Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	command_v	servant_n	unprofitable_a	1,244	5	10.6349	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17144	An apologie for religion, or an answere to an vnlearned and slanderous pamphlet intituled: Certaine articles, or forcible reasons discouering the palpable absurdities, and most notorious errors of the Protestants religion, pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. By Edvvard Bulkley Doctor of Diuinitie	Bulkley, Edward, d. 1621?; Wright, Thomas, d. 1624. Certaine articles or forcible reasons.	1602 (1602)	STC 4025; ESTC S106873	145,731	186

righteousnes by whose stripes we are healed The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne clenseth vs from all sinne Hee hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood and made vs Kings and Priests vnto God his father As these places attribute our iustification and saluation onely to Iesus Christ and his merits so others doe detract and take the same from our workes and deseruings To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnes If it be of grace it is no more of workes or else were grace no more grace but if it be of workes it is no more grace or else were worke no more worke By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues It is the gift of God not of workes least any man should glorie Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his purspose and grace c. Not by the workes of righteousnes which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs. Although this which I haue said may seeme sufficient to answere this article yet I will say something to this syllogisme To the Maior or first proposition I answere that with men wages is giuen for workes but with God whose thoughts are not as our thoughts nor waies as our waies it is otherwaies Man may do labour and seruice to man which may merit and deserue by equitie and iustice wages and reward For that there may be a proportion betweene the seruice and reward and also a benefit and commoditie commeth to him to whom the seruice is done As in this example here alleaged the Lord Deputie or some other may doe some such singular seruice in Ireland that if her Maiestie should bestow vpon him 1000. pound a yeere he might in some proportion deserue it and her Maiestie may receiue double benefit by it But can wee doe any workes that can either merit and deserue the kingdome of God or bring any benefit vnto God Dauid saith My weldoing extendeth not to thee And as S. Paul saith that all the afflictions of this present life are not worthie of the glorie that shall be shewed vnto vs so may I say that all our imperfect and stained workes are not worthie of the kingdome of God which we haue not deserued but Iesus Christ by his death and passion hath purchased for vs. Can a bond seruant by any seruices looke to deserue an earthly kingdome and can we which are bond seruants to God in respect both of creation and of redemption looke to deserue the kingdome of God Christ our Sauiour saith Doth he thanke that seruant because hee did that which was commaunded vnto him I trow not So likewise ye when ye haue done all things which are commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruants we haue done that which was our dutie to doe If he that hath done all things which were commaunded must confesse himselfe to be an vnprofitable seruant how much more must wee confesse our selues to be vnprofitable seruants who haue both omitted many things commaunded and committed many great and grieuous sinnes prohibited So saith Hierome Si inutilis est qui fecit omnia quid de illo dicendum est qui explere non potuit .i. If hee be vnprofitable that hath done all what is to be said of him that could not fulfill all Therefore wee are not to trust in our owne merits but in Gods mercie which importeth our miserie and not worthines But for the proofe of your Minor you alleage the saying of our Sauiour Christ Call the labourers and giue them their wages I graunt that God doth giue to them that labour in his vineyard a reward which is called wages because it followeth pietie and good workes as outward wages followeth labour But that this heauenly wages is not deserued by our workes as that other is by our labour it euidently appeareth by that parable where they that had wrought but one houre receiued as much as they did which had borne the burden and heate of the day Which sheweth that this reward came of grace and not of merit and so S. Ambrose doth expound it Non labori praemium soluens sed diuitias bonitatis suae in eos quos sine operibus eligit effundens vt etiam hij qui in multo labore sudarunt nec amplius quam nouissimi acceperunt intelligant donum se gratiae non operum accepisse mercedem i. Not paying a reward vnto our labour but powring foorth the riches of his goodnes vpō them whom he hath chosen without works that they also which in great labour haue toyled and haue receiued no more then the last may know that they haue receiued a gift of grace and not a wages of workes To your other places Apocal. 20. 12. and 1. Cor. 3. 8. I say with S. Paul that God will reward euery man according to his workes but not for the merite and desert of their workes To them that continuing in well doing seeke glorie honour and immortalitie hee will giue euerlasting life and vnto them that are contentious and disobey the truth and obey vnrighteousnesse shall be indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish vpon the soule of euery man that doth euill But you will say why is not euerlasting life the wages of good workes as euerlasting death is of euill workes and sinnes I answere that our euill workes be simply euill and being transgressions of Gods righteous law offend his infinit maiestie prouoke his infinit wrath and deserue infinit paine and punishment But our workes are not simply and perfectly good but be imperfect and are stained with the corruption of our finfull nature as I haue before declared and therefore cannot satisfie Gods infinit iustice nor pacifie his infinit anger nor deserue his infinit glorie but rather require Gods great mercie as hath been shewed And therefore Saint Paul in the sixt to the Romanes hauing said that the wages of sinne is death doth not say which had been most meete to haue been said if this pharisaicall doctrine were true the wages of good workes is eternall life but hee saith the gift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord as also Oecumenius doth wel obserue You confidently affirme that the Protestants who are enemies to merits shall neuer attaine to the kingdome of Heauen which is purchased by good workes and merits Where first I would aduise you to take heede that you be not brethren to those old heretikes called Hieraclitae to whom Saint Augustine doth ascribe this as an heresie that they denied infants to appertaine to the kingdome of Heauen because they had no merits His words bee these Hieraclitae ad regnum coelorum non pertinere paruulos dicunt quia non sunt eis vlla merita certaminis quo vitia superentur i. The Hieraclites say that infants

come to attaine that faluation which God hath promised and Iesus Christ for vs hath purchased Saint Paul to the Ephesians doth as it were to the explication of this place make-declaration both of the true doctrine of saluation and of the way whereby wee are to walke vnto it By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of works least any man should boast himselfe For we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them Thus good workes and holy obedience of life which cannot be ioyned with carelesse securitie but doe flow from the feare of God are not causes to merit and deserue saluation which Iesus Christ by his blood shedding hath purchased for vs but alwaies to walke vnto it without the which wee shall neuer see God as the Apostle saith The Pamphlet Articles concerning good life and pietie The Protestants are bound in conscience neuer to aske God forgiuenes of their sinnes WHosoeuer is assured by faith that his sins are forgiuen him sinneth most grieuously in asking God pardon for them but all true Protestants are assured by faith that their sinnes are forgiuen them Ergo. All true Protestants sinne grieuously in asking pardon of God for them The Maior is euident for who but an Infidel or a mad man would demaund of God the creation of the world which he is assured by faith that God hath alreadie created or Christs incarnation which alreadie is performed or the institution of Sacraments which alreadie is effected In like manner who but an Infidel or a mad man will demaund pardon of his sins which he beleeueth alreadie by faith that God hath forgiuen for it is a signe that he doubteth of that which he is bound by faith to beleeue which doubting faith is infidelitie Moreouer what soeuer we demaund that wee hope to obtaine but no man hopeth to obtaine that he alreadie possesseth as no man will demaund of God his owne soule or bodie because alreadie he possesseth them The Minor is vndoubted because this is that liuely faith whereby the Protestants are iustified by this they apprehend Christ by this they applie his merits and passion vnto them and without this no man can attaine vnto saluation Hereupon I will inferre that no Protestant can with a safe conscience say the Lords Prayer because he cannot pray as he ought without true faith and call God his father and if he haue true faith he cannot without note of infidelitie vtter this petition Forgiue vs our sinnes for that most assuredly he beleeueth and protesteth in the first ingresse of that prayer that he is the Son of God and consequently beleeueth by faith that his sins are forgiuen him Answere TO the first proposition of this subtill syllogisme I answere that the assurance by faith which Gods elect haue of the forgiuenes of their sinnes doth well stand with the asking of forgiuenes of them For we are to aske forgiuenes of our sinnes because God doth commaund it and require it of vs. Moreouer it is our dutie to aske forgiuenes of them for otherwise wee cannot be assured by faith that they be forgiuen vs for by asking pardon of them we doe make confession of them and doe acknowledge our owne guiltines the which if we should refuse to doe we can haue no assurance of the remission of them For Salomon saith He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth them and forsaketh them shall haue mercie And S. Iohn saith If wee confesse our sinnes God is faithful and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clouse vs from all vnrighteousnes Moreouer wee aske forgiuenes of our sinnes to confirme our faith and to increase the assurance we haue of the forgiuenes of them and that we may more and more haue the feeling of the forgiuenes of them increased in our hearts For we doe not meane that any man hath any such firme assurance of faith but that the same is mixed with weaknes and many times shaken with temptations against the which wee must striue and pray and say both with him in the Gospell Lord I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleefe and with the Apostles Lord increase our faith Our faith is but as a graine of Mustard seede which must grow and increase Saint Paul saith that by the Gospell the righteousnes of God is reueiled from faith to faith Vpon which words Clement Alexandrinus writeth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle seemeth to declare a double faith but rather one faith which receiueth increase and perfection And therefore in praying for the forgiuenes of sinnes wee pray that our faith of the forginenes of them may be more and more confirmed and our assurance thereof increased in vs. Lastly seeing wee daily sinne both in doing that which God forbiddeth and omitting that which he commandeth why ought wee not daily to aske forgiuenes of them And in praying for the remission of our sinnes we desire all those things which be effects and fruites thereof as Sanctification and eternall life c. And yet wee must pray in a true perswasion of faith of Gods mercie towards vs to the forgiuenes of our sinnes not onely past but also future and to come And so our praying for the forgiuenes of them is a crauing of the continuance of Gods mercie to the continuall pardoning of them which we continually commit Now whereas hee saith the Maior is euident and none but an Infidell or mad man would demaund of God the creation of the world which hee is assured by faith that God hath alreadie created c. I answere that none that is well in his wits would make such a foolish and absurd comparison as is betweene the asking of God the creation of the world the incarnation of Christ c. and the remission of our sinnes For those are neither commaunded nor at all to be asked and will this man say that forgiuenes of sinnes is not at all of any to be prayed for Of those things we neede not further to be confirmed but of the forgiuenes of our sinnes our faith had neede to be strengthened and the feeling thereof in our consciences to be increased Moreouer as I said before for as much as we daily sin and offend God wee ought daily to craue Gods mercie in pardoning our sinnes What likenes hath prayer for the creation of the world or for the incarnation of Christ c. herewith And whereas this man thinketh it so absurd a thing to pray to God to forgiue vs our sinnes because wee beleeue the forgiuenes of them I would aske of him whether S. Paul praying both in the beginning and in the end of his Epistles for Gods grace to the faithfull did not assuredly beleeue that they were euen then and before those his prayers indued with Gods grace No doubt but hee did beleeue that they