Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	countenance_n	iron_n	sharpen_v	849	5	14.5973	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50469	A present for servants, from their ministers, masters, or other friends, especially in country parishes. Licensed, Jan. 20. 1692.	Mayo, Richard, 1631?-1695.	1693 (1693)	Wing M1529; ESTC R214162	28,409	95

can do no more unless by getting others to rebuke them who by their Authority may be more likely to prevail as Joseph brought to his Father his son's evil report And if Providence has cast your lot amongst such as are civil and towardly your Duty will be more easie They will willingly be warn'd by you and thankfully take your cautions for their Souls good you will not be tempted so much to use the words of the first Murderer Am I my Brother's keeper but if not only civil but Godly Servants meet in the same House or Neighbourhood they will agree together to watch over and mutually to admonish one another Two are better than one for if they fall the one will lift up his fellow but wo bo to him that is alone when He falleth for He hath not another to help him up and if one prevail against him two shall withstand him and a threefold cord is not quickly broken Eccl. 4.10 c. By this watchfulness over each other they will be combin'd against the Devil's Temptation and fortified against the flouts of those that will think it strange that they run not with them in the same excess of riot Especially if they conscientiously observe the Second Duty which is 2. Christian Conference the Servants discoursing together about the things of God Besides your vacant Hours in Winter Evenings and when your Work is done many parts of your Work afford leisure for Discourse yea and matter for spiritual improvement if your Hearts will serve you Some of you have more knowledge than others and some more tender affections and how well would these Gifts be employ'd if like those that feared the Lord Malac. 3.16 You spake often one to another about Soul-Affairs Good Affections in Discourse do even naturally kindle the like in those you are talking with as Metal put into a Furnace is never melted so soon as when added to some of the same Metal melted before As Iron sharpens Iron so does the Countenance of a Man his Friend How easily may two or three well-disposed Servants carry away a whole Sermon in their Memories when they shall repeat over the Heads to each other as they go along or when they come home This would make your hearts burn within you and prepare you for examination of your Masters in the Family-Worship But there are none so sitted for Christian Conference as they that can Communicate to each other what God has done for their Souls The Schoolmen say Angels of an Inferiour Order cannot enlighten those of a Superiour Sure I am the meanest Servant that is truly Gracious tho' of weak Parts and Gifts may enlighten and warm by their humble Converse those that have greater Natural Endowments 3. The other Duty is their ready helpfulness of each other in all things wherein their assistance may be useful Take each others concerns as your own not as Busie-bodies but as helpers of them in their Work when your Master's Service may be the better carry'd on Let there be no fallings out amongst your selves no more than grumbling at your Masters that other Servants have lesser work or better usage than you Be as desirous of their good as your own and as ready to help them in any Sicknesses or Straits that your Fellow-Servants may be in as you would be to be helpt your selves in the like case And especially rejoyce if you may be any ways helpful for their Souls Some of them cannot Read and you may teach them and many ways further them in knowledge or encourage any good Inclinations When other Servants provoke one another to wrath you must provoke your Fellow-Servants to love and good works One Servant easily brings another to Instruction by Counsel and Example and makes every Duty delightful by Company in it And how sweet is it for Servants to get into a Corner and Pray together What a Blessing will they be to one another and to the Family and Neighbourhood where they Live CHAP. V. Of the Temptations and Hindrances of the Servants Calling 1. By being bred in Ignorance THE Duties of Servants are of such Importance that the Devil and a corrupt Heart will be sure to lay in the way or at least to pretend many hindrances Indeed all Places and Callings have their Inconveniencies and the Devil suits his Baits not only to the inward Constitutions but to their outward Conditions He has one Wile for the Rich and another for the Poor one for the Master and another for the Servant And as every one should be acquainted with his Special Duty so with the particular Temptations to which his place does expose him and what Remedies the Word does prescribe I shall name three Hindrances of Servants more comprehensive than the rest 1. The First is Ignorance the common snare of Countrey Servants Many of which by the Poverty and Carelessness of their Parents and Friends cannot so much as Read and tho' some would Charitably have paid for their Schooling in their Child-hood they could not be spar'd from their Work Many of them are of such a rough Disposition and rugged temper that they are as a wild Asses Colt Job 11.12 and indeed this is the dreadfulness of their case that they are not only ignorant but as they grew up are affectedly and willingly so Nay so far are some besotted that they make their ignorance their excuse or pretence to cast off all duty and to oppose those that would help them in it they think it enough to say they are not Book-learn'd or are no Scholars and though they were created with faculties capable of understanding and remembring the things of God and in other things are wise for their age and breeding yet the Oxe knows his Owner and the Ass his Master's Crib but my people do not know Isa 1.2 Great is the compassion and condescension of God in revealing the mysteries of Religion to us He has not dealt so with other Nations He might have spoken his mind in lofty strains above the capacity of Creatures to conceive but the necessary things are so plainly revealed and easily remembred that even Children have attained to great understanding therein and yet they are truths of so great moment that the learned Apostle despis'd all the wisdom of this World in comparison of the knowledge of Christ nay these things the Angels themselves desire to pry into How frequently has this general ignorance been bewail'd and the danger of it discovered to our careless Servants How often has the cry of wisdom been heard How long you simple ones will you love simplicity and ye fools hate knowledge if you had had no means of Grace nor Gospel light the case had been lamentable Pro. 29.18 where there is no Vision the people perish but this is the condemnation that light is come into the World and men love darkness rather than light Joh. 3.19 if the word of Christ had not been spoken to you you had not had sin in