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	heart_n	love_n	1,178	5	5.0861	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45539	The saints gain by death, and their assurance thereof a sermon preached at the funerall of that worthy patriot Richard More, esquire, late one of the burgesses in this present Convention of Parliament for the town of Bishops-Castle in the countie of Salop / by Humphrey Hardwick ...	Hardwick, Humphrey, b. 1601 or 2.	1644 (1644)	Wing H705; ESTC R279	16,113	31

natures as to make them seem great in expectation before they are attained but when they come to be possessed they vanish What sugared delights do beloved sinnes promise but alas they still shamefully deceive our expectation the delight wings away and the act leaves a guilt behind How little is our life the better for our pleasures The last ornaments of our earthly tabernacles is humane or secular learning Learning Litera tutissimae sunt divitiae quae nec eripi possunt nec gravant circumferentem Erasm these I grant are of all the safest treasures they can neither be plundered nor be they burthensome to the bearer but true it is that no full content or perfection can be had in knowledge fraile man but weake of brain hath his vessell too shallow to comprehend sufficiencie Our study doth but learn us of our want put us on to a further search into letters and render us still lesse satisfied I gave my heart said Solomon to know wisdom and I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit for in much wisdom is much grief and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow Eccles 1.17 18. Lo thus my brethren we have taken a brief view of all the things which our earthly house of this tabernacle doth afford and we have found as well by what we have as what we are that our state and condition here is frail transitory perishing As evident likewise will it appear that the building not made with hands the state of a faithful soul after this life is blessed and eternall Witnesse first the many titles of excellencie which in Gods book are given to it The Apostle speaking of it calls it the riches glory and inheritance of Saints in light so he stiles it by way of eminencie Now riches doth there comprehend all things profitable glory all things gracefull and delighting inheritance signifieth perpetuity everlastingnesse In other places it is called light life joy blessednesse all in abstracts to intimate the most transcendent perfections that can be Yea more it is affirmed to be a kingdom to be a Crown to be a kingdom of glory to be a crown of life to be an eternall weight of glory which passeth not away The time would fail me to set forth the least part of that high praise those sweet and admirable testimonies which the holy Scriptures give of it 1. And in reason it may appear thus if we consider who provided this building and at what rates it was purchased Know we then that as it was not of mans framing so was it not of his providing this was such a building as eye had not seen nor eare heard nor could it enter into the heart of man it was not in his power to turn his hand to making of any such provision none of them can by any means redeem his brother or give God a ransome the redemption of the soul is pretious man must let that alone for ever Psal 49.7 8. nor could the Angels reach this work they fell and cannot help themselvs nor can their own fellow Angels steed them in this behalf it was an infinit work to provide these mansions none therefore but the blessed Sonne of God who is coequall with the Father could prepare this building nor could he obtain it at any lower rate then his own precious blood shed in a most ignominious and cursed manner and by this we may guesse at the worth of this building 2. Secondly consider for whom it is provided not for the world Christ would not so much as pray for them it was for his own for those who were his Fathers children the elect of God holy and beloved the sonnes and daughters of the King of glory If men that are evill will provide fair buildings for their children what buildings will our heavenly Father by his Son provide for his Yet more these Mansions were prepared for the best of Angels those incomparable spirits which remained pure as they came out of the hands of God Christ provided the place we speak of for their eternal habitation which may sufficiently prove the building not made with hands to be blessed and glorious Lastly call we to mind the chiefe end for which it serves namely to manifest therein the highest degree of Gods revealed glory and to participate the most transcendent measure of happinesse to the chiefest creatures therefore this building that state and condition must needs be blessed and eternall in the heavens If I had time to stay on this point I could further illustrate the glory of our future condition in the particulars of it As 1. the taking again of the soul into the blessed hands of God who gave it 2. The beautifying of it with glorious endowments polishing it for an heavenly eternall being 3. The actuall admittance of it into the Empyreall heaven that is above 4. The conjoyning or planting of it into the all-ravishing societie of Saints and Angels 5. The uniting of it to our glorified Saviour as its head or husband 6. The conferring on it fulnesse of joy and infinite rivers of pleasures 7. The filling of it with the blessed vision and fruition of Jehovahs face in glory Take a glimpse of these things in the sight of our minds and I shall need stay no longer in the confirmation of the point Now the light of these holy truths reflected on our selves doth wonderfully accuse almost all men and women of folly and madnesse for our so much love seeking joying delighting and contenting our selves in our earthly house of this tabernacle how foolish and unwise are we to chuse the worser baser building to be taken up wholly with the things before us to place our heart and affections on things below which are fraile transitory perishing Wee can blame Esau for preferring a messe of pottage before his birth-right Ahab for selling his soul to get a vineyard the fool for building bigger barnes and solacing his soul with goods laid up but alas we are many of us guilty of the same folly we live taken up with a secure joy out of a vain apprehension of pleasure in our present state and the enjoyment of outward things as if we had chosen them to be our chiefe portion and this world to be our Heaven Your consciences can tel you that you are even more guiltie then I can speak you do and will love most the house of tabernacle and will not be perswaded to unglue your affection and take off the eagernesse of your pursuit after the things that perish We have many warnings especially in these times from heaven from earth from God from man by the losse of goods friends houses lands fathers children husbands all bespeaking us to abate our love to the world and the things of this world yet pitie it is few or none will enter into a due and dutifull consideration of the vanitie of these worldly things or once in good earnest endeavour to wean their hearts from these earthen