Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
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A50104
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A discourse of friendship preached at the Wiltshire-feast, in St. Mary Le-Bow-Church December the 1st, 1684 / by Samuel Masters ...
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Masters, Samuel, 1645 or 6-1693.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing M1069; ESTC R36493
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10,531
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37
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especially to those who are of the houshold of Faith And with parity of reason we may determine that we may be differently affected toward our Brethren of the same houshold as they differently excel in Christian Virtues and as Circumstances conspire to make us a fitter opportunity for maintaining an Intercourse of Friendship with them We observe also that Love asumes different shapes from the different degrees to which it is advanced and thus that Love which in a remiss degree is but ordinary kindness and common civility is by higher degrees exalted up into the fervour of Friendship The Love of Friendship cannot but be thus intensely great it being founded on true Vertue which is the most excellent kind of goodness and the highest incentive of Love it being also contracted to a few and mutually reflected all which will conspire to increase its ardors And we can suppose nothing less sufficient to transform friends into so near a likeness to incline them to one another with so passionate an affection to yield them so delightful a complacency in their mutual Society or to ingage them in so many hazards and hardships in serving each others Interests The Philosophy of the Antients describes this Love of Friendship in such transcendent heights as if it could not only mingle the concernments of Friends in a common Interest but also unite their Souls into one Person And the account we have of it from the Holy Scriptures will little abate the Hyperbole Solomon brings a Friend as near as a Brother in the Text and elsewhere tells us 18 Pr. 24. that he will stick closer than a Brother David professeth that Jonathans friendship to him was wonderful 2 Sam. 2.26 13 Deu. 6. passing the love of Women And God himself in cautioning Israel against the enticements of those who were like to have the highest ascendent over them placeth a Friend in the highest rank above a Brother or Son or Daughter or the Wife of the Bosom and calls him a Friend which is even as thy own Soul 41 Is 8. 33 Ex. 11. And hence it is that God expresseth his singular love to Abraham and Moses by calling them Friends and by the same Name also the incomprehensible height of our Blessed Saviours love to his Church is sometimes expressed in the Canticles and in the New Testament 5. Cant. 1 15. John 14 15. And I may add tho our blessed Lord hath by a new Commandment advanced the common love of Christians so far above all that was practised among Jews or Gentiles as to become the distinguishing Character of all his Disciples yet still we must allow Christian friendship to superadd as much to Christian love as common friendship us'd to do to the love of Nature If therefore St. Peter exhorts all Christians to have fervent Charity among themselves how intensely great must be the love of Christain Friends 3. We observe farther 1 Pet. 4. S. that Love takes up various Names from the variety of good Offices in which it is imploy'd for as it bears injuries we call it Meekness and as it forgives them we call it Mercy as it pitties the distressed we call it Compassion and as it relievs them we call it Charity and when beside all other Offices it attends to the intimate privacies and peculiar concernments of a Friend we call it Friendship The power of Friendship is equal to its love and as this includs all inferior degrees and exceeds them too so will that perform all common kindnesses and outdo them also It would be strange indeed if that Love which can shew mercy to an Enemy pitty to a Stranger and kindness to a Neighbour should not be ready to do as much and more for a Friend True friendship is the most officious thing in the World it will disdain no Offices as too mean decline none as too difficult it will not only take but seek all opportunities of doing good and reward it self with the delights and pleasures of such kind employments It makes but one exception to this general rule that it be put on no Services inconsistent with that Vertue on which its very life and being depends It will engage a Man to do any thing for his Friend but to commit a sin to follow him into any danger but into no Vice And therefore when Pericles desir'd his Friend to bear a false Testimony for him and he consented to serve him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is justly censur'd by the Moralist for coming too near the Altar And in a like case the Oratour censures the ill conduct of those who were betrayed by their Friendships into Factions and Conspiracies against the Common-wealth But beside all other common Offices of Love Friendship hath its own proper Province within which it performs some peculiar Offices which are impracticable to any other love Every Man is conscious of some concernments which lie deepest and closest to him which are too great for his own thoughts to manage which yet fall under the cognizance of no Relation or Society but this of Friendship He may have some secreets too big for his own Bosom which he can no where lodge with safety but in the breast of a Friend He may have some designs fit only to be intrusted to the sincerest Friendship He may have some Infirmities which he dare not expose to any severer eye than that of a Friend He may have some inward wounds which can bear no air or touch but the softest breath and gentlest hand of a Friend He may need such caution or advice such comfort or assistance as none could or would give but a faithful Friend In such cases Friendship discovers its own proper excellency and usefulness in providing a safe Closet for our choicest secrets a Soveraign balm for our deepest wounds in resolving our doubts correcting our errors advising our affairs communicating in our most secret joys to double them and in our most silent sorrows to lessen them and performing all this with such propensness and sincerity that even self-love could hardly equal it Such kind Offices Job expected of his Friends but in vain when he cryed out To him that is afflisted pity should be shew'd him of his Friends 6. Job 14. 19 Job 21. Have pity upon me have pity upon me O my Friends For the Hand of God hath touched me Such also our wise man asserts in several Proverbs Faithful are the wounds of a Friend 27. Prov. 6.9.17 As Ointment and Perfumes rejoyce the Heart so doth the sweetness of a Mans Friend by hearty Counsel As Iron sharpneth Iron so a Man sharpneth the Countenance of his Friend Thus far I have describ'd a Friend by that principle of Love which constitutes him such and that his inward frame might be more exposed to your view I have described his love also by the select Objects to which it is addressed the eminent degrees to which it is exalted and the most useful Offices in
A DISCOURSE OF FRIENDSHIP PREACHED at the Wiltshire-Feast IN St. Mary Le-Bow-Church December the 1st 1684. By Samuel Masters B. D. Preacher to the Hospital and Precinct of Bridwell in London 6 Eccles 14 15 16. A faithful Friend is a strong defence and he that hath found such an one hath found a Treasure Nothing doth Countervail a faithful Friend and his excellency is in valuable A faithful Friend is the Medicine of Life and they that fear the Lord shall find him LONDON Printed by T. B. for Marm. Foster and Awnsham Churchill and are to be sold at the Black Swan at Amen-Corner MDCLXXXV To the WORTHY STEWARDS OF THE Wiltshire-Feast Mr. John Eyles Mr. Richard Holford Mr. Paul Methwen Mr. William Gardiner Mr. Henry Lambe Mr. Thomas Phipp. Mr. John Slater Mr. John Rutland Mr. John wayte Mr. Edward Smith AND To the rest of my Countrymen of WILTSHIRE SIRS WHen I was first desir'd by some of you to publish this Discourse I took it but for a customary Complement of respect to which I intended to make no farther answer than my thankful acknowledgment but the same request being since reinforc'd by some others who might plead that Friendship which the Sermon recommends I was obliged to comply many Argâ—ments occurr'd to diswade we bâ—t I thoâ—ght of this one for my encouragement that in crossing my own humour so much to gratifie my Friends I should give one instance of practising what I Preach'd and perchance gain the reputation of being one who would on all good occasions approve himself Your Faithful Friend and humble Servant SAMVEL MASTERS A DISCOURSE OF FRIENDSHIP c. Proverbs 17.17 A true Friend will love at all times and a Brother is born for Adversity WHen I consider that Nature designed us to be Friends by making us Country-men and that the chief design of our present meeting is to enlarge and indear our mutual Friendships I cannot think of a Subject which may yield a more suitable Entertainment than the excellent Vertue of Friendship which tho seldom discoursed of from the Pulpit is yet no inconsiderable Part of our Religion and though very rare to be met with in the World is certainly a very great advantage delight and ornament of human conversation In pursuance of this design I here present you the fair and lively Pourtraicture of a true Friend drawn by the most skilful hand in this divine Aphorism of the Text wherein we may observe 1. The Essential Form or Principle of a Friend which is Love a true Friend will love 2. His genuine Features or Properties which are chiefly these Two 1. An immutable constancy of affection He will love at all times 2. A generous Faithfulness in the most needful time of trouble He is a Brother born for adversity In the following discourse I shall endeavour to draw a true Copy from this original but more large that its beauties may be more display'd to your view and that I may not miss in the principal stroaks I shall keep within the lines of the Text. 1. I shall describe that love which constitutes a true Friend 2. I shall represent those admirable Properties of an immutable constancy of affection and a generous faithfulness in a time of adversity which complete and adorn him 3. I shall review the draught in some useful reflections 1. I begin to describe that Love which frames and constitutes a true friend It must be premis'd that I do not here consider a Friend in that large Sense wherein the vulgar apply the Name to any Neighbour or Acquaintance that is not an Enemy but in the strictest Sense as he is denominated such from that particular vertue which we properly call by the Name of Friendship and of this I design to discourse rather according to the Principles of our Religion than the mean and imperfect Notions of the antient Moralists That this friendship is a genuine Off-spring of Love is too evident to need a proof and what kind or sort of love it is which properly assumes the form and name of Friendship we shall easily discover by observing some of those modifications whereby the great and eminent grace of Christian Charity brancheth it self into a great variety of particular Virtues and among the rest into this of Friendship Such are the various objects about which it is conversant the different degrees to which it is advanced and the several good Offices in which it is imployed In a distinct view of these we shall discern how love is shap'd and determined into the Specifick form of Friendship 1. We observe that Love takes up various forms and names from the various object to which it is addressed as the Sea takes different Names from the several shoars it salutes Thus Love as it looks upward to Superiors is piety to a Parent duty to a Governour and gratitude to a Benefactor as it looks downward on Inferiors it becoms mercy to an Offender charity to the Indigent and pitty to the Distressed as it looks round about on equals we call it kindness and if among these it meets with any fitly qualifi'd to reciprocate the Offices of kindness it becomes Friendship The principal qualification which fits a Person to become an Object of Friendship is moral goodness especially that he be competently indued with probity and integrity with true wisdom and courage with ingenuity and Modesty with meekness and humility with a large Soul and a tender Heart with a pleasant Temper and a cheerful Spirit for if these dispositions be wanting either we shall not love or our love must be call'd by some other name than friendship Yet this is not all for there will be farther requisite such a combination of external Circumstances as may fit a Person for maintaining an actual intercourse of Friendship For tho we cannot but love and honour every vertuous Man we see and hear of yet we contract our Friendships only with those who are plac'd within the Sphere of our acquaintance who are most like us in age temper and condition of Life who may be most nearly adapted to us as a second self and with whom we may have the most frequent intimate and delightful as well as the most useful conversation It may be necessary to add that tho Friendship doth thus contract our Love to a few select Objects yet it will no way impair or hinder the great Duty of Christian Charity or make any Schisms or Factions among Christian Brethren for Christian Charity can like the Sun shine on all Mankind tho it strike on some with a more direct and warmer Ray or like a well-drawn Picture it can cast a look on all about it not overlooking an Enemy or a Stranger tho it may have a peculiar aspect for a Friend who is situated in the fitted Place and distance to it The great Apostle supposeth a different communication of Love in that advice 6 Gal. 10. As we have opportunity let us do good to all men