Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A35578
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The excellent woman a sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Scott ... on the 16 of Decemb. 1658 / by Tho. Case ...
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Case, Thomas, 1598-1682.
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1659
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Wing C829; ESTC R36276
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61,914
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248
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According to the degree of grace here shall be the degree of glory hereafter As one Star differeth from another in glory 1 Cor. 15.41.42 so also is the resurrection of the dead For the further enlargement and clearing of this Doctrine I shall briefly satisfie one Querie and so passe over to the Uses of the Point It is this Quest What is it to be excellent or wherein doth the excellencie of a Saint consist Wherein consists the excellency of a Christian Answ Excellency consists in these three qualifications 1. To be universally good 2. To be eminently good 3. To be perseveringly good 1. Universally heart-good and life-good 1. To be universally good this is excellent indeed when a Christian is good all over good quite through good within and good without When a man or woman is a good First Table Christian and a good Second Table Christian holy towards God righteous meek merciful â—oward man They be excellent ones that are good in both their callings good in their generall callings as Christians good in their particular callings as men good on the Sabbath and good all the weeke long Good as Magistrates good as Ministers good in whatsoever Trade or Profession God hath fixt them in amongst men Good in all their Relations good as Husbands good as Wives good as Parents good as Children good as Masters good as Servants good as Kindred good as Neighbours Time will not permit exempâ—ification of these particulars So likewise they be excellent who are good every where good at home and good abroad good in company and good alone good in good company and good in bad good with Saints and good with sinners conversing with them as a Physitian among the sick not as a companion with them that are well Having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reproving them rather Ep. 5.11 good in the Family and good in the Closet He or she is excellent that is good in every state and in every temper good when rich and good when poore good when sick and good when well good in prison and good at libertie good when sad and good when merry good in holy duties and good in civil Recreations Behold this is to be excellent That is an excellent Christian indeed that walks uniformly every where and in every thing like himself â—omo quaâ—atus good when men see him and good when none but God sees him Many of these qualifications we find in this description and character here of a good woman she is a good Wife a good Mother a good Widow and that is her excellency which we shall have occasion to touch hereafter This was the excellencie of Zechariah and Elizabeth Luke 1.6 they were both righteoas before God walking in all the Commandements and Statutes of the Lord blameless i. e. in all the duties of the Moral and Ceremonial Law 2. In eminency Secondly The excellency of a Christian consists in being eminently good exemplarily good To be followers of the Saints as 1 Thes 1.6 this is good But to be Ensamples to all that believe as verse 7. this is excellent To be good is profitable unto our selves but to be Eminently exemplarily good is profitable to others He or she that is really good shall save himself but whoso is rarely good shall save others also Mat. 5.16 Their light doth so shine before men that they see their good works and glorifie their Father which is in Heaven this is excellent It is a Christians excellency not to set himself any bounds in holinesse not to content himself with any measure or degree of grace but with the Apostle to forget the things that are behinde Phil. 3.13 14. and reaching forth unto those things which are before to press toward the mark That which is the worldly mans shame is the Christians glory never to have enough what SINGVLAR thing do ye doe Mat. 5.47 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was our Saviours Question what doe you more then others It is a Christians glory to be singular the world hates singularity but God commends it 3. In perâ—everance Thirdly A Christians excellency consists in being pâ—rseveringly good Ye did run well Gal. 5.7 is the reproach of a Christian and of his profession perseverance is the glory of both It is the glory of a Christian when their goodness is not as the morning cloud â—os 6.4 and as the early dew that quickly passeth away but as the morning light Pro. 4.18 Rev. 2.19 which groweth clearer and clearer to the perfect day It was the shame of Ephesus that she had lost her first Love Verse 4. but the glory of Thyatyra that her last works were more then the first The Trees of God bring forth more fruit in their old age Ps 92.14 they are fat and flourishing when others wither and dye they retain their verdure and are full of sap this is the excellency of a Christian Vse Use Examinanation And it may serve First By way of Trial in Self-examinaâ—ion are you such Christians 1. Are ye universal in Lord more faith and morâ— love and more holinesse 〈◊〉 more meeknesse of sâ—irit anâ— more zeal Si dixti suffieit persisti Aug. and more Lorâ— of every grace when every 〈◊〉 say you have enough ye havâ— nothing ye are nothing so faâ— from excelent that ye are not reall but a meer Lukewarme Laodicean that saith I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing Rev. 3.17 and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked 3. Are yee persevering Chriâ—â—ians Are your sâ—irits stedfast with â—od Are your judgements sablished in the truth Are your hearts stablished in grace doe yee keep close to the good old Principles which you have suckt in from the breasts of the Gospell c. doe ye proceed in the way that is called holy Are ye stedfast and Inâ—oveable alwayes abounâ—ing in the work of the Lord 2 Cor. 15. Alas brethren if this be to be excellent where shall we find an Excellent Man or an excellent woeman as the 10. verse complaines who can find avertuous woman where shall we finde this exccellent daughter Solomon or his Mother in this Chap. did find her Application at lest in the Character And behold I can point you to her in person Amongst others before many in whom this Character here was ever examplified since Solomons time namely in this truly Honorable Christian whose funerals we this day celebrate M rs ELISABETH SCOTT Uupon whose monument where ever it shall stand to her immortall fame and glory may justly be inscribed This Epitaph Many daughter have donâ— vertuously BUT THOU EXCELLEST THEM ALL. Doubtlesse she was an exlelent Christian a Christian of an incomparable spirit and complexion All these 3 ingredients of excellencie were visible in her to the eyes of all the beholders especially such
she her self would pray with her family once I coming home late unknown to her heard her and she prayed to my very great admiration and satisfaction Twice in the family morning and evening not onely prayers were but something of the word and singing part of a Psalm On the Lords day at noon singing and praying with the family besides morning duries and evening reperitions of the Sermons together with singing of a Psalm and Praying A true sanctifier and spirituall observer of the Lords dayes she was and dared not to speak of any worldly civil though at other times lawful things and oft bewailed the too much liberty many professors take on those days marvailing their consciences were so benummed concerning that Commandment more than others that they could talk of such civil and worldly things then without remorse not considering that Commandement is broken in words thoughts as well as others especially when that place in Isa 58.13 is so expresse against it Not doing thine own wayes nor finding thine own pleasure nor SPEAKING THINE OWNE WORDS viz. upon the Sabbath dayes Besides her privare duties in the family she was very much in secret duties by her self daily her usuall manner was as I have been certainly informed In the mornings as soon as she was up to go into her closet a little while by her self and then went to the performing of spirituall duties together with the family after they were done then she retired into her chamber by her self and read the Bible in order reading and meditating about one hour and then went into her closet afterwards a pretry while Before supper she used to go into her chamber and closet some competent time yea though late when she was necessarily detained abroad before she came home after duties performed in the family at nights when the rest were gone to bed she would walk about half an hour meditating in her chamber and reasoning out any distemper that was upon her spirit to find out the cause thereof and to remove it saying so her heart was brought into frame again and not before Then she went into her closet about three quarters of an hour and this every day She never went abroad but she went first into her closet for some while to prayer and so she did again upon her returnings home On the Lords days at noon after duty done in the family she would retire by herself til they went to the publick worship againe upon the week dayes she would much complaine she was so straitned for time desiring more to speed in secret by her self She was a be lever that had not onely the graces of the Spirit but the sealings and the joyes of the Spirit in her She had much assurance even to the riches of it She knew she was of God and Christ was her Redeemer having loved her and given himself for her and that the Covenant of Grace with all the promises and mercies therein contained and Ordinances were hers And therefore in all places where Providence cast her would she partake of all the Ordinances and not infringe her Christian right and liberty as being tied to one particulat place or people onely living without the Sacrament till she came there againe though ordinarily she looked upon her self as a member of that Church where her usuall dwelling was She was filled with joy and walked in the comforts of the holy Ghost she was of a very chearfull Spirit and grace did carry it on very graciously and spiritually she had much communion with God in all the means of grace the Lord made her joyfull in the duties of prayer the Word was the savour of life unto life unto her and the rejoycing of her heart Exceeding incomes she had at the Table of the Lord there she sat under Christs shadow with great delight and his banner over her was love and his fruit was very sweet unto her taste whilst the King sat at his table with her her spiknard did usually send forth the smell thereof The Lord did grearly blesse that Ordinance of his Supper unto her she said she could ferch from the Lord there any mercy she wanted direction in straights support and comfort in disturbances power against sin and Satan grace to carry her on in the wayes of God c. Much refreshing she had in singing of Psalms she had many and particular returns of prayers from God which she much looked up to him for after she had directed them unto him and took speciall notice of his gracious answers and improved them with thankfulness to his glory She was of very excellent naturall parts full of wisdome and prudence as appeared also in the well managing of her many and weighty affaires and did greatly abound in the knowledge of Divine Mysteries contained in the Scriptures Much weaned from and crucified to the world Whilst her Father Sir Mathew Howland her Unkle Sir John Howland lived she would say foreseeing the same as being their onely heir she was afraid of too much of the world coming to her Never any use or increase would she take for any money 's she lent though to a very considerable summe and time and left under her own hand that her children should take none also for the same after her in case she died before the principall was paid in Her good works and charity not only Hawkherst but Holburn also and other parts can testifie as your self well know and can amply relate Her good works extended not only to her own Nation but also to the Hungarian Scholers who come so far to partake of our practicall Divinity counting her self a Member of the same universal Body with them For divers years often would she have one of them time after time with her whilst in the Countrey and now did take care of one this Winter at one of her sons till next Summer she thought to come again and retake him into her Family Their Land have divers already returned into it that have caused her piety and liberality to sound amongst them there She disdained not to visit any of her poorest neighbours and did love to do it to raise up pity in her towards wards them and thankfulnesse to God for her self who had made the difference Neither did she refuse to do the meanest offices of love for the good of them and theirs Her artire your self knowes how grave and modest it was as also her Daughters without nakednesse or unseemlinesse The gracions Providences of God were exceeding many and very great and remarkable towards her wherein she saw much of her Fathers care and goodnesse which she took special notice of and was abundantly thankful for and endeavoured to improve them answerably to his Glory as appears in her Diary where she hath kept an account of them and also of her waies towards her God as there she often calls him She was like that vertuous woman your Text spake of in her carriages in and toward