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
B05977	The map of the little world, illuminated with religion being a practical treatise, directing man to a religious scope, and right measure, in all the periods of his life; with devotion suitable. To which is added an appendix, containing a gospel ministers legacie, in some sermons, upon 2 Pet. 1. 12, &c. / By Patrick Strachan minister of the gospel at St. Vigeans.	Strachan, Patrick, fl. 1693.	1693 (1693)	Wing S5775A; ESTC R184656	117,746	314

solid Foundation by Religion 2ly That thou enter into such a serious and lasting state of Life with the good Advice of GOD under him of those of Experience 3ly That thou propose the most pheasable means and good Ends for the Comfort and Contentment of thy Life 4ly That thou fall upon the most clear and approved Methods to attain these Ends. And Lastly When engaged in this Relation of conjugal Life that thou carry well therein and behave as a solid Christian in thy Family First Except the LORD build the house they labour in vain that bui●● it Psal 127. 1. See that thou marry i● the Lord and that thou set him befo●● thee that he may be at thy Right-hand●● and keep thy Heart still in His Hand● that thy choice may be dexterous an● fortunate learn to be a Christian an● Espouse Christ ere thou be a Husband o● a wife for Religion is the bond the Ble●●ing the beauty and the thrift of thy Relation and will have a greater influence upon the peace and prosperity 〈◊〉 thy family and the sweet converse 〈◊〉 the married twain Psal 128 2. And ma●● them live together as Heirs of the grace 〈◊〉 Life 1 Pet. 3. 7. 3ly Thou shouldest no● enter rashly unto this Covenant Consider what thou does Seek Counsel at Go● and good men especially of thy Parent●● Let not Pride hast passion and indiscretion engage thee to make such an adventure and if the Council of GOD and good men be wanting thou mayest be fond this night and faint to morrow and begin to repent when it is too late and canst propose no Remedy but that which is desperate 3ly Have a Right designe before thee Marry Rationally and with discretion consider the ends for which GOD has appointed Marriage And never think to accomplish them except thou shape out fit means to obtain them bewar of Being unequally yoked Let thy match be suitable if thou wouldest have it profita●le Consider how thou shalt live in that Relation that thou may live well in It. Bewar of the Snare of Poverty nor too greedily look after gain Keep the midle mean and that is to propose an honest and unchargeable way of living Say with Ag Give me neither Poverty nor Riches but what 's convenient for me Be not too confident in that thou art Perhaps young and strong to provide for thy self For thy youth may soon fade and thy strength decay a laudable seeking after a creditable way of living is rhy duty that thou have some talent and stock to use well which may by the Blessing of GOD be improved and thy Family provided 4ly That thou fall upon most clear and approved methods to attain these ends Besides what is already hinted thou art to engage in this setled state with consent of Parents if they be living for if thou oughtest to honour or obey thy Parents as GOD's Word directs Eph. 6. 1. Then thou 〈◊〉 not be but culpable If in this thou co●● contrary to their will And if the Sc●●ture gives it as a note of Prophane E●● that by his Marriage he was a grie●● heart to Isaac and Rebekah Whe●● Jacob followed his Fathers Cou●● thou shalt find it most agreeable to foll●● Jacobs Rod and if thy parents should 〈◊〉 too tyranical and self willed in this 〈◊〉 imped thee for their own ends or as 〈◊〉 Apostle to the Hebrews sayeth in the 〈◊〉 of Chastisement for their own pleasu●● yet shouldst thou be very submiss B●● they be unreasonably wilfull thou ha●● fuge in the Church which hath po●● to call Parents to an account of their t●●ciousness But this point is so fully h●●led by Divines and determined by 〈◊〉 Church that I shall not enlarge this trea●● upon it Only I would commend this ●●siness to be orderly done with all th●● necessarly previous to its consummat●● and with suitable solemnities in the 〈◊〉 of GODs Chnrch and not after some ●●sual Caruse nor done like a thing 〈◊〉 dares not hold up its face but doth 〈◊〉 and sneak in corners as the persons eng●●ing were ashamed that it shonld be kno●● 〈◊〉 the World whereas they must give an ●●count of it before GOD Angels and Men. And make that suspected to the peo●●e which they should approve themselves 〈◊〉 to their own Consciences and to the re●ular Church The Blessing whereof is not 〈◊〉 be despised by any private Man 5ly ●o carry Christianly in this Relation ●hat Man or Wife make conscience of ●●eir mutual duties and the main thing ●hat concerns the Husband is Religious and Conjugal Love to his Wife which the Apostle so fully presseth Eph. 5. Gives the Man an excellent Pattern of the free sin●ere full and constant Love of CHRIST to ●he Church And the great Specifick of ●he Wifes duty is Reverence and Obedi●nce to her Husband as the head For this Rational and Religious Love of the Husband Will last when the heats of passion shall expire and evanish And that Reverence and Obedience of the Wife to the Husband as it will Indear his Heart to her more and more so shall it make her to be taken among the number of the Godly Women especially Sarah 1 Peter 3 6. Who reverenced her hnsband and Called him LORD So that these things being observed they may be freer for a good Understand●● among themselves to govern their Fa●●ly with Discretion and their Affairs 〈◊〉 Frugality and Vertue 2ly As to y●● entrance into the Exercise of your P●●cular Calling be well advised that it q●●drate with thy General Calling as a Chri●●an Be as vertuous as thou may but 〈◊〉 not thy Bussiness hinder thee from worki●● out the Work of thy own Salva●ion ●●gin and end the Day with GOD a●● seek first the Kingdom of GOD a●● His Righteousness Mat. 6. 20. And ne●● say that thou hast not time For if th●● improve thy time with Frugality th●● will never want leasure to seek and se●● GOD It is to be feared thou wants Wi●● and there lyes the root of the evil Th●● would also take care to Employ thy se●● well in an approved Calling Beware 〈◊〉 the snares thereof keep a good Conscience let the Word of GOD and no●● Interest rule thy Conscience Be hone●● in thy Calling beware of fraud an●● sneaking wayes and work not in th●● Calling to be called a Cheat Take right●● Measure true Ballance and the same Weights otherwayes thy Tricks are an Abomination to the LORD Consult the most approved Proportions for thy gain ●nd if thou be engaged in the laborious Work of the Husband-Man let Grace ●uide thy Georgicks And consider that in 〈◊〉 beginning such a Calling payed Fruits ●o GOD Gen 4. 3. He makes the ground ●●st up to thee and brutish Animals ●eed thee Cloath thee and serve thee The LORD brings food out of the Earth Psal 104. 14. And makes the senseless Clod and Tur● produce Corn and Grain And all thy Labour without His Blessing will not profit thee Thou canst therefore

br●ken and Strangers shall not meddle with our J●ye● nor the Impure eat the Childrens food This shall confute all such as decry Religion and comfort all that have the Real Life of it and make them say with St. Paul The Life we now live is by Faith in the Son of GOD. 4ly This will open a door and Entrance to the Kingdom of O●r LORD JESUS CHRIST and will prove a more solid way to make us Draw near to GOD with full assurance of faith and be a more sure ground to us than all the heats and heights of Religion which are but transient and perhaps flow from humour and Complexion but this makes the spirit of G●ory dwell in us Gives us a clean conscience washt with pure water Heb 10. end to draw near to GOD So that a trembling humble Gh●istian that with St. Paul cryes ●ut O wretched man that I am Rom. 7. end May be neerer the Joy of the Lord than the other So that whoever seek a proof of Christ sn us We shall prove it best by Works and Fruits and the New Creature is the most infallible mark of bein● in Christ 2 Cor 5 17. and True si●●cere Obedience is the great specifick and genuine propertie of true Christianism And further to clear you in all this let us confront the privilidges and properties of the Christi●n if any separate them he is like a Man catching the Crown with out the Conquest but the true Christian reacheth one hand in the Crown and wi●h the other holds his W●apon to fight for the Prize that through ●aith and p●tience and unwearied W●ll ●●ing he may inheri● the Promises What more excellent then the precious Promis●p●ut we must add Vertue to our faith 〈◊〉 th●se Promises the Christians Claim is ind●ed great for all are yours sayeth 〈◊〉 But such as are Christs sayeth he have crucified the flesh with its lusts and effections But to come nearer the con●●xt from 2. ver to this 12 the Apostl● speaks of beleivers attaining like precious faith with the Apostlesfor their is but one faith which the Apostles Beleived pr●pagated once delivered to the Sa 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 J●de sayeth and this faith Acts 15. 9. purifi●th the heart and life And having that same faith of the Apostles we should live according to our measures as the Apostles then should the Pure and Primitive Church revive But alas Were St. Paul now at Rome he should find it much more Heathen than in his time and very unlike these whose faith was spoken of through the World O then if people would walk suitably to that noble Gift of Faith which is given us 2ly The full Instructions the Christians have All things sayes the Apostle that pertain to Life and Godliness Glory and Veri●e We want nothing to furnish us for every good Work The whole Council of GOD Acts 20. 27. All things to make us Godly and Glorious we have the Word of GOD to make us wise to Salvation and the Spirit of GOD to lead us into all Truth Improve then your priviledges For if ve know these things happy are ye if ve do them 3ly We have the great Gift of the Promises as the Apostle sayeth here But yet having these Promises let us cleanse our selves from all silthiness of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. and take head least a promise being made thus of entering into his Rest we fall short But if Piety be joyned with the Promises then we partake of the Divine Nature and have another Spirit a new Heart Lif● and new Affections and thus the Sai●● are in their measure Divinized and sp●ritualsed and Created after GOD 〈◊〉 Righteousness and true Holmess And so to conclude this truth 〈◊〉 would warn you not ha●ilv to catch a● the Promises but labour to lay hold on them by a lively Faith and Well-doin● Be not too ●aring least ye presume prove your title first And then glory in your priviledges make your selves meet for the Inheritance and then you are sure of it and let the glory of that great Claim indeer your Hearts to Duty to jo●n your selves in a perpetual Covenant with the LORD never to be forgot Jer. 50. Sermon II. The Duty and Diligence of the Apostolick C●rate or Gospel Minister described With the Matter and manner of his Preaching and the Quality of Christians in the time of the prime of Christianity Vpon Verse 12. THe Apostle falls now to a closs Application of the Doctrin formerly mentioned in this Chapter wherein he relates the Duty of the Minister that he should not be negligent but busie in the exercise of his holy Office 2ly The great Subject of his D●ctrine these Things 3ly The way of his I●culcating the said Doctrine upon the Hearts of People And 4ly The Qualification of People in these Times I begin with the First b●th negatively and positively described Doct. 1 which teacheth us That a Gospel Minister should be very intent upon his great and weighty Work This St Peter declares of himself and St. Paul also frequently mentions his great business These two Pillars of the Church the Apostles of the C●rcumcision Uncircumcision follow the the great Luminary their Blessed Master and stand as eminent Examples to all the Officers of the Church of Christ And this Apostle describeth his Duty 1st In his care for the Good of Souls to whom he wrote 2ly That he was not negligent but Diligent in his Imployment First His great care for the Church and the good of Souls The care of Souls is worthy to ●e fined from the most intensive affections of the H●art It is such 〈◊〉 Pious and Divine Affection that GOD Himself describs His ea●nest Compassion● to His People thereby As our Saviout sh●ws us in His Sermon upon the Mount Upon which account St. Paul bids us be careful for nothing but by Prayer and Supplication make our request known to GOD And St. Peter so exhorts also casting all your ca●es upon GOD who careth for you It was our Saviour's care for Souls that brought Him from Heaven to us and when on Earth made Him so diligent to Preach Pray and Weep for his Church This care of Souls went nearer St. Pauls Hea●t than all his troubles for beside all things that are without said he that which comes upon me dayly the care for all the Churches The true natural Father hath a great care for his Children and the Spiritual Parent no less for I have no greater Joy sayeth St. John than to see my Children walking in the Truth F●r such is the subtility and labour of the evil one ●o seduce and corrupt our Flock And alas such is the carelesness and incuriousness of the most as to Spiritnol Matters like Gallio careing for none of these things and such are the many incumbrances anent the World and what is worst of all even a careful Contrivnance of many to prosecute their sinful ends that a faithful Minister shall find great Reason of serious

so much neglected The Pharises in old turned superficial in their Religion by their Z●al for their traditions and it is to be feared that Christianity is much exanimated by such a cry for the outward part with too great neglect of Charity and the holiest of all where only we can find the propiratory And to be more particular these things that we are mainly to insist upon may be taken up in these particulars following 1. The necessaria or things absoluty needfull to Sa●vation 2ly The Prosecution of the great design of the Gospel 3ly The Right informing of what we have been what we are and what we shall be 4ly The consideration of the last things so useful for the salvation of our souls and so clearly manifested in the Gospel First the things absolutly necessary for salvation as the true Knowledge of GOD and the Mediator and the operations of the Holy Ghost in the illumination and sanctification of our hearts These are the Revelation of that mystery that was hid from ages which refresh the Soul in the true knowledge of GOD and directs our Spirit to worship him in spirit and in tr●th and to love fear ●bey and ch●ose him as our Portion ●●●e and hereafter w●ich overaweth the ●●ul with a reverential fear of his na●e and sha●tech abroad Divine love in our hear●s whereby we are ve●●y much Ref●●sh●d with the Bread of Angels and Saint And ●hen we look upon GOD in the Mediator we take him up aright And by our applying of and imploying CHRIST in his Mediatorial office we come to get Victory o● ver Hell and Death and by the commiting our selves to the Guidance of the Spirit it makes a spirit of Glory Rest upon us It fills our hearts with a wonderous Jubilation and joy and fi●●s us t● have our Conversation in Heaven from whence we look for the Saviour Phil. 3. 20. 2ly The prosecution of the great design of the Gospel We are taught by the A●p●a●ance of the Grace of GOD to deny all ungodliness and Worldly lusts and to live Godly Righteous●● and Soberly in this present World Ti● 2. 11. This is the right management o● our Knowledge and Christian Calling whereby we are directed and assisted to put in Practice our holy Religion 3ly And it is very behoovful in our Christian Course well to consider what we have been that we may be humbled To consider what we are that we may be Cautious and Circumspect And Iabour to grow in Grace and in the Knowledge to our LORD JESUS CHRIST To answer our Gospel Education in all tke Relations and Turns and Exigents of our Life And what we shall be is best known by 4ly The consideration of the Novissima or Last Things That we entertain frequent Meditations of Death that so we may be ready when GOD's time comes To be wise to consider our latter End and wisely to number up our Dayes To Judge our selves that we be not condemned at the Last Judgement To consi●er H●ll that we may put a Beacon over Tophet to flee from it And to recreat our selves with the Prospect of Heaven to encourrage us To make meet for that Inheritance with the Saints in Light N●w that all these things may be layed to Heart entertained and improved in our Christian Life I shall subjoyn these Reasons following 1st The Orignal of these things 2ly These things contain our Right and Title to Glorv And 3ly They contain our Portion and Patrimon● in HE●VEN First There Original They are ● 〈◊〉 from above They are wholy Div●ne the Et●rnal Truth of the Eternal GOD They are neither Humane Inventions nor Traditions but the ●●ictates of Eternal Reason so Pure so Excel●ent so True and so Just that they discover the Fountain from whence they flow The Gospel then is a Divine Thing every Truth thereof is a Ray of Eternal Light and the Preaching of the ●ross of CHRIST tho to the blinded World of no account being to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness Yet is it to be Gloried in by true Beleivers as the Issue of Eternal Love and the great product of Heavenly Council and Covenant 'T is wholly composed of Glories discovers unto us the everlasting Love Precious CHRIST and Precious Promises great Rewards and an Eternal Crown 2ly These Things contain our Title to Glory Our Charter of Inheritance with the Saints in Light Which Composed according to the Terms of the Covenant of Grace That GOD is our GOD and we His People Which Charter w● should understand as being sealed with the Word a●d Oath of GOD And upon our part oug●t to be sealed with persevering Fidelity so that we need not run to turn the leaves of our destiny in the secret Council of GOD but search the revealed Will that our names by Well doing may app●ar to us to be written in the Book of Life 3ly These things contain our Portion and Heavenly Patrimonie For 1 Cor 3. End If we be CHRIST● all is ours If Genuine Christians Then are we Sons Heirs and Coheirs with CHRIST Gal 4. 7. The Unsearchable Riches of CHRIST are Thine We should then oft●n read our Charter rejoice in our high Descent improve our Priviledges as the Children of GOD and labour to comprehend with all Saints the dimensi●ns of the Love of GOD seek to have a heart to these things for they contain a great prize if not put in the hand of a fool These Things are the Light of a Christian and the Conscience of them the Conduct of a Believer and the Beleif of these Things his ●rown And as to the manner of the Apostle's bearing in these Things upon People is by way of Remembrance Gospel Ministe●● are subordinate Mediators betwixt GOD and ●eople They are the LORD 's R●● memb●ances Isa 62. 6. 7. For the Peoples Good and Peoples Remembrances of their Duty to GOD they must warne admonish Remember and inculcate Truth upon Peoples hearts by frequent Admonition and Repetition Phil 3. 3● But this Remembring being so much mentioned by the Apostle here I shall refer to a particular discourse ere I conclude this subject and so I come to the last par● ticular Which containeth the Knowledge and Establishment of Christians in the prime of Christianity and clearly informeth us of the exact Instruction and stability of Primitive Christians in the 〈◊〉 3d. Faith The Prophets foretold this Light that the People should be all taught of GOD. Which is clearly fulfilled under the Gospel as you may see by comparing 2 Chap of st John with 2 Chap of the Acts For in effect Ignorance is the greatest impediment of the Comfort and Duty of Religion and a great Prognostick of a fatal and judicial stroak it hindereth the Action of Religion and the Pleasures of it and puts People in an Element where Satan the prince of darkness works and hinders them from the Light and Liberty of the Children of GOD. Sermon III. The Expediency and Vsefulness of

time of plowing and sowing in order to our great harvest We must work while it is called the day for the night cometh wherein no man worketh John 9. 11. What ever our hand findeth to do we must do it with our might for there is no knowledge nor work in the grave Ecl. 10. 9. The present time is the season of preaching ●o day if he will hear his Voice Ere long the Pastor's Mouth will be closed as well as your Ears GOD useth not to send a Seminary from the Dead to preach the Gospel the Living shall praise Him and act for Him for in this short Life all our Bussiness must be done in order to Eternitie the LORD doth not cause preach to the Dead for in the state of Separation our Bodily Organs are consumed and the Soul is under its everlasting Sentence it s therefore absolutely necessary that we plye our Work in time with all Alacrity and Diligence But this must be more particularly unfolded by the consideration of these following heads 1. The great care that serious men should have to make use of the Season 2ly Their great Diligence that they should manifest in their weighty Work 3ly The Frailty and Brittleness of our mortal Life our Soul is in a Tent or Tabernacle 4ly The Reinforcement of the Remembrance upon this account 1. The great Care that Serious Men should have to make use of the Season This is not the Work of Yesterday for that is past and cannot be recalled nor of to Morrow for we know not what then may be Prov. 27 1. Therefore we should not bost of it for we know not what a Day may bring forth But it is the Work of the Present 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Instant which passeth as a Thought and will not abide Delayes and as we know not if we shall preach another Day so people know not how long the Voice may be behind them saying This is the Way But this they may know that it is the Voice of GOD that callet● them and they know not how soon i● it may be silent and the Heavenly Oracl● give no more Response 2ly The great diligence that Serio●● Men should manifest in their Weighty Work Their Work is a Harvest the Labourers should be busie and tho GOD doth not allow that with too fast driving we put our selves out of Breath yet since the Work tho very weighty is so pleasant and so necessary and the exercise of the greatest Charity of the World to do good to Souls and since we have anointing Oil and the Aid of the Spirit to enable us we should not be idle nor taken up with Triffles and vain things and especially shun all worldly and sinfull Distractions that we may be well excercised in so good and necessary a Work 3ly The frailty and Brittleness of our mortal life Our life is both short and uncertain we are Pilgrims on Earth and sojurn as all our Fathers have done our Soul is in a tent and our life is but Transient ambulatory and transitory we are Pilgrims Souldiers strangers and not at home we have no continuing abode here the Tabernacle and Tent may soon be lowsed our passing house fall about our ears Which as it should prevent our taking our Rest on Earth so should it make us busie while we are in this Tabernacle and animate us in all our travels on earth with our priviledge that we shall come to a Temple and have a House with GOD Eternal in the Heavens 4ly The Reinforcement of the Remembrance upon this account the Apostle makes much use of this Word for Ministers are GOD's mouth they should admonish and incite People to duty People should be warned for they are secure and become tuchy when they are awakened they are ready to say Peace Peace before sudden destruction Come We should therefore seek supplie to our Lamps in time and to have our Wedding Garment in hand against the Bridegroom come there be many things to give us Memento and Ministers should never forget to give this warning but labour to keep people on foot to Run their Race unto the End Sermon IV. Of the Practical Knowledge of Death and the Information and Warning that the LORD giveth some of His Favourites thereof Knowing that shortly I must put off this Tabernacle Verse 14. ALTHO no doubt this Holy and Reverend Father had his Soul still upon readiness to render it up on his Master's Call with all Chearfulness And tho he was animated to Duty by an extraordinary Help of the Spirit Yet the Knowledge he was shortly to put off his Tabernacle did serve as a motive in him to excite him in his holy Work As his Master before him John 9. 4. 2 Wherein we may Consider 1st His Resolution Practical Knowledge of his approaching dissolution 2ly His favourable Representation of Death a putting off this Tabernacle and giving the Soul more room to commerce with GOD. 3ly His more than ordinary Information of this his Deseace As to the First we may observe that the Practical Knowledge of Death serves much to make serious Doct. 1 Men well Employed All men know they must die but few consider and improve it Which maketh Moses in the Name of the LORD so pathetically cry out O that they were wise to consider their latter End Deut. 32. 26. And Jeremiah so sadly to lament That Jerusalem was taken away because she knew not her last end The best of Men have layed this to Heart I have run sayeth St. Paul Cor 9. 26. For Death puts a Period to all Business Eccles 9. 10. Death puts us ab agendis a Judgement immediatly follows where account must be given of our Stewartship Who is then that faithful Servant that when the LORD cometh shall find so doing and busie about his work Do not say the LORD delayeth his comming let not GOD's Patience make thee procrastinate but be the more busie that thou hast a day to labour in 2ly If thy Work be imperfect and not done it will remain undone for ever and except Christ stand for thee thou will enter imperfect to ternity It is dangerous to sleep our time or triffle it but rather if thou hast loitered double thy diligence This practical knowledge of Death concerns all Men Omnes Tangit from the Court to the Countrey from the Palace to the Cottage Death hath an Universal Empire over all Ranks Sexes Ages Goodness Greatness Riches and the Greatest power and strength cannot prevent it bribe it nor oppose it It is the Messenger of the Great King It cannot be deforced disce mori learn to die is a great lesson it is a great principle in Practical Religion as nosce teipsum to know thy self is necessary Death comes upon many with a surprise and unaware it creeps on Gray hares are here and there on us ere we advert There are some inconsiderate and layes it not to heart Some are dead and drowned in interest and sing