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	love_n	love_v	2,519	5	6.3625	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61248	A sermon preached in the Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St. Peter in York, January 30th, 1688/9, and published at the request of the auditors by William Stainforth ...	Stainforth, William, d. 1713.	1689 (1689)	Wing S5173; ESTC R13543	15,374	42

People or Nation in common to grieve and mourn for the death of a good King. Now all Grief supposeth the Loss of something which we esteemed and valued and which some way or other contributed to our delight or our advantage For Grief is a trouble and perturbation of Mind which is raised and effected in us through the sense and experience of such a loss and therefore when we grieve and mourn for the death of any Person our Grief speaks the interest we had in his Life and the sufferings we feel by his Death And as the very Make and Principles of humane Nature by a strong and powerfull Bias incline us to love and esteem those who oblige us by their favours and kindnesses who are usefull and beneficial to us who are the happy instruments of the ease and comfort of our lives so the same Nature as strongly disposes us for Grief when Death takes such a dear Friend from us and will not allow us to consider the loss which we sustain by his departure without a real and hearty concernment without a sensible and afflictive Sorrow And as our Natures urge and necessitate us to grieve on such a sad occasion so Religion allows it for the Design of Religion is not to extinguish our affections but to rectifie them not to root out our passions but to reclaim and reduce them to bring them into good order to put them under the discipline and conduct of right Reason and to keep them within those bounds and limits which were originally set and prescribed unto them Religion allows us to love the good things of this world in proportion to their worth and value their conveniency and usefulness and in subordination to our love of God and of the things above And it allows us to grieve for the loss of what we love so long as our Grief exceeds not the causes of it nor riseth beyond the merits of the things whose loss affect us with it so long as it does not grow up into Fret and Vexation and Impatience nor sallies out into Murmurings and Repinings but keeps a just decorum and due consistency with our dutifull submissions and humble resignations to the Will of Almighty God. Thus our Blessed Saviour himself who had no passions but what were natural and innocent grieved John. 11. 35. for the death of Lazarus and expressed that Grief by shedding Tears which the Jews interpreted as an argument of the Love and Affection which we had for him And thus may we love our Friends and Relatives and mourn for the death of those we love without any guilt or danger without any disparagement to our Reason or any offence to God if we do but take care to avoid the criminal and intemperate Excesses of either And if our Nature constrains and our Religion allows us to grieve for the death of a private Friend whose kindnesses perhaps went no farther than our selves or at most were extended but to a few besides how much more then for the death of a good King whose Benefactions were as diffusive as his Authority and like the benign influences of the Sun ran through all the parts of the Nation visited all the corners of the Kingdom and gave life and vigour and spirit to the whole Community for a good King is the most publick and comprehensive Blessing imaginable because such a King derives and secures unto his People all the Blessings and Comforts which can proceed from a wife and gentle a just and mercifull administration of Government For it is inconsistent with the notion and nature of a good King to govern arbitrarily as that signifies governing by mere Will Humour and Passion for that is the proper temper and character of a Tyrant who abuseth his just Authority to evil purposes and instead of protecting his Subjects oppresseth them and instead of ruling them prudently with all his Power turns his Power into an instrument of his rage and folly and exerciseth it upon his People not for their preservation but destruction and so makes his Government a Curse instead of a Blessing No a good King is acted by other principles and proceeds by other measures and takes his aims and directions from other ends He considers the ends for which Government was instituted and his Authority given him and because both were designed for the Peace and Order and Prosperity of the whole Community therefore he never exerciseth his Authority but with respect to these publick ends and in subserviency to them As he has a tender and paternal care for his People so in all the expresses of his sovereign Power he consults and intends their common interest and welfare and instead of governing them with the ungratefull roughness and severity of an imperious Lord he rules them with the endearing affections and compassions of an indulgent Father And upon this account good Kings are in Holy Scripture compar'd to the most usefull and beneficial Things and have Titles and Appellatives of Honour given them which are borrowed from those excellent Things Thus they are call'd The Healers of Isai 3. 7. a Land because by their wise and prudent administration of Government they apply proper remedies to the diseases and distempers of it and cure the wounds and breaches which have been made in it The Bars of it because Lam. 2. 9. by their watchfulness and providence and necessary preparations they secure it from being invaded and rifled by foreign force and violence The Shields of it because by their Psal 47. 9. power and strength they defend it from mischief and protect it from violence The Foundations Psal 11. 3. of it because by their prudent care and conduct and discreet management of publick affairs they support the peace and prosperity of it and preserve it from sinking into confusion and falling into disorder by intestine Seditions and Commotions They are styled Sheepherds and Fathers which import not onely their power and dominion over their People but also their watchfull care and tender affections for them Nay as if every thing upon Earth were too scanty and little to make up a just Comparison and to set forth the mighty usefulness and excellency of their Persons they are styled Gods which would have been accounted a piece of Court-blasphemy if we had not had the Authority of Holy Scripture to warrant the use of it And indeed a good King may in some sort be justly reckon'd an earthly God because he represents the heavenly One not onely in his Majesty and Power but also in his Love and Goodness and in those invaluable blessings and benefits which he procures for and conveys to his People And therefore no wonder that such a King is dear to his Subjects and gains such an interest in their affections and extends his Empire to their very Souls which no earthly force can reach no humane power can subdue and makes him reign over their minds as well as their bodies and establisheth his