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	holy_a	time_n	5,790	5	4.7273	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A24968	Sober and serious considerations occasioned by the death of His Most Sacred Majesty, King Charles II (of ever blessed memory), and the serious time of Lent following it together with a brief historical account of the first rise, progress, and increase of phanaticism in England and the fatal consequents thereof : now made publick in tendency to the peace of the kingdom / by a gentleman in communion with the Church of England, as now by law establish'd.	Gentleman in communion with the Church of England.; P. A.	1685 (1685)	Wing A26; ESTC R11430	26,528	49

worthy Author goes on to the Fancies of such as because we ought at all times to lead a Life worthy of our Profession think it therefore superstitious to have one time wherein to exact or expect it more than other but do thus rather conceive that the corruption of Times and wickedness of Man's Nature is so exorbitant that it is a hard matter to hold the ordinary sort of Men at all times within the Lists of Piety Justice and Sobriety It is fit therefore there should be one time at least in the year and that of a reasonable continuance according to the practice of all Men for the Jews and Turks have their Lents to constrain Men how wicked and wretchless soever for that time at least to recal themselves to some more severe Cogitations and Courses lest Sin having no such Bridle to check it at any time should at length become head-strong and unconquerable in them as also to inure Men though but to a bare shew of Vertue they might afterwards perhaps more seriously persist in it Thus we have the Relation of the manner of Observation of Lent in foreign parts among the Romanists with his Judicious Comment thereupon Now certainly we have as great Reason to be obliged to the strict Observation of this time as others upon the Reasons aforesaid For it is too evident Vice and Wickedness grows upon us and abounds and had need have Restraints put upon it lest it swallow us up and therefore instead of making a mock at the Religious Observation of this Solemn Time among the Romanists let us learn Vertue and Goodness from our Adversaries and laying aside our Vanity and Wickedness let us become grave and serious sober penitent and reformed For shall it be said when the whole Christian World are all solemnly sober serious considerative are humbling their Souls before God with Fastings and Mortifications and are upon their Knees before God and frequent and fervent in their Devotions That we in England that own our selves to be Reformed and better Christians are taken up with our Jollities and Feastings yea our Debauches and Excesses and have not so much sense of our Sins and Transgressions of the Divine Laws and our great Provocations of the Divine Majesty as to be so far displeased with our selves for the same as to deny our selves now and then a meals Meat or at least somewhat of our Excesses or from our more pleasant food in the sense of our great unworthiness by reason of our horrid Ingratitude in our many heinous Sins and Offences against the Supreme Majesty of Heaven and thereby taking an actual Revenge upon our selves for the same or so far however at least as the same Abstinence may promote and further in us a solemn serious Consideration of our Ways and Doings the state of our Souls and may enflame and add force to our Devotions to God both in behalf of our selves and others yea the whole Church of God Let us consider also of this outward Appearance and Face of Religion and to be serious although it be but for a time what effect it may have upon us Who knows not but it may somewhat make Impression on mens Minds as to fall in love and likeing of sincere and true Piety and it may in time prevail upon them to become honest and upright and not only lay aside their Wickedness for a season but wholly abandon their Lusts For this restraint for a time must mightily convince them That they have a power over themselves to restrain their disordered and vitious Appetites for a time and then why not longer if they please It will also inure and accustom them to the duties of Religion and denial of their sensual Appetites but however they are more worthy of Commendation and are doubtless less wicked who thus far subject themselves to Authority than such who will not be perswaded to lay aside their sins for a time and who will observe no time of Humiliation of their Souls and extraordinary Devotions and of Seriousness and Consideration Especially if we consider how far a formal and hypocritical Humiliation of a wicked Ahab had acceptance with God as the deliverance of him from a temporal Judgment and that it should be suspended during his days Let us consider further How highly Advantageous the Religious Observation of the time of Lent may prove to such Christians who are desirous and will but endeavour sincerely to set about the Religious Duties of this Holy Fast of Consideration and serious Reflection upon themselves of Reading Meditation Fasting and Prayer Repentance by putting them upon this great Work which if it were not imposed upon them they would perhaps very carelesly and slightly pass over or possibly never find a time to apply themselves to these Duties at all and if it should be but only to lay aside our Sins for a season as I touch'd before they being then estranged and as it weree mancipated from their Lusts and Habits of Sin for a time and so far in a greater Capacity to discern and apprehend Divine Truths and the Excellency of Christianity of Vertue and true Goodness and to taste of that present Felicity which is in the very practice of it which if Men had but once a Relish of they would doubtless never return to live upon Husks with Swine any more which else by the continual steam of their Lusts and Vices while they wallow in them would be so blinded and infatuated in their Understandings not able to know their right hand from the left not to distinguish between Light and Darkness Good and Evil which together with the Advantage to themselves of their extraordinary Devotions for God's Grace to Assist them in their honest endeavours and then consulting at that time also a good Spiritual Director of their Souls for his ghostly Councel and Advice especially how to avoid the occasions of Sin for the future and to be armed against such Assaults as they may meet with in their Christian Course and how to frame their holy Resolutions of Amendment of their Lives so that they may be successful to them for the future that they may vow and perform their Vows to God All which afore-mentioned Duties are doubtless the Christian Duties as at other times so especially what this time puts us upon And as to such Persons as are truly vertuous and good how pleasant and acceptable must needs such a time be to them a season of extraordinary Exercise of Piety Charity and Devotion having this more Solemn time of Consideration and Examination of their Hearts and Ways their Slips and Deviations from their Holy Profession and making their Accounts even with God and en-enjoying his Favor for as we speak in our Temporal Concerns That often and even reckoning makes long Friends so without question this is the best way to keep friendship with Heaven and humbling their Souls before God in a sense of their own Sins and Transgressions And then bewailing the

SOBER and SERIOUS CONSIDERATIONS Occasioned by the Death of His Most Sacred MAJESTY King Charles II. Of ever Blessed Memory AND THE Serious Time of LENT following it TOGETHER With a Brief Historical Account of the First Rise Progress and Increase of Phanaticism in England and the Fatal Consequents thereof Now made Publick in tendency to the Peace of the Kingdom By a Gentleman in Communion with the Church of England as now by Law Establish'd Pudeat pudeat illos nomine tenus Christianos quibus quod ad hanc rem attinet Ethnici rectius sapuerunt Hiper LONDON Printed by John Leake for Luke Meredith at the King's Head at the West End of St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXV TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE GEORGE Lord DARTMOVTH Master of the Horse to His Present Majesty c. My Lord YOur Lordship 's favourable Reception some Years since of my Character of an Honest Man whether call'd Whigg or Tory and Vindication of the Succession then presented by my particular order into Your Hands by the Bookseller hath now emboldned me to affix Your Lordship's Name to this Serious and I hope Seasonable Discourse The Design whereof being the promoting of the Honour of the Supreme Majesty of Heaven and Earth of True Religion and Vertue of Loyalty and Love to our Gracious Sovereign of Truth and Justice Vnity and Peace among us at Home yea throughout Christendom Which therefore although but a small and mean Pamphlet may humbly crave Your Lordship's Patronage Be pleased however to vouchsafe Your Lordship's Pardon to him who cannot but still persist in the Detestation of all Knavery and Dishonesty whether Civil or Religious and endeavour to approve himself Faithful to GOD affectionately Loyal to his Prince a True Son of the Church of England in its present Establishment And therefore as such he takes the Boldness to subscribe himself My Lord Your Lordship 's most Humble and Devoted Servant P. A. SOBER and SERIOUS CONSIDERATIONS Occasioned by the Death of His Most Sacred MAJESTY King Charles II. ALTHOUGH I may say in the words of a worthy Author That in our times there have been many good Books which may be said to echo one another this Age being as fruitful in Words as barren in Works enclining to speak much and do nothing Nevertheless in matters of Devotion or Honour of God as the said Author saith it is apparent that a Man can never say too much that which he can never do enough and that in so great scarcity of worthy Acts we should not be sparing of good Words To which I may further add That where a People have been much corrupted and poysoned with false wicked and seditious Principles there is great need of sober serious and sound Discourses to rectifie the said evil and to prevent and hinder the mischief thereby threatned to the Nation for else wicked and seditious Principles will produce whenever opportunity is offered wicked and rebellious Practices Now in the way to serious and sound Considerations which God by his Providences seems to call upon us for at this time it cannot be unfit although by way of digression to commend the usefulness of the time of Lent that time of seriousness and consideration The Antiquity whereof as a late Author observes is such It is like the River Nilus we can scarce find the Head it being mentioned by Ignatius and Irenaeus two of St. John's Scholars by Origen who lived not long after them by the Famous Council of Nice where they mention the forty days of Lent as a thing known and long observ'd before their time as also we have the Precedent of Fasting from our Blessed Saviour and he enjoyning the same as a Duty to his Apostles And certainly no Man who believes he hath a precious and immortal Soul to save can make any doubt or question Whether a Solemn time of Religious Fasting and Abstinence a time of calling our selves to an Account a time of Repentance and sober Consideration can be unsuitable but highly Advantageous as to our Eternal Welfare and therefore cannot look upon it otherwise than as an excellent and wholesome Constitution of the Christian Church in requiring a Religious Observation of Lent in Commemoration of our Blessed Saviour's Fasting and Temptation and accordingly our Mother the Church of England hath excellently expressed the use of it in the Collect for that Sunday in Lent O Lord who for our sakes didst Fast forty days and forty nights give us Grace to use such Abstinence that our Flesh being subdued to the Spirit we may ever obey thy godly Motions in Righteousness and true Holiness to thy Honor and Glory c. We also know well that the grand Reason and Ground of the prevalency of Vice and Wickedness in the World is chiefly and primarily from the want of sober and serious Consideration for this is an undoubted Maxim That inconsiderate Men are wicked Men for it must needs be so when Men are led by their sensual Appetites which stick close to them their Reason lies as it were asleep It had need be therefore awakened by serious Consideration for if Reason be out of Act and Exercise Sin will be committed Now how hardly are Men brought to this necessary duty of a serious view and reflection upon themselves their Lives and Conversations especially if they be evil and in order to their highest and greatest Concern the Salvation of their Souls is too evident to any considering Man as if they thought their Souls were the vilest and worst part of themselves least worth regard Let us further consider That it is found by Practice and Experience the best Instructer that the religious Observation of this time of Lent hath proved to be a mighty restraint to Prophaneness and Debauchery yea even where men are most exquisite in wickedness That it hath been a matter of wonder to Travellers to see what an Appearance at least there is of Demureness Sobriety and Seriousness generally all men take upon them at this time I shall give it you in the words of a worthy Gentleman of our own Church and Nation a great Traveller and Observer in foreign parts when speaking of Italy he saith That notwithstanding their Vice during the time of Lent the People of all sorts are much Reformed no such blaspheming nor dirty speaking as before their Vanity of all sorts laid reasonably aside their Pleasures abandoned their Apparel their Diet and all things else composed to Austerity and a State of Penitence They have daily then their Preaching with Collection of Alms whereto all men resort and to judge of them by their outward shew They seem generally to have very great Remorse of their Wickedness insomuch as I must confess I seemed unto my self in Italy to have best learned the right use of Lent there first to have discerned the great fruit of it and the Reason for which those Sages in the Church at first did institute it Neither can I easily accord as the said