Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	communicate_v	communion_n	1,771	5	9.7997	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94296	Of religious assemblies, and the publick service of God a discourse according to apostolicall rule and practice. / By Herbert Thorndike.	Thorndike, Herbert, 1598-1672.	1642 (1642)	Wing T1054; Thomason E1098_1; ESTC R22419	207,469	444

to hinder the occasions of the world by setting aside mens ordinary work but to preferre the Service of God before it If the Publick Service of God be of better esteem then the businesse of this world well may the Church own all the means by which she laboureth to procure the exercise of it but if the businesse of this world so far as it hindereth not the Service of God be good commendable she shall not need to own the restraint of it further then it tendeth to that purpose Therefore provided as it is among us that the wholesome effect of this Ordinance vanish not in the excessive multitude of Festivals ordinary occasions crowding out the remembrance of those that deserve it it will not serve the turn to say That the Papists have made these Solemnities the occasion of worshipping the Saints that own the dayes To that must the same be answered as afore That it is the use and improvement that the devil would chuse to make of such scandals to prevent the abuse of Gods Service by rooting out the exercise of it As for particular Solemnities of Fasting by the week or by the yeare we are to consider that abstinence is not onely the cure of that sensuality which surfet breedeth but the most powerfull means to represent unto a man the whole condition of his soul towards God Would a man desire to humble himself in the consideration of his offenses Let common sense be judge whether he shall do it full or fasting to better purpose Wherefore being subject to runne into offense from time to time what more wholesome Ordinance can the Church have then to Assemble from week to week to humble our selves in the presence of God and to labour to divert his due wrath that it light not upon us in generall or in particular And being subject neverthelesse to heap wrath against our selves by slighting our continuall humiliation and repentance what more Solemn Ordinance could reason devise then Fasting before Festivals then before the most Solemn yearly Festivall the most Solemn yearly Fast by humiliation going before to estate us in the right of those blessings which then we celebrate Our Lord in the Gospel hath said of his Disciples When the Bridegroom shall be taken from among them then shall they Fast in those dayes Should Christians never Fast but when publick calamities or extraordinary occasions of the Common-wealth call for it well may it be asked Where is the effect of these words I speak not now of any difference of meats for conscience sake in that abstinence is not seen in the consideration now in hand But I speak of the Service of God upon these occasions which being appointed for humbling of our souls in consideration of our offenses common sense will not refuse that abstinence is necessary for the purpose If it be said in this point as afore That the Papists have abused this Ordinance to a sacrilegious opinion of Satisfaction and Merit and the worship of God having declared a just and true reason and ground of the Ordinance according to which it is no worship of God but the opportunity and means of his due and requisite Service the answer must be as afore That it is the advantage which the devil would wish to make of such abuses to make them the pretense to root out the Service of God and so to save the pains of reforming it The last consideration which I referre to this head concerneth the frequent Celebration and Communion of the Eucharist which is indeed the crown of Publick Service and the most solemne and chief work of Christian Assemblies And though for the particular time of Communicating it is rather commended then injoyned yet the remembrance it importeth is so proper so particular to the Profession we make that our Assemblies are never so like the Assemblies of Christians as when it is celebrated And though it is not in men so to command the occasions of the world as to be alwayes disposed to communicate yet that in the generall of the Church there should not alwayes be persons disposed to communicate that it should not be celebrated for those which are disposed to communicate is an inconvenience for which nothing but too much love of the world too much backwardnesse from spirituall duties can be alledged For if it be said That the Church of Rome by retaining the Custome of celebrating day by day hath turned the Communion into a Sacrifice for the quick and dead the answer must be as afore That it is the use which the enemy of mankind would chuse to make of their abuses to perswade men that so long as private Masses are abolished they are at freedome to be secure of the frequent Celebration and Communion of the Eucharist If any man think that under this which hath been said there is an intent to shoulder out Preaching by commending other causes of Religious Assemblies he shall both wrong my meaning and mistake the truth of the cause He that will have men to Preach more then they learn and to void those crudities in the Church which were never digested in their studies perhaps may have reason to think that where the stuff is slight there the larger measure is due but besides the scandals such raw doctrine must needs breed he shall be sure to bring a slight esteem upon that Profession wherein God is served no otherwise But he that will provide abilities of men for so great a work shall find that these Assemblies on Festivall and Fasting-dayes the occasions whereof are here commended shall minister opportunities of continuall Preaching even beyond those of hearing alwayes for the edification of the Church where men are able to support the respect and esteem of so great a work It is now time to put together the Primitive practice of the Church in the particulars here touched deriving it as near as can be from the time of the Apostles It is thus written of the first Disciples Acts ii 42. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Communion and in breaking bread and Prayers And vers 46. And day by day continuing with one mind in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart Again iii. 1. Now Peter and John went up together into the Temple at the houre of prayer being the ninth houre that is three after noon The Synagogues were instituted for the morall and perpetuall Service of God by prayer and praising him and expounding his word leaving the figurative worship of Sacrifices to the Temple upon which neverthelesse the circumstances of that morall Service depended as hath been observed out of R. Moses Maimoni Tephillah Ubircath Cohenim C. l. n. 7. and must be repeated here Thus he delivereth That correspondent to the daily Sacrifice Morning and Evening there was ordered among them and practised one Service for the Morning another for the Evening that therefore called