Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	lie_v	mean_v	speak_n	48	3	15.8323	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17384	A commentary: or, sermons vpon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter vvherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of diuinity largely discussed. By Nicholas Byfield, late preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1623 (1623)	STC 4211; ESTC S107078	497,216	958

to bee built vp without distraction in the main things needfull for his saluation and is not carried to spend his time most about vnnecessary or impertinent cares or studies 1. Tim. 4.2.7.8 Seuenthly when a man is as carefull to serue God in prosperity as well as aduersity Iob 27.9 Eightly when a man delights in the Almighmighty and loues all the means by which he findeth any communion with God Iob 29.9 Ninthly when a man from the hatred of hypocrisie is stirred vp against hypocrites cannot abide them nor will conuerse with them Iob 17. verse 8. Lastly Iob comforts himselfe that hee was no hypocrite by three arguments 1. He would trust in God though hee did slay him 2. Hee would reprooue his waies in Gods sight 3. He sought Gods presence and set himself alwaies before him none of which an hypocrite could doo Iob 13.15.16 Thus much of Hypocrisie Enuy. The fourth sin to be auoided is Enuy. Enuy is nothing else but a vexation or inward displeasure conceiued at the good of another viz. either anothers credit gifts preferment profit successe or the like This sinne though in the world it bee little thought of yet in it self is a most fearfull vice and should be so accounted of by christians for many reasons First if we consider the subiect persons in whom it vsually is It is found most in naturall men Tit. 3.3 yea in silly men Iob 5.2 This was the sinne of Cain Gen. 4 yea of the diuell himself The main sin of the diuell was the enuy of mans happinesse It raigned in the diuelish Gentiles Rom. 1.29 Secondly if we con●ider the cause of it it is for the most part the daughter of pride Galat. 5.26 sometimes of couetousnes Pro. 28.22 and often of some egregious vile transgression such as in Rom. 1.29 but euer it is the filthy fruit of the flesh Gal. 5.25 Thirdly if wee consider the vile effects of it which are many for 1. It hath done many mischiefs for which it is infamous It sould Ioseph into Egypt Genes 37 and which should euer make it abhorred of vs it kild the Son of God Mat. 27.8 2. It deforms our natures it makes a man suspicious malitious contentious it makes vs to prouoke backbite and practise euill against our neighbours It is ill for our sight for the enuious man hath alwaies an euill eye and a cast-down countenance with Cain also many times 3. It begins euen death and hell while a man is aliue It kils the silly one Iob 5.2 It destroieth the contentment of his life and burns him with a kinde of fire vnquenchable It feeds vpon the enuious man like the moth or worm by degrees and it hasteneth mischief in the enuious man because it makes the person enuied more glorious and besides it is a vice that driueth a man from among men in respect of comfortable society for it was long since aduised Eat not the bread of him that hath an euill eye Pro. 23.6 and no man by his good will if he can be free wil conuerse with such as he perceiues to be enuious Fourthly this place manifestly imports that it is a notable hindrance to the profit of the word and so no doubt it is to praier and all piety as euidently it is a let of charity vnlesse it bee that men in hypocrisie to disgrace others will for enuy doo some good as they preacht Christ for enuy in the Apostles time Phil. 1.15 Vses The vse should be threefold First for instruction to teach vs to follow the aduice heer giuen in putting away Enuy and clensing our hearts of it and to this end think much of the reasons against it and withall remember by confession godly sorrow to clense thy heart carefully of it For those things help wonderfully in the putting of it away Secondly this may serue for great reproof of many that professe the fear of God who daily shame themselues by discouering this vice in themselues This was it the Apostle complained of in the Corinthians and shewed that it is a vice which not onely houlds down a Christian from growing but it makes him look like a carnall man 1. Cor. 3.3 Thirdly for consolation if we finde our selues freed from this vice And wee may knowe that we are not enuious 1. If we loue the good things in others and can rejoice in their prosperity and mourn for their miseries 2. If we be vile in our owne eies and lowly minded 3. If wee enjoy contentation in our owne estate and are well pleased to bee that which GOD will haue vs to bee 4. If in giuing honour wee can hartily go one before another Thus much of Enuy. Euill speaking This is the fift sinne to be auoided If we would profit by Gods word wee must look to our owne words c. Euill speaking generally taken comprehends all the faults of the tongue in speaking and so it is true that a man can neuer be soundly profited by the word till he makes conscience of euil words as well as euill works But I think it is taken more restrainedly heer There are many kindes of euill speaking that are to be auoided Lying is euill speaking and it is true that he who is false to man will neuer be true to God But I think Lying is not heer meant Flattering is euill speaking for he that praiseth his friend with a loud voice it shall bee counted to him as a curse It is a curse to be troubled with a flatterer and it is a kinde of cursed speaking To flatter But I think this is not meant heer neither But I think the sinnes heer meant are Backbiting judging slandering and complaining one of another and all bitternesse of speech between man and man These hinder charity and prouoke God and let the growth of piety in the harts and liues of men And therefore these kindes of euill speaking should be detested of Christians and altogether laid aside These sins as they are hatefull in themselues and in the least degree or in any kinde so Euill speaking is made more vile in the aggrauations of it It is euill to speake euill any way or of any But it is much more vile First when we speak euill of the absent that cannot defend them selues Backbiting is a hatefull degree of euill speaking 2. Cor. 12.10 Psal. 140.11 Secondly when wee speake euill of such as God hath humbled or afflicted Leuit. 19.14 Obad. 12. Prou. 26.28 Thirdly when wee shall speake euill of such as are in authoritie Eccles. 10. vlt. Iud. 8. Leuit. 19. Fourthly when we speak euill of the godly especially before the wicked or for things indifferent or without cause Iames 4.9 Rom. 14. Psal. 31.18 or for lesser failings Math. 7 1.2 but especially their good conuersation 1. Pet. 3.16 Fiftly When wee speake euill of our professed friends Psal. 5.6.13 Lament 1.2 Sixtly when wee speak euill of Gods messengers taxing their persons as their cariage especially when they labour

by the tearms by which it is called resembled in Scripture secondly by the effects which it worketh really vpon a man For the first An euill Conscience that is awake is in Scripture compared to a sting or prick wounding the heart of a man It is likened also to a dog or a blood-hound that lieth at the dore and hauing fresh sent howleth and barketh after the malefactor Gen. 4. It is likened as some think by Dauid Psal. 51.4 to an euill contentious wife that is euer before a man chiding and brauling and as a moth secretly eats the garment so doth an euill Conscience eat vp the heart of a man when others little see it Pro. 25. It is like a dart strangely shot into a mans body Psalm 38. And it is compared to the boyling of a tumultuous sea Esay 57. And it is called a worme that dieth not but lieth gnawing and eating vpon the heart of a man Esay 66. Mark 9. So that a man that hath an euill Conscience is like a man that is stung by a serpent or followed by a blood-hound or vexed by a continuall-contrarious wife or that is hourely shot through with darts or that hath a liuing worm euer gnawing at his heart But that this may be more distinctly vnderstood wee must take notice of foure effects of an euill Conscience vsually The first is shame Hee that hath an euill Conscience is betraied by his owne blushing many times when his offense is secret yea a man feeles an inward shame in his owne heart disgracing and abusing him though he make no outward shew of it For though sometimes an innocent person vpon the fulnes of an aspersion may conceiue shame as Dauid did Psalm 44.15 yet it is vsually the effect of an ill Conscience The second is pain and anguish of heart arising from the gnawing and stings of Conscience mentioned before which so continually burdens the heart that it takes away all contentment in any thing and keeps the heart in an habituall disconsolation and though the disease of melancholy may breed a sadnes like vnto it yet is heer manifest difference betwixt this affliction of spirit and melancholy for the melancholick person vsually can assigne no certain reason of that sadnes whereas Conscience when it stings assignes the cause of it to be such and such things which bring not only the shame of men but the wrath of God Besides melancholick sadnes may bee eased by physick but this sorrow is not cured by any meanes but such as are spirituall The third is a strange kinde of feare breaking the heart of a man so subduing his courage that he is not able to sustaine himselfe against the impressions of vaine causes of feare A trembling hart is the effect of an ill conscience Deut. 28.65 Thus wicked men are said in Scripture to feare when no man pursueth them Pro. 28.1 and to bee so faint-hearted as the sound of a shaken leafe shall make them fly as it were from a sword Leuit. 26.36 and as it is in Iob The sound of feare is alwaies in his eares yea the terrors of conscience sometime so enrage vpon the offender that no torments are like vnto their terrors which sometimes are so great that they are hardly able to sustain themselues but discouer their horrible restlesnes by the grieuous distempers of the body or failing of their senses being for the time as Iob saith brought vnder the king of terrors Iob 18.14 What a wofull case Belshazzar was in you may reade Daniel 5.9 These terrors are the fansies the Gentiles so much dreamed of The fourth is desperation An euill Conscience in sinne many times brings them to hellish despair of all mercy and pardon thus Cain rageth blasphemeth like a frantick man And these effects of an euill Conscience are so much the more great 1. Because the Conscience can lash a man without noise it can secretly inflict torments when no eies shall pity him 2. Because there is no escape from Conscience a man can neither driue it away nor runne from it it cleaues to the offender inseparably From a tyrant or ill master some men run away but from an ill Conscience there is no fleeing 3. Because Conscience it self is as a thousand witnesses to prooue the fault though neuer so secret and the offender is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned of himself and goes vp and down with a heauie Sentence vpon him in his bosome though all the world should account him innocent 4. Because an euil Conscience is such a damnable disease and the griefe raised by Conscience is such and so lasting that the grieued dies before the grief can be remoued yea so violent is the confusion which despair bringeth into the thoughts that out of the grieuous mistaking and impatience many times the offender makes away himself as Saul Achitophel and Iudas did and many in our times doo 5. Because death it self doth not abate the torments of an euill Conscience but the liuing worm gnawes them euen in hell for euer and with so much strength and power there that one said wittily Hell were not hell if it were not for the gnawing of this neuer-dying and neuer-ceasing worme 6. Because vnto the making vp of the compleat misery of the impenitent sinner the Sentence of Conscience and the testimony of it shall be heard admitted at the last day before the Tribunal of Christ. For thogh an euil conscience shall neuer disgrace for some effects as for that of working despaire of mercy yet for the maine body of the proceedings of Conscience it shal be not only allowed but iustified by the voice of Christ to the eternall shame and confusion of the offendor And though it bee true that the worst of the effects before mentioned arise from a stirring Conscience yet is not the man safe that hath a still conscience if it bee euill For first hee is in continuall danger of the awaking of that Conscience of his that now is asleep What ease can that mans heart beat if hee had all pleasures round about him if hee were tied to a Beare or Lion or mad Dog though hee were then asleep for he may awake euery moment and then where is hee The stilnesse of an ill Conscience is but like the sleep of a frantick man Secondly there can bee no true peace vnto the man that lieth in sin without repentance Esay 57. There is no peace to the wicked saith my God Though hee bee friends with himselfe for a time yet God is not friends with him nor is sinne and Satan at peace with him though there bee an vncertaine truice for a time Thirdly the danger of a still Conscience is the greater for the terrours of a troubled Conscience may prepare a man for Christ and compell a man to seeke help from Christ but in the case of a still conscience there are these two vsuall miseries the one that men take a still Conscience to bee a