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	rule_n	1,234	5	7.2505	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69130	The Christian mans walke with the most regardable and remarkable steppes thereof, the true rule according to which, and manner how we must walke: shewing the infallible properties of the children of light. Newly published by the author Nathanael Cole, Preacher at S. Leonards Bromley in Middlesex, on the backside of Stratford-Bow neere London.	Cole, Nathaniel, 1584 or 5-1626.	1624 (1624)	STC 5534; ESTC S115975	148,624	710

commandements and doe those things which are pleasing in his sight 1 Iohn 3. 22. where wee may se that to keepe Gods commandements and to doe what is pleasing in his sight are in effect all one and wee can not possibly please God in any thing vnlesse woe endeauour to yeeld vpright obedience to all Gods Commandements and when no outward action priuiledge or prerogatiue whether of Iew or Gentile stands vs in any stead this doth for circumcision is nothing and vncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandements of God 1 Cor. 7. 19. Doct. Hence I gather that the right way to please God is to doe nothing but what is agreeable to Gods will ioyned with obedience to all Gods commandements Quest But how shall I know when it is agreeable to Gods will and when it is not Answ It is onely then agreeable to Gods will when it is agreable to the word of God for his whole will is contained in the word and when wee doe what the word commands and leaue vndone what the word forbids then we doe the will of God and please him and when wee doe contrary vnto the word we vtterly displease him Now the will of God is two-fold Secret Reuealed The first is the will of his good pleasure which neither may nor can be resisted My counsell shall stand and I will doe al my pleasure c. Isay 46. 10. 11. Of which speake these places God will haue mercy on whom he will and whom he wil he hardeneth Rom. 9. 18. 19. He hath predestinated vs according to the good pleasure of his will Ephes 1. 5. and the like This secret will being the will of his good pleasure is not here meant neither doth this belong to vs to pry into neither is this the rule of our actions Secrets belong to God Deut. 29. 29. But I speake of the reuealed will of God which is called his signified will which is reuealed and made knowne to vs in his sacred word Reuealed things belong to vs Deut. 29. 29. And this is the only law and Rule of all our actions yea of whatsoeuer is to bee either beleeued or practised Thus the Word is the will of God both the Law and Gospel because they serue to declare and manifest vnto vs what is pleasing and acceptable to God and what is our duety both towards God our selues and others thus commaundements counsels comminations threatnings prohibitions promises and the like are the signifying and reuealed will of God according to which onely wee must thinke speake and doe Vse 1 First This doctrine condemnes all those that either neglect or contemne the Word of God in which alone the will of God is reuealed They hate to bee reformed and cast the Word behinde them Psal 50 17. How can such men doe that onely which is pleasing to the Lord and agreeable to his will When as Salomon saith or God by Salomon They refuse to hearken to the call of God speaking to them in his Word they set at naught all Gods counsell they will none of his counsell but despise all his reproofe Prou. 1. 24 25 and 30. verses Yea they say vnto God Depart from vs wee desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Iob 21. 14. It is a fearefull case to see how little the word of God is regarded and how much it is despised and in despising the Word they dispise the will of God which who so doth shall bee destroyed Hee that despiseth the Word shall bee destroyed Prou. 13. 13. Secondly This reprooues the practise of the Papists who neglect the word of God and debarre the people of it and giue credence to Popish teachers and writings of men cleane contrary vnto the word of God How is it possible for these to please God wheras the word of God which containeth his will should be the onely rule of all their actions and yet wholly neglected of them Obiect They say it is not lawfull for Lay-men to bee acquainted with Scriptures or to read study the Scriptures Ans But I say what Christ saith to one he saith to all Mark 13. 37. if to all then to Lay-men The Spirit in the Word speaketh to whole Churches Reuel 2. and 3. Chapt. if to whole Churches then to Lay-men And that which Paul speaketh of one Epistle is true of the whole Scriptures that they belong to all the members of Christ aswell Lay-men as Ministers whereas they forbid Lay-men the reading of Pauls Epistles or any part of Scriptures I change you by the Lord let all Papists remember and regard this strict charge that this Epistle bee read vnto all the holy brethren 1. Thess 5. 27. if to all the holy brethren then to Lay-men or else let the Papists conclude that Lay-men a●● none of the holy brethren Thirdly This teacheth all of vs to examine throughly by the touchstone of Gods word what the will of God is that so our whole worship of God and euery part therof may be only such as is agreeable thereunto or else it is impossible for vs to please God in any one part of his worship Thus all our prayers must be according to Gods will If we aske any thing according to his will he heareth vs. 1 Ioh. 5. 14. Thus all our preaching must bee according to Gods will reuealed in his Word If any man or Angel from heauen preach any other doctrine wee must hold him accursed Galat. 1. 8 9. Thus all our hearing must bee onely to receiue Gods word to heare Gods owne voice not any thing else My shoope heare my voice the voice of strangers they will not heare Iohn 10. 5 27. If any bring you not this doctrine receiue him not neither bidde him God speede 2. Epist Iohn 10. verse So for the Sacraments they must bee administred and receiued according to the will of God that is the forme and manner prescribed in Gods word 1. Cor. 11. 23. All which condemne the Papists who neither pray preach heare administer or receiue or performe any seruice answerable to Gods will and word Lastly This condemnes all such as liue in a continuall breach of all Gods Commandements who in stead of keeping all transgresse all and if all bee accursed by the sentence of the Law who continue not in all things written in the booke of the Law to doe them Gal. 3. 10. how much more doth this curse belong to those that continue in breaking the whole Law and do nothing written therin And if he that despised Moses Law died without mercy vnder two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment shall hee be thought worthy who in stead of obeying the will of Christ according to his Word hath troden vnder soote the Sonne of God and hath in stead of doing onely what is agreeable to Gods will and the good motions of the Spirit done despight to the Spirit of grace as Paul saith Hebr. 10. 28 29. How is it possible for such to prooue what is

purpose Because saith God you haue set at naught all my Commaundements and would none of my reproofe I also will laugh at your calamitie I will mocke when your feare commeth when your feare commeth as desolation and your destruction commeth as a whirle-wind when distresse and anguish commeth vpon you Then shall they call vpon me but I will not answere they shall seeke mee early but they shall not finde mee for that they hated knowledge and did not chuse the feare of the Lord They would none of my counsell they despised all my reproofe Pro. 1. 25 26 27 28 29 30. Fiftly To hate reproofe is a property and signe of a notorious wicked man and of such an one as sitteth downe in the seate of the scornefull Who refuseth to heare the voyce of the charmer charme hee neuer so wisely Psal 58. 5. A scorner heareth not reproofe Prou. 13. 1. Our Sauiour Christ put this difference betweene the godly and the wicked For euery one that doth euill hateth the light neither commeth to the light left his deedes should bee reprooued But hee that doth trueth commeth to the light that his deedes may bee made manifest that they are wrought in God Iohn 3. 20 21. A scorner will hate him that reprooueth him Prou. 9. 8. In a word Those that hate reproofe pull vpon themselues swift damnation and endlesse destruction Thus saith God to the wicked Thou hatest instruction and castest my words behinde thee c. But I will reprooue thee and set them in order before thee Psalm ●0 16 to 21. Thus when they shall say peace and safety promising to themselues most security Then shall sudden destruction come vpon them as trauaile vpon a woman with childe and they shall not escape 1. Thes 5. 3. according to that remarkable saying of Salomon He that beeing often reprooued hardeneth his necke shall suddenly bee destroyed and that without remedie Prou. 29. 1. Secondly whereas the Obser ● word translated Reprooue signifieth in the originall to Conuince Hence further I obserue what is the right order and direct course in the dutie of reproouing namely intending the good of the partie to conuince him in his conscience of his fault making it manifest that it is a sinne in him and so to proceede to reprooue rebuke admonish and checke him and if occasion serue to giue due correction that the partie so conuicted may bee brought to a sight of his sin and to amendment It is therefore a preposterous and rash course suddenly to reprooue bluntly without conuincing the conscience of the offender Wee must follow the example of God himselfe in this viz. So to reprooue the partie as to set in order before his eyes the things that hee hath done Psalm 50. 21. If all prophesie and there come in one that beleeueth not or one vnlearned hee is conuinced of all hee is iudged of all and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so falling downe on his face hee will worship God and report that GOD is in you of a trueth 1. Corinth 14. 24 25. Without this conuincing our reproofes wil be in vaine the party reprooued will bee more hardened and grow more desperate and so wee shall doe more hurt than good besides wee shall bee counted false accusers and busi-bodies in other mens matters And thus of the duty Reprooue The Second point in the matter is concerning the persons who must reprooue It is a duety which indeed concernes all men all ought to doe it all should doe it though indeede all cannot None are excepted none exempted for that rule is indefinite and concernes all Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart but thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne vpon him Leuit. 19. 17. Here is a commaundement generall Indeed none ought to reproue either with scandall to himselfe or others or with hurt and hinderance to the party reprooued because euery one should bee cleare at least of open crimes yet such are not simply freed from the performance of this duty But more properly and in a more speciall manner this dutie belongs to those that are regenerate by the Spirit of God and truly conuerted who are come out of their natural estate and become spirituall who being once darkenesse are now made light in the Lord walking as children of the light as appeareth from the ● verse Yee were once darkenesse but now are light in the Lord walke as children of light proouing what is pleasing to the Lord And haue no fellowship with vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse but rather reprooue them They are called children of light who beeing come out of the darknesse of their sinnes ignorance and errour are renewed in the spirit of their mind beeing endued with the true knowledge of God hauing their vnderstanding enlightned their iudgements informed their heart and liues reformed their wills rectified their affections sanctified and the whole man conformed to the will of God As on the contrary They are said to bee children of darkenesse who walke in the vanity of their mind hauing the vnderstanding darkened beeing altenated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of their hardnesse of their heart who beeing past feeling haue giuen themselues ouer vnto lasciuiousnesse to worke all vncleannesse with greedinesse Ephes 4. 17 18 19. vnto these latter this dutie doth not so properly belong Therefore Saint Paul directly pointeth at the parties who must reprooue viz. children of light expressing himselfe pl●inely else-where Brethren if any man bee suddenly ouertaken in any offence yee which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meekenesse Galath 6. 1. and in this place Paul speakes not so much of reproofe by word as by deed by the light of an holy life which wicked men cannot performe Vse 1 This deepely condemneth all those that haue no care of their brethren and therefore though they sinne openly and commonly yet neuer reprooue them as thinking it a dutie not belonging to their charge and nothing concernes them These are right of Caine his disposition Am I my brothers keeper Gen. 4. 9. therefore let them sinke or swimme what is that to vs let them looke to it whom it concernes for my part I will not meddle in it This I say is the common sinne of these times most seuerely to be censured for by this meanes hee which may saue a soule and will not which often times may bee done by this Christian reproofe doth in effect in what him lieth kill and destory his brothers soule which indeed often-times perisheth for want of brotherly correction reproofe Many haue a care of the good of the bodies of others and they are bound in conscience so to doe much more care then ought they to haue of the good of their soules being farre more precious than the bodie And looke how farre a man excels a beast so farre should wee regard the good of our brethren more