Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A66075
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Counsels and comforts for troubled consciences contained in a letter, lately written to a friend / by Henry Wilkinson ...
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Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing W2234; ESTC R34095
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48,680
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121
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working prayer a heart-prayer inditâ—d by the Spirit of God Go 〈◊〉 to God in the name of Christ and be an importunate beggar at your Fathers dore Resolve not to be driven from your Fâ—thers dore nor to take any repulse Though God seems not to hear you must cry the louder though he forbears to open you must knock the harder It was an hâ—roiâ—al resolution of Queen Hester in a good cause I also and my maidens will fast likewise and so will go in unto the King which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish Resolve through the strength of God to go on in your duty and if you perish you will perish in the arms of Christ And in his arms there 's security Resolve I will go on in Prayer though I meet with many repulses Jacob was a gainer by his wrestlings for notwithstanding his lameness and halting he obtain'd a blessing which made amends It was an excellent resolution of Job Though Job 13. 15 he slay me yet will I trust in him Consider your interest in adoption and this consideration will set the spirit of prayer a working And because Gal. 4. 6. ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father Go to God as a Child to a Father and cry earnestly for grace and mercy God is a tender and compassionate Father and he will open his bowels and regard the cryes of his Children 5. Always remember that what 5. Prayer must be according to Gods Will. you pray for must be according to Gods will Consider therefore in your most serious and deliberate thoughts whether you pray for lawful things such as God commands you to pray for and promiseth to grant them For there 's no promise of hearing and accepting of any Prayer unless it be according to the Will of God And this saith the 1 Joh. 5. 14. Apostle is the confidence that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Many things we ask for which would be a judgment if they were granted As for instance we ask for satisfyings of our carnal lusts and sensual appetites or when we ask for satisfaction of our pride malice revenge and inordinate passions and for superfluities and things unnecessary and inconvenient it 's just with God that we should miss and be frustrated of such things which we desire and expect when we ask amiss For saith the Apostle ye Jam. 4 3. ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts Our duty is to study the revealed Will of God in the Holy Scriptures and accordingly we must frame our petitions submitting our wills in all things unto the Will of God The matter of our Prayer must be lawful things the manner of our praying must be with faith and fervency and the end must be for the Glory of God and the eternal good of our precious and immortal Souls and the time of answering of our prayers we must wholly refer unto the Will of God for he knows what is better for us than we know for our selves and he will do abundantly for us more than we can ask and think 6. And Lastly You must pray 6. Prayer must be with perseverance with perseverance As it 's your duty to pray so you must hold out and persevere in Prayer Concerning the Hypocrite Job saith Will he delight Job 27. 10 himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God Wherefore be sure that you omit not secret Prayer though you find your heart disordered dull and indisposed yet you must pray that God would set your heart in order and quicken and dispose your heart for his service Notwithstanding that you are perplexed with tumultuous perturbations and fluctuating thoughts and variety of fancies which are a grief and vexation unto your spirit it 's a good sign and character that your heart is right with God when through the Grace of God you continue praying and although at present your desires are not answered yet you have good ground for hope that God intends good to you because he keeps your heart in a praying-frame You must not only pray but continue instant in prayer for so saith the Apostle Continuing instant in prayer The Rom. 12. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess 5. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 original word implies strength and valour Neither must we pray by fits and starts but we must pray without ceasing i. e. We must readily embrace all opportunities of praying and be in a praying-disposition Sect. 18. 4. Duty Keep close to all Gods Ordinances A fourth particular duty is To. keep close unto all the Ordinances of God As I have insisted in the last particular on the Duty of Prayer which is a choice Ordinance and is both the priviledg and duty of Gods Children so I shall mention other Ordinances which you ought conscientiously to observe Three only I shall instance in not excluding any other Ordinance And they are Hearing of the Word receiving of the Lords supper and the strict observation of the Sabbath 1. You must be swift to hear the 1. Be swift to hear the Word of God Word of God preached You must not content your self with reading of Gods Word in your Closet but you must stir abroad to hear the word faithfully preached this is the arm of the Lord revealed and it Isa 53. 1. Rom. 1. 16 is the power of God unto salvation Attend therefore at the Posts of Wisdoms gate Lie in this way where Christ comes by wait as the impotent creeple did at the Pool of Bethesda multitudes of impotent folk Joh. 5. 4. lay there waiting for the moving of the water for an Angel went down at a certain season into the Pool and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had Neglect not therefore the diligent hearing of faithful Ministers whose endeavours are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to divide the word aright and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to walk rightly From such as are sound in Doctrine and holy in life and conversation absent not your self the word preached and delivered viva voce with warm affections and in the demonstration of the spirit and power mirabiles effectus habet for it 's instrumental to humble the proud heart to soften the hard heart and to level mountains as low as the valleys now every instrumental-cause must be reduced unto its efficient cause It was not Elijah's Mantle that parted the waters of Jordan but the Lord God of Elijah Elisha took up the 2 King 2. 13 14. mantle of Elijah that fâ—ll from him and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan and smote the waters and said where is the Lord God of Elijah So it 's the powerful operation of the Spirit of God which
resurrexerit c. Pareus in loc I was in the spirit on the Lords day This day is the souls market-day the souls harvest-day the souls rejoiâ—ing-day Prepare for this day before it comes meditate of the duties of the day and sanctifie your souls for the sanctification of the Lords own day The word Remember necessarily implys prepartion and a previous consideration of performing the works of the day in its own day This day ought seriously to be remembred before it comes and the heart ought to be prepar'd and sequestred from all worldly intanglements On this day we should rise earlier in a morning than other days Mary rose early that day and had a joyful sight of the Lord Jesus Shake off sloth and drowsiness and beware of idleness for spiritual idleness on this day is as bad as bodily labour give unto God his own day a whole day and imploy your soul in the works of the day and the works are works of piety mercy and necessity and beg of God a Sabbath-frame and temper of spirit As for such works as concern our secular calling though they are lawful and necessary on other days of the week yet on this day they are neither necessary nor lawful much less are corporal-recreations as games or sports c. to be allowed on this day On this day double diligence ought to be used for the performing of double duties to hearing of the Word in publick add reading in private and to reading add secret prayer and to prayer add meditation and to meditation add conference as next is to be mentioned Sect. 20. Duty 5. Communicate your Doubts to experienced Christians Mal. 2. 7. Isa 50. 4. A fifth Duty is to communicate your Doubts and perplexities to such experienced Ministers or people who are able and willing to administer spiritual comfort unto you The Prophet tells us For the Priests lips should keep knowledg and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Impart your case to faithful Ministers to whom God hath given the tongue of the Learned and to other experienced Christians who through the Grace of God may speak both by way of counsel and comfort something for the settlement and establishment of your spirit Frequent the society of such who fear God and be a companion to such here on earth whose company you hope to enjoy to all eternity It was the saying of an eminent servant of Jesus Christ upon his Death-bed Mr. Robert Bolton I shall change my place but not my company Be therefore ready and willing to lay hold upon those opportunities which are offered for spiritual conference and be glad of the prayers and counsels of such as are Mnasons and old Disciples and experienced Christians and Practitioners of Religion Spiritual conference is no new practice for it is of great antiquity and I heartily wish that it were more revived and put in practice than it is now-a-days The Prophet Malachy makes mention of such Religious meetings Then they that feared the Lord spake Mal. 3. 16. often to one another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name Upon perusal of those words it 's evident that the people of God met together and confer'd about each others spiritual estate And there ought to be a great deal of care and conscience in the managing of such meetings for God takes notice of all that 's done or spoken and puts them upon record O! how much and abundant soul-satisfaction may be gain'd by the society of such as are godly to such you ought to unbosom and unburthen your soul they may be instrumental for the good of your soul And as I advise unto conference and correspondence with godly Christians so I advise you to the making choice of godly Writers and to peruse them with diligence and seriousness of spirit Let the holy Scriptures always have the preheminence both in your judgment and affections Next to them I commend unto your frequent reading sound and orthodox Writers such as are Calvins Institutions Greenham Perkins Dod Dyke on the Deceitfulness of the heart Scudder Burroughs gracious spirit and in an especial manner because it 's very suitable to your condition I commend to your reading Dr. Sibs of the souls conflict The precious Author is dead but his memory is blessed and both the Author and his Works are like precious ointment poured forth The sixth and last particular Duty Duty 6. Wait upon God which I advise you unto is to wait silently patiently and submissively upon God Labour therefore to bring your will to Gods will God is infinite in Wisdom and knows what 's better for you than you know for your self and better than you can either ask or think And believe that Gods time is always the best time and therefore wait on God till he be pleased to speak a word of peace to you Let faith and patience hold out and joyn them both together and imitate those who Heb. 6. 12. through faith and patience have inherited the promises The Church of God though under hatches and in a very low condition yet did exercise faith and patience And I Isa 8. 17. will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him The Church of God was much afflicted and vexed with briers and thorns and was neither quiet at home nor abroad yet notwithstanding we read of an Heroical resolution of the Church Therefore I will look unto the Lord Mic. 7. 7. I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me In this verse Faith Patience and Assurance are all joyn'd together for looking implys that there was an eye of faith and waiting implys the exercise of patience and that God would hear was a strong ground of assurance that the faith and patience there mention'd were successful In Habbakkuks time the Vision was very dark For said Hab. 2. 3. the Prophet the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Waiting-Christians are exceeding much gainers by all their waiting so saith the Prophet The Lord is good to them that wait Lam. 3. 25 26. for him to the soul that seeketh him It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Wherefore if God speak not comfort so soon as you desire and expect yet know that it is your duty to hold out and continue waiting and not in the least to presume to limit the holy one of Israel to any time or means Let God as an ancient Eligat opportunitatem qui libere dat misericordiam Aug. Father saith chuse the opportunity who freely gives thee mercy