Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	child_n	covenant_n	parent_n	1,796	5	9.1412	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82010	A persuasive to full communion, with the churches of Christ in all Gospel-ordinances and priviledges Containing an essay for the conviction and reformation of such adult, or grown persons who live in the sinful neglect of baptism and the supper of the Lord. Together with an account of the manner of the transition of church-members from their infant to their adult-state, and regular admission to full communion. Written, for the help of such as need instruction in these spiritual concerns, 1 Cor. 12. 13. For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be jews or gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit. By the late reverend Mr. George Day, minister of the gospel in London-street in Ratcliff / 1697.	Day, George, d. 1697.	1698 (1698)	Wing D461; ESTC R232085	42,081	116

of which Persons under the Christian Name are guilty in this Age and for which God hath a Controversie with us at this Day The neglect of those Sacred Ordinances of Christ Baptism and the Lord's Supper is one and not the least it being notoriously evident that many of Twenty or Thirty Years Old and some more have never been Baptized and these with Thousands more of Adult or grown Persons live also in the neglect of the Lord's Supper The Cause of which neglect in some is the Ignorance and Error of their Parents who if they were Quaker's wholly reject these Ordinances as useless Ceremonies and Dispute against them or if Anabaptist's neglect to bring their Children to Baptism in their Infancy and many of them being bred up in Ignorance are careless of their own Souls concerns and so Live and Dye without the Participation of these Ordinances Now though I dare not Judge such as to their Eternal State for to their own Master they stand or fall I freely acknowledge the Grace of God is not bound to external Ordinances and God doth nothing by them but what he can do without them if he please yet I know we are bound to the Use of Ordinances when we may have them by the express Command of God because they are his Institutions by which he doth usually work Grace in us And to neglect known Duties yea or to live in Ignorance of Duties under the means of Knowledge are Soul-damning Sins which I earnestly desire all that are thus guilty seriously to consider Upon the Observation of these sinful Omissions I cannot but conclude it to be the unquestionable Duty of all the Ministers of Christ that would be found faithful to him and to the precious Souls of Men not only to observe mourn over and reprove these Sins but to do their utmost also in their proper Stations and Relations for Reformation in this Particular The Sense of this Duty hath been so deeply impressed on my Spirit as to put me upon this well-meant though mean endeavour to contribute something toward this needful and desirable Work I am too Conscious of my own weakness to dictate to my Reverend Brethren acknowledging that I rather need and therefore desire their Light and Help herein yet hope I may without giveing Just Cause of Offence to any take leave to Confess that many of us have been very defective in our Duties herein and in this Confession I cast the first Stone at my Self The Good Lord Pardon us that we have manifested no greater concern of Spirit for the Holy Institutions of our Lord-Redeemer and help us that while we Reprehend our People for their sinful Omissions we may be duly humbled for our own and make it more visible in our Practice that we teach our Selves as well as Others A PERSUASIVE TO FULL Communion OF Baptizing Adult or Grown Persons I Shall then first apply my Self to such Adult or grown Persons who though they go under the Christian Name yet were never Baptized If this Paper comes to the Hands of any such I would propose some Considerations to convince you of your Sin and if the Lord shall bless them bring you to Repentance and then give you some Councels or Directions for a right performance of your Duty In Order to your Conviction be perswaded seriously to consider these seven Things First Consider That Baptism is as much an Ordinance of Christ as Preaching the Gospel is and to continue in use in the Christian Church as long as that as appears by Christ's own Command Mat. 28.18 19. viz. to the End of the World and so it is as much the Duty of all professed Christians to receive the Ordinance of Baptism as to attend on the Ordinance of Preaching For the same Authority that enjoyns the one enjoyns the other Therefore the neglect of it must be sinful And how dare you Live in any known Sin Secondly Consider That it is both the Duty of Christian Parents to bring their Children unto Christ and the Right and Priviledge of such Children to be so brought to receive his Blessing Mark 10.13 14 15 16. And this Seal of the Covenant of Grace under which they are as well as their Parents Gen. 17.7 And so must have a Gospel-right to this Ordinance as have been sufficiently proved by many Judicious Pens to which I must refer you for more Light in this Point if you need it because of my intended Brevity And if so it must be the Sin of your Parents that they brought you not to this Ordinance in your Infancy and by Consequence your Sin and loss to neglect it ever since you came to Years of Discretion and a Capacity to Covenant with God and present your selves to Baptism Thirdly Consider That your Parents sinful neglect of their Duty is no just Plea or Excuse for your neglect of this Ordinance since you came to Years of Understanding for then it became your Duty both to acquaint your selves with the Covenant of Grace and give your own Understanding and Hearty Consent to it and to testifie the same by receiving this Ordinance For Jews or Heathens when instructed in the Christian Religion if they make a serious Profession of Faith in Christ and Obedience to him ought to be Baptized much more may the Adult Children of Christians when they make the like Profession Acts 8.36 c. 4. Consider That it looks as if you were ashamed to own Christ and Christianity that you do not so much as wear the visible Badge of his Disciples and Followers i. e. Baptism For by this Ordinance Christians are distinguished from all the rest of Mankind and whilest you want this mark of Distinction and yet profess Christianity you deserve to be called Heathen-Christians or Christian Heathens owning only the Name of Christs Followers but seeming ashamed of his Livery And if you are indeed ashamed to own Christ or his Ordinances here before Men he will be ashamed to own you before his Father and the Angels hereafter Mat. 8.35 And how sad will their Condition be whom Christ will not own in the great Day Are you not loath to be found amongst such at last Fifthly Consider That though the neglect of Baptism may seem a small fault if any to ignorant and inconsiderate Persons yet it is indeed a great and hainous Sin being down-right disobedience to the Command of Christ and a virtual slighting and practical refusing of the Covenant of Grace of which this is the visible Sign and Seal therefore it must be very provoking in the Eyes of God We find God threatned that Parent who did not Circumcise his Son to cut him off from his People that is either to exclude him from the Church of God and all the Priviledges Promises and Blessings belonging to it or to cut him off by an untimely and violent Death for so the Learned understand that Text Gen. 17.14 Compared with Exod. 31.14 So that Moses himself was like to have

the comfortable Priviledge of Christian Parents to bring their Children unto Christ in their Infancy and to see them owned as in the same Covenant with God together with themselves by receiving Baptism the Sign and Seal thereof so it is their unquestionable Duty to instruct them as soon as they are capable to Learn in the Knowledge of God and of the Covenant solemnized in Baptism the Nature Use and Ends of it and the Seals thereof and to acquaint them when grown up to Years of Understanding and competently instructed in the Christian Religion that it is their Duty and will be their Interest to give their own actual and hearty Consent to their baptismal-Baptismal-Covenant seeing the Consent of Parents in their behalf will serve them no longer then until they are capable to Consent for themselves which if they refuse or neglect to do they forfeit the Benefits and Blessings of the Covenant And that they ought to desire and prepare for the Renewing of their Covenant with God by receiving the Lords-Supper that being the other confirming Seal thereof But alas The Generality of Parents sinfully and shamefully neglect the Souls of their Children and their own Souls too at this Day breeding them up in gross Ignorance of the very Foundation-Truths of Christianity by which means the most of our Youth either regard not Religion at all or only content themselves to be now and then present in our Publick Religious Assemblies to which they are led more by Custom and Example then by any Sense of Religion or Conscience toward God little minding what is said or done there because indeed they understand little of it and so are little the wiser or better for what they hear Continue Strangers to the Life and Power of Godliness lie open to Temptations and are easily carried away to Error or Prophaneness The Lord convince such Careless and Cruel Parents of this crying Sin give them Repentance and quicken them to their neglected Duty toward the Souls of their Children or else I fear the next Age will degenerate into down-right Heathenism and Atheism If any of them shall cast their Eyes on this Paper I intreat them to spend one hour in the serious Consideration of these few Particulars First Consider the preciousness of your Childrens Souls they are Heaven-born Immortal Spirits capable to know fear love and serve the God that made them here and to see and injoy him for ever hereafter And so are more worthy of your Love and care than their Bodies yea one Soul is of greater value than the whole World and should you not be much more concern'd for their present and future Welfare and Happiness What Will you suffer so precious a Thing as the Soul of a Child to be lost for ever through your sloth and carelesness when your Love to them will make you ready to hazzard your own Lives to save their Bodies from a Threatning Danger Secondly Consider the need they have of Instruction for they come into the World spiritually Blind and Ignorant of God and Christ yea of themselves too they know not their sinful miserable and dangerous State by Nature the need they have of a Saviour nor what they must do to be saved The future Happiness of Saints in Heaven nor the dreadful Punishment of Sinners in Hell and that which yet makes their Condition the more deplorable is that usually they desire not the Knowledge of these Things but are rather unwilling to be Instructed and Love Darkness rather than Light Now one would think you that have the Bowels of Parents should Pity the Blind Compassionate your Ignorant Children and do what you can for their Cure though you were under no other Law but that of Nature to do it Thirdly Consider God hath made it your indispensible Duty by his Positive and express Command to Teach your Children his Revealed Mind and Will with the greatest Care Constancy and Diligence Read and weigh those Scriptures Deut. 6.6 7. Prov. 22.6 Eph. 6.4 So that it is no Arbitrary Thing nor left to your Pleasure to do it or not your neglect of it is a direct Disobedience to the Law of God and how will you be able to Answer it to God in the Day of your Account Fourthly Consider God hath intrusted you with Authority over your Children to Command them to Learn the Knowledge of God and of his Will and to obey it and hath commanded your Children to Honour and Obey you herein and expects you should use your Authority over them especially to this End and Godly Parents have so done and are commended in Scripture for it Read and Consider Eph. 6.1 2 3. 1 Chron. 28.9 Gen. 18.19 You Use this Power over them for your selves in requiring them to Obey your Wills and will you not also use it for your God who gave it and for the good of your dear Childrens Souls Fifthly Consider if your Children Live and Dye in Ignorance of Soul-saving Truths they will perish for ever and if they do so through your default or neglect of Instructing them their Sin will hereby become yours and God will require their Blood at your Hands See Isa 26.11 2 Thes 1.7 8 9. Now do you not cry out of those as Monsters in Nature Wolves and Tygers in humane Shape yea worse than Beasts who Murder their own Children and imbrue their Hands in their own tender Infants Blood How much greater Monsters are those Parents who starve the Souls of their Children by with-holding spiritual Food from them and so help them forward toward Eternal Destruction And are you willing to be found in the number of such bloody Parents at the last Day and to have your Portion with them for ever If these Considerations have convinced you how sinful your neglects of instructing your Children and Families have been and impressed your Souls with such a Sense of your Duty that you resolve upon it in the Strength of Christ for the Time to come This will prepare you to accept of and hearken to a Word of Counsel which I will offer you also in a few Particulars First See that you are well acquainted with the Knowledge of God and Christ his Will and Worship your selves that you may be capable of Teaching your Children Remember God requires Parents first to get his Word into their own Hearts and then to Teach them diligently to their Children Deut. 6.6 'T is impossible for you to instruct others in that which you have not learnt your selves It 's very sad to observe that many Parents are but Children in Understanding and that when for the Time they have lived under the Means of Knowledge they might have been such good Proficients or Schollars in the School of Christ as to be able to Teach their Families they themselves need to be taught the first Principles of the Oracles of God as Heb. 5.12 I am perswaded this is the Grand though not the only Reason why Family-duties are so generally disused at

this Day 't is not so much out of a dislike of or a Malignity against the work it self in many as for want of Ability to perform it and this Impediment can be no ways removed but by the Blessing of God on a diligent use of due Means for the obtaining such an Ability Therefore if you are indeed too Ignorant of the Will of God be ashamed of your Ignorance and Sloth but not ashamed to Learn though Late yet better late then never Secondly Having got a competent Measure of Knowledge your selves begin your Work of Teaching your Children betimes be dropping and instilling some of the plainest easiest and most necessary Truths into them as soon as you find them capable to Learn and to remember Be frequent at it to Impress them the more firmly on their Memories when they can Read put Catechisms into their Hands and require them to Learn them to Read the Holy Scriptures daily Hear Sermons and take Account of them what they Remember and Discourse with them about the Truths heard to help them to a clearer Understanding of them and labour to affect their Hearts with those Truths that chiefly concern them and Charge them especially to commit such to their Memories encouraging the Diligent by your Commendations and Rewards and quickening the Negligent by Reproofs and moderate Corrections Thirdly Be much in Prayer to God both for and with your Children begging a Blessing on your Instructions Pray your selves and teach them to Pray that God would second your endeavours and succeed all the Means used for their Instructions by the Inward and Effectual Teaching of his Holy Spirit to open their Understanding strengthen and sanctifie their Memories Write his Law in their Hearts and put his Truth into their Inward Parts that they may understand spiritual Truths spiritually and be made wise to Salvation Fourthly Set before your Children a good Example of Sobriety Righteousness and Holiness in your own Lives second your Godly Instructions with a Godly Conversation let them see by your own Obedience to the Will of God that you believe the Truths which you teach them and press no other Duties on them than what you make Conscience to perform your selves Then will your Instructions be most like to prove Effectual for your Children are naturally prone to imitate you in their Practice more apt to be led by the Eye then by the Ear and more inclinable to do as you do than as you say or Command Could you be perswaded to follow these plain and necessary Counsels your Children would have the Benefit you would have the Comfort the Church would be Enlarged and God would be Glorified And what should you not be willing to do within your Power for such desirable Ends as these But if any Christian Parents remain yet unperswadable by these Arguments to set about this Duty their sinful neglect will become the more inexcusable and themselves the more unworthy of that Honourable Name by which they are called Blessed be God there are yet some Pious Parents left among us who have a Sense of their Duty and endeavour to bring up their Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord and I hope the late unanimous Labours of the Ministers of Christ in and about this City pressing their respective Congregations to the Revival of Family-worship have been signally Blessed for the Increase of the Number of such and that this is one good presage of Gods continuing his Candlestick in the midst of us For Religious Families are the Seed-Plots of Piety and the Nurseries of the Church so that if these flourish which God grant the Church will from them be supplied and enlarged There are also some Adult Persons whom though their Parents wretchedly neglected their Souls in their Minority yet God is pleased to awaken and Inlighten Convince and Convert by the Publick Ministry and so are brought into Christ and joyn themselves for full Communion with the Particular Churches of Christ Though alas the Number of Converts in our Days is small in Comparison with what hath been in former Ages as Gospel-Ministers generally observe to their Grief and this proves us to be upon the decaying Hand And though it be the certain Duty of all Adult Persons that make a serious Profession of Christianity to joyn themselves to some Particular Church in Order to a Participation of all Gospel-Ordinances and Church-Priviledges yet the far greater Number live in the shameful neglect hereof some to thirty forty yea fifty Years of Age and yet never received the Lords-Supper These may properly be call'd Christians at large or loose Professors if not for the Looseness and Immoralities of their Lives yet for sitting so loose from the stricter Rules of Religion and for their backwardness to come wholly under the Yoke of Jesus Christ though it be really a far easier Yoke than that of Sin To such as these I would in the next Place make an Address attempting to Convince them of and dissuade them from their Sin and to instruct them in and persuade them to their Duty For your Conviction I offer you these following Considerations First Consider until you are Joyned to some Particular Church of Christ you come not under the special Care Guidance and Oversight of any Pastor and so lose the Spiritual Benefit of that Relation which may be a greater Dammage to your Souls then you are aware of for in divers Cases you will need their special help by Way of Councel Instruction Support or Comfort to Answer your Doubts Encourage you against your Fears Succour you under Temptations c. The want of a skilful and faithful Soul-friend in such Cases would be greatly Prejudicial to you Secondly Consider until you are thus Joyned you neglect one of the Holy Ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ his Supper the last that he Instituted left as a standing Monument of his Matchless Love to his Church in Dying for it and as a means to Perpetuate the Memory thereof in all Future Ages and as another Sign and Seal of the Covenant of Grace An Ordinance wherein he proposeth himself as the spiritual Food of Believers to refresh and satisfie their Souls increase their Grace and nourish them to Life Eternal so that by the neglect of this Ordinance 1. You Contract the guilt of great Sin upon your Souls for it is a direct Disobedience to the express Command of Christ who saith Take Eat c. Drink ye all of it and Do this in Remembrance of me Therefore to neglect it is practically to forget Christ and if you forget him how can you Hope he will remember you 2. You lose the Spiritual Benefit and Comfort of this Ordinance the nourishment and strengthening of your Souls in Grace which you need as well as others and hereby give God just Cause to withhold his Blessing from other Ordinances And is this a loss that you can easily bear Is it much at one with you whether you Profit by the