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	law_n	moral_a	1,065	5	9.0930	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20731	The Christians sanctuarie vvhereinto being retired, he may safely be preserued in the middest of all dangers. Fit for all men to read at all times, especially for those that are exercised in the schoole of affliction, in the time of Gods present visitation. Described in two bookes or treatises: I. Of the Christian exercise of fasting. II. Of holy inuocation on Gods name. By George Dovvname Doctor of Diuinitie.	Downame, George, d. 1634.	1604 (1604)	STC 7113; ESTC S117550	81,534	108

Such were their putting on of sackcloth renting their garments sitting in the ashes putting earth or ashes on their head not washing or annointing but deforming their faces looking sorrowfully hanging downe their heads going softly and such like outward signes and tokens of humiliation which were obserued both of the godly and of the hypocrites among them but with this difference that the hypocrites rested in these outward shewes without any true humiliation of their soules whereas in the godly these signes proceeded from the sorrow of the heart as vnfained testimonies thereof 8. But although that circumstance of the time was proper to that people and those ceremonies peculier to those times yet the substance of the fast which is the humbling of our soules by abstinence is a morall dutie belonging commonly to all nations in all ages for as the morall or chast fast is enjoyned in the seuenth commaundement as a meanes of chastitie to those that need that helpe so the religious fast is enjoyned in the second commandement and in the fourth In the second as it is a meanes to further vs in the worship of God and in the dutie of prayer vpon extraordinary occasion In the fourth as the time of the fast is a Sabbath of humiliation wherein we are to professe our humiliation and testifie our repentance before God for when the Lord commandeth vs to sanctifie the Sabbath he meaneth all Sabbaths not onely the ordinarie and weekly Sabbath but also the extraordinarie whether they be Sabbaths of joy and festiuitie wherein by feasting and thanksgiuing we signifie our joy and thankfulnesse for some great blessing receiued such as was that feast Nehem. 8 and the feast of Purim Esth. 9 or whether they be Sabbaths of humiliation wherein by fasting and prayer we signifie the sorrow desire of our soules in respect either of some blessing wanting or of some euill either feared or felt present or imminent such as was the fast proclaimed by Iosaphat 2. Chron. 20 or by Ezra cha 6. c. For such a fast by the commandement of God is to be sanctified and obserued holy as a Sabbath euen in such maner as the ordinarie Sabbath of humiliation was to be sanctified Neither is it to be omitted that Esay 58 the day of the fast seemeth to be called an acceptable day to the Lord yea his Sabbath and his holyday which euen as the ordinarie Sabbath is to be consecrated as glorious to the Lord. 9. But if to these places of the old Testament we shall add some testimonies out of the new we shall make it more than euident that the dutie of fasting belongeth vnto vs. Where first consider the doctrine of our Sauiour Christ concerning a fast Math. 6 for when he prescribeth the maner how we are to fast he presupposeth the dutie that we are to fast Neither doth hee alone require this dutie at our hands but also maketh a gracious promise of happie reward to those that shall fast aright And in the same Gospell Chapter 9 as also Luke 5 and Mar. 2 when as the Disciples of Iohn and the Phariseys tooke exception against our Sauiour Christ because they fasted but his disciples did eat and drinke he maketh answer That although during his abode with them which was a time of joy and not of mourning his disciples which were the children of the mariage chamber were not to fast and mourne whiles himselfe who was the bridegroome was among them yet the time should come when the bridegroome being taken from them as they should haue occasion of mourning so also they should fast in those dayes Againe Math. 17 our Sauiour Christ seemeth to ascribe great efficacy to the prayer of the faithful holpen by fasting affirming that that kind of vncleane spirit which by no other meanes can be cast out goeth forth by prayer and fasting In the second of Luke the holy Ghost giueth this testimonie of Anna the Prophetesse That she being in the Temple night and day worshipped God with fastings and prayers Not that fasting in it selfe is a worship of God as prayer is but onely is a meanes and helpe to further vs in the worship of God to make our prayers more feruent effectuall to which purpose Anna ioyned fasting with her prayers And hereunto let vs add the practise of the primitiue Church in the time of the Apostles In the 13. Chapter of the Acts the Prophets and teachers which were in the Church of Antioch before they sent forth Barnabas and Paul to the worke of the ministerie whereunto the holy Ghost had called them they fasted and prayed and layed their hands on them And in the fourteenth Chapter it is sayd that Paul and Barnabas when they had ordained to the faithfull elders by electioni●n euery Church hauing prayed with fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they beleeued And to conclude the Apostle Paul testifieth of himselfe 2. Cor. 11 That as he was oft in hunger and thirst by a forced obedience so he was often also in fastings wherby this voluntarie abstinence is meant Hereby therefore it appeareth that the Christian exercise of fasting is not a will-worship nor an action which is meerely arbitrary or left to our free choise whether we will vse it or not but a dutie enjoyned and imposed vpon vs by the Lord. Wherefore in the definition I doubted not to call the religious fast An exercise of religion 10. But here it will be objected That if fasting be an exercise of religion a morall dutie not onely commanded in the morall law of God which bindeth all men but also commended vnto vs in the Gospell both by the doctrine of the holy Ghost and also by the practise of the faithfull in the primitiue Church then it may seeme that so oft as we do not fast we sinne c. I answer that affirmatiue commandements though they bind vs alwayes yet do they not bind vs to performe them alwayes and at all times but as just occasion is offered together with a concurrencie of all needfull circumstances as for example we are alwayes bound to pray namely as we haue just occasion to begge any thing at the hands of God and may do it in some measure as it ought to be done but we are not bound to pray alwayes and to do nothing else And although we are alwayes in this life bound to fast yet are we not bound to fast either alwayes or so oft as we are bound to pray for we are to pray ordinarily euerie day and also extraordinarily as occasion is offered but we are not to fast ordinarily and euerie day but vpon speciall and extraordinary occasion And that we are not bound to joyne fasting with the ordinarie exercise of prayer it is manifest by the doctrine of the Apostle 1. Cor 7 where he would haue the husband and the wife who are ordinarily to pray

cannot eat being either in sicknesse or in feare of present danger or in some other agonie or because they haue not what to eat which is not fasting but famine or as the Scriptures call it cleanenesse of teeth For this forced forbearing or wanting of food is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is fasting properly but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a priuation of food and is not a dutie voluntarily vndertaken but an affliction imposed or a consequent of affliction For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fasting is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to fast or to obserue a fast And althogh all they which take no food may be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ieiuni that is fasting yet they are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ieiunantes such as doe fast for they onely may be said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ieiunare to fast or to obserue a fast who voluntarily abstaine 2. We see then what fasting in generall is The sorts of fasting are to be distinguished according to the varietie of the end for which it is vndertaken And it is either naturall or ciuile or spirituall according to the threefold life of a Christian in this world vnto the helpe and furtherance whereof all voluntarie abstinence is referred The naturall fast is that which is vndertaken for the health of our life naturall and is sometimes enjoyned by the Phisition The ciuile is that which is referred to the wealth of the life ciuile and is sometimes enjoyned by the magistrat The spirituall fast is that which is vndertaken for the furtherance of the life spirituall in the duties either of chastitie towards our selues and our neighbour or of religion and repentance towards God and is ordained of the Lord to be vsed to these ends as necessitie shall require For although fasting in it selfe be but a thing indifferent and is not simply either commaunded or forbidden yet as it may bee a meanes either for the preseruation of chastitie or for the furtherance of our repentance and religion towards God so farre foorth it is required and commaunded For as where the Lor● forbiddeth any vice or sinne there he doth also forbid ●he meanes allurements and prouocations thereunto so where he commaundeth any dutie or vertue there also hee commaundeth the helpes and meanes which tend thereto And this is that which an auncient and learned writer sayth That fasting is not a vertue in it selfe but a degree to vertue The spirituall fast therefore is to bee considered of vs either as a meanes of chastitie which we may for distinction sake call the morall or the chast fast or as a helpe to further vs in the duties of repentance and religion which we may call the religious or the deuout fast 3. The morall or chast fast is that whereby men or women finding the sober and abstemious diet not sufficient to represse the concupiscence of the flesh doe endeuour to subdue and chastise their bodies that is to say to make them chast This fast therefore is not commanded them who either haue the gift of continencie in single life or may lawfully vse the remedie ordained against lust in mariage for to such the sober diet moderating the quantitie of their food and the abstemious diet forbearing such things as prouoke lust is a sufficient preseruatiue of chastitie and therefore as a medicinall purgation to those that are in health so this fast to such persons is not onely superfluous but sometimes also hurtfull and pernicious As for those who find their bodies more prone to lust and vncleanenesse and may not lawfully vse the remedie against it which to single men is not permitted at all whiles they be single nor to married persons at certaine times they are to be admonished to vse all good meanes of chastitie that they may possesse their vessels that is their bodies in holinesse and in honour as it becommeth the temples of the holy ghost and not in the passion of lust like to the Gentils which knew not God And to this purpose they are to be exhorted first to obserue perpetually the vertue of sobrietie not onely in respect of gouerning their inward affections and fancies out also in restraining the pleasures of their outward sences especially of the sight and tast Of sight by restraining their eyes from beholding the objects of lust such as are louely or lasciuious persons wanton pictures loue-bookes obscene enterludes and such like For by the sence of sight concupiscence is ordinarily conueyed to the heart for as the old saying is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of looking comes louing And therefore as wee must pray with Dauid that the Lord would turne away our eyes that they behold not vanitie so must we with Iob make a couenant with our eyes that as the sonne of Syrach aduiseth we should turne them away from a beautifull woman and not to eye the beautie of others for by the beautie of women many haue beene seduced and thereby loue is kindled as it were a fire Of tast by temperancie in diet that neither in respect of the quantitie they exceed by gluttonie or drunkennesse nor in respect of the qualitie they affect such meats or drinkes as are fit to prouoke lust And if they find not this sobrietie and abstinence to be sufficient for this purpose then are they so oft as their health will beare and their necessitie require by fasting to chastise and subdue their bodies And because continencie is not a thing in our owne power but the free gift of God we are therefore with our fasting to joyne earnest prayer for the same And to our fasting and prayer we must joyne vigilancie and watchfulnesse that as the Apostle exhorteth wee may bee sober and watch vnto prayer and thereunto must wee adde painefulnesse in our calling or in some honest labour 4. For the greatest enemie to chastitie and chiefest prouoker of lust is excesse in meat and drinke Ciborum saturitas est seminarium libidinis fulnesse of meat is the seminarie of lust for the ouerplus of our nourishment is the matter of generation which aboundeth where nourishment exceedeth and that abounding prouoketh to lust c. And therefore the chiefe preseruatiue against lust is by temperancie in diet not to subminister matter vnto it And if temperancie suffice not to vse also fasting that by withdrawing the oyle as it were from the flame of concupiscence it may bee quenched To which purpose let the order and coherence of the Apostles words 2. Cor. 6. be obserued in fasting sayth hee in chastitie But here two things are to be obserued The first that as Ierome sayth our fasts bee moderat least being too much they weaken the stomacke and requiring greater refection breed cruditie which is the mother of lust for as hee sayth in another place nothing doth so inflame the bodie and prouoke vnto lust