Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	earl_n	john_n	year_n	10,997	5	4.7651	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92764	The godly mans choice, or, A direction how single godly persons, who intend marriage, may make choice of a fit and meet yoak-fellow being the meditations of Caleb Grantham in his single state, as a rule and guide for himself to walk by, and since his death perused and published with some profitable directions how persons should live as becometh Christians in the married state / by Henry Scudder ...	Grantham, Caleb.; Scudder, Henry, d. 1659?	1644 (1644)	Wing S2138B; ESTC R42507	34,805	158

THis Discourse entituled The godly mans Choyce written by a now deceased friend together with those directions added by a reverend Divine yet living I approve to bee printed and published Joseph Caryl July 24. 1644. THE GODLY MANS CHOICE OR A Direction how single godly persons who intend Marriage may make choice of a fit and meet Yoak-fellow Being the Meditations of Caleb Grantham in his single estate as a Rule and Guide for himself to walk by And since his death perused and published with some profitable directions how persons should live as becometh Christians in the married estate By Henry Scudder Minister of the Word Prov. 19. 14. Houses and riches are the inheritance of the Fathers and a prudent wife is from the Lord LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons for Henry Overton in Popes-head Alley 1644. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE JOHN Earle of Exeter Baron of Burley c. Noble Lord MAny whose eyes are upon your Lordship do acknowledge the good hand of the Lord towards you not in conferring eminency of honour upon you in your minoritie as it were before your time but in giving you a serious discerning spirit farre above your yeers whereby they conceive great hope and powre out many prayers to the Lord that he may in due time bring you forth in publique as a choice Instrument in the hand of your God to do worthily in Ephratah and to be famous in Bethlehem Among others the publishers of this small Treatise part whereof being the Meditatiōs of a pious yong man now with God and the residue the labour of a reverend Divine to declare their great affection to your Lordship have importuned mee to recommend this Tractate to your Honour conceiving that under your Lordships Name these Meditations not only may appeare to the world with some access of lustre but that the influence they may have upon some hereby may prove more available The subject herein handled is about the choice of that which scarce yet ever entered into your serious thoughts yet it is wisdome to store up good rules before you need to use them Mariners learne their skill before they launch into the deeps All Artists study the Theory before the Practice Wise men are long in contemplation before they adventure upon action It 's a known rule Deliberation must be long where Determination can be but once and where there is no admission of second thoughts to reverse a former errour the first thoughts must be carefull that errour be prevented In the interim before the Lord incline your heart to think of any choice that way on earth be intreated to make your choice in heaven that the Lord Jesus may be the guide of your youth so the God of your age that God may say of you I remember the kindness of thy youth and the love of thy espousals Surely it can be no disparagement for the greatest of men to betroth themselves to the great God to contract spirituall alliance with innumerable companies of Angels and Souls made perfect and to match with him of whom the whole familie of Heaven and Earth is called Satan hath done his utmost to brand the servants of God with ignominy and to deterre men of quality from owning the way called holy It is not long since some of our Nobility eminent for pietie paralleled our age with the sad times of Salvian wherein the complaint was that great men were forced to be more sinfull that they might not be reputed to be lesse honourable But God hath begun to take away the reproach of his people from off the earth and doubtless will make his servants an eternall excellency when men of carnall policies shall be made an abhorring to all flesh You cannot make any choice higher nor is it possible you should begin too soone to love him who hath loved you from all eternitie Love of all affections is most active and in youth predominant It 's restles till it fix and if it fix anywhere below Christ it debaseth it selfe and may easily be enthralled but cannot easily be disingaged What pittie is it those vitall streames should run in a channell that goes downe to the Chambers of death I hope the Father of mercies is looking towards your Lordship and saying unto you as once unto his Church Surely this is a time of love Your pious mother whom I may truely call an Elect Lady is to your Lordship as another Monicha to Saint Augustine You are the sonne of many prayers and as Salomon was to Bathsheba You are the sonne not onely of her wombe but of her vowes Shee hath learned to love you in the Lord and for the Lord The longings of her soule are for your spirituall and eternall good It is one of her greatest comforts on earth that shee hath such a sonne to call her mother But it will be farre greater even the Crowne of her glory to see you the adopted sonne of the eternall Father and that God hath honoured you even in your youth to obtain an Inheritance among them that are sanctified You are left in your fathers familie with your hopefull sister as the onely branches of many which have long since ceased from among men And when the destroying Angel was smiting all the Father of mercies looked upon you and said Destroy him not for a blessing is in him The Lord delight to fill you with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things and make it every day more and more appeare that God hath reserved you to be blessed and to be a blessing to your family to your Countrey and to the Kingdomes And when your Lordship settles in the world you may begin with Josuahs fixed resolution I and my house will serve the Lord And that you may shew forth the grace of him that hath called you out of darknesse and the shadow of death into his marvellous light that they that observe your Lordship may see that greatnesse and goodnesse as they are inseparable in God so they are not incompatible to the sonnes of men That so you may rejoyce above all greatnesse that you have your name written in the Lambes book of life and you may look beyond death and the grave and see your greatest portion in eternitie which is the earnest prayer of Your Lordships servant JER WHITTAKER To the Christian READER THese directions following which teach how to make a wise and godly choyce of a meet yoak-fellow in marriage were put into my hands by a neere friend of the Author to consider whether they were fit to be made publick and to give my judgment thereof I was very much taken with the soundnesse plainnesse cleernes fulnes good composure of them and doe judge that they may be of excellent use to put single persons into Gods way the only right way of entring into the honorable estate of marriage a matter of greatest consequence concerning Mans weal or woe in this