Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	appear_v	great_a	time_n	915	5	3.1574	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94266	A vvarning-piece for the slumbring virgins. Or, An alarm to the friends of the bridegroom, in some awakening meditations upon Christ's own watch-word, Matth. 26.41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, &c. / By Geo: Scortreth, preacher of the Gospel in Lincoln.	Scortreth, George, b. 1612 or 13.	1657 (1657)	Wing S937; Thomason E1638_3; ESTC R209055	57,932	207

hard great work to watch after a spirituall manner they that are upon this work in good earnest find a great deale of good work to doe there 's much cut out to their hands The Lord of the Vineyard will not suffer them to be idle upon his watch hee 'l find them awakening work ther 's head-work hand-work heart-work tongue-work life-worke ther 's work within and without at home and abroad their own and others for this life and a better there 's work enough to keepe one awake And the more we work in these spiritual exercises of faith love desires c the more watchfull we shall be and the better watchmen and workmen And therefore the Lord will find new work for old idle professors if he delight in them hee 'l bring slumbring Virgins to Soul-travel again and awaken them to purpose they 'l feele such hard labour therein as will be hard to sleep upon And when loitering Servants fall once to labour again heartily in Gods harvest how they 'l sweat at it and do most and best at last when they see how much work they have to do in a little time how they 'l work and watch and watch in work 6. Expectation Souldiers upon the watch wait in expectation either of an enemie to approach or a friend to appeare that they may be in a posture of opposition or reception to resist their enemies and to relieve their friends so in this spirituall watch we must be daily in expectation of our enemies who will be upon us on a sudden and if they take us at unawares we are in an ill taking as we use to say 't will bee to our great prejudice and their advantage An enemie not looked for will be beforehand with us and will hurt us most when we can least help our selves 'T is a time he would chuse of all other when he is least expected as knowing he shall be least resisted Our adversary watches our slumbring times most that he may take us napping and take what he pleases from us and therefore we must ever watch in expectation of him that he may never come unlooked for nothing will more dishearten and disappoint him Our expectation frustates his our unwearied watchings will wearie him out whereas it is a faire invitation to the envious one to lay aside our expectation of him who likes best to come unlooked for and is most to be suspected when he is least expected We must be in expectation also of our best spiritual friend who comes oft skipping like a Roe and loves somtimes to take us on the suddain to see how we are provided He hath given us a faire warning saying Behold I come like a thief that is secretly suddenly in the night that we may ever have him upon our hearts and he may not come in an hour when we think not of him Such a blessed guest would not come unlooked for whose visits are so gracious his love so precious we are like to lose much of the sweet and comfort of holy and happie communion with him if we wait little on him and for him hee 'l not tarry long where he is not long looked for and longingly there he comes and goes suddenly he thinks himself nothing-well or welcom there where his company is not looked for he takes it for a great neglect of him when we doe not expect him and hee will not be long or much there where he is little looked for What are the speciall times for a Christians Spirituall watch As all Christians should watch so at all times there is a time for all things under the Sun but no time to lose in spirituall slumber there 's not a spare-minute for sinfull securitie a Christian must never give over working watching Warring his labours in the Lord must end with his life when he dyes in the Lord and his watch must not fall till he fall asleepe in Jesus This in general but more especially 1. In times of spiritual desertion when the Lord has withdrawn his spirit and grace and seemes to be asleepe and silent to us oh then 't is high time to call upon our selves saying Awake awake and to cry mightily to the Lord to awake and keep not silence When our beloved is going then 't is time as we love him and our own Soules to stirr up our strength to take hold of him and not let him goe for a world does he begin to estrange himself from us Oh cry heartily to him in their language oh thou hope of Israel Jer. 14. ● why should'st thou be a stranger as a waifaring man that tarryes but for a night c Thou art in the mid'st of us oh leave us not Woe unto us when he shall depart from us how many evils will come when he goes away We have all good in the chiefest Good and all evil without him 'T is losse unspeakable to want him whose absence nothing in Heaven or Earth can make up if he say Depart from mee there will be a corner of Hell in it here as it will be the very Hell in Hell hereafter Depart ye cursed c. Woe and alas unto us for we have sadly sinned away his gracious presence as ever any people did by carelesse slumbring and carnal securitie how oft hath he found us slugging it upon beds of ease when his finger has been put in at the hole of the door VVe have made him wait till his head hath been filled with dew Can. 5.2 and his locks with the drops of the night and yet we have not opened the door to him neither for his importunitie nor because he is our friend Had it beene an enemie or a stranger had done thus he could have borne it but that his own familiar friends should lift up the heel against him that ever they should prove so hard-hearted against so tender-hearted a Saviour this goes to the heart indeed And now our Beloved stands behind the wall as one highly offended that will scarce look at those that have shut their eyes against his light and their hearts against his love this glorious Sun covers himself as with a Cloud because we sleepe out the shinings of his light and slumber out sweet breathing-times shamefully even in the sight of the Sun and leaves us under thick spirituall darknesse even such as may be felt and we are covered as with a Cloud in his anger And shall we not now awake and cry after him with open mouth heart eyes saying as the daughters of Jerusalem Whither is our beloved gone Cant. 6.1 whither is he turned aside Oh return return make haste our Beloved and be thou like a young Har● upon the Mountains of spices Cant. 8.14 Oh why should we be as they that are vailed and turn aside c Ah the longer he is absent from us the worse it will be with us every day and the greater distance from him the greater our unhappinesse Oh then as the

They that had seen his glory in the Mount when his Countenance shined as the Sun c must now see him under a Cloude his glory vailed they beheld him in his Triumph and must see him in his trouble 'T is Christs familiar way to be before-hand with his suffering Servants to give them some hearty draughts of the Cup of consolation before he put into their hands the Cup of trembling And 't is a sweet heart-taking method well-becoming our tender-hearted Physitian who loves to be preventing his poore ones with tender mercies so preparing them for sufferings for him by declareing his lovelinesse and love to them In the 40th verse Vers 38 Christ finds his Disciples asleep when he had newly called upon them to watch so apt are we to sleep under awakning teachings when he was heavie and sorrowfull even to the death how heavie were their eyes how heartlesse they at such a time even as dead men they cannot watch with him or for him Vers 40. when his enemies were watching to take him Ah poore helplesse Spirit-lesse friends to him who had so befriended them His own disciples have least care to watch when greatest cause to watch now was their time if ever to watch when he so awakened and now they let their watchfall What not watch with me one houre Is it come to this no better Souldiers under so good a Captain what deale so ill with mee who have dealt so well with you Yea not watch with me one houre who have watched so long over you for good And now the houre is come too If not for mee yet for your selves for when the Shepherd is smitten the Sheep will be scattered But no warning will keepe them awake when the heart 's asleepe he comes once and againe yea the third time and finds them sleeping thus the sleepie evill growes upon us we are usually most secure when least safe and heaviest with sleep under heaviest awakning providences In the Text we have Christs faithfull watch-word or friendly alarme to his slumbring Disciples where observe 1. A double duty commanded 2. A double reason commended 1. A double duty commanded watch and pray an excellent present remedie against spirituall security A word in season an happie conjunction a blessed paire joyned together by Christ himself let no man put them asunder watching without prayer will be helplesse and prayer without watching will be heartlesse but both together heartfull and helpfull Prayer without watching will never awaken us and watching without prayer will never awaken the Lord to watch over us for good but both togeather will bring in many awakening quickning and comforting visits betwixt God and our Souls watching in prayer makes it a good watch and prayer in watching makes all things work for good 2. A double reason commended Lest ye enter into temptation The Spirit indeed c. 1. Ye are exposed to temptation 2. Ye are indisposed to opposition 1. Yee are exposed to temptation if you do not watch and pray you tempt the Lord to lead you into temptation and leave you there you tempt the tempter to tempt you if you do not watch and pray he 'l watch to make a prey of you And you tempt your selves you lie neerest to and fairest for temptations when you are farthest from watchfull supplication 1. You close with temptations you are in the mid'st of them before you be aware if you watch not to shut the doore against them you open the doore to them there will be temptations upon you within and without and you will be within them while you lie sleepie and prayerlesse upon a bed of ease you even lay a Cushion for Satan to lie down by you you enter into temptation and temptations will enter into you 2. Temptations will enclose you you 'l not know how to get out when once in you are in danger to be lost i' th croud you may be easily ensnared but not so easily enlarged 't is hard getting out of the Devills labyrinth 2. Ye are indisposed to opposition the flesh is weak and your temptations strong here observe 1. Christs candid concession the Spirit c. 2. His cleare conviction the flesh c. 1. His Concession the Spirit is willing your heart is good though your hand be short there 's sinceritie in you though you want abilitie Christ cannot find in his heart to break the bruised reed the broken heart he owns their willingnesse with a good will though much weaknesse in them 't may do one good at heart to see how his heart was upon their hearts when their heads were heavie how sweetly his Spirit sympathizeth with their Spirits 't is like himself the Spirit is willing saith he 2. His Conviction the flesh is weak Christ is willing to overlook their infirmities but will have them look upon them they must not indulge themselves for his indulgencie towards them Here 's Counsel implyed to take care of their Spirits that they may be quickned cherished and strengthened by his Spirit who helps to will and do of his good pleasure that to will may be present with them and to perform too And here 's Caution intimated to take heed to the flesh to keep them humble and sensible of their weaknesse that he might perfect his strength in weaknesse I shall summe up all under this one word and 't is Christs own Watch Oh that he would own it and follow it home to our hearts by his Spirits that we may own it for his sake Obs 'T is an Evangelical Duty to Watch. This is wisdoms own Counsel and must be her Childrens care The Captain of our salvation gives this word to his Souldiers to awaken them to work out their salvation c Now Souldiers upon pain of death must be at a word of command The watchfull Shepherd of Souls calls upon his sheep to watch and his voyce they most heare How oft is this hammer lift up to knock at the everlasting doors of our hearts even by the King of glory himself Ten times at the least we have this word expressed by the Evangelists from Christs own Mouth How apt are we to sleep on both eares that he must cry so hard and call so oft upon us saying Watch watch watch c how hardly are we awakened what a dead sleep is upon us that there must be such crying jogging knocking c How dangerous is carnal security that Christ should so importunately warn us and affectionatly watch over us as to this spiritual duty of watching there must needs be much in it when hee 's so much upon it and sure watching well will tend greatly to our best welfare and happinesse seeing our good Lord and Master makes it so much our businesse But what is this Gospel duty of Watching First in general 't is a busie work much goes to the doing of it in a Gospel way This one work well understood will find us all work enough The word is