Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	heart_n	lord_n	soul_n	3,745	5	4.9226	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09850	A looking-glasse for the soule, and a definition thereof. Written by Edward Popham Gentleman	Popham, Edward, gentleman.	1619 (1619)	STC 20115; ESTC S102083	11,412	70

when stripped out of our mortall weede and turned out of the seruice house-roome of this world we were forced to enter into vncouth and strange pathes and with vnknowne strange and ougly company be convented before a most seuere Iudge carrying in our consciences our iudgement written and a perfect register of our misdeeds when wee should see him prepared to passe sentence vpon vs against whom wee haue grieuously transgressed and the same to be our Vmper whom by many offences we haue vrged to be our aduersary when not onely the Diuells but Angels should plead against vs and our selues maugre our wills should be our sharpest appeachers What should we doe in these dreadful exigents when we saw that gastly Dungeon and huge gulfe of Hell breaking out with most dreadfull flames when wee should see the weeping howling and gnashing of teeth the rage of hellish Monsters the horrour of the place the rigour of the paine the terrour of the company and eternity of the punishment wee would not thinke it time to delay such weighty matters and idly to play away the time allotted to preuent those intollerable punishments And would we then thinke it secure to nurse in our bosomes as many Serpents as sinnes or to foster in our Soules so many malitious accusers as mortall faults would we not thinke one life too little to doe pennance for so many Sinnes Why then doe we not deuote thesmall remnant of our time and surplussage of our daies to make Attonement with God by the blood of Iesus Christ What haue wee gotten by being so long a customer to the world but false ware sutable to the shoppe of such a Marchant whose trafficke is toyle wealth is trash and whose gaine is misery What interest haue we got that may equal our detrements in grace and vertue Or what could wee finde in a Vale of teares proportionable to the fauour of God with the losse whereof we were contented to buy it Let vs not still be inueagled with the passions of youth which make a partial estimate of things setting no difference betweene currant and counterfeit But let such passions either now be worne out of force by tract of time or fall into reproofe by the triall of folly If this carnal security be but an vngrounded presumption of the mercy of God and the flattring hope of his assistance at the last plunge but the ordinary Lure of the Diuell to reclaime Sinners from the pursuite of vertue as it is with many it were too palpable a collusion to mislead sound sensible people howsoeuer it preuaile with sicke and infected Iudgements For who would relye eternal affaires vpon the gliding slipperinesse and running streame of our vncertain life Or who but of distempered wits would offer fraud to the decipherer of al thoughts With whom dissemble wee may to our costs but to deceiue him it is vnpossiible Shal wee esteeme it cunning to rob the time from him bestow it on his enemies who keepeth a talle of the lest minutes of our life and will examine in the end how each moment hath beene imployed It is a preposterous pollicy in any wise conceit to fight against God till our weapons be blunted our forces consumed our limbs impotent and our best time spent and when we fall for faintnes and haue fought our selues almost dead to presume of his mercie The wounds of his sacred Bodie so often rubbed and renued by our sinnes and euery parcell of our owne so sundry wayes abused being so many whetstones to edge and exasperate his reuenge against vs why should we then presume of mercy It were a strange peece of Art and a very exorbitant course while the Ship is sound the Pylot well the Sailers strong and the Gale forcible to lye idly at Roade burning so seasonable weather and when the Ship leaketh the Pylot is sick the Marriners faint the storme boysterous and the Sea a turmoile of outragious surges to hoise vp sailes and set out for a farre voyage into a strange Countrey Such is the skill of these euening Repenters who though in the soundnesse of health and perfect vse of reason they cannot endeauour to cut the Cables and weigh the Anchors that withhold them from God Neuertheles they feed themselues with a strong perswasion that when their senses are astonied their wits distracted their vnderstanding dusked and both body and mind racked tormented with the throbs and gripes of a mortall sicknesse Then forsooth they will thinke of the weightiest matters and become sodaine Saints when they are scarce able to behaue themselues like reasonable creatures If neither the Cannon Ciuill nor Common Law alloweth that a man perisht in iudgement shall make any Testament or bequest of his temporall substance being then thoughtto belesse then a man How can he that is turmoiled with inward garboiles of an vnsetled Conscience distrained with the wringing fits of his dying flesh maimed in all his abilities and circled in with so strange incumbrances bethought of due discretion to dispose of his chiefest treasure which is his Soule and to dispatch the whole mannaging of eternity and the treasures of heauen in so short a space of time No no they that loiter in seed time and beginne onely to sowe when others reape they that will ryot out their health and cast their accounts when they can scarce speake they that doe slumber out the day and enter their iourney when the light doth faile them let them thanke their owne folly if they dye in debt and eternall beggary and fall headlong into the lapse of euerlasting perdition Let such hearken vnto S. Cyprians lesson who saith Let the grieuousnes of our sinne be the measure of our sorrow let a deepe wound haue a diligent cure let no mans contrition be lesse then his crime Thinke wee that our Lord can so soone be appeased whom with perditious words we haue offended No wee must fall prostrate on the ground humbling our seiues in Sackclothe and Ashes and hauing forced our stomackes with the surfet of the Diuell wee must now desire to fast from all earthly foode applying our selues to good works instead of offences and in singlenesse of heart effect our Christian duties to auoide the death of our Soules that Christ may receiue that which the persecuter would haue spoyled Euery short sigh will not be a sufficient satisfaction nor euery knocke a warrant to get in many cry Lord Lord and are not accepted the foolish Virgins knocked and were not admitted Iudas had some sorrow and yet died desperate forslowe not the time saith the Holy Ghost to be conuerted to God linger not off from day to day for sodainely will his wrath come and in his reuenge hee will destroy thee Let vs not soiourne long in sinnefull security nor passe ouer Repentance till feare inforce vs to it let vs frame our premises as wee would finde our conclusion and indeauor to liue as wee desire to dye Shall we offer the

A Looking-glasse for the SOVLE AND A DEFINITION thereof WRITTEN By Edward Popham Gentleman LONDON Printed by T. S. for Nathanael Newbery and are to be sold at the signe of the Star in Popes-head Alley and vnder S. Peters Church in Corne-hill 1619. TO HIS BEST worthy and most endeered Friend Mr. Iohn de Hem Merchant of this Honourable Cittie of London Edward Popham wisheth all terrestriall blessings in this world and the fulnesse of all celestiall blessings in the Life to come MY most loued and best esteemed Friend I haue read that mongst that little laborious Common-wealth of Bees they haue a law that if a Drone hauing lost his sting which gaue him spirit to labour because being armed with that hee was able to encounter with his aduersary now giuing himselfe to sloth and sucke the honey from the rest he is by a generall consent presently thrust out and banisht or put to death as an vnprofitable member To auoyde which imputation I haue gathered vp some remnants of time to meditate vpon an euerlasting subiect which is the Soule a subiect being created to serue her immortall King and euerlasting because a blessed euerlasting life is her reward if she perseuere in her Creators seruice to the end I confesse it is a large field whereon in expert Artist may frame and build a goodly Cittie ●ut I being but a simple la●ourer dare not presume to speake of Colossus or build pyramides wonders of the world lest in piercing too high I meete with Babell and so fall to ruine Yet as the poore widdow in the Gospell amongst the many great superfluous gifts did not doubt but her mite would be accepted so I doubt not but mongst those many huge vollumes that swarme in the world some well-iudging Christian may cast his eye on my poore worke so may giue a gentle conclusion saying this poore man hath cast in his Mite into the treasury and brought one little stone to the eternall building To giue a better glosse to my small commodity I haue thought good my deere Friend to patronize it vnder your protection coniuring you by all the lawes of friendship not to refuse the guardiance of this poore Infant but nourish it with your best loue for which you shall be sure to finde double requitall first you shal bind my poore loue and labour to your seruice and last which is best you shall find Gods blessing to your soule and body to whose protection I leaue you and rest yours euer deuoted Edward Popham THE PREFACE OR Introduction THe soueraigne decree of God enacted by the Father of Heauen ratified by his Sonne and daily repeated by the instinct of the Holy Ghost bindeth euery good Christian to distribute according to their measure lent be it more or lesse so it may any waies profit following that saying of Plato Non solum nobis nati sumus For it is a motiue that alloweth of no excuse but of necessity presseth euery good mind to the performance of dutie Nature by grace is not abolished but perfected not murthered but manured neither are her impressions quite rased or anulled but suted to the colours of faith and vertue And if Natures affections be so forcible that euen ●n Hell where rankor and 〈◊〉 spight raineth and all feeling of Gods goodnesse is ouerwhelmed in mallice it moued the rich glutton by experience of his owne misery to carry a desire of admonition to his friends much more in the Church of God where grace quickeneth charity inflameth and Natures inclination directed by supernaturall grace prouoketh ought the dutie of piety to preuaile And who but more mercilesse then damned Creatures could see their Christian Brethren almost plunged in like perill and not be wounded with deep remorse of their lamentable imminent hazard If in beholding a mortall enemy wrung and tortured with deadly pangs the toughest heart softneth with some Sorrow If the most fierce mind cannot but thaw melt with pitty when it seeth the worst Miscreant suffer his deserued torments how much lesse can a Christian heart consider the number of such which daily fall into farre more bitter extreamities and not bleed in griefe for their vncomfortable case nay rather imploy all their cares studies and indeauours to winne and reclaime them from that dangerous brincke of perdition Surely though I challenge not the prerogatiue of the best disposition yet my desire is with young Tobias to trauell and bring home spirituall substance and medicinable receits to cure such ghostly malladie as euidently at this day is to be seene and did in no former Age more exceedingly abound I haue with Esau prouided Venison which may procure a blessing and bread with Ioseph for the repast of their soules which most carelesly they oppresse with famine in time of plenty Let it not therfore be thought any dishonor to men of more grauity or disparagemement to any person whatsoeuer that I in all humility offer my aduise in a case so much to be pittied and a time so dangerous One man cannot be perfect in all faculties neither is it any disgrace to the Goldsmith if he be ignorant of the Millers trade Many are deepe Lawyers but shallow Diuines and are farre to seeke in religious actions If therefore I offer the fruits of my labours and make you apresent of my zealous indeauours I hope you will censure thereof rather as of the part of a dutifull Christian then of any poynt of presumption And so I humbly refer you to the rest as followeth Demidium facti qui bene coepit habet Jbi res humanae nunquàm prosperè succedunt vbi negliguntur diuinae A DEFINITION OF The Soule FIRST it is an immateriall substance While it doth reuiue the body it is the Soule when it willeth or chooseth any thing it may though improperly be called the Minde While is knoweth any thing it may be called though improperly againe the Vnderstanding While it iudgeth some haue tearmed is Reason While it doth breath or contemplate a Spirit While it calls any thing to minde the Memorie While it thinketh any thing though more grosely the Sence But to speake of the Soule as it is it is an immateriall substance and Reason Memory Sence c. are the seuerall faculties and diuers opperations thereof A Looking-glasse for the Sovle MOst necessary and behoouefull it is for euery good Christian humbly and heartily to beseech God for his Sonne Christ his sake the honour of his glorious Name our dutie towards the Church and the comfort of our Soules that wee may seriously consider the termes of our present estate wherein we stand and weigh our selues in a Christian ballance taking for our counterpoyze the Iudgements of God Let vs take heede in time that the word Tekel written Dan 5. 25. of old against Baltazar and interpreted by Daniel be not verified in vs whose exposition was You haue beene poyzed in the Ballance and found of too light waight Let vs remember