Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	expression_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	10	3	9.5007	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35955	Therapeutica sacra shewing briefly the method of healing the diseases of the conscience, concerning regeneration / written first in Latine by David Dickson ; and thereafter translated by him.	Dickson, David, 1583?-1663.	1664 (1664)	Wing D1408; ESTC R24294	376,326	551

sealed with the spirit of promise Ephes. 1. 11. As it is not sufficient to prove that wholsom water given to a feaver-sick person is not a wholsom drink because the cooling refreshment by it endureth but a short while So it is not sufficient to prove that consolation and joy given to a sorrowfull sinner seeking favour through Christ is not solid and true joy because it stayeth but a short while It is sufficient that it hath stayed so long as was needfull for after the word of promise was believed the joy was sent to ease the afflicted souls present grief and to give him earnest that full and lasting joy should be given in due time unto him When the messenger hath done his commission let him return to his master As the sheet let down in the vision from heaven to Peter after it had served for Peters instruction it was taken up to heaven again Act. 10. The Spouse in the Canticle knew by experience that her spiritual joyes would not last long and therefore chargeth the daughters of Ierusalem that they waken not her beloved till he pleased 5. Another objection is this If my joy had been solid saith the afflicted it should have brought forth better fruits then it hath done but joy spiritual as I then called it did degenerat into a carnal security and I was not the more holy by it To which objection the answer may be this the blame of this is not to be laid on spiritual joy but upon the abuse of this mercy by ingratitude for this gracious blink of felt favour negligence in the use of means to entertain this sense by sleepinesse of conscience and other sins and namely the laying too much weight upon this sense and not fixing the heart by so much more upon the word of promise when felt consolation may be withdrawn is a just cause for spiritual joy is not given to any to build upon its continuance but to make the convert hold the confirmed word of promise so much the faster when for the exercise of faith comfortable feelings are withdrawn The spouse in the Canticle after a feast of this kind falleth a sleep and giveth slight entertaining to the Bridegroom when called upon by his word for which she is chastised by his withdrawing of his comfortable presence Cant. 5. 1 2 3. c. But let us put the case that the felt joy of the spirit were not abused yet is it not unusual for God to withdraw consolation and to send trouble and anguish on the soul of his dear child to try his faith and train him on to hold the word of his grace in the hardest condition he can be into as he did exercise Iob and Ieremie the Prophet Ier. 20. and the Psalmist Ps. 77. In which condition to suspect that the consolation and joy of the spirit speaking to the heart by his word is not his gracious operation or is a delusion cannot but exceedingly grieve the Lord and give him cause to chastise this suspicion with desertion 6. But how may I know saith the afflicted that my joy was solid and was indeed the gracious operation of the holy Spirit For answer 1. If this joy was given to him when or after he was lamenting his sins and fearing wrath deserved and flying unto Christ offered in the Gospel he hath reason to reckon that joy to be such as the Word of the Gospel doth promise and approve 2. If during the time of his sweet feeling of peace and joy through Christ he found his faith in God and love to Christ confirmed and strengthned if the Word of the Gospel was in more estimation with him if his heart was inlarged to blesse praise and thank God for manifesting himself in Christ reconciled if the purpose of following after holinesse was renewed in him he hath no reason to suspect his joy and comfort 3. If after the removing of this sweet feeling he is going on in the study of holinesse believing in Christ how heavy in heart soever he may be by affliction and tentation he may be assured his sometime felt joy of the Lords Spirit was solid and his present suspicion thereof to be an evidence of his infirmity and of a tentation from Sathan This was the way how the Psalmist wrestled out of his sad condition Ps. 77. CHAP. XIV Of the converts suspecting that his zeal for God and against the sins of others hath been fleshly severity and imprudent temerity IT cometh to passe that they who love God sincerely and cannot endure the out-breakings of the wicked do sometimes transgresse the bounds of moderat zeal and being overtaken in some miscarriage for which being rebuked by their friends or by them in power censured or civilly chastised do in stead of moderating their zeal in time coming grow more slack and remisse in their zeal suspecting themselves inclined to unreasonable severity and rashnesse and ready to be esteemed haters of mens persons by those among whom they live as in some by-gone experience they have already felt And upon this occasion the tentation of Sathan falleth on tending to extinguish the fervency of true zeal required in all true converts And here there is danger lest true zeal grow cold and the convert become luke-warm both in curbing sin in others under his charge and in pursuing duties in his own person In which sicknesse he may be the better pleased with himself by so much as his friends and others do commend him for his moderation and prudence as they shall call it 2. As to the remedy of this evil there is no doubt but that may befall true zeal which is common to other vertues of which there is none so perfect but some in-lake or excesse may be observed in them And therefore as it is without reason to go back from pursuing duty in the exercise of other vertues because imperfections therein are remarkable from time to time So is it without reason to grow luke-warm in zeal which may render a man loathsome unto Christ Rev. 2. 3. Wherefore let the convert take heed what the Lords Word doth require of him in his calling and labour to discharge his duty towards others so as he may be found both zealous and prudent that in the expressions of his zeal against sin meeknesse and love to the offender may be manifested 2. To this intent let the convert carefully take heed to entertain these three properties of commendable zeal which are 1. The fear of God 2. Humility of heart 3. The love of his neighbour for the fear of God will not suffer the convert to depart from his commandments Humility of heart will make the man modest in his expressions and the love of his neighbour will make him mix meeknesse and compassion toward sinners with his zeal against offences This is the right seasoning of zeal which the Apostle calleth the zeal of God according to knowledge CHAP. XV. Of the converts suspecting his aiming at circumspect

thankfull acknowledgment of the favour prayed for they find themselves come short of their purposed promised and hoped-for chearfulness● and alacrity in praising and thanking the Lord whereupon they not only fall in heavinesse but also in a sort of indignation against themselves and quarrellous complaining of their condition and by this means are so far from performing their vows that by their imprudence they do involve themselves in no small guiltinesse and for this distemper of mind and indignation against themselves they conceive themselves to have just reason partly because they find their rejoycing in God and thanksgiving to him for the benefit received nothing answerable to their earnest praying for it partly because the benefit received seems to them to have lost much of the estimation it had before they did receive it partly because they find even that small measure of joy at the receiving of the benefit after some few dayes to grow cold and likly to evanish Hence doth suspicion begin to get footing in them that for their ingratitude the Lord is angry with them and hath bestowed the benefit on them not in mercy but in wrath and so they fall in the guiltinesse of ingratitude more and more 2. For removing of this evil five practical errors must be removed which ordinarily concur in this sicknesse The first is this the afflicted in his promising unto God to be thankfull will be found to have had too much confidence in his own strength trusting that in his resolution his heart could not but melt in the sense of the mercy granted And this appeareth by his indignation against himself when he findeth that in his resolution his heart hath deceived him as if he had expected the benefit from God and the thanksgiving from himself whereas he should have distinguished these two benefits to wit the gift prayed for and the thanksgiving for it and should have depended upon God for bestowing of both for the grace of thankfulnesse for a benefit asked and received is greater then the benefit prayed for which if the afflicted had considered well he should have humbled himself before God for his not performance of his duty rather then fallen in a proud quarrelling for his inability to be thankfull 3. The second error is an unequal comparison between the desire he had to obtain the benefit and the rejoycing in God for the benefit received for the desire to obtain the benefit oft-times hath in it a great measure of natural and carnal appetite and seeking of some part of self-perfection but the rejoycing in God which the convert purposed to offer for the benefit is spiritual And we are much more inclined to seek these things which pertain to the commodity of this life then to perform spiritual duties So that it is not to be wondered at when our desires in part natural are not followed with equal affection spiritual 4. The third error is when the convert doth not put difference between the estimation of the benefit and the joy in God for bestowing of it but measureth them with the same line not considering that estimation is the act of the intellect and judgment and that joy is the act of the affection and both of them in this case exercised about divers obiects the estimation respecting the benefit it self the affection of rejoycing in God who did bestow it respecting the giver of the benefit Now the estimation of and delighting in the benefit may be lesse or more while the estimation of Gods goodnesse in bestowing of it remaineth the same And therefore the convert should not charge himself for lake of estimation of God and his gifts albeit he feel much variety in the respective motions of his affections 5. The fourth error is when the convert counts all the estimation of and thanksgiving for the benefit temporal or spiritual received as nothing because it is not answerable to the worth of what is received or to the kindnesse of God who hath granted it which reason if it were of weight there should be no acceptable thanksgiving from any Saint on earth during this present life for it is impossible that any measure of thankfulnesse from men should be found answerable to the causes of their thankfulnesse whether manifested in temporal or spiritual benefits And therefore upon this consideration the Psalmist Ps. 116. 11. cryeth our What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me 6. The ●ifth error is when the convert taketh it for an evidence of an unthankfull mind if the fervour of praising God once kindled after the fresh receit of the mercy shall after some time seem to cool or decay which if it were true no room should be left to any holy affection except only to the expression of joy for benefits received But the truth is that one duty must so be studied as other duties have their time and place also for we are commanded to rejoyce and tremble also to rejoyce with them that rejoyce and to mourn with them that mourn Again we must acknowledge that some expressions of thankfulnesse becometh the convert upon the fresh receit of the benefit which are not required to be alwayes afterward continued We read of the impotent criple restored to his limbs by Peter Act. 3. 8. and that for joy he leaped and cryed out but no man would require of him that he should alwayes thereafter have daunced and cryed out and yet he might be found among the number of thankfull receivers of favour from God 7. These errors then being removed let the convert 1. with the Psalmist Ps. 103. charge his soul to blesse God at all times and to remember all his benefits and not forget any of them and to confess his obligation to God which in the Scripture and specially in the Psalms is put for blessing praising and thanking God for the word that signifieth in the Original to confess and praise or thank is oft-times one and the same 2. Let him beg grace to be thankfull for benefits no lesse earnestly then he doth beg the promised benefits themselves 3. Let him put the sacrifices of thanks and praise in Christs hands by whom the calves of our lips are made acceptable unto God 4. Let the convert comfort himself that in the life to come he shall be taken up with praise and thanks-giving to God for ever and ever CHAP. XXIV Concerning the converts imprudent censure of himself for his felt impatiency in bearing lesser troubles after his patient bearing of greater troubles SUndry converts when greater troubles do assault them do humble themselves in the acknowledgement of their inability and pray unto God for patience and strength to bear their burthen But when lesser troubles surprize them they are foyled and overcome by their passions For example in the smaller pains of body loss of goods injuries done to them unexpected by word or deed and here they fume and fret and break forth in some expressions of impatiency