Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	holy_a	keep_v	sabbath_n	2,405	5	9.4746	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26388	The Addresse of some ministers of Christ in the Isle of Wight & County of Southampton to the people of their respective charges, by way of exhortation, to discharge their parts of those two great and necessary duties, private conference and catechising		1658 (1658)	Wing A545; ESTC R8217	16,345	31

be perswaded of very many that both the Mother Nurse of their miscariages is their ignorance being never yet possessed of so much illumination as throughly to perceive the filthy and damnable nature of sin the necessity of an interest in Christ and of that work of grace by his Spirit upon their souls without which no man shall see the Lord Our Charity prevailing with us at least to think that if the generality of men were able to see the wrath of God and the torments of hell in every sinne they would not doat upon it and to see Christ exalted to be a Prince to give repentance and remission of sins they would not by their wilfull impieties send so many messages to him every day that they will not have this man to reign over them If they knew more they would live better if they did not see so little they would not sin so much they would not so constantly go out of their way did they not go in the dark Your selves Brethren are our witnesses that in the course of our Ministry we have made it much of our businesse to informe mens judgments being very sure of this that unlesse we could have a knowing people we should never have a gratious people as we are to blesse God for any the least successe of his Gospel to this purpose we are also deeply to be humbled that it hath been no more that very many are ignorant still and not able to evidence themselves owners of so much knowledge as may be presumed to let in Christ by Faith into their souls our deep sense of which hath brought us together put us upon our prayers to God and a mutuall contribution of advice and councell to one another what further course to take that by the blessing of God might promote your edification at a better rate be a way to a speedier implantation of Light and Grace in your souls and make room in your heads and hearts for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our publick preaching To which end and purpose for every one of us to revive and constantly to practise the too long neglected duties of Private Conference and Catechizing in our respective Charges is a course which we have apprehended to promise us the most comfortable successe We have therefore unanimously agreed and resolved to adde to our more publick ministeriall labours the faithfull serious and constant discharge of these duties that by laying out our talents as many ways as they may possibly be improveable for the good of all we may by the grace of Christ going along with us be instrumentall in saving some Now our endeavours shall be to instruct By 1. Chatechizing all within our respective Charges that are under the Government of others 2. Private Conference all the rest Not that we would be understood to exclude any that are reducible to either of these ranks from the benefit of both or so much as an intimation to mean it not to be the duty of all to submit to both but have thus propounded it out of a condescention to that weaknesse of too much force upon most mens Spirits which suggesteth it to be a matter of shame for persons that are aged to be Catechized but never inclineth them to so much as the least blushing that they have need of it So your selves being able to testifie that we are in a manner necessitated to this method we shall beg the conjunction of your prayers with ours for a blessing from Heaven upon it and in as few words as we conveniently may bespeak your compliance with us in it And First as to the Catechizing of all that are under the Government we mean the domesticall Government of others We have a request to make To 1 The Governing party 2 The Governed 1. To Masters Mistresses and such as have the care of others in their families committed to them our earnest desire is that no neglect of yours may bring upon you the guilt of accessaries to the obstruction of so good a work which you will by no means be able to prevent but by contributing what you can to the promotion of it by teaching your children and servants the grounds and principles of Religion at home that they may at least remember them and by causing them to come under our publick examination at the Church that we may see whether they do and give them further instructions that they may profitably understand them That the means of bringing persons to Christ and heaven is to bring them to the knowledge of the Truth or that it s your duty to endeavour the bringing of your families by the same way to the same end We will not be so uncharitable as to think you have any need to have it proved and what fitter way can you attempt the discharge of this duty in then by Catechizing them If you were to fill t is an old a common but very pertinent similitude and perhaps may stick by you a company of exceeding narrow mouth'd Glasses the likeliest way to do it is by taking them singly in your hands and dropping into each by little and little as it will goe down and not by setting them altogether and throwing great quantities of water upon them But this together with your duty about it and the many arguments you have to discharge it we shall offer you more at large in these following Considerations which we shall crave leave to presse as the Duty concerns your 1. Whole family 2. Children 3. Servants 1. In relation to your whole family 1. Consider Whether God hath not committed unto you a guardianship over the souls of your families and it be not upon that account your duty to take care for the discharge of theirs T is a comprehensive instance which you have in Exod. 20 10. That your sons daughters men and maid-servants keep the Sabbath holy is an injunction laid immediatly upon you you must remember that they do Sanctifie it and this is not done but by spending the whole time in the private and publique exercises of Gods worship and service And how many principles of Religion must be knowne before this can be done and we cannot doubt of your easie grant of this consequence that if you must see your families doe those duties which they can never doe except they be instructed then must you be their instructors unlesse you can suppose there may lye a strict obligation upon you to accomplish such an end which leaves you under no engagement at all to use the meanes 2 Consider How speciall an eye of favour God carries towards those Heads of families who lay out their care that all under their roof may know and serve him Friendship with God is the choicest evidence of his favour communication of secrets the highest declaration of friendship and this will the Lord bestow upon Abraham a peculiar share in being a person that would command his houshold to keep

2. In relation to your Children Though what we have said of Catechizing as a duty to your whole family we know you will conclude doth concerne the fruit of your own bodies the choicest part of it yet we shall crave leave to presse it more particularly and to beseech you againe to lay it to Heart 1. How expressely God layes it upon you as a duty 2. How many Engagements there be upon you conscientiously to discharge it For the former because what we are desiring of you is a duty consisting of two branches 1. To Catechize them your selves 2. To send them being thus prepared to be further instructed and taught to understand the grounds of Religion unto us we are willing to let you see both parts of the duty 1. For your Catechizing them at home we shall adde to what hath been said already 1. Those precepts of the Scripture where this charge is laid upon parents in expresse Tearmes we shall but name the places and leave them to your meditation and practice Deut. 4. 9 10. and Chap. 6. 6 7. and Chap. 11. 19. Exod. 12. 24 26 27. Exod. 13. 8 14 15. Josh. 4. 6 7 21 22. Psal. 78. 5 6. Joel 1. 3. Eph. 6 4. Pro. 22. 6. 2. The Example of parents fearing God whose practice of this duty is upon record as Abraham Gen. 18. 19. David 1 Chron. 28. 9. which we hope you will beleeve was written for your Instruction And lest you that are Mothers should think your selvs excused we beseech you to consider that as a child must receive the instruction of his father so he must not forsake the Law of his mother Pro. 1. 8. She is described to be a vertuous woman that openeth her mouth with wisdome Pro. 31. 26. that teacheth her children their duty both to God and man Not only did Solomons father teach him Pro. 4. 4. but we have the Prophesie also that his mother taught him Pro. 31. 1. Timothy knew the holy Scripture from a child 2 Tim. 3. 15. and you cannot doubt of the contribution his mother yea and his Grandmother afforded to this Timely acquaintance of his with the Things of God when you reade the Character you have of them Chap. 1. 5. under the hand of an Apostle And that John the Evangelist found of her children walking in Truth had not so much redounded to the praise of that Elect Lady to whom he writes his Second Epistle if she had not instructed them in the way Augustine writes of his mother Monica that she planted precepts of life in his minde by her words watered them with her teares and nourished them by her example You will we doubt not look upon these holy women who Trusted in God as very worthy to be imitated in so great a duty 2. For sending your children to us we shall briefly offer you the duty of it in these particulars 1. We are to feed the Lambs of Christ as well as his sheep they are part of our charge who are to watch over their soules as well as yours 2. That the Sabbath be sanctified by the children is by an expresse Law of God charged as a duty upon the parent of which already from Exod. 20. 10. 3. A great part of the sanctification of this day is in coming solemnly together to waite upon God in the duties of his worship and particularly to heare his word and to be instructed by it What wee ought to beleeve concerning God and what duties God requires of us This your Christianity will not give you leave to doubt of 4. This duty you cannot discharge as to your children but by causing them to beare a part in all the publique duties of that day which they are capable of and particularly to be that way instructed both as to faith and manners in which they are likeliest to receive most benefit and we need not tell you again that this is to be Catechized For the Second How many Engagements there be upon you to perform this duty have we any need to say a jot more then this that they are our children how many motives doth this deare and tender relation wrap up in it we had no intention to leave a volumne with you and so shall but consider 1. The need they have to have this course taken with them Do they not come into the world with soules altogether as naked as their bodies nothing but filth upon the one nothing but sin upon the other and the wages even of this sin is eternall death Rom. 6. 23. What should not we doe that they may be borne againe 2. As our children are borne in sin so t is by our meanes we are instruments of it sin is conveyed to them thorow our Loines being sinfull our selves we beget them as Adam did Seth in our own likenesse after our Image How prevailingly should this move us to be instrumental in their cure as we have been in their disease to direct them to the righteousnesse of the Second Adam as we derived unto them the sin of the first that having begotten them after our own they may be begotten and borne againe after the Image of God and how great a part of that consisteth in knowledge and without which Righteousness and True Holiness the other parts of it are hoped for in vaine as long as it is life eternall to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Joh. 17. 3. 3. The Ardency and strength of our affections toward our children and how many other wayes we are wont to expresse it by our longing for them before we have them Gen. 15. 2. Gen. 30. 1. 1 Sam 1. 10 11. our joy and contentment afterward Joh. 16. 21. the inestimable value we set upon them 2 Kings 4. 13 14 15 16 our industrious care to keep them Gen 42. 36 38. 2 Kings 4. 22 24 27 30. Luc. 8. 41 42. Joh. 7. 47 49. 1 Kings 14. 4. our extreame griefe when we lose them Gen. 37. 33 34 35. 2 Sam. 18. 33. and Chap. 19. 2 4 Mat 2. 18. our Sympathizing with them in all conditions smarting under their paine Mark 9. 22. Mat. 15. 22. and feeling the comfort of their welfare Gen. 45. 27 28. Look Beloved into your bowells or if you cannot finde them there look into the Scriptures we have here brought you and see if these be not the affections of parents towards their children and if these expresse themselves at such a rate so many other wayes Can there be a stronger motive to lay them out the best way upon their souls by taking care that they may be instructed unto the Kingdom of God Let us pause a while and argue the case with our selves a little or if you will let us catechize our selves upon this point and aske such Questions as these Did we long to have children and shall we now suffer them to perish Shall we contentedly see them in such a condition that