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	life_n	1,000	5	4.5123	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13103	A motiue to good workes Or rather, to true Christianitie indeede. Wherein by the waie is shewed, how farre wee are behinde, not onely our fore-fathers in good workes, but also many other creatures in the endes of our creation: with the difference betwixt the pretenced [sic] good workes of the Antichristian Papist, and the good workes of the Christian Protestant. By Phillip Stubbes, Gentleman.	Stubbes, Phillip.	1593 (1593)	STC 23397; ESTC S111359	64,680	234

doe nowe almost in Scotland If this be not the way to bring the ministery into contempt the Sacraments and word of God into hatred and religion into detestacion Say if this be not the way to bring in playne Atheisme and consequētly confusion and ouerthrow of all things I knowe not what is For take away reward frō learning who will set his sonne to learning who I say will set his child to the Vniuersitie and bestowe almost all hee hath vppon hym to get him learning wheras afterwards he shall liue but as a begger all dayes of his life But as I would wish that they who be good able and sufficient preachers indeede should haue liuing enough so would I wish that those who haue too much should part with some of their superfluitie to others that eyther haue too little or iust none at all For you shall haue some that can speake but little congrue latine much lesse preach the word of God nay would God they could reade english well and yet they haue some of them two some of them three and it is well if not four benefices a peece you shal haue othersome fine schollers and famous preachers indeed want euen competent mayntenance And therefore could I wish if it might possibly be brought to passe that a more equall distribution of liuings were had amongst vs. But it may sooner I feare me be wished for than hastely effected Now as this is a great plague to our Church so I doubt least in time these impropriacions will be the bane of the same I pray God to moue her Maiesties royall heart and the heartes of her honorable Councell to redresse this great calamitie if it be his blessed will But whether am I caryed It is a good worke in a Bishop to preache the worde of God truely to minister the Sacraments sincerely to execute ecclesiasticall discipline and other censures of the Churche seuearely to rule and gouerne the Churche of God vprightly according to the word of God to constitute and place in euery seuerall Church and congregation as neere as is possible a good and sufficient preacher and to see that euery one in hys perticular charge and calling doe hys duety diligently He must bee an example to his flocke as well in life as in doctrine else what hee buildeth with one hand hee pulleth downe with the other Yea hee must bee of that holy conuersation and integritie of life that euen they that are without as the Apostle speaketh may bee wonne and reclaymed thereby Briefely hee must be in all poynts such a one as Paule describeth to Timothy and to such a one is all honor due as the same Apostle sayth in an other place those Elders that gouerne well are worthye of double honour It is also a principall good worke in a King or Prince fyrst and aboue all things to establish the true religion and worship of God to abolish all superstition idolatrie and Popery to roote out all vayne tradicions ordenances and constitutions of men eyther not grounded vppon the word of God or else repugnant to the same euer taking the worde of God for hys tutchstone and square rule to leuile all hys actions by It is also a good worke in a King of Prince and his very duty to publish enact good lawes and wholesome Statutes tending to the aduancement of vertue and godlynes and to the suppressing and ouerthrowing of all sinne and wickednes to see iustice ministred to all men alike without parcialitie fauour or affection to restrayne and inhibite all gnawing vsury extortion and exaction to suppresse all robbing murthering slaying and killing one of an other to defend the pore from the iniury and violence of the mighty to punish sin in all men according to the nature and quality therof as well in the nobility gentry and yeomanry as in them of the lowest degree knowing that the iudgement is the Lords that they be the Lords ministers and that they carry not the sword for naught as Paule witnesseth being also assured of this that the Lord respecteth no mans person neyther hath he graunted any greater charter to the mightie than to the poore to sinne No no they haue neyther commission nor priuiledge eyther of immunitie or impunitie no more than the poorest swayne or meanest peasant that lyueth vppon the face of the earth hath But the soule that sinneth shall dye sayth the Apostle of what condicion estate or degree soeuer they be Yea the greater honor or dignitie that the Lord bestoweth vppon any one in this life the greater innocency and perfection he requireth at his hands so farre off is hee from dispensing with any to sinne Princes therefore Noble men and Gentlemen should be examples of godlynes and holynes to those that bee theyr inferiors for it is an olde prouerbe and verie true Quales Principes Nobiles Gubernatores tales populi subditi Such as the Prince Nobles and Gentlemen are such are commonly the people and subiects also It is also an excellent good worke in a Prince to see that euery one man woman and childe be Cathechised and taught the true Religion of God and to compell them to heare reade meditate conferre and talke of the same contrarie to that blasphemous opinion of the Papists who teach that the knowledge of the word of God amongst the Layty as they call them doth make them Heretiques But our Sauiour Christ teacheth vs another lesson Scrutamini Scripturas Search the Scriptures for in them yee hope to haue eternall life And in an other place agayne Search the scriptures for they are they which testifye of me Also in the Acts we reade that the Byrreans searched the Scriptures dayly to see whether those things preached by the Apostles were so or not and they are wonderfully commended therefore by the holy Ghost in the same place Agayne when the Pharises came to Christ tempting him concerning the faith of the resurrection he answered them yee erre not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God So that whereas the Papists contrary to all truth do hould that the knowledge of the scriptures is cause of heresy we finde heere by our Sauiours owne words that the ignorance of them is cause of all errors heresy and supersticion Dauid in his first Psalme verse 1.2 accoumpted hym blessed that was conuersant dayly in the word of God saying Blessed is the man that doth not walke in the councell of the wicked nor stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the seate of the scornefull but his delight is in the lawe of the Lord and in this lawe doth hee exercise himselfe day and night Agayne in the syxt of Deuteronomie wee are commaunded by expresse wordes that the word of God shall neuer goe out of our heartes that wee shall teache it to our children that wee shall talke of it when wee are in our houses when wee goe by the waye when wee

warrant at all out of the worde of God but rather quite contrarie vtterly repugnant shuld merite and deserue the kingdome of heauen and euerlasting life being indeed such as Christ speaketh of In vaine doo they worship me teaching for doctrines the ordinances of men But to conclude this point The Apostle saith whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne but these works of the papists are not of faith and therefore are sin And to proue that they are not of faith I reason thus Whatsoeuer hath not his grounde and warrant out of the worde of God is not of faith but these workes haue not anie ground out of the word of God and therefore are not of faith Therefore would I counsell all Papists to abandon theyr workes especially these which I haue recited to the deuill theyr author from whome they first came and to do those workes which God hath in his holy word commanded and which in mercie but not in merite he hath promised to rewarde at that daie And nowe because neyther they nor anie else shall bee ignoraunt what those good workes bee which God hath commaunded vs to doe in his holy word I will decypher forth vnto them though not all yet some of them in as fewe wordes as I can The 4. Section Containing a description of such workes as the Protestants doo account for good workes and which in deede are good workes and grounded vpon the worde of God Wherein by the waie also is shewed euerie ones dutie in his seuerall calling in this life OVR sauior Christ in the fiue twentith of Saint Mathewes Gospell setteth downe a notable Catologue of good workes amongst which hee accounteth this to be one namely to feed the hungrie to giue drinke to the thirsty to cloath the naked to visite the sicke and those that bee in prison to lodge the harbourlesse and to entertayne straungers and way-faring men This dyd good Abraham well vnderstand and practise who is sayde to haue sate in his tent doore in the heate of the daie of purpose to inuite and call in straungers way-faring men and trauelers to relieue them And therefore when the Angelles came to him in the forme of men he is noted by the holy Ghost to haue intreated them nay to haue compelled them to eate meate with him in his house Good father Lot dyd the very same watching in his dores or gates to harbour poore straungers and therefore when the Angells came into Sodome like strangers pilgrimes hee compelled them in some sort to enter into his house and to take such lodging and entertaynment as the countrey would yeeld and his state was able to affoord And hereby many as the Apostle noteth haue receyued Angels into theyr houses at vnawares in the formes of men But now adayes there are many that are so farre off from this kinde of liberality towards poore strangers or beggers as we call them that they wyll shut vp their gates when there is any meate or drinke stirring And which is too bad I haue knowne some that haue caused the poore to be whipped away from their gates Again othersome althogh of great reuenews because they wil not keepe hospitality nor relieue the pore at home they will geue vp house and eyther go soiorne table with some friend or els take a chamber in some city or town where they will kepe no house at all but with a man a boy and it is wel if that too liue both meanely basely and obscurely to the blemishing steyning of their worship credit for euer Euen they whose lands and possessiōs are worth peraduenture 500. pounds a yeare yea it may be 1000. pounds a yeare whose parēts ancestors kept 20. or 40. mē in a liuery mainteind great hospitality to the reliefe of all the cuntrey about them euen they I say wil not stick to do so And yet wil all their reuenews scarse serue to maynteyne this small port withall notwithstāding that they so racke their lands rayse their rents exact such fines and incomes as they make twentie times so much more of their liuings now as their forefathers did in times past Now if it be demanded how they carrying so low a saile can spende so great reuenues which were wont to maintayne so many score and to releeue so many thousandes of poore soules I aunswere They spende it as I suppose for the most part either in sumptuous apparel gorgeous buildings both which are at this daie too rife in England if it pleased God or els in feasting and banketting in roieting and gourmandizing besides other chamber workes which I blush to name For as the Apostle sayth it is a shame once to speake of those things which are done of them in secrete God turne their heartes and giue them grace to contayne themselues within themselues to mayntaine hospitalitie for the releefe of the poore and to vpholde that porte worship and credit which their forefathers dyd Our sauiour Christ saith that a cup of cold water giuen in his name shall not bee lefte vnrewarded at the later daie And the Apostle Paul commendeth hospitalitie as one of the works of mercie calling it in many places a sweete smelling sacrifice pleasaunt and acceptable to God Alasse let them consider wherefore dyd God giue them such great store of riches and large possessions in this lyfe aboue theyr fellows brethren was it not to doo good with them and to helpe those that haue neede Let them knowe it was not giuen them to misspend in ryot and excesse in pride in gluttonie or dronkennesse in whooring no nor in hawking and hunting nor in anie other such kinde of vanitie No no it wyll not goe for payment at the daye of iudgement when it shall be sayd vnto them redde rationem villicationis tuae come geue accoumpt of thy Stewardship I woulde wishe them therefore to learne euen of the vniust Steward spoken of by our Sauiour Christ to make them friends of the wicked mammon And surely to bend my style to all in generall I would councell all men to studie to be more carefull and diligent in doing of good workes to feede the hungrie to cloth the naked to harbor the harborlesse to visite them that be sicke and in prison and to doe to all men as hee would wishe all should do to him if he were in like condicion Say not as Saint Iames noteth the rich mercilesse men of hys tyme to haue sayde I haue not for you now come agayne an other tyme God send you comfort and so they geue them nothing themselues notwithstanding in the meane tyme flowing nay ouerflowing with the aboundance of all things Saint Augustine tells vs that looke what apparrell we haue in our presses what clothes in our chests what garments in our warderobes more than we weare on our backes they are sayth this holy Father none of ours but the poores and to withhold them from them hauing neede is to robbe