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	love_n	love_v	3,572	5	6.5737	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44789	A general epistle to the dispersed and persecuted flock of Christ Jesus in the dominion of England and all parts and regions where this shall come who have believed in Christ the Light of the World and now suffers for his names sake / [by] F.H.	Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669.	1665 (1665)	Wing H3161; ESTC R30345	10,851	16

as all the day long and reputed we are as not fit to live in our Native Land neither to enjoy our own Wives and Children a thing common to all men Christian and Heathen neither to breath in the common air And how many grievous things hath been heaped and are daily upon our backs that we are factious seditious enemies to Magistrates to the Ministers of Christ Plotters Conspirators against humane Government enemies to the King disobedient to the Lawes broachers of heresie authors of sedition enemies to the Church and State And this the Devil who was a lyar and a murderer and a slanderer from the Beginning he hath put a Lying spirit in the mouthes of some and it s entred into the hearts of others And thus by them are the Powers of the Earth stirred up and the Rulers to persecute us without any just cause but this must not be counted persecution for all the aforesaid things and many more he hath perswaded them we are guilty of and therefore all that comes upon us It must be reckoned as just and is an equal reward for our offences and as just punishment for our transgression and disobedience and so is no persecution at all and he hath winesses enough to testifie against us as he had against Christ all the Scribes and Pharisees and the Leaders and Rulers of the People with the high Priests Judas and all to testifie against him that he was not fit to live but all cry away with him Even so now he hath all the Rabbyes and Elders and all the time-serving Hirelings who serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellyes and all formal professors who profess him in words but denyes him in works and despises his cross with all Drunkards Lyars and Swear●rs all proud and covetous all wanton and riotous and all that loves the pleasures of sin for a season all these will give their verdict against us There was and is a Generation that called darkness light and light darkness and good evil and evil good the judgment of all such is false and must be judged and God who hath Immortality and dwells in the Light with whom is no darkness at all judgeth not as these men therefore let us never heed the censures and judgment of fallen men who erre in their judgment who cannot judge for God or his people but against them let us count it a light thing to be judged or condemned by man seeing the Lord justifies us in his work and service whereunto we are called and all the aforesaid crimes falsly laid to our charge he cleares us off and we can with a good conscience and pure heart bid defiance to all the powers of darkness and all the enemies of God and the Lord will clear us more and more as his power glory and light appears in the Earth and brings forth our Righteousness as the Noon-day before our enemies notwithstanding all the false aspersions and reproaches cast upon us in the mean time If we be crowned with reproaches as Christ was with thorns and evilly intreated for his names sake let us bear all things and endure all things with patience and hope to the end And though they cover us with bare skins and with draff as the Heathen did the Primitive Christians and so let all the wild beasts upon us let us give up our bodies as a sacrifice unto the Lord and for a witness unto his name and truth that so we all may witness eternal rest unto our Souls and Everlasting joy in his Heavenly habitation where all Persecutors and evil doers are shut out Dearly Beloved of the Lord I write not these things unto you because you many of you do not know them but because you know them to put you all in mind and to stir up your he●rts to the holy consideration of these things in these perilous and trying times and in very truth whatsoever doth lye within my view that might conduce to any or all your good I cannot withhold it from you because I know it is not only my duty but I can truly say the love of Christ constrains me for my soul heart and life is knit unto you in the everlasting Covenant of life above all the Families of the Earth and the more you are hated the more I love you and the more you are despised and set at naught the more I prize you and the more you are compassed about on every side with tryals and afflictions the more my soul is poured forth unto the Lord for you that you may be kept stedfast in the faith and hope in the Lord unto the end that you may receive his rewa●d the Crown of Glory which is laid up for all them that love the Appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Faith do overcome And blessed and happy are all they that keep their Garments clean in this polluted time wherein wickedness walkes with open face and ungodliness with an outstretched neck and is exalted in great heigth and doth corrupt many and the Earth is growing ripe with wickedness for destruction for the proud are counted happy and they that work wickedness is admired and gloryed in as the only brave men of these times which they make evil through yeilding themselves servants unto sin and their lusts ease and worldly enjoyments and immediately drop down into eternal perdition And its time for the Lord to arise and plead with all Flesh for Men make void his Law and goes about to establish their own in opposition thereunto for violence cruelty and hardness of heart and persecution are the forerunners of desolation and destruction rhese things do generally abound all is secure and at ease hardness of heart is generally over people and clearly to me it doth presage Judgment tenderness of heart and spirit is generally lost among people and the most have made shipwrack of all their Hope Faith and Professi●n to please the time and men of this Generation who is perverse and froward they have been treacherous to God and to their own Souls and cannot do good to his people Keep as much as in you lies out of their spirit and manners for they corrupt And though Gods Judgments be abroad in the Land and his Anger kindled and broken forth yet few enquires the cause or saith what have I done but if any do enquire it is generally in that dark spirit that leads them to evil which God hides his councel from and will not be found of and yet they make conclusions and gives judgment as the Heathen of old if any Pestilence Famine or drought or Judgment came upon them they said the Christians was the cause and so stirred up Persecution against them the like the Dreamers of this age in their mock-fasts and humiliations they say heresie is the cause and because all does not conform and are not willing to submit to the changable institutions of Men though never so repugnant to the Law