Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	bitter_a	good_a	light_n	2,289	5	8.2364	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57346	The cursed family; or, A short tract, shewing the pernicious influence of wicked prayer-less houses, upon this church and kingdom Humbly tender'd by way of subserviency to His Majesties Royal Proclamations, and Acts of Parliament, for preventing and punishing immorality and prophaness. By THomas Risley Master of Arts, and sometime fellow of Pembrook-Colledge in Oxford. With a prefatory epistle by the reverend Mr. John Howe.	Risley, Thomas, 1630-1716.; Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1700 (1700)	Wing R1539; ESTC R218001	38,264	98

the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thes. 1. 7 8 9 What a misery is it that thou hast lived to see so many Gospel-years with Rain and Sun-shine hast been partaker of the Labours of God's Husbandmen and of their Seed and should'st have come into the Barn as a Shock of Corn in his season yet now at last thou provest no better then a Bundle of Tares Ah what a Curse is it to be thus long-liv'd Is it not a sad Spectacle to see Governours of Families in Gray-haires and without the Leaves of outward Religious Duties in their Houses Matt. 21. 19 It may be said of such that they have unhappily improved the Stock of Sin as long and as far as they could and that a long-lived Eternity of Punishment is their desert Matt. 25. 41. 4. The sweetness of Friends shall be taken 4. Their Friends from the Wicked God withdraweth from them Spiritual and they have no better then Carnal Friends who are willing to please them in their sins Although this is accounted in Scripture to be Hatred to their Friends and Neighbours Lev. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer sin upon him O what a Curse is it to make choice of such Friends as are hurtful to our Souls to wit of loose jovial vain Persons O what a Curse is it to have no better Friends then such as be Friends to our Sins and Enemies to our Souls Admit that a Worlding or a Loose Liver may carry Friendly from a Principle of common honesty and the Interest of his Reputation yet they do not they cannot and whilst such they will not shew a Christian Care over the Affairs of greatest moment namely the Education of the Posterity of the Deceased in Vertue and Piety Compute then what comfort a Wicked Man finds in his Friend or rather come and lament the Misery of all such Persons and Families considering that for the want of this faithful Christian Friendship and Trust the Children of Irreligious Worldly Families are in apparent danger to follow the steps of their Parents and Friends and so perpetuate and as it were entayl God's Curse upon the House still How should Families in matters of Trust for Posterity be careful in Chusing Feoffees I mean chiefly about Religion that it may not Dye in a Pious Family of Children when their Parents Dye If Seneca esteem'd at an high Rate Civil or Moral Friendship it teaches us to esteem at an higher rate Christian Friendship * Non judicabam me cum illos superstites relinquerem mori putabam inquam me victurum non cum illis sed per illos c. Ep. 78. I saith Seneca esteemed my Friends so much my Self that I thought my Self never Dead while they Lived that although I lived not on Earth with them yet being Dead I Lived by them so that I seemed rather to Deposit my Life as well as my Cares with them then to Depart this Life Not unlike one of our late English Senators Expressions viz. † L. Bacon's Essays A Friend is far more then a Mans Self Men have their Time and Dye in the desire of some things which they principally take to heart the Bestowing of a Child the Finishing of a Work or the like If a Man have a True Friend he may rest almost Secure that the Care of these things shall continue after him So that a Man hath as it were Two Lives in his Desires Obj. But Solomon in one place saith That the rich hath many friends Prov. 14. 20. And in another Wealth maketh many friends Prov. 19. 4 What matter then Money is my Friend my Estate is my Friend Ans. Solomon in both places discovers the Covetousness and Partiality of Men in the World who for Advantage-sake sell the Truth in Witness-bearing and accept Persons in Judgment And who knows not how apt Men are to be drawn with Silver and Gold Twist * Utilis amicitia ultimum habet locum quas amicitias utilitas conglutinat easdem resolvit Cic. in Laelia Amicitia non est nisi inter bonos Ibid. Of all sorts of Friends Money-Friends are the worst-Friends to the Purse not to the Person Hence it is that if they Judge the Gift or Fee too little then they conclude their Service and Trust too cheap and they will do far less or quite neglect their Duty The truth is A Real Substantial Friend is the Conscientious Man Neh. 7. 2. Daniel Chap. 6. 4 5. Verses It is a True saying Friendship cannot be there where Goodness is not He that loveth pureness of heart for the grace of his lips the King shall be his friend Prov. 22. 11. Parts and Endowments of Wicked Men 5. Parts and Endowments are lyable to God's Curse And what a sore evil do Parents and Masters of Families bring upon themselves and those under their Charge hereby What a Cursed thing is it to have their Intellectuals poyson'd infatuated and corrupted with Atheistical Principles dangerous Opinions and Damnable Practices What a Judgment is it to have their Gold and Silver Canker'd and their choisest Endowments vitiated Let no Wicked Person conclude and presume of God's Love to him from Gifts It is not Distribution nor Receiving of Gifts no true sign of Grace Talents but Grace to employ them well which is an Evidence of God's Love Matt. 25. 30. What great pitty is it to see Men of Breeding and Quality in the World whose Time of Education hath been as Expensive as the Lives of most Men to strip themselves of their Ornaments and trample upon them in the Vomit and Sink of Luxury and Surfeting And how sad is it afterwards in stead of Ingenuity to acknowledge to Prostitute their Gifts and Parts to make Defences for their Enormities Is not this Treason against Heaven to Clip God's Coin his Gifts to Guild their own Dross their Sins to make them Currant in the World Namely to call Healthing and Carousing Good Fellowship Loyalty or Civility To call Swearing Hectoring and Duelling Gallantry or Manhood to call Covetousness good Husbandry and Prodigality Generosity Ah What a Curse is this to become Panders and Devils to draw themselves and others into Hell more securely Is it not Cursed for knowing Persons to hide extenuate and plead for Sin Is not this to Justify that which Christ came to Condemn than which what is more vile and abominable Woe to them that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Isa. 5. 20. These are wise to do evil but to do good have no knowledge Jer. 4. 22. The light of the body is the eye therefore when thine eye is single thy whole body is full of light but when thine eye is evil thy body is full of darkness Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee