Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	according_a	master_n	servant_n	1,516	5	7.1482	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42839	Mary's choice, or, The choice of the truly godly person opened, and justified, in a sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Anne Petter, late wife of the Reverend Mr. John Petter, Pastor of the Church at Hever in Kent, April 26, 1658 by John Glascock ...	Glascock, John, d. 1661.	1659 (1659)	Wing G842; ESTC R6625	73,413	87

if they might never see any of them that remain Christlesse as themselves do A great many think they have done all that belongs to them if they provide estates for their relations wives and children to live gallantly in the world but never take the least care about their soules more precious then the world But when they meet together before Christs Tribunal may not many women with better warrant say to their husbands then Moses wife did to him Thou hast been a bloudy husband to me And many children Oh thou cruel Father if you had according to your duty instructed corrected and given me an holy example I had never been so sinful and so miserable as now I am And so servants cry out bitterly Oh that I had never entered within the door of that family of such a gracelesse Master who in stead of helping me to heaven haled me with violence to the pit of destruction On earth t is a common speech amongst the wicked The more the merrier not so in hell Luke 16. 21. Then he said I pray therefore father that thou wouldest send him to my fathers house for I have five brethren that he may testifie unto them least they also come into this place of torment I cannot be so charitable as to think so good a thing as Charity dwels among the damned crew But he knew that if they came to hell his torments would be the greater and therefore desired never to see them more Mat. 8. 12. They that miscarry in the other world they weep and gnash their teeth The more therefore who are damned the louder and more hideous roaring and the greater number of ghastly and frightful persons Mat. 13. 41. who gnash their teeth The saints in the life to come shall never be afflicted with any unacceptable company for a day hour or moment and the wicked shall never be refreshed with a pleasing companion although it be but for the least space of time which is imaginable 4. All the godly persons shall enjoy the comfortable condition before mentioned to all eternity and all the wicked shall endure that woful misery for ever This great big-bellied Epithet Eternall is that which heightens happines or misery to the utmost I begin with the first branch The Saints happinesse will be and they shall know that it will be everlasting Psal 16. 11. In thy presence is fulnesse of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore This proves the joy of glorified ones shall be everlasting And if we look into 1 Thes 4. 17. we may observe Paul speaking in the name of believers We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall be ever with the Lord. And if the Saints in this life know that their happinesse shall be everlasting in the life to come surely the knowledge of the saints Triumphant is not lesse then the knowledge of the saints Militant this being so that their happinesse shall be everlasting and they know it shall be so The Apostle might well adde vers 18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words It is not possible or needful that more comfortable words should be spoken to any of the Children of men Ubi est summum bonum ibi summa faelicitas summa jucunditas vera libertas perfecta charitas aeterna securitas secura aeternitas Bernard Medit. cap. 4. Now as for the wicked Eternity is that which renders their condition amazingly unspeakably and unconceivably woful Esa 33. 14. The sinners in Sion are afraid fearfulnesse hath surprized the hypocrites What is the matter There follow two hard Questions Who shall dwell with devouring fire although for a short space of time But the hardest Question of all is Who shall endure everlasting burnings If the damned in hell could in truth say which they cannot I have been roaring and yelling many years in this burning lake but after so many hundred or thousand years I shall certainly be delivered out of this place of Torment The thoughts of being delivered although after a long time would wonderfully abate their misery But when they speak that which is the truth in this case Here I have been a great while weeping and gnashing my teeth and so must be for ever This Eternity is as I may so speak The very hell of hell What more confounding words ever did or can God speak or wicked ones hear then those words which God will ere long pronounce in their hearing Mat. 25. 41. Depart ye our sed into everlasting fire When the wicked have been in hell as many years as there are hairs on their heads stars in the firmament or sands upon the Sea-shore they are as farre from the end of their torments as they were the first moment they dropt into the burning lake I have now dispatch't the Demonstration of the Doctrine by which it clearly appears that in reference to all the concernments of both worlds The godly mans choice is unquestionably and incomparably the best choice that can be made The third thing that I promised was to vindicate this glorious Doctrine from the Objections and Cavils that are brought against it to name them all were a very long if possible task I shall take notice of two principal ones which being clearly propounded and fully answered I shall hasten to the Application Object The Scripture declares That the Choice you speak of will infallibly expose us to many Afflictions Acts 14. 22. We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God Let the people of God walk never so wisely and holily there is no avoiding of the Crosse If any think to go to Heaven without tribulation he must as the Emperor Constantine told the Heretick Acesias erect a ladder and go up alone Now the Apostle tels us Heb. 12. 11. No chastning for the present seems to be joyous but grievous How then can that choice be so much approved that renders our condition so grievous in this world Sol. Before I Answer this Objection I must premise That although this and a thousand such Objections framed by Satan or his instruments cannot prevailingly alter the choice of any that have in truth given up their names and hearts to God and his precious waies yet needlesse discouragements may be upon their spirits by means thereof Again This consideration of afflictions that they who walk in Gods waies meet with may dishearten others from making this choice when invited and provoked to enter into the way of life I shall therefore give in something by way of answer for the satisfaction of both these sort of persons who are herein concerned Sol. 1. To take off the discouragements of those who have made this holy and happy choice the Text speaks of I can in this haste name but a few things but I hope enough for their relief to be considered by them I do not dare not deny That

benefit by them and infallible deliverance from them is to choose what holy Mary in the Text choose viz. the precious wayes of Christ Object 2. T is true much hath been spoken of the pleasantnesse of Gods wayes above all other wayes what ever But many a wicked person will still object against them that surely they are not so comfortable as hath been asserted because they see many who are reputed the holy ones of God walk as far as they can discern very sadly and uncomfortably from one years end to another And many that walk in other ways seem as pleasant and merry at all times as any on earth Now because one Argument from the Topick of sence prevailes with sensual unbelievers more then ten arguments from the Topick of Faith It will be necessary to speak something for the Answer of this Objection Solut. There are two branches of the Objection which must be distinctly answered The First is this Many Godly ones seem very sad therefore sure the ways of God they walk in are not pleasant To which I Answer I. It must not be denied oh that it could with truth but that some yea too many precious People of God wrong themselves very much and greatly disgrace the excellent wayes of God by their uncomfortable walking in them some of them deserve Horribilia de Deo terribilia de side much tender pitty because of the sad desertions they are under and the many fearful temptations they are haunted with from time to time but as for others of them were I now at leisure it would be a very necessary office of love to reprove them sharply for taking the devils part against themselves and so often rallying together their routed uncomfortable objections against their own interest in the sure mercies of David But sure they must take another and better course before their bosoms be filled with the unspeakable and glorious joy of the Gospel But this being granted this argues not at all the unpleasantnesse of Gods wayes but onely the failings of some that walk in them And it is the perfection of basenesse for any from hence to take occasion to reproach the good ways of God the Doctrine that is according to Godlinesse strictly requires all Gods people and that upon very sufficient grounds as you have heard when I proved they are all the honourable spouses of the King of Glory and undoubted heirs of the Kingdom of Glory and so have causes enough when they discern them immediately and everlastingly to triumph with ravishing joy to rejoyce constantly and abundantly Phil. 4. 4. Rejoyce in the Lord alway and I say again rejoyce The ingemination here used to presse the duty notes the difficulty of the duty of spirituall rejoycing and so our backwardnesse to perform it and yet further intimates the exceeding gratefulness of it to God when performed For it is in this case expressed by God according to the manner of men when we send a child or servant to any place for the dispatch of many businesses we tell them this and the other businesse must be done but then some one principal thing on which our heart is set we single out and tell them they must be sure what ever is neglected to be mindful of that So here God would have Christians pray mourn and do other holy duties but he useth no such expressions about them pray yea I say again pray mourn yea I say again mourn But Rejoyce I say again rejoyce Because the right performance of this duty is very much according to the heart of God I le name but one place more which requires this joy to be enlarged as well as constant Psal 32. 11. Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart From these words we may clearly and strongly inferre three things pertinent to our present subject 1. God is vehemently urgent with his people spiritually to rejoyce In the former Text the duty was twice mentioned here it is thrice expressed Be glad rejoyce shout for joy A beautiful person when gracefully smiling appears most beautiful So of all the Christians in the world none is so amiable in the eyes of God as the cheerful Christian especially when under afflictions 2. God would have all his people even the weakest of them to rejoyce for so it is expressed be glad and rejoyce all ye that are upright in heart He doth not say all ye that are perfect in holinesse but all ye that are upright in heart although labouring under many spiritual infirmities 3. God would have this joy to be enlarged For so much is implied in those words here used Shout for joy Shouting is an outward signe of inward and excessive joy such as is the joy of harvest and of those who divide the spoil which are the greatest earthly joyes and to them spirituall joys are compared Isa 9. What malicious and profane villaines are they who dare call Gods ways uncomfortable as many do when they see any of Gods people dejected Oh say they such a precise Minister hath made such a man or woman mad he hath undone my wife or child t is pitty he should be suffered to live Now if these rash censurers would but ask these dejected souls why they are thus troubled they would tell them It is not the fault of any of those holy Doctrines which Gods faithfull Ministers deliver but because they fear they are not at all holy or at least not so holy as they would be and Gods holy doctrine requires they should be and somtimes it is because they hear of g orious and ravishing priviledges which are the portion of Gods people and they see so much sinfulnesse and unworthynesse in themselves that they dare not lay claim to them and so are tormented upon that account so that things being rightly considered not the holy doctrine delivered by Gods faithful Ministers but the unholinesse of mens hearts and lives is the true cause of their uncomfortablenesse And so only the ways of sin and not the ways of Christ deserve to be branded for unpleasant But I earnestly exhort all wicked ones that hear me to take heed of such grosse mistakes and being so greedy to take up and utter such reproaches against Gods glorious ways God will certainly reckon with wicked ones for all their hard speeches against Jude 15. him and then these most vile and abhorred words cannot be forgotten II. Many of the people of God are thought very sad when they are very full of inward comfort The joy of Christians is not a light frothy flashy gigling face mirth as the joy of the wicked is Seneca tells us that true joy even such as he was capable of is a very severe thing How much more may this be asserted of the joy of Christians Because wicked men see the people of God grave and mortified in their countenance as they ought to be and not gurning and gigling

Amos 8. 5. day then upon any other day no weather hindred her from the publick Assembly and what time was not spent in publick was exactly imployed in private duties of Gods appointment 3. She was one of a very Humble Spirit which appeared in her affability and courtesie to the meanest persons who had occasion to make use of her And when she spake as she did often of the merciful Providences of God towards her in providing comfortably for her all her days as to the concernments of both worlds she would ever expresse her admiration of Gods great goodnesse towards her by acknowledging that what God had done graciously Luke 1. 48. Jud. 6. 15. 1 Pet. 5. 5. for her was for one who in her own thoughts was the meanest of her fathers family I scarce have known any more adorned with the glorious robe of humility then she was 4. She was a chearful not a sullen Christian by her chearfulnesse in Gods precious ways she did more credit the Gospel of Christ in one year then many other drooping and lowring Christians in a long time She was none of Gods whinnels that upon every petty outward affliction or because inward comforts were not dispenced at that time and in that measure they expected like froward children are ready to throw away what is in their hands already her great care was to get a clean and quiet conscience and when the Bird in the bosom did sing sweetly she could well enough digest many other disappointments 5. She was very patient under affliction and living to so great an age as she did it cannot be imagined but that she shared in the Act. 14. 22. common lot of Christians She had much of that ingenuity which was in holy Job which she discovered by those words Shall we Job 2. 10. receive good at the hands of God and not evil When her paines increased in the time of her sicknesse towards her end she would say I love God still I will trust him still And in the greatest afflictions that she was at any time under she was so far from fainting and discontent that she would say We must not be overmuch troubled for worldly losses or crosses these are but chips of the crosse we deserve that God should make our burden more heavy to all eternity 6. She was a most heavenly minded Christian She abounded Col. 3. 1. 2. alwayes in discourses tending that way not onely in her sicknesse but all the time of her health and could scarce be patient to hear any long discourses of other subjects when in the company of Gods people who could speak to better purpose And when any of her Relations came to visit her before their parting she would usually say Nothing troubled her more then to think that while they had been together they had done one another so little good and been so little helpful to each other in the way to heaven Ephes 6. 16. Rom. 4. 20. 1 Tim. 4. 8. 7. To name no more She was eminent in the eminent Grace of Faith She gave the Lord much glory by believing Her Faith appeared to be of the right stamp because it closed with and made improvement of all promises for this life and for that which is to come When any worldly difficulties we objected in referrence to her self or near Relations she would say God had never failed her 1 Sam. 17. 37. yet and he was all-sufficient and therefore she would trust God for all Now that Faith which useth to feed upon former experiences is ordinarily strong And when any dangers were before her she was very couragious and undaunted Which was the issue of her well grounded Faith When the troubles were in Kent and a great many men and women were at their wits end and being wholly destitute of Faith were ready to cry and run from place to place one being solicitous where to dispose of his money another to hide his person in safety she was quiet She said it was not bolts and bars that kept her in safety in quiet times but Gods almighty Providence and that was as able to secure her now and therefore she could then sleep in peace as David Psal 3. 8. Nor was her faith lesse observable in reference to its actings about the concernments of the other world And here her faith of Adherence and Evidence as it is usually expressed were both very strong T is true Satan was very busie with her to get her from the Castle of the Promises where her strength lay but God had made her so wise a Christian as to have the Gospel considered 1 Joh. 3. 23. as the Law of Faith alwaies in her thoughts and by that means she was made afraid at any time of neglecting to cast her self wholly upon the free grace of God in Christ for salvation according to the Covenant The Commands of God made her fearful of omitting the duty of Prayer of mispending her precious time and other prescribed duties So likewise the clear commandment above mentioned for believing made her as much afraid to neglect Eph. 6. 16. that duty which is the most eminent of all Christian duties and the most helpful to all the rest As to the faith of evidence she attained to such a degree of it that by it which was a most incomparable priviledge she was lifted up ry much above the fear of death Her language in the time of her sicknesse was Come Lord Jesus come quickly and for my part it was to my great admiration to hear of what she spake frequently and chearfully concerning many particulars relating to her funeral not needful to be imparted Now I have finished what I intended upon the Providence which brought us together at this time And me thinks I hear some of you to speak after this manner Why no more To which I answer All the flowers of a garden so well stored as the garden of her long and Christian life was with a grateful variety of sweet and beautiful Graces cannot in a short time be gathered and presented in one handful But a far greater number are more apt to say Why so much of her virtues and nothing of her infirmities Was she while living in this world perfect of the Church Triumphant and not Militant To which I answer least I should seem to flatter which none that know my temper will readily charge me with it must be confessed that she had her infirmitie as all others of the best of Saints have in this life yet because they are unquestionably covered forgiven and forgotten by Christ it will argue us the more Christ-like to forget them as he hath given us an example Besides I observe in Heb. 11. where the holy Ghost is enlarged in the praises of the holy Patriarchs and other Worthies who had at least some of them greater miscarriages then I ever observed in her that none of their praises are stained with any blots or buts of their sinful infirmities To summe up all this excellent Gentlewoman Mrs. A. Petter so manifested her Graces in all Relations and Conditions that it may be truly said of her She was a most loving respectful and obedient Wife a very tender and careful Mother a conscionable and bountiful Mistresse a peaceable and helpful Neighbour In Prosperity she was very chearful thankful and fruitful In Adversity very submissive self-searching and penitent Well what now remaines but that I bespeak you all in the words of Christ Luke 10. 37. Go ye and do likewise And then craving pardon for my very unusual prolixity I shut up all with like words to those of the blessed Apostle 2 Tim. 2. 7. Consider what hath been spoken and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS