Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A86479
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A letter from Sr Matthew Hale, Kt. sometime Lord Chief Justice of England: to one of his sons, after his recovery from the small-pox
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Hale, Matthew, Sir, 1609-1676.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing H247A; ESTC R228016
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15,415
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40
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means and hath given you an indication that it was done by his own immediate power and that he delivered you above and beyond means It is true you had a very able and careful Physitian and very great attendance and care was used about you But when your Physitian and all that were about you began to despair of your recovery when means proved ineffectual when the strength of Nature was exhausted and baffled by your Disease God Almighty upon a suddain and beyond expectation relieved you and as it were by his own hand brought you back from the very threshold of the Grave And this he did that you and all about you and all your Relations might take notice of it that it was he that did it And thus Almighty God hath exercised towards you two great Experiments the first of his severity the second of his mercy And as your Sickness and Rod had its voice a lowd and sharp voice so your recovery and deliverance hath its voice also a sweet gentle and I hope effectual voice and I will as shortly as I can tell you what it is First Remember this benefit remember it was reached out unto you from the mere power goodness and mercy of God Remember evermore in your Heart and Soul to be thankful to him for it Remember as long as you live upon all occasions to acknowledge it daily to return upon your knees humble thanks for it to him that had regard to you and remembred you in your low Estate to him that forgave your Iniquities and healed your Disease to him that did this for you when all means failed that did it for you when you had not the understanding to call upon him for it to him that did it for you that deserved it not for you that had provoked him and neglected him too much in the time of your health This God it was that thus delivered you Read often the 103 Psalm attentively and apply it to your own Condition it will do you good 2. Remember to acknowledge this goodness of God with all humility your deliverance was not the purchase of your own power nor of your own desert it was an Act of the free and undeserved goodness of God what Almighty God said by Moses unto the Israelites Deut. 9.4.6 I shall say to you with some variation understand therefore that the Lord thy God hath not given thee this deliverance for thy Righteousness No it is the mere effect of his own goodness and to give you opportunity to praise him and serve him better than ever you did before 3. Remember that although great deliverances require your great acknowledgments yet there is somewhat more required namely a real practical glorifying of God by ordering your Conversation aright by serving him pleasing him obeying him living to his honour This Almighty God expects as well as praises and acknowledgments As the end of God in afflictions is to make men better so the end of God in deliverances is to make men better and if we are not the better men by both dispensations we do as much as in us lies disappoint Almighty God in his design and disappoint our selves of the benefit and advantage intended in both and easily to be gained by both This therefore is the voice of this deliverance it calls sweetly and gently indeed but earnestly and effectually for amendment of life And that upon two great and moving arguments 1. Your recovery and great deliverance calls for this from you upon the accompt of common ingenuity and good nature which obligeth a man to be observant and dutiful to his benefactor God Almighty is the greatest Benefactor and hath manifested himself such to you upon a visible and eminent account this is engagement enough upon the account of common humanity to be dutiful and obedient to him When therefore you are at any time by the Temptation of your own Corruption or by the sollicitation of evil persons sollicited to evil Actions Consider thus with your self Is this a becoming return to that God that hath thus wonderfully delivered me Is this the requital that I shall make to him for his mercy Shall I please a vain Lust or a vain Companion and displease the great God of Heaven and Earth that hath thus delivered me and done me more good than all the World could ever do me or than I can ever recompence Do ye thus requite the Lord O ye foolish People and unwise Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee Deut. 32.6 2. This mercy calls for your obedience to God in an eminent manner upon the account of common prudence and discretion the benefit of your obedience to him will be your own your own happiness in this Life and in that to come There is no greater moral security against future dangers and troubles than obedience and reformation of Life upon great deliverances received nor is there any greater invitation of new troubles and mischiefs than ingratitude disobedience and great sins after great mercies and deliverances There is a kind of certain and infallible connexion between great sins after great mercies received and great Judgments to follow Ingentia beneficia ingentia peccata ingentia supplicia Again as I have formerly told you you do not know how soon you may stand in need of the same mercy and goodness of God which you have formerly found You are never out of the reach of his power and the necessity of his help what ever you do therefore never disoblige him by whom you Live and whose extraordinary mercy you may stand in need of you know not how soon There is nothing in the World doth more provoke God than neglect forgetfulness or willful disobedience after signal mercies These provoke the merciful God to a severity of the highest kind because the sweetest and most obliging call of mercy and deliverance is neglected Read the first Chapter of the Proverbs attentively And the merciful God hath given us a plain Rule and Method how he may be served obeyed and pleased he hath given us a plain discovery of his will in the Scriptures of both Testaments Read that often you have it by you and you need not go far to find what is your Maker's Will and what that obedience is that he requires as the return of this and all other his mercies Yet I think it not amiss to mind you of some particulars that may be useful for you upon this occasion and to direct you how particularly to improve it and so order your future Life in some measure answerable to it 1. I would have you make it your first business after your perfect Recovery to Consider the course of your Life past since you came to the Age of discretion and see what hath been amiss in it whether you have not neglected Religion and the Duties of it too much as Prayer hearing the Word Preached observing the Lords day receiving the Sacrament
whether you have not been guilty of intemperance excess of drinking wantonness uncleanness idleness mispending your time and those supplies which have been allowed you for your maintenance whether you have not too much delighted in vain and sinful and disorderly Company vanity and expence in Apparel And if any such or the like faults have been repent of them be sorry for them resolve against them and let the future course of your Life be amended in relation thereunto I have before told you that your heavenly Father hath forgiven you and I have forgiven you neither do I mention these things to upbraid you for them but that you upon the consideration of what hath been amiss may be thereby the better enabled to rectify and set in order your future Life If this be done and practised I will reckon your late sickness and distemper one of the greatest blessings that ever befel you 2. I would have you always keep a habit of the fear of God upon your heart Consider his presence order your Life as in his presence Consider that he always sees you beholds and takes notice of you and especially whether you carry your self answerable to this great deliverance it is one of those Talents for which he will expect an Account from you 3. I would have you frequently and thankfully consider of the great Love of God in Jesus Christ whom he hath given to be the Instructor and Governour and Sacrifice for the sins of you and all Mankind through whom upon Repentance you have assurance of the remission of your sins and eternal Life and frequently consider how great an ingagement this is upon you and all Mankind to live according to such a hope and such a mercy 4. I would have you every morning read a portion of the Holy Scriptures 'till you have read the Bible from the beginning to the end Observe it well read it reverently and attentively set your heart upon it and lay it up in your memory and make it the direction of your life it will make you a wise and a good man I have been acquainted somewhat with Men and Books and have had long experience in Learning and in the World There is no Book like the Bible for excellent Learning Wisdom and Use and it is want of understanding in them that think or speak otherwise 5. Every morning and every evening upon your knees with all reverence and attention of mind return hearty thanks to God for his mercy to you and particularly for this deliverance desire his Grace to enable you to walk in some measure answerable to it beg his Providence to protect you his Grace to direct you to keep you from evil Actions and evil Persons and evil occurrences beg his pardon for your sin and the continuance of his favour always concluding with the Lords Prayer 6. Observe conscionably the Lords day to keep it Holy avoid idle Company idle Discourse Recreations and secular imployments upon that day resort twice that day to the publick Prayers and Sermon come early to it be attentive at it keep your Eyes and Mind from roveing after vain thoughts or objects and spend the rest of that day that is free from necessary occasions in Reading the Scriptures or some good Books of Divinity 7. Once ever Term at least come preparedly and reverently to the Holy Communion receive it with great reverence and thankfulness and due Consideration of the end of its institution Renew your Covenant with Almighty God that you made in Baptism and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly before him and beg his Grace and Strength to perform it And as those directions before do more specially relate to Almighty God and your deportment immediately towards him so these that follow more especially relate to your self and others and your moral Conversation Therefore 8. Be very moderate in Eating and Drinking Drunkenness is the great vice of the time and by Drunkenness I do mean not only gross Drunkenness but also Tipling Drinking excessively and immoderately or more than is convenient or necessary avoid those Companies that are given to it come not into those places that are devoted to that beastly Vice namely Taverns and Alehouses avoid and refuse those devices that are used to occasion it as Drinking and Pledging of Healths Be resolute against it and when your resolution is once known you will never be sollicited to it The Rechabites were Commanded by their Father not to drink Wine and they obeyed it and had a blessing for it my Command to you is not so strict I allow you the moderate use of Wine and strong Drink at your meals I only forbid you the excess or unnecessary use of it and those Places and Companies and Artifices that are Temptations to it 9. Avoid Wanton and Lascivious Speeches and Company Read Proverbs 2 5 6 7.9 A Whore hunts for the precious Life of a man and that vice brings a ruine with it to the Body Soul and Estate If you cannot Conveniently contain your self in a single Life and be of Competent health Marry but with the Advise and Counsel of your Father while he lives 10. Be frugal of your time it is one of the best Jewels we have and to that end avoid Idleness it consumes your time and lays you open to worse inconveniences let your Recreations be healthy and Creditable and Moderate without too much expence of time or money Go not to Stage-plays they are a most profuse wasting of time value time by that estimate we would have of it when we want it what would not a sick-man give for those portions of time of health that he had formerly improvidently wasted 11. Bee diligent in your Study and Calling it is an Act of duty to Almighty God that requires it and it will be your wisdom and benefit it will be a good expence of time a prevention from a Thousand inconveniences and temptations that otherwise will befall a man it will furnish you with knowledge and understanding give you the advantage and means of a comfortable and plentiful subsistence and make you a support comfort and benefit to your Friends and Country 12. Be frugal in your expences live within the Compass of that Exhibition that Gods Providence and your Father's abilities shall supply you withall it is enough to maintain an honest provident man and ten times more will not be enough for a profuse mind A frugal man will live Comfortably and Plentifully upon a little and a profuse man will live beggerly necessitously and in continual want whatever his supplies be 13. In all your expences consider before hand Can I not be well enough without this that I am about to buy Is there an absolute necessity of it Can I not forbear 'till I am in a better Condition to compass it If I buy or borrow can I pay And when And am I sure will this expence hold out How shall I bring about the next Quarter or the next