Selected quad for the lemma: child_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
child_n	milk_n	mother_n	nurse_n	1,927	5	11.0820	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39252	The gentile sinner, or, Englands brave gentleman characterized in a letter to a friend both as he is and as he should be.	Ellis, Clement, 1630-1700.	1660 (1660)	Wing E556; ESTC R26096	111,865	282

much rather give away his estate then be cheated of it He would be cozen'd of nothing for fear of loseing the opportunity of bestowing much As he would not allow the unfaithfulnesse of a servant to prevent the Bounty of the Master so neither would he have the Master's negligence to occasion the servants dishonesty His Table is moderate that so his Charity and Hospitallity may exceed as he studies to be good himselfe so endeavours he to make every member of the Family as good as he and he will have his servants to be his Disciples no lesse then his Children Neither ever does he so wholy vindicate their service to himselfe but he allowes them time enough to pay what they owe both to God and their own soules If his condition of life be single he so behaves himselfe therein that no man shall thence be able to conclude either that he wants a Wife or his house a Mistresse So much chastity has the one and so much good order is there in the other But if he think it fit to change his Condition he endeavours to chuse a second selfe that may suite with the former that so they may be as neer as he can effect it one Spirit as well as one flesh Whom not long agoe he courted rather as a Vertue then a Mistresse he now uses as a wife and not as a servant not as 't is usuall of late calling her Mistresse and Lady before she be his wife whom he intends to make his drudge all her life time after Nor does he as too many marry onely for Money knowing that such are in danger of Committing Adultery after Marriage seeing they never Marry'd the Woman but her Portion With him Vertue and Love not Money and parentage make the Match and the question he askes is not What has she but What is she He makes Prudence and Religion the guides of his Love and so he becomes as good an Husband and Father as before he was a man §. 16. His Religion I have told you Sir already that the Gentleman is not ashamed to be call'd a Religious man although that Epithete be thought no better then a terme of debasement by the degenerate Gentry of our age He ownes a God and he Worships him and makes that Honour which he observes others to render unto God the ground of his respect to them He looks upon no man as a Gentleman but him alone who derives his pedigree higher then from Adam even from Heaven and he accounts all those who can brook any Dishonour or Contempt of their God that one Common father of us all as a Bastard and no Son It would be no Honour for him to seeke an acquaintance here upon Earth and therefore by his frequent Devotions he often goes to seek out a better in Heaven where he may be sure to meet with such as shall be worth his keeping He dares call every man a Fool to his face who with David's Fool suffers either his tongue or his heart to say There is no God If you aske him what Religion he is of his answer is ready of his mother's that is he is a true Son of the Church And yet is he onely so farre her Son as he sees her willing to continue his Saviour's Spouse Neither is he content to be still an Infant in Religion and to be taught onely as mothers use to teach their young children to say his prayers and his Creed by rote but he prayes and believes and practises all truely by heart Notwithstanding he never forgets his Mother nor neglects to Honour her with his Life and Substance He is alwaies more ready to take her Directions for the Forme and Method of all his duties then to be Disciplined by all those Chatting dry-Dry-nurses which are so busy about him such as indeed have talk enough but alas no Milke whose whole businesse is indeed to make him undutifull to his own mother and to set light by all her Councells and Commands perswading him to believe that a true Child of God not subject to a Mother in any thing And they never show their venemous teeth more plainly then when they goe about to make him forget what this Mother of all Christians by a strict Command from her Dearest Lord has ever been most carefull to teach all her children to say OUR FATHER He goes not to Church to save his Credit or his Purse to see his friend or speak with his Tenent but to meet his Heavenly Father and Commune with his God and to take Directions from him how to behave himselfe the following week or Day When he is there he makes his heart accompany his tongue and his Eare keep time with the Preacher Every Morning and Evening like a Dutifull sonne he in private Confesseth his faults and begs his Father's pardon and blessing and for the better ordering of his following duties reads over with Care and Humility some part of those Directions which he had long since Commanded his servants to set down in writing for his use He chuseth his Religion not by it's Commonnesse but it's truth and often weighs each branch of it in the Balance of the Sanctuary that he may be sure it is full weight He takes it not up by votes nor as it is most evident too many do thrusts his hand at all peradventure into an Hat-full of Lots being content with whatever he hits on first for should he goe the first way to work he knowes he should be sure to have not what 's Best and Soundest but the Easiest and most Gainfull if the later it is an hundred to one that he shall draw a blank and be made an Atheist for his labour Here he dares not by any means follow or embrace what 's most in Fashion for that 't is clear is Hipocricy the cunning Sister of Atheisme or Atheisme shamed or frighted into conformity but he professes that which is most Ancient for that he may be sure will at last be found most true His Religion is not such a Young Light and Wanton Girle as pleases the vain Phancy of every giddy Interested professor but such a Grave Matron whose naturall Beauty and Constancy the Gray-hairs of Prudence and Sobriety have ever judged to be truly Venerable and most deserving of the Christian's embraces This is that worthy Lady which he dayly Courts to make her the Mistresse and Protectresse of his Soul and she it is alone that can give him a breeding fit for Heaven He showes how freely he can goe on in the wayes of Godlinesse without a Spurre and how base a thing it is and unbecoming his Quality to be driven into Heaven by force By his hast and cheerfulnesse in his race he evidences his sense of the Worth of what he aimes at And by his egernesse in the pursuit of another world endeavours to confute the folly of those who would linger out an eternity were it possible amongst the Onyons and Fleshpots of this

either with Civility or Gratitude refuse every where with no small importunity wooing him into Heaven and to walk along with them in those paths which will lead him thereunto I might here tell him how heartily God himselfe calls and Invites him and daily sends abroad his Messengers early and late to beg and intreat him to accept of his Invitation how he has prepared his Oxen and his Fatlings and made ready his Supper how he bids him to a Feast of Fat things and to drink wine and milk without Money and without price How he stands with his armes of mercy spread wide open to receive embrace and kisse his returning Prodigalls with a new Robe and a Ring nay with a Crown and a Kingdome to welcome them Can it now be judged Civility to refuse and slight the Invitation of so Bountifull and Indulgent a father I might tell him how the Angels in Heaven even long for his Company and will be overjoy'd to see him and to hear him exercising that voice so long abused in warbling out his lascivious Love-songs or roaring it in his wild Catches by bearing a part in their Holy Quire in perpetuall Halelujahs to the King of Heaven And can he think it Civility to make void the Hopes and prevent the joyes of such Heavenly Company I might further mind him how the poor Church of England his mother longs to receive him again with joy into her Bosome and to kisse him with the kisses of her Love and to uncover to him her breasts of Consolation whence he needs not draw the Wind of False Doctrine nor fear to tast the blood of Tyrany and Oppression but may suck in that sincere milk which is his souls only true nourishment She whose tender care and wholsome instructions like an unwise child he hath so long despised longs yet once again to rejoyce in his Love and would be proud of so Glorious a Son which might not onely cherish and defend but grace aud Credit his mother And can he call it lesse then an Incivility to envy Her this Honour which wisheth him that happinesse can he chuse rather to augment her Sorrowes and provoke her teares and bite her breasts and suck out her blood then cherish her and be nourish'd by her All the Good men in the World all the most Honourable of God's servants his speciall Ambassadours doe with all the power of their Rhetorick and moveingnesse of Passion cry aloud calling upon him and beseeching him to come home and live happily in his Father's house these who have had the high charity for him to take the care and charge of him and night and day to watch for his soule and must be accountable for it at the Great and Dreadfull Audite Upon Him they look with a more vigilant and tender eye as upon the very Best and fairest of the flock whose straying would be not onely the losse of one and him the fattest and chiefe of all the rest but such an one as by his influence upon the others may probably occasion the loosing of many more These perswade and intreat him and that for Christ's sake for his who loved him so well that he did not grudg to purchase him with the best treasure in Heaven his own most precious blood And now how can the Gentleman who pretends so highly to all manner of Civility think it lesse then an unworthinesse in him to set so light by all this Care and this kindnesse He that would be thought all Courtesy all Civility O let him not now onely be unkind and discourteous to his God and God's Church God's Angels and God's Ministers unto God's Son and his Saviour He that expressed so remarkable a kindnesse to a false friend who is most certainly the greatest and most Dangerous of all enemies to him who was only set by the Devill in a friend's habit to Decoy him out of the way and watch his opportunity to murther his soul let him not now for shame be so unnaturall to himselfe and unkind to them as to slight those reall and sincere friends who make it the greatest part of their study to save him from eternall torments He that would not be bought out of his Civility though but to a sin and sinner by the high price of an Heaven and eternity shall he now any longer be bribed to offer so many affronts to his God with an Hell and it 's Endlesse torments Certainly if any Importunity could ever prevail as alas too often it hath even to the melting of his Soul into Sin and Vanity what must it now doe never so great never back'd with so many obligations to Civillity as here for where ever did there appear so much and so earnest wooing and Intreating and begging and watching and dying Again In civility to the Nation wherein he lives and which he should labour both to Serve and Credit he is her Hopes and he should be her Honour She calls him her choise Treasure her strongest Pillar her potent Protector and shall he not think it base to evacuate her hopes and detect her too charitable Errour by neglecting to deserve and maintain his name Shall it be to his Honour when he shall hear it said by others that the Pretious stones and Iewels of England are all but vile and unprofitable pebbles that all her purest Gold is full of Drosse her best Pillars quite rotten and her Guardians her principall underminers and destroyers that with the least wind that blowes her pillars shake and the building tumbles The Gentleman is that great and faire White at which all men aime and direct the Best of their Respects and on whom they think the greatest of their Honours not misplaced And is this his Civility to all his Lovers and Admirers to leave them embracing a shadow for a substance and to pay home their affection and respects to him with Neglect and Disgrace and too often with misery and Ruine to themselves Is this his care to provide that no man shall ever be deceived in him but he that thinks well of him If this be the Gentleman's Civility then what I pray Sir is his Vnkindnesse §. 5. A second Motive grounded upon Shame and Disgrace The next thing which I shall propose to his Consideration is that which usually has too powerfull an operation upon him I mean Shame and Disgrace The pretence of securing his Name and Reputation from these blurres being another of those Fig-leaves wherewith he would fain hide his most foul and deformed Vices He had rather throw himselfe headlong into the grossest sin Imaginable then by chuseing what is best but out of fashi●n with the Multitude expose himselfe to the laughter of fools and Sinners O what torment what affliction is it to him to be feer'd and Mock'd and Hooted at by a Company of Mad-men for behaving himselfe with more sobriety and wisdome then they Here I shall most earnestly beseech the Gentleman to Consider how miserably he befools