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
A62392	The faithful souldier's reward, or, A glimpse of the saints happiness discovered in two sermons, occasioned by the death of that truly vertuous and religious gentle woman, Mrs. Katherine Disney : the former preached at Kirkstead, the place of her last abode here upon the earth, on the 18th day of May, 1690, being the Lord's Day, and the latter at Swinderly, near Lincoln, where she was interr'd the Tuesday following / by William Scoffin.	Scoffin, William, 1655?-1732.	1692 (1692)	Wing S933; ESTC R11432	41,514	126

Cor. 6.14 which is the Blessedness of Heaven It is the Holy Spirit must make us meet to be Partakers of the Heavenly Inheritance Col. 1.12 Except a Man be born from above he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Joh. 3.3 5. It is God by his Spirit that draws Sinners unto Christ Joh. 6.44 and powerfully worketh true Faith in their Souls giving them thereby a Title to Heaven Joh. 1.12 13. and then by renewing and sanctifying their Natures doth fit and prepare them for the enjoyment of it It is certainly therefore of God's Free Grace that any of us are prepared for Heaven as well as that Heaven is prepared for us Ephes 2.8 By Grace ye are saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Faith as well as Salvation is God's Free Gift Rom. 9.23 Believers are said to be Vessels of Mercy which God hath aforehand prepared unto Glory And again He that hath wrought us for the self-same Thing is God who also hath given to us the earnest of the Spirit 2 Cor. 5.5 It is not therefore on the account of any thing that the Saints have done or can do that Heaven is prepared for them or that they are prepared for Heaven but all is of Free Grace Tit. 3.5 6 7. Not by Works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour That being justified by his Grace we should be made Heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life Objection But doth not God command us to work out our own Salvation and promise to reward us according to our Works Phil. 2.12 Mat. 16.27 Rev. 22.12 chap. 20.12 Answer Yes he doth so But yet these Scriptures do no ways imply that the best of our Works are meritorious And as to the First where we are commanded to work out our own Salvation it presently follows that it's God which works in us both to will and to do of his good Pleasure Phil. 2.13 We must indeed be diligent and serious in the Work and Service of the Lord and must yield sincere and constant Obedience to all his Holy Commands striving to put forth that Power to the utmost that he hath already given us and must wait upon him in the use of means that we may obtain more And without thus doing we cannot be saved Heb. 5.9 neither for thus doing shall any be saved There is a great difference between our being rewarded according to our Works and our being rewarded for our good Works 'T is true there are none can obtain Heaven without Regeneration and Holiness Joh. 3.3 Heb. 12.14 And 't is also as true that none shall obtain it upon the account of their Holiness Good Works are therefore necessary to Salvation but they are not meritorious No if we could do all those Things which are commanded us we must say Luk. 17.10 we are unprofitable Servants 1. Because we shall have done no more than what was our Duty to do Luke 17.10 We are many ways bound to obey God's Commands though the Heavenly Happiness had never been promised God has an absolute Right to all that we are or have or can do First By Creation Prov. 16.4 and as he is the Supream Soveraign of the World Secondly By Preservation Lev. 22.31 Act. 17.24 28. or as he is our Maintainer and Upholder on whose Goodness and Bounty we daily live Thirdly By Redemption 1 Cor. 6.19 20. 2 Cor. 5.15 he having laid down a Price of inestimable value for us Now on all these accounts the best that we can do is absolutely due unto God And a Servant that hath done no more than his Duty yea that cometh very far short of his Duty can plead nothing of Merit 2. Because the best of our Works can add nothing at all unto God Psal 16.2 Thou art my Lord saith David my Goodness extendeth not to thee So Job 22.2 Can a Man be profitable unto God as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself If thou be Righteous what givest thou him or what receiveth he of thine Hands Chap. 35.7 8. The more we abound in Works of Righteousness the better it will be for our selves But no Profit or Advantage will accrue unto God by any thing that we can do And therefore we can merit nothing at his Hands 3. Because It is God that works in us Eph. 2.10 Luk. 19.16 18. both to will and to do of his good Pleasure Phil. 2.13 By the Grace of God we are what we are as to any Good that is in us and by his Grace it is that we do what we do 2 Cor. 3.5 as to any Good that is done by us 1 Cor. 15.10 Heb. 13.20 21. I can do all Things saith the Apostle but how why through Christ which strengthneth me Phil. 4.13 Yea and without me saith Christ ye can do nothing John 15.5 i. e. Nothing in a way of Fruitfulness Yea further nothing that is truly good and acceptable in the Sight of God Now can we do nothing that is truly Good but what would have been our Duty to do though no Reward had been promised Can we do nothing that is any ways profitable or advantageous to God Yea Can we do nothing that he will accept of but what we do by the help of his Grace Then surely when we shall have done our best we may say we are unprofitable Servants Nay I may further add that the best Works of the Saints are so full of Imperfections that they rather need a Pardon than deserve the least Reward It is not therefore upon the account of any good Works which the Saints have done that the Heavenly Glory is conferred upon them Rom 6.23 Heb. 9.12 15. but it is freely given unto them of God Christ having by his Death obtained it for them We must therefore take heed as we love our own Souls of thinking to merit Heaven by our Works Rom. 9.30 33. Chap. 10. 1 2 3. It 's a Popish Principle yea and that indeed which all Men naturally are inclined to And for certain it is a most dangerous Principle and has been the undoing of many A Saving Faith will produce good Works Jam. 2.26 as the genuine Effects and Fruits of it Such Persons therefore as are destitute thereof 1 Joh. 3.3 can have no ground to hope for Salvation We must press after Holiness with all our Might 2 Cor. 7.1 and endeavour to be Fruitful in every good Work but yet we must beware that we do not think of meriting Heaven thereby We may indeed assure our selves Rev. 22.12 1 Cor. 15.58 and that upon good Grounds that in doing well we shall fare well for so hath God promised for our Encouragement Isa 3.10 11. Say ye to the Righteous that