Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	david_n	jonathan_n	saul_n	1,059	5	10.1589	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43579	Israel's lamentation after the Lord, or, A discourse, wherein every well-wisher to Zion is excited, and directed how to lament after the Lord with prayers and tears, to maintain the ordinances of God, or God's presence with his ordinances amongst us being some meditations upon 1 Sam. 7.2.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1683 (1683)	Wing H1768; ESTC R22352	67,400	163

we shall agree amongst our selves Lamenting together would clear up our eye-sight and beget an harmony of hearts 5. Other persons in all other cases do lament after the Objects that their hearts are set upon David followed his dead Friend Abner with sorrow and bitterly lamented his dead Son Absalom The Companions of Jephthah's Daughter yearly lamented her Yea David much lamented Saul though his Enemy while living and his sworn Brother Jonathan Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing-men singing-women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day Yea they made them an Ordinance in Israel 2 Chron. 35.25 And which of you are so hard-hearted but you would lament a dead Friend or Brother Sister Wife Child Parent And canst thou not find in thy heart to spend some sad thoughts on thy departing Lord or follow the sad Hearse of deceased Ordinances Ah carnal hearts Ah hard hearts Wo be to stupid wretches Shall a poor Idolatrous Micah cry out after his Teraphim And shall we let the only true God go with silence and dry eyes Is not our God worth lamenting after Will even careless women lament at last for the teats for the pleasant fields for the fruitful vine And shall not Gods Children lament for those full breasts of Gospel ordinances Shall not Children cry and long for the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby If you were sensible you would cry out my Father a little bread to an hungry Soul my Mother let me suck those breasts of consolation I am pining languishing famishing to death let me be nourished to eternal life 6. If we lament not after the Lord and his Ark he will go yet further from us if not totally leave us There was never such symptoms of Gods taking away the Candlestick and leaving us to the Idolatry and Cruelties of Popery in this Kingdom since the Reformation as there is at this day horrible Abominations and Atheism preparing for it our ingratitude for prevention thus long the general Antipathy to a Sound Ministry a Spirit of giddiness to entertain the most senseless fopperies a mincing some grosser Popish doctrines by pretended Protestants humane Inventions coyned in darkest times of Popery retained Courts Fees Officers Ceremonies Popish names places Customs defended Want of Sympathy with our suffering brethren abroad in that kind attempts for Reformation not succeeding opposed Instruments reserved prepared for Scourges denying plots as clear as the Sun Preferring Popish Tyranny before Christs Government most debauchery in some that should be best Popish Emissaries swarming Popish Families increasing Honest Ministers much laying aside Weapons Antidotes fearlesness in many unpreparedness of all for such a dispensation impressions on many of Changes Freedom of Ordinances to lay in for a storm unprincipled professors must pass an Ordeal-Tryal judgment beginning at God's house Choyce stakes taken out of the hedg transplanted to Heaven Witnesses prophecying in Sackcloth must be slain the Whore must sit as a Queen and see no loss of Children Antichrist must render himself more cruel and odious to stir up Kings hearts against the Church indifferency of great potentates in the cause of Religion Policy for outward security the compass that most stear by Christ's interest is low in Protestant Countries God's laying them under severe rebuke by his immediate hand Little notice taken of providences no publick fastings and humiliations former guilt of blood unwiped off Such things as these speak black showrs of Popish darkness and barbarous showrs of blood God almighty prevent But certainly these things call for bitter lamenting after the Lord either to prevent them or prepare our hearts for them or both I shall add 7. There is no way to bring our Lord or his Ark back to us but this course of lamenting after him God hath withdrawn himself purposely to make us follow him mourning And he seems to stand still and hearken what we do in this case Jer. 8.6 I hearkened and heard saith God but they spake not aright What was that certainly repenting of their sins lamenting inquiries after God And Jer. 31.18 19. If God can but hear persons bemoan themselves follow God desire the Lord to turn them and turn to them see what kind language he gives them ver 20. Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant Child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. God doth carry in this case as a loving Father being provoked to Whip or leave his offending Child looks back on his sobbing broken-hearted lamenting Child saying Alas my Child what ails thee What 's the matter with thee What wantest thou Dost thou want an heart to repent friendship with me Dost thou lament so sadly after reconciliation with me and return to thee I am glad of it that was all I aimed at I have attained mine end come come thou art welcome to me come my dear my lovely Child let me wipe thy blubbered cheeks and kiss thee again I am glad my rod and anger work so kindly I will return to thee with love and sweetest embraces Thus doth our Lord return with loving kindness and mercies and they shall be as if he had not cast them off There 's no way probable or possible to bring God or his Ark back but this and shall we not take this course It 's true its a doubtfull and dangerous case we are not certain he will return but yet there 's a May-be a who can tell in it We are sure running from him and sinning against him with an hard-heart will undoubtedly rob us of him and ruine us but we have lost more labour to less purpose therefore let us turn to the Lord with all our heart with fasting with weeping with mourning c. Joel 2.12 13. and then say as Gods directs them v. 14. Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord our God Oh how well doth God take such a carriage How willing is he to return back to us Only he expects we should be sensible of his withdrawing and bitterly lament after him 8. If we do not lay to heart the loss of God's Presence and Ordinances God will make us to lament upon other accounts If he design us good he will pinch us till we feel and cry out if not we shall be left to lament hopeless and helpless in Hell torments If we will not lay to heart spiritual Judgments God threatens to send a Curse upon us and to curse our blessings Mal. 2.2 How why if men prize not their Temple Priviledges God can blast the fruits of the Earth Hag. 1.9 We looked for much and loe it came to little and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it or blow it away why saith the Lord of Hosts because of mine house that is

formed us Deut. 32.18 19. Therefore when the Lord saw it be abhorred us because of the provoking of his Sons and of his daughters Oh our wretched ingratitude rebellion covenant-breaking our sins have reached to heaven therefore our judgments are unparallel'd We may say as Dan. 9.12 Under the whole heaven hath no been done as hath been done upon us It 's well if we have not reason to add also ver 13. That all this evil is come upon us yet made we not our prayer Heb. intreated the face before the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth It 's true we have prayed but it 's well if we have so prayed Is not the accursed thing to be found amongst us to this day We have been long in the fire but are we cleansed Alas alas May not that sad complaint and charge be brought in against us as in Jer. 6.28 29 30. They are grievous revolters walking with Slanders brass and Iron they are all corrupters the Bellows are burnt the Lead is consumed of the fire the Founder melteth in vain for the wicked are not plucked away Reprobate Silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Oh that this were not our case and that Character also given of that professing people Jer. 9.3 7. But I shall leave Christians to this heart-searching work beseeching requiring and charging all persons to deal faithfully with their own Souls find out the Achan that troubles the Camp stone it Cast lots to find the Jonah that raiseth this tempest cast it over-board confess bewail reform get pardon of Sin and who knows but we shall have a calm 4. Get your hearts sensible of the evil of God's departure from us Otherwise you will not think it worth the while to spend time in lamenting after him Come to an heart an house a society a congregation or the nation and make inquiry is God there If it be answered no he 's gone in whole or in part what 's then left that 's good Surely if God go all good goes and all evil comes 2 Chron. 15.3 6. Now for a long season Israel had been without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without Law whether this was under Jeroboam and his Successors or some other time and in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the Countreys For God did vex them with all adversity Mark it when God goes all evil comes They that were without the true pure publick Worship of God and with a standing Ministry to teach publickly plainly powerfully but had in their places false Prophets lying Rabbins or graceless Loyterers and it may be the People loved to have it so No wonder if they had Civil Discords Forein Invasions Ecclesiastical Dissentions all things going to wrack setting up one Ruler against another so joyning in Parties Factions using barbarous cruelties imbroyling all in sad contentions imbruing their hands in one anothers blood When God goes he breaks down the hedg of his protecting providence so that the Boar out of the Wood wasts his Vineyard Then it 's eaten up trodden down it shall not be pruned nor digged but there comes up Briars Thorns yea he commands the clouds that they rain no rain upon it what then will become of it Surely the inclosed Vineyard of the Church soon becomes a a wild Common of barbarous Infidels When God removes his Candles darkness comes but when he removes Candlesticks also Mahomet fills up the room The famous Asian Churches are a dreadful instance If the sun set night comes on If the King be absent what Court can be kept If Christ stay not where 's the Church If God should leave his glorious mansion in heaven It would instantly become a dark dungeon of hell Yea if God depart from a People as a friend he comes against them as a dreadful foe If he go away he tears as a Lion consumes as a Moth If he hide his face in Love he comes in wrath and fury to slay them Jer. 33.5 Saul was in a woful plight when God was departed from him and the Philistins were upon him Yea if God depart the Devil comes When the good Spirit went from Saul an evil Spirit from the Lord troubled tormented him 1 Sam. 16.14 23. Satan was from God as framing his nature commissionating him to punish Saul but his wickedness and malignity in his designs and actings from himself Oh how glad is the Devil to take up that room that God leaves truly then saith the Lord Hos 9.12 Yea woe also to them when I depart from them There 's a wo of sinning and suffering attends God's departure Whither will not men run when God forsakes them If the hand withdraw the staff falls if the glass without foot be not held up it falls and breaks and the liquor Spills the very best man is no more dayly but as the Lord makes him Sampson David Peter will fall if God go Much more they that have no hold of God or God of them in a covenant-way they 'l not stop till they commence at the height of Sin and fall into the depth of Hell Hos 9.17 My God will cast them away because they did not hearken to him Hos 7.13 Woe unto them for they have fled from me yea destruction to them because thay have transgressed against me Yea everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2. Thes 8.9 Were we kindly affected with all this we should lament after the Lord We have reason to tremble left it prove our case and removing his ordinances is a great step to all this And if we knew what it meant we should with old Eli have trembling hearts for the Ark of God 1. Sam. 4.13 5. Study the advantages and benefit of having God present with us as fear of evil is one motive to avoid it so a desire of the contrary good adds wings in seeking earnestly for it When God goes all good goes So when God returns or continues with a People they enjoy all good inward outward The People that have God with them have a strong Guard to defend them a wise Guide to direct them rich Grace to supply them high Honour to advance them full Rest to content them an abundant Reward in the enjoyment of him They have enough they need no more Happy is the People whose God is the Lord. Luther 's Psalm that Song upon Alamoth Psal 46. is admirable for this for when the Church can say God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble vers 1. She builds great confidence and comfort on this solid foundation vers 2. Therefore will not we fear though the Earth be removed c. Yea she stands upon this impregnable Rock triumphing over all dangers and enemies