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	law_n	sabbath_n	1,963	5	9.4513	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16616	A plaine and pithy exposition of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians. By that learned & judicious diuine Mr William Bradshaw, sometime fellow of Sidney Colledge in Cambridge. Published since his deceasse by Thomas Gataker B. of D. and paster of Rotherhith	Bradshaw, William, 1571-1618.; Gataker, Thomas, 1574-1654.	1620 (1620)	STC 3523; ESTC S106386	110,550	220

himselfe except he by the mouth of his Spirit speake peace vnto their Soules they will still feare that they are out of grace and fauour with God Any fancie or conceit is sufficient to perswade wicked men that they are in grace and at peace with God yea those ordinarily are most conceited of it that are furthest from it But the Apostles wish here is the wish of euery true Christian that they may haue it from God the Father and from Iesus Christ as it were vnder their hand and seale But when may a Christian be said to receiue grace and peace from God c When the Spirit of God in the due vse of Gods holy ordinances doth seale and confirme the same to the soule and conscience of an humbled sinner that groneth vnder the burthen of his sinnes Then doth the Grace and Peace of God come vnto thee from God when the Spirit of God testifies vnto thy spirit in the word in the Sacraments in the Church in the Ministerie c that thou art in grace and fauour with him VERS 3. We ought to thanke God alwaies for you brethren as it is meet THe third part of this Epistle beginning here reaching to the end of the Chapter is spent in Consolation wherein the Apostle labours to hearten and incourage them against the troubles and persecutions which they suffered for their profession thereby the more to strengthen and confirme them in the faith of Iesus Christ. This method is vsually obserued in all letters when men write to them that are in any trouble or affliction after they haue saluted them and before they write of other matters vnto them to comfort them By the way before we come to particulars we may obserue one speciall reason why he wisheth vnto this Church Grace and Peace from God the Father and from Iesus Christ because for God the Father and for Iesus Christs sake they had lost all grace and fauour and peace with men so that the more disgrace and the lesse peace that Christians haue with men for the profession of Iesus Christ the more grace and peace they may expect from God For that which vpon this ground the Spirit of God doth wish vnto a man it will effect The more then that men for Gods cause doe disgrace vs and warre with vs the more God shewes his grace and fauour vnto vs. The first meanes he vseth to comfort them by is by praising and commending them for those graces which in these their trouhles and persecutions they did manifest to be in them vers 3 4. wherein in his owne name and in the name of Timothie and Silvanus he first vnfainedly acknowledgeth that for their sakes they were bound to giue thanks vnto God as long as they liue What a glory was this vnto this Church that these three Worthies should professe and acknowledge thus much vnto them Our lessons hence are these 1. That if we behaue our selues in the house and Church of God as we ought to doe we shall binde all Christians yea the Prophets and Apostles and all the Saints of heauen vnto vs. They shall be indebted vnto God for vs and shall esteeme themselues bound for euer to praise and magnifie his name for vs. And let vs neuer thinke we haue demeaned our selues as we ought to doe in Gods Church vntill we haue giuen iust cause to all the godly that knowes vs especially to our Pastors and Ministers to praise and blesse God for vs and to esteeme themselues eternally indebted vnto God for our sakes But alas most of vs doe so behaue our selues in Gods Church that we giue our Ministers and all religious people cause rather to mourne before the Lord and to complaine vnto him of vs. 2. Let vs from Pauls example of how great note and worth so euer we be in Gods Church learne to esteeme Gods graces in others as blessings vpon our selues and to haue such interest in the fruit of them as to thinke our selues bound and indebted vnto God in all thankfulnes for them as if we our selues had a title to and an interest in them There was not the poorest Christian in Thessalonica but Paul himselfe did thinke himselfe the better for that Grace that was in him We are all members of one mysticall bodie the grace of one member is the honor of another and it is a signe that that man doth not esteeme his brother a fellow-member of the same bodie with him that counts his brothers Graces disgraces vnto him as though his owne graces were eclipsed and lost their lustre through the brightnes of anothers We know that the comelinesse of the hand or foote doth not eclipse but rather adde beauty to the beauty of the face If therefore we iudge our brethren members of the same mysticall bodie of Christ with vs we cannot but esteeme their graces a grace vnto vs and that our selues how bright soeuer do shine so much the more by the beames of their graces and therefore we are bound in a bond of debt vnto God for them as Paul here acknowledgeth But we are most of vs so far from this that we hardly thinke our selues bound to giue God thanks for those gifts and graces that are in our selues we so seldome so coldly so slightly and negligently performe this dutie And as for the graces of others we are the Lord be mercifull vnto vs for the same of this disposition rather to murmure grudge and repine against God for them as though the more he bestowed his graces vpon them the more he did wrong and disgrace vs. Because that your faith groweth exceedingly and the loue of euery one of you one towards another aboundeth This is the reason why Paul Silvanus c acknowledge themselues bound to be thankfull vnto God as is aforesaid wherein is expressed the speciall matter and argument of their praise Their exceeding growth and increase in faith and loue whereby he meanes all religious duties to God and man required either in the Law or Gospell They shewed euery day more and more zeale to Gods glory in making more and more conscience of the Ordinances of God they shewed greater and greater delight in the word the Sacraments the Sabboth the Ministerie Prayer they daily more and more grew in knowledge and manifested more and more the signes and tokens of Repentance and ouer and besides this they were euery day more and more kinde louing and free-hearted one to another one striuing to goe before another not in the duties of Pietie and Religion only but also in louing kindnesse humilitie liberalitie fidelitie curtesie iustice c from such fruits as these doth the Apostle gather the increase and growth of their Faith and Loue. For as Faith and Loue are seene vnto men onely by the works that proceed therefrom so the growth and increase of them is seene by the growth and increase of works Neuer tell me that any groweth in Faith and Loue but he that groweth and