384 C H R I S T THE BELIEVERS F R I E N D. Book n. A FRIEND. PAR ALL EL. There are fou; Things to be confidered, requifite to true Friendlhip. l.l(NOWLEDGE amongfr I. CHRISTknowshisPeople, not onlywitha Men; true Friendlhipcancomm?n, but a peculiar Knowledge; yea, not be manifefred, and maintained and he hath mfrruCl:ed them in the Knowledo-e without it, &c. It is more than of himfelf, that they might not only know th~ir common, it is peculiar: fpeculaFriend, but that they might endcavor to keep tive Knowledge dorh not always up, and highly to prize friendlhip with him, befpeak Fricndlhip,for true FriendJohn x. 2 7· and xiii. r8. fhip requires peculiar Knowledge. I!. Union is alforequifite; there can be no true Friendfhip till the Enmity amongfr Men be removed. What Friends were Jonathan and David, they loved one another as their own Soul! Can two walk to– gethn· except they be agrerd.? Amos iii. 3· Ill. Intimacy and true Friend– fhip, caufeth frequent Accefs one to the other; this tends to make People to be of one Heart and one Mind. IV. Love and Affection, this layeth the furefr Foundation for Friendfhip. I!. What .a bldfed Union is there between Chrift and his People? I Cor. vi. I7· and it is of his own procming ; as the H eart of JonathmJ was knit to the H eart of David. Even fo, and much more is the Heart of the Lord Chrifr united to his People,-for the Love of Chrifl. cloth very much tranfcend the Love of all other; the People of Chrifr lhould alfo have their Hearts knit to him, Eph. ii, I4, 15, I6, compared with, Cant. ii. '4· III. Intimate Acquaintance with the Saints, Chri(j: doth really delight in; and Saints lhould really delight in it a!fo, I John i. 7· IV. There's true Love between Chrifr and his People, which makes thofe ACl:s of friendlhip very cordial and defirable. Now to fpeak to the•Nature and Property of a true Friend. I. A true Friend loves heartily; cold Friendlhip, is the Daughter of feigned AffeCtion; Love is the abundant overflowtng of Dcfire, which cometh to the Party beloved, fwift!y and joyfully, but departs !lowly and forrowfully. I!. A true Friend is very need– ful: what Man living, though never fo profperous, but fometimes he wants a Friend? David, though a great Man and a good Man, yet his Condition required Friends, and he had them, and prized them, 'Viz. Hujbai, and Zabad, 2 Sam. xv. 37· 2Ki11gsiv. 5· The Centt~rion was a great Man, yet had Ius Friends, ami ufed them, Luke vii. 6. Ill. He that is a Friend indeed, will make his Friend's Cafe his own; this did Job: if affiicred, he is afflicted with him ; if profperous, he rejoiceth, Job xvi. 1 7· Where Friends are kind in Love, there Sorrow is eafily !hewed. I. J efus Chrifr is a cordial Lover; as he loves fo he fpeaks, and as he fpeaks, fo he loves • Chrifl:'s Love is an abounding and abundant Love to his, he loves freely and heartily, and hath given Evidence of it; and though his Love be fame– times eclipfed, yet it is not wholly removed: He having loved, loves to the End, John xiii. 1. I!. Chrift is the moft neceffary Friend, he is of abfolute Neceffity, it is poflible, to live comforta– ble in the World, though a Man hath but few Friends, and to die happily, though a Man hath not one Friend in the World, having Chrifl.; but living and dying without Chrifl., thou art, and wilt be miferable; Multitudes of earthly Friends and Acquaintance will not, cannot fave from Hell, but if Chrifr be thy Friend, he will, Johl< xvii. 3· Ill. This is evidently feen in Chrifl:. The Text tells us, he did not only fympathize with them, but faved them, !fa. Ixiii. 9· he is fait! to be touched -with the feeling of our Infirmities, Heb. iv. 15. Zech. ii. 8. whatever Wrong is done to his People, he takes it as done tO hi~nfelf: Ifanr raife a Q!Jarrel againft them, he \Vlll engage hunfdf ther~!.n, /lfls ix. 4, 5· !fa. li. 22, 23. IV. Such
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