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	pray_v	prayer_n	1,314	5	6.4509	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19590	A sermon preached in London before the right honorable the Lord Lavvarre, Lord Gouernour and Captaine Generall of Virginea, and others of his Maiesties Counsell for that kingdome, and the rest of the aduenturers in that plantation At the said Lord Generall his leaue taking of England his natiue countrey, and departure for Virginea, Febr. 21. 1609. By W. Crashaw Bachelar of Diuinitie, and preacher at the Temple. Wherein both the lawfulnesse of that action is maintained, and the necessity thereof is also demonstrated, not so much out of the grounds of policie, as of humanity, equity, and Christianity. Taken from his mouth, and published by direction.	Crashaw, William, 1572-1626.; L. D., fl. 1610.	1610 (1610)	STC 6029; ESTC S109071	50,684	92

thou rellest me thou wilt die for me but know that thy enemy Satan will sift thee to the full and not cease till he haue tried the vtmost of his power against thee But I who redeemed thee will not leaue to loue thee I will therefore by the power of my intercession purchase thee such grace as shall vphold thee and raise thee vp againe and will so make thee a comfortable example to all my elect Thou therefore in remembrance of what I haue done for thee when thou feelest the sweetnesse of this my mercy to thy selfe teach others by thy example and endeuour seriously the conuersion and confirmation of thy brethren All this the Lord Iesus piles vp in a few words But I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not therefore when thou art conuerted strengthen thy brethren The parts are two Christs mercy and Peters dutie First an euident declaration of Christs loue to the soules of his seruants I haue praied for thee c. Secondly the duty of all men who tast of that loue when they are conuerted they must labour the conuersion of others When thou art conuerted c. Both are directed first and personally to Peter but from him deriued to all Gods children in the world for that which then was Peters case falles out to be the case of all men so that the words are not spoken to Peter as he was an Apostle but as he was an ordinary Christian and a child of God And as in the first part Christ did no fauour to Peter which he doth not to euery christian in like case namely to pray for them that their faith faile not so the duty here laid vpon Peter in him is laid vpon all men to labour to bring others to Christ after they be brought themselues The meaning being thus explaned let vs open the points in order But I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not This time and occasion will not giue leaue to vnfold the questions that might bee mooued touching Christs praier and intercession for his Church much lesse may wee spend any of the short time wee haue in discouering or disproouing the Popish abuse of these words I wish no congregation did need it more then this for then the names of Pope and Poperie might be buried as they long agoe deserued Let vs therefore come to such necessarie instructions as arise directly out of that meaning which hath beene laid downe And first of all wee may heere see out of the dependance of these words with the former the greatnesse of Gods mercie and Christs loue to a sinfull soule Satan faith Christ hath desired to sift thee but I haue praied for thee See Satan cannot bee so ready to hurt as Christ to helpe vs Satan not so malicious to conspire our fall as Christ is mercifull to sustaine and preserue vs and if the Diuell deuise any new way to hurt vs Christ is present with new meanes and new supply of grace to releeue vs. A comfortable doctrine and hath comfortable vse to all that are any way distressed For if it be satisfaction to a man in matters of this life where hee hath a potent enemy that is able many waies and much to hurt him to be assured that he hath a friend that most deerly loues him and is wiser stronger wealthier and euery way mightier then his aduersary then doubtlesse it cannot but minister strong consolation to a distressed soule and terrified conscience to remember that they haue a Sauior more mighty in his mercy then the diuell can be in his malice and more willing to saue then the diuell can be to destroy And no lesse vnto the penitent sinner who may hereupon be assured that though he haue to grapple with many and mighty corruptions yet Christ will be ready with continuall supply of grace that so where sinne abounds grace may abound much more The man also that is oppressed in this world with the might and multitude of his enemies may here receiue comfort to consider that there are still more with him then against him And lastly the poore man whom the floud of outward misery doe beate vpon may here see for his comfort that the loue and prouidence of his Sauiour shall euer be as ready to releeue him as the worlds occasions can fall out to pinch him And to make application It may yeeld vs much satisfaction who are ingaged in this present action to consider that though satan seeke to make vs desist and because he cannot therefore will hurt vs by all his power as who can maruel seeing we touch his freehold so neere yet we haue Christ Iesus on our side whose kingdome we goe to inlarge whose loue to his children is such that euen then when satan sifts them most narrowly he with his praiers is most neere them for their assistance And therefore we doubt not but that seeing satan is now so busie to sift vs by all discouragements and by slanders false reports backwardness of some basenesse of others by raising obiections and deuising doubts endeauours to dant vs and so to betray the businesse that God himselfe hath put into our hands the more I say are we assured that Christ will the more mightily oppose this malice of the diuell and by his glorious intercession obtaine from his father so much the greater blessing both on vs and it Furthermore in as much as Christ himselfe praieth for his children that their faith shall not saile no not in the greatest temptations and when satan sifts them most narrowly wee learne that therefore a christian truly conuerted and called to the state of grace cannot fall away totally nor finally The aduersaries of the grace of God the Papists hold he may fall both finally and totally others much neerer vs then they say totally but not finally Both are confuted by these words of our Sauiour for if a man should fall totally from faith and the fauour of God though it were but for a day and the next day should bee restored againe yet for that time be it more or lesse his faith hath failed But saith Christ I haue praied that it shall not Hereupon we argue That which Christ praieth for God will grant But Christ praieth not that we may not be tempted or sifted but that our faith faile not and this not for Peter alone but as himselfe saith I pray not for these alone but for all that shall beleeue in me through their word therefore no true christians faith shall or can faile either finally or totally A doctrine of vnspeakable comfort to the christian soule But not a fit doctrine say some to be diuulged to the people And why because say they If we be sure we cannot fall from Gods fauour then what needs a man care how he liues But I answer no man can iustly take occasion thus to abuse this doctrine for the vngodly and vnsanctified man was neuer yet in the

that thou goest to the Church and praiest with the congregation for therin thou doest but that the Law requires thee the Church is to be commended for that and not thou But remember that Christ besides his daily presence in the Temple did goe aside to his priuate praiers And let vs further heere learne one to pray for another Shall Christ pray for vs and not we for our selues he for vs all and not we one for an other And the better to stirre vs vp to this dutie let vs consider that praier hath three excellencies aboue other duties which wee performe to our brethren First it is the cheapest and easiest for the giuer I meane to a sanctified man for he who for want of abilitie cannot giue almes nor lend to his poore brother nor for want of wisdome can giue counsell nor instruction for want of knowledge yet he hath a mouth at least if his tongue were cut out he hath a heart to pray for his brother and he that can doe nothing else can doe this and this the poore may doe for the rich as well as the rich for the poore Secondly it is the most powerfull and profitable for the receiuer An almes wee see how much it is Counsell we see how good it is and what good they will doe vs is easily perceiued but what good a good mans praier doth for thee is past knowledge and beyond all measure Giuing and lending may helpe thee before men praier preuailes with God and puls downe blessings of all sorts and those good things we often imagine to come other waies are sent vs from God vpon the praiers of Gods children Thirdly it hath this peculiar honour more then any other duty that it is profitable both to the giuer and receiuer As it procures those good things vpon thy friend thou praiest for so it returnes also into thine owne bosome and brings downe the same or greater blessings vpon thy selfe Therefore for a conclusion of the first part let vs aboue all duties not forget to pray for our absent friends When they are present wee doe such duties as may let them see wee loue them and when they are absent let vs pray for them that doth testifie to God that we loue them And no better dutie can we performe to this noble voiage now in hand then earnestly to commend it to the Lord. Men may furnish it but God must blesse it and praier must procure that blessing Money may winne and profit may allure men to assist it but praier alone can preuaile with God to blesse it Some ingage their persons and more their purses but our petitions shall doe more good then our persons and our praiers then our purses Thou therefore that canst doe nothing else yet pray for vs thou that canst doe more yet pray besides for though thou shouldest venture thy person and ingage thy money yet let vs haue thy praiers also which if thou bee as thou oughtest will doe more good then all the rest Remember the end of this voiage is the destruction of the diuels kingdome and propagation of the Gospell Are not these ends worthy of thy praiers Remember thy brethren who haue ingaged their persons and aduentured their liues to lay the first foundation and doe now liue in want of many comforts and pleasures which thou at home enioiest Are not these mens soules worthy of thy praiers Canst thou open thy mouth in publike or in priuate and not remember them Oh let their liues be precious and their enterprise honourable in thine eies and if thou canst doe nothing else send vp thy praiers to heauen for them And thus much for the first generall part Christs mercifull promise to his Church The second is the duty he inioines Peter and all others that shall be partakers of this promise Therefore when thou art conuerted strengthen thy brethren As the promise so also the comandement vpon the occasion then offred was personally directed to Peter but from him deriued to the whole Church and euery particular Christian so that this commandement is laid vpon him not as an Apostle but as a Christian man and a member of Christs body and as his case then may be the case of any man so euery man is bound to this dutie And as there is no Christian but may challenge this interest in the intercession of Christ that by the vertue of it his faith shall not faile so there is no man but in his measure hee is tied to the performance of this dutie For the sense of the words they are not difficult Satan hath taken vantage of thy infirmitie and hopes to giue thee such a fall as thou shalt neuer recouer but I will beare thee vp with my owne strength I will make thy faith to hold out and ouercome him in the end Thou therefore when thou hast tasted of my mercie and art raised vp againe from that fall which was so dangerous and fearefull that thy restoration is as it were another conuersion then bee mindfull of thy brethren as I haue beene of thee and by thy example and all other good meanes helpe forward the conuersion and confirmation of them that need The meaning is plaine let vs come to the doctrines And first of all whereas Christ saith When thou art conuerted c. wee learne that a man is not borne in the state of grace and fauour of God but there is a certaine appointed time of euery mans conuersion When thou art therefore there is a time when a man is not Now the time of a mans conuersion is first especially in Gods hand but partly also in our owne For the first Dauid saith My times O Lord are in thy hand If all the times and changes of his life then especially the time of his conuersion Now it is in Gods hand not only because he giues the grace and opens softens and prepares the heart but further because hee giues the meanes of a mans conuersion He sent out his word and healed them saith the Prophet It is also in a mans hand when God vouchsafes to giue a man the meanes of vocation and conuersion as to vs at this day this time is therefore called the acceptable time and day of saluation Now then it concernes euery one of vs to looke to our selues Art thou changed and renued since thou wast borne Knowest thou the time and the meanes And doest thou discerne the fruits and effects of thy conuersion Thou art a happy creature If not and thou die so it had beene good for thee thou hadst neuer beene And say not thou wast conuerted but thou hast forgotten it for canst thou forget the time when thou wast maried when thy eldest sonne was borne when thy ships came home when a great and vnexpected inheritance fell vnto thee Much lesse possible is it for the soule that is truly turned to God to forget the time and circumstances of his conuersion Wee may bee sure