A30579:199
Gospel-conversation
Gospel-conversation: wherein is showed, I. How the conversation of believers must be above what could be by the light of nature. II. Beyond those that lived under the law. III. And suitable to what truths the Gospel holds forth. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel to Stepney and Cripplegate, London. Being the third book published by Thomas Goodwin, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simpson, Philip Nigh, William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.Gospel-conversation: wherein is shewed, I. How the conversation of believers must be above what could be by the light of nature. II. Beyond those that lived under the law. III. And suitable to what truths the Gospel holds forth. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel to Stepney and Criplegate, London. Being the third book published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simpson, Philip Nye, William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1650
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
there are a great many arguments of love from humane society, from reason, that men that live together they should love one another as men, and that there comes a great deal of hurt from frowardness and bitterness, and that it is against the rules of society, and that men cannot live quietly except there be some way of soldering by love; these arguments are somewhat, and yet these would be among Heathens: Oh but now, those that profess the Gospel of Christ, have one argument that is infinitely beyond all arguments that can be imagined, and that is in John, 3. 16. (before named) So God loved the world, loved the world, that he gave his only begotten. We hear how the love of God that was in the heart of God from all eternity is brought forth and revealed in the Gospel, Oh let this inflame our hearts with love, Oh that there might be never a Christian that professes the Name of Christ, but that it might appear in him that his heart is sweetened with love, and that he doth live (as it were) in the very element of love, and acted by love in all that he doth, O this would beautify your Christian profession more than all your talking of this and the other things: ⟨p. 60⟩Oh that it were come again, that this becoming Conversation of Christians were come again into the world. I remember I have heard a speech of Dr. Whittacre rebuking the Conversation of the Scholars in Cambridge, he had this speech, Surely (saith he) this that we preach is not the Gospel, or otherwise we are no Gospellers, because our Conversation is so different from the Gospel; and so we may say of this one particular in respect of love, either it is but a fancy that we hear so much of the love of God in Jesus Christ in the Gospel, or otherwise we are no Gospellers, we are no true Professors of the Gospel: whatever profession we make of the Gospel, yet except there doth appear divine love to act us in all that we do God will not own us for Gospellers; for certainly it is a main scope that God hath in the revealing the Gospel to sweeten the hearts of men with love, either deny the profession, or walk more lovingly than thou hast done towards those that make the same profession: yea thou shouldest walk lovingly towards thy enemies, for the Gospel reveals much of Gods goodness even towards the whole world in general, so that there should be love even towards all from the knowledge of the Gospel;
there are a great many arguments of love from humane society, from reason, that men that live together they should love one another as men, and that there comes a great deal of hurt from frowardness and bitterness, and that it is against the rules of society, and that men cannot live quietly except there be some way of sodering by love; these arguments are somewhat, and yet these would be among Heathens: Oh but now, those that profess the Gospel of Christ, have one argument that is infinitely beyond all arguments that can be imagined, and that is in