Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
love_n friend_n good_a love_v 6,234 5 6.3369 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A67768 The proofe of a good preacher the right art of hearing : that good counsel is seldom well taken : that wilful offenders are as witlesse as wicked : with an apologie for wholesome truth, how distasteful soever / by J.F. Younge, Richard. 1661 (1661) Wing Y180; ESTC R8002 18,965 45

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

THE PROOFE OF A Good Preacher The right Art of Hearing That good Counsel is seldom well taken That wilful Offenders are as witlesse as wicked With An Apologie for wholesome Truth how distasteful soever By J.F. LONDON Printed by William Leybourn 1661. Good Counsel seldome well taken WITH An Apologie for wholesome Truth be it never so untoothsome c. SECT I. PHilosophy teaches that admonitions and corrections are the chiefest offices of love That it is the onely true love which to profit and do good feareth not to hurt and offend That to connive at our friends faults is to make them our own That sharp reprehension is the healing of the soul and that love to the soul is the very soul of love Whence Euripides exhorts men to get such friends as would not spare to displease them Whence Scipio the Elder when his friends for so doing turned his enemies was able to say I have given my enemies as great cause to love me as my friends And indeed he that loves not such a friend hates himself And commonly he that will not tell us of our faults will be very ready to tell others of them whereas one that is faithful will speak of our faults to our face of our virtues behind our backs But see farther the sweet fruit of sharp reprehension Suppose one should be stung by a Bee when asleep whereby he is delivered from a Serpent which otherwise had stung him to death Hath he cause to complain And not to chide a friend lest we offend him is to let him drown rather than catch him by the hair Wherefore give me such a friend as Photion who when a friend of his would have cast himself away suffered him not saying I was made thy friend to this purpose All which is found Divinity neither wants it Scripture-seal to confirm it Not to admonish our brother is to hate him as the Holy Ghost witnesseth Levit. 19.17 But to scorn our brother should admonish us is more to hate our selves in that open rebuke is better than secret love And for that the very wounds of a lover are faithful and better than the kisses of an enemy Prov. 27.5 6. Yea experience teaches that no friend is so commodious in this case as an enemy because he tels us of that which otherwise we should never be so happy as to hear of Nevertheles resolved sinners scorn reproof Admonition to them is like goads to such as are mad already or like powring oyl down the chimney which may set the house on fire but never abate the heat which is not for want of ignorance for by refusing to hear in this case they become like Amaziah wilful murtherers of their own souls as wise Solomon affirms his words are He that refuseth admonition is bruitish and destroyeth his own soul Prov. 12.1 and 15.32 yea he goes further and sayes A man that hardeneth his neck when he is reproved shall suddenly be destroyed and cannot be cured Prov. 29.1 and 1.24 25 26. of which you have most remarkable and dreadful examples 1 Sam. 2.25 2 Chron. 25.16 20. Sect. 2. Neverthelesse how few are there so wise as to take admonition well For Reprove a scorner that is a fool and he will hate thee reprove a wise man and he will love thee Prov 9.8 To which we may add Prov. 22.3 A wise man foreseeth the evil that is the evil of Hell sayes Bernard and preventeth it but fools go on and are punished Now that these Bruits and Soul-destroyers may the better be known to themselves and others and the greatnesse of their folly and madnesse together with what a world of them there are amongst us for to be wise according to wise Solomons description is the portion but of a few as daily experience witnesseth I will paint them out in a small table or map and so expose them to view In the first place you shall know them by this mark A man no sooner tels them of a fault but it works in their brains as yeest in a barrel until they have requited their Admonisher with a mischief being like gunpowder to which you no sooner give fire but they fly in your face Admonition may move them to choller never to amendment Who when they have heard an untoothsom truth like waters after a tempest are full of working and swelling against their Admonisher We read that in the Law of jealousies if the suspected wife were guilty that drank of the bitter waters of trial she would presently swell if otherwise she was well enough And it is a sure signe the Horse is gauled that stirs too much when he is touched so when they swell against their Reprehender and hisse like Serpents if we trouble their nests never so little you may justly conclude them guilty persons For no greater signe of innocencie when we are accused than mildnesse as we see in Joseph Gen. 39.17.18 And Susannah Susan ver 42 43. And Hannah 1 Sam. 1.15 16. Neither is there a greater symptome of guiltinesse than our breaking into choller when we have any thing laid to our charge witnesse Cain Gen. 4.9 that Hebrew which strook his fellow Exod. 2.13 4. Saul 1 Sam. 20.32 33. Abner 2 Sam. 3.8 Jeroboam 1 Kin. 13.4 Ahab 1 Kin. 22.27 Amaziah 2 Chron. 25.16 Uzziah 2 Chron. 26.19 Herod the Tetrach Luke 3.19 20. The men of Nazareth Luke 4.28 29. The Pharisees John 8.47 48. The High Priests and Scribes Luke 20.19 20. And the like touching a mans wisdome and humility Plato being demanded how he knew a wise man answered When being rebuked he would not be angry and being praised he would not be proud And to this accords that of the wise man Prov 11.2 and 19 ●1 But for one that is so wise there is a thousand of those fools I am to decipher who with Balaam will grutch to be hindered in their way to Hell and fly upon those that oppose their perdition even such as think it better to fry everlastingly in a furnace of fire and brimstone in Hell-flames than to inherit a celestial and eternal Kingdome and weight of superabundant Glory in Heaven to enjoy a Paradise of pleasure where are such joyes as eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor can ever enter into the heart of man to conceive 1 Cor. 2.9 This is most mens depth of brain and thus it fares with all wilful and impenitent sinners But how hath the Devil bewitcht them Is it possible that the reasonable soul of man not professedly barbarous should be capable of such a monster Certainly if I did not know the truth and probate of it by occular and experimental demonstration from day to day I could hardly bring my understanding to beleeve it But to make this further appear though I have small hope to prevail with the parties themselves for they that have no reason will hear none and he that learns of none but himself hath a fool for his Teacher Guilty sinners will