Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	john_n	love_v	world_n	13,642	5	5.6658	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49240	The Christians combat: or, His true spiritual warfare wherein is laid down the nature, power, and cunning deceit of Satan, the great enemy of our salvation. With the means whereby every good Christian may withstand his dreadful assaults. By C. L. late preacher of Gods word in the City of London.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1664 (1664)	Wing L3144; ESTC R216615	19,118	53

cool the scalding heat of sin by applying unto us the precious balm of Christs blood so that our wounds are not mortal unto us The first of these vertues is signified hereby in that he calleth faith a shield which repelleth Satans temptations as the shield doth the darts that are cast against it The second by the word quenching namely as water quencheth the fire so faith quench●th the fiery darts of Satans temptations I procéed now to the fifth part of our Christian armour which is the helmet of Salvation which is so called because it bringeth Salvation to them that wear it for we are saved by hope as it is in Rom. 8.24 which we are to understand by the helmet of Salvation as it appeareth in 1 Thes 5.8 where he exhorteth us to put on the hope of Salvation for an helmet As no man in his right wits would sell his certain interest unto a goodly inheritance for a bright shining counter so much less will any man who is not stark-mad sell his assured hope of the eternal kingdome of glory by yielding himself the slave of sin and Satan to purchase for the present the worlds counterfeit shining excellencies which are in truth but mutable or at least momentary vanities And though he assault us on the one side as he did St. Paul with afflictions and persecutions yet we will with him for the hope of Israel be content to be bound in the chains of misery and affliction for the heaviest cross will séem tolerable yea an easie yoke and a light burthen to those who do expect and hope for a far more excellent and eternal weight of glory Now therefore if we do not put on this helmet we shall not dare to lift up our heads in the day of battel for as those who are incouraged with hope of victory and the spoil ensuing do fight valiantly so those who are quite forsaken of hope do forsake also the field and cast down their armour and weapons and do either run away or cowardly yield unto the enemy And so much for the defensive armour which we must put on that which follows is both defensive and offensive fit to defend our selves and repel and foil the enemy the first is the sword of the Spirit the word of God this the Apostle cals the sword of the Spirit because it is a spiritual and not a carnal weapon which the spirit of God hath as it were tempered made sharpened and put into our hands to repel all our spiritual enemies whensoever they assault us Now we are taught to imitate our grand Captain the Lord Iesus Christ who though he were able to have confuted Satan by other arguments or to have confounded him by his power yet as he suffered himself to be tempted in all things like unto us so he used the same weapons which he hath appointed us to use in this spiritual Combat of temptation to the end that we might be taught how to handle them having his example for imitation and also may conceive assured hope of victory considering that our Captain subdued Satan with the self same weapons Whensoever therefore we are assaulted by Satan let us draw out the sword of the spirit that we may defend our selves and give him the foil as being the most fit weapon for the purpose and séeing this sword is so excellent let us highly estéem of it and manfully use it whensoever Satan doth assault us and tempt us to commit sin As for example when he enticeth us t● commit sin and extenuates it as though it were but a may game and a trick of youth which God regardeth not let us draw out the sword of the spirit saying that all they are accursed who continue not in all that is written in that book of the Law to do it Gal. 3.10 They who live according to the flesh cannot please God Rom. 8.8 That the burthen of sin cannot be light séeing it pressed out of Christ himself a bloody sweat On the other side if he aggravate the hainousness of our sins to the end he may draw us unto despair of Gods mercies let us say it is written I will not the death of a sinner saith the Lord but that herepent and live Ezek. 18.23 And that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And that he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Matth. 9.13 Joh. 3.16 If he tempt us to the love of the world and to the service of this unrighteous mammon let us answer him that it is impossible to serve two masters of such contrary dispositions as it is written Matth. 6.24 If we love the world the love of the father abideth not in us 1 John 2.15 That the amity of the world is enmity against God James 4.4 Again if by renouncing the world and endeavoring to serve the Lord in uprightness and in truth he séeks to draw us from our integrity by threatning afflictions and persecutions we are to strengthen our selves and resist him with the sword of the Spirit remembring that they are blessed which suffer persecution for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven Matth. 5.10 All that will live Godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution 1 Tim. 3.12 That whosoever loseth any thing for Christs sake shall receive in recompence an hundred fold more and have everlasting life to boot Matth. 19.29 If he tempt us to the neglect of Gods word we are to tell him that all Christs shéep hear his voice and follow him John 10.27 That whosoever is of God heareth Gods words John 8.47 They who know God hear his ministers whereas he that is not of God heareth them not 1 John 4.6 Again if he tempt us to content our selves with the bare hearing thereof neglecting obedience thereunto we are to tell him that not the hearers of the word but the doers thereof shall be justified Rom. 2.13 And they that are hearers of the Word and not doers also deceive themselves Jam. 1.22 Not every one that saith Lord Lord that is maketh a goodly profession of religion shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of the Father who is in heaven Matth. 7.21 So when he tempteth us unto pride we are to say unto him Satan I may not enter into thy temptation for it is written God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble 1 Pet. 5.5 Thus may we repel the violence of all Satans temptations and give him the foil if we will take unto us the sword of the Spirit and skilfully use the same in the fight for it is not sufficient that we have the sword lying by us if we do not draw it out in the dispute to fight the spiritual Combat but let it rest in the Scabbard It behoveth every poor Christian to come into Gods School continually that there we may learn how to handle the sword of the Spirit that may resist Satan in all his

and strangers should serve as an effectual reason to wean our hearts from the love of the world and worldly vanities and to place them in heaven and onely in heavenly joys which is our country and place of residence therefore if we be pilgrims on earth we must follow their practice and not set our hearts on worldly things because the time we have to enjoy them is very short let him that hath enjoyed worldly prosperity the longest time look back and he shall sée that all that is past is but as a dream or shadow and as the twinkling of an eye in respect of eternity but all our love and longing must be placed on our heavenly inheritance where we are for ever to enjoy an eternal weight of glory and happiness without end Now if we would thus estéem of the world and worldly vanities learn then of the Apostle to use them as though we used them not not as places to rest in or things wherein we take our chief repose but as a way to travel in and as necessaries to further us in our journey who would seat his heart and affections on those delights which he séeth as he passeth by who in his right wits will so doat on these things in which he hath not any interest as that he should neglect far better and permanent delights in his own country Let us then like travellers refresh our selves with the things of this life and so again go forward on our journy cast away every thing that presseth down and the sin that hangeth fast on and let us run with patience the race that is set before us let us learn to imitate the Eagle which seldome lighteth on the earth but when constrain'd with hunger she stoopeth to her prey and when she hath fed mounteth again aloft above the clouds so let us not suffer our hearts and affections any longer to rest upon the earth then we are compel'd with our present necessities but like the Eaglets of Iesus Christ let us resort thither where the dead carcase is and being fed herewith let us amount high in divine contemplations having our conversation in heaven and let us like strangers and pilgrims abstain from carnal lusts which fight against our souls Again the world is not simply a place of pilgrimage alone but a place of warfare wherein we are assaulted on all sides and by all possible means hindred in our spiritual voyage and therefore séeing our time is but short and so full of trouble let us seat our affections and our hearts on the main business which tends to our spiritual warfare as Jacob saith the daies of his pilgrimage were not onely few but evil also Gen. 47 9. and Job affirmeth that man who is born of a woman is but of short continuance and full of trouble Job 14.1 And therefore while we are here we had néed to be always in the compleat armour of a Christian● because we fight not onely against flesh and blood but against Principalities Powers and worldly Governours the Prince of the darkness of the world which are in high places let us then with the Apostle so run that we may obtain 1 Cor. 9. 24 25. Let us being to wrestle with such mighty enemies like him that proveth masteries abstain from all things which might hinder us to obtain a crown is incorruptible let us come into the field against our spiritual enemies not loaded and incumbred with the burden of worldly trash tyed fast unto us the bounds of carnal love which shall but betray us into the hands of those foes which séek our overthrow but let us run armed with Gods spiritual graces and assisted with the power of his might whereby we shall be inabled to obtain the victory that so we may say with the Apostle I have fought a good fight I have finished my course and have kept the faith from henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. Séeing this is promised as he affirmeth not to him alone but to all them who obtain the victory in this spiritual warfare according to that gracious promise in Revel 3.27 to him that overcometh will I gran● 〈◊〉 with me in my Throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his Throne I come now to a second motive to stir us up to look after heavenly treasure and not immoderately to love the world and worldly vanities because we are pilgrims here and therefore must leave them in our passage so we are Citizens of heaven the new Jerusalem the Apostle saith we having through Christ an entrance unto the father by one spirit are now no more strangers and forreigners but Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and speaking of Abraham the father of the faithful he saith That he abode in the land of promise as in a strange country and as one that dwelt in tents because he looked for a City not made with hands having a foundation whose builder and maker is God neither was this peculiar to him alone but general to all his Children who followed him in the saith of whom it is said that they have here no continuing City but seek one to come Heb. 11. 6 9 10. And the reason is apparent for we are Citizens and subjects of that Kingdom whereof our Lord Iesus Christ is King but he himself hath plainly told us that his kingdom is not of this world but that he reigneth and ruleth in that kingdom of eternal glory and therefore whosoever are subjects unto him they cannot be frée denizons of the world but Citizens of heaven It is no marvel that heretofore we living in ignorance did not estéem of those divine excellencies but preferred before them these worldly vanities because they are subject to our selves for there is no desire of that which is not known and that bright sun-shine day is all alike to him who is stark-blind unto the darkest night But now after that the grace of God which bringeth salvation unto all men hath appeared and taught us that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and that we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mighty God and of our Saviour Iesus Christ Titus 2. 11 12 13. It were more then madness if we should suffer our selves still to be transported with worldly concupiscence and prefer the present satisfying of our carnal desires before the eternal fruition of our heavenly joys we should not be alwayes children wanting wit and experience in heavenly affairs it is time now to put away childish things Whilst we remain'd in the state of slaves and were the devoted vassals of sin and Satan our base desires did well agree with our base condition whilst we were Citizens of the world and children of the earth it might sute with our calling