Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	act_n	day_n	lord_n	1,003	5	4.1260	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13540	A good husband and a good wife layd open in a sermon, preached by Mr Thomas Taylor ... ; and published by Iohn Sedguuicke.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.; Sedgwick, John, 1600 or 1601-1643.	1625 (1625)	STC 23829; ESTC S1374	15,209	29

loue godlinesse and holinesse both must seeke to be rich beautifull and glorious within as the spouses of Iesus Christ. 3. All married persons must aboue all things loue respect and cherish grace one in another ground not thy loue vpon beautie riches portion youth or such failing foundations but pitch it first in God and grace and it will hold Let it begin at the soule and thence shew it selfe to the body The man and wife ought to seeke the sauing one of anothers soule 1. Cor. 7. 5. Christ the husband of his Church did all suffered all bestowed all his wisedome strength riches yea his precious bloud for his spouse to sanctifie and saue her an vnfailing patterne for all spouses Where both are iust true grace will be valued at the highest rate one in another the one will hold the other worth so much as there is religion and the feare of God Betweene this beauty of soule riches of mind wealth of grace is esteemed at an incomparable rate and these entise and draw on heauenly spirituall and lasting loue When both are iust grace will be cherished in each more then good nature grace is excited by each in the exercise of spirituall duties they pray with and for one another they reade conferre and counsell together they edifie one another on their holy faith and this is a strong cement of loue Where both are iust both praise God as for inferiour endowments so especially for the measure of grace receiued and for that holy religion to which they are married Where God hath giuen this blessing there is wealth beauty loue and euery sweet and needfull comfort and contentment Before God from hence note this doctrine That those be indeed truly religious and righteous that are so before God that set themselues alwayes before God and in sinceritie of heart know and remember they haue to do with God in all things Iam. 1. 27. pure and vndefiled religion before God the thing that true religion doth is it bindeth God to man and man to God None can be iust before God Psal. 143. 2. Rom. 3. 20. No flesh can be iustified before the Lord. 1. That is no man onely flesh without Christ and his Spirit 2. No man can personally and perfectly be iustified so as his person and worke can passe allowable in strict iustice 3. No flesh in his sight vnlesse it be seene in the sight of Christ. But by mercifull acceptation the beleeuer is iustified and approoued as iust seene in Christ 2. By sound resolution he setteth himselfe vnder Gods eye and in his presence as a witnesse of his righteous and godly course and so seeketh in sinceritie of heart to be approued of him in all things And thus Zachery and Elizabeth are said to be iust in this place The reasons of this Doctrine are these Such a worshipper only the Lord requireth Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be vpright Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were such an heart in them that they might feare me and keepe all my commandements alwayes Onely such are accepted of him who are Iewes within Rom. 2. Who worship in Spirit and truth Ioh. 4. for because he is the seer and searcher of the hearts he loueth truth in the inward parts Psal. 51. And hath pleasure in vprightnesse 1. Chron. 29. 17. Here is a manifest distinction betweene godly men and euill who haue faire shewes are smooth outwardly can draw neare with their lips but God is not in their thoughts their hearts are remoued frō him The Pharisey can wash the outside of the cup and platter and can do many things to be seene of men But the godly man setteth himselfe in the eye of God and doth things with the heart not contenting himselfe to seeme good but to be so nor with a forme of godlinesse without the power of it This man shineth from the heart within and is better in substance then in show The goodnesse of this man is not to the eye and outward but inward from his heart before God All Euangelicall obedience is chiefly in purpose of heart in holy desires and hearty resolutions The top of the beleeuers perfection is not in perfection of action but affection and in strife against imperfection and truth of desires as Acts 11. 23. When with full purpose of heart we cleaue vnto the Lord. 1. Chronicles 18. 7. If Solomon shall endeauour to keepe the commandements then shall his kingdome be established This maketh workes and persons acceptable and accounted perfect This maketh duties comfortable when men charge vs with hypocrisie and sin●st●r ends as Dauid to Micall I did it before the Lord. A day cometh wherein the Lord will pronounce of euery man as his heart shall be before him as here of Zacharie and Elizabeth In which he will vnfold and turne out all the windings and corners of mens hearts If a peace of the heart or of vprightnesse be wanting he will misse it As in many kings of Israel who did such and such good things but not with all their hearts Then shalt thou know that all is nought without vprightnesse Now the notes of a man iust and religious before God He bringeth his inner man still before God as in his thoughts intentions desires 1. He dareth not suffer his thoughts too long absent from God Psal. 16. 8. I haue set the Lord euer in my sight He is much and often in secret soliloquies with God by prayer by meditation Of the wicked man it is said God is not in his thoughts But a truly godly man thinketh on God by day and by night 2. His intentions are not to get applause or credit of men but to get grace both with God and in himselfe 3. His desires are after God to prepare him a place in his heart without whom he cannot liue no more then without aire A soule destitute of desires after God is a great plague And for God he affecteth all goodnesse for goodnesse sake and for no other reward His actions are wrought in God for ordinarie course Ioh 3. 21. But he that doth truth commeth vnto the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God All his actions I say are wrought in God for ordinarie course both in 1. The rise 2. The rule 3. The end 1. In respect of the rise which is the loue of God It is the loue of God constraineth vs to euery good action that is the rise and foundation 2. Cor. 5. 12. 2. Of the rule which is the light of Gods word All the Israel of God walke by thus rule Gal. 6. 16. And as many as walke according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and vpon the Israel of God this is the lanthorne to their pathes Psal. 119. 3. Of the end which is either of Intention or Execution 1. Of intention which is Gods glory and contentment our endeauour is at

enquire the old and ancient way for thou neither knowest nor findest it of thy selfe Secondly labour to keepe this way A traueller must keepe the high and beaten way But this is the way the kings high way pathed and troden of all trauellers to heauen Our thoughts must not stray out of this way Exodus 20. Thou shalt not couet words must be held in this way of euery idle word we must giue an account actions must be done in this way What I command thee that do onely whether great or small the whole and parts the smallest pinnes of the Tabernacle must be according to the patterne in the Mount Hence those many precepts turne not to the right hand or the left for it is a right way Thirdly ioyne with those that walke in this way which is called the way of men It is a great encouragement in a strange way to go with good companie Delight in men fearing God in Saints excelling in vertue and with Iacob still pray God to go with thee in thy iourney who is a faithfull and sure guide Fourthly walke vprightly not halting in this way and follow it where euer it leadeth vprightnesse looketh not where multitudes go but where it selfe ought to go nor what may be the issue but which is the way This way may leade thee into many difficulties of disgraces losses crosses c. But as Israel going through the wildernesse they must prouide shooes on their feete so prouide thou the shooes of the preparation of the Gospell fencing thy selfe with Christian resolution to follow where euer the Gospell leadeth thee A good and sincere heart striueth to vniuersall obedience it will walke in all commandements and ordinances as Zacharie and Elizabeth Psal. 119. 6. then shall I not be confounded when I haue respect to all thy commandements I set all thy lawes before me and esteeme all thy precepts right though he cannot do all yet he must set all before him First because a good heart so prizeth euery part of the word as that he will gather vp the very fragments of the law he knoweth the perfection of it that as nothing need be added so nothing ought to be detracted Nothing else nothing lesse must be obserued it holdeth it not enough to serue and obay in some things but in all Secondly a good heart knoweth that it selfe cannot be deuided the religious heart is the whole heart which maketh no composition with Satan or sinne Sure it is it a small neglect of an inferior duty or sinne will make way and open a dore for greater and a little deceite or guile a small reserued and spared sinne is as a little leauen souring the whole lumpe or as a little Colloquintida poysoning all our vertues and obedience Thirdly he knoweth the Law cannot be deuided for it is so vnited that he that breaketh one sinneth against all A good heart therefore consenteth to the whole Law that it is good iust and holy and as a soueraigne potion prescribed must be taken all else the whole operation is hindred so also it is here Fourthly here is a difference betweene soundnesse and vnsoundnesse none are so bad but are willing to obey in some commandements so farre as they touch not their pleasure their profite or credit Herod will heare Iohn gladly till he touch him in his Herodias Iudas and Dem●s will do many good duties but will not leaue couetousnesse and worldlinesse But soundnesse denyeth all vngodly worldly lusts Tit. 2. 12. If not in act yet in desire disposition purpose of heart and holdeth no duty so small as to be neglected and despised Thinke not as the most do that thou hast well acquitted thy selfe if thou beest onely no adulterer murtherer theefe periurd person while thou dispensest with thy selfe in the lower degrees of sinne Thou art no whoremonger if conscience make thee none thou then wilt not be a wanton or vncleane in thy speeches Thou are no murtherer but conscience maketh thee not so vnlesse thou hate and resist rash anger hatred wrath hastie and furious speeches Thou art no thiefe and neuer stolest thy neighbours goods but hast thou not bene or art thou not vniust an vsurer a lyer and swearer to deceiue These petty thefts shew that conscience keepeth thee not from greater thefts and roberies Thou art no periured person nor swearest wounds and bloud c. but art thou accustomed to petty oathes If thou beest a vaine rash and idle swearer thy conscience keepeth thee not from periury Nay a frequent swearer cannot but be often periured But doest thou fauour no sin but makest warre vpon all the cursed cananites and lusts in thine owne bosome Here is some argument of soundnesse Examine the vprightnesse of thy heart by these notes 1. Doest thou hate all wayes of falshood and as desirous to forsake all thy sinne as that God would forgiue all thy sinne 2. Doest thou giue the Lord thy whole heart and man not making a profession to serue the Lord and reserue some idoll in thy soule 3. Desirest thou to do euery part of Gods word without either reseruation or exception not allowing thy selfe any liberty against any one Commandement or expostulation or reasoning when the Lord expresseth no reason As Abraham in going out of his countrey and sacrificing his sonne Resoluest thou on simple obedience in difficult costly dāgerous duties Here is the sound of a good heart The manner of walking without reproofe they walked not without fault infirmitie or sinne but without taint of crime or infamy They could not be iustly charged with grosse sinne or crime before men As their sinceritie was approued before God so was their conuersation laudable and without iust exception before men The righteousnesse of their actions testified to the righteousnesse of their persons The next care to the pleasing of God must be to walke innocently and inoffensiuely amongst men so as none can challenge the Christian iustly of any crime Iames 1. 27. religion vndefiled before God seeketh to keepe it selfe vnspotted of the world Phil. 2. 17. walke blamelesse as lights It is impossible not to be blamed Christs innocencie was traduced and so is that of his seruants Keepe thy selfe vnspotted though thou canst not keepe off the spattering of euill men let them not iustly spot thee though they will blame thee be thou sure thou beest not blame worthie What more seemely for the babes in Christ then to be without maliciousnesse or for the doues of Christ then innocencie Secondly what greater honour of godlinesse then for to challenge the aduersarie as Samuel whose oxe or asse haue I taken which of you can accuse me of crime I can accuse my selfe of too much sin before God but which of you can accuse me iustly when Iob can take the booke of his aduersarie and carrie it as his crowne Thirdly what greater cut and conuiction of the aduersarie when he wanteth nothing but