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
A17247	An exposition of the 28. verse of the third chapter of the epistle to the Romans Wherein is manifestly proued the doctrine of iustification by faith, and by faith onely. By Francis Bunny, one of the prebendaries of the Cathedrall Church of Durham.	Bunny, Francis, 1543-1617.	1616 (1616)	STC 4099; ESTC S117367	59,250	64

deuices No no vnlesse this our garment be dipt in the bloud of Christ and so made white it will euer appeare defiled A fift obiection They tell vs that eternall life is called a reward great is your reward in Heauen Mat. 5.12 As before in answering their third obiection I sayd that not euery promise proueth that which is giuen to be merited by the worke so heere I doe auerre How life eternall is called a reward that the calling of eternall life a reward doth not euict that it is giuen in regard of the worthinesse of the worke If you demand why it is then called a reward I answere It pleaseth God not only to acquaint vs with his will that we may know what is good and what is euil but also by many arguments sometime of his power sometime of his Iustice sometime of his goodnesse to moue his people to obedience To them therefore that with more alacritie Gal. 6.10 While we haue time to do good vnto all men as the Apostle exhorteth he telleth vs that our labour shall not be without reward The like argument doth the Apostle vse to the Corinthians 1. Co. 15.58 Therefore my beloued brethren be yee stedfast vnmoueable abundant alwayes in the worke of the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. But eternall life is called a reward Be it so It is also called a Kingdome Mat. 25.34 and that prepared for Gods seruants from the beginning of the world If prepared so long since for them then not bestowed for the worthinesse of their worke If a Kingdome it is an inheritance that is giuen by grace for we are sonnes by adoption heires of God and heires annexed with Christ. Or else by election we haue this inheritance Rom. 8.17 For no man is elected to a Kengdome in regard of his merits especially so long before hee can doe any thing for it Coloss 3.24 The Apostle calleth it a reward of inheritance Ye shall receiue a reward of inheritance sayth he Howsoeuer therefore it is called sometime a reward yet is it a reward that is promised Gal. 3.29 Bel. de Iustific l. 5. c. 18. and therefore Saint Paul sayth Wee are heires by promise And therefore Bellarmine himselfe confesseth that remota promissione non tenetur Deus acceptare opus nostrum ad mercedem taking away the promise God is not bound to accept our worke to reward it Now if a father promise his sonne being yet but a childe both in strength and discretion and such children are we in heauenly matters a great reward if hee doe some small matter at his appointment yet such as hee knoweth passeth eyther his abilitie or skill whether shall we say when this recompence is giuen that it is of promise or of dutie The sonne indeuoureth as well as he can to doe it and with much adoe with continuall helpe of his father he doth it at length in some sort I hope no man will say his worke deserued it For the Father promised much for a small matter hee helpeth his sonne to doe it and beareth in the end with many wants euen so God for the little that wee can doe promiseth much and that wee doe hath many imperfections too Can wee then thinke of merit Ber in Cant. Serm. ●7 No no the Spouse of Christ doth then shew her selfe to be more full of grace when she ascribeth all to grace knowing her part is first and last Luk. 17.7 But against the meriting of the reward that parable in S. Luke is most plaine A seruant ploweth or doth any other worke in the field when hee commeth home his Master biddeth him not sit downe but willeth him to dresse meat and giue himselfe and wait and serue him teaching vs that we haue no time to bestow otherwise then vpon our Masters worke Ambros in Luke 17. Theopilact in Luk. 17. We must alwayes while wee liue be doing saith Ambrose This Parable sheweth saith Theophilact that a man must not be proud of any good worke no neyther yet in the fulfilling of all the Commandements For the seruant must doe what his Master commandeth neither must hee ascribe it to himselfe as a good worke Ambros in Luk. 7. Dionis Carthus in Luk. 17. And Ambrose gathereth the same lesson too Let no man glory of workes for we owe our seruice to the Lord. So doth the Carthusian also The seruant is tyed to this and after his worke in the field he must labour in the house that he may daily be labouring It being thus let vs consider of the conclusion of the Parable So likewise ye Luk. 17.10 when you haue done all things which were commanded you say We are vnprofitable seruants we haue done that was our dutie to doe Hieron ad Ctesiphontem Theophil in Luk. 17. No merit in this worke If that seruant were vnprofitable that did all sayth Hierom What shall we say of him that could not doe it Theophilact also in like manner If when we haue done all the Commandements yet wee haue no cause to thinke well of our doing how greatly doe we sinne when not doing the greatest part of Gods Commandements yet we are proud of our doing The Carthusian likewise If they must account themselues vnprofitable seruants who haue fulfilled all the Commandements what shall we doe who in so many things transgresse and so vnperfectly perchance keepe that we keepe that as the Prophet Esai sayth all our righteousnesse is like a filthy clout But Bellarmine telleth vs De Iustific lib. 5. cap. 5. Bernard de tripl custodia Bernard de precepto dispensatione that Christ so concludeth to teach humilitie I answere with Bernard Sanè propter humilitatem sed numquid contra veritatem True indeed for humility but is it against verity He also elsewhere thus speaketh to that seruant You are free from duty but not glorious by merit You haue escaped punishment but haue not gotten the crowne The Parable teacheth vs that all wee can doe is dutie therefore wee may not thinke of merit because whatsoeuer wee are able to performe at any time in any place by any meanes we owe all that seruice to God Lastly I come to those words of Iames in shew as contrarie to Saint Paul as can be yet because they both had one teacher both were guided in writing by one Spirit and were both of one faith and Religion we are sure both teach one Doctrine Rom. 3.28 Iam. 2.24 What Iustification is by workes Iude 4. Aug lib. 83. quaest 76. de fide operibus cap. 14. And yet Paul sayth We are iustified by faith without workes Iames sayth Wee are iustified by workes and not by faith only and both these are most true For if we speake of the cause of Iustification then must wee hearken to Saint Paul who teacheth that is by faith without workes But because many turning the grace of God