Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A07678
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A godlie mans guide to happinesse A manuell of necessary motiues, holy meditations, and godly prayers, to stirre vp the hearts of men vnapt to pray. To the great comfort of all, that with due and holy attention will practise this most godly and Christian dutie. Written for his owne, and published for the comfort of them that long for trv[e] happinesse. by I.N.
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Norden, John, 1548-1625?
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1624
(1624)
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STC 18608; ESTC S100057
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58,821
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306
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of God and of his good creatures because Dauid saieth There is a God that careth for the poore they deceiue themselues for there is no promise but to the poore fearing God and that endeauour to liue by their lawfull labours for no wilfully idle poor man can expect any promised comfort from God but the godly who are made poore by Gods prouidence to draw them to himselfe through affliction God tryeth all his children poore and rich not after one and the same manner but some by enemies as he did Dauid some by sicknesse as hee did Hezekiah some by imprisonment as he did Joseph some with pouertie and penurie as he did Lazarus some by losse of children and goods as hee did Iob yet hee hath his time againe to release them as hee raysed Dauid to the Crowne of Jsrael as hee healed Hezekiah and gaue him longer life from the prison hee made Joseph a Prince hee gaue Iob abundance of wealth and tooke Lazarus from his misery inâ—o Abrahams bosome When then that hath any faith or feeling of these most worthy examples of Gods humbling his Chrildren and againe raysing them vp will faint or feare whatsoeuer befall them in this life Were he persecuted as Eliah by Jezebel who had no visible helpes but a silly boy attending him did not God send an host of heauenly Angels for his defence God hath his Angels ministring Spirits still ready to incampe about his such is his care and watchfulnesse his power and his prouâ—dence that no Saul shall preuaile against his chosen Dauid though hee were a mightie King with his armies against that one single man he could not hurt him no Senacherib with his mighty Host could not haue his will against faithfull Hezekiah And therfore sayth Dauid full of assurance If an Host pitched against me my heart should not bee affrayd So Iaakob was not dismayde at Esaus coÌ„ming against him with foure hundred men because hee knew that God was with him But admit that an Herode haue power permitted him of God to take away Iohn Baptists head and to kill Iames with the sword shall we deeme it a hurt vnto them in furthering and hastening their deliuery from misery to their future glorie with Christ Whatsoeuer the enemies of God practise against the faithfull Children of GOD by persecuting them as they did by whipping Paul by imprisoning Peter by stoning Steuen Doe they not make these the more glorious in their patient suffering for Christ who hath prouided for them a Citie a Kingdome a Crowne What lose then these seeming miserable men when for their momentanie sufferings they shall receiue a perpetuall reward Gods faithfull Children the more they are persecuted and afflicted the more they flourish in well doing and the more they suffer the more faithfull strong and constant they grow And the more miseries they indure so much the more take they hold of Gods power prouidence and promises who hath assured them that hee will neuer faile them nor forsake them But whatsoeuer by whomsoeuer and in what manner soeuer they suffer all shall worke together for their future eternall happinesse A generall Prayer in whatsoeuer troubles afflictions with a confession that sinne is the cause of them O Father full of mercie and abundant in louing kindnesse in Iesus Christ thy best beloued thou hast euer a most Fatherly care of thy Children though thou permit them often times to vndergoe heauie afflictions in this present life by reason of which their greeuous troubles they are commonly censured of the world to bee euill doers and to bee cast out of thy fauour as was thy deare seruant Iob. And such as euer prosper and fall into no mis-fortunes nor troubles like other men to bee most beloued of thee which often causeth thy dearest Children to doubt of thy loue But Lord I know thee to be a Father whose propertie is to correct those whom thou louest best to keepe them vnder thine obedience who else by reason of their originall corruption the worlds vanities and Satans malice might bee easily drawne to rebell against thee I account it therefore gracious Father an especiall token of thy fauour and loue towards me that thou in so gentle a manner dost remember me and so fauourably to correct me for I cannot but acknowledge Lord and confesse against my selfe that my heart within mee is so filthy my minde so polluted and my will and affections so infected with sinne that if thou shouldest seeme to winke at and passe by mine infinite transgressions and not in some measure to afflict me I could not but according to mine owne corrupt condition but runne into and commit more and more heinous sinnes then hetherunto I haue done which already are more then sufficient to cast mee cleane out of thy fauour and consequently leaue me to mine owne vnruly will which euermore hungreth and thirsteth after things most offensiue vnto thee I doe confesse O Lord that pleasure and ease and fulnesse of all carnall delights are most sweet vnto to my carnall minde but much offensiue to thy most holy will The things that I should doe I cannot doe but the things that I should not doe they are my chiefe delight I loue what I should loathe and loathe that which is life vnto my soule whereby I heape vpon mee dayly a most importable burden of thy wrath And were it not that thou dost visite me with these thy Fatherly corrections I could not but meerely forget that euer thou createst me that Iesus Christ came and suffered to saue mee or that there were a Holy Ghost sent to comfort me And therefore good Father lay vpon me here what troubles or afflictions thou in thy wisdome thinkest sit to reclaime me from my euill wayes and yet as thou knowest to an obduâ—ate heart afflictions though they bee sharpe and greeuous yet they profit not without thou with thy corrections adde the molifying playster of thy Spirit to make my heart appliable to thy working hand Thou saydest vnto Paul hauing carnall motions that thy Spirit was sufficient to sustaine him O let thy Spirit possesse me then shall my stubborne heart relent then shall my peruers will in some measure frame it selfe to thy Will then shall my corrupt mind now wandring after vnholy things be reclaymed and onely seeke thee and the things more pleasing vnto thee The Fathers of our flesh haue beene carefull of our corporall preseruation and haue in loue corrected vs for our childish faults And shall I thinke that it behooueth me not to subiect my selfe to thy louing care of the preseruation of my soule who seeing not onely the faults of my weake youth but the grosse sinnes of my ripest age that I should repine at thy louing chastisements which thou so fauourably inflâ—ctest vpon me not to confound mee but to conforme mee to thine obedience And therfore Father as thou well obseruest my sinnes which either I neglect to call to minde or which I cannot but
his rest without recommending himselfe to God his body his soule and all that hee possâ—ssâ—th for it is hee onely that keepeth Israel namely all that feare him hee is euer watchfull ouer his for he neuer slumbreth nor sleepeth To his power prouidence and protection then let vs recommend our selues confessing our sins and crauing pardon â—n the mâ—rits of his Sonne so shall we lay our selues downe in peace to rest and rise againe in safetie for the Lord himselfe will sustaine vs. A Prayer before a man goe to his nightly rest O God powerfull and louing in Iesus Christ I thanke thee that thou hast safely brought mee to the end of this day wherein I thankfully confesse I haue receiued at thy most bountiful hands through Christ many coÌ„fortable blessings not worthy of the least of them but rather of punishment for this dayes sinnes though committed in the light yet are they the works of darknes Good Father disperse dispell the darknesse of my sinning minde as a mist and send mee the light of thy sauing grace to enlighten mee now in the darknes of the night which with thee is as the noone day but to me it is fearefull without thee for that in it many dangers lye hidden to mee vnknowne and if I knew them vnable I am without thee to preuent the least of them But thou that hast made the blacke euening hast made also the bright morning and in both thou art a like watchfull ouer those that are thine I doe therefore humbly recommend my selfe my soule and my body into thy most powerfull protection The darknesse of the night doth as well declare thy glory as doth the clearest rest day Though to mee weake creature the night is most dangerous but that thou art my light and my saluation what or whom therefore need I to feare Thou art the strength of my life of whom or of what should I be afrayd Thou art to mee a strong rocke a house of saftie in the night for weake is the strength of the strongest materiall house vnable to preuent the dangers which thou permittest to befall many But Lord I trust not in houses of clay I trust in thee my strength to thee I come for succour defence this night withhold not thy helpe lest I perish in the darknesse I trust in thee let my darknesse be turned into light and let the light of thy sauing couÌ„tenance cheere mee in this nights darknesse for without thy fauor I liue in darknesse in the most cleare day light and hauing thee my light the darknesse of the night shall bee light vnto mee Lord abandon from my heart all vnholy thoughts this night and giue mee a watchful heart though my body sleepe mine eyes shut vp and all thy visible creatures all carnall obiects be taken from my sight let the eyes of mine vnderstanding be alwayes open to behold to my comfort thy brightnesse and glory The Heauens declare thy glory and the Firmament sheweth the work of thine hands these and all other thy creatures shew thy greatnes and the preseruation of them sheweth thy goodnes and mine owne continuall preseruation I cannot but to my shame and condemnation confesse to thy praise and glory Giue me therefore holy Father a thankfull heart for thy mercies this day past and a fearefull heart to offend thee sleeping by euill and corrupt dreames or waking by euill and vngodly thoughts and vnholy imaginations that sleeping and waking I may feele the working of thy Spirit either in holy Meditations or faithfull Prayers that euen as the day requireth mee not to bee idle in well performing my lawfull labours so I may not spende my night-wakings in idle fantasies but in holy thoughts And let mee not be ouercome as Samson with sleep who lost his strength least Sathan finding mee so sleeping should depriue me of my faith in thee which is my strength the strength of my life but that I may so watch as whether I wake I may wake to thee or whether I sleepe I may sleepe in thee Lord let me not sleepe in my sinnes â—et mee not carry the guilâ— of my transgressions past vnto my bed but through the merites of my Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus vouchsafe mee pardon for all my sinnes and be thou pleased to bee reconciled vnto mee through his Blood So will I lay mee downe to take my rest beseeching thee so to watch ouer mee that I may rest in peace and rise in peace and let the words of my mouth that I shall vtter this night and the meditations of my heart bee acceptable vnto thee O Lord my GOD my Strength and my Redeemer Amen Lord increase my Faith this night and confirme it in mee for euermore Amen A most comfortable incouragement to all poore and distressed men to vndergoe whatsoeuer trouble with patience by the example of most holy men that haue been in greatest affliction and may serue as a generall motiue to sundry seuerall Prayers following TRouble comprehendeth all the miseries that man endureth in this life aduersitie enemies sicknes pouertie persecution and all kindes of afflictions and sufferings infinite in number grieuous in qualitie and irksome to flesh and blood and befalleth on men diuersly either for the punishment of sinne past or for the preuenting of sinne to come God sendeth affliction vpon his owne dearest children to weine them from the loue of the vanities of the world that they perish not with the world But vnto the wicked as the beginning of their sorrowes and to terrifie his own from committing like sinnes by example of their punishments Gods children are forewarned that they must suffer He that will liue godly in Christ must suffer affliction yet by promise not aboue their strength for God putteth to his hand to make their burden light with a promise also of future comfort and though their troubles seeme great and grieuous faith in God maketh them more easie to them that suffer then they conceiue that beholde them with carnall eyes Great indeed are the troubles of the righteous but God deliuereth them out of all Sorrow heauinesse may endure for a night namely during this life but ioy commeth in the morning after this death and at the resurrection of the dead glory for euermore Troubles are but for a moment and then commeth comfort therfore doe the children of God with ioy and patience vndergoe them But contrary the comfort of the wicked is here short and momentany but thâ—ir future misery will be perpâ—tuall The patient suffering of the children of God is a manifest token of the righteous iudgement of God as Saint Paul saith to the Thessalonians whose patient suffering he commended imputing it a glory vnto them that they were accounted worthy of the kingdome of God for which they suffered Whereby it appeareth that euery suffering euen of the godly is not glorious such as befall them for their transgressions But if we liue godly in Christ and for that suffer