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	good_a	law_n	1,011	5	4.8972	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20556	A plaine and familiar exposition of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of the Prouerbs of Salomon	Dod, John, 1549?-1645.; Cleaver, Robert, 1561 or 2-ca. 1625. aut	1609 (1609)	STC 6963; ESTC S109743	120,090	186

errours and noisome speeches like those that make it their worke to sow Cockle and Tares and Darnell or other weeds which are only venomous and hurtfull In the former part of the sentence the heart is to bee vnderstood which ministreth matter to the lips And in the latter the lips are also meant which are the instruments of the heart as if he should haue said The lips of the wise out of that grace which is in the heart doe spread abroad knowledge and that which is right and the heart of the foolish by the peruersenesse of the lips doth spread abroad ignorance and that which is not right For the former part see Chap. 11. 30. For the latter Chap. 12. 18. Verse 8. The Sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord but the praier of the righteous is acceptable vnto him THE Sacrifice of the wicked Their best workes euen those which seeme most to sauour of deuotion and their very praiers themselues are abomination to the Lord sins which he abhorreth and for which he will punish them but the praier of the righteous and all other their seruices which they faithfully performe are acceptable to him wherewith through Iesus Christ he is well pleased and for the same will gratiouslie reward them Doct. Hee that would haue his seruice accepted of God must first giue himselfe to God Though God be not an accepter of persons for mens outward condition yet hee is in regard of their inward graces Therefore the Lord had respect vnto Habel his offering because he had respect to Habel And why had hee respect to Habel Because he was his godly faithfull seruant And therefore the Lord regarded not Cains oblation because he Gen. 4. 4. 5. regarded not Cain And why did hee not regard Cain Because he was a wicked vnbeleeuing Rebell Reasons 1 First his fauour and countenance is alwaies and onely shewed there where his image appeareth which is nowhere else to bee seene but in the soules and liues of them that dedicate themselues to his worship and there it is neuer failing Secondly the most plausible shewes that wicked men make considering the falshood of their hearts are condemned of him as workes of the flesh and the meanest seruices that good men doe in respect of the vprightnesse of their mindes be commended as fruits of the spirit Vse 1 Terror for diuers vngodly persons who haue nothing but Sacrifices for the foundation of their hope and comfort For notwithstanding there be neuer so great guiltinesse in their conscience and sinfulnesse in their conuersation and both continued to their liues end yet they trust by vertue of their praiers and other good deeds to pacifie Gods wrath and escape his iudgements and make amends for all their misbehauiour Doe they deeme that the Lord will be beguiled by them and take rebellion for their ransome and grieuous prouocations for a meritorious propitiation Thinke they that he is driuen to such necessitie that hee must either take their seruice or not be serued at all as if he had no Saints or holy seruants to yeeld glory vnto him And yet of this sort beside all or the most part of the Papists are very many which satisfie themselues with externall words and actions though holy in themselues if they were religiously exercised yet execrable from them being hypocritically peruerted Incouragement to godly men to pray often and bee diligent in euery good dutie sithence they may be sure of such happy successe and their seruice shall bee so well accepted Instruction to esteeme well of all righteous men forasmuch as euery one of them is in so good estimation with God Though they be neuer so poore in the sight of worldly men yet they are greater in truth than any worldling is and such as the Apostle saith The world is not worthy of They Heb. 11. 38. are the fauorites of the most high hauing at all times accesse vnto him and hearing of him and that with delight and good effect It is no hard matter for them to procure fauour for their friends whom they pray for and displeasure to their enemies whom they are sometimes compelled to pray against Howsoeuer it is Their praiers preuaile much if Iam. 5. 16. they be feruent Verse 9. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but he loueth him that followeth righteousnesse THE way of the wicked The whole course of his life and behauiour whatsoeuer hee saith and all that hee doth is abomination to the Lord is filthy and loathsome in his eies prouoking him in anger to plague him And this is not to bee vnderstood onely of the grosse faults of sinfull men when they directly transgresse the Law of God but of euery thing else which they take in hand as long as they walke after the flesh as labour and trauell their meat and drinke their sleepe and necessarie refreshings though in exercises not vtterly vnlawfull though in matters that bee meerely ciuill though in actions euery way commendable for others to performe And heereof the Apostle speaketh when he saith to Titus That to the pure all Titus 15. things are pure but vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing nothing is pure but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled But he loueth him esteemeth him and vseth him as his own childe causeth his heart to feele the comfort of his fauour and will in due time make it manifest to all the world how deare he is vnto him who followeth after righteousnesse which is not cold or slow or vnstable in doing of good but with might and maine striueth constantly to obtaine the habit and increase of goodnesse The word signifieth earnestly to pursue being a Metaphor taken from the eagernesse of wilde beasts or rauenous fowles or of any kinde of creatures that liue by the spoile of others which will run or flie both fast and farre rather than bee disappointed of their prey True it is that all are not of equall graces nor any one at all times equally affected to that which is iust and vpright but none must leaue off endeuour to seeke it Euery man is to make it his gaine and to abandon all the impediments which would stay him from it The sense and meaning of the words will be the better discerned if that bee supplied which is vnderstood in either part of the sentence in this manner The Lord abhorreth the way and person of the wicked because he followeth iniquitie but hee loueth the person and way of the godly because hee followeth righteousnesse Doct. God respecteth not men according to their wealth and state but according to their waies and behauiour Many wicked men haue great substance and dignitie and yet nothing that they haue or doe is any whit acceptable to the Lord And most godly men liue in pouertie or other afflictions and yet all of them are pretious vnto him See chap. 11. verse 20. Doct. 2. Verse 10. Instruction is euill to him

profit by few wee shall not be pursued by many if we despise not small ones we shall not be burdened with great ones if words will serue the turne for redresse of things amisse we shall not be much visited with strokes But though our former carelesnesse or stubbornnesse hath caused many of vs to be afflicted as well as reprehended and brought vs to as many troubles as rebukes yet we shall free our selues from the reproch of follie if wee can behold the hand that smiteth vs and be truly humbled for the sins that cause vs to be smitten When our eares be opened to hearken better vnto the voice of God when our lips be prepared to make a more free and ful confession of our faults when our soules be resolued with greater integritie to order our waies we shall be reckoned among the number of the wise for none can be bettered by crosses and sorrowes but hee that hath wisdome and vnderstanding And for this purpose as often as we either giue correction or take it it is expedient to seeke the fruit of the same at Gods hand neither the frequencie of punishments multitude of stripes nor the sharpnesse of strokes without his blessing will euer worke any good effect in the soule It is a true saying and spoken by the spirit of truth Though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter among wheat braied with a Prouer. 27. 22. pestell yet will not his foolishnesse depart from him Verse 11. An euill man seeketh onely rebellion and a cruell messenger shall be sent against him AN euill man He that is destitute of Gods holy spirit and walketh after the flesh seeketh only rebellion setteth himselfe wholly to transgresse the Commandements of God and delighteth in nothing so much as in that which is contrarie to his will and a cruell messenger shall be sent against him euen as Kings and other Princes send out some forces if need so require to suppresse rebellions and to apprehend and seuerely punish the Rebels so the Lord armeth sometimes men with wrath and power against his enemies and sometimes the Angels and sometimes the vnreasonable creatures and sometimes the insensible creatures to be as it were his officers appointed to plague them without mercy and sometimes his owne hand immediately doth destroy them Doct. No wicked man is better nor shall be otherwise dealt with than a Rebell Not only profest Atheists and Infidels which openlie renounce their Creator and the King of the world are so to be reputed but sinfull dissemblers also which impiously prouoke Christ Iesus their Redeemer the King of the Church are of the same number Of such speaketh Ieremy when hee saith They are all rebellious traitors walking craftily And such Ier. 6. 28. doth Hosea complaine of when he saith My people are bent Hos 11. 7. to rebellion against mee Neither of these sorts thinke themselues well so long as they are not doing of euill In their vocations they are worldly and couetous in their recreations they are sensuall and voluptuous in the worship of God they are negligent and hypocriticall in all their workes in all their words in all their cogitations continually in euery place iniquitie and sinfulnesse floweth from them Reason 1 First they are all of them haters of God such as repine at his honour and glorie Secondly they contemne and violate his Lawes Thirdly they are iniurious and aduersaries vnto his Subiects Fourthly they are souldiers and seruants of Satan his most mortall enemie Vse 1 Instruction to the godly to be warre of them and vnlike vnto them as much as they desire to be liked of God that they commit euill lesse and doe good things better and seeke how to shew obedience not only to the positiue lawes of Magistrates though that be necessarie for euery Christian but also to the diuine Lawes of God which is proper to Christians The best and most ciuill wicked man in all the world is but halfe loyall at the most Albeit none could appeach him of treacherie or contempt against his Prince though few that feare not God be faithfull vnto man yet who can acquite him of rebellion and high treason against his highest soueraigne the Lord Consolation to Gods people whom the wicked doe hate and molest Their enemies are not so violent against them as the Lord for in malice against him they doe so much maligne them and therefore let them be well assured that he will protect his subiects from Rebels his seruants his fauourites his children from the weapons and fury and force of his enemies With this selfe same reason doth he animate and incourage the Prophet Ezechiel saying Thou sonne of man Ezek. 2. 6. feare them not neither be afraid of their words although Rebels and thornes be with thee and thou remainest with scorpions feare not their words nor be afraid at their lookes for they are a rebellious house And the greatest comfort of all is when the Lord giueth them an heart to feare iniquitie and not to delight in it to flie from that which is euill and not to follow it to subiect themselues vnto him and to striue against sinne and not seeke rebellion And what though they haue their frailties their faults their corruptions that they faile of many duties that they fall into many offenses Yet hee putteth a difference betweene faithfull subiects which would and cannot obserue his Lawes better and wilfull Rebels which contemptuously despise his Lawes Hee knoweth that his souldiers are sometimes taken Captiues in fighting for him and his enemies alwaies take vp weapons to fight against him Terror for the vngodly how great soeuer they bee and how safe soeuer they seeme to be for they are vile as being Rebels and in continuall perill of some grieuous plagues for a punishment of their rebellion Good men haue due cause to abhorre their waies for they rise vp in armes against their heauenly King and the righteous God hath cause to execute iudgements vpon them for they oppose themselues against his holy gouernment And therefore when he beginneth to take them in hand neither themselues nor any other shall be able to deliuer them out of his hands Whatsoeuer creature shall haue the commission to torture and torment them will be made both implacable and vnresistable as Iehu to the house of Ahab who spared not his owne mistresse Ahashuerosh to Haman who spared not his owne minion Adramelech and Sharezer to Zanecherib who spared not their owne father And what could the Sodomites say or doe against the violence of the fire And what could Pharao say or doe against the rage of the waters And what could Herod say or doe against the multitude and greedinesse of the vermine Al these tooke their time which was all the time of their life to rebell And God tooke his time at the length which was a seasonable and fit time to send out these cruell messengers against them How strangelie then are they besotted which