Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	affection_n	friendship_n	love_n	1,017	5	5.1675	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64251	Peter his repentance shewing, among other things, these two points for edification I. what weakenes remaines in Gods owne children, especially in times of triall and danger, and to, what little cause they have to trust their hearts, or be confident of themselves, but get to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. II. what is the power of Gods grace and covenant, for renewing His children by repentance, and so, what encouragement they have to return after every fall, and goe on in their course of watchfulnesse, humiliation, prayer, and magnifying of Jesus Christ / by Dr. Thomas Taylor.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1653 (1653)	Wing T569; ESTC R20311	101,739	76

slaine then so great and godly a King stayned in his honour and reputed an Adulterer seldome can Satan draw on a great sinne without some false glasse or glosse we must therefore attend to the mouth of God walke in the paths of his wisedome and turn not aside for shewes remember Prov. 3. 5. trust to the Lord and leane not to thine owne wisedome and ver 6. In all thy wayes acknowledge the Lord and he will direct thy steps Vse 4. Lastly here is a notable rule to be observed in friendship examine the love thou shewest to thy friend by the love of God 1. Take heed thy love be subordinate to the love of God that if thou canst not please both thy friend be not pleased with Gods displeasure Mat. 10. 37. He that loveth Father and Mother better then me is not worthy of me nay he that hateth them not Luke 14. 26. so did not Peter he should first have loved Christ as his Lord and then as his friend had he done so he would have kept his word 2. Love the Word better then thy friend Peter should have stucke to the word and not to Christs Person 3. See thy love to thy friend be not preposterous that thy affection destroy him not here Peters friend helpes forward his sin though perhaps unawares The subtilty of Satan creepes into our friendship and fellowships that by our improvidence we instead of helping and loving them hurt them more then the Enemies could doe We must pray for wisedome and judgement that neither willingly nor unawares we either councell or lead them into any sin or uphold any sin in them or hinder in them any good But contrarily become true friends to their Soules it is lamentable that a Father should discourage the Child the Husband the Wife c. from piety and religion or that they should abet evill or counsell or draw one another to ev●l as there is the greatest hatred so ordinarily it ends in most bitter hatred Warming himselfe by the Fire WEE have seene Peter gotten into the Hall of the high Priest What is he doing there she saw Peter warming himselfe Three of the Evangelists make mention of this circumstance John 18. 18. expresseth also his company the high Priests servants and officers stood c. who had made a fire of Coals for it was cold and they warmed themselves and Peter also stood among them and warmed himselfe Luke 22. 56. Peter sat by the fire and warmed himselfe We need take no notice of that small diversity one of the Evangelists says he stood another he sat warming himselfe both are true for in so long time he somtimes stood sometimes sat warming himselfe as they did Concerning the Company of Peter he found a great change instead of Christ and his Apostles teaching hearing conferring praying confirming one another against Temptations and provoking to the love of the Lord he is among a company of Rackshels and prophane Serving-men of the high Priest who are at busie against Christ as their Master and all their tongues and talke bent against Christ which was now the businesse in hand and Peter if he will be safe among them must frame himselfe unto them Had he beene in the Mountaine or in the Temple or in his owne House with his Master his exercise had bin otherwise but now he is in the Pretory of the Jewes and in the House of the high Priest where Christ indeed was but taken and bound and mockt accused and condemned no safe place to confesse the truth and what can he doe there but deny Note How soone even Gods children are corrupted with wicked Company even Peter a great and forward Disciple of Christ full of zeale and courage who will pray professe and immediately before draw the Sword in Christs quarrell within two or three houres afore with Christ and his fellow Disciples now can deny among persecutors Great is the force of wicked Company to pervert even a godly minde how easily was good Abraham brought to make a lye for his owne safety as Peter did here when he was in Gerar where the feare of God was not Gen. 20. 2. How easily a good man may be brought to Sweare through custome and continuance with evill persons see in godly Joseph who dwelt in Egypt and could swear by the life of Pharaoh Reason 1. A pronenesse in godly men to be withdrawne by evill Company as the body to be infected by a Pestilentiall ayre so the minde by the contagion of bad company it appeareth by the phrase Prov. 1. 15. When evill men entice thee c. withdraw thy foot from their path drawing backe the foot argues an inclination and propensity even in the Son of Wisdome to walke with them And Chap. 4. ver 14. advising to keepe the way of Wisdome as life it selfe as a meanes to hold in the right way he counselleth not to enter the way of wicked men nor walke in their way and to acquaint us with our owne inclination that way● marke his vehemency ver 15. Avoid it goe not by it turne from it passe by it What need so many repetitions if we were not prone to the lust of it Reas. 2. There is a bewitching focr● in evill company to draw even a good minde beyond his owne purpose and resolution Doe you thinke Peter had a purpose now to deny his Master whose purpose immediately before was so strong against it but now suddenly in other company he is another man Wherefore else did the Lord so earnestly charge his own People among whom he had done such marvailes as were not done in all the world Exod. 34. 10. to looke diligently to themselves to make no compact with the people of the Land least they should be brought to utter departing from God and to their most grosse Idolatry ver 12. 15. Numb 11. 4. that great sinne of Lusting so fearfully revenged was begun by some Strangers that came out of Egypt who fell a lusting and turned away and the children of Israel also lusted and hence it is as impossible for a man to be still in the Sun and not be ●and or touch Pitch and not be fouled as to be still in evill Company and not be evill Vse 1. For Gods Children to avoyd and separate themselves from sinners society the danger of infection leaves it not a thing indifferent for a man to choose any Company but as necessary to avoyd sinne it selfe so the company of sinners can there be true fellowship with God and his enemies too Motive 1. What agreement between darknesse and light and between righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse 2 Cor. 6. 16. what delight for a Sheep among a herd of Swine 2. Every mans company tels what he is a good man may be cast into evill company by occasion or improvidence as Peter and be none of them but as the company he affecteth and seeketh is so is he Ravens flocke together by companies so doe

whom we have smitten and mourn Againe we should stir up our selves to thankefulnesse that he who was Gods companion in grace and nature would be content to be smitten for us that by his stripes he would heale us had the stroke for the least sinne light upon our selves it could not be but eternally mortal now he having put himselfe betweene the blow of Gods sword and us who had deserved the deadly blow to him belongs all the praise of our peace and freedome if a man should keep a blow off us with the losse of his life we would be sorry and thankfull for such a friend nay if losse of a limbe c. Againe was Christ the Shepherd smitten who was equall with God and that by God see that all are not hated of God who are smitten of God never was there such an object of Gods love all creatures were not capable of that love which his Father poured upon him yet he was smitten with temptation persecution and all kindes of affliction to sanctifie all kindes unto us and not spared to the death Let none say he is cast out of favour because of afflictions never any so smittenas Christ never any so deare to God Againe note who they be that are most smitten by the World in the World even those that are likest unto God and most conformable unto Jesus Christ. If Christ had not been Gods companion he had escaped better so acquaintance with God brings many a blow from the World if thou wilt converse with the World which knows neither him nor thee he hath rods in water to lash thee as a W●nderer or Stranger What marvaile is it that godly Pastors whose lives and doctrine come nearest unto this chiefe Sheepherd be most smitten in the World if Jeremy be lying in the Dungeon if Herod smite James with the Sword and take Peter and vex others if the whole rout of Drunkards Usurers and bench companions say come and let us smite this Jeremy with the tongue let us slander him Towne and Country we dare not with our hands but our tongues are our owne say lewd fellowes who can controll us Let us say to our Preacher that he never did or thought of somewhat will sticke if we can doe it boldly enough and with faces of brasse for even thus was our Lord and chiefe Shepherd smitten who saith they layd to my charge things I never knew so may we so may I. Though Christ was smitten it was not by chance fortune or altogether by malice of wicked men but all by the counsel and decree of God comfort thy self 1. It is Gods hand not so heavy as Divels or wicked mens Iohn 19. 10. nor shal alwayes lie on thee nor so long as they would Psal. 125. 3. 2. As in Christs smiting God is now executing by evill men some of his good purposes towards thee all workes for good 3. He suffers them to try and exercise thee for a time as Christ but not his councell onely is in it but his hand to moderate it that they cannot doe what they will but what he will And the Sheepe shall be scattered THE effect or consequent of the Shepherds smiting 1. Who be these Sheep Ezek. 34. 10. 2. How they are scattered These Sheepe be the Disciples and faithfull Believers in the name of Christ under the Rule care and custody of the chiefe Shepherd 1. The Church is the great Sheepfold Iohn 10. 16. for out of the Church is no salvation the fold is a defence for Sheepe and because the Members of the Church live in concord and peace as Sheepe not as Lyons Wolves Tygars c. The marke of Christs Sheep is love John 13. 13. Every Christian resembles this creature in the Text 1. Simple foolish subject to stay and to be scattered yea quite lost without the care of the Shepherd Isa. 55. 6. seeke the Lord while he may be found so are the faithfull not onely before conversion 1 Pet. 2. 11. I beseech you as Pilgrims wherein the whole life is but a straying from God but even after never so little left of the Shepherd as Noah Lot David Hezekiah and here all the Apostles and can never returne without the Shepherds call partly in the word as Nathan to David partly by corrections which are as the Shepherds Dog to fetch us in as Josephs Brethren 2. Beset with all manner of enemies Dogs Wolves Lyons Foxes and destitute in it selfe of all meanes of safety without speed courage and natural weapons as other creatures are armed with to resist so many Adversaries so as their whole safety is in the presence and care of the Shepherd So the Members of Christ beset with Tyrants Hereticks Hypocrites Seducers false Brethren and cannot put back violence with violence their safety and defence lies not as many beasts in their Hornes Hoofes Nayles or teeth they are onely armed with the mercy and care of the Shepherd without whom they are sure to be a dayly prey to the Divell the roaring Lyon and his instruments 3. Harmelesse patient beare all wrongs offer none lose the Fleece their lives with meeknesse without strugling Thus Christians resemble the Shepherd himselfe he bare all wrongs he never did wrong he was led as a Sheepe to the slaughter and before the Shearer opened not his mouth and his Members must receive a second wrong rather then revenge a former and still possesse their Soules in patience Vse 4. Acknowledge our selves after grace received silly Sheepe most easie to stray away and become a prey to all the ravenous Beasts of the field take notice of our wandring and straying disposition resembled in the parable of the lost Sheep Luke 15. that unlesse the good Shepherd leave the ninety and nine to seek us up we never come back Let this 1. Make us depend on the Shepherd 2. Be more watchfull 3. Pray that he would seeke us out of our wandrings and reduce us Psal. 119. 176. I am as a wandering Sheep Oh seeke thy Servant Vse 2. Imitate Sheep in sundry Christian vertues Though they be easie to stray yet being strayed they be easily reduced whither the Shepherd will without resistance and trouble so Gods Sheep having broke out into some sin sometimes a small check of conscience sometimes a light affliction sometimes a word of threatning or reprehension in the Ministry will bring them on their knees and humble them when as all Gods plagues will not subdue the hard heart of wicked Pharaoh not reduced with ten plagues therein like the Leviathan Job 41. 15. Sheep know their Shepherd and no man else they know his voice or whistle and no man else We must know our Shepherd in his Person in his offices and esteeme to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified we must know no man else for Pardon of our sin for merit of righteousnesse for intercession or obtaining salvation but onely Jesus Christ. Vera