Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A51703
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Of holy living first a serious exhortation thereunto : secondly choice directions therein, both for every working and for every Lords-day.
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Mall, Thomas, b. 1629 or 30.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing M335; ESTC R6533
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19,287
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67
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more hopeful All the weapons of this Apostles warfare and therefore this Exhortation back'd with such motives are not carnal but mighty through God for the pulling down strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 5. I shall therefore once more beseech you for the Lords sake for your souls sake to suffer the words of the Apostles Exhortation See that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil But still remember that of Christ Without separated from not united to me ye can do nothing John 15.5 and that of the Apostle It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. Work out therefore your salvation with fear and trembling i. e. Shake off sloth and unite all the powers of your souls that you may intend this business as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth Do not only work at it but work it out work while it is day John 9.4 whilst the Spirit breathes fearing lest if the present gale be neglected you never have a gale more PART I. The Exhortation to Saints SEcondly to Saints Having addressed the Apostles Exhortation to Sinners in the former Chapter I shall in this desire you who come not under the former member of the distribution to suffer the words of his Exhortation See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise c. And indeed to you in an especial manner is this Exhortation directed There is an emphasis in the word ye See that ye c. q. d. Though others be careless how they live yet so be not you but be sure that you see to it that you live this provident active voluntary habitual growing Evangelically though not legally perfect wise and thrifty life There is also besides the motives mentioned in the former Chapter one more in the Text peculiarly belonging to you whereby it is evident that the former motives do as much concern you as any yea more and that is taken from your estate What that is you may see by retiring to verse 8. Ye were sometimes darkness not only in darkness but darkness it self ye were sometimes altogether in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief of guilt and misery of sin and enmity But now you are children of the light you are persons enlightned and enlivened yea you are light in the Lord you are persons full of the light of knowledge and faith of the love of God and peace of grace and holiness See then that ye walk circumspectly c. This is a comprehensive motive as you will see in the following particulars Chap. I. Motives thereunto from their knowledge FIrst See that ye walk circumspectly c. seeing ye are enlightned with saving knowledge That is part of the meaning of being children of the light and light in the Lord. Sometimes light is in Scripture because of its discovering quality Eph. 5.13 put for knowledge as Dan. 5.11.12 where it is said that Daniel had light understanding and wisdom found in him Thus you are children of the light yea light in the Lord See then that ye walk circumspectly c. And good reason there is why you what ever others do should live this holy life even upon the account of your knowledge Motive 1. Hereby one great hinderance of living this life is removed out of your souls and that is ignorance and blindness Ignorant souls are indeed alienated from the life of God Eph. 4.18 they cannot endure to live such a life as God lives or as he commands them to live they cannot endure to be holy as God is holy or as he calls them to be holy viz. to be holy in all manner of conversation But will you also be alienated thus alienated from the life of God Shall your alienation continue though your ignorance doth not continue Motive 2. Hereby you are more than others obliged to live this life Others are indeed bound to live this life though they do not know it to be their duty but you much more seeing you know the nature necessity and excellency of this life and that not only notionaly but intuitively and experimentally Your very knowledge is an obligation upon you you are bound not only by the law without but by the law within you you are bound in your spirits Acts 20.22 your light doth lovingly constrain you 2 Cor. 5.14 necessity is laid upon you thereby 1 Cor. 9.16 and you can do no other unless you will offer violence to your own consciences then live this life which you know God chargeth upon you as your duty Acts 4.20 Motive 3. Hereby you are helped to live this life for 1 Hereby you see the reasonableness of the Scripture motives to live thus circumspectly which others do not at least have not such a sight thereof as you have I shall instance only in those two mentioned in the Text and briefly spoken to in the former Chapter You see both what folly and madness it is not to live this life and how much it is your concernment and therefore wisdom thus to live as also what cogent motives there are in the days being evil thereunto You know the folly and madness of following any course or way of life short of this holy life you know that calamity and destruction are in all such ways Rom. 3.16 yea and damnation too 2 Pet. 2.2 you know that you will not be gainers but losers though you should gain the whole world thereby because thereby your souls will be lost Mat. 16.26 you know that it is your main concernment and therefore wisdom to live this holy life You know that in the way of righteousness is life and it tends to life Prov. 11.19 and in the path-way thereof there is no death Prov. 12.28 you know that this holy life is the best life the most excellent life Prov. 12.26 the most rational life Prov. 14.8 the safest life Prov. 1.33.3.23 Psal 50.23 the honestest and most truly virtuous life Luke 8.15 2 Tim 2.2 the most prositable and useful life 1 Tim. 4.8 the most honourable life Isa 43.4 the most sweet and pleasant life Prov. 3.17 Psal 36.8 God saith all this and you believe it yea you know it by experience See therefore that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise c. You are also convinced that the Apostles second motive taken from the days being evil is very cogent Though others looking on it with a carnal eye think it is inconsequent and better able to bear a contrary conclusion viz. The times are bad therefore there is no living in the world unless we yield a little the Oak is rent to pieces with the fury of the wind when the Willow by bowing and bending is secure Yet you see that it is very reasonable that you
the Text premiseth verse 6. that the wrath of God will come upon all the children of disobedience i. e. upon all that will not be perswaded to hearken to the and therefore to this Word of God And in that the Apostle backs this Exhortation in the Text from the folly of not living so holy a life as he therein exhorts unto Doth not he clearly imply if not expresly assert that there is no other way to secure the everlasting happiness of the other world Quest 5. Will you give it under your hands that you do verily believe that unless you see to it that you live as holy a life as you are exhorted to in the Text you shall have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God and of Christ but the wrath of God will come upon you for your folly and madness in neglecting your main interest If you indeed believe thus I have but one question more to ask you before I shew you what an holy life is called for from you in the Text. Quest 6. Will you solemnly engage that you will heartily endeavour to live so holy a life as shall be plainly made known unto you to be called for from you by God in this Word of his And why should you not What do you verily believe that you cannot possibly enjoy love and avoid his wrath unless you live the life you are exhorted to in the Text and yet will ye not promise to see to it that ye live that life Are ye resolved to sit down short of Gods love and to continue under his wrath This is wilfully and not ignorantly to destroy your selves Be not afraid that I would engage you to live a holier life then the Apostle calls for in the Text If it be not demonstrated even to your own consciences that all the following particulars are rationally inferr'd from the Apostles words your promise doth not bind you thereunto I desire you only to promise that you will heartily endeavour to live such a life as shall be rationally evinced from these words to be the will of God and your duty I shall therefore take your promise for granted and no longer delay acquainting you what an holy life you are exhorted to in the Text. Chap. 2. The particulars contained in the Exhortation 1. THe holy life that you are exhorted to in the Text is a provident life it is a thoughtful careful life in living this we must be considerate and forecasting souls the eyes of our souls must be much yea continually employed This I gather from the first word in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See c. He that followeth this exhortation hath his eyes in his head as in a Watch-tower Eccl. 2.14 His eyes are useful for guiding and ordering his wayes that he may not erre wander stumble fall mistake miscarry c. 2. It is an active life you are exhorted to walking See that ye walk c. walking is opposed to sitting yea standing still he that walks is in motion walking doing are the same 1 King 11.38 The whole life you are exhorted to is a busielife not only the eye but every faculty of the soul and every member of the body must be in motion There is no sitting still yea there is no standing still in living this holy life 3. It is a voluntary life it is such a life as you may choose or refuse to live not such a life as you must live whether you will or no. No motion is more voluntary then walking You are not only exhorted to move in the wayes of holiness but to move therein willingly yea to delight in such motions as you do in walking and Christ did John 4.24 such motions should be your recreation 4. It is an habitual life In walking steps are reiterated and multiplied A motion or two accidentally or occasionally in the ways of holiness will not evidence that you live this holy life your motions must be frequently iterated and become customary yea evidenced to be I do not say become habitual that you are habitually ready to every good work Tit. 3.1 God esteems none a Saint for some particular carriages but for a general course 5. It is an everlasting life Walking is a constant motion If at any time there be no moving there is no walking for that time In walking you are still going forward till you come to your journeys end Your motions in the ways of holiness must be constant as you must not stand still so you must not turn back your hearts must be still enclined to perform Gods statutes always even to the end Psal 119.112 It is twice said of Enoch he walked with God Gen. 5.22.24 to intimate that as he began betimes so he persevered therein unto the end It is the End crowns all antecedent acts 6. It is a growing life walking is a progressive motion wherein we are still getting ground and getting nearer and nearer to our journeys end Your motions in the ways of holiness must be progressive your obedience must be more and more you must still get nearer Heaven Non progredi est regredi not to go forward is to go backward not to grow better is to grow worse They that live this holy life go from strength to strength Psal 84.4 shining brighter and brighter till perfect day Prov. 4.18 7. It is not a life absolutely perfect in holiness You are exhorted to walking not to resting not to be perfect but to be walking towards perfection Perfection of holiness will be your life at your journeys end but is not your life in your walk Here your attainments cannot be greater then Pauls were and his highest attainment was to be still moving onwards Brethren saith he I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forth to those things that are before I press toward the mark Phil. 3.13 14. you are followers of the Apostles Exhortation in the Text if you be still going onwards though you be not come to a full rest There remains a rest for the people of God 8. Though it be not a perfect yet it is a very regular life You are exhorted not only to walk but to walk exactly by line and by rule as it were in a frame See look how ye walk yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See how circumspectly how strictly how precisely how accurately how regularly you walk See that you be Peripateticks that you walk round and round in the whole circle of good works See that you keep all Gods Commandments and how you keep all The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intimates not only that this holy life is a very strict and precise life but wherein its strictness and preciseness doth consist It is translated accurately It seemed good unto me when I had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accurately or exactly searched all things Luke 1.3 It comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to go to the