Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	bring_v	child_n	parent_n	4,502	5	8.9252	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81791	Moral instructions of a father to his son upon his departure for a long voyage: or, An easie way to guide a young man towards all sorts of virtues. With an hundred maximes, Christian and moral.; Instruction morale d'un père à son fils. English	Dufour, Philippe Sylvestre, 1622-1687.	1683 (1683)	Wing D2455A; ESTC R231963	42,504	123

request whereto the assurance you gave me did not a little contribute that the impatience of becoming more worthy of my singular Care in your Education did prompt you to this besides your mentioning what Joy you should conceive to share the Pains I take to increase your Fortune The Protestations of this truth made to me in private and reiterated in the presence of our Relations who I was willing should be witnesses of my Carriage towards you in an Affair of this importance prevented my making use of an absolute Authority given to me as a Father to force you to comply with my Will and that for three Reasons which I shall the more gladly impart to you because I am presuaded the knowledg of them will excite you to acknowledge my Kindness The first is That altho many Fathers will admit of no Limits in Filial Obedience and their claim thereto being of Divine Right yet I can say I never took such advantage over you by this Right as to use it in it's utmost Rigour Of this I have given you more than one Proof and you may remember that as often as your Conduct brought upon you my Correction in the greatest and most lawful Causes I had of being incensed I always allayed the heat of those Provocations caused through your Indiscretion with the Fondness of a tender Father You know I have Contracted the Bounds of your obedience and extended those of my Kindness to whatsoever you could pretend and in putting you in mind of your Duty by these words of St. Paul Children obey your Parents in all things for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord I was exhorted to mine by the words following Fathers provoke not your Children to Anger least they be discouraged The second Reason which obliged me not to withstand absolutely your Intentions was to avoid the Reproaches which you might reflect upon me hereafter that my refusal had bin an Obstacle to your Fortune And the last was the Fear I had lest you should have made use of that very refusal for a Pretext to justifie ever after all defects in your Proceedings These Reasons my Son were the Cause of my complying so easily with your request I could have wished you would have altered your Intentions to please me but seeing that you could not conform to my Sentiments and that you still persist in your design after having implored the Almighty to grant you his Grace and to Shower down the most precious of his Blessings upon your Soul your Person and your Actions I think it is absolutely necessary for to satisfie my Inclination and Duty not to let you go without some peculiar Instructions which may be as a Guide to your Manners and which most certainly will be convincing Proofs of my Kindness as also inexhaustible Springs of future happiness in your Conversation both Spiritual and Civil if you will apply your self to them which I exhort and command you to do However let what will happen these Instructions will remain as so many irrefragable Witnesses how zealously I endeavoured to do my Duty if unhapily you should be wanting in yours By telling you my dear Son that these Instructions which I am about to give you are the Effects of my Inclination and Duty I have inverted that order which Reason requires I should rather have said these Effects proceeded from my Duty and Inclination and so have preferred Duty before Inclination because the first is governed by Reason whereas the latter is but an Incitement of Nature who is not seldom blinded by those tender Impulses which Proximity of Blood inspires But I was overcome by a Weakness common to most Fathers which I do not stick to confess to the intent you may be perswaded that in this following Discourse I rather fell into a great Indulgence than that I maintained a Severity too Austere 'T is also not without some Mystery my Son that in wishing you the Blessings of God I would have them applied to your Soul your Person and your Actions The order of these Words is one of the Duties whereon I shall give you some Instructions which I enjoyn you to observe and practice I divide it into three parts Spiritual Personal and Civil Duties the first shall teach you your Duty to God the second your Duty to your self and the last shall instruct you in your Duty to your Neighbour If I should go about to treat of this Matter to an extent as great as it's Importance I ought instead of a few Pages I intend for you to write several Volumes but this being wide of my Design as also far above my Abilities I shall rest satisfied in being as concise as this matter can possibly allow God grant through his Grace that I may be inspired with Arguments both so clear and strong as to equalize the greatness of my Enterprize and that through his Goodness he may encline you to put them in Practice for his Glory for your Salvation for my Satisfaction and for your Profit and Advancement Of Spiritual Duties YOU learned in your Childhood my Son that God created you to know him and to serve him These two Obligations which bind you from your Birth have Relation to the two chief Faculties of the Soul The Knowledge of God belongs to the Vnderstanding and the Service of him to the Will but the Light of our Understanding has too narrow limits ever to arrive to the perfect Knowledge of his Divinity and the Will of Man is too perverse to be capable of serving him as we ought These Impediments which grow out of the abundance of our Corruption must nevertheless not discourage us A bruised Reed God shall not break and smoaking Flax shall he not quench He fulfils his Power in our Weaknesses he supplies our Wants he helps our Infirmities and he knowing that of our selves we cannot ascend to him out of his Divine Goodness is pleased to come down to us He not only makes use of his Word and his Works to imprint in our Minds some kind of Idea of his Greatness which we may not wholly conceive but also through the Communication of his Holy Spirit he corrects our Inclinations and when he has made them to will what naturally they would not he also forces them to act it by a sweet sort of Violence which we cannot resist My Son read this Word and that as often as possibly you may but read it with great Respect and Attention 'T is the Voice of God This Reason must oblige you to the Respect and 't is for your Instruction you read it this should force you to the Attention I demand of you Set apart some hours for this sacred Study which on Sunday ought to be two at least and one upon each other Day Be careful that upon no account you neglect this Duty The greatest of all Considerations is that of your Salvation quit all others that you may not fail in this and let not any interest or pleasure

here upon Earth make you forget those Joys of Heaven The World and all worldly Desires pass away but he whose Desire is the Will of God shall live eternally This Will you may learn in his holy Word Yet what will signifie the Knowledge of it but to render your self more guilty unless you use your utmost Endeavours to be conformable thereto That Servant who knoweth the Will of his Master and doth it not shall be beaten with more Stripes than he who never knew it Remember this with Fear and Trembling However all your Care would be in vain if God himself did not help you to bring to pass what he requires therefore always beg that Grace of him 'T is a very great benefit that he permits us to speak to him yet it is a benefit much greater that not only he vouchsafes to let us speak to him in our Prayers but also promiseth through his Mercy to hear us Call upon me saith he in the Day of Trouble and I will deliver thee Implore him then my Son but let your Prayers ascend upon the Wings of Faith and Fervency for God can no more love those who want Zeal than those that mistrust his Goodness Ask earnestly of him that he accomplish in you by his Vertue omnipotent whatsoever he commands and be not weary of performing so holy an Exercise Beseech him earnestly to direct your ways that you may follow after him Implore him incessantly that he would raise you from that Sepulchre of Sins wherein you lye buried These are they who by their Prayers storm the Kingdom of Heaven and take it by force Follow the Example of Jacob who by a holy Importunity gained a Blessing from God Without such a Blessing all your Labour Care and Diligence will be employed in vain Except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it Begin and end the Day with Prayer and be constant in your Morning and Evening Sacrifice If you hope to obtain what you ask of God let your Heart pray rather than your Lips with a devout Zeal and not for Fashion-sake Begin your Prayers with Joy and Gladness go through with them cheerfully and do not end them without a sorrowful Reluctancy that you must leave off But above all let this Beginning this Continuance and this End be without any wandering of your Mind Frighten away those Birds which come to trouble your Sacrifice that is put far from you those Thoughts which may be the least hinderance to your Devotion To pray to God without Attention instead of pleasing doth offend him it is a Sacriledge rather than an Offering Our being seldom disposed for heavenly things renders this Attention difficult Yet it is most certain that from thence we have most reason to derive the Success of our Prayers for God cannot grant our Requests unless he hear us and how should we expect to have those Prayers heard which we our selves do not hear Upon this very Account God may apply to us what he said in time past to the Jews This People draw near me with their Mouth and with their Lips do honour me but have removed their Hearts far from me Judge therefore my Son if we have not great reason to search diligently after the Means which will bring us to this Attention I have here set down some few Rules or Means the Practice whereof I take to be very advantageous and consequently not to be neglected We may pray to God in all Places but all Places are not equally proper for this Duty When thou prayest saith our Saviour enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy Door pray to thy Father which is in secret This Advice which the Saviour of the World gives concerning Prayer teacheth us that we must retire our selves when we Pray and must be so far from making our Prayers the Subject of Humane Applause that we must pray secretly which not only our Divine Master did confirm by his own Example but also before he gave his Apostles that Counsel of withdrawing in private he told them When ye pray be not as the Hypocrites are For they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the Streets that they may be seen of Men. Observe these Maxims and when you would offer up your Prayers let it be in Private for going to an Exercise which obligeth you to fly the World let not any thing that is worldly accompany you at that time Do not imitate the Example of Rachel who leaving her Fathers House carried with her those Images which were the Object of his Idolatry Follow rather that of Elijah who when he drew near to God in the Chariot wherein he was carried from this World let fall his Mantle that he might have no Earthly thing with him Draw not nigh hither Put off thy Shooes from off thy Feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy Ground said the Eternal to Moses when he spake to him out of the burning Bush This Voice is also directed to you When at any time you have a mind to pray the place you choose out for that purpose you must suppose to be sanctified with the presence of God Put off then your Shooes that it may not be defiled that is relinquish all your Thoughts which savour of the World or the Flesh Depart from Sodom without looking behind you and having disposed things in this order fall down upon your Knees before you begin your Devotion spare some small time to think upon the infinite Greatness of him you are about to implore and to consider your own extream Meanness If such a Meditation as this is serious it must of Necessity redouble your Zeal and render you more fit to approach the Divine Majesty One great Reason why our Mind is too often alienated at Prayer is the Diversity of Objects which our Eyes meet with therefore to prevent this great inconvenience I think it Necessary to keep them shut This Advice my Son is not of the least Moment fail not to try it and then make use of it according as you find it succeed I do not prescribe you the use of any particular Prayers your Discretion ought to make choice of such as are suitable to the Subject which occasions your Prayers However I think it will not be amiss that all the Requests you make to God be comprised in this one that of his Love This is the way to have all for he who has God with him can want nothing Solomon asked of him only Wisdom and God said to him Because that thou hast asked this thing and that thou hast not asked for thy self long Life neither hast asked Riches nor the Life of thine Enemies but hast asked for thy self Vnderstanding It shall be given thee and I will give thee that which thou hast not asked both Riches and Honour Plato although a Pagan may be an Example to many Christians to teach them for what things they ought

falling out with you Never praise to an Excess those of whom you speak especially if they are present for altho 't is but what they deserve yet in their very Opinion you will be esteem'd a Flatterer suspecting that the Intent of such excessive Commendations is more to exhibit the Elegancy of your Wit than to manifest the Greatness of their Merit Civility and Complaisance are the Spirits that keep up Society whosoever is void of these is a trouble to all the World whereas he that can make use of them opportunely may boldly flatter himself that his Company will be unacceptable to none However let Reason rule your Com●laisance let it not condescend to what is criminal nor yet to what is base Stubbornness is not only a deadly Enemy to Complaisance but it also acts for the most part contrary to Reason and Sence A Person that is stubborn can never be so happy as to comply with others whereby he falls into the Misfortune of being shun'd by all company and at last becomes a Burden to himself Endeavour therefore to be complaisant with Prudence and firm in your Resolutions with Justice Jeer No body if you would not run the Hazard of being jeer'd in your turn and rendering that Person whom you jeer your Enemy Not but that innocent jesting may be lawfully used in Conversation but the Abuse of it doth not seldom produce Quarrels and Animosities which too often cool the most fervent Affections and rarely do we see Raillery carry'd on without some sharp and stinging Expressions Never put off till to morrow what you can do to day Be exact towards all Men and in all things but principally in paying your Debts Observe your measures so rightly that the Presence of your Creditors may not be tedious to you and be always more ready to persuade every Man to take his Due than they to ask it of you In the mean time do not you exact with the utmost Severity what is due to you This would be contrary to the Religion of JESUS CHRIST as also not consistent with that Civility and Condescension which we ow to one another How deform'd soever any Person may be in his Body be sure that you have a great Care not to make it a Subject of Derision and Laughter but rather render thanks to God that he has bin pleas'd to favour you more then him 'T is out of his pure goodness that he has given you all those Advantages of Body and Mind which you possess Why then should you boast of what has bin given you undeservedly The more you have received the more you have to answer for Here my Son I bring you another sort of Neighbour your Domestick Servant I would not have you think that his Quality can discharge you from your Duty towards him The chiefest part of your Duty is to let your Carriage towards him be mild and easie whereby mitigating the Discontent which his hard Fortune might have rais'd in him he may be induc'd to serve you joyfully which if you desire recede so far from the Right of a Master as to come within the Bounds which Christianity prescribes that is consider him as a Brother in God behave your self towards him as such and then you need not question but he will become sensible of your Kindness St. Paul saith forbear Threatning How much more ought we to forbear Blows Yet whensoever he gives you a just Cause of Anger be not too apt to listen to those Reasons which condemn him let him rather have cause to praise your Forbearance than to complain of your Rigour Seneca saith if we intend to gain our Servants so far as to make them be entirely devoted to our Service we must behave our selves towards them with all Mildness and Familiarity Make trial of this Counsel and if when all 's done your Servants become not more punctual in performing their Duty you having omitted no part of yours which might tend to their Satisfaction dismiss them quietly without Anger and without Noise I cannot say my Son whether I have not forgot some considerable Point touching your Duty to your Neighbour however if it were so I have this Comfort left That if you do justly put in Practice my Instructions upon this Subject your Neighbour will have no great Reason to complain of you It would tho be a Cause sufficient for you to complain of me if I should conclude these Instructions design'd for the Conduct of your Life without making you sensible that nothing in the World can so much facilitate the Means to practise them as frequent and serious Meditations on Death I do confess 't is of all things the most terrible especially if we behold it in our Worldly Thoughts for then it is more proper to precipitate us into Despair than to inspire us with the Love of Vertue and Piety But it is far from being so full of Terrour to those who behold it with the Eyes of Faith This Divine Vertue which is a true Character of a Christian makes Death appear to us already conquer'd and disarm'd by the Second Adam and sent by him himself as a welcome Messenger to open our Prisons upon Earth and introduce us into a Celestial and Glorious Liberty 'T is true in a State so corrupt and imperfect wherein we now are I believe it is a hard matter for the most Regenerate to suffer the Approaches of Death without some kind of Fear But if once you can force your Weakness to admit of a Familiarity with Death besides the Joy and Comfort you will reap from thence it will change that familiar Habitude into a second Nature and then instead of those vicious and corrupt Inclinations wherein you are born according to the Flesh it will inspire such as are truly vertuous which will be the Signs as well as the Effects of your Spiritual Regeneration My Son be sure you do not procrastinate this Meditation under the Pretext that you are as yet very young A Glass newly blown is not a Jot less brittle than one that has been made several Years A new Ship may be split against the Rocks as soon as an old one and how can you tell Perhaps that very Minute which you employ to drive out of your Mind the Thoughts of Death shall be your last in this World Since therefore this Thing is of such moment and yet so uncertain be always prepar'd Watch and pray for ye know not at what Hour the Lord cometh Repent the Day before you die and as there is no Day in your Life which may not be that of your Death let not so much as one slip without throughly Repenting Live just as you will wish to have liv'd when you are at the Point of Death that is to say religiously soberly and justly This will not only have some Resemblance with the three Blessings I mentioned at the beginning of this Treatise upon your Soul your Person and your Actions but also 't will be