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
A38451	Propugnaculum pietatis, the saints Ebenezer and pillar of hope in God when they have none left in the creature, or, The godly mans crutch or staffe in times of sadning disappointments, sinking discouragements, shaking desolations wherein is largely shewed, the transcendent excellency of God, his peoples help and hope : with the unparallel'd happiness of the saints in their confidence in him, overballancing the worldlings carnal dependance both as to sweetness and safety : pourtray'd in a discourse on Psal. 146:5 / by F.E.	F. E. (Francis English)	1667 (1667)	Wing E3076; ESTC R2623	160,282	286

the Lord and said Help us O Lord our God So Hezekiah Lord undertake for me The Apostle directs us to the throne of grace for help which Paul attending found this answer My grace is sufficient Prayer is the bucket of Heaven It 's the Psalmists little River in the City of God Psal 46. At which come up all the souls goods I sought the Lord and he heard me Psal 34.4 Then shall ye pray unto me and I will give you an expecied end Jer. 29. For all these things I will be inquired of by the house of Israel Ezek. 36.37 Prayer is the condition of mercy We must call though we never so fully expect If we stop our mouths God will stop his hand and leave off asking God will leave off giving and granting Sometimes God is found of those who seek him not potest inveniri non perveniri as to the first grace but having once given his Spirit he will be sought of all that finde him Prayer is vehiculum divinae misericordiae the Chariot in which the King of Heaven comes down graciously into our souls Prayer indeed cannot hasten mercy as to Gods time but it may as to ours not as to the time he hath appointed but his Promise being conditional it may as to the time by us expected And the assurance of mercy should not prevent duty but enforce it the certainty of the end establisheth and confirms the use of the means If we would have mercy from God we must not be too proud or shameface't to beg it but take words with us and say Take away iniquity and receive us graciously When we are laid by affliction flat on our backs then have we a fit opportunity to look up to Heaven and say Behold us O Lord look upon us and our afflictions remember the troubles and sorrows of our hearts come and heal us and help us for thou alone art our stay and trust our succour and support our prop and pillar our only help and hope God hath made many large and excellent promises to prayer under personal and also publick calamities 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people pray And Jehosaphat urgeth this promise in prayer 2 Chron. 20.9 If when evil comes on us and we cry to thee in our affliction then hear and help God knows how to give out mercy but he will have this homage of us first to ask and then will not cannot deny Luk. 18.7 Quanto magis Fourthly By faith and believing He that speeds in his accesses must believe As prayer must be made so faith must be acted He gives grace and glory to them that trust in him Faith trades at Heaven and fetcheth in large incomes of mercy Prayer may knock and beg for mercy but saith receives it though not as manus laborantis yet mendicantis An unbeliever can receive nothing from the Lord. Faith is to prayer as fire to pouder the piece will not off without it nor make any report Without faith wings it prayer can never reach Heaven and therefore not bring down any thing thence Prayer is the ship but faith the wind whereby we must sail to the cape of good hope Faith without prayer is but a bold bravado or daring presumption Prayer without faith is but a beating the Air an uncertain sound or vain canting in the ears of Heaven Fifthly By returning resolutions He that would come to God so as to obtain mercy must resolve so to come as never to depart from him more by iniquity O Israel return to the Lord saith the Prophet from whom thou hast fallen Hos 14.1 So Jer. 18.11 Behold I frame evil and devise a device against you return you now every man from his evil way and make your waies and your doings good There is no coming to God to beg only further liberty of sinning against him I will hear saith David what God will speak for he will speak peace to his People and his Saints but let them not turn again to folly God will never bestow his salvation for us to make it only a fomentation to our corruption When Israel kept close to God then he helped them when in all their straits and calamities they called upon him but when they rebelled against him he gave them up into the hand of the Nations Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him and keep his Covenant a penitent humble obedient frame is requisite in all our approaches to Heaven a turning to God with fasting weeping and mourning a resolve to offer him the calves of our lips The Prophet hath it excellently Isa 21.12 We must enquire return and come Such approaches to God alwaies are welcome to him and successful to his People That 's the second Thirdly This is a ground of satisfaction and acquiescence to the People of God His help may be sufficient to give our souls contentment under all the fails or wants of the creature The Apostle in that holy paradox bids us be careful for nothing not anxiously but in every thing make our requests known to God with prayer and thanksgiving Phil. 4.6 Duty and service is our work care and providence Gods The child takes no care because he hath a Father to provide for him nor is the Wife sollicitous because she is provided for by her Husband we must not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 distract our hearts with needless fears and cares about worldly reliefs or comforts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was our Saviours caution let not your hearts be roiled as waters with stirring or troubled as a ship with tossing Nec habeo careo aut curo may be the Christians Motto We should not envy wicked mens fulness when as we have an interest in Gods Alsufficiency nor necessitate him for lower blessings when he hath given us the better part Holy Jacob was brought to an excellent pitch of contentation upon his experience and observation of providence when he vowed to God that if God would be with him and keep him in the way he was to go and give him but bread to eat and rayment to put on then the Lord should be his God Gen. 28.20 If God gives us necessaries why should we stand on superfluities Let me ask thy soul Christian but this one question whether thou wouldest part with thy hope of an interest in thy God for all the world And if God hath given thee the best things why shouldest thou doubt or distrust his providence for the worst why doubt ye O ye of little faith does God provide for Ravens and will he not provide for his Sons and Daughters he that feeds the Sparrows and cloaths the Lillies will never see his children starve or perish It 's strange to see how carnal men can trust their Mammon of the world and yet Christians cannot trust the ever-living God Strange that we can trust God with our souls and yet hardly trust him with our bodies This speaks a living by sense more than by saith strange that we could trust