Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A04816
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The burthen of a loaden conscience: or the miserie of sinne set forth by the confession of a miserable sinner.
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Kilby, Richard, d. 1617.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 14950; ESTC S100262
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42,020
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107
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earnestly to God in your heart that God will giue him grace rightly to vnderstand and well to vtter that which is needefull to be preached Doe not desire to heare fine words or wittie conceits for the word of God is most powerfull to saluation when it is most plainly preached because the minde intending onely the will of God the heart yeeldeth wholly to the working of the holy Ghost Although the preacher be long in his sermon yet be not wearie but giue heed to his words vntill he haue made an ende for it is a dishonour vnto God if you neglect to heare his messenger Take heede that you doe not giue any occasion to other folk to turne their minde from seruing God to gaze vpon you or to looke vpon any thing which you bring into the Church with you for so you should doe much harme vnto them and wrong vnto God All the while that you are in the Church keepe your mind steadfastly vpon God let nothing mooue you to turne your eies this way or that way but as a diligent waiting man attend vpon your Lord and master who will be greatly pleased to see your heart and mind earnestly intended vnto him Satan will practise many deuises to turne your heart from God specially by shewing you fine and beautifull women who doe commonly come glistering into the Church after seruice is well begun and then sit or stand in the sight of men When seruice is done betake your selfe vnto God and depart out of the Church for it is no fit place to talke of worldly matters If you must needes reckon or paie or receiue money vpon the Sabbath day yet let it be after euening praier Were I worthie to giue you counsell you should eate and drinke very measurably at Sondaie at dinner that you might be the fitter to serue God also in the afternoone Many come sieldome in the afternoone because they cannot find in their heart to leaue their worldly pleasure or profit and some thinke they can serue God so well at home as at Church But doe not you loose euening praier least you loose that which is praied for He is no good seruant that will not waite vpon his master both at dinner and at supper And goe you to Church for there all the parish ioyneth in praier with you wherefore you shall be heard the sooner Some that you make least reckoning of may be in greater fauour with God then your selfe and then you shall speede the better in praying with them What cause soeuer you alleadge of not comming to Church others will be readie to follow your example for they will thinke they may as well loose their praiers as you The better daie the better deede therefore loue to doe any worke of charitie to such as neede vpon the Sabbath daie to releeue the poore to visit the sicke to counsell the counsellesse to comfort the comfortles and to make peace betweene parties that are in disagreement Delight not much in worldly pastime for it is like the burning of thornes which make a great crackling for a little while but by and by all the noise commeth to nothing O take it vpon mine experience if you wedde your heart to worldly ioy you shall in the ende be ioilesse Therefore giue your minde to consider rightly of time to come and set your loue and delight vpon God and a good conscience for that is a continuall feast which neuer will forsake you And if you had once well tasted it you would not exchāge it for all the worlds good I say againe acquaint your heart with heauenly ioie betime for as that cloath which is thoroughly died blacke will afterwards take none other colour so the heart which is fully possessed with the loue of worldly ioie will very hardly be turned to loue the ioie of God Our blessed Lord God for Iesus Christs sake vouchsafe to giue you grace that you may rest in him and ioie in him which is the right keeping holy of the Sabbath day O The terrible wrath of almightie God I horriblie dishonoured my father and mother euen from my birth vntill they were dead and buryed Therefore I could neuer take good roote in any place whithersoeuer I came great meanes of happinesse haue beene offered vnto me but thorough want of grace I haue alwaies liued wretchedly and runne into many grieuous aduersities I began to dishonour greeue mock and scorne my deare mother so soone as I coulde speake and fell into an hellish vngraciousnes wherewith I haue disgraced and misused my selfe euer since In time also I began to dishonour and greeue my father in which cursed sinne I continued till his death Therefore fewe and troublesome are the daies of my life and that which is worst of all an euill ende is falling vpon me All children take warning by me honour your parents in heart in word and indeede Reuerence them obey them diligently and striue to please them Then will God surely blesse you and you shall prosper in bodie and soule But if you will be leade by the deuill to despice your parents to disobey them and greeue them God will despice you greeue you and destroy you If you haue any waie misbehaued yourselues to your parents cry them mercie vpon your knees and humblie intreat them to praie vnto God that he will forgiue you If your parents doe neede your helpe help them to the verie vttermost of your power When they be sick goe vnto them tarrie about them be readie and put forth your selfe to to doe any thing for them O that children did know what is the worth of a fathers or mothers blessing when their hearts be comforted by the dutifullnesse of their child They would rather then faile creepe vpon their hands and knees to please them The Deuill knoweth this to be true and therefore blindeth childrens eyes and hardneth their hearts least they by honouring their father and mother should procure to themselues the manyfold blessings of God When your parents die mourne for them and bury them in seemelie sort Neuer endure to say or heare any worde against your father or mother If you haue any grandfather and grandmother you must honour them as your father and mother Honour your vnckles auntes brethren and sisters yea and all your kindred for your fathers and mothers sake Moreouer honour all them that haue beene freindes to your father and mother you must honour the King as your father for he vnder God preserueth you in peace from iniurie and violence You must loue your country as your mother for in it you were borne and brought vp You must honour them that are in authoritie vnder the king and all your superiours For they are meanes to keepe good order that you may liue a quiet life in all godlinesse and honestie Meddle not with state-matters aboue your calling for it is a spice of a rebellious nature to call the doeings of higher powers into question and to
to marrie for mariage is an honourable calling and holy before God It is farre better to be maried and very poore with honestie then to be vnmaried and very rich with dishonestie If you meane to marrie pray vnto God that he will giue you grace well and wisely to gouerne and maintaine a maried life praie also that hee will match you with a godly wife And as you praie so practise by all good meanes to procure the blessings which you praie for Commending your selfe to the pleasure of God be well aduised before you make choise of a wife and when you haue once setled your minde let nothing cause you to repent or forsake your choise I had beene a married man and freed from the flames of lust but that I gaue eare to those that disliked the partie whome I had good cause to like and to loue notwithstanding whatsoeuer they could say against her I was accursed and therefore vnsteadfast in all good courses Beeing determined to marrie a woman hate the thought of making her your concubine before shee be your lawfull wife least God in great displeasure doe lay some one plague or an other vpon you O that you knew what a blessednes it is for a man and a woman to come into the Church before the face of God and his Angels there to be maried beeing both vndefiled I Haue beene a thiefe many waies when I was a child I remember I was giuen to steale apples and afterward I purloined diuers things yea money from my father and mother I bought things and neuer paied for them I did steale bookes and deceiued others by many shifts when I was put in trust to buie any thing for an other I made them beleeue that I paied more for it then indeede I did and commonly took vp much commodities for mine owne vse and left it vpon their reckoning whome I serued specially when I was a young scholler in the Vniversitie where I did much wrong my good friends When I bought any thing I made much adoe to get it better cheape then it was worth dispraising it and promising to helpe the seller to custome I haue bought things for halfe the worth of such as haue wanted money Contrariwise if I sold a thing I falsly praised and prized it at more then it was worth professing that I would not haue parted from it but for neede of money or for loue of the buier I haue made them paie extreamely that were earnest to buie any thing which I had If I found any thing I closely kept it to my selfe yea and sometimes I found things before they were lost Once one found certain monie who seeing me goe that waie thought it had beene mine and therefore gaue it me and I tooke it for mine owne although I lost none I haue taken reward for doing many things which I did not as I ought to haue done I haue not well rewarded many that did for me yea I haue diuers times done euill to them that did good to me In matter of reckoning when some haue not remembred so much as I owed vnto them I paied them according to their remēbrance and kept the residue to my selfe against my conscience I haue taken wages for schooling children and ministring in the Church but did not truly performe my dutie and therefore am a theefe I haue beene giuen to gaming and therein practised deceit which people doe call foule-plaie but before the face of God it is very theft I haue by faire words and pleasing promises gotten many things of others for which I made no recompence I haue set some to worke for me haue paid them too little for their paines I haue beene a broker to helpe one to get goods from an other once I was a meanes to make a man giue house and land from his kinred to an other In performing which worke I wrought with the deuill and practised much deceit I haue borowed things and either not restored them at all or not in so good sort as I receiued them I haue heartned some to trust others by whome they haue beene deceiued I haue many waies wasted and hurt the goods of other folke carelesly couetously and spitefully I haue oftentimes beene very partiall in question touching goods betweene partie and partie because I haue beene ill conceited of the one or well opinioned of the other or thought to be a gainer by the businesse I haue many waies counselled aided and concealed vnrightfulnesse By all these waies and many more which I can not remember Zach. 5.1 2 3 4. I haue beene a theefe and therefore the huge booke of Gods curses written against theeues doth take holde vpon me and will not leaue me till I be brought to naught O ye people of God for Christs sake be carefull to keepe your selues true and iust Doe not get so much as a pinne with an euill conscience for howsoeuer the deuill blindeth you yet one daie you shall see that all naughtie gaine will haue a naughtie end Practise no deceit nor crueltie in buying selling chopping changing borrowing lending gaming or any waie els for God will surely laie his vengeance vpon all that make any vniust gaine or diminish the goods of others Make no commoditie by any trade or practise that hindreth your neighbour or is against a common good Doe not take or hold from any that which in conscience is due vnto them for goods wrongfully gotten or kept from the right owner doe continually crie vnto God for iustice against you Therefore if you haue by any manner of meanes hurt hindred or diminished the good of any yeelde due recompence vpon true repentance to the partie wronged or if he be dead to his heires or if he be dead without heires or you cannot finde the partie to whome restitution is due giue it to the poore But if you haue no abilitie to make satisfaction confesse the wrong to the partie whome you haue wronged and praie him to forgiue and at least praie vnto God continually that he will plentifully recompence them whom you haue iniuried powring vpon them his blessings in bodie and soule If you thinke that Christs religion doth not require satisfaction of wrongs you are deceiued Luk. 19.8 for Zacheus instructed of Christ offered that if he had done wrong to any man he would giue to the partie wronged foure times so much as the dammage came to Therefore needes must single satisfaction be due a pennie for a pennie and a pound for a pounde If you ask whether I follow this lesson or no I answer my conscience doth tie me vnto it Therefore some satisfaction I haue made and some more by the grace of God I will make and that which I cannot doe thorough want of abilitie I must craue of God that he will supplie I doe not speake to honor my selfe but to glorifie God who is my iudge and to benefit you who are his people I haue paide twentie shillings at