Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A40495
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A Friendly letter to all young men shewing the benefit of a religious and friendly reproof, conversation and admonition, and not only to live good lives themselves but to incourage others to do the same : with a letter to masters of families : to which is added a specimen of the rules and orders of the religious societies, as now practiced in the cities of London and Westminster.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing F2223A; ESTC R26731
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24,637
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62
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are of such a Temper or no that this Letter recommends and if you are persevere in it to the end remembring that gracious Promise He that endureth to the End shall be saved if you are not make no delay but strive to find out some of those Men that live good Lives and they will be a Help and Benefit to you But above all acquaint your self with a sober Minister and consult him with the great concernments of your Soul Remember alway that this is a Work that must not be delayed for we know not what a Day may bring forth Therefore take St. Paul ' s Advice with which I shall conclude Rom. 13. 12 13 14. Let us therefore cast off the Works of Darkness and let us put on the Armor of Light Let us walk Honestly as in the Day not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no Provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof Heb. 13. 20 21. Now the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that Great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant Make you perfect in every good Work to do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his Sight through Jesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen A Friendly Letter TO ALL YOUNG MEN c. DEarly Beloved Brethren and Fellow-Members of the Church of England it is to you that I now Write as a Friend and a Brother for such we should all be one to another and our Saviour makes it the great visible Badge of Christianity By this saith he shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have Love one for another Now this Divine Grace of Love and Charity being the Foundation of all Religion let it shew its self that it is in our Hearts by a true and sincere Desire of doing Good to one another and to all Men to their precious and Immortal Souls and let us look upon it as our Duty the Endeavouring to save them and the only means whereby to effect that Work is to promote Godliness in the World and Holiness of Life for without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord. Now to the Promoting of Godliness in the World nothing is more effectual than the frequent Conversation of Christians with each other This is a Truth that may be manifested from divers Arguments This is that therefore which in this Letter I would chiefly recommend to you to wit Christian Conversation and Society Man is a Creature made for Society it is by That that he eases his Mind by Communicating his Thoughts it is by That that he receives Comfort by the Counsel of others and gets Wisdom by their Admonition and Advice nay it is by That as an Instrument by which the Holy Spirit does work that he gets Grace For all Conversation is of an assimilating Nature that is it makes Men become like to those they converse withall and consequently the same effect may be reasonably hop'd for from Christian Conversation And this may be further manifested from the Practice of Satan whose Business it is therefore in the first place to divert Men from Christian Conversation and this he effects First By bringing Reproach on such Assemblies as Phanatical and tending to Schism thereby affrighting weak Christians who have not strength to indure Shame for the Name of Christ or that have not Judgment to determine rightly of Enthusiasm and Schism And Secondly by Furnishing of Men with Diversity of other Conversation and for this End he has set up Prophane and Atheistical Clubs in Taverns and Ale-Houses and other Merry Meetings which tend much to the Promoting of his Kingdom because beside other Evils they keep Men from serious and pious Discourse for see what is the Discourse of every Tavern-Club of every Coffee-House-Table of every Merry Meeting What Discourse do you there meet with that is season'd with Grace and to the use of Edifying which the Apostle tells us all our Discourse ought to be It were to be wish'd that it were no worse than Idle and yet for every Idle Word that Men shall speak our Saviour assures us they shall give an Account at the Day of Judgment And if there should be some good Christians among them in such Places yet How are they daunted How little Courage have they to promote any spiritual or savory Discourse How ashamed to reprove any Prophaneness or filthy Talk till by degrees from using to hear such things without Reproving them they grow cold in their Zeal for Religion and at length become insensible so very true it is what the Apostle says that Evil Communication corrupts even good Manners It is like an infectious Disease it gets into our Nature and we know not how and spreads its self into all our Words and Actions This is a true Reason why Christians are so cold in their Devotions so tardy in their Journey Heaven-ward even because they converse too much with the Men of the World which the Holy Ghost assures us is Enmity to God because they are so far taken with one Man's Wit another's good Humour a third's Raillery as to wink at his Prophaneness his lewd Jests his impudent Slander and so by growing cool in their Zeal for Virtue Piety and the Glory of God they at length sink insensibly into an unthinking State whereas if we followed the Apostle's Advice with a Brother that were a Fornicator or a Worldling no not to eat we should then be sure of keeping alive that Fervor and Holy Zeal in our Hearts which alone denominate us Christians Now since it is most manifest That nothing does more promote the Kingdom of Satan than these publick Clubs Why should not good Christians countermine them by making Sober Societies among themselves For in Company with Religious Persons one is tempted to utter those good things which weak Christians are ashamed to speak before the Wicked and we should have great Incouragement to speak what might be to the use of Edifying and ministring Grace to the Hearers and should our selves soon find the Benefit of keeping such Company I am saith Holy David the Companion of all those that fear Thee and keep thy Righteous Judgments Can a Man touch Pitch saith the Prophet and not be defiled therewith Can a Man carry Fire in his Bosom and his Cloaths not be burnt So neither can a Man walk in the Path of the Vngodly but if he hast not out of it he will soon come to stand in the ways of Sinners and at last to sit down in the Seat of the Scornful to mock at all Religion and then his Case is desperate I cannot sufficiently caution you against so dangerous a Temptation as that of Ill Company and especially because there are so many Snares to draw Men into Company in general of which the chiefest and as is commonly
and the young Lion to lie down together yet the Hearing of the Ear in this is yet of more Benefit than the Seeing with the Eye Indeed the silent Arguments of Example work even upon the Natural Man but Discourse edifies more the Christian by Grace for Faith comes by Hearing And therefore in the Second place one Christian kindles another by Consolation Counsel Admonition Instruction and Reproof which though it be every ones Duty to do yet none performs it but the true Christian he who has a greater Love for other Mens Souls than for their Favour or Esteem For want of the Discharge of this one Duty alone How many Thousand well-disposed Persons are utterly lost who cannot of themselves see the Sin that does so easily beset them Witness David who could not see whilst himself was Party and lived near a Year insensibly under the Guilt of Murther and Adultery Certainly Miserable is the Man that has no such Friend and none can be such a Friend but the Christian for he that does not cast the Beam out of his own Eye before he pretends to take the Mote out of his Neighbours his Reproof will be taken for Envy or ill Nature and so will Exasperate rather than Melt But Thirdly this Christian Conversation might be yet more highly improv'd and render'd much more beneficial to our Souls if we would in conversing together so seriously consider the the Graces we want and the Blessings we injoy as by God's Ordinances of Prayer and Praise and the Reading of his Word to bring Christ into our Company to have Him in the midst of us O how happy would that Meeting be and even this we have his sure Word of Promise for then would our Meetings be every Day for the Better to us and we should rejoyce to come often together and even injoy that Communion of Saints which we hope to be of in Heaven A Zeal for God's Glory a Thirst for his Ordinances a tender Love and Pity to the Souls of Men and a Strictness of Life would then insensibly grow upon us so that we should be habitually prepared for all Holy Duties for the Blessed Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper and even for a sudden Departure out of this World if it should please God so to call us hence and might hope to be reckoned of the Number of those of whom the Prophet Malachi speaks saying Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a Book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a Man spareth his own Son that serveth him I know there are those that would count you Troublesome and Busie-bodies to give them Advice or to pretend to concern your selves about their Souls but however let not this discourage you for of those you give Advice to or admonish if but One in Twenty hears you seriously you have no reason to repent the Loss of your Labour in all the rest Nay if even that it self should not happen yet for Religion's sake you should not hold your Peace for Shall Men be Impudent in the Devil's Service and shall we be Ashamed to own God's Is the Great God and our Maker become so inconsiderable in our Esteem that we dare not stand by Him when Men dare stand up for their Vices Is Eternal Salvation so indifferent a thing that we should be unconcerned for it Do we see the Vices of the Age Growing and Spreading and shall not we stand in Opposition to them Therefore since one teaches another Vice let us teach each other Virtue since one guides another to Hell let us help one another forward in the Way to Heaven and as they make one another Prophane let us teach one another Righteousness in all our Conversation and Friendly Societies and let us incourage others to do the same by our Advice and Example that Religion may once more become a general Practice that our Churches may be fuller and the Publick Prayers more frequented by all that are true Members thereof and those that name the Name of Christ may depart from Iniquity For if it be Charity to direct the Blind in his Way or when we see our Neighbour in danger of being Robbed or his House in danger of being Burnt if to run and help him is Charity then certainly it is greater Charity to instruct the Ignorant by shewing them the right way to Salvation And therefore if you see your Christian Brother your Neighbour or Fellow-Servant in danger of being Ruin'd by keeping ill Company or their Souls in danger of Hell-Fire by Prophaning the Lord's-Day by Neglecting his Laws and Forsaking his Commandments to help such by Godly Advice and Admonition is a great Deed of Charity nay it is your Duty too for thus saith the Lord Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Be not Guilty then of this great Crime upon any Pretence whatsoever But Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the Deceitfulness of Sin knowing that he that converteth a Sinner from the Error of his Ways shall save a Soul from Death and shall cover a multitude of Sins All the Texts almost of the Holy Scripture point to this Duty either by Exhorting or Commanding us to set about this Necessary Work first to lead good Lives our selves and then to incourage others to do the same I do not exhort you to Controversie nor to meddle much with those of another Persuasion for that is the Minister's Work but this is your One thing needful to meddle with those that own the same Church and profess the same Faith and yet act contrary to it in their Lives and Conversations Put these in mind of their Baptismal Vow How they then promised to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil and yet do live within the Embraces of them all Ask them How they dare blame others for their Unbelief while they live like Atheists themselves How they dare condemn others for separating from the Church when their own Lives and Conversations are quite contrary to the Holy Doctrines thereof How they dare reproach others for want of Seriousness when they live loose Lives themselves and are so far from Remembring their Creator in the Days of their Youth that they forget Him and his Laws all their Days But intreat them to take the Wise Man's Counsel That they make no tarrying to turn to the Lord and put it not off from day to day Put them in mind of the great Benefit of a Holy Life and early Piety and what a Pleasure it will be when they come to die to look back upon a well-spent Life and be able to say