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	mother_n	parent_n	5,127	5	9.0796	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97294	Some prison meditations and directions on several subjects viz. on [brace] the fall of man, the sufferings of Christ, repentance and faith, reproof and counsel, the holy Scriptures, prayer, love to mankind, sincerity, the vanity of the world, the benefit of affliction, heaven and hell / by Samuel Young, minister of the Gospel.	Trepidantium Malleus.	1684 (1684)	Wing Y88A; ESTC R43962	59,844	144

unholy still and seeing thou wilt to Hell to Hell shalt thou go Do as Jacob cry and strive long for the Blessing Gen. 32.26 And he said that is the Angel Let me go for the day breaketh and he said I will not let thee go until thou bless me What if he had given over an hour or two after he began to wrestle or but an hour before he had the blessing he had spoiled all No but he strove the whole Night You that have repented and believed give Glory to the Lord your God When God made a Covenant with Abraham he fell upon his face Gen. 17.3 When Israel heard of their deliverance out of Egypt they bowed down the head and worshipped He that believeth feeleth he believeth he knows the Acts of Faith physically considered though not Morally he hath the Faith of Adhesion though it may be not of Evidence he finds the lively workings of Faith though he may not know whether they be of the right kind But though our Safety depends upon the having of Faith yet our Comfort dependeth on our knowing that we have it If you know it say as David when he had great things from God he went and sat in his house before the Lord and said 2. Sam. 7.20 And what can David say more unto thee for thou Lord God knowest thy Servant Or as Paul to the Romans Rom. 8.31 What shall we say to these things What indeed Now may you rejoyce that instead of the Thorn is come up the Fir-tree and instead of the Brier is come up the Myrtle-tree Isa 55.13 Instead of Sin in the heart Grace now grows and instead of abominable practices in the life there are now good works They that have repented and believed should endeavour the Conversion and Confirmation of many in the Faith as they did Acts 2.47 that by them may be added unto the Church such as shall be saved But of this in the Following Chapter CHAP. IV. Of Reproof and Counsel MEDITATIONS WHO can sufficiently bewail the neglect or slight performing of this Duty by most good men though the blessing that followeth the serious practising of it by some be very great How many times have we been by Land by Water a long time with many Persons and never drop one Word suitable to their Condition Nay sometimes the Spirit hath spoken to our Consciences what once it did to Philip concerning the Eunuch Go join thy self to him Act. 8.29 yet Shame want of Courage Laziness hath kept from it All sorts of Christians may be useful this way We read Act. 18.24 Priscilla a Woman taught Apollos a man an eloquent man a man mighty in the Scriptures the Way of God more perfectly vers 26. Bishop Vsher converted when eleven years old by a Sermon on Rom. 12.1 would as soon preach at the Request of a poor Woman as of a Magistrate and he delighted more to converse with poor weak Christians than with many Learned men I may truly say to many Women on whose Souls the Image of God hath been drawn in a lively manner what David said to Abigal 1 Sam. 25.32 33. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy Advice It is the Property of a proud Pharisee not of a humble Christian to contemn Reproof and Counsel from an inferiour or a mean Person John 9.34 The Pharisees could not bear a few plain pious considerations from a poor blind man but said to him Thou wast altogether born in Sin and wilt thou Teach us and they cast him out Thou us Thou an illeterate man as blind in thy Soul as once in thy Body Vs great men great Professours Let the Counsel be never so good it will not take with many wise fools if it come from a plain man F. P. Coun. of Trent Mattheo Longi Archbishop of Saltzburge after he read the Augustine Confession of Faith by the Luthetherans in Saxony and Zuinglians in Zuric he told every one That the Reformation of the Mass was honest and the liberty of meats convenient and the request just to be disburthened of so many Commandments of men but that Luther a poor Monk should Reform was not to be endured God is so well pleased with this work of turning Souls to Righteousness that the Blessed Apostle Paul had his name changed from Saul to Paul because he was the instrument of Converting a famous man call'd Paul Acts 13.9 Then Saul who also is called Paul There is the change of his name verse 7. Paulus a prudent man a Deputy called for Barnabas and Saul to hear the Word of God So one sayes of this Apostle Paul Platina de vita Pon. tif A Paulo proconsule Cypri nomen accepit quem praedicatione sua ad fidem redegerat What care then should Parents take of the Souls of their Children Masters of their Servants Friends of one another For Children it is true whilst they are Infants they cannot be instructed but may be pray'd for for as Sin and misery comes on them and they not sensible of it so may Gods Grace and Mercy they are Members of a Kingdom Subjects of a King and yet cannot understand this So they may be Members of the Body of Christ Subjects of the Lord Jesus and have no knowledg of this They may have great Estates and the benefit of Rents and yet know not what an Estate is or Rents are Admonished they should be as they grow up that they may say of their Parents as Solomon of his Prov. 4.3 4. I was my Fathers Son tender and onely beloved in the sight of my Mother He taught me also and said unto me Let thy heart retain my words Keep my Commandements and live Happy are those children that can say when their Parents are dead I remember what my Father and Mother now in Glory said to me how they instructed me In the second Epistle to Tim. 1.5 we read of the good effects of this duty When I call to mind the unfeigned Faith that is in thee which first dwelt in thy Grandmother Lois and thy Mother Eunice and I am perswaded that it is in thee also What comfort may good Parents take in good children Socrates Scholasticus says of Leonides the father of Origen that when his Son was asleep he would sometimes uncover his breast and kiss it with a kind of veneration knowing his Son was a Temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in Leonides was wont when Origen was very young to teach him some Aphorisms and Sentences in Christianity every day which made such a deep impression upon him that he was soon called Senilis Puer the Old Boy Vir magnus ab Infantia A great man from his Childhood Young he was in years onely but old in Knowledg and Grace When Bathsheba had a Promise from King David that Solomon her Son should be King after him it is said 1 Kings 1.31 That she bowed her face to

Here all met that some would part Here was Scripture for he read some of Isaiah his Prophesie Here was the Spirit that bad Philip go to him Here was the Preacher for Philip expounds all to him Who throws away a letter of great concern because he cannot read all nor understand all he reads it the oftner takes the more pains calls for help and glad to understand most of it when he cannot understand all If any plead We cannot read A good Woman in Queen Maries time that could not read got a new Testament went from house to house and desired others to read to her and soon got much knowledge Knowledge doth not get into the Soul by the Eye onely but by the Ear. Many understand the mysteries of their Trades that never read Books about them Many can tell what news is going that never look into Gazets or News-letters by hearing and considering I have saith God Hos 8.12 written to them the great things of my Law but they were counted as a strange thing If any say I want time Can you find time to eat to sleep and not to look into the Word of God Some can find time to read vain books that can find none to read Scripture Tho' such are as Politianus that left reading the Scripture Morney de ver Rel. Christ and studied and disputed about such questions as these whether we should write Carthaginenses or Carthaginienses c. As insignificant are all other Studies when men contemn the Word of God 4. If you find Convictions from Gods Word lose them not as you have too often done Cain when terrified in his mind built Cities Saul called for Musick so some run to their profits and pleasures If a man had great Treasure about him and came by a dangerous way where many were robbed and he himself had some time been robbed how would he fear As the Lord liveth thou art the man Thou hast been many times richly laden with good convictions affections and purposes gotten from the Word of God the Cares and Temptations of the world have robbed thee and feek to do it again 5. Remember You that are Believers what Encouragement they had in Scripture you have and by them Josh 1.5 Heb. 13.5 God directeth and comforteth you Hos 12.4 5 6. where he speaks of Jacob Yea he had Power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him he found him in Bethel and there he spake with us Therefore turn thou to thy God Keep mercy and Judgment wait on thy God continually God by giving Jacob the blessing speaks to us to wait on God But to the Scripture we must add Prayer But of that in the next Chapter CHAP. VI. Of Prayer MEDITATIONS THE great Benefit and Comfort of Prayer we read of often in Scripture and the People of God find often by experience Family Prayer Psal 13.2 and Secret Prayer Acts 10.2 have been minded by the Saints of Old In Secret Prayer it is good to stop sometimes after some Confessions Petitions and Praises that the heart may be more deeply affected with them Never did any Believer pray in vain though sometimes it may seem long before God answer When Corn is sowen Rain comes Snow comes Prost comes and all seems to be lost but stay till the time of Harvest and there is a good Crop so after Prayer Temptations come sad Providences come and yet at last all is well When a Child of God is in Prayer he is not weary of God nor of the duty but weary of himself and the corruption of his nature of Satan and his Temptations but still may say How good is it to draw nigh to God! In Secret Prayer if unsuitable thoughts come of men or business pray about those things as occasion may be so will ye catch the Devil in his own craft He is not so wise but he may be outwitted He hath helped me by his Temptations to matter of Prayer thousands of times against his Will Directions in answer to a Question Q. But what if I have no heart to the work 1. Pray obedientially when you cannot pray comfortably God calls for Prayer wait on him in the face of all discouragements Obedience will make an unpleasant work pleasant 2. Remember that discomposure may quickly end in enlargement Abraham found his Ram on the Mount Gen. 22.13 and that in the Thickets So many find their hearts in Prayer not before and that in the midst of violent Temptations 3. Remember that many Prayers we reckon some of the worst God accounts as some of our best Prayers Great are the rewards for what some think to be dead Prayers We reckon the goodness of Prayer by composure of thoughts by affections but God by self-loathing and seeing nothing in our selves and duties but all in Christ Let us cry earnestly to our God Pagans have cryed aloud to their Gods 1 Kings 18.26 They cut themselves and leapt upon the Altars which they made If any say I know not how to pray in Secret I never yet did it I know not what to say Go to God and say so It is a good Confession Lord here I am come I would pray but know not what to say It may be given you in that hour what to confess and pray for and that with great melting of heart Ask the Experience of the people of God Love them but of that in the following Chapter CHAP. VII Of Love to Mankind MEDITATIONS LEt Brotherly Love continue Heb. 13.1 is in many mens mouths but in few mens hearts If we enquire who is our Brother Not the man nearly related or the man of the same perswasion or opinion onely but chiefly all of the Houshold of Faith How many men of several Parties are as Jews and Samaritans that have no dealing one with another We must love the Saints as rich so poor ones ignorant as well as learned the weak as well as the strong We must love the ungodly yea our Enemies Love is to be shewn in forgiving injuries in supplying necessities If any hate us we must love them if they deferve bad of us they and we also deferve worse of God yet God feedeth them cloatheth them Mat. 5.45 and shews them mercy If God will use them as his Rod to chastise us we must be content Who knows what wrath will do or where it will end It is storied of Pope Stephen that he so hated Pope Formosus that he caused his Body to be taken out of the Grave and cut off those Fingers that had blessed the Clergy and so made void all his Canons and Ordinances And he that came after him took measures somewhat like so that at last saith Platina Nihil enim aliud hi Pontifices cogitabant quam nomen dignitatem Majorum suorum extinguere and yet all these men were Infallible all the while Let Husbands and Wives resolve that their contentions shall not