Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A93053
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Advice to young persons, relating both to faith & practice contain'd in some plain directions how to demean themselves : together with some few motives to the observation of what is here recommended.
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Shaw, Samuel, 1635-1696.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing S3034A; ESTC R42460
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16,872
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50
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And remember that the wisest Man in the World is not able to foretel what one day may bring forth Ye know not what shall be on the morrow For what is your life It is even as a Vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away James 4. 14. Since then the day of your departure is so uncertain be ye always ready that so when the King of Terrors shall seize you he may not with astonishment surprize you but that Death being disarm'd of its sting may serve to compose you for the Sweetest sleep and so you may lay you down in Peace and take your rest O watch continually for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come Mat. 24. 42. Lastly For a full inducement to the Practice of these Precepts and for the Observation of whatever is good often remember that the more Religious you now are and the more that you influence others to be Religious here the more you shall be rewarded hereafter Know and be assur'd that if you carefully husband and industriously by Gods Blessing improve your talents you shall receive a proportionable Recompence of Reward from your Gracious Lord and Master Mat. 25. 21. And let the words of the prophet Daniel continually dwell with you Dan. 12. 3. They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many unto Righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever These things out of pure tenderness to your immortal Souls O ye young Persons I recommend to you And now God of his infinite Goodness give you Grace to observe them that so ye may reap the Rewards of your Religion and be happy for ever To God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory both now and evermore Amen PRAYERS ALmighty and Everlasting God who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the Sins of all them that are penitent create and make in me a new and contrite Heart that I worthily lamenting my sins and acknowledging my wretchedness may obtain of thee the God of all mercy perfect Remission and forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen ALmighty and Everlasting God give unto me the Increase of Faith Hope and Charity and that I may obtain that which thou dost promise make me to love that which thou dost command through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O God who hast prepar'd for them that love thee such good things as pass mans Vnderstanding pour into mine heart such love towards thee That I loving thee above all things may obtain thy Promises which exceed all that we can desire through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen ALmighty God who seest that we have no power of our selves to help our selves keep me both outwardly in my Body and inwardly in my Soul that I may be defended from all Adversities which may happen to the Body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O God the Creator and Preserver of all mankind I humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them thy saving health unto all nations more especially I pray for the good Estate of the Catholick Cburch that it may be so guided and Governed by thy good Spirit that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth and hold the Faith in Vnity of Spirit in the Bond of Peace and in Righteousness of life finally I commend to thy Fatherly goodness all those who are any way afflicted or distressed in Mind Body or Estate that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities giving them Patience under their sufferings and a happy issue out of all their Afflictions And this I beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen ALmighty God Father of all mercies I thine unworthy Servant do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness to me and to all men I bless thee for my Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this Life But above all for thine inestimable love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ for the means of Grace and for the hope of Glory And I beseech thee give me that due sence of all thy mercies that mine heart may be unfeignedly thankful and that I may shew forth thy Praise not only with my lips but in my life by giving up my self to thy service and by walking before thee in Holiness and Righteousness all my days through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory world without end Amen LOrd of all power and might who art the Author and giver of all good things graft in my heart the Love of thy Name increase in me true Religion nourish me with all Goodness and of thy great mercy keep me in the same through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen GRant O Lord that as I am baptized into the Death of thy Blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ so by continual mortifying my corrupt Affections I may be buried with him and that through the Grave and Gate of Death I may pass to my joyful Resurrection for his merits who died and was buried and rose again for us thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord Amen PRevent me O Lord in all my doings with thy most Gracious Favour and further me with thy continual help that in all my Works begun continued and ended in thee I may glorify thy Holy Name and finally by thy mercy may obtain everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose Name and words I call upon thee further saying Our Father which art in c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with me now and evermore Amen FINIS ERRATA IN page 10. l 24 for thou read you p 23. l 20. for advice r. advise p 34 l. 1. after offer r. the lame and sick is it not evil offer it p. 36. l. 19. for benificial r. beneficial
the other hand thou who mindest thy Duty for thy encouragement consider that this is the eye that neither slumbers nor sleeps but is continually intent upon all thy holy Works all thy pure Words all thy pious and chaste Thoughts and Purposes and this good God registers all thy good Deeds in the Book of his eternal Remembrance And he is not unrighteous to forget he is not unable to recompence and repay thee for all thy labours for all the Talents which thou hast employ'd and husbanded to his Honour and to thine own Advantage As God sees and so will punish the wicked so the Lord beholdeth the Righteous and his Portion shall be with Plenty and Peace And therefore to restrain thee from Sin and to push and spur thee on to Vertue and Goodness O remember thy Creator this all-seeing and all-powerful God in the days of thy Youth Eccl. 12. 1. Secondly Consider ye Young Persons the Boundless Love of your most Gracious God towards you He rais'd you up into Creatures of a sublime and noble Being whereras he might have made you mere Stocks and Stones or Creatures more deform'd and ghastly than they He paid a Ransom for you of inestimable value even the Blood of his only begotten Son a Gift as great as Heaven could bestow or man receive Nay your Lot to whom I write is fal'n in a wealthy Place and you have a goodly Heritage it is the kindness of good Fortune nay of a good Providence and of tender Compassion that you are born of Christian Parents that you are receiv'd into the Bosom of the Church that you are enter'd into Covenant with God and have vow'd Obedience to him and have put your selves under his Divine Protection and the Promises of his Grace Nay more you are now grown strong and fit for Gods service and the Discharge of Duties And now shall he that bestowed on you Life He that hath ransom'd you from eternal slavery with the Sacrifice of his only Son He that gives you Temporal and spiritual health and strength shall he have no Return for these many these endearing Uouchsafements Certainly you are of better Dispositions than to requite so good a God so foolishly so unworthily so Ungratefully Certainly you would not deal thus with your natural Parents with your fellow Brethren with your hired Servants and much less surely with your God Who gives you life and breath and all things the mercies of the right hand and of the left the Blessings of this present life and the Overtures of another and a far better O often reflect and meditate upon the Love of God! and then if there be the least spark of Grace of good nature in you it must needs draw you on to serve the Lord and to keep his commandments Thirdly Let me perswade Young Persons to live in a cheerful Obedience to them that are set over them Now those that are set over them are their Temporal or their Spiritual Governours Their Temporal Governours are the King and those commissioned by him or their natural Parents or Masters And O how inviting and endearing how pleasing and praise-worthy is an humble and Obedient deportment to each of these Nay 't is not only endearing and praise-worthy but also attended with the Blessing of God and crownd with temporal comforts And as they who make little or nothing of the Breach of this great Duty many times suddenly perish and come to a fearful end so that the God of Order may signalize his Divine Providence in the World those that hono'r their Father and Mother their days are often prolong'd here or if sometimes they fall short of that they are lengthned out in an eternal Canaan in the City of God in the Land that the Lord giveth them Nay t is a common Observation that as stubborn and contumacious children often come to be whipt in their own Rod and to read their sin by their punishment by having children of their own as stubborn and stiffnecked as they were to their Parents So obedient children have a full Recompence return'd into their Bosom by having afterwards children as observant of and as Dutiful to them as they were formerly obedient to their Parents Or if herein they fall short God makes up the want in some more signal and supereminent Grace and Favo'r As ever therefore you hope to gain the good Opinion of men the Grace and Favo'r of God and to have Obedient children and submissive Servants shew your selves submissive and obedient to your Temporal Governours Honour thy Father and Mother which is the First Commandment with Promise Eph. 6. 2. But besides these Temporal Parents there are your spiritual Pastors and Teachers and let me perswade you young Persons to carry it to these with a due Respect and esteem The same God who is the God of Order hath appointed these to watch for your souls Nay these are the Ambassadors of Christ 2 Cor. 5. 29. But tho' they are thus appointed tho' they plainly prove their Commission from Christ tho' they preach nothing but sound words and the Will of God nay more tho' they labour in the Word and Doctrine yet if thou despise their Labours and take up low Opinions of their Abilities and Endowments you then frustrate all their Pains and Patience as to your selves and their Prayers as to you and exhortations and the word preached will be of none Effect not being mixed with Faith and esteem in them that hear it Those ministers therefore that are chosen by God that are selected and set apart by the Pastors of the Church that are establisht by the Laws of the Land and set over you as long as you may obtain the means of salvation under them as long as they preach nothing contrary to a holy Faith and good manners and as long as ther 's nothing sinful in their communion O keep ye stedfastly to them and encourage their Labours by your constant communion with them and by this means you 'l highly contribute to the preserving of Peace in the Church in the state in your Neighbourhood and in your private Families I conclude this head with the words of the Blessed Apostle 1 Thes 5. 12 13. I beseech you Brethren even you young men as Brethren to know them i. e. to own and acknowledge them with respect which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and be at Peace among your selves Fourthly Let me advise young Persons to weigh and consider things before they are too intent upon them and too eager in the pursuit of them Youth indeed is the peculiar Age and scene of much haste and Precipitancy and consequently of Wisdom and prudence not over much How many Young Persons have done that by one overhasty Act Which they have repented of afterwards all the days of their Life How many have done that with more haste than good speed Which