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
A95904	A few things of great weight offered to the consideration of all sober people, and to friends of truth more particularly, with relation to their early care and Christian endeavour to season the minds of their children while they are young, with the sense and savour of the spirit of truth / by Richard Vickris.	Vickris, Richard, d. 1700.	1697 (1697)	Wing V338; ESTC R42492	9,717	45

entering into God's Kingdom And this is the Case of too many of Friends Children Professing the Truth who perhaps make an outward Shew of Conformity thereto but do not Receive it into the Right Ground the Good and Honest Heart so bring not forth Fruit to God's Glory by which alone the Entrance is obtained into the Kingdom Having Premised these things concerning Children and the necessity of a Right and Spiritual Frame in their Parents for their Profitable Education I tenderly Recommend it to all Friends that have Families of Servants and Children that they seek the Lord and wait upon him for Wisdom and Spiritual Ability in themselves that they may be enabled to reach to that Degree of Soul in their Servants and Children wherein God is felt and witnessed to Appear and Work for their Redemption and Salvation I have already shewed what that is viz. The Souls New and Spiritual Life in God That which I have further to Communicate and Recommend and hath been long upon my Mind for a Remedy to help forward the Work of the Lord in the Souls of all both Parents and Children hath a strict Relation to Practice and that is For as much as our Children are Capable of being Members of Christ's Kingdom by coming unto him let us use all our Endeavour to bring them to him that he may lay his Holy Hand upon them and Bless them and that whilst they are little And for as much as the right doing of this Requires a Spiritual Frame and Heavenly Capacity in us who are Parents as is before observed and this cannot be otherwise attained unless God give it Let us set apart some time to wait upon him in our Families and amongst our Children for this End and the Lord will Bless our Endeavours if we be true and sincere to him therein and to Excite us the more to such Family-Meetings Let us Consider who have great Families of Servants and small Children especially in the Country where Publick Meetings of the Lord's People and Servants are frequently at great Distances that such small Children can rarely if at any time be present by which means the Opportunity and Benefit they should Reap by Meeting with their Dear Parents in the Assemblies of God's People is for the first Years of their Life lost which if duly Considered is a great Disadvantage with Respect to its Consequence both to Parents and Children for as Iron sharpens Iron so doth the Countenance of a Man his Friend and if this be true in the General as is most certain Must not the Heavenly Desire and Influences of good Parents in the Love of God for and towards their tender Off-spring at such Times and Seasons be greatly Prevailing with him for a Blessing and with them to a Sense and Love of Truth which Includes all that is Good in their tender Years before the Impressions of Evil fill their Minds as is before observed seeing they are and must be allowed to be Capable very Early of Good as well as of Evil Impressions It is therefore tenderly Recommended as a Supplement to the afore-mentiond Defect that such Parents do set apart some time as they shall see meet in the Wisdom of God to meet with their Children and Servants in their own Families to wait upon him for the Blessing of his Sweet and Comfortable Presence to be with and amongst them which will Enable them to give Instruction in Meekness and Wisdom and Govern in Righteousness and Truth to the Quickening and Nourishing the tender Seed of God in their Children and Edification of all therein to the Praise of his Name that hath Called us and to the Peace Joy and Happiness of our Souls for ever And now as to you little Children the Off-spring of Believing Parents who have but little Natural Knowledge you are nevertheless Beloved of God not only because he Made and Created you but for the sake of his only Beloved Son Chirst Jesus whom he sent into the World to save and deliver you from Sin and Death and thereby make you his Children who also himself Loves you in that he gave himself to Dye for you that he might Redeem you to God whereby you are beheld Innocent and Lovely in his sight who delights to Bless you and knows how to Communicate to you Spiritual Knowledge and make you fit for his Kingdom who said Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Thus whilst you are Innocent you are Beloved of God and of Christ and are also Beloved of his People and are Accounted and Esteemed of them good little Friends if you continue in your Innocency and love God in your Minds who have thus Manifested his Love to you tho' you can Speak but little of him you may have a Sense and Feeling of him by his Visits and Touches of you by his Spirit Life and Love in your Souls and you may see and behold him in his Appearance in your Parents and others whose Souls Loves God and whose Minds are Inward and Spiritual to him they will have a Sweet and Heavenly Influence upon you to a Love of Spiritual-mindedness Innocency Meekness and Sobriety with other Heavenly Virtues whereby you may come to know God by these Fruits of his Spirit and Love him and his Appearance and Manifestation of his Son Christ Jesus in you in Holiness Righteousness and Truth to the Sanctifying your Hearts and Minds that as you grow in Years and increase in Natural Knowledge you may grow and increase in Divine and Spiritual Knowledge by being made Partakers of the Blessing of Christ that Quickens your Souls to God so will your Parents take Delight in you as they find you thus to Delight in Go● which will Incline you to love all Opportunities to be with the Lord's People to meet with them to wait upon him for the Visits and Touches of his Spirit th●t you may know Christ to come to you and you to come to him and to be taken up into his Arms and Receive the Blessing from him who will delight to fill your Souls with his Goodness whereby your Love will be renewed to him and you fitted for his Heavenly Kingdom and enter thereinto that this may be the Care and Portion of all God's People and Children Is the Hearty Desire of your Friend that Loves you and Wishes the Well-fare of all both Parents and Children R. V. ERRATA Pag● 〈…〉 Read Rules FINI●