Selected quad for the lemma: child_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
child_n	father_n	fear_v	pity_v	2,202	5	10.4985	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54864	The danger of a total and wilful neglect equal to the danger of an unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper wherein as is shewn the nature and danger of an unworthy receiving ... from those words of St. Paul, 1 Corinth. XI. XXIX. by C.P. ...	Palmer, Charles, 1663?-1734.	1693 (1693)	Wing P221; ESTC R32975	42,250	84

or believe to be in others To whom I Answer That the want thereof doth not make Men Unworthy Communicants it being not necessary that all Christians should be so enliven'd God neither having made a Promise nor commanded it as a Duty that all Communicants should be so endowed I do not deny but God may give sometimes to some Persons these Extraordinary Impulses and Consolation and I do believe that many there are who are able to speak great things of their Faith in and Communion with Christ yea such Complacency as well as Extraordinary Acts of Love and Adoration do they shew therein that one would imagine that their Souls were carry'd up to Heaven and that with St. Stephen they were not only viewing their Saviour by Faith in Figure and Sacrament but by personal sight yea by their Gestures and by their Words which most sweetly set forth Christ's Love to them and theirs to Christ we may be apt to believe that if they had not been in Heaven yet they minded nothing else and were going up to be for ever with the Lord. But however we may admire this in others we are not to judge those as unworthy that can't reach thereto for if we should so judge we should not only condemn a great part of the Generation of God's Children but shou'd cast a stumbling-block before them and render their Case worse than it is For as the saving Influences and Operations of God's Spirit may be where there wants these Extraordinary Impulses and Consolations so a Man may receive the Sacrament to very good purposes without them there being many good Men that by Means of the blessings of the Sacrament are strengthen'd more in the Spirit that are more consirm'd in their Faith in their Love to Christ and hearty desire of Thankfulness and Obedience that yet do not arrive to those passionate heats and flights as others do I think I need not tell you that with many if not most good Christians it is in Holy Duties as it was with the Disciples of Christ in the time of his Agony tho' their Spirits may be willing to serve and adore Christ in the highest manner yet their flesh is weak Mat. 26.40 41. and tho' they don't allow themselves therein yet they find them selves apt to start aside or tyre when their Hearts are lifted up to God and they can hardly watch and pray one hour but something or other either from themselves or the presence of some Worldly Object is apt to give some diversion or distraction to them in their most solemn Acts of Devotion and Worship And yet after all these very Persons may not only have an high esteem of Christ and a real Love to him and his Service but would be gl●d that they could serve him better And now 〈◊〉 to be suppos'd that God will judge them unworthy who serve him in Sincerity of Heart and are sorry that they can't Worship him so much as they shou'd No surely Christ that bore with the Infirmities of his Disciples that knows our Frame and Constitution that remembers we are but Men will not be extream to mark what we unwillingly do amiss but as a Father piti●th his Children so doth he pity them that fear him Psal 103.13 that set their Hearts to wait upon their Saviour in Ways of his own Appointment tho' they can't Worship him in that perfect and cheerful way as some do sincerity of Heart going a great way to God's Acceptance of our Endeavours as well as to the pardon of our unwilling and repented of Infirmities And indeed herein is matter of Comfort th●● God accepts of men according to the sincerity o● their Hearts and Endeavours rather than by the Tyde or heat of Mens Affections which is higher in some than in others even upon Natural as 〈◊〉 as Religions Agitations nay is higher in 〈◊〉 same men at one time than at another And therefore tho' we can't approach to or come 〈◊〉 from the Sacrament with those passionate Tr●●●ports of Love and Consolation as some M●n 〈◊〉 or as we could wish yet if what we 〈…〉 sensible Joys we make up in Truth and 〈◊〉 let us not distrust but God will have 〈…〉 on us and deal with us according to 〈…〉 would and endeavour to be and not by what 〈◊〉 are viz. Persons of Infirmities 〈…〉 were Angels Go● 〈◊〉 expect 〈…〉 Angels from us but as he knows we are but Men so he requires no more than the service of Men who do they what they can have their Infirmities and Failures sometimes and whose Flesh hath its weaknesses be their Spirits never so willing And tho' indeed where God gives it to Men to be fill'd with such Extraordinary Consolation and Efforts of Devotion they are not to hinder or restrain the flowings thereof yet where God is not pleas'd to bestow them as Men ought not to murmur against God so not to condemn themselves as unworthy because they are without them These being Arbitrarious Gifts which God giveth as he seeth good and therefore it being not for us to choose our places and parts at this Heavenly Feast we may reckon it sufficient for us that he gives us his Cup to drink and that we are qualify'd and enabled to partake thereof with the sincerity of a Christian and other necessary Qualifications If therefore I say out of a sense of our Duty to God we come to the Sacrament and endeavour to prepare our selves for and behave our selves at it according to the best of our Capacities and Opportunities and are sorry for our failures we are not to stay away from it though we cannot thereby satisfie all the Desires of our Souls to be and do as others God making it our Duty to receive and that as well as we can but not to forbear it because we attain not to those sensible Joys and Exaltations of Spirit as God for Reasons known to himself may impart to others it being enough for us to make us Communicants and that with his Blessing too when he bestows upon us the Graces of his Spirit and enables us live as Christians But yet if after all I have said in this Matter the Good the Religious Soul is yet afraid of the Sacrament I must leave him to the Grace and Mercy of God which tho' I do not deny him in his Absence from the Lord's Supper yet I must tell him that his sear hinders him the enjoyment of a very comfortable Ordinance to Pious Souls Nay his fear if it is only a snare to keep him from coming to but doth not put him upon a serious and hearty endeavour of sitting him for this Duty as well as seeking for Advice how to remove such fear doth give too shrewd a sign of his decay in Grace However let his fears be as unwilling as can be suppos'd yet they hinder him of an Ordinance which is not only a great Means and Reason for living better when to all other Helps he hath that