Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	son_n	way_n	5,888	5	5.0772	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42780	The comforts of divine love Preach'd upon the occasion of the much lamented death of the reverend Mr. Timothy Manlove. With his character, done by another hand.	Gilpin, Richard, 1625-1700.	1700 (1700)	Wing G776; ESTC R216432	17,903	57

because the Love of God is a noble Subject and so vasily large that our Thoughts cannot reach it to any suitable Comprehension nor can our Tongues express the Breadth Length Depth and Heighth of it Eph. 3.17 So that when we have said all we can there is still Matter for more I shall now add something to what was spoken which was the less because I was forced to be short to give Room for the Funeral which waited our Attendance upon it All that I shall now add shall be I. To speak something in General of the Love of God II. To set before you the wonderful Priviledges and Advantages that flow in upon us from the Fountain of Divine Love And then III. To recommend the Contemplation of Gods Love to you that your Thoughts may be taken up with the Wonders of it I. In General the Love of God is not a meer Quality in God but his very Essence God is Love 1 John 4.8 This Love in God is a necessary result of his Goodness which is his very Nature There is none Essentially Absolutely and Perfectly Good but God Mat. 19.17 This Goodness God lets forth to all Creatures yet not with an Equality but so as might best shew forth his Soveraignty in doing with his own as he pleased And his Wisdom in adorning the World with a beautiful variety of Creatures of differing Perfections according to their different Kinds and Uses Hence it is usual to distinguish the Goodness of God into First A General Goodness to all Creatures All that he Created he saw was very Good And ever since he is good to all and his Mercy is over all his Works His Mercy is in the Heavens Angels share in it Psalm 36.5 And extends over all the Earth He preserveth Man and Beast ver 6. Secondly A Special Goodness to Man Though he be little if compared with the Infinite Perfections of the glorious God that it is a Wonder that God should be mindful of him Psalm 8.4 Much more that he should magnifie him Job 7.17 Yet is he so exalted above all his Fellow-Creatures of the Inferiour World that he is made but a little lower than the Angels and Lord of the Works of his Hands ver 5 6. of Psalm 8. Nor hath God left himself without a Witness of his singular Care and Providence over him in that he doth good and gives us Rain and fruitful Seasons filling our Hearts with Food and Gladness Thirdly There is a most special Goodness to his chosen Servants which David in Contradistinction to the two former calls Loving Kindness How excellent is thy Loving Kindness Psal 36.7 This most special Goodness is called Love which being understood in a most special Sense differs from that common Goodness which God imparts to his Creatures in that it signifies Gods special Delight and readiness to communicate and unite himself to the Object Loved Though this Love hath not properly different Degrees in God for none of his glorious Attributes admit of a more or less yet the Scriptures give us leave to make a Distinction in Compliance to the weakness of our Understandings So that usually the Love of God is said to be Threefold 1. A Love of Benevolence Gods Eternal Good Will this Christ speaks of John 3.16 God so loved the World c. And this is there spoken of as Antecedent to his giving Christ and as a Cause of it This Text is perplexed with Controversie because of the general Word the World which some labour to stretch so as to comprehend every Man But avoiding the Controversie we may understand the Text thus God so pitied lost Mankind Gentiles as well as Jews that he would not that all should perish but that a Community a World of Elect ones should through Faith in Christ obtain Everlasting Life 2. A Love of Beneficence which signifies the Acts of Love brought forth in Time after we had a Being in pursuance of his Eternal Purpose and Good Will Thus Christs Death our Justification and Sanctification are the Manifestation and Application of his Love and called so Eph. 5.25 Rev. 1.5 3. A Love of Complacency by which God rejoyceth over those that are in his Way and Method brought home to Christ This is fully expressed in John 14.21 23. Besides the Love of Benevolence My Father and I will manifest a more intimate Love and kind Familiarity Though I purposely avoided the abstruse and difficult Questions about Gods Love yet these Distinctions are necessary for the answering some Objections which might arise in your Hearts about the Unchangeableness of Gods Love The Love of Complacency and Beneficence admits of Variations of less or more being but Manifestations and Emanations of Divine Love upon us when yet his Love of Benevolence is the same II. The next thing I promised was a further account of the Priviledges and Advantages which accrew to us by the Love of God which are so great and numerous that I cannot reckon them up in order to you I must take up with that of David Psalm 40.5 6. Thy Thoughts to us-ward cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred I will therefore in this Matter closely follow the Footsteps of those two great Apostles the great Admirers and Preachers of Gods Love The Apostle John in 1 John 3.1 reduces all the Priviledges of Love to this one That we should be called that is have Power and Right to be the Sons of God as John 1.12 This if rightly studied will appear to be so great a Love as cannot be fully expressed but to be left to Admiration Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us The Apostle Paul in this Eighth Chapter of the Romans doth as it were Comment upon and explain that of 1 John 3. in pursuit of that grand Conclusion Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus That the Odours of this precious Oyntment might be further diffused for the Refreshment of all that are in Christ which he describes by the Power and Influence of the Holy Spirit over them he sets himself to declare the Priviledges of such and fixeth first upon our Sonship ver 12. As the Apostle John did but he endeavours a more particular Enumeration of our Priviledges yet so that he reduceth them all to this of our being the Children of God The Advantages which he insists upon arising from this grand Priviledge are Three First If we are Sons we partake of the Spirit of our Father and this we do several Ways 1. We are Led by the Spirit ver 14. Whether we read the Verse backward or forward it holds true As many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God And as many as are the Sons of God have been and shall still be led by the Spirit Let us take in this Consideration together with that of Sonship and then

say Oh! What manner of Love is this that we who were afar off both in respect of sinful Indisposition and Enmity should be made so near as to become Children That we should be changed in the Spirit of our Mind That we should by the Spirits leading Teaching and Influence be made conformable to the Image of Christ and so be made Partakers of a Divine Nature and should have the Spirit by whom we were wrought up to this very thing to be our constant Tutor and Guide 2. By the Spirit another Advantage is given ver 15. The Spirit is to us a Spirit of Adoption that is a childlike Disposition to Love God to depend upon him with a child-like Trust and ●onfidence and in an humble boldness ●nd freedom being made Children God would not have us to Act under a ●●avish Principle of Fear which is a Spirit of Bondage but by a free and ●ngenuous Love 3. The Spirit is also a Spirit of Witness and Assurance ver 16. The Spirit 〈◊〉 self beareth Witness with our Spirit ●●t we are the Children of God It is ●ecessary that Children should know their Father it conduceth much to their Comfort and Government This the Apostle urgeth upon the youngest Christians as their Priviledge and Advantage 1 John 2.13 I write unto yo● little Children because ye have known th● Father The Spirit assists the Witnes● of our Conscience clears our Doub●● and gives comfortable Satisfaction These Advantages we have by the Spirit and all these are necessarily contained in the Priviledge of Sonship Secondly Another Advantage by th● Priviledge of Sonship is noted ver 1● If Children then Heirs The same Lo● that makes us Children provides an 〈◊〉 heritance for us This Inheritance 〈◊〉 Apostle magnifies 1. As Glorious at● Great so Glorious that though 〈◊〉 must suffer as Christ did before 〈◊〉 come to the full Possession yet the Gl●ry of that Inheritance is so great th● our Sufferings are never to be mentioned nor compared to the Glory that is 〈◊〉 be revealed ver 18.2 Because th● Certainty of that Inheritance adds 〈◊〉 small Lustre to the Glory of it Th● Apostle shews us that the Children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have a full Certainty of it and 〈◊〉 live and rejoice in the Constant 〈◊〉 Comfortable Expectation of it 1. Not only by an Argumentation ●awn from our present Pressures and ●lictions for so the whole Creation ●aneth and expecteth a Freedom ver 〈◊〉 22. But 2. We have the Pledge and Earnest 〈◊〉 First-Fruits of it already ver 23. 〈◊〉 3. The Spirit helps forward and ●●●vens our Hopes We groan within ●●●selves and to help us further our ●●●pes are stronger by the Spirits Assi●●e in our Prayers 〈◊〉 By directing us to the Matter fit 〈◊〉 prayed for We know not what we 〈◊〉 pray for as we ought we are not ●●●petent Judges of what is fit for us By exciting our Desires to an ear●●ess even groanings that cannot be 〈◊〉 which is the Spirits Intercessi●●● us ver 26. So that by our Pray●●● our Hopes are confirmed our De●●● come from himself he knows and 〈◊〉 them and returneth the Answer 〈◊〉 Prayers in inward Strength and Consolation ver 27. He that searcheth the Heart knoweth what is the Mind of the Spirit because he maketh Intercession for the Saints according to the Will of God Thirdly Another Advantage of Sonship is also mentioned ver 28. All things shall Work together for Good Children expect Good and not Hu● from Parents So our Sonship assur●● us that whatever Troubles or Distresses we may meet with they shall at la●● by Gods over-ruling Disposal Wo●● out our Advantage Oh what mann●● of Love is this that we should be ma●● the Children of God! We have the●● by the Gift of the Spirit to lead an● teach us until Christ be formed in 〈◊〉 and as a constant Guide of our Way And hereby also we have free aceess 〈◊〉 God and Dependance on him 〈◊〉 have also the comfortable Witness 〈◊〉 our Interest in Divine Love and F●ture Happiness in the Enjoyment 〈◊〉 God And by the same Spirit we hav● our Taste of Heaven on Earth rej●●cing in the Hope of the Glory of God● and in the mean time our Troubles be come our spiritual Advantage I now take hold on the Opportunity which these Considerations offer me to urge you to a serious Contemplation of Gods Love to us Let your Thoughts be taken up with the Wonders of Divine Love 1. You will find that all the Saints that have exercised their Thoughts up●● this Subject have run themselves in●● Wonder and when they have ●ought and spoken all they could 〈◊〉 have left the Rest to silent Admi●ion This you may observe in our ●essed Apostle in ver 31. of this ●ghth Chapter What shall we then ●●to these Things It is not only an ●ontroulable Certainty that he means ●o can contradict or say ought against ●se things But an Expression of the ●ccountable vastness of the Matter ●●ch exceeded his Thoughts and Ut●ance What Tongue what Words 〈◊〉 fully declare his Love The Apostle John expresseth a tran●●rt of Admiration in these Words 〈◊〉 ●ohn 3.1 Behold what manner of Love 〈◊〉 Father hath bestowed upon us There ●othing among Men that can be likened unto it if that Priviledge and the Persons upon whom it is bestowed be considered For Vs who were Rebels and Enemies in our Minds by wicked Works to be made Sons Is this the manner of Men Saul was convinced of Davids great Love to him by this Consideration 1 Sam. 24.19 If a Man find his Enemy will he let him go well away It is not usual for Men so to do but much less usual is it for Men to heap kindnesses upon Enemies God's Love to us far exceeds all that can be found among Men. David in Psalm 36. find some dark Resemblances whereby to erpress the extent of Gods Mercy an● Faithfulness They are as high a● Heaven ver 5. Thy Mercy is in th● Heavens and thy Faithfulness reache●● unto the Clouds ver 6. Thy Righteousness is like the great Mountains 〈◊〉 Judgments are a great Deep But whe● he comes to speak of Love he finds 〈◊〉 above Comparison and speaks of it a● an unexpressible Excellency ver 7. How excellent is thy Loving Kindness O God! 2. Least some should imagine that such Expressions of Admiration are only the high flights of some peculiar Favourites and that Christians of the common Rank are not much concerned herein because it may seem to be above their reach I shall in a few plain Interrogations suggest to you some Things in Gods Love which will appear to be wonderful to all First Who can tell the First spring of Love in God What Extrinsical Motive could possibly have a bending influence upon the Divine Will Who ●uth been his Counsellor Or who could oblige him by any Gift Rom. 11.34 Secondly Who can give an Account of Discriminating Love Why was Jacob loved and not Esau The Apo●●le resolves it