Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	action_n	evil_a	good_a	1,020	5	3.4395	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40076	Dirt wipt off, or, A manifest discovery of the gross ignorance, erroneousness and most unchristian and wicked spirit of one John Bunyan ... which he hath shewed in a vile pamphlet publish'd by him, against The design of Christianity ...	Fowler, Edward, 1632-1714.	1672 (1672)	Wing F1701; ESTC R8698	59,846	88

light Scratches thou art for Neck or nothing Thou hast a mouth for MACHIAVIL'S money who hath taught such as thy self this rule Fortiter Calumniare c. which because thou hast little kindness for the Language of the Beast take thus in English Slander lustily and something will stick Thou couldst scarcely hope that any one that knows or hath but heard of Mr. F. nay though he should be one of thine own herd can find in his heart to think him such a Monster of men such a Devil incarnate as thou wouldst make him but yet to be sure thou concludest that all that don't think thee so will at least be suspicious that so loud and hideous an out-cry is not made for nothing and that he hath written a too erroneous book if not such a damnably heretical one and therefore that 't is dangerous to read it and hear or converse with the Author of it But we will now consider what foundation is laid in that Treatise of Mr. F's for this Fellow to build so black a charge on and in order thereunto I shall not need to do any thing more than give the Reader a short view of the Sum and Substance of the Doctrinal part of it which I will do for the sake of those that are strangers to it And I promise to do it with all sincerity and impartiality and if I perform not let me be stigmatized by any that shall compare the following account with the Book it self for a man of no Conscience and a most false person The whole Title of the Book is The Design of Christianity or a plain demonstration and improvement of this proposition that the induing men with inward real Righteousness or true Holiness was the Ultimate end of our Saviour's coming into the world and is the great Intendment of his Blessed Gospel The business of the first Chapter is an Explication of the nature of true Holiness wherein after it is said to be by various forms of speech exprest in Scripture such as Godliness Righteousness Conversion and turning from Sin Partaking of a Divine Nature c. and that it is originally seated in the Soul and Spirit and is a Complication of all vertues there are four general and Comprehensive descriptions given of it all which differ only in words not at all in Sense And they all amount to thus much as any one of but a competent understanding will at first sight perceive viz. That true Holiness is such an inward living principle as so far as it prevails causeth the person that is indued with it to behave himself as becomes him that is to avoid and hate whatsoever is any wayes known to be morally evil and to love and prosecute whatsoever is good or to be under the government of all those good practical principles or Laws which are made known either by Revelation that is by the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament or by Nature or the use of Reason When Holiness is called a healthful complexion of Soul c. the purity of the humane nature c. and a divine or Godlike nature c. there is no more said than what is included in this description Next between the third and last description there is a somewhat more express and distinct account of the nature of Holiness but this I shall have occasion hereafter to take notice of In the close of this Chapter it is said that nothing is more natural to the Souls of men as they came out of God's hands than this excellent temper but by their Apostasie from God and sinking into brutish sensuality they sadly dispossessed themselves of it and so became like the beasts which perish but it pleased God in infinite goodness not to give us over so but when we had destroyed our selves in him was our help found and in order thereunto he sent his only begotten Son to us The Second Chapter is spent in proving that the great errand Christ came upon was to put us again into possession of that holiness which we had lost and this is proved by a Climax of seven particulars all which are implyed in these Scriptures which I entreat the Reader to turn to Matt. 3. 1 2. and Luke 1. 16 17. Mal. 3. 1 2 3. Matt. 1. 21. Luke 1. 72 c. Luke 2. 32. Matt. 3. 11 12. Matt. 9. 13. Matt. 5. 17. Acts 3. 26. Acts 5. 31. 1 Iohn 3. 8. Titus 2. 12. 1 Iohn 3. 5. In the third Chapter is shewn that holiness is the only design that is in reference to us of the Christian Precepts and 't is particularly shewn that they require 1. The most extensive holiness that is such as respects God our Neighbour and our selves 2. The most intensive not only negative but positive that is not only such as consists in doing no evil but also in doing good not only holiness of words and actions but likewise of thoughts and affections not only such a holiness as puts upon performing good actions but also such as puts upon performing them in a right manner with right ends or from good principles causing us to do every duty as to the Lord and not as to men to do all to the glory of God c. Lastly this Chapter concludes with the answer of an Objection The Objection is that all sober Christians acknowledge that the Gospel precepts do not require indefective and unspotted holiness or at least that Christ will accept of that which is far short of perfect and therefore he seems not to be so great a friend to it as is asserted The Answer is that 1. The attainment of perfect holiness is in this state impossible to us 2. That Christ will accept of nothing short of sincerity and diligent serious endeavours to abstain from all Sin 3. That no less than our absolutely perfect holiness is designed by Christ though not to be effected in this yet in the other world The Fourth Chapter sheweth that the promises and Threatnings of the Gospel have the promoting of holiness for their only design That the promises have 't is proved from 2 Pet. 1. 4. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Rom. 12. 1. And 't is further shewed that 1. These promises are either limited to holy persons or made use of as motives to holiness as 1 Tim. 4. 8. Matt. 5. 8. v. 3 5 7. Rom. 27. Rev. 3. 21. ch 2. 20. And whereas the promises of pardon and Eternal life are made to believing 't is said that nothing is more evidently declared than that this faith is such as purifieth the heart and is productive of good works 2. 'T is shewed that the Nature of these Promises is such as is alone sufficient to satisfie us that holiness is the design of them This 't is shewed is manifestly true concerning the principal promises which are reduced to 3 heads 1. That of the holy Spirit 2. Of Remission of sin 3. Of Eternal happiness in the enjoyment of God For the first viz. the

Thus the Reader sees how idle and malicious that is like all the rest this his last charge also against Mr. F. is Before I come to the conclusion of all I must advertise the Reader that whereas Mr. F. p. 300. hath these words Let us declare that we are not barely relyers on Christ's Righteousness by being imitators of it I. B. hath p. 111. for barely put hearty and so makes Mr. F. to give this most wicked advice Let us declare that we are not hearty relyers on Christ's righteousness I examined his erratae to find whether it were not a mistake of the Printer though 't is not easily to be thought it should there being no resemblance between the words barely and hearty but there is no such thing And to confirm the suspicion that 't was done designedly he makes this to bring up the rear in his Catalogue of Mr. F's 40. Doctrines destructive of Christianity but here thus words it To be imitators of Christ's Righteousness even of the Righteousness we should rely on is counted by Mr. F. more noble than to rely thereon or trust thereto pag. 300. Now mark if he intended honestly he would have said thus viz. Mr. F. saith Let us declare that we are not barely relyers on Christ's Righteousness by being imitators of it For those and no other are Mr. F's words he refers to but he knew that none but the most paltry hypocrites could take any offence at that saying Or if he must be giving it in those other words of his own he might have added the word barely and then the saying would have been without all exception viz. thus To be imitators of Christ's Righteousness is accounted by Mr. F. more noble than barely to rely on it I am confident the Reader will say that he never knew any one so impudent as thus effectually to prove himself in print a man of a prostituted and debaucht conscience And my observing of this hath occasioned my taking notice of the foregoing Doctrine viz. this To do well is better than believing p. 299. But Mr. F's words are only these Let us exercise our selves in studying the Gospel to enable us not to discourse or only to believe but also and above all things to do well Now that doctrine of his cannot be so much as gathered from these words all that follows from them is this that any honest man will say as well as Mr. F. namely that to do well is better than believing without doing well for well-doing supposeth believing The Reader can no longer wonder at his flying in Mr. F's face so often with worse than brutish rage and fury for asserting that Christ's Righteousness cannot be imputed to a wicked man while he continues so his Conscience could not but tell him that this touched his Copy-hold and that if that doctrine be true his case is sad I will now I am gotten to the Catalogue again take notice of one of the Doctrines more that he chargeth on Mr. F. viz. the 37. namely There is no duty more affectionately commanded in the Gospel than that of Alms-giving p. 284. I don't remember he saith any thing of this in the Book but only sets it down here as that the Reader would presently perceive is a doctrine destructive of Christianity Mark I say I don't remember he doth I do not positively affirm he doth not But 1. Mr. F. doth not say that no duty is more affectionately commanded but recommended and who knows not that these two are not the same 2. Now judg Reader whether any duty can be more affectionately recommended when 't is said that pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and widows in their afflictions c. Iames 1. 27. Again S. Iohn asks how the love of God can dwell in that man that refuseth to perform this duty 1 Iohn 3. 17. And Iames ch 2. 14 15 c. Sheweth that the Faith that is void of this particular good work is a dead Faith that is no Faith at all And our Saviour saith Matt. 5. 7. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy That is those that are merciful from a good principle And lastly our Saviour instanceth in no other works but these that men shall be judged according to at the great day Mat. 25. 34. to the end Can a duty be more affectionately and effectually recommended than this of Alms-giving is in these places To which may be added many more What can hard-hearted hypocrites say to these places The only fence they have against them is their paltry explication of the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's Righteousness by which also they can make all the Precepts of the Gospel to signifie nothing Again in the same page viz. 111. he tells Mr. F. that he hath applauded the Godliness of heathen Philosophers when as he hath no where done so and but only cited several of their excellent Sayings and that too for the service of the Christian Religion But this is no more than S. Paul himself doth Acts 17. 28. and Titus 1. 12. But if Mr. F. had said that very many of the Heathens were much better qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven than this I. B. hath demonstrated himself to be I make no doubt but he had spoken truly and not at all transgressed the Law of Charity for there were multitudes of Heathens that would have abominated such practices as have with the most undeniable evidence been proved against this pretended Christian. I can give several more instances of this mans unchristian dealing with Mr. F's Sayings and I doubt not but many have escaped my notice for I have not narrowly lookt for any but let the Reader when he finds any thing cited by him out of Mr. F's Book that looks strangely consult the book itself and I dare promise him he shall find that by either altering the Sentence or omitting part of it or basely wresting the words to another sense than the Context will bear I. B. hath abused Mr. F. in it And now who that hath read this I. B's book will not tell me that it is much more than high time I should have done with it and that I have done abundantly more than enough to convince the Reader of the apparent folly and wickedness of it Indeed I might well have concluded as soon as I had answered his miserably simple objections against that doctrine that Christ came to restore the holiness we had lost for he saith p. 42. If you can prove that any of these promises were made to the Holiness we had lost or that by these promises viz. those of the Holy Spirit remission of Sin and eternal happiness in the enjoyment of God we are to be possessed with that holiness again I will even now lay down the Bucklers And again when he had done his utmost to confute that doctrine he brags that he had rased the foundation of Mr. F '