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
A34544	Self-imployment in secret ... left under the hand-writing of that learned & reverend divine, Mr. John Corbet ...; with a prefatory epistle of Mr. John Howe.	Corbet, John, 1620-1680.; Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1681 (1681)	Wing C6265; ESTC R32518	22,650	98

backward but proceeded forward in the wayes of Godliness And this increase I reckon not by sudden fits now and then hapening but by the main progress of the work in the total Sum. I have been grieved that I am no more elevated in the hope of Heaven and that I cannot attain to a longing desire to be gone hence and to be there with Christ. I have laboured to raise up my heart and have had enlargement even when deadness and flatness had been upon me I think with my self sometimes were my Evidences clear for Heaven I would exalt to be gone hence this very hour but I find not this readiness at all times When I have had a good enterprize in hand for God's Glory and some publick benefit I watched against Vanity of mind and vain Glory in carrying it on and I desire purely to aym at God ' s Glory and to be satisfied with my reward in him And I take heed that I forget not my Mortality when I am pursuing that design but I would fain bring up my self to this frame to be contented to be taken hence in the midst of it as judging that I shall be no looser by my removal and God cannot stand in need of that Service Lord forgive my inordinate self-love which hath disturbed the Actings of pure Charity in divers passages of Moment For self-love in my sensitive appetite hath had motions contrary to the Love of God and my Neighbour Nevertheless my Judgment hath disallowed it and I have for the most part acted against it and for that which the Love of God and my Neighbour did command O Lord forgive my ten thousand Talents I come to Jesus Christ who hath made satisfaction and lay this heavy reckoning to his account Lord forgive my Iniquity for it is exceeding great These following passages were set down March 4. An. 1675. UPon the Review of the foregoing Evidences after Twelve Years I find through Grace the same abiding in me and more and more Rooted And some particulars which did make me more to doubt of my good Estate I find to be since that time in a greater degree vanquished I have done what in me lies to call to remembrance all my remarkable Sins from my Childhood and Youth till now And as far as I can Judg I have Repented of them both generally and particularly And I now Repent of them all from the bottom of my Heart with a self Abhorrence if I can know my own Heart by the strictest and most impartial search that I can make Upon the best Judgment that I can make of the Nature of Sin and the Frame of my own Heart and Course of Life I know no Sin lying upon me which doth not consist with habitual Repentance and with the hatred of Sin and with an unseigned consent that God be my Saviour and Sanctifier and with the Loving of God above all The Mercy of God towards me in the prolonging of the day of Grace in the strivings of his Spirit in his Chastisements in the checks of Conscience in the Recovery of my Soul out of Distempers and Backslidings doth greatly affect my Heart and strongly engage me to Him and doth often call upon my Soul and all that is within me to Bless his holy Name Though my Spiritual growth be very low and slow yet to this present time I have not grown Worse but Better speaking of growth in the whole space or greater spaces of my time past and not every particular Day By Prayer and Endeavours long continued I have in some measure overcome a special very Sinful Distemster of Mind and gained the contrary Temper against a natural Propensity Though my Faith in Christ be weak yet to have part in his Promises I am ready to part with all that is dear in this World and I have no hope of Happiness but in Christ. Though I have had doubtings touching the promised Salvation yet I know that as to my own Felicity I prize nothing more than that Salvation being the glorifying and injoying God for Ever and I Embrace it as my best Good I Love Christ whom I have not seen and I am affected towards him as towards a person who taught and did the most excellent Things and promised a most excellent State to his Followers and purchased their Redemption at the dearest rate I am heartily grieved for loving God so little yet I am sure This I Wrote according to a full perswasion at that time I Love nothing more than God and in my esteem and choice I prefer the Spiritual Divine and Heavenly Life imcomparably before the Carnal Animal Earthly Life And this esteem and choice is made good by performance in Ordinary I Love to Love God And I desire this Love not only as an evidence of my Salvation but for it self I had much rather have a heart to love him perfectly than to have all the Riches Honours and Pleasures of this World My Conscience beares me witness that in the present exercise of my ministry I have no self-end of Worldly Advantage or Reputation among Men or any Interest of the Carnal Mind but if the Command of Christ and the necessities of Souls did not oblige me to this Service I should gladly retire to Privacy and Solitude My Temporal Estate is mean and low yet I am Contented with it and humbly bless God for what I have I Live in as narrow a compass for Expences as I can that I might have something to give to the Poor and to be helpful to those that are in Need according to my Ability And as God hath required of us to Love Mercy and our Saviour hath said It is a more Blessed thing to give than to receive so I have more pleasure in giving a Portion to the Needy as far as my mean Estate will bear than in laying out for the Delight of my own Sense or Worldly Conveniences And this proceeds not from a conceit of Merit in any thing that I can do but from a Love to please God and do Good Though I have a good Knowledge about the premises yet I am apt to waver about the Conclusion And though I apprehend the Evidences of my Sincerity to be clear yet a Timorousness remains in me Though I have not as yet overcome the Fear of Death yet I am sure that the unwillingness that is in me to Dye is not that I might enjoy the pleasures of Sense or any Gratification of the Animal Life I feel in my self a burden of Sin and Corruption much Sensuality Earthliness Selfishness nevertheless I judg there is that Predominancy of Love to God and Holiness which I hope is unmoveably seated in my Soul whereupon I hope that it cannot be that I should be cast out of his blissful Presence into that Perdition which is a State of immutable hatred of him And I apprehend that the most horrid and hellish state of Hell it self lyes in its Everlasting and utmost Enmity against

Grace I will not doubt of a good Issue while I am found in the Way of Duty To them who by Patient Continuance in Well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality God who cannot lye hath promised to give Eternal Life I am desirous to be delivered from this Affliction if it be the Will of the Lord upon this account that I might have a more notable proof of my freer choosing of God for my Portion when I am not thus driven to Him as now because I can go no where else for Comfort also of my freer turning from the World even then when I am capable of injoying it To have such a proof of these things in my self I should take for a great Advantage and be greatly Thankful Nevertheless for the quieting of my Mind I consider that my present Afflicted State doth better secure me from Temptations which might draw my Heart from God to the Love of the World in which respect Prosperity is far more Dangerous than Adversity Moreover my present State gives me Advantage for a higher proof of the Grace that is in me and of the Power of Divine Aid upholding me in a Life of Faith and Patience by which I Live upon God alone when Worldly Comfort fails me and by which I am enabled to overcome things Grievous to Nature and to get above not only the Pleasures but the sharp Pains of Sense and to Live and endure with little natural or bodily Rest. Also it gives me the advantage of exercising a resolved willing Self-Resignation to God in this Dispensation which is harsh to Flesh and Blood and a resting in Hope when there is no present appearance of help and a waiting and looking for the Lord who hides his Face and a cleaving to him by constant Love though he doth fore Bruise me If I continue in the exercise of these Graces they will give me a Good Proof that the Heavenly Nature is in me and will make way for great Assurance towards God and full Consolation in Christ Jesus And yet further I trust that I have long before this distress chosen God for my Portion and drawn off my Heart from the flattering Vanities of this World And I know that in this Distress I do not come to Him constrainedly or meerly as driven For I delight to draw nigh to Him to pour out my Heart before Him in Prayer and Meditation My Meditation of Him is Sweet to my Soul and I do not Love to be Diverted from it And when my Distemper is any whit more easy it Works unto a Rejoycing in Him And it is for enlargement of Heart towards Him that I chiefly desire bodily Ease and Rest. Hear my Cry O God Attend unto my Prayer I will Cry unto Thee when my Heart is overwhelmed Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. God the infinite Goodness and Love will not cast off a poor Soul that lies at his Feet and cryes for the Help of his Grace when it is ready to sink under the Burden and is willing to have Mercy upon his Terms Therefore I will still cry to Him and look for Him and lean upon Him will not depart from Him by an Evil Heart of Unbelief This I resolve in his Strength Lord Strengthen me unto the perfect Work of Patience Lord I heartily consent that Thou shouldest use me as Thou pleasest so Thou use me as one of those that Love thy Name Disposal is an effect of Propriety but it is alwayes a regular and a loving Disposal of the Subjects of his Government O! Deal favourably with thy Servant Thou Knowest my Frame Remenber that I am but Dust. The Lord will Perfect that which concerneth me Thy Mercy O Lord Endureth for Ever Forsake not the Works of thine own Hands O Lord without Thee I can do nothing Therefore I must Beg and Thou wilt give Grace sufficient without which I cannot Subsist For therein is the Life of my Spirit For Ever O Lord Thy Word is settled in Heaven Pitty me O Lord as a Father Pittyeth his Children Comfort me O Lord as one whom his Mother Comforteth The Lord will wait that He may be Gracious unto you For the Lord is a God of Judgment Blessed are all they that wait for Him Can I be in a better Hand As my professed Judgment is concerning Gods Proceeding so let me stand Affected towards it NOTES FOR My Self KEep thy Heart with all Diligence for out of it are the Issues of Life Death and Life are in the Power of the Tongue Entertain not a sensual Imagination for a Moment and give not way to the least Glance of the Eye towards Vanity Be alwayes expecting some Trouble or other to interrupt thy outward Peace and Rest. Never expect any thing from the World and when it offers thee any thing that is good for thee receive it but catch not at it greedily Be alwayes mindful what thou may'st do for thine own and others Salvation in every Instant upon every Occasion Dye daily In arguing with another watch against every inordinate Heat of Passion loud Speaking and every rash Word If any neglect or slight thee care not for it yet observe it Any Matter of Tryal to thee reckon among thy gains Take no delight of Sense but in a manifest and direct Subserviency to Spiritual Ends and use not that delight to irritate but to allay Sensuality When a sensual Imagination or Passion breaks in then excite a Tast of the Powers of the World to come and delay not to recover the Divine Frame What thou doubtest do not In thy Actions consider not only what is lawful but what is best in the present Circumstances and do that In every Delight of Sense watch against all Brutishness When thou art in Company where the Talk is but vain watch to put in a Word that may be to Edification If any despise thee do not bear a grudge against him for it And be not offended with any meerly because they do not honour thee When thou art framing Excuses take heed of speaking an Untruth or approaching near to it lest in avoiding the Offence of Man thou make too bold with God Take heed of this also when thou wouldst speak pleasingly and avoid Offence in speaking Use no Recreation or Delight of Sense but what thou canst at that very time desire of God that it may be sanctified to spiritual Ends. When thou hearest that another hath spoken any thing to thy Injury or Disparagement beware of a Transport of Anger that thou speak not harshly or unadvisedly against Him or too passionately for Self or as too much concerned for Self Uphold the Reputation of thy Colleague or any that is joyned with thee in Service as thou wouldst thine own Watch against all secret Pleasure in the lessening of another for advancing thy self Pray heartily for the Success of thy Colleague and others who perform the same Service that thou art ingaged in And rejoyce in