Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	child_n	good_a	lord_n	2,815	5	3.7082	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09760	The sick-mans couch A sermon preached before the most noble Prince Henrie at Greenewich, March 12. Ann. 1604. By Thomas Playfere professour of Diuinitie for the Ladie Margaret in Cambridge.	Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609.	1605 (1605)	STC 20027; ESTC S105930	37,080	64

The sick-mans Couch A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE MOST noble Prince Henrie at Greenewich March 12. Ann. 1604. By Thomas Playfere professour of Diuinitie for the Ladie Margaret in Cambridge PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1605. And are to be sold in Pauls Church yard at the signe of the Crowne by Simon Waterson TO THE RIGHT Honourable my very good Lord Sir Edward Denny Knight Baron of Waltham grace and peace RIght Honorable beeing appointed to preach the last Lent I deliuered so much as filled vp the ordinarie time of an hower But that was scarse halfe this sermon I vttered no more to auoyd the offence of the hearer I write no lesse to procure the profit of the reader For as tediousnes without regard of due time especially in so high a presence soonest offendeth so fullnes where the reader may peruse more or lesse at his pleasure and leysure best of all edifieth Therefore I thought good in publishing this sermon rather to enlarge it to the comprehension I had conceiued and meditated in my mind then to scant it according to that strict compasse of time which I was tied to in the pulpit For by this meanes all that will vouchsafe to looke into it may make their profit thereby They which were present by veiwing the whole whereas they heard but halfe they which were absent by hauing the preachers meaning though they be vnacquainted with his affection And yet perhaps it may please God to blesse this poore excercise to diuers heavenly minded men in such sort as they may take occasion by some things here intimated not onely to conceiue more then they find directly specified but also to be more diumely inspired and sweetly affected then it pleased God to vouchsafe mee of his grace either at the preaching or penning of it Howsoeuer seeing this discourse exhorteth principally to repentance and patience in the time of sicknes and to a preparation of our selues by a good life vnto a happie death which is a doctrine most necessarie in this great mortalitie that hath lately bin is yet feared especially also for that the greater part of it I neuer preached any where but onely penned in my study I thought my selfe so farr bound in dutie to this blessed church wherein we liue as not to hide it in a napkin but according to the Apostles rule if I haue found comfort my sefe by some meditations here opened then to comfort them that are afflicted by the same comfort wherewith we our selues haue bin comforted of God And bethinking mee of one vnder whose protection it might passe in publick I thought best to make bold with your Lordship For though all sorts peraduenture may be fitted with some thing or other in this plaine sermon which they may make vse of yet those I am sure will conn me most thanks for my well-meaning endeauour which haue had most experience and triall of Gods louing mercie in this kind Now your good Lorship hauing bin deliuered more then once or twice from dangerous sicknesse haue learned such patience such meekenes such vnfeined repentance such true mortification such assurance of Gods loue such confidence in Christ such other good vertues of a right sanctified spirit by this fatherly visitation of the Lord which is not wanting euen oftentimes to his dearest children as you could neuer haue learned at leastwise in the same measure in health Besides I haue bin so especially beholding to your Honor euen since you were first of S. Iohns college that I could not satisfie my selfe with the inward dutie and thankfulnes towards you which I haue euer faithfully laid vp in my brest except I also shewed the same by some such outward testimonie as might cleare me to you and the world of vngratfulnes Wherefore I doe so presume to dedicate this small labour to your good acceptance as withall I hartely desire all those that shall receiue edisication thereby to pray together with me for the continuance of your Lord-ships good health and wellfare that long you may euen in this world enioy this your late honorable addition and all other good gifts of God and fauours of our gracious Soueraygne to the benefit of this Church and common-wealth From Cambridge the 28. of Iune 1605. Your Lordships euer to command THOMAS PLAYFERE The quotations in the margent with figures were or should haue bin deliuered at the preaching the rest with letters are only for the printing THE SICKE-mans Couch Psalm 6. v. 6. I water my couch with my teares NOthing is more delightsome then the seruice of God and loue of vertue nothing more full of griefe and sorrow then sinne Gods commandements are not heauie yea his yoke is easie and his burden light On the other side how deepely sinne woundeth the very conscience the heathen Orator confesseth saying I will not buie repentance so deare Agreeable to that of the Apostle What fruit haue you of those things whereof you are now ashamed For the ende of those things is death Looke how the Israelites wearied themselues in clay and bricke without any profit or reward nay whē they had don there very best they were by Pharaos taske-masters well beaten for their paines euen so the world the flesh the deuill as rigorous taske-masters incite men to sinne but all the reward they yeeld them is onely mortall and immortall griefe And as the sea roareth and fometh and neuer is at rest after the same sort the wicked are like the raging sea foming out their owne shame and neuer rest till hauing made shipwracke of faith they be drowned in perdition and destruction They which worship the beast haue no rest day nor night Now what beast so cruell as sinne which not onely killeth the bodie as a beast doth but sleieth the soule yea it destroieth both bodie and soule in hell Therefore this indeede is the beast which depriueth all those that serue it of libertie and rest Of whome the Prophet Ieremie writeth thus They haue taught their tongues to speake lies and they take great paines to doe wickedly This holy King Dauid had good experience of Namely that in sinne there is nothing but sorrowes and paines For lying here sicke in his bed and feeling this same sicknes to be a stroak of Gods heauie hand for his offence he cries God heartily mercie and saies Haue mercie vpon me O Lord for I am weake O Lord heale me for my bones are vexed My soule also is sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou delay Now that his soule is sore troubled he prooueth in this present verse I am wearie of my groanings euery night I wash my bed and water my couch with my teares The soule must needes be sore troubled which is so grieuously tormented Especially in the words of my text by three notable amplifications he sheweth how serious and syncere his repentance is First saies he Not onely

by deferring our repentance still to be tormented with the horrour of our guilty conscience Moreouer the end is not a barre against the meanes but rather a great furtherer setter of thē on forward We being therefore sure we shall repent at the last ought neuer a whit the lesse to vse the meanes as soone as we can by ceasing to doe ill and learning to doe well Euen as S. Paul though he knew certainly he should not perish in that shipwracke yet he vsed the best meanes he could to saue his life Lastly this is one maine difference betweene the wicked and the godly that they hauing their consciences seared with a hot yron and being past feeling goe on still in sinning without any sence of sinne but these hauing their sences exercised to discerne betweene good and euill neuer rest if they be hurt with the sting of sinne till they be eftsoones salued healed by Gods mercie For as the Swallowe perceiuing himselfe almost blind presently seeketh out the herbe Chelidonia and the Hart feeling himselfe shot with an arrowe sticking in him forthwith runneth to the hearb Dictamnus right so doe the godly Take Ezechias for an example of a Swallowe All that is in mine house haue they seene there is nothing among my treasures that I haue not shewed them There he is blind For the more treasures the King of Babels ambassadours sawe the more was Ezechias blinded with ambitiō in shewing them Like a crane or a Swallowe so did I chatter I did mourne as a doue I shall walke weakly all my yeares in the bitternes of my soule Here 's the Chelidonia For this bitternes of his soule doth cure the blindnes of his soule Take Iob for an example of a Hart. The arrowes of the almighty are in me the venome whereof doth drinke vp my spirit and the terrors of God fight against me There he is shot For if he had not bin strooken before with the arrowes of his owne wickednes hee should neuer haue bin strooken thus with the arrowes of Gods correction I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust ●shes Here 's the Dictamnus For this abhorring of himselfe is a recouering of himselfe and the sooner he repents in dust and ashes the sooner is he freed from all his sinnes and from all the punishments due to the same But now some man may further obiect and say He is not yet fully satisfied for this latter part because talke as long as wee will all these inconueniences which come as hath bin declared by perseuering in sinne are either no bridle at all or els not so strong a bridle to restraine men from sinne as if they be perswaded they may by sinning quite and cleane loose all iustifying grace and so may be finally impenitent when they dye But he which will put forth this doubt must remember that the children of God are led by the spirit of God And the spirit though not in the same degree yet in the same sort worketh in all those that haue bin are or shall be sanctified Who as they serue God not for any seruile feare of loosing their faith or of dying in impenitency or such like but onely for pure loue of his maiestie so they can neither will nor choose but being bitten with sinne they must needs in their soules and consciences feele the smart of it Therefore S. Paul saith The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrarie one to the other so that yee cannot doe the same things that yee wold For if the faithfull would doe Gods will in earth as it is in heauen and serue him as obediently as perfectly as the good angels doe they can not because still in them the flesh lusteth against the spirit and so againe if they would sinne with full consent or with an obstinate purpose to continew in sinne as the euill angels doe they cannot doe this neither because still in them the spirit lusteth against the flesh Which spirit though it may for a time bee shut vp as it were yet it will find meanes well enough at length to shewe it selfe Thus Elihu saith The spirit within me compelleth me Behold my belly is as wine which hath no vent and like the newe bottles that burst Therefore will I speake that I may take breath As Elihu then kept silence some while euen from good wordes though it were paine and greife to him but at the last the fire kindling and his heart being hot within him spake with his tongue so the spirit of god in all the elect of god is like wine put into a bottle which will haue a vent to spurge out or els it will burst the bottle or like fire rakt vp in embers which will haue a passage to burne out or els it will consume the whole house And therfore Saint Iohn likewise saith Whosoeuer is borne of God doth not sinne for his seede remaineth in him neither can he sinne because hee is borne of God Marke yee this well The Apostle thinketh it not enough to say He doth not sinne but addeth moreouer He cannot sinne What 's that To wit presumptuously without feare hee doth not sinn and desperately without remorse he can not sin He can not sinne I say presumtuously as Pharaoh did desperately as Caine did malitiously as Iudas did blasphemously as Iulian did He cannot he cannot sinne thus Why so Because the seede of God remaineth still in him And what 's this seede of God It is the spirit of God of which S. Paul said euen now The spirit lusteth against the flesh and these are contrarie one to the other so that ye cannot doe the same things that ye would Ye doe not sinne nay ye can not sinne as the flesh would haue you ye can not doe the same things that ye would but ye doe nay ye can not choose but doe many times as the seede of God remaining in you and as the spirit of God lusting in you would haue you So that this is a legall kind of preaching to say Take heede you sinne not ye may happen so to loose your faith to loose all the iustifying grace which God hath giuen you to be for euer excluded out of the kingdome of heauen This is to be said to vassals to drudges to slaues not to sonnes To sonnes this may be better said Take heede ye sinne not God hath adopted you and giuen you the earnest of his spirit Therefore grieue not this sweete Spirit whereby ye are sealed vp to the day of redemption If ye be louing children indeed though there were no hell to feare no heauen to hope for no torments to dread no rewards to expect yet ye will obey your good father and be the sorrowfullest creatures in the world if you haue but once displeased him onely for the meere loue ye beare