Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A42887
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God give you joy The hearty wish of a Christian friend to the bridegroom and the bride. A marriage-present for the new-married-couple: containing considerations and advices, in order to perswade young married people to begin the married life in the fear of the Lord. With directions and prayers. With plainness, intended for the meanest understanding. By one that desires to be a true son of the church of Christ, as by the gospel established.
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Wing G906A; ESTC R223684
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willing indeed to endeavour is certainly in your power especially at first when all circumstances make such endeavours more easy and hopeful in respect of success as I shewed before in the former part of the third Section Besides you have endeavoured in other things when there was as little likelyhood of prevailing and in cases to which you were as much strangers as you are in this so also may you endeavour now in this and how can you tell but you may prevail If you enquire what you may do to win each others love to the Lord and to perswade each other to walk in his ways call to mind what ways you took to gain the affection of each other for marriage the like method of intreating and entertaining followed with equal diligence and care in all probability will be succesful and may be as effectual in this matter as in the other 1. Remember what wayes you took to get acquaintance and to find opportunities of favourable acceptance So now be as watchful to procure opportunities to bring each other to God And when alone in secret seek to perswade to this And observe which is the fittest season to bring either to a promise 2. Remember how careful then you were to do nothing to displease one another but that you might still find the same favourable countenance So now much more labour that all your carriage may be so pleasing that all things on both parts may be so ordered that the duties of Religion may be delightful and not seem a burden 3. Then you could forbear many things which you knew were displeasing to each other so now also forbear all that may hinder each other in this good thing Let the man avoid all unnecessary spending of time abroad and let the woman avoid all negligence at home that all things may be in order for reading and prayer at the hour appointed 4. Then you could talk of love and almost nothing else and make great pretences at least now then talk as much and as often of the love of God and his love to Souls and of your love to the Souls of one another and talk of the Goodness of God and of his holy waies that thereby you may excite and inflame each other with love to God and goodness and what you could talk of without any help but natural inclinations now in this you may have the help of God his word his grace and holy Spirit 5. Then you could use arguments to win love and propose advantages enquire reasons of denial and answer their objections So may you now use arguments to win each other to the love of God shew each other the advantages of an holy and heavenly living together How it will strengthen natural affection end enable to bear all crosses and worldly troubles Ask what should hinder a resolution to joyn in so good so comfortable a design and answer what may be said against it with the Spirit of love and mildness 6. Then you would take no denial but ask again and again So may you now to win each other to the ways of God And be not wearied for this is well doing Continue to use the fittest opportunities till you have perswaded each other to be willing to embrace the ways of God to go to God together to go to heaven together Can you deny me this you may jnstly say this that is so much for our comfort both in sickness and in health and even in death it self I will never leave asking till I have obtained 7. Remember how then you could bear with patience all peevishness and mourn at refusal without anger so now wait in the Spirit of meekness endeavouring to win Could you then beg and wait and intreat acceptance and rejoyce if at last you obtained consent and agreement and cannot you do so now without some such endeavours as these where is the love you talked of where is that true love to thy partner and dear yoke-fellow Where is thy love to thy own Soul And where is thy love to thy dear Lord And especially if either find the other backward and yet lost in the flesh and either in words or actions discovering an enmity to a Godly life They had need mourn for their condition in secret and pray for them in secret but give not over as lost but wait and woo with patience and hope and prudence How knowest thou but at last it may prevail and that God may make thee the happy instrument of saving the Soul of thy Partner 1 Cor. 7.16 I shall now conclude with some few considerations to encourage to this duty or serious endeavours at least You are hereby in a probable way of reaping much comfortable fruit 1. Consider if this be attained to that both are willing and desirous and resolved thus to seek the Lord and to live in his way as in covenant with him how great the blessing of holy peace and comfort will be at present in this life God dwelling in such families where his Worship is set up and his holy way followed God promises to such and sayes I will walk among you and will be your God and ye shall be my people Lev. 26.11 12. And if you love indeed and seek the welfare of each others Souls this must needs yeild the pleasant fruit of mutual comfort in each other at present And without that all worldly advantages and seeming comforts will be but bitter troubles 2. Consider when you have won each other to this holy practice there is comfort in hope a well grounded hope of which you will be able to render a reason to any that may ask you 1 Pet. 3.15 Hereby in this present life you are laying a good foundation for an holy family if God hereafter shall increase you with Children and Servants you have chosen for them the best portion the most secure protection even the Almighty preserver And in some measure have done your duty answerable to your prayers in taking care that your Children may be Christianly vertuously brought up to Gods Glory and may justly expect such a prosperity that may not be a snare but that your Souls may prosper or a sanctified adversity for you and yours And then in the end of life and finishing your dayes on earth how great a comfort will it be to think that all shall meet in heaven pleasant and comfortable in this life And the more pleasant in this that in death you shall not be divided neither one from another nor either from God And then the comforts already tasted will be enlarged to the full Methinks this consideration singly it self is enough to quicken and perswade to endeavour that is the having a grounded hope of meeting together in the glories of heaven and joys of the blessed and of being instruments of bringing and establishing that good in a family which death cannot destroy 3. Consider it will be matter of comfort to those that do endeavour whether man
or woman whether they prevail or not If you prevail with an ungodly husband or wife to turn from the errour of their ways to do that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord you shall save a Soul from death Jam. 5.20 And cause joy in heaven which is at the conversion of a sinner Luc. 15.10 A comfort in it self Besides the benefit your self enjoy in the holy conversation of one renewed of whose renewing you your self have been the happy instrument thro' Gods Grace in the Lord Jesus But tho' you prevail not indeed that consideration is sad where there is love to a Soul to have spent much labour in vain Yet there is comfor in this that it is not in vain in the Lord. This was the comfort of the great Prophet Isaiah complaining for want of success and may be yours surely your Judgment is with the Lord and your work and reward with God Is 48.4 If the filthy will be filthy still and the ungodly will be ungodly still their blood shall be upon their own head and you that endeavour to perswade with sincerity have delivered your own Soul and shall ever beaâ— in your bosom that comfortable testimony of a good conscience and peace from God that passeth understanding shall keep and comfort your hearts and minds thro' Christ Jesus Pâ—il 4.7 And he that shall come will come quickly and his reward is with him to give to every one according as their work shall be Even so come Lord Jesus The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you Amen An ADVERTISEMENT To such as have been long married 'T IS possible these papers may come to the hands of such as have been long married or at least so long as to be past the title of new-married people and may therefore think that that this does not concern them But I desire such to consider that it concerns them much every way For either they are such as have lived according to Gods holy way or not 1. If they have indeed lived together in that holy love which these papers perswade to then they speak peace to them from God And give them the joy and comfort of all the blessings proposed as motives and advantages And I doubt not but that they have experience of the comforts of an holy heavenly life and must testifie the truth of what is here advanced And doubtless they do find encouragement enough to go on in that way to the end 2. But if they have not so lived together then they find themselves spoken to in every advice and motive especially in the fourth and fifth Section Every line calls more loudly to such in the words of the Apostle Eph 5.15 Awake thou that sleepest and Christ shall give thee light Have you so long neglected so great a blessing and continued under the curse and tempted the Almighty to give you up to hardness of heart O see the goodness and patience and long suffering of God! Give judgment your selves between God and your Souls Have you not neglected the best way too long And shall not his patience lead you to repentance shall not the time past suffice to have lived without God should not the love of Christ constrain you to this holy love of each others Souls Let it do so then now at the last And set about what is here advised to as new married people should and reap at last the too much neglected blessings 'T is never too late to begin to do well Nay you should labour the more earnestly considering how you have blockt up your own way by your sinful neglect Repent therefore and bring forth fruits meet for repentance Prayers for Gods blessing assisting grace to the married couple These first in order taken out of the publick Office and fitted for private use When you are come home on the Wedding-day or at Evening and so for some dayes after read first those Scriptures declaring the mutual duties of man and wife or else some other portion of Scripture with attention And then kneeling down together endeavour to lift up your hearts to the Lord and say O Eternal God creator and preserver of all mankind giver of all Spiritual Grace the author of everlasting life send thy blessing upon us thy servants who have this day consented together in holy marriage and have engaged our word in truth to each other to live together as man and wife according to thy holy word and have received a publick blessing in thy name Bless us O Lord we beseech thee in secret and grant that as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together so we may surely perform and keep the Vow and Covenant betwixt us made and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together and live according to thy Law thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost bless preserve and keep us O Lord mercifully with thy grace look upon us and so fill us with all Spiritual benediction and grace that we may so live together in this life that in the world to come we may obtaine life everlasting Amen O God of Abraham God of Isaac God of Jocob bless us thy Servants and sow the seeds of eternal life in our hearts Help us to attend diligently on thy holy word so that we may profit and learn thereby and be doers thereof Look O Lord mercifully upon us from heaven and bless us And as thou didest send thy blessing upon Abraham and Sarah to their great comfort so vouchsafe to send thy blessing upon us thy Servants that we obeying thy will and always being in safety under thy protection may both abide in thy love and in holy Christian love to each other to our lives end thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O God who by thy mighty power hast made all things of nothing who also after other things set in order didst appoint that out of man created after thine own image and similitude woman should take her beginning and knitting them together didst teach that it should never be lawful to put asunder those whom thou by Matrimony hadst made one O God who hast consecrated the state of Matrimony to such an excellent mystery that in it is signified and represented the Spiritual marriage betwixt Christ and his Church look mercifully upon us thy Servants whom thou hast brought to joyn together in the marriage covenant That I may love this my wife according to thy word as Christ doth love his Spouse the Church loving and cherishing her as my own flesh And also that this woman whom thou hast given to be my wife may be loving and amiable faithful and constantly obedient in all Christian love and in all quietness and peace be a follower of holy and godly Matrons O Lord bless us both and grant us to inherit thine everlasting Kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Almighty God who at the beginning didst create our first parents