Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	day_n	exercise_n	sabbath_n	1,105	5	9.4980	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41728	The life and death of Mr. John Rowe of Crediton in Devon	Gale, Theophilus, 1628-1678.	1673 (1673)	Wing G146; ESTC R18383	49,518	150

and that acted by the Spirit of God Hardly one expression could be spared every passage had its weight He never used a form but the substance and materials of his Prayers were for the most part the same though he still took in the other necessitys of his family as the providence of God gave occasion Some that have heard him pray have thought they never saw grace acting more purely then in his prayer his prayer seemed to be the pure language of grace rather then of nature or of parts The main scope at which his payers was levell'd was the glory of God he was still carried above himself to eye the glory of God and therefore the stream of his prayers would usually run thus Lord glorifie thy self in our salvation glorifie thy self in bestowing this or that grace upon us The matter of his prayer was still commensurate to the word what the word required as duty from Christians either in relation to their general or particular callings or in relation to the various providences they might be under that was still the matter of his prayer One thing he was most eminent in he had a very large and comprehensive Charity he would still take in the concernments of the Catholick-Church and he would be sure to pray for all the election where ever they were Once he was observed to let fall such an expression as this in prayer We pray thee pardon the sins of thine here and every where and those that ever shall be In the evening before Supper if he could obtain any liberty he would spend some time in reading the works of some eminent Divine His evening exercises He took most delight in Dr. Prestons Books and he had been so conversant in them that most of the eminent passages in his writings became very familiar with him after that he betook himself to his constant course of Prayer and Meditation After Supper he would cause his children and the young schollars that were in his family of which he was never without some for many years who were sent to the Grammar-School and were placed by their Parents in his family to enjoy the benefit of his instructions and holy example to read each of them a Chapter one by one when this was done he would call together the whole family and then he would spend the rest of the evening in Catechising of them or else in Repetition of some Sermon that had been preached on the week day When the Sabbath was approaching his care was to prepare for it His Care in keeping the Sabbath and he would endeavour so to order his worldly affairs as that he might have dispatcht his business in season and so have the more liberty in the evening to set his heart in order for the duties of the Sabbath When the Sabbath was come he would spend most of the morning in secret prayer and meditation and he was wont to be shorter in the mornings exercises with his family upon that day then at other times that so they might not be hindered from the publick ordinances His care was to be at the beginning of Publick worship and he was wont to say it was more fit that they should wait for the Minister then that he should wait for them and he would often mention that example speech of Cornelius We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God Acts 10. When the morning Sermon was done the little time he had before dinner he would spend in perusing his notes of the Sermon and meditating on what had been delivered as soon as dinner was ended he would repeat the Sermon to his family after that was done the time of publick worship in the afternoon drew on then he would hasten to the Congregation when publick worship was ended he would first spend a considerable time in secret the rest of the evening was spent in the repetition of the Sermon that was preached in the afternoon and calling his family to an account of the things they had learned His esteem and reverence of godly Ministers was exceeding admirable The high esteem he had of godly Ministers if a Minister had been never so mean and of never so low parts and gifts he would shew a singular respect to him and according to his own example he would be most frequent in this exhortation to exhort his children to have an high esteem of the Gospel Ministry and he would often press upon them that passage of our Saviour He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me He would also mind them of that passage of St. Paul that faith cometh by hearing and hearing is of the word of God He was went to tell them that God could if he had pleased speak to us himself immediately but the Lord condescended to our infirmites and chose tospeak to us by men like our selves and to this purpose he would often bring the instance of Cornelius the Lord could have spoken to him himself or caused the Angel to speak to him but he bids him send for Peter and he should tell him what he ought to do He could not endure that any should account the Ministry Antichristian and he would upon all occasions vindicate the Authority of the Gospel-Ministry against those that would impugne it and he would say unless we do firmly believe the Ministry to be the appointment of Jesus Christ we cannot so profit by it as we ought to do He would say it was lawful for us to covet the best gifts if we might enjoy them but we must not despise the meanest he said when you come to the Ordinance the business is between God and you and whether the instrument be of meaner or of greater parts yet this is the portion that God will give out He likewise said that there was not the meanest Sermon that ever he heard but the Lord did him good by it Another passage which he let fall was very remarkable When I meet with a Sermon that doth not like me I first look into my self to see if there were nothing amiss there and if there were no fault there I would then scan it over again He would say we many times blame the Minister when as the fault is our own that we have not prayed for him as we should have done His love to the word was such that although there were two Ministers in the place where he lived which supplyed the Lords day and a lecture once in the week yet even in his old age he wouldride six or seven miles to enjoy the benefit of the weekly-Lecture that was at Exeter His desires were carried out much in order to the Conversion of souls His desire of the conversion of Souls there was scarce a prayer that he made but he would pray with great affection for those of his family and all

so seasonably and things so soon set in order by the help of his friends as that he and his family had the liberty to attend upon the Ordinances the next day and to keep the Sabbath according to his wonted manner This affliction of the fire he attributed to the neglect of a duty in not putting away a servant whom he had often admonished but was not reformed having had thoughts and resolutions often of putting him away but being slack in performing his duty herein he conceived that this was the reason why the Lord so corrected him Another time when the Lord had made some breach upon his estate and he had suffered a considerable loss he said the Lord had shewed him that if he leaned too much upon these things he would take away all At another time he speaking concerning afflictions in the general he had this expression for mine own part I do acknowledg to the glory of God that our only wise God and heavenly father hath taken the best course with me Oh how lazy had I been and worldly if the Lord had not hedged up my way but blessed be God that will not suffer me to live after the flesh He was very apprehensive of the least mercy and a curious observer of every passage of Providence His observing God in all his Providences When his house had been in danger of being set on fire at another time and writing of it to a near Relation he expressed himself thus the Lord make us really thankful and teach us to render for all mercies and deliverances especially for that great deliverance from wrath to come and for the hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye hath promised Much of his walking with God lay in this he was very curious to observe the least check or rebuke from providence in every thing that befell him and if he met with the least cross he would presently go and humble himself before the Lord and pray that he might understand his meaning in it His great Scope and design was The Constant design he had to glorifie God that he might glorifie God in the whole course of his conversation he studiously watched and observed all opportunities for that end and his great prayer was that where ever he came he might either do good or receive good And he would pray that we might not only glorifie God but that we might glorifie him intentionally And as this was his prayer so all that conversed with him did easily perceive that this was his design he did not speak of the things of God customarily and because others did but if opportunity were not offered he would seek it to fasten some good discourse upon those that were in company with him before he parted from them The Minister that preached at his Funeral had this passage concerning him The general Bent and Biass of his Spirit was toward God and toward his name the very quintesence of his Spirit was carried that way and that intensively and constantly I did never observe in him that ever he intended any thing more or minded any thing so much as the glory of God did you converse with him about worldly affairs he would reduce you by little and little to some heavenly discourse there would all the lines of his Circumference center His humility indeed and modesty was great if he were in the company of godly Ministers or others that he took to be his superiours he would first wait to see whether they would speak any thing for edification if he perceived them to be silent or more slack he would endeavour to ingage them in good discourse or else before they parted would set it on foot himself And if he had been long in company with others and nothing had been spoken to edification if was a great trouble to him When he spake of the things of God he spake of them with great Majesty and Authority he was seldom known to speak of the things of God but the weight of the things he spake of was upon his Spirit and he spake as a man that had his heart wholly taken up in them Religion and the things of God were become as it were natural to him and look what vehemency of Spirit and intention of affections others do discover in the prosecution of their other affairs the same did he manifest in the ways of God his heart was still affected when he spake of the things of God and as he was affected himself so he did for the most part affect others When he spake by way of counsel or reproof to any he would choose as much as might be to speak in the words of Scripture that so as he said they might rather hear God speaking then hear him speaking and so consequently what was spoken might carry the more authority in managing of reproofs he would use great wisdome and compassion his great care was to order his reproofs so that it might appear he did no way aim at the disgrace of the person that was reproved but only at his reformation and his Souls good And as he was a faithful reprover of others so he loved reproof himself he often said he had met but with one in all his life that would be so faithful a friend as to tell him of what he apprehended to be amiss in him and he loved him the better for it all his life He was very eminent for his Heavenly mindedness and his Heavenly affections His Heavenly mindedness that our conversation might be in heaven whilst our dweling place was here on earth And as he prayed so he lived he said Methinks I look upon all the things of this world as Pictures of things in the other world At another time he had a speech to this purpose Surely if God shall be all in all hereafter the less we have to do with the creature here more then needs we must the more like we are to that life Another time he said I am ashamed very much sometimes that I should delight in the creature so much and delight in God no more One time when some of his children were coming to visit him fearing out of his godly jealousie lest they might be transported too much with a meer natural and carnal joy and not make that heavenly and spiritual improvement of their meeting he writes thus to them before their comming When Moses and Elias appeared in glory at the glorious transfiguration of Christ in the Mount the talk they had as St. Luke saith was touching the decease of Christ which he should accomplish at Jerusalem and we among other things may thence also learn that it is an heaven-like disposition in midst of all our earthly enjoyments to think and talk of our departure hence And as I write this to you so I speak of it here that both you and we may mingle our meeting here on earth with such thoughts and discourse as may mitigate the present