 1 Ioh. 3. 9. Eph. 4. 16. Col. 2. 19. St. Ioh. 15 5. St. Ioh. 6. 44. 2 Cor. 9.15 Wisd. 1. 2. 3 Tim. 3. 1. St. August Ep. 148. ad Valer. 2 Cor. 2.16 1 Tim. 4.14 2 Cor. 6. 1. Iosh. 1. 7. and 2 Chron. 18. 10. Rev. 21. 8. Psal. 27.14 Arist. ad Nicom l. 3. cap. 8. Wisd. 11. 26. 1 Ioh. 4.12 Psal. 51.12 Apud septueg Vulga Matt. 5. 13 14. and Col 4. 5. 1 Cor. 9. 22. Isa. 6. 6. Dan. 12. 3.