Book II. c H R 1 S T THE BELIEVERs F R I E N D; 3 s 5 A FRIEND. IV. A true Friend cloth what he can to keep up the Honor and Reputation ofhisFriend; he fpeaks for him, and ael:s for him, where, and when he cannot for himfdf. V. He is moft deGrable; no wife Man will choofe to live with– oOUt Friends, although he bath plen– ty of Riches; Man is a facial Crea– ture, and tllerefore defires to feek Friend!hip. VI. A Friend indeed will give Demonftration of his Love and Friend!hip. 1. He will ftudy his Welfare. 2. He will fpeak to pro– mote it. 3· He will act to effecl: it. VII. A Friend indeed gives his Friend a Room in his Heart; the Sight of him is pleafing to the Eye, and the Thoughts of him delight– ful to the Heart. VIII. A true Friend is always ready to impart his Secrets to chafe that are his Friends. This is a great Reafon why Men do fo prize Friendfhip, that they may freely difclofe their Secrets and their Hearts one to another; it is' a cer– tain Note of Friendfhip to impart Secrets. IX. AFriend will not fpare Pains nor Coft, nay, will adventure upon great Hazards, to help him whom he loves. Others may promife what they mean not to perform ; but a true Friend if able, will furely perform all, or more than he pro– mifes. PARALLEL. IV. Such and a much better Friend is Chri!l:. The Members of Chrift's Spoufe have been ftig– matized by the Enemy, for Heretics, and many other Ways; but Chrift bath ftood up to vindi– cate their Wrongs and lnnocency ; he hath fpoken for them, where, and when they could not fpeak for themfelves; he had his Gamaliel in the Council. V. Such a F riend is ChriH, moft defirable: One that is acquainted with Jefus Chrift, efteems his Friend!hip, fa Paul: Who accounted all 'l'hings but Loft for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Jefus - Chrijl, &c. Pbil. iii. 8, 9• ro. VI. Even fo Chrift hath given full and perfeCl: Evidence of his Love and Friend!hip: His 'l'houghts are about them, nay his Words and Works are all for, and in behalf of his Spoufe, Pfal. cxxxix. 17. Jer. xxix. II. VII. So Chrift, lfaiah faith, He layeth them in his Bofom ; he loves to hear from them, rejoiceth to fee them, !fa. xl. 11. Cant. ii. 14. And indeed a Saint cannot be fatisfied fhort of a Room in Chrift's Heart: Johlt was faip, to lie in Chrijl's Bofonz, John xiii. 23. VIII. Even fa cloth Chrift, and it is according to Promife and Experience. 'l'o lie in the Bofom of Chrijl, denotes Union, Intimacy, Secrecy; this is that which makes Believers fa much prize Chrift ; faith God, Shall I hide from Abraham the 'l'hings that!do? Pfal. xxv. 14- It is Encourage– ment to Saints to lay open their Hearts to Chrift. IX. Herein Chrift doth alfo perform the part of a Friend ; for he will neither fpare Pains nor Coft, and hath adventured upon the greateft Haz– ards, and all for the Love he bears to his People ; nay he has not put them off with bare Promifes, but will perform th~m to the utmoft; he ufually out-does his Promifes. X. He will not do any Thing X. Even fo Chrift cloth nothing to injure his, to the W rang of his Friend, or nor ju!l:ly to provoke them, or purchafe their Dif– juftly to purchafe his Difpleafure, pleafure; the poor Soul is ready fometimes to becaufe he prizeth the Love of him thmk fuch and fuch Things are againft him, as whom his Affection runs out after. Jacob did in the Cafe of Jofeph and Bmjamin. All his Ac1ings and Out-goings towards his Peo– ple declare his Deore of their Love: Hence he greatly praifes and commends the Love of his Church; How fair is thy Love, my Sijler, my Spoufe, &c. Cant. iv. zo. XI. He loves to be very familiar, XI. So Chrift loves to be familiar, and thereand therefore is frequent in fendfore is frequent in converong with his People, ing to, or conveding with him witnefs his Word. This Familiarity is kept up whom he loves; he delights to give by frequent Converfe and Viots, and Chrift's Vi– his Friends Viots. fits are as Cordials to the Hearts of his People, Job x. 12. XII. A true Friend is inquifi– tive into, and defireth to know the State of him whom he loves; not barely that he may know it, but XII. So Chrift's Deore is to know the State of his People, to the end that he may evermore fup– ply them ; not but that he perfectly knows their State, but to make them fenfible to declare it, as 5 F he
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