Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
B00055
|
Love and obedience or, Christs precept and promise. Being a sermon preached on Whitsunday last, 28 of May, 1637. in Guild-hall chappell, before the right honorable the Lord Major of this city of London.
|
Freake, William
|
1637
(1637)
|
STC 11347; ESTC S123109
|
14,888
|
23
|
diligently all the Commandements which I command you to doe hee explaineth his meaning in the words following that is To love the Lord your God and to walke in all his wayes Deut. 11.22 Whereunto agreeth that speech of the beloved Disciple to the full I Iohn 5.3 This is the love of God that we keepe his Commandements Plainely shewing the truth of this assertion observed from the scope of the words that the best Testimony of mans love to God is the sincerity of mans obedience to Gods revealed Word Which if it be so then wretched is that errour of multitudes of men and women who contenting themselves in this case with a verball profession take liberty to shame the same by a disorderly conversation whose Religion can not better be exprest than by comparing it to that language which the Jewish children spoke in the dayes of Nehemia Nehem. 13. ver 24. For as they spoke their Hebrew in a broken manner halfe the speech of Ashdod and halfe of Ammon and halfe of Moab and could not speake in the Iewes Language but according to the language of each people So too many amongst us when they are put to it to speake out their Religion in their practice utter it in such a broken manner so mingled with the practice of a prophane life that they appeare to be meerely Hybridae of a mixt race as were Iewish children halfe Christian halfe worldling whose profession and practice being layd together miserably shame each other Should a man demand this question of the veryest Epicure and dissolute liver of the griping oppressour or prophane Sabbath-breaker of the blasphemous swearer or time-serving Atheist if he love God or not he will answer that it were pitty of his life else I would then gladly know what evidence such a person can have in his heart what testimony he can give unto the world that there is any love of God in him at all while so contemptuously and wilfully he continueth to breake Gods Commandements Assuredly men doe not gather Grapes off Thornes nor Figs off Thistles saith our blessed Redeemer Math. 7.6 The tree is knowne by his fruite and by their fruits yee shall know them ibid. ver 20. Mens love to God is best discerned by their lives and if they love God truely they wil keepe his Commandements conscionably It is a good note of Musculus in his Comment upon my Text Observatio preveptorum Dei omnibus Christi fidelibus eo loco habenda est ut si illa desit in ipsam Christi dilectionem peccasse convincamur The conscionable observance of Gods Commandements is so materiall and absolute a marke of a true Christian as that where this is wanting the lives of men convince them to their faces that the love of Christ dwelleth not in them I will conclude this observation therefore with that saying of St. John 1. Ioh. 2.4 He that sayeth I know him and keepeth not his Commandements the same is a liar and the truth is not in him Testifie therefore my beloved I humbly beseech you your love to our blessed Lord and Redeemer by yeelding a carefull and quicke obedience to his holy Commandemen for he loveth me not that keepes not my word saith our Saviour in this chap. ver 24. But if any man love me he will keepe my word ibid. v. 23. and hee that hath my Commandements and keepeth them is he that loveth mee ibid. v. 21. 2. Which thing we might the rather be induced to do if we would but duly consider the force of Christs argument as it is couched in that forme of eloquution which he is pleased here to use si me diligatis for he saith not si in me credatis if ye beleeve in me that I am the Son of God and Redeemer of the World then keep my Commandaments He saith not quoniam mihi serviatis because ye here profest your selves my servants and Disciples seeing ye cal me Lord and Master therefore keepe my commande ments he saith not quoniam potestatem meam cognoscatis because ye know I have power to kill and power to make alive therefore keepe my Commandements though any of these had beene an argument strong enough to have convinced them but si me diligatis if ye love me c. as if he had said yee have seene what love I have expressed to all of you how freely I have chosen you how tenderly respected you and what care I have to instruct you in the knowledge of the things that belong to your salvation and I shall shortly give you a full and unanswerable demonstration of my unparaleld love in giving my life for you if then ye love me as ye professe to doe by that love ye professe to beare me I adjure and charge ye thatye keepe my Commandements An argument I confesse of small force and validity to a base and servile nature but to a free-borne and ingenuous disposition to a sanctified soule it is an argument of that force that none can be more perswasive none so fully prevailent Dilectio fortis ut mors saith the Spouse in the Canticles 8.6 and where that is the object of our respect it draweth us most effectually I lead them with the cords of a man even with the bonds of love saith the Lord concerning Israel Hos 11.4 as intimating plainly unto us that as nothing but death can divert that soule which truely loveth God from a chearefull and conscionable obedience to his revealed will So no obligation in this world tyeth the soule of a true Christian to so strict an obedience as the serious considerations of Gods undeserved love when a man shall consider truely as St. Bernard expresseth it that Prior Deus dilexit nos antus tantum gratis tantillos tales That God should love mankinde and love him first so infinite a Majestie such abject creatures so freely so exceedingly with such large expression thereof to those who are every way so unworthy so undeserving of the least jot if considered in our selves And seeing it is true that nulla major ad amorem provocatio quam praevenire amando as saith holy St. Augustine divinely There is no more kindly attracting of love than in loving to prevent We must needes acknowledge this argument of our blessed Lord to be most forcible if rightly understood si me diligatis if ye love me keepe my Commandements And conclude with Augustine in his owne words in the same place Nimis durus est qui amorem etiamsi nolebat impendere nolit rependere That man is composed of too hard a mettall who though he like not to love first will not requite it and love againe either first or second 3. And yet it were some diminution to the strength of this argument if our Blessed Lord in this his love to mankinde should any way appeare to respect his owne benefit But see the freedome of his love and thence observe yet a further force in Christs argument Christus non sibi