Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	answer_v	good_a	think_v	778	5	3.6818	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93149	A friendly discourse concerning profane cursing and swearing, wherein is shewed the heinousness of those sins, and the necessity of private persons giving informations for the suppressing of them, pursuant to the late act of Parliament In a familiar conference between two plain persons. Made publick for the awakening of the consciences of common-swearers; and the vindication of our religious informers, who have been the instruments of the remarkable abatement of swearing; and for the encouragement of all good Christians, to joyn their endeavours with them for the entire suppressing it; and by giving informations to the magistrates against it, drunkenness, and prophanation of the Lord's Day.		1697 (1697)	Wing S33A; ESTC R230178	11,117	16

worthy Persons both for Families and Estates who are free from this Sin I liv'd in the Family of a very worthy Person of a large Fortune for three years and in all that time I never heard him once either Curse or Swear and I hope our Nation has many more such And since we have a Law for the Punishment of this Sin I heartily wish it was more carefully put in Execution and that every Magistrate and Officer would discharge their Duty in the effectual Punishing and Suppressing of this Sin and that all other Men would be industrious to inform the Magistrate of it as you may expect I will be if ever I hear you Swear or Curse again that you may pay the Penalty the Law directs except you leave off Swearing without it and I think you will have reason to thank me for it M. I must confess I have reason as I told you before to return you thanks for taking so much pains with me but still I hope you will not turn Informer at last But perhaps you are become one of this new Gang of Regulators one of those they in derision call Soul-Savers S. I am not at all solicitous what Names the Agents of Hell do brand us withall for I do openly acknowledge my self to be one of that Number who have engag'd themselves to endeavour to put a Check to the Rampant Vices of our sinful Age such as Cursing Swearing Sabbath-breaking Drunkenness and Uncleanness and the like And how odious soever Men may endeavour to make Us by loading us with Nick-names I am sure both the Law of God and the Law of our Nation do incourage and commend detecting of notorious Offenders to the Magistrate that they may receive a legal Reproof and Punishment for their Sin And this is so far from Hatred that 't is Charity and perhaps the Greatest that can be shewn to such Persons Souls And as to what you urge of turning Informer it 's just as if one Commander at Sea should tell another that he is a Roguish Informer for giving Information how he may escape the Privateers or Pyrates that are in such a place waiting for his coming when at the same time he did not know of it before and by the Information he and his Cargo is saved from being taken by those Pyrates and Robbers And as for your hoping I will not turn Informer against Swearers I hope I shall love Almighty God better and my Neighbour and my self too than to take your Advice in this case when it is my Duty and an act of Charity and the Duty of all Men to turn Informers And 't was a standing Rule in the Jewish Nation That such as heard or saw the Fact were to be Informers and Witnesses against the Offender although it were a Friend or a Neighbour nay they were to be Executioners too as we read Deut. 17.7 The hands of the Witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to Death and afterwards the hands of all the People And in Levit. 24.11 we find the People that heard the Blasphemy and Curses of the Son of Shelomith carried him before the Magistrate They told Moses of it and ver 14. he gives Command to have him punish'd and all that heard him laid their hands upon his head and let all the Congregation stone him Besides I and all Mankind are commanded to discharge this Charitable Office Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt in any ways rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him So that I am diligently to pursue all proper means to pull the Swearer out of the Fire and there is a Necessity of appealing to the Minister to the Magistrate to the Church and to the Seat of Justice that all fit Spiritual Censures and Temporal Chastisements may be applyed to him here in time that his Soul may be saved and that others may hear and fear that we may put away the Evil from the whole Body of the People Again we pray That Magistrates may minister Justice in the Punishment of Wickedness and Vice and How can we expect our Prayers to be answer'd except we give Information to Them since the Offence is seldom committed in the presence of the Magistrate so that Magistrates must have Information from those that hear or see the Offence committed And I hope I have convinced you of the Necessity as well as the Duty of it M. I must confess that I am almost convinced that the Informer does no more than the discharge of his Duty yet I should have taken it ill of you if you had informed against me You being my particular Friend and so long acquainted with me S. How can you take that ill that is designed for your good and when a Man does no more than the discharge of his Duty and I had almost said the greatest Kindness he can do you For if Good Laws be necessary if the Execution of them be necessary if Magistrates be necessary for That then must also the Knowledge of the Offences committed against the Laws be necessary to the Magistrate and because they are seldom committed in the presence of the Magistrate due Information by those who have sufficient knowledge of any such Offences is likewise necessary and the very Foundation upon which the due Execution of the Laws doth depend From whence it doth plainly follow that if Wickedness doth abound in a Nation as we see and hear this Sin of Cursing and Swearing doth by reason of which I heartily wish and pray that that Prophecy is not now fulfilled of England which was once of Judah Jer. 23.10 for this Wickedness so much abounds in this Nation that we have reason to pray that we are not involv'd in a National Guilt for not faithfully discharging our Duty in the Correction and Reformation of it nay even if it be to a Friend or a Neighbour if we have sufficient knowledge of the Offence let us give due Information to some proper Magistrate unless the Offender will otherwise be brought to do what is requisite And as I shew'd before this is a Duty confirmed by the Authority of Sacred Scripture in those Texts I have just now quoted to you and I might quote many more to that purpose therefore I cannot see how you or any body else can take it ill that are Guilty of this Crying Sin if I or Others should Inform the Magistrate of it M. I must confess I am convinc'd I cannot take it ill and I think there is a Necessity in this wicked Age for Men to do it and I heartily pray that if ever I Swear again I may be punish'd for it and as you have been an Instrument under God to convince me of this Sin as well as of the Necessity of Informing against it I shall ever prize your Friendship and think my self happy in so good an Acquaintance and I hope you will pardon the Trouble I have put you to in answering my rude Arguments S. I cannot think that a Trouble which I do for the Good of my Friend and I must confess you make my Heart rejoice to hear you say you are convinced of the Sin as well as the Necessity of Informing for without Informations to Magistrates this Crying Sin will hardly be stopp'd and I wish good Men would be as openly Pious and Vertuous and resolutely bent in the Punishing of Vice as wicked Men are openly Vicious and Impudent in Committing of it and as they are not ashamed to Swear and prophane the Name of GOD Why should I be ashamed to Inform the Magistrate of it and as they take pains to get to Hell let us be at some pains to get to Heaven Let us declare our selves for God first by living good Lives our selves and next by incouraging others to do the same and where we meet with those that are so far Servants to the Devil as to break the Laws of God and the Nation let us shew our selves to be the Servants of our God by vindicating his Name his Laws and the wholsome Laws of the Nation that by our Informations to the Magistrate the Offender may be brought to see the Greatness of his Sin and by that Punishment and Shame brought to Repentance And putting the Laws in Execution will be one great means to mend the World and without this it will hardly be done It is not good Books nor good Preaching will reclaim such prophane and profligate Wretches as the Swearers and Drunkards and Sabbath-breakers are for such Persons will seldom or never read good Books nor hear Sermons nor accept of Counsel and Advice They seem to be out of the reach of all other methods except that of Information to the Magistrate But when Magistrates Constables and Church-Wardens who are under special Obligations by their Oath resolve to keep them in good earnest and all good Christians ingage in it to punish and frown Prophaneness out of Countenance then the World will mend if not grow devout yet at least grow modester and civiller towards Religion when good Men give Evidence that they do believe in good earnest by Punishing the Prophaneness of all open Offenders according as the Laws direct and for which very end the very Laws were made And we should condemn the Wisdom of our Fore-fathers as well as our own Parliament if we did not do it for if Good Laws be not put in Execution they had better never been made then not to have them Executed for as the Violation of Laws is a Contempt of Authority so the Neglect of the Execution is a Prostitution of it exposing the Government and tending to the Dissolution of it and to habituate and harden the People the more in Wickedness and Disobedience which God forbid in this Christian Nation where all Men ought to ingage in the Prevention of it as I hope you will now you say you are convinced of it But Sir lest I should give you an Occasion to say I have paid you too long a Visit I shall only remind you seriously to consider what I have said and apply it to your own Heart and Soul as you are going to Bed and when you are in it and I shall pray it may be to God's Glory So wishing you and all your Family a good Night I remain Your most Faithful Friend and Humble Servant H. S. FINIS