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
A95864	A sermon preached to the Honorable House of Commons; at their late solemne fast, December, 28. Wherein is described 1. The church her patience: 2. Her hope. In the exercise of both which graces, she is enabled to waite upon God in the way of his judgements: in which divers cases are propounded and resolved. That the soul sick of love, doth with more difficulty endure the absence of Christ, then the present evils of this world. By Thomas Valentine, Rector of Chalfont in Buckinghamshire. Published by order of that House.	Valentine, Thomas, 1585 or 6-1665?	1643 (1643)	Wing V26; Thomason E86_32; ESTC R12382	44,658	51

bring him meate he cannot have patience or Secondly from Love as a loving wife whose husband is gone into a far Countrey she longs for his coming home and takes little joy of any thing till she see him returned if she did not love him so much she would not be so troubled And so is the Church impatient till Christ come to her which ariseth from that exceeding love she beares to him and because love admits of no long delay therefore it you aske why the soule cannot be more patient I answer because she is sicke of Love and so the Church is not ashamed to professe Cant. 2.5 And as Christ spake in another case so I may speake in this This sicknesse is not unto death nay it is the beginning and a good measure of eternall life Oh! if I knew it were no worse it would abate my griefe For thy satisfaction I will breifly describe what it is to be sicke of Love that thereby thou may judge of that impatience that comes from Love The soul that hath a more full apprehension and a clearer light to see the admirable excellencies of Jesus Christ is rapt and ravished with love towards him and love being the commanding affection of the soule is carried towards him in an unresistable manner for Love is strong as death and will not endure any thing to come betweene it and the object Love carries the soul out of a mans self Amor pont● amantem extra se Aqui● and placeth it upon the partie loved it makes it to be in two bodies It is pleased and delighted in the object it feeds it self with present contentment Amor est sui pabulum and hope of future enjoyment it thinks often of the divine perfections that are in Christ it beholds him in all his works with admiration especially in that which was his Master-peice our Redemption It viewes his rare properties of goodnesse holinesse puritie meeknesse humilitie c. And all set in the sweetest and most amiable disopsition that ever was it observes with what a Heavenly disposition he conversed among men how willingly he instructed them in the mysteries of salvation how readily he condescended to the ignorant and weake how gracious he was to great offenders when once he saw them penitent how wisely he answered the questions of his cavilling adversaries and put them all to silence Matth. 22.46 Whereupon it concludes not onely in point of affection but Judgement that he is the cheifest among ten thousand Cant. 5.10 And if God should shew us his glory and make all his good to passe before us as once he did to Moses Exod. 33.19 yet we could not thinke well enough of him for our thoughts could not comprehend his excellency nor could we love him according to his worth and therefore we cannot erre in our Love It is no blind doting affection as for the most part is among friends The Church may give full scope to her affections and she is so farre from longing too much she can never love enough but her love being well grounded she is constant and firmly setled and if she think any thing should separate it would be as death and delayes is very irksome she longs for her Saviour and knows reason for her longing which women men with child do not and yet if they be not satisfied they will miscarrie so the Church in her longing agrees in the perill but differs in the cause And the Church is sick partly because the object of her desires is so glorious that it overcomes the spirit as the very smell of strong water will overcome the brain and the glorious beams of the sunne will dazle the eye So Christ the King of glorie offering himself to his Church doth amaze and overwhelme the soul more then Saul did David by offering him his daughter to wife and to make him son in law to a King And also the want of Christ works in the soul as a disease in the bodie The fears and cares in the Church which are in every beleeving heart lest she should not enjoy Christ are as the cold fits in an Ague and by such faintings such pantings and short breathing you may easily conclude there is sicknesse and every soul in such a case discovers love for it cannot long lie hid and such as are sick of love are sick for Christ and long after him and languish for him and will never be cured till they enjoy him and it is no wonder if they be impatient nay it were not well if it were not so If any that have enjoyed God in his ordinances and found the sweetnesse of them should be debarred for a yeer or more from the Word and Sacraments love would make the soul impatient of that time and account it very long and cry out with David Psal 42.1 2. When shall I come and appear before God in Sion And if in the lesse then it holds in the greater that the time seems long till we enjoy Christ And as the former so this comes from love and they are sick of love that find it in themselves And it will further appear 1. In the ordinarie times of meeting love will not suffer us to stay away unlesse in case of urgent necessitie for as the persons that are in love cannot but go to meet each other so the beleever cannot stay at home when occasions of meeting are offered where Christ is there she would be and therefore according to his own direction she goes to the Shepheards tents Cant. 1.7 where she is not satisfied with the place nor the dutie nor the ordinance but she must injoy Christ himself she must see him and hear his voice and her heart is therewith contented and burns within her if either he be silent and will not speak or if he hide himself and will not be seen or do appear frowning then she is down in her spirit and much dejected she mourns secretly and is sick at heart she presently apprehends his anger and would do any thing to appease him she would humble her soul as lowe as may be and kisse the dust if there be hope that he will look kindly again upon her Lam. 3.29 and till she see the light of his countenance and behold his power and glory in the sanctuarie as in former times Psal 63.2 and till she find the joyfull sence and feeling of his loving kindnesse in her heart she mourns as a woman forsaken or divorced takes joy in nothing is very impatient of his absence but never blames her Saviour but imputes the cause of her sorrow to her own ill carriage and misdemeanour and thereupon she takes up new lamentations over her old corruptions and gives not over her confessions and prayers till he again return to her in mercie which when he pleaseth to do she is the more joyfull by the driving away of her former fears and griefs and as friends meet more lovingly and greet more heartily after

afflictions were laid upon Gods people Israel groaning under the Egyptian bondage is but in a way of preparation to go out with jewels and gold and great riches And the like was made good in Isaiahs prophesie Isa 54.11 O thou afflicted and tossed with tempest that hast no comfort behold I will lay thy stones with the Carbuncle and lay thy foundation with Saphires I will make thy windows of Agates and thy gates shining stones and thy borders of pleasant stones The Church was then afflicted and like a poore man in a cold cottage and if they could have patience till God had done that which he was about he would make their condition better Seeing then that though in affliction the Church be as a woman forsaken Isa 54.6 yet seeing she shall be as a royall diademe in the hand of her God she hath great reason to be patient Isa 62.3 And in the present troubles of our Land when it is demanded of us how things go in the Kingdom We may answer It is well for the present and will be better hereafter We do not meane it is simplie well but in comparison of what was heretofore The bondage we were in was farre greater and it was a Spirituall servitude that did inslave the soules of men And if we consider the libertie of the Gospel now more fully injoyed then in former times And do esteem that above our Wealth we shall be easilie perswaded to thinke it better then heretofore I am sure we the Preachers of the Gospell have cause so to thinke And when they object their great Losses their Sheepe and Oxen are driven away by Hundreds we grant they do exceedingly try their Patience But if they please to remember that the like nay greater numbers of men were monethlie fetcht into the Ecclesiasticall Courts and with troublesome Journeys tedious Attendance and unjust vexatious suites spent more money then these Losses amount unto they may be brought to beleeve it is now better then heretofore And we have cause to render thankes to God and You his worthie Instruments for this freedome Such as have been whipt with their Scourges can easily assent to this which wee affirme And our fore-fathers did rejoyce in the Hope of that we do in part enjoy and would have parted with great summs of Money for the enjoyment thereof It was with some in former times as with Josephus the Iew who was perswaded that Vespatian the Emperour should set him free out of Prison when yet there was no great probability that he should obtaine the Empire being a man in the Armie not so well knowne or so much honoured as if opportunity were offered to be able to carry it but so it fell out that he obtained his desire And divers had a private perswasion that this Parliament should set them free and it hath prooved answerable to their desire And the like hope they conceive for the future that Your zeale will earnestly endeavour to finish and perfect the worke which God hath called You unto And they daylie pray that God would crowne Your labours with happie successe Medita ∣ tion 7 The seventh consideration let the Church consider what she looseth and how farre she suffers viz. the losse of some things that may be spared and which God will make up in some thing else as good If theeves come and take away some earthen pots or pewter and brasse and such like things and yet carrie away none of your gold and silver no man would cry out that he were undone because though he loose some of his goods yet his treasure remains Heathens accounted their riches to lie in the vertues of the mind which made the Phylosopher in the taking of the Citie when his house was ransackt among the rest and he lost all that was found therein yet he comes out mertily among them that lamented their losses Non est tuum quod fortuna facit tuum Vincent spec moral Vbi fortuna reliqua depraedatur omnia atque adimit habemus aliquid in nobis me ipsis tale quod ferre aut agere invitis non possit achivus Pl●t de tranquil ani and said he had lost nothing And he gave this for a reason those things are not mine to be numbred among my goods which are casuall and subject to fortune and if a Heathen much more a Christian man may rejoyce because his faith and hope of heaven cannot be taken away his riches lie in Christ his treasure is laid up in heaven and no malice can reach that Nay troubles further our faith and interest in Christ for it befalls them that are going to heavenward as it happens to children who being sent of an arrand if they meet with nuts or flowers by the way they loyter and make no haste homeward but if any thing fright them then they run as fast as may be So men in peaceable and quiet conditions they make not such haste to heaven-ward but if adversity or persecution befall them then they mend their pace and come and relate all to God their heavenly Father and in this or somewhat else he will make up their losse for so he hath promised Zach. 10.6 I will have mercy upon the house of Iudah and Ioseph and they shall be as though I had not cast them off and I will hear them It is peculiar to men that fear God to be so in affliction as if they were not afflicted both because they are not overcome or forsaken in their trouble 2. Cor. 4.8 9. And also to make up their losses in the world God shews himself more present with them at that time which makes them joyfull and it is no more then if a man were in a fair dyning roome with much companie and there is some speciall friend whom he loves dearly that calls him aside to speak in private of businesse that neerly concerns him and though he go into a worse roome yet he is well enough pleased So God cals men out of much companie of friends out of their houses and estates and if they loose that way yet if he will speak with them and conferre with them about their peace and comfort and salvation in another world this will make them sing in prison and sing in the dust and they will be as if they had not been cast off and when God restores them the blessings again they are fitter to use them So that consider what thou loosest and then withall consider what the Churches enemies shall suffer and that will make thee patient they shall endure not any light afflictions it will fall heavie upon them they shall not be bereaved of some lesser benefits which they can spare but God will utterly undo them So he threatens Zeph. 3.19 in which place the Lord comforts his people and promiseth to gather them that were sorrowfull for the solemne assemblies ver 18. And to save her that halted and gather them that were driven out and to get

a time of absence so do Christ and his Church the Father and his prodigall sonne make not more merrie the Bridegroome and the Bride rejoyce not more then Christ and his Spouse do upon their renewed amitie and agreement 2. In times and occasions extraordinarie if she sees her Saviour in any mercie in any joyes of the spirit or in any deliverance or in the granting of her requests especially in such things as respects her soul and salvation she is moved her blood stirs within her and all the powers of her soul are quickned and revived if she hear him speak not onely in the sound of words Cant. 2.14 but the efficacie of his spirit she cannot sit still but riseth and cries it is the voice of my well-beloved Cant. 2.8 And if these two sences which let in and let out love were not exercised in seeing and hearing Christ she could not with any patience wait for him Cap 5.16 Let me see thy countenance and hear thy voice for it is sweet and comely But these stay her heart and therefore we from hence conclude what she is sick of A Physitian knows the disease and by the operation of his medicines he still is confirmed in his knowledge for if hot things do good then he knows the disease comes of cold causes so if we would know whether we be sick of love observe what allayes thy grief and what encreaseth it if nothing but the fruition of Christ himself will cure thee and secondly nothing but that which is next to fruition namely seeing and hearing of Christ will asswage thy distressed heart then know thou art sick of love Ob. But then it may be thou wilt reply and say this is poore comfort to tell me that I am sick I knew that before and my griefs plainly shew it Ans I answer that to know thy particular disease is more then to know in generall thou art sick and it is a skilfull Physitian that can discover the disease and if before or now thou knowest this thou may for ever rejoyce for wheras many are sick for the satisfaction of their lusts as Ammon for Tamar thou art sick for Christ and shalt undoubtedly be cured This disease shews not weaknesse but the excellencie of the temper of the soul and being so noble a disposition of an heavenly heart is not properly a disease but onely by way of resemblance as sick persons longing for somewhat so is the soul for Christ But as the fruition of the Bridegroome can cure the love sick Bride so Christ onely must do it the Preachers of the Word are but the friends of the Bridegroome and cannot do it but let me do a friendly office I will bring thee before him whom thou lovest and put a few words into thy mouth which thou must utter I will frame thee a short Petition which thou must thy self deliver O my Saviour my Joy my Crown The love sick soul breaths out some such ejaculations the top and height of all my hopes thou hast ravished my soul with thy divine perfections and raised my poore lowe spirit to an higher pitch then ever by the power of nature it could have attained unto I did affect such things as pleased my eye and eare and should have doted to this day upon sencible objects but now I see that all things under the Sun are meer vanities fading flowers and perishing delights thou hast revealed better things unto me and I see by a new light the things that concern my happines thou hast set before me the joyes of heaven and hast shewed me the excellency of that estate wherein the soul enjoyes communion with thee and now I do condemne all my former sinfull delights and being grown to yeers of understanding I admire how simple I was when I was a child but much more do I wonder at the foolish delights of my unregeneracie I find all things that then did possesse my mind to be in comparison of thee no better then childish toyes I now relinquish and renounce them but my heart is stirred with restlesse desires after thee and oh how am I pained till I come unto thee and how am I more unquiet in my thoughts then when I slept securely in my sins how is my spirit reaching after that which I cannot compasse nothing but thy self O my Saviour will satisfie and while I am absent in the bodie how shall I do to live without thee especially seeing I am in the midst of so many adversaries that daily grieve my soul sometimes I hear men blaspheming thy blessed name others are breaking out into odious and disgracefull speeches against thy truth and the wayes of Religion other fall upon thy people and offer them all the hardship and ill usage that wit and malice can devise and thy poore Church is as a ship upon the Sea in a storme as a traveller in the wildernesse in a mistie dark day as all creatures in Winter that are half dead for want of the heat of the Sunne thy turtle Dove is frighted by every ravening bird thy flock is exposed to the rage of each devouring woolfe and what with fears that do fall upon my trembling heart and the want of good that my spirit is set upon I am restlesse and know not what to do tell me O thou whom my soul loves how I can be patient and wait till thou come unto me though thou should be as a young Hart and a Roe upon the mountains Cant. 2.17 Christ by his Spirit will return some such answer O my Spouse my welbeloved how am I troubled for thee how do I grieve with thee how willingly would I ease thee of thy fears and griefs if I had not other works in hand that must not be hindred I would soon deliver thee out of thine enemies hands but that I purpose by thine afflictions to raise thee to greater honour and to bring them to greater shame I will in due time come and wipe away all thy tears and remove all thy fears and put thee in possession of glory And for the quieting of thy longing desires and setling of thy impatient heart remember it was honour enough unto thee that I espoused thee unto me that I entred into covenant with thee and am become thine and thou art mine I loved thee when thou wast naked deformed and in thy blood I found thee poore and have enriched thee a miserable captive and have ransomed thee I laid down my life for thee and let out my own blood to cure thee thou art dear unto me and precious in mine eye thou shalt be unto me as the loving Hinde and pleasant Roe and I will delight in thy love continually and that our joy may be full I will a while defer our marriage that thou may be made more beautifull and more pleasing to me I will remove every spot and wrinkle all thy sins and the fruits of them both from soul and bodie and