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	work_n	1,044	5	5.6274	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77809	Oratio Dominica: or, The Lords prayer, pleading for better entertainment in the Church of England. A sermon preached at Saint Mary Woolnoth, London, Jun 11. 1643. By Peter Bales, Mr. in Arts, and minister of the Gospel.	Bales, Peter, 1547-1610?	1643 (1643)	Wing B550; Thomason E55_6; ESTC R16272	23,410	48

impose a prescript forme of prayer upon mens consciences although Scripture it selfe But cannot we prove that a prescript forme of prayer may be imposed upon the Church let the Author and his followers take notice of 1 Chro. ch 16. v. 7 8.35.36 Again of Joel chap. 2. ve Apparet hunc P●●●mum c. Musc in Psal 95. 15 16 17. The 95. Psalme in the judgement of some learned men was used in the publike assemblies of the Jewes even upon the Sabboth day Master Calvia w●●ting to the Lord Protector in the time of King Edward the sixth hath these words Quod ad formulam precum Mr. Calvin Epist ad Prote● Angl. 87. pag. 69. rituum Ecclesiasticorum valde probo c. Concerning the forme of prayer saith he and Ecclesiasticall rites I doe very well like that they should be certain in a prescript order and that the Pastors be not suffered to swarve from it as well for the helpe of the simple is also that a consent of all Churches may he held and lastly to prevent the rashnesse of those that affect novelties But againe Object 2 the Admirer of the Lords Prayer said We ought not my Beloved to say the Lords Prayer as a prayer especially the Minister in a publike Congregation because there be many ignorant persons which understand it not To which I answer Answ first that it is very plaine and easie to such as desire to in forme themselves What and How to pray Again I answer that if we must not say the Lords Prayer unlesse we understand it it is unlawfull to teach our children to say it Master Br. of Saint D. E. who as yet are not come to the yeers of discretion But consider these places Deut. 6.7 11.19 Pro. 22.6 Lastly if it be so that none must say or hear the Lords Prayer but those that throughly understand it then it is unlawful to command our children to read the Scriptures or to heare them read especially the 6. chap. of Saint Mathew and the 11. of Saint Luke But this learned Doctor falleth from objecting against the Prayer in generall and betaketh himselfe to particulars First ye ought not to say the Lords prayer Object 1 because if you be in the state of nature you abuse God in that you say Our Father Is God a Father of regenerate persons onely Answ Is not he a Father generally of all creatures All men may say Our Father by a fourfold right Of Creation the Father of our being Of providence the Father of our continuance Of infusion of the spirit Of regeneration In the two first sences not men onely but all other creatures may call God theirs because he created them and provideth for them In the third not onely Saints but all men may generally call God theirs In the fourth th' Elect onely The first is the voice of nature the second of sence the third of reason the fourth of grace But unregenerate persons ought not to say the Lords prayer as a prayer for if they doe Object 2 they desire their owne damnation because they pray Thy Kingdome come I perceive that this famous Teacher never read of the Kingdome of power Answ which enforceth to the Kingdome of the Gospel nor of the Kingdome of the Gospel which makes way to the Kingdome of grace nor of the Kingdome of grace which prepares for the Kingdom of glory yet this petition comprehends all these Not any longer wil I trouble my self to sweep away these slender cobwebs or to presse these rotten grapes onely let me tell you that the chiefest reason as I gesse why the Novelists doe relinquish the sacred prayer of our Saviour is because it containeth this petition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us And behold now I meet with the third and last sort of adversaries unto this prayer which I may call lukewarme Laodiceans they are the more moderate Brownists and Separatists King James conter a Ham. Coa●t they will not quite forsake this prayer but they will have as little of it as they can peradventure none o● it if they durst appeare to their secret dislike for do not their famous Lecturers refuse to say it except once in a quarter of a yeere and then must it not be said upon the last lecture-day of the quarter because some worthy Citizens else willdeny their liberall Contribution shal I compare these men to those Spanish Friers of whom I read who would say their Pater noster but once a weeke and that was upon the Lords day Nay may I not compare them rather to an honest brother of theirs who being lately asked by a worthy Citizen what he thought of the Lords prayer At Master M. house in G.H. answered I think it is a prayer of all prayers being asked againe why then he did not say it oftener at the end of his owne prayers answered I will give my Audience content Is not that saying of the Apostle verefied of these men Phil. 2.21 all seeke their owne not the things which are Jesus Christs It is a prayer that cannot be said too often and I dare presse the frequent use thereof upon warrant of this plaine and cleare Text Luke 11.2 Quando oratis dicite c. quando is as much as quandocunque quandocunque is as much as quotiescunque whensoever ye pray or as often as ye pray If we repeate the same words to iterate the same petitions to God is it any more blameable in us then in Christ himselfe Mat. 26.44 ● Cor. 1● 8 who in the Garden is said to have used three times severally the same words not the same petition onely Or then in Saint Paul who when Sathan buffered him did three times pray the same prayer as he confesseth Away then with these proud ignorant wilfull dissembling Novelists for those which are ashamed of the Lords prayer here on earth of those shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he commeth in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels But these are Brethren and I heartily wish therefore that by some good means they were reformed if not it is the Apostles precept that they be avoided Mark those saith he that make contentions Rom. 16.17 and avoid them Marke them as you would the Basilisk avoid them as you would a Pest-house And if ever my beloved you desire to find true comfort by your prayers here on earth or to see the face of Christ in Heaven let me perswade you to honour the Author for the prayers sake the prayer for the Authors sake First let us honour the Author for the Prayers sake It was a good memorandum which Marke the Heremite gave to one of his Schollers for his direction in his duty of thanksgiving unto God which was that he was not onely to blesse God for the good workes which he did but also for the good words which he spake A man must as well blesse God for his good words as for his good actions if we come by the good word of grace to have the grace of words in our speech we are as well to blesse God for it as for good workes because as we are not able to doe any good work no more to speak any good word of our selves for it is not in him that willeth nor in him that speaketh but in God that giveth the power If we must blesse God for our words much more for our prayers and if for our prayers much more for this prayer and the gift of the spirit in it and for his assistance in it And as we must honour the Author for the Prayers sake so let us honour the Prayer for the Authors sake How readily will God heare the Prayer of his sonne and how readily will the son acknowledge his owne Prayer made in his owne name when we offer up this prayer we may say as Saint Bernard of himselfe Nunquam abs te absque te recedo J never goe from thee without thee Cypr. de Orat. Dome Oremus itaque fratres dilectissimi sicut magister Deus docuit Let us therefore my beloved brethren pray as God our master hath taught us Since he hath framed us a prayer of which we are assured that he is pleased with the hearing it let us be delighted with the saying it and let our zeale towards it like true love which groweth by the enjoying encrease by the practising that the oftener we say it the more we may love it and the more we love it the oftener we may say it Amen Amen FJNJS