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	day_n	lord_n	3,160	5	4.2209	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57049	The representation, propositions, and protestation of divers ministers, elders and professors, for themselves, and in name of many others, well-affected ministers, elders, and people in Scotland presented by the Lord Wareston, Mr. Andrew Cant, Mr. John Livingston, Mr. Samuel Rutherford and diverse others, to the ministers and elders met at Edinburgh, July 21, 1652.	Warriston, Archibald Johnston, Lord, 1611-1663.	1652 (1652)	Wing R1109; ESTC R10184	12,034	20

diverse worthy and gracious men of whom we shall ever esteem honourable and love them dearly upon consideration of the straits and pressures of the time concurring also with them in the Publick Resolutions that Party perceiving that they were not able to endure tryall in a time of Reformation and purging began the last year to lift up their heads and speak the language of their own being much encouraged by the Constitution Acts and Censures of the pretended Assembly at S. Andrews and Dundee they have so strengthened themselves by their practices since in the Judicatories of the Kirk as they now carry the determinations therof to their own ends And may we not with sad hearts say what can be expected from such of whom we have experience how forward they are to favour wicked men and every evill course to persecute such as make conscience to seek the Lord in sincerity of heart and suppresse the power of godlinesse and to open the door of the Ministery to such as for insufficiencie scandals or dis-affection have been justly deposed and to bring in the like In regard whereof we wish there were not too great cause to make use of the words of the Prophet I have seen also in the Prophets of Jerusalem saith the Lord a herrid thing they strengthen the hands of evil doers that none doth return from his wickednes therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the Prophets Behold I will feed them with wormwood and make them drink the water of gall for from the Prophets of Jerusalem is prophaneness gone forth into all the land These things we speak not to reflect upon the Ordinances of Jesus Christ in this Land it shall be our stedfast purpose as the Lord shall enable us to maintain the Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government of this Kirk and particularly the Nationall Assemblies which we look upon as a rich priviledge and speciall blessing from Heaven for suppressing errour on the one hand and prophanenesse on the other so long as they are preserved from corruption in the constitution thereof And we trust all who are acquainted with the principles and practices of our worthy Predecessors and of the learned and godly non-Conformists in England wil easily see how far we are from their judgments who follow the wayes of separation We hold it our duty firmly to adhere to the Church of Scotland wherein through the Lords goodnes we do this day enjoy the purity of Doctrine and Worship and the Government which Christ hath appointed in his House though there be corruptions in the Constitution of a pretended Assembly Whereby we are deprived of the benefit of a free lawfull and well constitute Assembly for the present where we meet with corruptions we shall the Lord assisting disclaime and oppose them And herein we have the approbation of the first and second Assembly of this Kirk in the beginning of this last Reformation the one annulling and declaring void six severall Assemblies upon many of the same grounds for which we do protest against the present corrupt Assemblies And the other having clearly determined the keeping and Authorizing corrupt Generall Assemblies to have been one of the chief causes of the many evills which have befallen this Church We trust in the Lord our God that our Actions shall abundantly witnesse for us in this respect and so we shall not further insist upon it We have clear grounds in Scripture to warrand us to plead and testific against Corruption and therefore being sensible that there is a course of defection carried on in the Church we have endeavoured first to prevent the same in the beginnings thereof and afterward to give Testimony against it as it comes to be discovered to us We have since studied in a Christian and brotherly way to reclaime the Authors thereof and these that have concurred with them and now when still we perceive our labours and endeavours to be without successe as we professe our adherence to former Testimonies against the late Defection so we are necessitated to adde this upon the grounds before mentioned and for all or some of the Reasons following I. This meeting hath dependance upon and the power and authority to which it can lay claime for the indiction thereof is derived from the pretended Assembly which met at St. Andrews and adjourned to Dundee which being unfree unlawfull and corrupt cannot derive or communicate to another that which it had not in it self II. It is constitute after the same manner for the most part of the Members constituted as the former pretended Assembly of Persons which were Authors and Abettors of and have carried on a course of defection in this Church contrary to the VVord of God the solemn League and Covenant the solemn Engagement and the expresse Acts and Declarations of the Kirk which Persons being under so great a scandall are by the Acts of the Kirk incapable to be Members of Generall Assemblies III. Because of the pre-limitation of Election by the Acts made at Dundee injoyning Provinciall Synods and Presbyteries to proceed with the Censures of the Kirk against Ministers Students Expectants Professors who altogether opposed the Publick Resolutions or shall not acquiesce to the Acts made at Dundee and so excludes all who are not involved in the course of defection as incapable of election which is a corrupt rule for election and constituting Assemblies and in pursuance thereof there were several pre-limitations made since by severall Synods and Ptesbyteries in their Acts Ratifying the Proceedings of the pretended Assembly at Dundee IV. There are many Presbyteries who have expresly refused to send Commissioners to this meeting as an Assembly and who do concur in Protesting against the same and where Presbyteries have sent Commissioners the Elections are generally contraverted there being Protestations made or at least dissents entred against most of their Elections upon good grounds conform to the Acts of the Kirk also there be wanting Commissioners from Burrows who in regard of their present incapacity cannot send Commissioners The generality of the godly in the Land go along with us and approve our protesting against this meeting as an unlawfull and corrupt Assembly Therefore from the zeal we owe to the glory of God to this Cause and Truth the Duty of our Callings as set for the defence of the Gospel and according to our Covenant wherein we are bound to prevent and reveal all parties and courses contrary thereunto from the sense of the awful judgements of an angry God both felt and feared for these begun and continued in-defections that we may according to the example of our forefathers acquit our selves as guiltlesse of this growing Apostacie to the present age and transmit to our posterity the right Constitution of free and lawfull Generall Assemblies and to prevent the Lords giving a Bill of divorce to the Land We do hereby solemnly Declare and Protest against the Constitution Authority Acts and Proceedings of this pretended Assembly