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
A77504	The mystical brasen serpent: with the magnetical vertue thereof. or, Christ exalted upon the cross, with the blessed end and fruit of that his exaltation, in drawing the elect world to himself, to believe on Him, and to be saved by Him. In two treatises, from John 3. 14, 15. 12. 32. Whereunto is added A treatise of the saints joint-membership each with other. As they were delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth, by John Brinsley, minister of the gospel, and preacher to that incorporation. Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy. July 30. 1652.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1653 (1653)	Wing B4719; Thomason E1249_1; ESTC R208891	155,986	284

Christians are as God offers them opportunity to teach the ignorant so to admonish their remisse and carelesse brethren Where they see any thing amisse in them in a gentle and Christian way to reprove them That is one of the Lawes which God of old gave unto his people Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke him and not suffer sin upon him A Law which is obliging to us Christians no lesse then it was to the Jews the ground of it being piety towards God and charity towards our neighbour And being so be we not wanting in it it being an office of greatest and truest love So David looked upon it Let the righteous smite me saith he and it shall be a kindnesse And let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyle which shall not break my head As precious oile is to the head so is seasonable wise gentle faithfull reproof to the heart soaking into it it may do much good no hurt Let Christians look upon this not onely as their liberty but as their duty I mean to their Brethren As for others persons openly profane Pearls are not to bee heedlesly cast before such swine Reprove not a scorner saith the wise man lest he hate thee Prov. 9 8. But mark what followeth Reprove a wise man and he will love you This Christians may do this they must do to their brethren that so they may not be accessory to their sins which by their silent connivence they may make themselves Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darknesse but rather reprove them saith the Apostle Ephes 5.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Convince them as by a Godly and exemplary life so by seasonable admonitions and reprehensions 3. Admonishing they are also to exhort one another 3. Exhorting one another Exhort one another while it is called to day saith the Apostle to his Hebrewes Heb. 3.18 And again Cap. 10.25 Exhorting one another This are Christians to do taking all advantages to put one another on to duty So the former ver there explains it v. 24. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works Thus are Christians to keep an holy watch over each other prudently observing one anothers dispositions and demeanours graces and infirmities that so they may take all advantage to excite and quicken each other to all duties of piety and charity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Originall to the sharpening of love A metaphor taken from edge-tooles which are sharpened by whetting one against another Thus are Christians to whet and sharpen each other So the Wise-man explaines the Metaphor Prov. 27.17 Iron sharpeneth iron so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend Iron sharpeneth iron by mutuall attrition and thus Christians may and ought to sharpen one another by mutuall Exhortation whetting one anothers spirits exciting and quickning each other to holy duties Thus when the hands are cold or benummed by rubbing each other they come to their naturall warmth and vigour And thus Christians come to recover and keep their spirituall warmth their zeal and fervour by mutuall incitations exhortations 4. Comforting one another 4. Exhorting one another they are to comfort one another Comfort your selves together so our Translation rendereth that and the word will bear it 1 Thes 5.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Comfort one another Thus are Christians to do each to other in times of publick calamity In publick calamities Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another saith the Prophet Malachy Mal. 3.16 In those calamitous times when the Church say under many sad temptations When the proud were called happy as you have it in the verse fore-going proud and presumptuous sinners prospered and flourished they carried the flag in the main-top they were the only men They which wrought wickednesse were set up yea they which tempted God were even delivered Daring and desperate sinners they were preserved and protected and delivered from eminent dangers as if they had been Gods speciall Favourites whilest in the mean time it went sadly with those which feared God A sad temptation So it was to David When he saw the prosperity of the wicked how they were not in trouble like other men but their eyes stood out with fatnesse whilest in the mean time waters of a full cup a cup of affliction were wrung out to Gods own people the one drank wine and the other water and that of the waters of Marah bitter waters This when David saw he tels us his feet were almost gone his steps had well nigh slipt Psal 73. ver 2.3 5 7 10. And surely so it was with the Church at that time When they saw such crosse-providences Gods own people brought low his and their enemies raised to the height of temporall prosperity Now in this time They that feared the Lord spake one to another and that often As they were much in speaking to God in prayer calamitous times are praying times so they were frequent in speaking each to other for the animating incouraging each of other to faith patience constancy in obedience The like are Christians to do each to other in the like times And as in publick calamities so in private afflictions In private afflictions Herein Christians should be comfortable each to other Thus if there be a tumour in the leg or other part the hand is ready to anoint it to asswage the pain of it Thus should Christians in their painfull sufferings supple each other with seasonable consolations Which they are to do both in outward crosses inward conflicts in the sufferings both of the outward inward man Of both these may we understand the Apostle 1 Thes 5.14 Where among other Offices of love which brethren should perform one to another he willeth them to comfort the feeble minded and support the weak i. e. comfort such as were ready to sink under their crosses and support such as were ready to faint under their Tentations Let Christians have a regard to both 1. Outward crosses wherein they are to comfort each other 1. For comforting their fellow members in their outward crosses In the losse of Husband Wives Children Friends Estate in sicknesse and the like In these cases Christians are to comfort one another Which they are to do 1. By words 1. By words speaking comfort Wherefore comfort one another with these words saith the Apostle to his Thessalonians 1 Thes 4.18 speaking of such as were in heavinesse for their deceased friends whom he would have their brethren to comfort by minding them of what he had said touching the Doctrine of the Resurrection Such comfort Job expected from his friends when they came to him in his distresse that they should have spoke comfortably to him whom being deceived in his expectation he calleth miserable comforters Job 16.2 And such Comforters David in his distresse looked for as he tels us but