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
A85401	Irelands advocate: or, A sermon preached upon Novem. 14, 1641. to promote the contributions by way of lending, for the present reliefe of the Protestants party in Ireland. In the parrish church of St. Stephens Coleman Street London, by the pastor there.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1642 (1642)	Wing G1178; Thomason E149_2; ESTC R5164	23,228	41

the commandement might have secmed somewhat hard and the practise of it might have bin stuck at but now since he who hath ingaged us to ingage our selves so deeply in the behalfe of others when they stand in need hath ingaged them likewise to ingage themselves proportionably for us when we stand in need obedience unto the commandement cannot but seeme very equall and reasonable as well on our part in respect of others as upon others in respect of us The Apostle taketh off the seeming hardnesse or offensivenesse of that demand which he made to the Church of Corinth for somewhat a larger contribution then ordinary the necessities of the Saints in other places requiring it for the present by this very consideration or reason 2 Cor 8. 13. For I meane not saith he that other men be eased and you burdened But by an equalitie that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want that their abundance also may be a supply for your want that there may be equality Reason 7 GOD hath endued those that are his with power from on high to doe it he hath furnished them with a new principle out of which by a due and conscionable improvement of it in themselves they are able to afford all that is required of them in this kinde So that if any man or woman I meane that is borne againe and is a childe of GOD shall finde their hearts low and base and unworthy in this kinde below the line and levell of that duty now presented unto you it is because they doe not effectually stirre up the grace of God within them as the Apostle somewhere speakes they bow downe their backs to the suggestions of the flesh whereas their strength were it put forth accordingly would serve them to goe upright Consider that one Scripture to this purpose 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing you have purified your Soules in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the Brethren see that yee love one another with a pure heart fervently Here two things amongst many others are plainely implied First that no man is able out of any naturall principle to love the Brethren that is the Saints the heart must be purified through the word and Spirit of GOD together that is that base and drossie affection of inordinate self-love must be purged away before a man be able to lift up his heart to such a spirituall and heavenly service as this Secondly that a man or woman having obtained such an excellent principle as this a power of loving the Saints unfeignedly through the purifying of their hearts are bound in a speciall manner to give out themselves fully and freely according to the nature strength and importance of this principle to expresse themselves in excellent termes of love and respects unto them as their necessities shall require it This for the 7 and last reason We addresse immediatly to the Vse and application of the Doctrine we shall be very briefe in particulars here By way of Instruction in the first place we may from the Doctrine observe sundry particulars As First that the minde and good pleasure of JESUS CHRIST concerning his Saints and people on Earth is that you should be a societie or body of men and women in the world animated and quickened as it were mooved and acted by a spirit of love as the life or soule of it that you should abound in this affection above all other societies of men whatsoever Doubtlesse he that commands us to lay down our lives one for another commands us also by a commandement involv'd and wrap'd up in this commandement to maintaine a Spirit of most ardent and burning affection towards one another A man can never be instructed or taught to die willingly by any other teacher or teaching whatsoever but by Love yea and that such a Love of such a conquering and commanding power that it must tread downe the strength of a thousand loves and desires besides yea and many of these of soveraigne strength and power also To require a man to lay downe his life for the Brethren out of any other ground or principle whatsoever then out of an affection of love to them and that transcendently glorious is in effect to bid him gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles Secondly This likewise is by way of instruction observable from the Doctrine That men doe but that which is their duty in this kinde when they are enlarged in the greatest measure in the expressions of their love towards their Brethren if they should give all their goods and part with their whole substance to them yea if they should lay downe their necks and jeopardie their lives for their sakes yet there is nothing to boast of in all this they are never-the-lesse to remaine vile and little in their own eyes If their right hand doth never so much in this kinde yet should not their left hand know any thing at all of it Heights of duty should no waies prejudice or hinder the depths of humilitie So likewise yee saith our Saviour to his Disciples when you shall have done all things that are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to doe Observe Thirdly by way of Instruction what gratious and blessed provision the Lord JESUS CHRIST hath made for the poore and weake and distressed ones in any kinde in his Church Hee hath ingaged the rich and strong and those that are at libertie and that have meanes of reliefe or support in any kinde in their hand to be ready at all times to minister unto them The necessities of any as farre as they are made knowne are a summons from Heaven to call the rest to looke after them and relieve them If this royall Law were duly observed in the Church of CHRIST one sufferer should create and raise up many relievers neither should there be heard the complaint or crie of any man sinking whilst there remaines any one swimming It is a signe that the minde of CHRIST is not fulfilled by his body if there be one member hungry whilst another is drunken if there be want in any place before there be want in all Fourthly we are yet in the way of instruction If the highest and deepest expressions of our love to the Saints be but matter of duty in us as their necessities may determine it then is it not any discharge of a mans duty nor to be counted obedience unto GOD or unto the Lord JESUS CHRIST when the necessities of your Brethren being great and sore upon them men shall minister unto them in a sparing pinching and contemptible manner when the condition of the Saints requires it may be the one halfe of our substance and we cast in two mites into their treasury when their exigences call us to lay downe our lives for them and we are willing onely to bestow the parings of our nailes upon them Doubtlesse

to minister unto the necessities of the Saints upon such termes as these is no better obedience nor any whit a more acceptable service unto GOD then that of Saul was when being commanded to smite Amaleck and to destroy utterly all that appertained to them c. he only destroyed that which was vile and nought worth amongst them but spared Agag the King and all the best of the sheepe and oxen and all that was good 1. Sam. 15. 3. 9. As Saul was rejected by GOD and that with much indignation and arrested from Heaven with a writ of rebellion served upon him by the hand of the Prophet Samuel for such an abusing of the commandement of GOD which yet to himselfe seem'd a sufficient and plausible obedience So is it more then to be feared that many men please themselves and are lifted up in a selfe admiration for doing that in a way of charitie and reliefe unto the ●aints which being interpreted by GOD is rather a reproach and mockerie to his pleasure and command that way then any obedience or subjection to it Lastly for Instruction if the highest and deepest expressions of love to the Saints be but matter of duty when their necessities require them then is not that which any man possesseth in the things of this world whether estate liberty life c. so much to be look'd upon as a mans owne to speake properly as the Churches and houshold's of Faith GOD we see both in the Text and Doctrine delivered who hath an absolute Sovereigntie of right and power to dispose both of our persons and of all we have hath interessed the Brethren that is the whole communion and Brotherhood of the Saints both in our persons and in our possessions The necessities of the Saints are sealed and confirmed from Heaven as a lawfull right and title to such proportions and shares in our estates and in any other meanes of help and support that we are able to afford as are proportionable to them and of a considerable importance to relieve them That civill right or proprietie we have in our possessions is not by Christians to be looked upon or pleaded in Barre to that Spirituall right which all the Saints have in them also Secondly The Doctrine affords matter of Reproofe also and that of foure sorts of men The first are those that will needs be numbred amongst the righteous yea are ready to thinke themselves evilly entreated and hardly dealt with if they have not their place assigned them at the upper end of the Table amongst the Houshold of Faith if they be not looked upon as the true servants of Jesus Christ at least and yet are as a dry and barren wildernesse to the Saints and looke upon this family of Heaven as strangers unto them especially when they stand in need of an helping hand from them in any kinde A little affliction falling upon a servant of GOD wherein their helpe is required puts him quite out of their knowledge as Davids necessitie made Nabal that he did not know him 1 Sam. 25. 10. Who is David and who is the sonne of Ishai If David had bin a great Courtier or the Sonne of Ishai a favourite of King Saul it is no otherwise like but Nabal could have knowne him well enough But perceiving that his knowledge of him in such a condition and streight as he was now in would be chargeable to him and cost him some of his bread and of his flesh he would by no meanes owne his knowledge of him Such a condition wherein a man shall stand in neede of the helpe of another is in the interpretation of a base close-fisted generation amongst us an evidence against him that he doth not belong to CHRIST Alasse how farre are these from laying downe their lives for their Brethren and consequently from being Christians who can acknowledge none for Christians but those that have no need of them at all when Lazarus shall be cast out of Abrahams bosom these shall goe thither in his stead Secondly There is another sort of Professors too which though they seeme not altogether so bad as the former yet their prerogative above them were a deere bargaine of the Widowes two mites if it were to be bought with them These are such who though they will not be seene to sit out in the necessities of the Saints when others are in yet they will play but at very small game as we say to relieve them they neither consult with the greatnesse or depth of the Saints necessities nor with the fulnesse or superfluities of their own estates but with the narrownesse and seantnesse of their owne base dispositions This is the only Oracle they inquire at and by which they are regulated in all they doe for the Saints upon any occasion whatsoever They have a forme of giving as the Apostle speakes of some that have a forme of knowledge which neither mends nor paires neither riseth nor falls nor any waies alters by any difference or occasions or opportunities whatsoever If the fit of charitie be upon them they will give asmuch to a vagrant beggar by the way side as they will to save the lives of ten thousand Saints and no great matter neither to the one or towards the other If men be rich in the things of this world and not rich in good workes too they are not like to lay hold of eternall life 1 Tim. 6. 19. We know the rich young-man in the Gospell though he was neere unto the Kingdome of heven yet because he would not sell all that he had and give liberally to the poore being required to do it never entred thereinto For rich men under the Law that had great heards of Cattell and flocks of sheepe and Goates to have brought Turtles or young-Pigeons for their offering had been a prophanation of the Temple and despising of GOD And so for men of great estates to have cast in 2 mites into the Treasury as the poore Widdow did had rather bin a cōtumelie or affront put upon that service or custom of offering then any expression of charitie or devotion Cursed be the deceiver saith the Lord himselfe by his Prophet which hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing Mal. 1. 14. And is it not a sin of very neere affinitie with this and so obnoxious to the same Curse when men that are able to relieve by thousands and the extremities of the Saints call for reliefe by thousands shall yet minister reliefe but by tens yea and scarsely by this proportion Thirdly another sort worse then both the former are such who are so farre from managing an affection of love to the Saints with those high and excellent expressions we speake of even when the greatest need requires that to keepe their bread and water and credit too are still ready to blaspheme the pouertie or hard condition of the Saints in any kind as if they were