Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	adversity_n	brother_n	time_n	850	5	3.9961	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60352	A sermon preach'd at Crosby-Square, Jan. 8, 1692 upon the funeral of that faithful servant of Christ, Mr. John Reynolds, who died in the Lord the preceding 25 Decemb. / by Samuel Slater ...	Slater, Samuel, d. 1704.	1693 (1693)	Wing S3972; ESTC R37561	27,157	38

satisfi'd about the happy Exchange Ionathan had made and the goodness of that Condition in which he now was that if he might return again to be as he was before he would not nor leave the clear Vision and immediate Communion with the Son and Lord of David for a fresh and further Enjoyment of David himself Instead of making a descent to this lower dirty and troublesom World he would choose to continue where he now is and take some delight in the thoughts of Davids coming to him as soon as he had served his Generation according to the Will of God and finished the Work given him to do But Secondly I judge him brought into this distress by a reflection upon the manner of Ionathans Death That he did not Die in a Natural way but was cut off in his prime and flourishing Age by a violent stroke and that which was Gall in the Cup given by the hand of the Uncircumcised it pained him at the very Heart to think that that brave Prince who had been so eminently valiant and prosperous in fighting the Battels of Israel whose Bow turned not back from the blood of the slain nor from the fat of the mighty had now fallen a Sacrifice to their Fury and was become the Object of their boasting and triumph Hence it is that he did as in an Agony cry out in the 20th Verse of this Chapter Tell it not in Gath publish it not in Askelon Conceal it from them if it be possible conceal it from them lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph Poor Soul he knew not how to bear up under the thoughts of this that those desperate Enemies to his God and People should rejoyce in the fall of his beloved Ionathan and with their unhallowed feet trample and dance upon his precious Dust. But then Thirdly That which encreased his Distress and did yet much more straiten him was the Consideration of his own Loss We all know that cordial Friends of good humour are the great Comfort of our Lives Suppose a man hath a great confluence of mundane Delights Waters of a full Cup wrung out to him more indeed than Heart could wish yet would he be miserable in the midst thereof if he were Friendless God did not think it good for Man to be alone tho' in a Paradise He enjoyeth himself pitifully that hath not a Friend to enjoy The Sacred Scripture speaking of a Friend adds this Expression 13 Deuter. 6. Who is as thine own Soul i. e. as near and dear to thee as thy self he is an alter Ego another self a second self So that when an intimate entire Friend is taken away by Death a Man is almost torn in pieces and loseth a very considerable part of himself The wisest of Men tells us in the 17 Proverbs 17. A Friend loveth at all times and a Brother is born for adversity This was verified in Ionathan he was such a Brother endearing David in the clearest Sunshine and under the blackest Clouds in fair Weather and soul in Halcion days and most tempestuous blustering Storms being always the same whatever Changes were to be found abroad he being tryed by Adversity was found faithful When his Father was his implacable Enemy he was his fast Friend Saul could not be more resolved to ruine him than Ionathan was studious of saving him He stuck to David and would not leave him any more than Ruth would her afflicted Mother-in-law Naomi who spake thus to her 1 Ruth 17. Where thou diest will I die and there will I be buried the Lord do so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and me His Fathers Enmity and Hatred of David could not part them if for that he did not love him the better for certain he pityed him the more His Fathers Displeasure and Indignation against him for loving of David could not part them But Death came it may be unexpectedly and by way of surprize and did that which nothing else could do it parted them and now whatever Friends David still had about him he had lost the best He had not his Ionathan among all the rest he could not find one like Ionathan and therefore when he thought of it yea dwelt in his thoughts upon it as he could not choose but do he found himself wounded and in pain so that he could not forbear crying out in our Text I am distressed for thee my Brother So we are got to the third and last thing which I said was to be enquired into viz. The import of the word What may we look upon as the meaning of David when he saith He was distressed I shall give you my Thoughts of it in these two things By this word he intimates 1. The greatness of the Loss he sustained 2. The intimate sense he had of it First By saying he was distressed he signifieth the greatness of the Loss the soreness of the Affliction It lay heavy upon him being no common stroke no ordinary blow not the blasting of a sorry Gourd but withering a Plant of Renown a principal Stud was faln This was such a loss as every one could not meet with none but a David could lose so lose his Ionathan It must be granted his Death was a publick Loss all Good Men had a share in it but his own was more than double His Brethren had a Loss let their Eyes be fountains of Tears his Family had a Loss let them put on Sackbloth and be cloathed in Mourning all Israel hath had a Loss let them hang their Harps upon the Willows but their Loss put them all together is not comparable to mine mine is by far the greatest I have lost my Right Hand I have lost my Companion my Counsellor my Comforter My Loss is such as that it cannot be made up to me by any Man upon Earth but only by a God in Heaven from whom came all that sweetness that I found in Ionathan and in whom there is infinitely more Secondly By saying he was distressed he giveth us to understand the deepness and intimacy of that sense which he had of this his Loss He felt it for it went to the quick and struck him to the very Heart this was such a blow as he did not well know how to bear he was troubled at it and bowed down greatly feeble and sore broken so that he was scarce able to outlive it therefore here he draws up the Flood-gates spends the strength of his Sorrow pours out his last and heaviest groan We may conceive him speaking thus to himself I easily yield some Sorrow to be due to Saul as bad as he was because Israels King chosen and appointed of God one that had been anointed with Oyl yet I can bear with his Death for tho' he was King and my Father-in-law yet he was my irreconcileable Enemy who hated me with a cruel hatred and hunted me as a Partridge upon the