Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	choose_v	hate_v	persecute_v	1,861	5	9.5088	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05406	Ignis cœlestis: or An interchange of diuine love betweene God and his saints. By Iohn Lewis, minister of Gods word at St. Peters in the tovvne of St. Albons	Lewis, John, b. 1595 or 6.	1620 (1620)	STC 15558; ESTC S103072	37,144	136

ΓNΩΘI ΣΑΥΤΟΝ Know thy selfe is highly worthy to be engrauen on the heart of euery man Did we but know our selues to be but men the very name of men would cause vs to cast away our proud plumes and remember our father Adam that was but earth The Prophet cryes out with an exclamation How art thou fallen from heauen O Lucifer the Son of the morning We on the other ●ide may cry O how art thou mounted to heauen O man the sonne of corruption Let vs know our selues and our places least in soaring too high the fiery beames of Gods wrath melt our waxen plumes and we fall headlong into the Sea of confusion The Elders that sate about the throne of God did cast their crownes before the throne and cryed saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receiue glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things for thine owne pleasure If wee haue any crownes let vs cast them at the feete of God and say Thou art worthy O Lord to receiue glory honour and power for thou hast elected created redeemed preserued called sanctified and wilt hereafter glorifie vs not because we are worthy but because thou hast loued vs from eternity The second Vse of this point is for comfort vnto euery godly soule What greater comfort can a subiect haue in this life then this to be his Princes fauorite to be deare and precious in his eyes vpon whom he doth cast honours and conferre wealth gracing him with his countenance dignifying him with promotions and sheltring him from the furious tempests of malicious enuy if a mans happinesse could be confined to the world what could be desired more But this is nothing to the comfort of a Christian who hath God for his master yea I may say for his father heauen for his home celestiall happinesse for his reward the LORD of hoste for his shield and buckler What shall not the Christian solace himselfe more in God then the subiect in his Prince shall not his consolation be greater seeing his estate is more happy Comfort thou thy selfe thou that art begotten of God Esau is hated but if thou hast Iacobs heart thou shalt with Iacob be beloued of God the wicked man wants Gods loue therefore he wants all things the godly man inioyes Gods loue therefore he enioyes all things Gods loue was thine before thou wert thine owne thou hadst thy beginning within these few yeares Gods loue hath no beginning but like himselfe was from eternitie God did not beginne to loue thee when hee begun to make thee but he loued thee before the world was made and will loue thee after the world is dissolued What then if wicked men hate thee God loues thee What if men reiect thee God hath chosen thee What if men persecute thee Greater is he that is with thee then they that are against thee What if the Diuell assault thee Christ hath redeemed thee What if thy sins affright thee God hath washed and sanctified thee What if Satan would confound thee God wil glorifie thee Thus hast thou against all dangers Murum aheneū Gods fauour as a wall of brasse to secure thee Feare not mans hatred God is loue Feare not Satans rage God is power Feare not thine owne sinnes God is mercy Let the rich man reioyce in his riches the strong man in his strength the wise man in his wisedome the ambitious man in his honour the Epicure in his pleasure let not vs reioyce in these things but that our names are written in heauen Reioyce in this that you are Gods beloued his loue is engrauen vpon your hearts The cause of their reioycing is momentany and shall perish with them our reioycing is eternal● which shall neuer fade God is eternall so is his loue his loue is eternal so shal our reioycing be God is loue he hath loued vs. Thus much touching Gods loue toward vs I come now to speake of our loue toward him againe Wee loue him Which words doe afford vs this Doctrine That to loue God truely is an essentiall property of the child of God That is an essentiall property according to the Schooles quod conuenit omni soli et semper which is found in euery indiuiduum of the same species in them onely and in them alwayes To loue God therefore is an essentiall property of the child of God because it is found in euery child of God onely the childe of God and the child of God alwayes First euery one that is regenerate doth loue God for where the cause is there must needes be the effect the worke of regeneration proceeds from Gods loue and where his loue is toward vs there he worketh in vs loue toward him That which Peter spake in his owne behalfe is generally belonging to euery one who is effectually called Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Saint Paul saith the loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost Not onely in his but in the hearts of all his children For it was not a benefit peculiar to Paul but common to all that are regenerated by his Spirit Secondly this is not so common as that it is communicated vnto the wicked but is found solely in the godly for the wicked are like Saul before his conuersion persecuters of God and of Iesus Christ. The wisedome of the flesh that is the vnderstanding the will and the affections of the wicked are enimitie against God they are rebels against him and his Law Men vnregenerate are haters of God they neither loue him nor his glory Lastly that the godly doe loue God alwaies is plaine for whom God loueth he loueth to the end euen for euer therefore a man being once made partaker of Gods loue in the regeneration of his heart can neuer be distracted from God for the cause continuing the effect must needes follow Thus we see it briefly proued that to loue God is the property of euery childe of God But for the better explicating and opening of this doctrine of our loue toward God let mee shew you these particulars 1. What our loue toward God is 2. The markes or effects of it 3. The reasons or motiues perswading to it 4. The meanes to attaine it For the first What our loue toward God is wee may conceiue it by this definition Amor erga Deum est gratia infusa in cordibus sanctorum per spiritum sanctum proueniens ab amore Dei erga ipsos qua summa cum affectu Deum cognitum diligunt propter seipsum in ipsius fruitione tanquam in summo bono acquiescunt Our loue toward God is a spirituall grace infused into the hearts of the faithfull by the holy spirit flowing from Gods loue toward vs whereby wee knowing God do loue him with al our might with all our soule and that for his owne sake and in the enioyment of him doe rest contented First I say it is

Election God in his diuine wisedome before the world was created out of the lumpe of mankinde had called and elected a certaine number whom he pleased to make partakers of his loue and fauour being once elected according to Gods purpose it needes must be that all things in the world should work together for their good And this is made a testimony of Gods loue vnto his children God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue who hath predestinated vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Here then we see what is the causa proëgumena the internal mouing cause of our election euen the meere loue and good-will of God according to that of Saint Paul He will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy Gods election is without any merit of ours therefore meerely from his loue Againe the loue of God in our election is seene in that it is immutable vnchangeable so that they which are indeede chosen to saluation cannot perish but shall without doubt attaine to life eternall When Adam fell God might haue suffered him to haue lien in his fall but that he had ordained him vnto life wherefore for the execution of his decree he appointed all meanes to concurre for his saluation The purpose of God according to election must remaine firme and sure Such as Gods nature is such is his wil and counsell his nature and essence is vnchangeable I am Iehouah and ●hange not therefore his will and counsell must needes be immutable Here then wee see the first euidence of Gods loue toward vs it is neither to day nor yesterday that he hath begun to loue vs our election began not with our selues but before the Mountaines were made before the foundation of the world was laid euen from euerlasting to euerlasting the Lord is our God What creature then is able to disanull that which God hath willed before that euer any creature was Onely let vs labour that as our election is sure in it selfe so that wee may make it sure vnto our selues by walking with a good conscience in holinesse before the Lord and then we neede not feare what the Diuell or man can worke against it seeing the stormy gusts of Satans malice the rage of his temptations the power of the gates of hell can neuer frustrate the decree of God Wherefore let it be in our daily meditations to consider Gods infinite loue to his elect that whereas it was in his power to haue reprobated all men or to haue chosen the reprobate in their stead there being nothing in the one to moue him any more then in the other but his meere loue yet out of so many thousands to elect so few vnto himselfe and to decree them vnto saluation surely as it testifieth great loue in God so ought it to prouoke great feare in vs and to giue vnto God that diuine respect which is due vnto him And whereas Sathan stirres vp many tempests of trouble and blasts of temptation against the Church of God de●iring to sinke the ship or to driue it on the rockes Let vs be sure to cast the anchour of hope and to fasten it in heauen vpon the foundation of Gods election The second testimony of Gods great loue toward his children is in their Creation Man in respect of his creation and being was farre more excellent then any creature of the earth beside which appeareth in the text of the Scripture for whereas for the creation of the light of the heauens and earth and euery creature in them Gods bare command sufficed but when hee was to create man to shew the excellency of the creature hee consulteth with the whole God-head the Trinitie Let vs make man in our owne image In man therefore as he was created wee are to consider the integrity of his nature and the dignity of his person The integrity of his nature is seene in that he was indued with diuine wisedome knowing God his maker so far forth as was conuenient and possible for the creature to know his Creator hee knew the will and workes of God perfectly wherefore Zanchius tearmes Adam Insignem Theol●gum ac Philosophum of meere men the best Diuine and most excellent Philosopher He had habituall iustice whereby he was conformable vnto the will of God in his will defires inclinations and actions The dignity of man did consist principally in the communion he had with his God and maker lesse principally in the diuine essence of his soule in the beauty and maiesty hee had in his body aboue all earth●y creatures in his dominion and gouernment he had ouer them in his immunity from sicknesse wearinesse and all infirmities The dignity of man by creation is obserued in this that God hath made him a compound of all his creatures therefore he is called by the Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The little world In respect of his soule he is like the Angels in respect of his body he hath affinity with earthly creatures there being no excellency in any terrestriall creature which man hath not in greater perfection Wherefore this must be vnto euery faithfull soule a testimony of Gods loue to him that whereas all creatures were in the hand of God as the clay in the hands of the Potter and that he might if it had pleased him haue made thee farre inferiour vnto that thou art God might haue created thee a Dog or a Toade or any other loathsome creature for neither was there anything to compell him or to resist him yet it pleased him of his meere loue to create thee after his owne image to endew thee with a reasonable soule that so thou mightest be capable of the knowledge and fruition of thy Creator To conferre good on any man for his good without either compu●sion or merit must needes proceed from loue why then shall not we ascribe the benefit of our creation to the meere loue of God seeing he could not be compelled nor could we merit Although the faithfull man onely is not made partaker of this benefit but the wicked also yet must we notwithstanding acknowledge it to proceed from Gods loue and to be a great b●essing for community doth not take away the nature of a benefit The third testimony of Gods loue to his Elect is their Redemption When God had created Adam he put him into the garden of Eden hee gaue him freewil ability either to stand in innocency or to fall from it but he through his disobedience dis-robed not onely himselfe but also his whole posterity of their garments of holinesse and made himselfe and vs slaues of Sathan and heires of eternall damnation GOD ●n his creation hath done his part but he became a rebell against his maker and so captiuated himselfe and his whole stocke vnder the Diuels bondage God in