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
A25225	The additional articles in Pope Pius's creed, no articles of the Christian faith being an answer to a late pamphlet intituled, Pope Pius his profession of faith vindicated from novelty in additional articles, and the prospect of popery, taken from that authentick record, with short notes thereupon, defended.	Altham, Michael, 1633-1705.; Altham, Michael, 1633-1705. Creed of Pope Pius IV, or, A prospect of popery taken from that authentick record.	1688 (1688)	Wing A2931; ESTC R18073	87,445	96

equality of due proportion between our Works and Heaven without any respect had to Pact Promise or Favour To make a work truly meritorious it must have these five Qualifications 1. The work that is done must not be a work that is due to be done For it is no merit for a man to pay his debts Now our Saviour tells us When we have done all those things which are commanded us we are still but unprofitable Servants having done only that which was our duty to do Luke xvij 10. 2. The thing we offer must be our own For to present any thing to another that belongs unto him is no merit in us Now St. Paul. tells us We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but all our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. iij. 5. 3. The work that a man doth to merit of another must be profitable to that other of whom he designs to merit For no man will pretend to merit by an unprofitable service Now holy David freely confesseth That his Goodness did not extend to God i. e. was no way profitable or advantageous to him Ps xvi 2. 4. The work we do to merit withal must not be defective For if there be any thing in it that wants a pardon it can never truly merit Now St. John tells us If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 John i. 8. 5. There must be some proportion between the Work and the Reward Otherwise we cannot be said to deserve it In St. Paul's account The afflictions of this present time and certainly Suffering is more than Doing are not worthy of the Glory which shall be revealed in us Rom. viij 18. These are the requisites of Merit which if well attended to may be very useful in deciding this Difficulty and determining this matter in difference between us Let us now consider the other word viz. Reward That the Word Reward is frequently used both in Scripture and by the Fathers we own and that the strict and proper notion of it is a Debt due to man for the work he hath done we deny not But that it was ever used in this sence with respect to God or that ever any man according to this notion of the Word can be said to deserve a reward at God's hands we can by no means grant And hence ariseth the difference between the Church of Rome and us in order to the deciding of which let us consider that there is a twofold Reward the one due the other not due the one given as a just retribution for the work done and the other freely or at most according to Pact and Promise This distinction is fairly founded in Scripture where St. Paul saith To him that worketh the reward is not accounted to be of grace but of debt Rom. iv 4. Which plainly implies that a free gift bestowed out of meer bounty and liberality may be called a Reward as well as that which by the strict rules of Justice is due to Merit And thus we find it in Scripture sometimes given to the one and sometimes to the other For that which in Matth. v. 46. is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Reward in Luke vi 32. is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Grace or Free Gift And the peny given to the labourer who came in at the last hour is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Reward though much above his desert Matth. xx 8. Ambr. l. 1. Ep. 1. Upon which St. Ambrose very well observes There is a kind of Reward which is given of liberality and of Grace and another which is the wages of Vertue and the recompence of a man's labour Having thus stated the true notion of these two words Merit and Reward upon which depends the whole Controversie between us I shall now take a more particular view of his Proofs His first Scripture proof is Rev. iij. 4. From which he thus argues Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments there is Purity and Justice and they shall walk with me in white there is the Reward and the reason follows for they are worthy The whole stress of this Argument lies in the word worthy a right understanding whereof will facilitate our answer thereunto St. Paul expresly saith I reckon that the afflictions of this present time are not worthy * Condignae ad futuram Gloriam Vulg. Lat. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the glory which shall be shewed unto us Rom. viij 18. The Glory which St. Paul here speaks of and the White Aray which St. John mentions do certainly import one and the same thing viz. Eternal Life Of which St. Paul saith all our Sufferings and certainly they are more valuable than our Doings are not worthy And yet those who had not defiled their garments are said to be worthy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walk in white i. e. to be made partakers of Life and Glory This looks like a perfect contradiction which we cannot suppose these two holy and inspired Men could be guilty of for as they were both taught by the same Spirit so no doubt they both spake the same thing To reconcile them therefore we must find out another sence of the Word Worthy than this Gentleman puts upon it and I think it is no difficult matter so to do For a Man may be said to be worthy of a Reward either upon his own account or upon the account of another either for the sake of his own deservings or for the sake of another's merits To be worthy in the former sence a Man must have all those Requisites and Qualifications which are required to make up a Merit strictly so called but to be worthy in the other sence requires no more but only to be fitted and disposed to receive those favours which are merited for him by another That according to the latter of these notions we are to understand the worthyness here spoken of will appear plainly if we consider That the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here rendred Worthy may be and often is rendred fit or meet as for instance St. John Baptist warns the Pharisees and Sadduces which came to his Baptism To bring forth fruits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy of Matth. iij. 8. Luk. iij. 8. or meet for repentance that so they might escape the wrath to come i. e. Let your Reformation declare your Repentance to be such as may fit you to come to this Baptism and consequently to escape wrath let your Repentance be according to the measure of your sin if your Sins have been great Lyra in ●oc ●ed apud ●l Ord. in ●oc so must your Repentance be too So their own Lyra understands it And the venerable Bede gives this reason for it Because the same measure of Repentance is not required of him who is guilty of little or no Sin as of him who hath