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
A86358	The right separation incouraged; in a sermon preached to the Right Honorable the House of Lords, in the Abbey-Church at Westminster, on Wednesday, Novem. 27. 1644. being the day of the monethly publick fast. By Thomas Hill, B.D. pastor of Tychmersh in Northamptonshire, and one of the members of the Assembly of Divines.	Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.	1645 (1645)	Wing H2026; Thomason E23_1; ESTC R369	31,606	44

Government owned Fourthly Another may now bee added The man of sin is revealed to bee amongst them 2 Thess. 2. which more fully warrants a departure from them who now so clearely appeare to bee the Anti-Christian-Church Especially seeing after much meanes used for their conviction they continue to reject and blaspheme the Truth of Christ As in Act. 13. 46. and 19. 9. Fifthly The Lord will have his Saints separate not onely from false Churches but also from fellomship in any thing that is uncleane even in the True Churches of Christ Admit a particular Church having many corruptions in it continue a True Church and so whilst Christ ownes it wee may owne it and some communion may bee maintained with it in that which is sound and good yet when you cannot live with them in externall communion unlesse you will hold fellowship with them in some sinnes as to approve some erroneous Doctrine or practice some superstitious worship If this Church will not allow you her Communion but upon such conditions in such a case the Church for requiring this condition is Schismaticall and not you from separating from it God will not allow you to do any evill though you might thereby enjoy the greatest good Rom. 3. 8. His Saints must rather forbeare the sweetnesse of fellowship with others in somewhat that is good then suffer themselves to bee unavoydably ingaged ingaged in doing or justifying any thing which is unclean and sinfull in the pure eyes of God Ephes. 5. 11. If they bee like to bee involved in defiling their consciences if in danger to bee compelled to blaspheme they should keepe themselves from sinne what ever they suffer better undergoe the greatest then commit the least evill by this Compasse the primitive Saints sailed Act. 8. 1. and 11. 19. Yet here remember Camerons distinction of a Schisme into Negative and Positive There may bee in the Church a negative Separation a personall forbearing of any thing which will undoubtedly pollute us when a positive Separation where there is not only a denying of communion with others but a sudden consociating of themselves into distinct bodies into little independent Corporations by themselves for the worship and service of God will not so easily as some imagine bee justifyed to hold consistency with that peace and order which is so desirable in the Churches of Christ But of this I shall speak more particularly in the Application Having shewed you from what you must separate with the severall steppes you are to take therein I will indevour fully to ingage you in that necessary worke by the cleere evidence of some arguments either couched in the bowels of the Text or borrowed from the neighbouring words They are these foure which will discover why the Saints should separate from uncleannesse First The Saints ought to proportion their carriage to their priviledges they are largely expressed ver. 16. all which bespeak a Separation from uncleannesse They are the Temple of the living God First they are new built by God himselfe Ephes. 2. 10. Secondly Set apart from profane uses for God Psal. 4. 3. Thirdly yea dedicated and consecrated unto him in a peculiar manner Titus 2. 14. Againe the Saints are the Temple of the living God therefore it is most incongruous for them to converse with dead and unclean company and to multiply dead and sinfull workes This is the argument which the Apostle Paul useth 1 Cor. 6. 19. why they should flye Fornication Know yee not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost in you and by the same reason all other uncleannesse Gods Temple should have no cob-webhs no unswept corners in them Further God saith here ver. 16. I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will bee their God and they shall bee my people Here is an high degree of owning them and of greatest intimacy with them God is in the middest of his enemies as ruling them But hee is in his Saints as in his House as in his Temple which is for communion there hee dwels there hee walks there hee is pleased to communicate himselfe to them and heare them speak to him They have not onely his presence but also most sweet discoveries from him as in Joh. 14. 21. All which should hold them at a distance from sinne and all uncleannesse Secondly sin is in the nature of it of a polluting disposition Heb. 12. 15. One roote of bitternesse will defile many it staines all who doe not separate from it as being so directly contrary to the pure nature holy will blessed Image and glory of God Hence it is in Scripture frequently compared to the most loathsome things Sinners are Vipers Swine Dogges yea briars thornes c. Sinne is Drosse scumme rottennesse and the worst of diseases Leprosie Plague c. all which doe proclaime a separation It defiles the body and soule 2 Cor. 7. 1. It defiles the heart and conscience Tit. 1. 15. It puts mudde into the spring of all your actions which will make the streames very foule It defiles our best duties Prov. 15. 8. and it defiles our society 1 Cor. 15. 33. Whereas the more you separate from sinne unto God the more the soule is conformed to the pure law of God which is both our rule and beauty and the more it will bee transformed into Christ which is our glory Thirdly there is no possibility of reconciling Christ and sin therefore the Saints have great reason to fall out with sinne that so they may bee in some capacity of falling in with Christ They can expect no communion with him unlesse there bee a separation from sinne When once they have washed and made themselves clean put away the evill of their doings from before Gods eyes ceased to do evill Isa. 1. 16. then they are invited to a sweet familiarity with him ver. 18. Come now let us reason together Then and not till then they shall have communion with him to soule-saving purposes The same language James speaks Chap. 4. 8. Draw nigh to God and hee will draw nigh to you cleanse your hands you sinners and purifie your hearts you double minded You cannot meet and injoy fellowship with God but in paths of purity Jesus Christ would not ingage himselfe to sup with any of the Laodiceans till they had separated from their lukewarmenesse Rev. 3. 20. Here in vers. 14 15 16. the Spirit of God makes choyce of five emphaticall words in the Greeke and expresses it by way of interrogation which containes a vehement negation in it What fellowship what communion what concord what part what agreement have the Saints of God with uncleannesse As if Paul should have said five times over the Saints who are in Christ and have Christ in them must not cannot reconcile themselves to any compliance with sinne and sinners no more then reconcile Christ with Beliall Fourthly unlesse the Saints make a