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	good_a	great_a	824	5	2.2463	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11555	The true image of Christian love An excellent, learned, and very comfortable treatise, meete and necessarie for these dangerous days: wherein men are growen so disobedient to God, so vndutifull to their Prince, and so vnchartiable to their neighbors. Written in Latin by Adrian Sauorine a Dominican Frier, and translated 50. yeres ago by an English obseruant frier named Richard Rikes, [and] now truely conferred with the auncient copies, and published by A.M. one of the messengers of his Maiesties chamber.; Ymage of love	Ryckes, John.; Savorine, Adrian, attributed name.; Munday, Anthony, 1553-1633.; Gough, John, fl. 1528-1556.	1587 (1587)	STC 21801; ESTC S101945	42,798	120

THE TRVE IMAGE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE An excellent learned and very comfortable Treatise meete and necessarie for these dangerous days wherin men are growen so disobedient to God so vndutifull to their Prince and so vncharitable to their neighbors Written in Latin by Adrian Sauorine a Dominican Frier and translated 50. yéeres ago by an English Obseruant Frier named Richard Rikes now truely conferred with the auncient copies and published by A. M. one of the messengers of hir Maiesties chamber ❧ Imprinted at London by Iohn Charlewood dwelling in Barbican An. 1587. ¶ To the Worshipfull M. Richard Young Esquire one of the Collectors of her Maiesties Custome in the Porte of London and one of her Highnesse Iustices of Peace Quorum in the Countie of Middlesex I Neither haue or can forget VVorshipful my very good Friend the courteous entertainement you gaue to my Booke entituled A Godly exercise for Christian Families neyther may I without iniurie to your good nature and impeach to my poore credite let slip opportunitie wherein I may shew my selfe thankefull for so great and vndeserued fauour But wading into the very bottome of all my habilitie and finding nothing sufficient to counteruaile such kindnes I am like the poore Persian who desirous to shew him selfe thankefull to Alexander for sparing his life finding nothing worthy to be giuen to so great a Monarch died with very conceit of sorow Euen so worshipfull Sir the very conceit of my want though not able to stay me as it did this Persian yet striketh me with such a confounded impression as closeth vp the ●●●wes and arteries of my present iudgement did not hope encourage me with some better hap to come Vntill which time my VVorshipfull good friend let this small argument of a farre greater good will excuse my insufficiencie and win acceptance in your woonted affable nature perswading your selfe that I liue in hart and vnfained affection next vnder God and the Queene my gracious Mistres to do you the vtmost deuoire and seruice I can Now a little to informe you as concerning this small Treatise in the iudgement of the learned it hath been commended for a very godly and comfortable labour in that it discourseth of the most high argument that may be handled in writing euen Loue the beginning and ende wherof no humane wit can comprehend And one thing shall not bee amisse for your worship to marke that this Booke being written by Friers men of no smal reckoning among the Papists yet how they write against their own idolatry superstition and trumperie inueigh at the great follies and disorders among themselues is to be noted which was some cause why I published it at this instant when men of that coat and cognisance grow to so many wicked and rebellious attempts If they will read this Booke I thinke they may finde matter enough to fal out of Loue with their blind ignorance and vnite themselues to the true liuely image of Loue euer God and his Church which I desire they may if God haue not altogether giuen thē ouer or els to confound them what they intend to the hurt of his trueth and our most gracious Queene Thus leauyng further to trouble your VVorship I remain deuoted to you and yours in all hartie and humble affection Your VVorships at commaund A. Monday The intent of the Author and what he purposeth in the discourse folowing Chapter 1. IN all our actions eyther priuate or publique we determine an ende or purpose before wée begin which ser●●●● as a line or rule to direct vs both in the continuaunce of the worke and in the iust limit and ending thereof My determination then being alreadie digested and the full issue of my enterprise duelie considered it shall suffise in thrée or foure wordes to make you acquainted there with and so to procéede to euerie circumstance The matter wherof I am to speak is Loue not that fonde and lasciuious Loue whereof the Poets are inuenters but of that holie diuine Loue whereof God himselfe is the onelye foundation according as it is written Deus est charitas And in this occasion of so high and excellent consequence albeit no tongue can sufficientlie speake of it nor wit or iudgment of man sound the depth also sacred a misterie yet according to that poore Talent which God hath giuen mée I will labour to finde out that true and perfecte Image of Christian Loue which is the beautie and glory of Heauen and maketh wretched sinners like Gods on the earth And to this onelie end is all the matter following intended to distinguish all extraordinarie loues and affections by thēselues with briefe discriptions of euery one in their colours that that Loue of so great maiestie may bee the more cléerelie discerned imbraced of euery one as so rare a Iewell ought Of naturall Loue. Chapter 2. WHen I entred into consideration of the verye worde it selfe Loue and that I would gladlie finde the true forme or portrait thereof yet ignoraunt howe or where to come by it I went first vnto Nature as one desirous to sée how I could be furthered by her in so serious a serche Shee shewed me manie goodlie platformes and figures which shee receiued as she said from her Predecessors and for that cause she was the more charie and choise of them Yet notwithstanding I had no great liking to thē because not onelie their colours decayed but their vertues were growne of no account or reputation yet were they estéemed among wise men fooles and Heathen men yea amongst beastes and vnreasonable but for so little profit was to be looked for by them in my present intent I could not entertaine anie opinion of them and yet it shall not bee greatlie out of square for me to tell you what thinges they were which Nature shewed me The first figure which she brought me terming it by the name of the Image of Loue was the Loue among Kindred and Parents which I did verie well remember could bee of no value except the holy Ghost set helping hand too by reason it is sometime verie hurtfull it maketh men blinde peruerteth the true order of Iustice and fooles verie often before wise men It taketh awaie right iudgment contrary vnto S. Paules doctrine and example for he saith Neminem nouimus secundum carnem We know no man after kindred or carnall affection It caused Hely to be reprooued of God when as he himselfe rebuked him thus Why hast thou made more of thy children then of me Wherefore as it foloweth in the Bible he died an euil death and his children likewise It hindereth vs also from finding our Lorde and Sauiour Christ Jesus as wee haue an example or figure left in the holie Gospell after Saint Luke that when Christe was sought among hys kinsefolke and acquaintance he could not be founde which made S. Barnard to say Lord I can not find thee but in

refraine from suspition detraction and from all euill speaking one of another which indéede polluteth and defileth both other mens consciences and their owne also Many doo make gaye and adorne the materiall temple or Church and shewe great reuerence and deuotion in it but to what end is that saith y ● prophet Ezechiel When the temple of their soule is ful of serpents Idols abhominations of Egipt that is euill and vncleane thoughts well worthy to be auoided and suspended Wee sing and praise God with our tongue let vs looke that wee doo so likewise with our heart and minde We speake fayre and deuoutly wyth our mouth let vs meane as well in our soules or els it is not well The body is kept and contained within a little house or Cell let not the minde then be wandering about y ● huge wide world Wee account it well doone of vs if we vse oftentimes to accuse our selues of our sinnes before a Prieste our ghostly father but it is much better doone and more auayling to our soules health when we doo secretelie and earnestly accuse and confesse our sinnes to God with a true penitent and vnfeygned hatred of them and with a zealous and labouring intent to forsake them for the true loue and feare of God for an inwarde wounde must haue an inward medicine and none is able to forgiue sinne but hee that with the breath of his mouth confoundeth sinne and treadeth triumphantly vpon death hell and damnation If ye come to heare the worde of God which is the most necessary and onely foode of the soule heare it inwardly least it be sayd Audientes nō●●diunt They heare and heare not But heare Gods word so outwardly that you may saie with the Prophet Dauid Audiam quid loquatur in me Dominus Deus I wyll hearken what the Lord God speaketh in me wyth feruent desire to accomplish in deede that which is shewed in word that it may be said vnto you Blessed are they which heare the worde of God and keepe it that is as much to say as we should heare it with the eare of obedience which eare Dauid exhorteth the Kings daughter to incline shee whose beauty was inwardlie in hemmes of Gold as I spake before This haue I sayd that we shoulde not leane or trust too much to outward obseruaunces and ceremonies otherwise then the word of truth doth assigne whereto I add that they bee also little or nothing acceptable without the inward and deuout workyng goe therewith We may not leaue of the honourable and deuout customes and holye ordinaunces of the Church Haec oportuit facere et illa non omittere These ought ye to haue doone not to leaue the other vndoone as the outwarde must not bee left off so the other béeing the holy and inward obseruaunces are much more necessarie and they must néedes bee doone if we will haue anie profit of them S. Iohn therefore sayth in his Gospell Spiritus est Deus et eos qui adorant eum in spiritu et veritate oportet adorare God is a spirit and they that worshyp him must worship him in spyrit and in trueth Remember wee not the foolish Virgins who had Lampes of goodlie works outwardlie but they wanted that they should haue had inwardly I meane the Oyle of diuine grace which was the cause the bride groome knewe them not and so they were excluded from the marriage Therfore reare vp an altar in your inward temples euen in the very bottom and depth of your harts you that be the lyuing temples of God there set vp lights of heauenlie knowledge gette you learning bothe by doctrine and grace whereby you may worke teach and shewe examples of light make there your oblations of a méeke and contrite hart there make a swéet sauour to God with y ● burning coles of vnspotted loue and swéete incense of deuotion there knéele méekely with reuerent inclinations there make your protestations with lowlie feare earnest compunction of hart there erect vp your glorious Image of loue there vse your meditations and contemplations and there behold those two Images whereof I shewed you before The one is a goodlie great Image increat and incomprehensible that is GOD himselfe Deus charitas est God is loue The other our owne little Image our little loue created and caused by the Image of God as a little Image in a glasse but yet it is verie precious and good by meanes wherof the soule hath lyfe the ghostly sences y T I spake of And though our loue bee verie little nothing in comparison of y ● other diuine Image which is infinite not to bee equalled in that it excéedeth all thinges whatsoeuer Yet hee wyll haue ours vnto the likenes of his loue saying Hoc mand● vobis vt diligatis in Uicem sicut dilexi vos This I commaund you that you loue together as I haue loued you And many times he inciteth to loue one another and teacheth howe saying Sicut dilexit me pater et ego dilexi vos Manete in dilectione mea As the father hath loued mee euen so haue I loued you Continue you in my loue Agayne Greater loue then this hath no man that a man bestowe his life for hys freends yee are my freendes if you doo what soeuer I commaund you And a number like examples hath hee left vs of hys euerlasting loue that wee myght frame ours thereby towardes our neighbours which because it is of so great valewe and estimation let vs yet speake somewhat more thereof and hold our labour well spent in discoursing on so speciall a matter If wee wyll consider what is the fountayne life and soule of mans vertue and the very roote of all hys christian actions you shall sée that it is onely the true loue of Gods And whosoeuer hath his minde inwardly and thorow lie inflamed with the loue of GOD hee is the blessed man that kéepeth Gods word that fulfilleth al his law that neuer willeth the dooing of euill and euer delighteth in dooing well This loue of God that causeth such perfections in man is likewise called charity and he loueth not God perfectly that is without this charity The perfect loue of GOD cannot stande with any care or study for this lyfe the perfect loue of God abydeth not the coupling with any other loue the perfect loue of God knoweth no affection to kindred it knoweth no difference betwéene poore and rich it knoweth not what meaneth thine and mine it can not distinguish a foe from a fréende For he that truely and perfectly loueth God must loue God alone nothing beside God nor wyth God but loue all indifferently in God and for God We that say wee loue God when wee scant once a day remember him and yet neuer remember wee God in such manner but that more often and more earnestly we remember other things in saying then that