Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	christian_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	47	3	8.8265	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59816	A discourse concerning the knowledge of Jesus Christ and our union and communion with him &c. by William Sherlock ...	Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.	1674 (1674)	Wing S3288; ESTC R33886	180,039	448

he proves from 2 Pet. 2. 20. where the Apostle tells them That if they have escaped the pollutions of the World through the knowledge of Christ and are again intangled therein and overcome if they return to their old vices then their latter end is worse than the beginning which is point blank contrary to what he affirms That those who have escaped these pollutions and are not yet intangled again in them may notwithstanding that be Swine in Gods account for so he adds Thou mayst live a blameless innocent honest smooth life and yet be a miserable Creature But I pray says such a man and that often so thou mayst and yet never be saved Isa. 1. 11. To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices To great purpose sure when they are offered by men of blameless innocent honest smooth lives the want of which made those Sacrifices abominable to God But I fast sometimes so did the Scribes und Pharisees twice a week but it was to devour Widows houses which was not the fast of an honest innocent man but I hear the Word of God and like the best Preachers So did the stony ground who heared the Word with joy and for a season believed and this had been well and a good sign of Grace if it had continued I read the Scripture often so did the Pharisees who were so perfect in the Bible that Christ needed but say It hath been said of old times for they knew the Text without intimation Men of prodigious memories certainly better than any Concordance but though Knaves may read the Scripture and be never the better for it yet good men may read it to good purpose and therefore I hope reading the Scripture is no argument that a man is a Hypocrite because the Pharisees were But I am grieved and am sorrowful and repent of my sins so did Judas but he hanged himself and that indeed is no repentance to life But I love good men and their company so did the foolish Virgins but they slept and suffered their lamps to go out which I hope all that love good men do not But God hath given me much knowledge That thou mayst have and never be saved yes and twenty good things more but if a blameless honest man have the keeping of this knowledge it is never the worse for him But I keep the Lords day strictly so did the Iews whom yet Christ condemned Had he been as well acquainted with the Scriptures as the Pharisees were he would not have said that the Jews kept the Lords day however this is one good thing which doth well in the company of more though it will not justifie a man when it is alone But I have many good desires and endeavours to get to Heaven these thou and thousands may have and miss of Heaven and yet when he was in a more gentle humour he told the poor doubting Soul that desire nay that a desire only to desire at two or three removes was enough But many do duties without life or zeal I am zealous so was Iehu to destroy the Worship of Baal and to retain Ieroboams Calves and so was Paul while a Pharisee in persecuting the Christian Church and therefore an universal and religious and well-governed zeal for God can be no sign of Grace But I am constant and persevere in godly courses so did the young man all these things have I kept from my youth only he left Christ for the sake of his riches and so did not persevere But some men are conscious to themselves of their own hypocrisie but I do all with a good heart for God So thou mayst think of thy self and be deceived and if this be an objection let a man have what marks he will the objection will still be good and so all evidences signifie nothing for after all it may be objected That a man may be deceived in it and think he hath these marks when he hath them not There is a way that seemeth right to a man but the end thereof is death thou mayst live so as to deceive thy self and others and yet prove an Hypocrite as if because some men may think themselves good who are in a bad way no man could ever be sure that he is in the right and thus farewel all evidences But after all this it would be worth the while to know how to distinguish a regenerate from an unregenerate man and that he tells us may be done thus An unregenerate man let him go never so far do never so much yet he lives in some one sin or other this now is very strange What go never so far and do never so much and yet live in some one sin or other What live a blameless innocent honest smooth life and yet live in some one sin or other and yet suppose he did a regenerate man may be in captivity to the law of sin and pray what 's the difference but then an unregenerate man cannot be poor in spirit and so carried out of all duties to Christ That is if an unregenerate man do good he is conscious to himself that he doth it if he have a good heart he feels a good heart in himself and in all he doth and therefore feels not a want of all good which is true poverty of spirit So that according to this discourse the surest mark of a regenerate man is either to have no good in himself or if he have any to be mistaken and think he hath none either of which I think is a very odd sign of Grace But then an unregenerate man comes unto Christ but he never gets into Christ never takes up his eternal rest and lodging in Iesus Christ only I thought coming had been believing and that believing would have done the business and if so God forbid that any man should be damned for want of that other Metaphor of taking up his eternal rest and lodging in Christ men in distress of Conscience that is all unregenerate men under such distress if they have comfort from Christ they are contented if they have Salvation from Hell by Christ they are contented and I think they have some reason then to be contented but Christ himself that is without comfort and without Salvation contents them not Now to be contented with Christ without comfort and without Salvation is so far from being the mark of an unregenerate man that I am not yet satisfied that it is the mark of an unreasonable man Now are not these men do you think great friends to sanctification who make all the parts of sanctification the reformation of our lives an innocent blameless Conversation Fasting Prayer hearing reading conversing with good men zeal for God perseverance in well doing honest and sincere intentions in all we do no more than the marks of Hypocrites and give no better marks of a regenerate man than to be sensible of no good in himself and then he must either have none or