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
A42554	A prospect of heaven, or, A treatise of the happiness of the saints in glory wherein is described the nature and quality, the excellency and certainty of it : together with the circumstances, substance and adjuncts of that glory : the unspeakable misery of those that lose it, and the right way to obtain it : shewing also the disproportion between the saints present sufferings, and their future glory : many weighty questions discussed and divers cases cleered / by William Gearing ...	Gearing, William.	1673 (1673)	Wing G437; ESTC R31518	196,122	394

merit but in regard of order because as wages is usually given at the end of the labour so this reward is given at the end of our days Be thou faithful to the death and I will give thee the Crown of life Rev. 2.10 5. In regard of faith that looks at salvation as the end and wages of all her labours St. Peter writing to those of the dispersion speaks of their receiving the end of their faith the salvation of their souls 1 Pet. 1.9 Object But it may be said this reward is conditional Rom. 8.17 that if we suffer with Christ we shall reign with him where merits seem not to be excluded Sol. I answer the condition notes out there the order not the cause of reigning which may serve to comfort us in afflictions Luke 17.7 8. Now I shall make it evident that this reward is a reward of mercy not out of merit For 1. In a merit there must be relatio muneris remunerati a relation between our giving to God and his giving to us and it is not possible for the infinite God to receive any thing from us we can give nothing to him but what at first came from him as David speaks 1 Chron. 29.11 14. Who hath first given to God and it shall be recompensed to him again Rom. 11.35 2. The obedience performed must be materia indebita to make it meritorious but we are every way bound to God we are bound by the bond of Creation to be serviceable to him By Nature we owe him our service from whom we receive our being We are also bound by the bond of Redemption we are none of our own but his that hath ransomed us and therefore wholly uncapable of meriting any thing at the hands of God Every meritorious work must be free proceeding from our own meer good pleasure it must not be a duty which we are bound to do now all that we do or suffer is but duty commanded by God and we stand bound under many obligations to do them works of duty cannot merit 3. Every meritorious work must be a man 's own proper work now the good we do is not of our selves but of God that gives us the ability of performing it it is by the grace of God we are enabled to do and suffer To you it is given to believe and to suffer for Christ Phil. 1.29 It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do Phil. 2.13 It is God that worketh all our works in us and for us Isai 26.12 We are infinitely indebted to God for enabling us to do any thing for God and the giving of one gift is an obligation that therefore one should give another ex condigno 4. In a merit the work done must bear proportion with the reward now what is the giving of a mite or penny to the purchase of a Kingdom what proportion is there between an infinite reward and a finite work an eternal reward and a temporary work such is our work such is God's reward So Christ to his Disciples Luke 17.10 When you have done all those things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do 5. There is so much defect in our best works that it is impossible they should merit any thing out of justice for who can think they should deserve punishment out of justice and merit a reward out of justice too That work which meriteth must be perfectly perfect there must be no flaw not a shadow of privative imperfection in it if God should be extream to mark what we have done amiss Hell would be the reward ●our best works Now though glory be called a ●eward yet 't is a meer gift of grace Eternal life is the gift of God saith the Apostle Rom. 6.23 Christ saith of his Sheep I give unto them eternal life John 10.28 It is called both a gift and a reward secundum quid and in respect it is called a reward but simply and absolutely Abbot de Meriti● it is only a gift compare eternal life to the work and look no further so the Scripture calls it a reward but consider the original from whence the work it self also proceedeth and all is meerly and wholly gift saith learned Bishop Abbot 6. Hereby the merits of Christ would be made of no validity Christ hath merited for us to the uttermost and nothing can be contributed by us because he hath done it alone so then eternal life follows upon an holy life not as remunerated from any merit of ours but as conferr'd in much mercy by God for the merits of Christ I shall now shew that the reward in Heaven is a great reward Aquinas on Matth. 5.11 Aquin. Suppl 3. portis quaest ●6 assigneth to three Orders of glorified Saints namely to Virgins Doctors and Martyrs a special Crown of glory excelling in glory the Crowns of other Saints I should spend time but to little purpose should I tell you the idle figments of the Schoolmen about these Crowns as that the Virgins shall have a white Crown the Doctors a green Crown the Martyrs a red Crown such hay straw and stubble have the over-curious heads of the Schoolmen laid upon this foundation I shall wave this and shew you how the reward in Heaven is called a great reward I. It is great absolutely in it self considered the great God himself is the reward of his Saints the Kingdom of Heaven is their reward we should count an earthly Kingdom a great reward much more all the Kingdoms in the World that is a vast reward indeed but what is all the World and the Kingdoms thereof in comparison of Heaven 't is but as a drop of a Bucket compared to the Sea the dust in the Ballance compared to the Earth and a spark of Fire compared to the Sun there is some comparison in these for both are finite but there is no proportion between God and the whole World perfection of holiness perfection of glory perfection of joy perfection of pleasure is this great reward II. Consider the properties of this reward and you will see it is a great reward 1. It is an infinite reward far above the sight of the eye it cannot comprehensively behold it the ear cannot hear the greatness of it the heart cannot conceive it Were the Sea ink and the Heavens parchment and all Angels and Men set on work to delineate the greatness of it they could not describe it the reward is great according as God is and who knoweth how great he is 2. It is an all-sufficient and all-satisfying reward why doth the holy Ghost call it after so many names sometimes calling it the Kingdom of Heaven the sight of God a Crown a Crown of life joy Rivers of pleasures sometimes a Supper the Marriage of the Lamb white Robes Paradise the reason is because it is so great that one expression is not enough to describe it it is an