Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	apostle_n	husband_n	wife_n	2,839	5	7.4256	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10024	Sins overthrow: or, A godly and learned treatise of mortification Wherein is excellently handled; first, the generall doctrine of mortification: and then particularly, how to mortifie fornication. Vncleannes. Evill concupiscence. Inordinate affection. and, covetousnes. All being the substance of severall sermons upon Colos. III. V. Mortifie therefore your members, &c. Delivered by that late faithfull preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Three godly and learned treatises. Selections. aut	1633 (1633)	STC 20275; ESTC S115103	166,961	286

cause to make it inord inate as for example to desire to do businesse in a mans calling is good but if this desire prevaile with him at such time as hee should bestow in prayer and holy duties as when he should come to heare the Word then they are inordinate for season must be kept to therefore when an affection comes if not in season answer it as Christ did The houre is not yet come this is the way to iudge of them by the rule The second way of triall is to know them by their effects and they are foure as the rules are 4. The first effect is if any affection hinder reason so as to trouble the action then it is inordinate for affections ought to be servants to reason if they disturb then they are not right as for example feare is set in the soule to give the watch-word to prevent evills if it shall appale a man so as to let his weapons fall thus it troubles reason Joy was put in the soule to oyle the wheeles and to quicken it more If it do more astonish then quicken if immoderate joy cast a man into ectasy when it should put him on action or if it breake out into immodest reuellings and not into praises thy joy is not good griefe is stirred up to ease the soule of paine now if it hinder a man from enduring that he should endure it becomes inordinate The Israelites in Egypt could not hearken to Moses because of the anguish of their hearts and worldly sorrow causeth death that is it causeth distempers and when it thus drieth up the bones it eateth up the vigor of the soule and makes a man out of frame then it is amisse though Christs griefe exceeded anymans upon the Crosse yet he committed all to God without any distempers The second effect is when they indispose vs to any holy duty as we judge of in distempers of the body if there be no appetite to meat or drinke so affections are inordinate when they indispose vs to pray to doe good or to speake good 1 Pet. 3. 7. the Apostle exhorteth husbands to dwell with their wives as men of knowledge that is in such a manner as you may moderate affections with knowledge that your prayers saith the Apostle be not hindred that is if there be any disorder in your affections one towards another it will hinder your prayers By your affection you may judge and as you may judge of your affection by your duties so of your duties you may judge by this rule how you are disposed to holy duties if there be any interruption or indisposition it is a signe there is some distemper in the affections all things are not straight in the inward man The third effect to discouer the immoderatenesse of affections is when they produce euill actions which ordinarily they doe when they exceede the measure and the manner Anger is an affection set in the soule to stirre up man to remoue impediments and thus you may be angry for sinne and other things too now if it be kept in its owne limits anger is a desire to remove impediments and not a desire to revenge that is the inordinatenesse of it to be angry for sinne because it dishonoureth God is good To be angry for other things redounding on our selves is not evill so our anger extend but so farre as to remoue the impediments not to revenge them as for example if a man takes away ones reputation and brings disgrace upon him now to desire to hurt such a man the affection is amisse because the carriage of other men towards vs must not be our rule towards others but we are to make this use of it to be diligent in keeping off the blow off our selves but not to hurt another man this is inordinate Be angry but sinne not you may be angry so as it bring forth no evill actions or evill effects so a man may be angry with the insensible creatures desiring to remove the impediment and put out of the way that which hinders the actions The last effect is when affections draw vs from God then they are inordinate because they should draw vs neere to him But when they make vs to forget God there is their inordinatenesse for example we are commanded Deut. 12. 18. To reioyce in the good things of God but when wee shall rejoyce in an Epicurean manner and forget God it is amisse for wee should so rejoyce that wee should raise up our soules to love and praise and give thanks to him so also for feare and griefe if wee feare any thing more then God and grieve for any thing more then for sinne for crosses and losses more then for displeasing God these make us forget God and so become inordinate Now followes what it is to mortifie them which wee have formerly spoken of at large in a word it is nothing else but a turning of carnall affections into spirituall and naturall affections to a higher and more noble end that is to eate and to drinke not onely for natures benefit but for God to doe him honour that is the right end for to mortifie is to rectifie and to bring things that are out of compasse to rule to see where they are inordinate and so to turne carnall and naturall affections all into spitituall In the next place wee will see some reasons why they are to be mortified for reasons doe wonderfully perswade and necessity of mortifying once apprehended makes men goe about it Let us but consider of what moment it is to have them mortified what ill if we doe not what good if we doe The first reason is because affections are actions of the greatest efficacie and command in the soule they are exceeding powerfull they are the wheeles or sailes which carrie the soule this way or that way in that regard because they are so effectuall and prevalent therefore it concernes us the more to take care that we rectifie them Time was when affections did obey the will and the will the Spirit of God in the time of Innocency but now that subordination is taken away and that union dissolved and now the affections move the heart as the winde the Sea whether it will or no therefore it stands you upon to keepe them under A metled horse is a delight to the rider if hee be kept under the bridle so the affections if they be good the stronger the better but the Divell hath no better factors thē the affections are if they be ill they are the best opportunities for him to doe mischiefe by The second reason why they are to be mortified is because they are those that make us eyther good or evill men It is not the understanding of truth or falshood that makes us good or evil men that is but one opinion and judgement but as the affections are and as the inclination of the will is so is

dost thou trouble me that is wherefore art thou so restlesse with mee that thou wilt have no deniall till I grant thee thy desire so then if you will prevayle with God by prayer you may obtaine the Spirit The fourth meanes if you would have your sinnes mortified is To walke in the Spirit that is you must doe the actions of the new man and therefore the Apostle saith Galat. 5. 16. Walke in the Spirit Now here by the Spirit is not meant the holy Ghost but the regenerate part of man that is the new man whose actions are the duties of holinesse as Prayer hearing the Word receiving the Sacraments workes of Charity either to the Church in generall or to any particular member of it and there must not onely bee a bare performing of them for so an hypocrite may doe but there must bee a delight in them thatis it must rejoyce the soule when any opportunity is offered whereby any holy duty may bee performed But on the contrary when wee grow remisse in prayer or in any other duty the devill takes an occasion by this to force us to some sinne hereupon wee presently yeeld because wee want strength of grace which by the neglect of that duty wee are weake in Wee know some physicke is for restoring as well as for weakening thereby to preserve the ftrength of the body now this walking in the actions of the new man is to preserve the strength of the soule it preserves spirituall life in a man it enables him to fight against Corruption and lusts for what is that which weakens the soule but the actions of the old man Therefore if you would mortifie your lusts you must walke in the Spirit The fifth meanes if you would mortifie your lusts is this you must get Faith so saith the Apostle Acts 15. 9. Faith purifieth the heart that is it slayeth the corruption of the heart it mortifies every inordinate desire of the heart it purgeth out the filthinesse of our nature it makes it a new heart in quality that is it makes it fit to receive grace and who would not have a heart thus fitted to good Againe It is said Ephes. 3. 17. that Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith as if hee should say Faith will purge the heart for where Faith is Christ is and Christ will not dwell in a rotten heart that is impure and not in some measure sanctified by the Spirit But you will say there are divers kindes of Faith What Faith is this then that thus purifieth the heart By Faith in this place is meant a Justifying Faith Faith that applyeth Christ and his righteousnesse in particular unto a mans selfe for his justification and hereupon he is raysed up to holinesse and enabled out of love unto Christ to mortifie sinne Now the order of this grace in a regenerate man is wonderfull for first the Spirit which is the holy Ghost comes and enlightens the mind then it works Faith and then Faith drawes downe Christ and when once Christ comes he takes possession of it never resting till he hath rid the heart of the evill disposition of nature with a loathing of it then the regenerate man hereupon out of love unto Christ and hatred unto sinne begins to mortifie his corruptions But you will say How can the Spirit of Christ which is the holy Ghost dwell in the heart seeing he is in heaven To this I answer that the Spirit dwells in the heart as the Sunne in a house now we know that the proper place of the Sunne is in the Firmament yet wee say the Sunne is in the house not that wee meane that the body of the Sunne is there but the beames of the Sunne are there in the house so wee say that the proper place of the holy Ghost is in heaven and when we say hee is in the heart of a regenerate man we doe not meane essentially but by a divine power and nature that is by sending his Spirit into the heart not onely to worke grace in the heart but to dwell therein Now when the Spirit hath taken possession of the heart it drawes and expells away all the darkenesse of the minde and makes it to looke and to see Christ in a more excellent manner than before assuring him of perfect Justification and remission of his sinnes And here the error of many is met withall in the matter of Mortification they will have Mortification first wrought and then they will lay hold upon Christ for remission of sinnes Oh say they if I could but finde this sinne or that sinne mortified then I would lay hold upon Christ then I would beleeve for alas how can I looke for remission of sinnes how dare I lay hold or how can I lay hold upon Christ when I finde that my corruptions have such hold on mee But these are deceived for this is contrary to the worke of the Spirit for first Faith assureth of pardon and then followes Mortification that is when a man is once assured of pardon of sinne then hee beginnes to mortifie and to slay his corruption for Mortification is a fruit of Faith and therefore the Apostle saith Phil. 3. 10. That I may feele the power of his death and the vertue of his resurrection Now what is meant by this but the two parts of repentance Mortification and Vivification The Apostle beleeved before and now he would have his faith appeare in the grace of Mortification that he might sensibly feele it And therefore if you would have your sinnes mortified you must by Faith draw Christ into your hearts The sixth meanes if you would have your sinnes mortified is to get spirituall Joy But this may seeme a strange thing to mortifie corruption by a man or a woman would rather thinke that this were a meanes to encrease sinne but it is not so for spirituall Joy is a speciall meanes to mortifiesin if we doe but consider the nature of Mortification for as I sayd before what is Mortification but a turning of the heart a working in it a new disposition Now wee know when the heart is not regenerate it is full of sorrow and joy in this estate encreaseth sinne But when the heart is turned from sinne to grace that is heavenly disposed there is a pleasant object represented unto the eye of the soule as Christ Justification Remission of sinnes and Reconciliation and hence ariseth a spirituall Joy in the soule which rejoycing is a Mortification of sinne for when a man or woman sees such excellencies in Christ as before hee so rejoyceth in them that hee loatheth whatsoever is contrary to them As a man that hath gotten a faire Inheritance which formerly was content with a small Cottage but now the right that hee hath to the other makes him despise that so it is with a regenerate man this spirituall Joy makes him basely to esteeme