Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	love_n	love_v	worldly_a	3,021	5	9.1436	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03347	The splendour of the spouse A sermon preached in the parish church of Ware, Anno Domini, 1638. By Augustine Hill, rector of Dengey, in the county of Essex.	Hill, Augustine, d. 1660.	1640 (1640)	STC 13468; ESTC S116585	15,346	25

THE SPLENDOVR OF THE SPOUSE A SERMON Preached in the Parish Church of WARE Anno Domini 1638. BY AUGUSTINE HILL Rector of Dengey in the County of ESSEX BERN. Pascimur patimur AUG Vsque ad hujus seculi sinem inter persecutiones mundi consolationes Dei procurrit Ecclesia LONDON Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Bourne and are to be sold at his Shop at the South Entrance of the Royall Exchange 1640. TO THE HONORABLE SIR THOMAS FANSHAW Knight of the Bath his Majesties Remembrancer in the Court of Exchequer SIR IT was the greatest happinesse that ever did befall me that I was assumed into your noble Family where I was furnished once and a second time likewise with Ecclesiasticall promotions without any deserts yea little or none attendance A true Friend is decyphered to be an Angell clothed with flesh and blood such have you beene to me the most carefull and faithfull friend that ever poore Scholler had Comming to pay my annuall tribute of thankefulnesse a Sermon it pleased you to accept of it and to cast a respective eye more then ordinary towards me for it though there be nothing in it to be affected and in my selfe no affectation at all of it but rather an indignation against mine owne imbecillity and endowments that I was not able to speake of those heavenly things in that manner as might raise my hearers to divine cogitations What weight there is in it comes from your ballance and favourable construction for it was handled in plaine familiar words rather to expresse clearely the matter then to hunt for polished phrases and my desire is more to speake fortia quam diserta as Saint Hierome saith things of strength then eloquence and rather vivere then loqui as Minutius Felix observes to live then speake them But I am a man compassed with infirmity 't is truly said of me my bodily presence is weake and my speech contemptible 2 Corin. 10.10 But such was your sweet disposition that you still cast a mantle upon mine infirme carriage which hath engaged my heart in a more thankefull observance towards your worthy selfe In testimony whereof I present to you this poore Sermon as a publique Record that to your Noble Family I owe myselfe and from thence have received all the livelyhood and meanes of subsistence which I now enjoy my loynes and bowels blesse you continually The Lord encrease upon you the blessings of heaven above the blessings of the deepe that lyeth under the blessings of the breasts and of the wombe Gen. 49.25 and the goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush dwell with you for ever are the prayers of Yours most thankefully and humbly devoted AUG HILL THE SPLENDOUR OF THE SPOVSE CANT 2.2 As the Lily among Thornes so is my Love among the Daughters I Have gleaned at this time in Solomons Field and that parcell of his called the Canticles a Song of Songs by way of eminency for though there be many other sacred Songs as that of Moses of Deborah and Barak Exod. 15. Iudges 5. and of the sweet Singer of Israel and Solomons owne Songs were a thousand and five 1 Kings 4.32 yet this not onely exceeds all them but all other mentioned in holy writ Doctor Hall Let me use the words of a truly Divine man Who can read this Booke with understanding and not be transported from the world from himselfe and be any where save in heaven before his time there is nothing in it but savours of spirituall extasie and soule ravishment If I say no more of it it is sufficient that it is Solomons a man above a man above himselfe who being ravished in spirit and taken up as it were into the third heavens warbled out that sweet affinity and nearenesse that is and shall be betwixt Christ and his Church Ephes 5.32 that great mysterie as Saint Paul calls it Interpreters are at oddes about the former verse but agree in this that it is the voyce of Christ concerning his Church either describing her present condition amongst others or preferring her before them or perswading her how shee ought to demeane her selfe amongst them to retaine her native beauty and sweetnesse though shee be beset with never so many thornes There is in the Text something positive something comparative the positive part is that the Church is Christ his Love the other are Daughters the comparative part takes up the rest of the words The positive part shewes the sweet stile and title which Christ gives to his Church He calls Her Love and with a happy appropriation my Love which is a terme both of propriety and possession Others which are not the Church are called by the name of Daughters by which are meant either Forraine Congregations or such as live within the pale of the visible Church yet belong not to him therefore he forbeares to challenge his interest in them and leaves them to a common appellation the Daughters not my Daughters The comparative part hath these things obvious to every eye First the subjects of this resemblance the Church is like the Lilly the others are like Thornes Secondly the scituation of the resembled parties The Church is like the Lilly among the Thornes The stile which Christ gives his Church is Love It comes nearest his owne nature for God is love it best resembleth his benefits done for her 1 Iohn 4.16 Ephes 5.25 husbands love your wives as Christ loved his Church and how he loved it he expresseth in a way beyond humane expression he gave himselfe for it he loved it better then he loved himselfe Dilexistime magis quam te quando mori voluisti pro me August And it best sets forth the reference she hath to him as being his Spouse his Bride The servant must honour his master the Disciple must attend for instruction the wife must love her husband Bernard amor ab amando non honorando saith Saint Bernard and he gives these reasons for it una utriusque haereditas una domus una mensa unus etiam thorus and there is no fitter a union of these then love The originall then of the Churches blisse is Christ his love towards her The first spring of election is love Rom. 9. Iohn 3.16 Hoseah 11.4 Jacob have I loved the maine Conduit or Cisterne of Redemption is love God so loved the world the streams of vocation and sanctification I drew thee with the cords of a man with the bands of love and the maine Ocean of eternall glory In amore haec insunt omnia all is from love There neither is nor can be any in her to move him to love her much lesse to deserve his love not her beauty she acknowledgeth her selfe black no Miriam more leprous Can. 1. no polluted Thamar more hated in the eyes of an Amnon then she in his eyes when he first tooke liking to her not her parentage for her father was an Amorite her mother a

Divines have observed many other reasons and respects why the Church may be said to be a Lily among the thornes I will onely rub some few of their eares of corne and leave the harvest to some other choyce worke-man his gathering A Lily among thornes 4. In regard of the multitude of afflictions she suffereth in this life for the Church hath ever beene like Abrahams Ram held in a thicket of adversity Christianus is Crutianus as Luther was wont to say a man of crosses The servant is not above his master God had but one only Son and he was sine peccato yet not sine stagello Aug. in Psa 31. Luc. 9 23. Beza Therefore let us take up our Crosse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a day by day ut dies diem sequitur ita crux crucem accipiat every day we must expect sufficient travell and with patience let us possesse our soules for it resolve that through many tribulation and afflict on s we must enter into Gods Kingdome if we will have Christ his Crowne of glory Acts 14 22. we must be content to weare a crowne of thornes For the Church is a Lily among thornes 5. In regard of the manifold impediments she hath to hinder her spirituall growth namely First Satan is a blacke thorne in his temptations alwayes pricking and wounding the children of God yea biting at the very root of the Lily like the worme at the root of Jonahs Gourd and the Lily would as soone wither as that Gourd did was there not a soveraigne power from above to preserve it pray we then unto God to rebuke Satan in all his assaults that our Lily may flourish in despight of him Secondly naturall corruption which God hath left to be pricks in our eyes and thornes in our sides Sa●nt Paul that choyce vessell of grace complaines of them Rom 7. I cary about me a body of sinne and death he calls it by the very terme in my Text the thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me take we his course even to solicite God by frequent prayer 2 Cor. 12.7 till we have the same answer which he obtained my grace shall be sufficient for thee and begge of him who comes with healing in his wings to heale our nature that it may not be so fruitfull in bringing forth these pricking thorns S. Bernard particularizeth these to be Amores seculares immoderate earthly desires worldly cogitations which brings a barrennes of goodnes to the soule Math. 13. and choak the seed of the word O munde munde saith St. Austin Fallax proditor impure world a traitor to us and a deceiver of us It glues our wings that we cannot soare upwards and as he that hath a thorne in his foot is utterly unfit for travell so he that hath these thorns of worldly cares stick in his soule is unmeet for his journey to heaven Let us therfore pluck out this thorne and if riches encrease set not our heart upon them Psal 62.10 Thirdly the perverse and sinfull conversation of wicked men which are thornes in our way to heaven the sons of Belial shall be as thornes thrust away 2 Sam. 23.67 because they cannot be taken with hands but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with Iron Cant. 1.6 and the staffe of a Speare The Church complaines that her mothers sons made her the keeper of the Vineyards but her owne Vineyard she kept not and hath not every member of the Church cause to complaine with David Psalm 119.61 Bern. in Cant. Ser. 48. the bands of wicked men have robbed me Saint Bernard is seasonable for a close of this point Si Lilium est inter spinas videat unaquisque anima quam vigilem solicit ámque esse oporteat super custodia sui septa undique spinis hinc inde aculeos intendentibus The Church is like a Lily beset round about with thornes that seeke to wound and teare her therefore let every soule be watchfull and carefull for the preservation of it selfe that neither the thorne within doe impoison her nor those other without doe pierce her to hinder her growth in grace here or to deprive her of glory hereafter 6. In regard of the small number of those that are the true members of the Church in comparison of forreine Congregations without and false brethren within one Lily many thornes Plures mali they which are evill Byas are the greatest number There is much mold whereof earthen vessels are made but little dust that gold commeth of 2 Esdras 8. many trees are planted but few like that good tree bring forth fruit in their season much seed is sowne but three parts thereof miscary Saint Augustin gives a good rule Aug. in Ps 39. Noli numerare sed appende stateram affer aequam non dolosam Doe not take them by number but consider well of them weigh them in the ballance of the Sanctuary or else thou mistakest then afterwards Noli imitari Doe not imitate them that be the most or in words of holy writ Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill the reason is given by one Seneca Est turba semper argumentum pessimi the worse goe by heapes and troopes the least are oftentimes solitary of twenty Kings of Israel not one good that cleave to the Lord with all his heart of sixe hundred thousand Israelites but two came into the Land of Canaan It was a remarkeable folly and punishment of Radbodus King of Frisia who asking whether there were most in heaven or hell and was answered that in hell was the greatest number withdrew himselfe from holy baptisme and professed plainely that he would goe to hell where the most company was but he injoyed his madnes and contempt of Gods Ordinance but a short space for the third day after he dyed suddenly It is better to be with Noah his small family in the Arke then with the whole world to be drowned in the deluge to be planted in Gods garden with the Lily then to be throwne into the fire with a whole wildernes of thorns 7. Lastly the Church is as the Lily among thornes in respect of her unity and their divisions and distractions being torne in more pieces then the Prophet Ahjiahs garment was 1 Kings 12. for that was onely into twelve but these are infinite parted into as many severall conventicles are there be men of deepely corrupt minds who doe partes facere as Saint Augustin saith of the Donatists and gather disciples unto themselves Aug. de unitate Ecclesiae c. 3. Quis possit singulas quasi haereses enumerare gentium singalarem saith Saint Augustin who is able to reckon up all the heresies of every severall Nation Aug. de unitate Ecclesiae c. 3. Daniel ● yea the severall Sects that are in one Nation these hold not the head Christ and are as those beasts of Daniel diverse one from another yet all against the Church as the enemies to the Lily and folded together to doe more mischiefe as the thorns are Nahum 1.10 they have unitatem contra unitatem as S. Augustin saith I am sure contra veritatem a unity against truth for our Saviour tells us not onely of many false Prophets but of false Christs But there is but one true Christ the head and beleevers are the severall members of his mysticall body united by faith to him their head and in Christian charity one to another and though there be threescore Queenes and fourescore Concubines and Virgins without number yet is Christ his Spouse una unica Cant. 6.9 one and the onely one of her mother And S. Paul tells us that there is but one body one spirit one hope of their spirituall calling one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and Father of all who is above all our through all Eph. 4.4 5. Iohn 17. and in all his children therefore they ought all to be one as our Saviour prayed for them five times in one Chapter the very thornes will lesson us in this duty shall they be folded together to doe hurt and shall not the Lilies hold together to preserve one another It is unity will make our colour more candid out odour more fragrant and fruitfulnesse Aug. ep 15. Hieronymo more seasonable and aboundant For omnis pulchritudinis forma unitas unity is the forme of beauty and uniformity is the forme of unity where there is cor unum and viauna one heart and one way the carriage of things will be prosper●us the end comfortable I will close then with that prayer of Saint Paul for the Thessalonians 2 Thess 3.15 Now the Lord of peace himselfe give us peace us alwayes by all meanes and that for Jesus Christ his sake the Prince of peace who dearely bought our peace by his precious blood to whom with the Father and the holy-Ghost be given all glory dominion might majesty and thankesgiving from this time forth and for evermore Amen FINIS