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	labour_n	sabbath_n	1,437	5	9.7656	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93348	Great Britains misery; with the causes and cure. Described first, as it is from the justice of God the authour, who is now in controversie with the inhabitants of the land for sin: especially for eight capitall crimes, all which are aggravated by sundry circumstances. Secondly, the injustice and malice of the instruments of this misery, Satan and his agents: their main aime, and particular ends, moving them therunto. Vindicating, plainly and fully, (by way of answer to severall objections) the lawfulnesse and necessity of raising arms by the Parliament, and kingdom; for the defence of the King, kingdom, religion, laws, and known rights of the subject: against that viperous generation of papists, atheists, delinquents, and licentious men, who have at once invaded all. ... / By G.S. Gent. Imprimatur Ja. Cranford.	Smith, George, 1602 or 3-1658.	1643 (1643)	Wing S4037; Thomason E250_4; ESTC R212534	90,980	68

dishonours God and this is but Hypocriticall repentance such as that of Ahab Iudas went farther and yet repented not 1 King 21. 27. Mat. 27. 3. for he was sorry and confessed his sinne and made restitution and yet his repentance was not good Consider therefore that true found and acceptable repentance is a turning to God from all sinne in action and will totally and for ever with resolution Esay 31. 6. Jer. 25. 5. Ephes 4. 23. by Gods grace never to returne with consent to commit sinne againe it is in a word a changing of the mind when the will and actions are turned from sinne and the occasions of sinne arising from the hatred of sinne and love to righteousness not moved by the feare of punishment nor hope of reward although both necessarily follow but love and obedience to God where true repentance is wrought it will produce inward greefe for every dishonour to God whether in our selves or in others This repentance is the Acts 5. 31. 2 Tim. 2. 25. Tit. 3. 5. They that contemne and s●●ffe at the Preachers or preaching are far from repentance 1 Pet. 1. 15. 1 Ioh. 3. 3. gift of God not in a mans owne power and is usually wrought in the hearts of men by the preaching of the Word and alwayes by the inward working of Gods Spirit per●●●●ted by prayers and intercessions through Iesus Christ Therefore they are farre from repentance that cry out of too much Preaching and they farther that scoffe at Preaching and holinesse c. persecute holy preachers and offer dispight to the spirit of grace God who hath called is holy and requireth that every one that is called be holy in all manner of conversation and every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe even as he is pure every repentant sinner endeavours reformation in himselfe and strives to the uttermost to perfection he loves it in others where it is and will endeavour it where it is not by admonitions and exhortations Now prayer is the chiefe meanes by which we obtaine all blessings from Prayer the meanes by which we obtaine all blessings 2 Cor 7 14. Iohn 6. 23. Ioh. 14. 13. God and therefore it goes joyntly with the condition of faith and repentance if my people humble themselves and pray c. whatsoever ye shall aske the father in my Name he will give it you againe whatsoever you shall aske in my Name I will give it prayer is by God appointed through the intercession of Christ to be the meanes to obtaine all blessings temporall and sperituall and to keepe backe and remove all miseries Now because evey sinne in a man is as a devill possessing him and some sins as some devills that cannot be cast out but by fasting and prayer as our Saviour teacheth us Mat. 17. 21. Nor can fasting joyned with prayer doe it without faith Christ telleth his Disciples they could not cast him out because of their unbeleefe and hence it Verse 20. is that all the faithfull have upon any extraordinary cause either to obtaine great blessings or removing great Iudgements joyned fasting with prayer Judg. 20. 26. 2 Sam. 7 6. Nehem 1. 4. Ioel. 1. 14. Dan. 10. 3. Ioel 2. 16. What a holy Fast is Levit. 23. 28. Ezra 10. 3. Levit. 23. 29. Acts 10. 2. verse 30. 1 Cor. 9. 27. A holy religious Fast is a volentary abstinence from all food and from all delightfull things and bodily labour or recreations for one whole day at the least and it is to this end that by the humbling of the body the soule may be afflicted too which is a chiefe duty in a day of Fast For that soule that is not afflected in that day shall be cut off from his people the manner of keeping such a day must be even as a Sabbath day wholly spent in the duties of Pietie and Charity powring out our Soules by spirituall supplications and prayers unto God and the worke of it is repentance to breake the heart for sinne therefore it is called a day of atonement or reconciliation and surely the prayers that are put up to God upon such a day are prevalent with God able to open and shut the heavens if the effectuall prayers of one righteous man availe much the prayers of many will prevaile more great and miraculous things have beene Iames 5. 16. effected by the prayers of this kind by prayer Iacob held God till he blessed him and Moses pacified great wrath by fasting and prayer Gods people Hos 12. 4. Exod. 32. 11. 14. Nothing so hard and difficult but it may be obtained by prayer and fasting Acts 12. 5. 7. Levit. 10. 1. 2. Holy duties unholily performed become very sinfull Esay 1. 11. have obtained mighty things nothing so difficult or hard but prayer can make easie it can make chaines of Iron fall from Peter and open Iron gates to give him passage to come to the Brethren that had by unceass●nt prayer begged him of God but the instances which we have before named shall suffice but on the contrary when this duty of fasting and prayer is contemned or formally observed it hath procured wrath from God and increase of misery it is like the sinne of Nadab and Abihu when they offered strange fire before the Lord for thus I reason that duty which in it selfe is most holy and most acceptible to God being performed according to his Will when done negligently in a formall manner is most prophane and most displeasing to God abominable in his sight to what purpose saith he is the multitude of your sacrifices I delight not in them bring no more vaine oblations your new Moones your Sabbaths and the calling of assemblies I cannot away with them it is eniquitie even your solemne meetings my soule hateth them they are a trouble to me I am weary verse 14. to beare them not that God is wearied with our many Fastings or desireth lesse for he is best pleased when we are most conversant in such duties but he hates formality and hypocrisie in them and so they are a burthen to him and he is weary of them and they become eniquitie to us Who hath required these verse 11. things at your hands yet there was nothing in matter but what God commanded and they were bound to doe it was the manner onely that God misliked therefore saith the Lord When you fasted and mourned 〈◊〉 did not at all fast unto me but to your selves the same thing is reproved by our Saviour Christ Zech. 7. 5. God hath denounced a curse to him that doth the worke of the Lord negligently The Jewes when they had taken great paines in their formall Fasting Mat 6. 16. and afflicting themselves they captitulate with God Why have we fasted and Ier. ●8 10. thou seest it not we have afflicted our soules and thou takest no knowledge God gives them the reason Because saith he in the day

owne cause and his servants working his worke and in his owne time will make their worke prosperous in their hands as he did to Nehemiah Nehe. 6. 15. 16. Thirdly God hath afflicted Britaine for these sinnes and a multitude of other transgressions and doth still continue to afflict us for our impenitencie but it is observable that he whips us because he would convert us and yet he preserves us from destruction because he would not totally destroy us therefore hath wonderfully discovered the Plots of the enemie and blasted their bloody designes when they had prepared them as they thought ready to destroy us former mercies are engagements of future deliverance hence I conclude from the confidence of Manoahs wife when an Angell had told her she should beare a 1 Sam. 17. 37. sonne that should begin to deliver Israel her husband seeing the Angell assend Iudg. 13. 22 23 up in the flame sayd we shall surely dye because we have scene God if saith she the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have shewed us these things Fourthly I finde by all Stories Divine and Humane that ever I read that before God destroyed a people or Kingdome he hath taken away his Prophets Iudges and righteous men or they have beene rarely found or else he hath taken Esay 57. 1. Exod. 32. 10. Ier. 7. 16. Ier. 14 11. off their affections and spirits from prayer for that people or Kingdome I confesse this hath in part beene made good to England some have beene over awed their mouthes stopped some banished others destroyed and many forced to flie to other Countries for shelter Yea the two Fountaines of Religion and holinesse as well as the Courts of justice were exceedingly corrupted all which presaged a storme comming and now it is come But consider Gods Isay 1. 26. Ministers are restored increased and many returned from their Exile righteous Iudges are set up and good men put in Authority The affections of the godly and that of many thousands are moved with zeale to God exceedingly and their hearts stirred up to earnest constant prayer and unwearied labours have seene some gracious returnes of their prayers and fruit of their labours and waite Mica 7. 9. by faith with patience till the Lord plead their cause and execute Iudgement for them Besides notwithstanding the corruption of the fountain God hath from thence produced pure streames planted fruitefull vines in his Orchard When were more young able godly Ministers in England then now When were men stirred up with zeale for God to lift up their voyces like Trumpets to tell Israel Esay 58. 1. Act. 4. 36. 1 Thes 5 14. Psal 147. 1. Esay 8. 11. c. Esay 10. 14. vers 15. 16. her transgressions and Iudah of her sinnes When were more sonnes of consolation to comfort the feeble minded But if God graft new siens and plant young Vines in his Vineyard he is not about to destroy it but rather to gather his own together that he may destroy the wicked by themselves Fifthly no story of any age or people can give a president that ever God destroyed an humbled praying people notwithstanding the irreligiousnesse of a multitude of godlesse men amongst which they live whom God can cut off Mat. 13. 30. some other way or reserve to greater wrath but if a considerable number of repenting reformers have beene found God hath for their sakes spared such a people or Nation therefore this Church and Nation Onely we must consider Tim 2. 19. God lookes for a greater number in Great Britaine than in any other Nation or Kingdome God would have spared Sodom for ten righteous sake yet seven Luk. 12. 48. Gen. 18. 32. 1 King 19. 18. thousand in Israel was too few although God tooke notice of them all and surely twice seven thousand cannot save England but if those in England who have given their Names to Christ be found to be truely repenting praying and reforming their evill wayes with resolution to perseveere undoubtedly England 2 Chro. 7. 14. Iohn 17. 19. shall be saved for their sakes The example of Judea and Jerusalem in the time of Josiah nor the present condition of Germany are no objections of validity against this truth except we resolve to cherish our base lusts seeke our private ends love our selves so as to neglect God and the meanes he hath in mercy freely 1 Chron. 28. 9. ult given us to save us this is to forsake God and then God will forsake us and cast us off for ever and it shall be said of England as once of Babel we would have Jer. 51. 9. healed Babel and she would not be healed c. 6ly Although for these sins now raigning in this Kingdome namely Idolatry prophanation of the Sabboth oppression c. God hath destroyed whole Kingdomes layd them mast and given up his owne people with the wicked into his Ier. 24. 5. enemies hands Yet you must consider it was when generally or wholly the people were willing to yeeld to such sinnes as it was before and instantly after Iosiahs time Besides when those men so given into captivitie have beene sold Dan 6. 6. verse 23. 24. Esth 8. 7. Neh. 4. 8. c. Nehe. 6. 15. 16 1 King 18. 24. to destruction and appointed to slaughter by their enemies maliciously to destroy the Church of God God hath for his owne Names sake given them a glorious deliverance much more will he deliver at this time being now invocated on both sides and called to be Iudge of the truth as in the time of Eliah Yet I say not but England is punished for these sinnes and may be brought very low and into great straights because of unbeleefe lukewarmenesse and impenitencie before she see a full deliverance which if it be so the fault is our owne Hos 13. 9. Seventhly it hath beene usuall with God when admonitions have beene rejected and easier chastisements slighted to lay great and heavie Iudgements upon Deut. 28. 29. his owne people and of long continuance and in these Iudgements to take away many of his children till his people returne and earnestly seeke God and till Hos 5. 15. Ezek. 5. 13. the time of his indignation be accomplished great sinnes and long continued in bring great and long Iudgements except there be proportionable humiliation to prevent it but glorious deliverance to Gods people will come and wonderfull Deut 7. 23. destruction to their enemies will be seene to all the world and assuredly deliverance will come to Britaine if we waite by faith and patience with diligent use of the meanes without murmuring at the miscarriages and accidents in things failing of men or Armies confided in or be discouraged at the seeming unprosperous successe of our Armies or the successefull enterprises Psal 73. 18. Psal 76. 10. of the enemie in all which God hath a secret way of providence and will make to the manifestation of his glory Nor let any man thinke that he shall be delivered by another mans faith and repentance or escape by other mens cost and industry for although enlargement come and the Kingdome be delivered yet Esth 4. 14. the unbeleeving and mammonist may be cut off before or after Consider what became of that great Lord on whose hand King Iehoram leaned because he beleeved not the Word of God Besides at the great day of account Christ may say to such ● King 7. 17. I know you not depart c. You that were not with me were against me Therefore let every one conscionably doe his owne part and duty and then depend Mat. 25. 40. 41 Mat 12. 30. upon God for a glorious and comfortable deliverance which God grant for his Names sake But there are foure evills that exceedingly hinder the worke of Britaines deliverance which must be removed Two concerne private men two concerne the Publicke Magistrate the evills in private men are first neglect of selfe-examination every ones not judging and condemning his owne sinne Secondly our forwardnesse and rashnesse to censure and condemne the faults miscarriages or neglects of others Parliament Armies Commanders c. whom we are bound to pray for as they are the Instruments of God for our good The evills in the publicke Magistrate are first not clensing Gods Armies of knowne Achans who seeke the wedge of Gold and the Babilonish Garment these Iosh 7. 11. 12. hinder God from going out with our Armies cause the mouthes of ill affected men to be opened against our just cause and discourage many well affected people and is an occasion Why our Armies turne the backe upon the enemie secondly the nourishing of flattering Zibas and traiterous Iudasis who take pay of our money are maintained in excesse and riot at our costs while the common Souldiers want necessaries yet like Iudas betray our cause and sell us for gaine Let us pray and our Parliament and Generalls endeavour to have these evills removed And God will be seene to goe out with our Armies and will undoubtedly worke our worke for us save our King and destroy his and our enemies Let all Glory be given to God FINIS